THE WORLD FACTBOOK (continued 9)
Reading edition
National Assembly—last held on 26 April 1988 (next to be held April 1992); results—DJP 34%, RDP 24%, PPD 19%, NDRP 15%, other 8%; seats—(299 total) DJP 125, PPD 70, RDP 59, NDRP 35, other 10; note—on 9 February 1990 the DJP, RDP, and NDRP merged to form the DLP; also the PPD became the NDP; as a result the distribution of seats changed to DLP 218, NDP 70, other 11 (June 1990)
_#_Communists: Communist party activity banned by government
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council of Churches; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Council of College Student Representatives; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Council of Labor Unions; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association
_#_Member of: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador HYUN Hong Joo; Chancery at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-5600; there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle;
US—Ambassador Donald P. GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301); telephone [82] (2) 732-2601 through 2618; there is a US Consulate in Pusan
_#_Flag: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
_*Economy #_Overview: The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously entrepreneurial society. Real GNP—which grew by 6.7% in 1989 after an average annual growth of over 12% between 1986-88—grew about 9% in 1990. Labor unrest—which led to substantial wage hikes in 1987-88—was noticeably calmer in 1990, unemployment averaged a low 2.5%, and investment was strong. Inflation rates, however, are beginning to challenge South Korea's strong economic performance. Consumer prices rose 8.6%, the highest rate in nine years. Policymakers are concerned higher prices could lead to a resurgence of labor unrest.
_#_GNP: $238 billion, per capita $5,600; real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 2.5% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $38 billion; expenditures $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
_#_Exports: $65 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish;
partners—US 30%, Japan 19%
_#_Imports: $70 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains;
partners—Japan 27%, US 24% (1990)
_#_External debt: $31.7 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8.6% (1990 est.); accounts for about 45% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 21,000,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 1,970 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing, chemicals, steel, electronics, automobile production, ship building
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP and employs 21% of work force (including fishing and forestry); principal crops—rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products—cattle, hogs, chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9 billion; non-US countries (1970-89), $3.0 billion
_#_Currency: South Korean won (plural—won); 1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)
_#_Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1—718.14 (January 1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45 (1986), 870.02 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 3,106 km operating in 1983; 3,059 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 47 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712 km double track, 418 km electrified; government owned
_#_Highways: 62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads
_#_Inland waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
_#_Pipelines: 455 km refined products
_#_Ports: Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan
_#_Merchant marine: 439 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,182,519 GRT/11,906,897 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 138 cargo, 45 container, 11 refrigerated cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 13 liquefied gas, 7 combination ore/oil, 146 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier
_#_Civil air: 93 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 110 total, 102 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate domestic and international services; 4,800,000 telephones; stations—79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or greater); satellite earth stations—2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,859,511; 8,294,624 fit for military service; 429,088 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $10.4 billion, 4.5% of GNP (1991) % @Kuwait *Geography #_Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
_#_Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
_#_Coastline: 499 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait from 2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept its internationally recognized border with Kuwait, ended earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
_#_Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
_#_Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
_#_Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification
_#_Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
_*People #_Population: 2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Kuwaiti(s); adjective—Kuwaiti
_#_Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 20.1%
_#_Religion: Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
_#_Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken
_#_Literacy: 74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
_#_Labor force: 566,000 (1986); services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade 12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%, agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying 1.4%; 70% of labor force was non-Kuwaiti
_#_Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel
_*Government #_Long-form name: State of Kuwait
_#_Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Kuwait
_#_Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli; note—there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
_#_Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)
_#_Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 25 February
_#_Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved 3 July 1986
_#_Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Amir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-SABAH (since 31 December 1977);
Head of Government—Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad al-Abdallah al-Salim al-SABAH (since 8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister Salim al-Sabah al-Salim al-SABAH
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21; note—out of all citizens, only 8.3% are eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992
_#_Communists: insignificant
_#_Other political or pressure groups: large (150,000) Palestinian community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active; prodemocracy opposition
_#_Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Shaykh Saud Nasir al-SABAH; Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-0702;
US—Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Hilton Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait City); telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
_*Economy #_Overview: Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil sector had dominated the economy. Kuwait has the third-largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Earnings from hydrocarbons generated over 90% of both export and government revenues and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most of the nonoil sector has traditionally been dependent upon oil-derived government revenues. Iraq's destruction of Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80% of Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaging key surface facilities. Western firefighters had brought about 140 of the 600 oil well fires and blowouts under control as of early June 1991. It could take two to three years to restore Kuwait's oil production to its prewar level of about 2.0 million barrels per day.
_#_GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5% (1989)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 0% (1989)
_#_Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
_#_Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—oil 90%;
partners—Japan, Italy, FRG, US
_#_Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing;
partners—Japan, US, FRG, UK
_#_External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced, 5,000 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, salt, construction
_#_Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported
_#_Economic aid: donor—pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
_#_Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
_#_Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1—0.2915 (January 1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications #_Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light gravel
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km
_#_Ports: Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi
_#_Merchant marine: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,332,159 GRT/2,099,303 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 1 bulk; note—all Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti waters at the time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states; Kuwaiti tankers are currently managed from London and Kuwaiti cargo and container ships are managed from Dubai
_#_Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent international, adequate domestic facilities; 258,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990) % @Laos *Geography #_Total area: 236,800 km2; land area: 230,800 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Utah
_#_Land boundaries: 5,083 km total; Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Disputes: boundary dispute with Thailand
_#_Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
_#_Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 58%; other 35%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
_#_Note: landlocked
_*People #_Population: 4,113,223 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 124 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Lao (sing., Lao or Laotian); adjective—Lao or Laotian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other 15%
_#_Religion: Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%
_#_Language: Lao (official), French, and English
_#_Literacy: 84% (male 92%, female 76%) age 15 to 45 can read and write (1985 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1-1.5 million; 85-90% in agriculture (est.)
_#_Organized labor: Lao Federation of Trade Unions is subordinate to the Communist party
_*Government #_Long-form name: Lao People's Democratic Republic
_#_Type: Communist state
_#_Capital: Vientiane
_#_Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Saravan, Savannakhet, Sekong, Vientiane, Vientiane*, Xaignabouri, Xiangkhoang
_#_Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France)
_#_Constitution: draft constitution under discussion since 1976
_#_Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic), 2 December (1975)
_#_Executive branch: president, chairman and four vice chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: Supreme People's Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN (since 15 August 1991);
Head of Government—Chairman of the Council of Ministers General Gen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN, party chairman; includes Lao Patriotic Front and Alliance Committee of Patriotic Neutralist Forces; other parties moribund
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Supreme People's Assembly—last held on 26 March 1989 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(79 total) number of seats by party NA
_#_Other political or pressure groups: non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders have fled the country
_#_Member of: ACCT (associate), AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires LINTHONG PHETSAVAN; Chancery at 2222 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6416 or 6417;
US—Charge d'Affaires Charles B. SALMON, Jr.; Embassy at Rue Bartholonie, Vientiane (mailing address is B. P. 114, Vientiane, or Box V, APO San Francisco 96346); telephone 2220, 2357, 2384
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
_*Economy #_Overview: One of the world's poorest nations, Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government ownership and control of productive enterprises of any size. Recently, however, the government has been decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, that is, it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, limited external and internal telecommunications, and electricity available in only a limited area. Subsistence agriculture is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of GDP and providing about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is rice. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources; foreign aid from the USSR and Eastern Europe is being cut sharply.
_#_GDP: $600 million, per capita $150; real growth rate 5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 21% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $83 million; expenditures $188.5 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $72 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—electricity, wood products, coffee, tin;
partners—Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, USSR, US
_#_Imports: $238 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures;
partners—Thailand, USSR, Japan, France, Vietnam
_#_External debt: $1.1 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8% (1989 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 176,000 kW capacity; 1,100 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tin mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force; subsistence farming predominates; normally self-sufficient in non-drought years; principal crops—rice (80% of cultivated land), sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton; livestock—buffaloes, hogs, cattle, chicken
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and opium poppy for the international drug trade
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $546 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million
_#_Currency: new kip (plural—kips); 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at
_#_Exchange rates: new kips (NK) per US$1—695 (April 1991), 700 (September 1990), 576 (1989), 385 (1988), 200 (1987), 108 (1986), 95 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications #_Highways: about 27,527 km total; 1,856 km bituminous or bituminous treated; 7,451 km gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 18,220 km unimproved earth and often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September
_#_Inland waterways: about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
_#_Pipelines: 136 km, refined products
_#_Ports: none
_#_Airports: 65 total, 51 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: service to general public considered poor; radio network provides generally erratic service to government users; 7,390 telephones (1986); stations—10 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 991,864; 531,084 fit for military service; 45,548 reach military age (18) annually; conscription age NA
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 3.8% of GDP (1987) % @Lebanon *Geography #_Total area: 10,400 km2; land area: 10,230 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut
_#_Land boundaries: 454 km total; Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
_#_Coastline: 225 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976
_#_Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
_#_Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt; water-surplus state in a water-deficit region
_#_Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 9%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 8%; other 61%; includes irrigated 7%
_#_Environment: rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification
_#_Note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary
_*People #_Population: 3,384,626 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Lebanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Lebanese
_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
_#_Religion: Islam 75%, Christian 25%, Judaism NEGL%; 17 legally recognized sects—4 Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 7 Uniate Christian (Armenian Catholic, Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Syrian Catholic), 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Ismailite, Shia, Sunni), and 1 Jewish
_#_Language: Arabic and French (both official); Armenian, English
_#_Literacy: 80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 650,000; industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture 11%, goverment 10% (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 250,000 members (est.)
_*Government #_Note: Between early 1975 and late 1976 Lebanon was torn by civil war between its Christians—then aided by Syrian troops—and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire established in October 1976 between the domestic political groups generally held for about six years, despite occasional fighting. Syrian troops constituted as the Arab Deterrent Force by the Arab League have remained in Lebanon. Syria's move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians and Israel's growing support for Lebanese Christians brought the two sides into rough equilibrium, but no progress was made toward national reconciliation or political reforms—the original cause of the war.
Continuing Israeli concern about the Palestinian presence in Lebanon led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982. Israeli forces occupied all of the southern portion of the country and mounted a summer-long siege of Beirut, which resulted in the evacuation of the PLO from Beirut in September under the supervision of a multinational force (MNF) made up of US, French, and Italian troops.
Within days of the departure of the MNF, Lebanon's newly elected president, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated. In the wake of his death, Christian militiamen massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut camps. This prompted the return of the MNF to ease the security burden on Lebanon's weak Army and security forces. In late March 1984 the last MNF units withdrew.
Lebanese Parliamentarians met in Taif, Saudi Arabia in late 1989 and concluded a national reconciliation pact that codified a new power-sharing formula, specifiying a Christian president but giving Muslims more authority. Rene Muawad was subsequently elected president on 4 November 1989, ending a 13-month period during which Lebanon had no president and rival Muslim and Christian governments. Muawad was assassinated 17 days later, on 22 November; on 24 November Ilyas Harawi was elected to succeed Muawad.
In October 1990, the chances for ending the 16 year old civil war and implementing Ta'if were markedly improved when Syrian and Lebanese forces ousted renegade Christian General Awn from his stronghold in East Beirut. Awn had defied the legitimate government and established a separate mini-state within East Beirut after being appointed acting Prime Minister by outgoing President Gemayel in 1988. Awn and his supporters feared Ta'if would diminish Christian power in Lebanon and increase the influence of Syria.
Since the removal of Awn, the Lebanese Government has reunited the capital city and implemented a phased plan to disarm the militias and gradually reestablish authority throughout Lebanon. The army has deployed from Beirut north along the coast road to Tripoli, southeast into the Shuf mountains, and south to the vicinity of Sidon. Many militiamen from Christian and Muslim groups have evacuated Beirut for their strongholds in the north, south, and east of the country. Some heavy weapons possessed by the militias have been turned over to the government, which has begun a plan to integrate some militiamen into the military and the internal security forces.
Lebanon and Syria signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in May 1991. Lebanon continues to be partially occupied by Syrian troops, which are deployed in East and West Beirut, its southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and throughout northern Lebanon.
Iran also maintains a small contingent of revolutionary guards in the Bekaa Valley and South Lebanon to support Lebanese Islamic fundamentalist groups.
Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, although it still retains troops in a 10-km-deep security zone north of its border with Lebanon. Israel arms and trains the Army of South Lebanon (ASL), which also occupies the security zone and is Israel's first line of defense against attacks on its northern border.
The following description is based on the present constitutional and customary practices of the Lebanese system.
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Lebanon; note—may be changed to Lebanese Republic
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Beirut
_#_Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Al Biqa, Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
_#_Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
_#_Constitution: 26 May 1926 (amended)
_#_Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet; note—by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Arabic—Majlis Alnuwab, French—Assemblee Nationale)
_#_Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Umar KARAMI (since 20 December 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations; most parties have well-armed militias, which are still involved in occasional clashes
_#_Suffrage: compulsory for all males at age 21; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—elections should be held every four years but security conditions have prevented elections since May 1972
_#_Communists: the Lebanese Communist Party was legalized in 1970; members and sympathizers estimated at 2,000-3,000
_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Nassib S. LAHOUD; Chancery at 2560 28th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6300; there are Lebanese Consulates General in Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles;
US—Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER; Embassy at Antelias, Beirut (mailing address is P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut, and FPO New York 09530); telephone [961] 417774 or 415802, 415803, 402200, 403300
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band
_*Economy #_Overview: Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, disrupted economic activity, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Following October 1990, however, a tentative peace has enabled the central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, foreign financial support to political factions, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are main sources of foreign exchange. Economic prospects for 1991 have brightened, particularly if the Syrian-backed government is able to maintain law and order and reestablish business confidence. Rebuilding war-ravaged Beirut is likely to provide a major stimulus to the Lebanese economy in 1991.
_#_GDP: $3.3 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 100% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 35% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $120 million; expenditures $1.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products;
partners—Saudi Arabia 16%, Switzerland 8%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 6%, US 5%
_#_Imports: $1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities—NA;
partners—Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
_#_External debt: $900 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 1,381,000 kW capacity; 3,870 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products—citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in grain
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; opium poppy production in Al Biqa is increasing; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, Israel, and the Middle East
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $356 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $608 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $962 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $9 million
_#_Currency: Lebanese pound (plural—pounds); 1 Lebanese pound (5L) = 100 piasters
_#_Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds (5L) per US$1—974.22 (January 1991), 695.09 (1990), 496.69 (1989), 409.23 (1988), 224.60 (1987), 38.37 (1986), 16.42 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 378 km total; 296 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 82 km 1.050-meter gauge; all single track; system almost entirely inoperable
_#_Highways: 7,370 km total; 6,270 km paved, 450 km gravel and crushed stone, 650 km improved earth
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 72 km (none in operation)
_#_Ports: Beirut, Tripoli, Ras Silata, Juniyah, Sidon, Az Zahrani, Tyre, Shikka; northern ports are occupied by Syrian forces and southern ports are occupied or partially quarantined by Israeli forces
_#_Merchant marine: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 257,220 GRT/379,691 DWT; includes 39 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 container, 8 livestock carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk, 1 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 9 total, 8 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m; none under the direct control of the Lebanese Government
_#_Telecommunications: rebuilding program disrupted; had fair system of radio relay, cable; 325,000 telephones; stations—5 AM, 3 FM, 15 TV; 1 inactive Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth station; 3 submarine coaxial cables; radio relay to Jordan and Syria, inoperable
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army (includes Navy and Air Force)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 725,974; 449,912 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $168 million, 7.3% of GDP (1991) % @Lesotho *Geography #_Total area: 30,350 km2; land area: 30,350 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
_#_Land boundary: 909 km with South Africa
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
_#_Terrain: mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains
_#_Natural resources: some diamonds and other minerals, water, agricultural and grazing land
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 66%; forest and woodland 0%; other 24%
_#_Environment: population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification
_#_Note: landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water Project will control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
_*People #_Population: 1,801,174 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 78 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 63 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Mosotho (sing.), Basotho (pl.); adjective—Basotho
_#_Ethnic divisions: Sotho 99.7%; Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
_#_Religion: Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
_#_Language: Sesotho (southern Sotho) and English (official); also Zulu and Xhosa
_#_Literacy: 59% (male 44%, female 68%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)
_#_Labor force: 689,000 economically active; 86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture; roughly 60% of active male labor force works in South Africa
_#_Organized labor: there are two trade union federations; the government favors formation of a single, umbrella trade union confederation
_*Government #_Long-form name: Kingdom of Lesotho
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Maseru
_#_Administrative divisions: 10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohales Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qachas Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
_#_Independence: 4 October 1966 (from UK; formerly Basutoland)
_#_Constitution: 4 October 1966, suspended January 1970
_#_Legal system: based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Military Council, Military Council, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: none—the bicameral Parliament was dissolved following the military coup in January 1986; note—a National Constituent Assembly convened in June 1990 to rewrite the constitution and debate issues of national importance, but it has no legislative authority
_#_Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990 following dismissal of his father, exiled King MOSHOESHOE II, by Maj. Gen. LEKHANYA);
Head of Government—Chairman of the Military Council Col. Elias Phisoana RAMAEMA (since 30 April 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Basotho National Party (BNP), Matete MAJARA (interim leader); Basutoland Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE; National Independent Party (NIP), A. C. MANYELI; Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), S. H. MAPHELEBA; United Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI; Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL), Jacob KENYA
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—dissolved following the military coup in January 1986; military has pledged elections will take place in June 1992
_#_Communists: small Lesotho Communist Party
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. T. VAN TONDER; Chancery at 2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-5 534;
US—Ambassador Leonard H.O. SPEARMAN, Jr.; Embassy at address NA, Maseru (mailing address is P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100); telephone [266] 312666
_#_Flag: divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is white bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green triangle in the corner
_*Economy #_Overview: Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no important natural resources other than water. Its economy is based on agriculture, light manufacturing, and remittances from laborers employed in South Africa ($153 million in 1989). The great majority of households gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products to support the milling, canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries include textile, clothing, and light engineering. Industry's share of GDP rose from 6% in 1982 to 15% in 1989. Political and economic instability in South Africa raise uncertainties for Lesotho's economy, especially with respect to migrant worker remittances—over one-third of GDP.
_#_GDP: $420 million, per capita $240; real growth rate 4.0% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 23% (1988)
_#_Budget: revenues $280 million; expenditures $288 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92 est.)
_#_Exports: $66 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, peas, beans, corn, hides, skins, baskets;
partners—South Africa 53%, EC 30%, North and South America 13% (1989)
_#_Imports: $499 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery, medicines, petroleum, oil, and lubricants;
partners—South Africa 95%, EC 2% (1989)
_#_External debt: $370 million (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 7.8% (1989 est.); accounts for 15% of GDP
_#_Electricity: power supplied by South Africa
_#_Industries: food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 60-70% of all households; exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and livestock; principal crops are corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $268 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $754 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $14 million
_#_Currency: loti (plural—maloti); 1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
_#_Exchange rates: maloti (M) per US$1—2.5625 (January 1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985); note—the Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*Communications #_Railroads: 1.6 km; owned, operated, and included in the statistics of South Africa
_#_Highways: 5,167 km total; 508 km paved; 1,585 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 946 km improved earth, 2,128 km unimproved earth
_#_Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 28 total, 28 usable; 3 with permanent surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: rudimentary system consisting of a few land lines, a small radio relay system, and minor radiocommunication stations; 5,920 telephones; stations—2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDF; includes Army, Air Wing), Royal Lesotho Mounted Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 394,829; 212,967 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $55 million, 8.6% of GDP (1990 est.) % @Liberia *Geography #_Total area: 111,370 km2; land area: 96,320 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee
_#_Land boundaries: 1,585 km total; Guinea 563 km, Ivory Coast 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
_#_Coastline: 579 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 200 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
_#_Terrain: mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
_#_Natural resources: iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 39%; other 55%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation
_*People #_Population: 2,730,446 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 124 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 59 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Liberian(s); adjective—Liberian
_#_Ethnic divisions: indigenous African tribes, including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella 95%; descendants of repatriated slaves known as Americo-Liberians 5%
_#_Religion: traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
_#_Language: English (official); more than 20 local languages of the Niger-Congo language group; English used by about 20%
_#_Literacy: 40% (male 50%, female 29%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 510,000, including 220,000 in the monetary economy; agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other 14.2%; non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age
_#_Organized labor: 2% of labor force
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Liberia
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Monrovia
_#_Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Jide, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, Rivercess, Sino
_#_Independence: 26 July 1847
_#_Constitution: 6 January 1986
_#_Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—interim President Dr. Amos SAWYER (since 15 November 1990); interim Vice President Ronald DIGGS (since 15 November 1990); note—this is an interim government appointed by the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) that will be replaced after elections are held under a West African-brokered peace plan; rival rebel factions led by Prince Y. JOHNSON and Charles TAYLOR are challenging the Sawyer government's legitimacy while observing a tenuous cease fire; the former president, Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE, was ousted and killed on 9 September 1990 in a coup led by Prince Y. JOHNSON
_#_Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman; Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman; Unity Party (UP), Carlos SMITH, chairman; United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results—Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%, Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%; note—President Doe was killed by rebel forces on 9 September 1990;
Senate—last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(26 total) NDPL 21, LAP 3, UP 1, LUP 1;
House of Representatives—last held on 15 October 1985 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(64 total) NDPL 51, LAP 8, UP 3, LUP 2
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eugenia A. WORDSWORTH-STEVENSON; Chancery at 5201 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20011; telephone (202) 723-0437 through 0440; there is a Liberian Consulate General in New York;
US—Ambassador Peter J. de VOS; Embassy at 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia (mailing address is P. O. Box 98, Monrovia, or APO New York 09155); telephone [231] 222991 through 222994
_#_Flag: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag
_*Economy #_Overview: Civil war during 1990 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Expatriate businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. Political instability threatens prospects for economic reconstruction and repatriation of some 750,000 Liberian refugees who fled to neighboring countries.
_#_GDP: $988 million, per capita $400; real growth rate 1.5% (1988)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 43% urban (1988)
_#_Budget: revenues $242.1 million; expenditures $435.4 million, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989)
_#_Exports: $505 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee;
partners—US, EC, Netherlands
_#_Imports: $394 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities—rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, other foodstuffs;
partners—US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS
_#_External debt: $1.6 billion (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.5% in manufacturing (1987); accounts for 22% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 400,000 kW capacity; 730 million kWh produced, 290 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); principal products—rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava, palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in food, imports 25% of rice consumption
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $665 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $853 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $77 million
_#_Currency: Liberian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1—1.00 (fixed rate since 1940); unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$2.5 = US$1, January 1989
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 480 km total; 328 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 152 km 1.067-meter narrow gauge; all lines single track; rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian Government
_#_Highways: 10,087 km total; 603 km bituminous treated, 2,848 km all weather, 4,313 km dry weather; there are also 2,323 km of private, laterite-surfaced roads open to public use, owned by rubber and timber companies
_#_Ports: Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)
_#_Merchant marine: 1,563 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,053,254 DWT/94,597,871 DWT; includes 18 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 156 cargo, 47 refrigerated cargo, 15 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 67 vehicle carrier, 74 container, 5 barge carrier, 450 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 104 chemical, 60 combination ore/oil, 44 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 485 bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 30 combination bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top four owning flags are US 19%, Japan 17%, Hong Kong 12%, and Norway 10%; China owns at least 28 ships, Bulgaria owns 3, and Poland owns 1
_#_Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 75 total, 58 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: telephone and telegraph service via radio relay network; main center is Monrovia; 8,500 telephones; stations—3 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Armed Forces of Liberia (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Coast Guard, National Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 648,636; 346,349 fit for military service; no conscription
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 2.4% of GDP (1987) % @Libya *Geography #_Total area: 1,759,540 km2; land area: 1,759,540 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska
_#_Land boundaries: 4,383 km total; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
_#_Coastline: 1,770 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm;
Gulf of Sidra closing line: 32o 30%19 N
_#_Disputes: claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in northern Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria
_#_Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
_#_Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, gypsum
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources
_#_Note: the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
_*People #_Population: 4,350,742 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Libyan(s); adjective—Libyan
_#_Ethnic divisions: Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim 97%
_#_Language: Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major cities
_#_Literacy: 64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners; industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
_#_Organized labor: National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers
_*Government #_Long-form name: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
_#_Type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
_#_Capital: Tripoli
_#_Administrative divisions: 46 municipalities (baladiyat, singular—baladiyah); Ajdabiya, Al Abyar, Al Aziziyah, Al Bayda, Al Jufrah, Al Jumayl, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, Al Marj, Al Qarabulli, Al Qubbah, Al Ujaylat, Ash Shati, Awbari, Az Zahra, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Bani Walid, Bin Jawwad, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Ghat, Jadu, Jalu, Janzur, Masallatah, Misratah, Mizdah, Murzuq, Nalut, Qaminis, Qasr Bin Ghashir, Sabha, Sabratah, Shahhat, Surman, Surt, Tajura, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Tukrah, Yafran, Zlitan, Zuwarah; note—the number of municipalities may have been reduced to 13 named Al Jabal al-Akhdar, Al Jabal al-Gharbi, Al Jabal al-Khums, Al Batnam, Al Kufrah, Al Marqab, Al Marzuq, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Khalij Surt, Sabha, Tripoli, Wadi al-Hayat
_#_Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
_#_Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
_#_Legal system: based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
_#_Executive branch: revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's Committee, General People's Committee (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969);
Head of Government—Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abu Zayd Umar DURDA (since 7 October 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
_#_Elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of revolutionary committees
_#_Political parties: none
_#_Communists: no organized party, negligible membership
_#_Other political or pressure groups: various Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Socialist Resurrection (Ba'th) party with almost negligible memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
_#_Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: none
_#_Flag: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state religion)
_*Economy #_Overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and about one-third of GNP. Since 1980, however, the sharp drop in oil prices and the resulting decline in export revenues have adversely affected economic development. In 1988 per capita GNP was the highest in Africa at $5,410, but it had been $2,000 higher in 1982. Severe cutbacks in imports over the past five years have led to shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages. Austerity budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined the government's ability to implement a number of planned infrastructure development projects. Windfall profits from the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments position and may permit Tripoli to ease austerity measures. The nonoil industrial and construction sectors, which account for about 22% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for less than 5% of GNP, it employs 18% of the labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, requiring Libya to import about 75% of its food requirements.
_#_GNP: $24 billion, per capita $5,860; real growth rate 3% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1988 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 2% (1988 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—petroleum, peanuts, hides;
partners—Italy, USSR, FRG, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg, Turkey
_#_Imports: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods;
partners—Italy, USSR, FRG, UK, Japan
_#_External debt: $3.5 billion, excluding military debt (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 43% of GDP (including oil)
_#_Electricity: 4,705,000 kW capacity; 13,600 million kWh produced, 3,220 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
_#_Agriculture: 5% of GNP; cash crops—wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient
_#_Currency: Libyan dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
_#_Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1—0.2669 (January 1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706 (1987), 0.3139 (1986), 0.2961 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: 32,500 km total; 24,000 km bituminous and bituminous treated, 8,500 km gravel, crushed stone and earth
_#_Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; refined products 443 km (includes 256 km liquid petroleum gas)
_#_Ports: Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa el Brega
_#_Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,539 GRT/1,452,847 DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
_#_Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 131 total, 123 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 7 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 44 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000 telephones; stations—18 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic; submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and Intersputnik satellite stations
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahariya (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command), National Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,023,335; 603,886 fit for military service; 52,059 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now being implemented
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 11.1% of GNP (1987) % @Liechtenstein *Geography #_Total area: 160 km2; land area: 160 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: 78 km total; Austria 37 km, Switzerland 41 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
_#_Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
_#_Natural resources: hydroelectric potential
_#_Land use: arable land 25%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 38%; forest and woodland 19%; other 18%
_#_Environment: variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation
_#_Note: landlocked
_*People #_Population: 28,476 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 5 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 81 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Liechtensteiner(s); adjective—Liechtenstein
_#_Ethnic divisions: Alemannic 95%, Italian and other 5%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 87.3%, Protestant 8.3%, unknown 1.6%, other 2.8% (1988)
_#_Language: German (official), Alemannic dialect
_#_Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 10 and over can read and write (1981)
_#_Labor force: 12,258; 5,078 foreign workers (mostly from Switzerland and Austria); industry, trade, and building 54.4%; services 41.6%; agriculture, fishing, forestry, and horticulture 4.0%
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government #_Long-form name: Principality of Liechtenstein
_#_Type: hereditary constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Vaduz
_#_Administrative divisions: 11 communes (gemeinden, singular—gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz
_#_Independence: 23 January 1719, Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established
_#_Constitution: 5 October 1921
_#_Legal system: local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Saint Joseph's Day, 19 March
_#_Executive branch: reigning prince, hereditary prince, head of government, deputy head of government
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Diet (Landtag)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for criminal cases and Superior Court (Obergericht) for civil cases
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989; assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS von und zu Liechtenstein (born 11 June 1968);
Head of Government—Hans BRUNHART (since 26 April 1978); Deputy Head of Government Dr. Herbert WILLE (since 2 February 1986)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Fatherland Union (VU), Dr. Otto HASLER; Progressive Citizens' Party (FBP), Emanuel VOGT; Free Electoral List (FW)
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Diet—last held on 5 March 1989 (next to be held by March 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(25 total) VU 13, FBP 12
_#_Communists: none
_#_Member of: CE, CSCE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WIPO
_#_Diplomatic representation: in routine diplomatic matters, Liechtenstein is represented in the US by the Swiss Embassy;
US—the US has no diplomatic or consular mission in Liechtenstein, but the US Consul General at Zurich (Switzerland) has consular accreditation at Vaduz
_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band
_*Economy #_Overview: The prosperous economy is based primarily on small-scale light industry and tourism. Industry accounts for 54% of total employment, the service sector 42% (mostly based on tourism), and agriculture and forestry 4%. The sale of postage stamps to collectors is estimated at $10 million annually. Low business taxes (the maximum tax rate is 20%) and easy incorporation rules have induced about 25,000 holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein. Such companies, incorporated solely for tax purposes, provide 30% of state revenues. The economy is tied closely to that of Switzerland in a customs union, and incomes and living standards parallel those of the more prosperous Swiss groups.
_#_GDP: $630 million, per capita $22,300; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1989 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 0.1% (December 1986)
_#_Budget: revenues $240 million; expenditures $197 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)
_#_Exports: $1.28 billion (1988);
commodities—small specialty machinery, dental products, stamps, hardware, pottery;
partners—EC 40%, EFTA 22% (Switzerland 18%) (1988)
_#_Imports: $NA;
commodities—machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles;
partners—NA
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 150 million kWh produced, 5,340 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism
_#_Agriculture: livestock, vegetables, corn, wheat, potatoes, grapes
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural—francs, franken, or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or centesimi
_#_Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1—1.2724 (January 1991), 1.3892 (1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986), 2.4571 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 18.5 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, electrified; owned, operated, and included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways
_#_Highways: 130.66 km main roads, 192.27 km byroads
_#_Civil air: no transport aircraft
_#_Airports: none
_#_Telecommunications: automatic telephone system; 25,400 telephones; stations—no AM, no FM, no TV
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Police Department
_#Note: defense is responsibility of Switzerland % @Luxembourg *Geography #_Total area: 2,586 km2; land area: 2,586 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
_#_Land boundaries: 359 km total; Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, Germany 138 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
_#_Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys; uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle floodplain in the southeast
_#_Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)
_#_Land use: arable land 24%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 21%; other 34%
_#_Environment: deforestation
_#_Note: landlocked
_*People #_Population: 388,017 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Luxembourger(s); adjective—Luxembourg
_#_Ethnic divisions: Celtic base, with French and German blend; also guest and worker residents from Portugal, Italy, and European countries
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant and Jewish 3%
_#_Language: Luxembourgish, German, French; many also speak English
_#_Literacy: 100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
_#_Labor force: 169,600; one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and FRG; services 50%, industry 23.2%, government 14.4%, construction 9%, agriculture 3.4% (1987)
_#_Organized labor: 100,000 (est.) members of four confederated trade unions
_*Government #_Long-form name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Luxembourg
_#_Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
_#_Independence: 1839
_#_Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
_#_Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day (public celebration of the Grand Duke's birthday), 23 June (1921)
_#_Executive branch: grand duke, prime minister, vice prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Deputes); note—the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) is an advisory body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
_#_Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de Justice)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964); Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of Grand Duke Jean, born 16 April 1955);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Jacques SANTER (since 21 July 1984); Vice Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Christian Social Party (CSV), Jacques SANTER; Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), Jacques POOS; Liberal (DP), Colette FLESCH; Communist (KPL), Andre HOFFMANN; Green Alternative (GAP), Jean HUSS
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
_#_Elections:
Chamber of Deputies—last held on 18 June 1989 (next to be held by June 1994); results—CSV 31.7%, LSAP 27.2%, DP 16.2%, Greens 8.4%, PAC 7.3%, KPL 5.1%, other 4.1%; seats—(60 total) CSV 22, LSAP 18, DP 11, Greens 4, PAC 4, KPL 1
_#_Communists: 500 party members (1982)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: group of steel industries representing iron and steel industry, Centrale Paysanne representing agricultural producers; Christian and Socialist labor unions; Federation of Industrialists; Artisans and Shopkeepers Federation
_#_Member of: ACCT, Benelux, CCC, CE, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, EMS, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Andre PHILIPPE; Chancery at 2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-4171; there are Luxembourg Consulates General in New York and San Francisco;
US—Ambassador Edward M. ROWELL; Embassy at 22 Boulevard Emmanuel-Servais, 2535 Luxembourg City (mailing address is APO New York 09132); telephone [352] 460123
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue; similar to the flag of the Netherlands which uses a darker blue and is shorter; design was based on the flag of France
_*Economy #_Overview: The stable economy features moderate growth, low inflation, and negligible unemployment. Agriculture is based on small but highly productive family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified, particularly toward high-technology firms. During the past decade, growth in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion of the economy. Luxembourg participates in an economic union with Belgium on trade and most financial matters and is also closely connected economically to the Netherlands.
_#_GDP: $6.9 billion, per capita $18,000; real growth rate 2.5% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 1.3% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)
_#_Exports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—finished steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial products;
partners—EC 75%, US 5%
_#_Imports: $6.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities—minerals, metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods;
partners—Belgium 37%, FRG 31%, France 12%, US 2%
_#_External debt: $131.6 million (1989 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 1% (1990 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 1,500,000 kW capacity; 1,163 million kWh produced, 3,170 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals, metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
_#_Agriculture: accounts for less than 3% of GDP (including forestry); principal products—barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes; cattle raising widespread
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: Luxembourg franc (plural—francs); 1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1—31.102 (January 1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672 (1986), 59.378 (1985); note—the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates freely in Luxembourg
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: Luxembourg National Railways (CFL) operates 270 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 162 km double track; 162 km electrified
_#_Highways: 5,108 km total; 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km earth; about 80 km limited access divided highway
_#_Inland waterways: 37 km; Moselle River
_#_Pipelines: refined products, 48 km
_#_Ports: Mertert (river port)
_#_Merchant marine: 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,731 GRT/2,460 DWT
_#_Civil air: 13 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways less than 1,220 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate and efficient system, mainly buried cables; 230,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, 4 FM, 6 TV; 2 communication satellite earth stations operating in EUTELSAT and domestic systems
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army, National Gendarmerie
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 100,476; 83,724 fit for military service; 2,297 reach military age (19) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $90 million, 1.2% of GDP (1990) % @Macau (overseas territory of Portugal) *Geography #_Total area: 16 km2; land area: 16 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundary: 0.34 km with China
_#_Coastline: 40 km
_#_Maritime claims: not known
_#_Disputes: scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China in 1999
_#_Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
_#_Terrain: generally flat
_#_Natural resources: negligible
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to the peninsula on mainland
_#_Note: 27 km west southwest of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of China
_*People #_Population: 446,262 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 15 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: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Macanese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Macau
_#_Ethnic divisions: Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%
_#_Religion: Buddhist 45%, Roman Catholic 7%, Protestant 1%, none 45.8%, other 1.2% (1981)
_#_Language: Portuguese (official); Cantonese is the language of commerce
_#_Literacy: 90% (male 93%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
_#_Labor force: 180,000 (1986)
_#_Organized labor: none
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: overseas territory of Portugal; scheduled to revert to China in 1999
_#_Capital: Macau
_#_Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular—concelho); Ilhas, Macau
_#_Independence: none (territory of Portugal); Portugal signed an agreement with China on 13 April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20 December 1999; in the joint declaration, China promises to respect Macau's existing social and economic systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transition
_#_Constitution: 17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau
_#_Legal system: Portuguese civil law system
_#_National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June
_#_Executive branch: president of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: Legislative Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9 March 1986);
Head of Government—Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20 March 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Association to Defend the Interests of Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group to Study the Development of Macau; Macau Independent Group
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Legislative Assembly—last held on 9 November 1988 (next to be held November 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(17 total; 6 elected by universal suffrage, 6 by indirect suffrage) number of seats by party NA
_#_Other political or pressure groups: wealthy Macanese and Chinese representing local interests, wealthy pro-Communist merchants representing China's interests; in January 1967 the Macau Government acceded to Chinese demands that gave China veto power over administration
_#_Member of: GATT, WTO (associate)
_#_Diplomatic representation: as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration, Macanese interests in the US are represented by Portugal;
US—the US has no offices in Macau and US interests are monitored by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
_#_Flag: the flag of Portugal is used
_*Economy #_Overview: The economy is based largely on tourism (including gambling), and textile and fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have spawned other small industries—toys, artificial flowers, and electronics. The tourist sector has accounted for roughly 25% of GDP, and the clothing industry has provided about two-thirds of export earnings. Macau depends on China for most of its food, fresh water, and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are the main suppliers of raw materials and capital goods.
_#_GDP: $2.9 billion, per capita $6,560; real growth rate 6% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 2% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
_#_Exports: $1.7 billion (1989 est.);
commodities—textiles, clothing, toys;
partners—US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)
_#_Imports: $1.6 billion (1989 est.);
commodities—raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods;
partners—Hong Kong 39%, China 21%, Japan 10% (1987)
_#_External debt: $91 million (1985)
_#_Industrial production: NA
_#_Electricity: 203,000 kW capacity; 495 million kWh produced, 1,120 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: clothing, textiles, toys, plastic products, furniture, tourism
_#_Agriculture: rice, vegetables; food shortages—rice, vegetables, meat; depends mostly on imports for food requirements
_#_Economic aid: none
_#_Currency: pataca (plural—patacas); 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos
_#_Exchange rates: patacas (P) per US$1—8.03 (1989), 8.044 (1988), 7.993 (1987), 8.029 (1986), 8.045 (1985); note—linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Highways: 42 km paved
_#_Ports: Macau
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: none useable, 1 under construction; 1 seaplane station
_#_Telecommunications: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and international services; 52,000 telephones; stations—4 AM, 3 FM, no TV; 75,000 radio receivers (est.); international high-frequency radio communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided via Hong Kong and China; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces #_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 167,289; 93,142 fit for military service
_#Note: defense is responsibility of Portugal % @Madagascar *Geography #_Total area: 587,040 km2; land area: 581,540 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 4,828 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island (all administered by France)
_#_Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
_#_Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 26%; other 11%; includes irrigated 2%
_#_Environment: subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
_#_Note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel
_*People #_Population: 12,185,318 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 95 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 54 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Malagasy (sing. and pl.); adjective—Malagasy
_#_Ethnic divisions: basic split between highlanders of predominantly Malayo-Indonesian origin (Merina 1,643,000 and related Betsileo 760,000) on the one hand and coastal tribes, collectively termed the Cotiers, with mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry (Betsimisaraka 941,000, Tsimihety 442,000, Antaisaka 415,000, Sakalava 375,000), on the other; there are also 11,000 European French, 5,000 Indians of French nationality, and 5,000 Creoles
_#_Religion: indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian about 41%, Muslim 7%
_#_Language: French and Malagasy (official)
_#_Literacy: 80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 4,900,000; 90% nonsalaried family workers engaged in subsistence agriculture; 175,000 wage earners—agriculture 26%, domestic service 17%, industry 15%, commerce 14%, construction 11%, services 9%, transportation 6%, other 2%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 4% of labor force
_*Government #_Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Madagascar
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Antananarivo
_#_Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (plural—NA, singular—faritanin); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
_#_Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France; formerly Malagasy Republic)
_#_Constitution: 21 December 1975
_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
_#_Executive branch: president, Supreme Council of the Revolution, prime minister, Council of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Popular National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), High Constitutional Court (Haute Cour Constitutionnelle)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA (since 15 June 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Guy RASANAMAZY (since 8 August 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: a presidential decree issued early last year, legalized the existence of political parties outside of the Ruling Front; some thirty political parties now exist in Madagascar, the most important of which are the Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier RATSIRAKA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM), RAKOTOVAO-ANDRIATIANA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence-Revival (AKFM-R), Pastor Richard ANDRIAMANJATO; Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama RAZANABAHINY; Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert ANDRIAMORASATA; Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA; National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja JAONA; Socialist Organization Monima (VSM, an offshoot of MONIMA), Tsihozony MAHARANGA
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held on 12 March 1989 (next to be held March 1996); results—Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 62%, Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA (MFM/MFT) 20%, Dr. Jerome Marojama RAZANABAHINY (VONJY) 15%, Monja JAONA (MONIMA) 3%;
Popular National Assembly—last held on 28 May 1989 (next to be held May 1994); results—AREMA 88.2%, MFM 5.1%, AKFM 3.7%, VONJY 2.2%, other 0.8%; seats—(137 total) AREMA 120, MFM 7, AKFM 5, VONJY 4, MONIMA 1
_#_Communists: Communist party of virtually no importance; small and vocal group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of AKFM, the rank and file of which is non-Communist
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Pierrot Jocelyn RAJAONARIVELO; Chancery at 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-5525 or 5526; there is a Malagasy Consulate General in New York;
US—Ambassador Howard K. WALKER; Embassy at 14 and 16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo (mailing address is B. P. 620, Antananarivo); telephone 212-57, 209-56, 200-89, 207-18
_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side
_*Economy #_Overview: Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. During the period 1980-85 it had a population growth of 3% a year and a - 0.4% GDP growth rate. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for over 40% of GDP, employing about 80% of the labor force, and contributing to more than 70% of total export earnings. Industry is largely confined to the processing of agricultural products and textile manufacturing; in 1990 it accounted for only 16% of GDP and employed 3% of the labor force. In 1986 the government introduced a five-year development plan that stresses self-sufficiency in food (mainly rice) by 1990, increased production for exports, and reduced energy imports.
_#_GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.8% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $390 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital expenditures of $240 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $290 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—coffee 45%, vanilla 15%, cloves 11%, sugar, petroleum products;
partners—France, Japan, Italy, FRG, US
_#_Imports: $436 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%, petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%;
partners—France, FRG, UK, other EC, US
_#_External debt: $3.6 billion (1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5.2% (1990 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 119,000 kW capacity; 430 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap factories, breweries, tanneries, sugar refining plants), light consumer goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops—coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa; food crops—rice, cassava, beans, bananas, peanuts; cattle raising widespread; almost self-sufficient in rice
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $136 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $491 million
_#_Currency: Malagasy franc (plural—francs); 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1—1,454.6 (December 1990), 1,494.1 (1990), 1,603.4 (1989), 1,407.1 (1988), 1,069.2 (1987), 676.3 (1986), 662.5 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads: 1,020 km 1.000-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, 34,495 km improved and unimproved earth (est.)
_#_Inland waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of Canal des Pangalanes
_#_Ports: Toamasina, Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toliara
_#_Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,416 GRT/82,869 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas
_#_Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 148 total, 115 usable; 30 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 42 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: above average system includes open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay, and troposcatter links; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; over 38,200 telephones; stations—14 AM, 1 FM, 7 (30 repeaters) TV
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Popular Armed Forces (includes Intervention Forces, Development Forces, Aeronaval Forces—includes Navy and Air Force), Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,637,866; 1,570,393 fit for military service; 119,882 reach military age (20) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $37 million, 2.2% of GDP (1989 est.) % @Malawi *Geography #_Total area: 118,480 km2; land area: 94,080 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania
_#_Land boundaries: 2,881 km total; Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Disputes: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
_#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)
_#_Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains
_#_Natural resources: limestone; unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite
_#_Land use: arable land 25%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 50%; other 5%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: deforestation
_#_Note: landlocked
_*People #_Population: 9,438,462 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991); note—900,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1990 est.)
_#_Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 17 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 51 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Malawian(s); adjective—Malawian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European
_#_Religion: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced
_#_Language: English and Chichewa (official); other languages important regionally
_#_Literacy: 22% (male 34%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)
_#_Labor force: 428,000 wage earners; agriculture 43%, manufacturing 16%, personal services 15%, commerce 9%, construction 7%, miscellaneous services 4%, other permanently employed 6% (1986)
_#_Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Malawi
_#_Type: one-party state
_#_Capital: Lilongwe
_#_Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ncheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhota Kota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba
_#_Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK; formerly Nyasaland)
_#_Constitution: 6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974
_#_Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Dr. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA (since 6 July 1966; sworn in as President for Life 6 July 1971)
_#_Political parties and leaders: only party—Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Maxwell PASHANE, administrative secretary; John TEMBO, treasurer general; top party position of secretary general vacant since 1983
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President—President BANDA sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971;
National Assembly—last held 27-28 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results—MCP is the only party; seats—(133 total, 112 elected) MCP 133
_#_Communists: no Communist party
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA; Chancery at 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-1007;
US—Ambassador George A. TRAIL, III; Embassy in new capital city development area, address NA (mailing address is P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe); telephone [265] 730-166
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands
_*Economy #_Overview: A landlocked country, Malawi ranks among the world's least developed with a per capita GDP of $175. The economy is predominately agricultural and operates under a relatively free enterprise environment, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988-90 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The closure of traditional trade routes through Mozambique continues to be a constraint on the economy.
_#_GDP: $1.6 billion, per capita $175; growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.7% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $398 million; expenditures $510 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (FY91 est.)
_#_Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts;
partners—US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, FRG
_#_Imports: $560 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—food, petroleum, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment;
partners—South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe
_#_External debt: $1.4 billion (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (1989 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1988)
_#_Electricity: 181,000 kW capacity; 535 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops—tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, and corn; subsistence crops—potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses; livestock—cattle and goats
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $215 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.0 billion
_#_Currency: Malawian kwacha (plural—kwacha); 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala
_#_Exchange rates: Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1—2.6300 (January 1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987), 1.8611 (1986), 1.7191 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*Communications #_Railroads: 789 km 1.067-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 13,135 km total; 2,364 km paved; 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 10,520 km earth and improved earth
_#_Inland waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km
_#_Ports: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, and Nkotakota—all on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
_#_Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 48 total, 46 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire lines, radio relay links, and radio communication stations; 36,800 telephones; stations—8 AM, 4 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
_#_Note: a majority of exports would normally go through Mozambique on the Beira or Nacala railroads, but now most go through South Africa because of insurgent activity and damage to rail lines
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit), paramilitary Malawi Young Pioneers
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,960,082; 995,864 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $22 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.) % @Malaysia *Geography #_Total area: 329,750 km2; land area: 328,550 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
_#_Land boundaries: 2,669 km total; Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782, Thailand 506 km
_#_Coastline: 4,675 km total (2,068 km Peninsular Malaysia, 2,607 km East Malaysia)
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation, specified boundary in the South China Sea;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam; state of Sabah claimed by the Philippines; Brunei may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides Brunei into two parts
_#_Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons
_#_Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains
_#_Natural resources: tin, crude oil, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite
_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 63%; other 24%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: subject to flooding; air and water pollution
_#_Note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea
_*People #_Population: 17,981,698 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Malaysian(s); adjective—Malaysian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Malay and other indigenous 59%, Chinese 32%, Indian 9%
_#_Religion: Peninsular Malaysia—Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu; Sabah—Muslim 38%, Christian 17%, other 45%; Sarawak—tribal religion 35%, Buddhist and Confucianist 24%, Muslim 20%, Christian 16%, other 5%
_#_Language: Peninsular Malaysia—Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil; Sabah—English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese; Sarawak—English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages
_#_Literacy: 78% (male 86%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 6,800,000; agriculture 30.8%, manufacturing 17%, government 13.6%, construction 5.8%, finance 4.3%, business services, transport and communications 3.4%, mining 0.6%, other 24.5% (1989 est.)
_#_Organized labor: 660,000, 10% of total labor force (1988)
_*Government #_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; constitutional monarchy nominally headed by the paramount ruler (king) and a bicameral Parliament; Peninsular Malaysian states—hereditary rulers in all but Penang and Melaka, where governors are appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by federal Constitution; Sabah—self-governing state, holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak—self-governing state within Malaysia, holds 27 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government
_#_Capital: Kuala Lumpur
_#_Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular—negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular—wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*
_#_Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963 when Federation of Malaya became Federation of Malaysia
_#_Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 31 August (1957)
_#_Executive branch: paramount ruler, deputy paramount ruler, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlimen) consists of an upper house or Senate (Dewan Negara) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Paramount Ruler AZLAN Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Sultan Yusof Izzudin (since 26 April 1989); Deputy Paramount Ruler JA'AFAR ibni Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister Abdul GHAFAR Baba (since 7 May 1986)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Peninsular Malaysia— National Front, a confederation of 13 political parties dominated by United Malays National Organization Baru (UMNO Baru), MAHATHIR bin Mohamad; Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), LING Liong Sik; Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, Datuk LIM Keng Yaik; Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Datuk S. Samy VELLU;
Sabah—Berjaya Party, Datuk Haji Mohammed NOOR Mansor; Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Joseph Pairin KITINGAN; United Sabah National Organizaton (USNO), Tun Datu Haji MUSTAPHA;
Sarawak—coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Datuk Patinggi Amar Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud; Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), Datuk Amar Stephen YONG Kuet Tze; Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Datuk James WONG Kim Min; Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Datuk Leo MOGGIE; major opposition parties are Democratic Action Party (DAP), LIM Kit Siang and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Fadzil NOOR
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives—last held 21 October 1990 (next to be held by August 1995); results—National Front 52%, other 48%; seats—(180 total) National Front 127, DAP 20, PAS 7, independents 4, other 22; note—within the National Front, UMNO got 71 seats and MCA 18 seats
_#_Communists: Peninsular Malaysia—about 1,000 armed insurgents on Thailand side of international boundary and about 200 full time inside Malaysia surrendered on 2 December 1989; about 50 Communist insurgents in Sarawak surrendered on 17 October 1990
_#_Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdul MAJID Mohamed; Chancery at 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-2700; there are Malaysian Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York;
US—Ambassador Paul M. CLEVELAND; Embassy at 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur (mailing address is P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur); telephone [60] (3) 248-9011
_#_Flag: fourteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US
_*Economy #_Overview: In 1988-90 booming exports helped Malaysia continue to recover from the severe 1985-86 recession. Real output grew by 8.8% in 1989 and 10% in 1990, helped by vigorous growth in manufacturing output, further increases in foreign direct investment, particularly from Japanese and Taiwanese firms facing higher costs at home, and increased oil production in 1990. Malaysia has become the world's third-largest producer of semiconductor devices (after the US and Japan) and the world's largest exporter of semiconductor devices. Inflation remained low as unemployment stood at 6% of the labor force and as the government followed prudent fiscal/monetary policies. The country is not self-sufficient in food, and some of the rural population subsists at the poverty level. Malaysia's high export dependence leaves it vulnerable to a recession in the OECD countries or a fall in world commodity prices.
_#_GDP: $43.1 billion, per capita $2,460; real growth rate 10% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 6% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $12.6 billion; expenditures $11.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.2 billion (1991 est.)
_#_Exports: $28.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—natural rubber, palm oil, tin, timber, petroleum, electronics, light manufactures;
partners—Singapore, US, Japan, EC
_#_Imports: $26.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—food, crude oil, consumer goods, intermediate goods, capital equipment, chemicals;
partners—Japan, US, Singapore, FRG, UK
_#_External debt: $20.0 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 15.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 27% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 5,600,000 kW capacity; 16,500 million kWh produced, 940 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries:
Peninsular Malaysia—rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber;
Sabah—logging, petroleum production;
Sarawak—agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging
_#_Agriculture:
Peninsular Malaysia—natural rubber, palm oil, rice;
Sabah—mainly subsistence, but also rubber, timber, coconut, rice;
Sarawak—rubber, timber, pepper; there is a deficit of rice in all areas; fish catch of 608,000 metric tons in 1987
_#_Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, Western Europe, and the Third World
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $170 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $42 million
_#_Currency: ringgit (plural—ringgits); 1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen
_#_Exchange rates: ringgits (M$) per US$1—2.7151 (January 1991), 1.7048 (1990), 2.7088 (1989), 2.6188 (1988), 2.5196 (1987), 2.5814 (1986), 2.4830 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications #_Railroads:
Peninsular Malaysia—1,665 km 1.04-meter gauge; 13 km double track, government owned;
Sabah—136 km 1.000-meter gauge
_#_Highways:
Peninsular Malaysia—23,600 km (19,352 km hard surfaced, mostly bituminous-surface treatment, and 4,248 km unpaved);
Sabah—3,782 km;
Sarawak—1,644 km
_#_Inland waterways:
Peninsular Malaysia—3,209 km;
Sabah—1,569 km;
Sarawak—2,518 km
_#_Ports: Tanjong Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Tawau
_#_Merchant marine: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,530,756 GRT/2,246,358 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 65 cargo, 22 container, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 1 passenger-cargo, 23 bulk
_#_Civil air: 53 major transport aircraft
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 1,307 km; natural gas, 379 km
_#_Airports: 125 total, 119 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good intercity service provided to peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave relay, adequate intercity radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 994,860 telephones (1984); stations—28 AM, 3 FM, 33 TV; submarine cables extend to India and Sarawak; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 domestic
_*Defense Forces #_Branches: Royal Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,620,418; 2,815,910 fit for military service; 180,991 reach military age (21) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 3.9% of GDP (1990) % @Maldives *Geography #_Total area: 300 km2; land area: 300 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 644 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 35-310 nm (defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with maritime boundary with India);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
_#_Terrain: flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters
_#_Natural resources: fish
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 3%; other 84%
_#_Environment: 1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls
_#_Note: archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
_*People #_Population: 226,200 (July 1991), growth rate 3.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 72 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 65 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Maldivian(s); adjective—Maldivian
_#_Ethnic divisions: admixtures of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, and black
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim
_#_Language: Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic); English spoken by most government officials
_#_Literacy: 92% (male 92%, female 92%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
_#_Labor force: 66,000 (est.); 25% engaged in fishing industry
_#_Organized labor: none
_*Government #_Long-form name: Republic of Maldives
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Male
_#_Administrative divisions: 19 district (atolls); Aliff, Baa, Daalu, Faafu, Gaafu Aliff, Gaafu Daalu, Haa Aliff, Haa Daalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Laviyani, Meemu, Naviyani, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Waavu
_#_Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 4 June 1964
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Citizens' Council (Majlis)
_#_Judicial branch: High Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978)
_#_Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President—last held 23 September 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results—President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected;
Citizens' Council—last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(48 total, 40 elected)
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Maldives does not maintain an embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York;
US—the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there; US Consular Agency, Midhath Hilmy, Male; telephone 2581