Introductory material (continued 4)
Reading edition
Ports: none
Airports: total: 100 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 23 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 5 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 62
@Botswana:Communications
Telephone system: 26,000 telephones; sparse system; telephone density - 18.67 telephones/1,000 persons local: NA intercity: small system of open wire lines, microwave radio relay links, and a few radio communication stations international: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 13, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 0 televisions: NA
@Botswana:Defense Forces
Branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air Wing), Botswana National Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 306,878; males fit for military service 161,376; males reach military age (18) annually 15,403 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $198 million, 5.2% of GDP (FY93/94)
________________________________________________________________________
BOUVET ISLAND
(territory of Norway)
@Bouvet Island:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area: total area: 58 sq km land area: 58 sq km comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29.6 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 4 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 meters; coast is mostly inaccessible
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100% (all ice)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA
Note: covered by glacial ice
@Bouvet Island:People
Population: uninhabited
@Bouvet Island:Government
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Digraph: BV
Type: territory of Norway
Capital: none; administered from Oslo, Norway
Independence: none (territory of Norway)
@Bouvet Island:Economy
Overview: no economic activity
@Bouvet Island:Transportation
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
@Bouvet Island:Communications
Telephone system: *** No data for this item ***
Note: automatic meteorological station
@Bouvet Island:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
________________________________________________________________________
BRAZIL
@Brazil:Geography
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Map references: South America
Area: total area: 8,511,965 sq km land area: 8,456,510 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than the US note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas, Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao Paulo
Land boundaries: total 14,691 km, Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km
Coastline: 7,491 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: short section of the boundary with Paraguay, just west of Salto das Sete Quedas (Guaira Falls) on the Rio Parana, is in dispute; two short sections of boundary with Uruguay are in dispute - Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada) area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 19% forest and woodland: 67% other: 6%
Irrigated land: 27,000 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and animal species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and occasional frost in south international agreements: party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification
Note: largest country in South America; shares common boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
@Brazil:People
Population: 160,737,489 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 31% (female 24,641,868; male 25,515,775) 15-64 years: 64% (female 51,966,272; male 51,254,165) 65 years and over: 5% (female 4,393,530; male 2,965,879) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.22% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 21.16 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 8.98 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 57.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.82 years male: 56.57 years female: 67.32 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.39 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Brazilian(s) adjective: Brazilian
Ethnic divisions: Caucasion (includes Portuguese, German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed Caucasion and African 38%, African 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991) total population: 80% male: 80% female: 80%
Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.) by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%, industry 27%
@Brazil:Government
Names: conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil conventional short form: Brazil local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil local short form: Brasil
Digraph: BR
Type: federal republic
Capital: Brasilia
Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular - estado) and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa, Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias, Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para, Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution: 5 October 1988
Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70; compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January 1995) election last held 3 October 1994; next to be held October 1998); results - Fernando Henrique CARDOSO 53%, Luis Inacio LULA da Silva 26%, Eneas CARNEIRO 7%, Orestes QUERCIA 4%, Leonel BRIZOLA 3%, Espiridiao AMIN 3%; note - second free, direct presidential election since 1960 cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congresso Nacional) Federal Senate (Senado Federal): election last held 3 October 1994 for two-thirds of Senate (next to be held October 1996 for one-third of the Senate); results - PMBD 28%, PFL 22%, PSDB 12%, PPR 7%, PDT 7%, PT 6%, PTB 6%, other 12% Chamber of Deputies (Camara dos Deputados): election last held 3 October 1994 (next to be held October 1998); results - PMDB 21%, PFL 18%, PDT 7%, PSDB 12%, PPR 10%, PTB 6%, PT 10%, other 16%
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: National Reconstruction Party (PRN), Daniel TOURINHO, president; Brazilian Democratic Movement Party (PMDB), Luiz HENRIQUE da Silveira, president; Liberal Front Party (PFL), Jorge BORNHAUSEN, president; Workers' Party (PT), Rui Goethe da Costa FALCAO, president; Brazilian Workers' Party (PTB), Jose Eduardo ANDRADE VIEIRA, president; Democratic Workers' Party (PDT), Anthony GAROTINHO, president; Progressive Renewal Party (PPR), Espiridiao AMIN, president; Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB), Artur DA TAVOLA, president; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Roberto FREIRE, president; Communist Party of Brazil (PCdoB), Joao AMAZONAS, secretary general; Liberal Party (PL), Alvero VALLE, president
Other political or pressure groups: left wing of the Catholic Church and labor unions allied to leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and economic policies
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MERCOSUR, NAM (observer), OAS, ONUSAL, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNPROFOR, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paulo Tarso FLECHA de LIMA chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 745-2700 FAX: [1] (202) 745-2827 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco consulate(s): Houston
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Melvyn LEVITSKY embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito Federal mailing address: Unit 3500; APO AA 34030 telephone: [55] (61) 321-7272 FAX: [55] (61) 225-9136 consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo consulate(s): Porto Alegre, Recife
Flag: green with a large yellow diamond in the center bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
@Brazil:Economy
Overview: The economy, with large agrarian, mining, and manufacturing sectors, entered the 1990s with declining real growth, runaway inflation, an unserviceable foreign debt of $122 billion, and a lack of policy direction. In addition, the economy remained highly regulated, inward-looking, and protected by substantial trade and investment barriers. Ownership of major industrial and mining facilities is divided among private interests - including several multinationals - and the government. Most large agricultural holdings are private, with the government channeling financing to this sector. Conflicts between large landholders and landless peasants have produced intermittent violence. The COLLOR government, which assumed office in March 1990, launched an ambitious reform program that sought to modernize and reinvigorate the economy by stabilizing prices, deregulating the economy, and opening it to increased foreign competition. Itamar FRANCO, who assumed the presidency following President COLLOR's resignation in December 1992, was out of step with COLLOR's reform agenda; initiatives to redress fiscal problems, privatize state enterprises, and liberalize trade and investment policies lost momentum. Galloping inflation - by June 1994 the monthly rate had risen to nearly 50% - had undermined economic stability. In response, the then finance minister, Fernando Henrique CARDOSO, launched the third phase of his stabilization plan, known as Plano Real, that called for a new currency, the real, which was introduced on 1 July 1994. Inflation subsequently dropped to under 3% per month through the end of 1994. The newly elected President CARDOSO has called for the implementation of sweeping market-oriented reform, including public sector and fiscal reform, privatization, deregulation, and elimination of barriers to increased foreign investment. Brazil's natural resources remain a major, long-term economic strength.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $886.3 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 5.3% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $5,580 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,094% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.9% (1993)
Budget: revenues: $113 billion expenditures: $109 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (1992)
Exports: $43.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice, footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts partners: EC 27.6%, Latin America 21.8%, US 17.4%, Japan 6.3% (1993)
Imports: $33.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products, foodstuffs, coal partners: US 23.3%, EC 22.5%, Middle East 13.0%, Latin America 11.8%, Japan 6.5% (1993)
External debt: $134 billion (1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 9.5% (1993); accounts for 39% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 55,130,000 kW production: 241.4 billion kWh consumption per capita: 1,589 kWh (1993)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, mining (iron ore, tin), steel making, machine building - including aircraft, motor vehicles, motor vehicle parts and assemblies, and other machinery and equipment
Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GDP; world's largest producer and exporter of coffee and orange juice concentrate and second-largest exporter of soybeans; other products - rice, corn, sugarcane, cocoa, beef; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca, mostly for domestic consumption; government has a small-scale eradication program to control cannabis and coca cultivation; important transshipment country for Bolivian and Colombian cocaine headed for the US and Europe
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $284 million; former Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion
Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: R$ per US$1 - 0.85 (January 1995); CR$ per US$1 - 390.845 (January 1994), 88.449 (1993), 4.513 (1992), 0.407 (1991), 0.068 (1990) note: on 1 August 1993 the cruzeiro real (CR$), equal to 1,000 cruzeiros, was introduced; another new currency, the real, was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750 cruzeiro reals
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brazil:Transportation
Railroads: total: 30,612 km (1992) broad gauge: 5,369 km 1.600-m gauge (1,108 km electrified) standard gauge: 194 km 1.440-m gauge narrow gauge: 24,739 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 13 km 0.760-m gauge dual gauge: 310 km 1.600-m/1.000-m gauge (78 km electrified)
Highways: total: 1,670,148 km paved: 161,503 km unpaved: gravel/earth 1,508,645 km (1990)
Inland waterways: 50,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 2,000 km; petroleum products 3,804 km; natural gas 1,095 km
Ports: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus, Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande, Salvador, Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine: total: 215 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,128,654 GRT/8,664,776 DWT ships by type: bulk 52, cargo 34, chemical tanker 13, combination ore/oil 12, container 12, liquefied gas tanker 11, oil tanker 64, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11
Airports: total: 3,467 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 19 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 126 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 286 with paved runways under 914 m: 1,652 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 76 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1,303
@Brazil:Communications
Telephone system: 9.86 million telephones; telephone density - 61/1,000 persons; good working system local: NA intercity: extensive microwave radio relay systems and 64 domestic satellite earth stations international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1,223, FM 0, shortwave 151 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 112 (Brazil has the world's fourth largest television broadcasting system) televisions: NA
@Brazil:Defense Forces
Branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes Marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 44,301,765; males fit for military service 29,815,576; males reach military age (18) annually 1,703,438 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $5.0 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
BRITISH INDIAN OCEAN TERRITORY
(dependent territory of the UK)
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references: World
Area: total area: 60 sq km land area: 60 sq km comparative area: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes the island of Diego Garcia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: the entire Chagos Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low (up to 4 meters in elevation)
Natural resources: coconuts, fish
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA
Note: archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
@British Indian Ocean Territory:People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are UK-US military personnel; civilian inhabitants, known as the Ilois, evacuated to Mauritius before construction of UK-US military facilities
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Government
Names: conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none
Abbreviation: BIOT
Digraph: IO
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: none
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Mr. D. R. MACLENNAN); Administrator Mr. David Smith; note - both reside in the UK
Diplomatic representation in US: none (dependent territory of the UK)
US diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: white with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and six blue wavy horizontal stripes bearing a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Economy
Overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands.
Electricity: provided by the US military
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: NA paved: short stretch of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA
Ports: Diego Garcia
Airports: total: 1 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; minimal facilities local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@British Indian Ocean Territory:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
________________________________________________________________________
BRITISH VIRGIN ISLANDS
(dependent territory of the UK)
@British Virgin Islands:Geography
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total area: 150 sq km land area: 150 sq km comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes the island of Anegada
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 7% meadows and pastures: 33% forest and woodland: 7% other: 33%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the island's water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment) natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) international agreements: NA
Note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
@British Virgin Islands:People
Population: 13,027 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.27% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 20.25 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 6.07 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.33 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.73 years male: 70.88 years female: 74.7 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.27 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Ethnic divisions: black 90%, white, Asian
Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)
Languages: English (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1970) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98%
Labor force: 4,911 (1980) by occupation: NA
@British Virgin Islands:Government
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
Abbreviation: BVI
Digraph: VI
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: Road Town
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July
Constitution: 1 June 1977
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Peter Alfred PENFOLD (since 14 October 1991) head of government: Chief Minister H. Lavity STOUTT (since NA September 1986) cabinet: Executive Council; appointed by the governor
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council: election last held 20 February 1995 (next to be held on NA February 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (13 total) VIP 6, CCM 2, UP 2, independents 3 note: legislature was expanded to 13 seats as of election on 20 February 1995
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: United Party (UP), Conrad MADURO; Virgin Islands Party (VIP), H. Lavity STOUTT; Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM), E. Walwyln BREWLEY
Member of: CARICOM (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US: none (dependent territory of the UK)
US diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
@British Virgin Islands:Economy
Overview: The economy, one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean area, is highly dependent on the tourist industry, which generates about 21% of the national income. In 1985 the government offered offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and, in consequence, incorporation fees generated about $2 million in 1987. The economy slowed in 1991 because of the poor performances of the tourist sector and tight commercial bank credit. Livestock raising is the most significant agricultural activity. The islands' crops, limited by poor soils, are unable to meet food requirements.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $133 million (1991)
National product real growth rate: 2% (1991)
National product per capita: $10,600 (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1992)
Budget: revenues: $51 million expenditures: $88 million, including capital expenditures of $38 million (1991)
Exports: $2.7 million (f.o.b., 1988) commodities: rum, fresh fish, gravel, sand, fruits, animals partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Imports: $11.5 million (c.i.f., 1988) commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
External debt: $4.5 million (1985)
Industrial production: growth rate 4% (1985)
Electricity: capacity: 10,500 kW production: 50 million kWh consumption per capita: 3,148 kWh (1993)
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Agriculture: livestock (including poultry), fish, fruit, vegetables
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@British Virgin Islands:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 106 km (1983) paved: NA unpaved: NA
Ports: Road Town
Merchant marine: none
Airports: total: 3 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@British Virgin Islands:Communications
Telephone system: 3,000 telephones; worldwide external telephone service local: NA intercity: NA international: submarine cable communication links to Bermuda
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@British Virgin Islands:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
________________________________________________________________________
BRUNEI
@Brunei:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total area: 5,770 sq km land area: 5,270 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware
Land boundaries: total 381 km, Malysia 381 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides the country; all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy
Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly lowland in west
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 79% other: 18%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia
@Brunei:People
Population: 292,266 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (female 48,458; male 50,624) 15-64 years: 62% (female 85,581; male 95,955) 65 years and over: 4% (female 5,172; male 6,476) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.63% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 25.83 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.07 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.24 years male: 69.65 years female: 72.91 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bruneian(s) adjective: Bruneian
Ethnic divisions: Malay 64%, Chinese 20%, other 16%
Religions: Muslim (official) 63%, Buddhism 14%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs and other 15% (1981)
Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991) total population: 88% male: 92% female: 82%
Labor force: 119,000 (1993 est.); note - includes members of the Army by occupation: government 47.5%, production of oil, natural gas, services, and construction 41.9%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 3.8% (1986) note: 33% of labor force is foreign (1988)
@Brunei:Government
Names: conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam conventional short form: Brunei
Digraph: BX
Type: constitutional sultanate
Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan
Administrative divisions: 4 districts (daerah-daerah, singular - daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong
Independence: 1 January 1984 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day 23 February (1984)
Constitution: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence on 1 January 1984)
Legal system: based on Islamic law
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka Seri Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (since 5 October 1967) cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers; composed chiefly of members of the royal family
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (Majlis Masyuarat Megeri): elections last held in March 1962; in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by decree of the sultan; an elected legislative Council is being considered as part of constitution reform, but elections are unlikely for several years
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Brunei United National Party (inactive), Anak HASANUDDIN, chairman; Brunei National Solidarity Party (the first legal political party and now banned), leader NA; Brunei Peoples Party (banned), leader NA
Member of: APEC, ASEAN, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, ICAO, IDB, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Haji JAYA bin Abdul Latif chancery: Watergate, Suite 300, 3rd floor, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-0159 FAX: [1] (202) 342-0158
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Theresa A. TULL embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri Begawan mailing address: American Embassy Box B, APO AP 96440 telephone: [673] (2) 229670 FAX: [673] (2) 225293
Flag: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top, almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side; the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands
@Brunei:Economy
Overview: The economy is a mixture of foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and welfare measures, and village tradition. It is almost totally supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues from the petroleum sector accounting for more than 40% of GDP. Per capita GDP is among the highest in the Third World, and substantial income from overseas investment supplements domestic production. The government provides for all medical services and subsidizes food and housing.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.43 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate: -4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita: $16,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5% (1993 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.5 billion expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $255 million (1990 est.)
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products partners: Japan 52%, South Korea 10%, UK 9%, Thailand 7%, Singapore 6% (1991)
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals partners: Singapore 34%, UK 23%, US 10%, Japan 8%, Malaysia 7%, Switzerland 4% (1991)
External debt: $0
Industrial production: growth rate 12.9% (1987); accounts for 41.6% of GDP (1990), includes mining, quarrying, and manufacturing
Electricity: capacity: 380,000 kW production: 1.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,971 kWh (1993)
Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction
Agriculture: imports about 80% of its food needs; principal crops and livestock include rice, cassava, bananas, buffaloes, and pigs
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $20.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $153 million
Currency: 1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1 - 1.4524 (January 1995), 1.5274 (1994), 1.6158 (1993), 1.6290 (1992), 1.7276 (1991), 1.8125 (1990); note - the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Brunei:Transportation
Railroads: total: 13 km private line narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge
Highways: total: 1,090 km paved: bituminous 370 km (with another 52 km under construction) unpaved: gravel or earth 720 km
Inland waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 meters
Pipelines: crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural gas 920 km
Ports: Bandar Seri Begawar, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria, Tutong
Merchant marine: total: 7 liquefied gas carriers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476 GRT/340,635 DWT
Airports: total: 5 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Brunei:Communications
Telephone system: 33,000 telephones (1987); service throughout country is adequate for present needs; international service good to adjacent Malaysia local: NA intercity: NA international: INTELSAT (NA Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) earth stations
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 4, shortwave 0 radios: 74,000 (1987) note: radiobroadcast coverage good
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@Brunei:Defense Forces
Branches: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 81,560; males fit for military service 47,403; males reach military age (18) annually 2,835 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $312 million, 6.2% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
BULGARIA
@Bulgaria:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Romania and Turkey
Map references: Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe
Area: total area: 110,910 sq km land area: 110,550 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries: total 1,808 km, Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km (all with Serbia), Turkey 240 km
Coastline: 354 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast
Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber, arable land
Land use: arable land: 34% permanent crops: 3% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 35% other: 10%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals, detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from metallurgical plants and industrial wastes natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia
@Bulgaria:People
Population: 8,775,198 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (female 800,413; male 841,697) 15-64 years: 66% (female 2,927,880; male 2,910,133) 65 years and over: 15% (female 735,706; male 559,369) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.25% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 11.75 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 11.31 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 11.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.68 years male: 70.43 years female: 77.1 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Bulgarian(s) adjective: Bulgarian
Ethnic divisions: Bulgarian 85.3%, Turk 8.5%, Gypsy 2.6%, Macedonian 2.5%, Armenian 0.3%, Russian 0.2%, other 0.6%
Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman Catholic 0.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian, and other 0.5%
Languages: Bulgarian; secondary languages closely correspond to ethnic breakdown
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1992) total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97%
Labor force: 4.3 million by occupation: industry 33%, agriculture 20%, other 47% (1987)
@Bulgaria:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria conventional short form: Bulgaria
Digraph: BU
Type: emerging democracy
Capital: Sofia
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast); Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse, Sofiya, Varna
Independence: 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day 3 March (1878)
Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991
Legal system: based on civil law system, with Soviet law influence; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Zhelyu Mitev ZHELEV (since 1 August 1990); Vice President (vacant); election last held January 1992; results - Zhelyu ZHELEV was elected by popular vote head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister) Zhan VIDENOV (since 25 January 1995); Deputy Prime Ministers Doncho KONAKCHIEV, Kiril TSOCHEV, Rumen GECHEV, Svetoslav SHIVAROV (since 25 January 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Narodno Sobranie): last held 18 December 1994 (next to be held NA 1997); results - BSP 43.5%, UDF 24.2%, PU 6.5%, MRF 5.4%, BBB 4.7%; seats - (240 total) BSP 125, UDF 69, PU 18, MRF 15, BBB 13
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Bulgarian Socialist Party (BSP), Zhan VIDENOV, chairman; Union of Democratic Forces (UDF), Ivan KOSTOV an alliance of pro-Democratic parties; People's Union (PU), Stefan SAVOV; Movement for Rights and Freedoms (mainly ethnic Turkish party) (MRF), Ahmed DOGAN; Bulgarian Business Bloc (BBB), George GANCHEV
Other political or pressure groups: Democratic Alliance for the Republic (DAR); New Union for Democracy (NUD); Ecoglasnost; Podkrepa Labor Confederation; Fatherland Union; Bulgarian Communist Party (BCP); Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria (KNSB); Bulgarian Agrarian National Union - United (BZNS); Bulgarian Democratic Center; "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian National Union; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Union of Macedonian Societies (IMRO-UMS); numerous regional, ethnic, and national interest groups with various agendas
Member of: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI (associate members), EBRD, ECE, FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Snezhana Damianova BOTUSHAROVA chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-7969 FAX: [1] (202) 234-7973
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador William D. MONTGOMERY embassy: 1 Saborna Street, Sofia mailing address: Unit 1335, Sofia; APO AE 09213-1335 telephone: [359] (2) 88-48-01 through 05 FAX: [359] (2) 80-19-77
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of the white stripe has been removed - it contained a rampant lion within a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and 1944 (liberation from Nazi control)
@Bulgaria:Economy
Overview: The Bulgarian economy continued its painful adjustment in 1994 from the misdirected development undertaken during four decades of Communist rule. Many aspects of a market economy have been put in place and have begun to function, but much of the economy, especially the industrial sector, has yet to re-establish market links lost with the collapse of the other centrally planned Soviet Bloc economies. The prices of many imported industrial inputs, especially energy products, have risen markedly, and falling real wages have not sufficed to restore competitiveness. The government plans more extensive privatization in 1995 to improve the management of enterprises and to encourage foreign investment. Bulgaria resumed payments on its $10 billion in commercial debt in 1993 following the negotiation of a 50% write-off.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $33.7 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 0.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $3,830 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 122% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1994)
Budget: revenues: $14 billion expenditures: $17.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $610 million (1993 est.)
Exports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: machinery and equipment 30.6%; agricultural products 24%; manufactured consumer goods 22.2%; fuels, minerals, raw materials, and metals 10.5%; other 12.7% (1991) partners: former CEMA countries 57.7% (FSU 48.6%, Poland 2.1%, Czechoslovakia 0.9%); developed countries 26.3% (Germany 4.8%, Greece 2.2%); less developed countries 15.9% (Libya 2.1%, Iran 0.7%) (1991)
Imports: $4.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: fuels, minerals, and raw materials 58.7%; machinery and equipment 15.8%; manufactured consumer goods 4.4%; agricultural products 15.2%; other 5.9% partners: former CEMA countries 51.0% (FSU 43.2%, Poland 3.7%); developed countries 32.8% (Germany 7.0%, Austria 4.7%); less developed countries 16.2% (Iran 2.8%, Libya 2.5%)
External debt: $12 billion (1994)
Industrial production: growth rate 4% (1994); accounts for about 37% of GDP (1990)
Electricity: capacity: 11,500,000 kW production: 35.9 billion kWh consumption per capita: 3,827 kWh (1993)
Industries: machine building and metal working, food processing, chemicals, textiles, building materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals
Agriculture: climate and soil conditions support livestock raising and the growing of various grain crops, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits, and tobacco; more than one-third of the arable land devoted to grain; world's fourth-largest tobacco exporter; surplus food producer
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine transiting the Balkan route; limited producer of precursor chemicals
Economic aid: recipient: $700 million in balance of payments support (1994)
Currency: 1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki
Exchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1 - 67.04 (January 1995), 32.00 (January 1994), 24.56 (January 1993), 17.18 (January 1992), 16.13 (March 1991), 0.7446 (November 1990); note - floating exchange rate since February 1991
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Bulgaria:Transportation
Railroads: total: 4,294 km standard gauge: 4,049 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 double track) other: 245 km NA-m gauge (1994)
Highways: total: 36,932 km paved: 33,904 km (including 276 km expressways) unpaved: earth 3,028 km (1992)
Inland waterways: 470 km (1987)
Pipelines: crude oil 193 km; petroleum products 525 km; natural gas 1,400 km (1992)
Ports: Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin
Merchant marine: total: 109 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,191,231 GRT/1,762,461 DWT ships by type: bulk 47, cargo 29, chemical carrier 4, container 2, oil tanker 15, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 1 note: Bulgaria owns 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,960 DWT operating under Liberian registry
Airports: total: 355 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 17 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 with paved runways under 914 m: 88 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 226
@Bulgaria:Communications
Telephone system: 2,600,000 telephones; 29 telephones/100 persons (1992); extensive but antiquated transmission system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay; direct dialing to 36 countries; telephone service is available in most villages; almost two-thirds of the lines are residential; 67% of Sofia households have phones (November 1988) local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 earth station using Intersputnik; INTELSAT link used through a Greek earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 20, FM 15, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 29 (Russian repeater in Sofia 1) televisions: 2.1 million (May 1990)
@Bulgaria:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Troops, Internal Troops
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 2,171,414; males fit for military service 1,810,989; males reach military age (19) annually 69,200 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: 13 billion leva, NA% of GDP (1994 est.); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
________________________________________________________________________
BURKINA
@Burkina:Geography
Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 274,200 sq km land area: 273,800 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado
Land boundaries: total 3,192 km, Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: following mutual acceptance of an International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling in December 1986 on their international boundary dispute, Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast
Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver
Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 37% forest and woodland: 26% other: 27%
Irrigated land: 160 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution, and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation natural hazards: recurring droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Note: landlocked
@Burkina:People
Population: 10,422,828 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (female 2,488,662; male 2,517,245) 15-64 years: 49% (female 2,707,601; male 2,378,957) 65 years and over: 3% (female 184,578; male 145,785) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.79% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 48.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.22 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 116.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.6 years male: 45.71 years female: 47.51 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.88 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural) adjective: Burkinabe
Ethnic divisions: Mossi (about 2.5 million), Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, Fulani
Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%
Languages: French (official), tribal languages belonging to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 18% male: 28% female: 9%
Labor force: NA (most adults are employed in subsistance agriculture) by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry 15%, commerce, services, and government 5% note: 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1984)
@Burkina:Government
Names: conventional long form: Burkina Faso conventional short form: Burkina former: Upper Volta
Digraph: UV
Type: parliamentary
Capital: Ouagadougou
Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)
Constitution: 2 June 1991
Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987); election last held December 1991 head of government: Prime Minister Roch KABORE (since March 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of People's Deputies: elections last held 24 May 1992 (next to be held 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (107 total), ODP-MT 78, CNPP-PSD 12, RDA 6, ADF 4, other 7 note: the current law also provides for a second consultative chamber, which has not been formally constituted
Judicial branch: Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders: Organization for People's Democracy - Labor Movement (ODP-MT), ruling party, Simon COMPAORE, Secretary General; National Convention of Progressive Patriots-Social Democratic Party (CNPP-PSD), Moussa BOLY; African Democratic Rally (RDA), Gerard Kango OUEDRAOGO; Alliance for Democracy and Federation (ADF), Amadou Michel NANA
Other political or pressure groups: committees for the defense of the revolution; watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gaetan R. OUEDRAOGO chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-5577, 6895
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou telephone: [226] 306723 through 306725 FAX: [226] 312368
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Burkina:Economy
Overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has a high population density and a high population growth rate, few natural resources, and a fragile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of GDP and is mainly of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounts for about 15% of GDP. Following the 50% currency devaluation in January 1994, the government updated its development program in conjunction with international agencies. Even with the best of plans, however, the government faces formidable problems on all sides.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.5 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate: 0.4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita: $660 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.6% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $483 million expenditures: $548 million, including capital expenditures of $189 million (1992)
Exports: $273 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: cotton, gold, animal products partners: EC 42%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, Taiwan 15% (1992)
Imports: $636 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum partners: EC 49%, Africa 24%, Japan 6% (1992)
External debt: $865 million (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.7% (1992); accounts for about 15% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 60,000 kW production: 190 million kWh consumption per capita: 17 kWh (1993)
Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold mining and extraction
Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP; cash crops - peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops - sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $113 million
Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1995), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990) note: beginning 12 January 1994 the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Burkina:Transportation
Railroads: total: 620 km (520 km Ouagadougou to Cote d'Ivoire border and 100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; single track) narrow gauge: 620 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 16,500 km paved: 1,300 km unpaved: improved earth 7,400 km; unimproved earth 7,800 km (1985)
Ports: none
Airports: total: 48 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 26 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 4 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 16
@Burkina:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; all services only fair local: NA intercity: microwave radio relay, wire, and radio communication stations international: 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 2 televisions: NA
@Burkina:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police, People's Militia
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 2,081,999; males fit for military service 1,065,605 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $104 million, 6.4% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
BURMA
@Burma:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total area: 678,500 sq km land area: 657,740 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total 5,876 km, Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km
Coastline: 1,930 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)
Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands
Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 15% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 1% forest and woodland: 49% other: 34%
Irrigated land: 10,180 sq km (1989)
Environment: current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment contribute to disease
natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes
@Burma:People
Population: 45,103,809 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36% (female 7,963,544; male 8,285,459) 15-64 years: 60% (female 13,478,211; male 13,404,987) 65 years and over: 4% (female 1,080,922; male 890,686) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.84% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 28.02 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9.63 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 61.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 60.47 years male: 58.38 years female: 62.69 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.58 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burmese (singular and plural) adjective: Burmese
Ethnic divisions: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%
Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%
Languages: Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 81% male: 89% female: 72%
Labor force: 16.007 million (1992) by occupation: agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY88/89 est.)
@Burma:Government
Names: conventional long form: Union of Burma conventional short form: Burma local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar) local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma
Digraph: BM
Type: military regime
Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)
Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular - yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular - pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*, Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon*
Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)
Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988); National Convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new constitution; chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been approved
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992) State Law and Order Restoration Council: military junta which assumed power 18 September 1988
Legislative branch: People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw): election last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened; results - NLD 80%; seats - (485 total) NLD 396, the regime-favored NUP 10, other 79; was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988
Judicial branch: limited; remnants of the British-era legal system in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial; the judiciary is not independent of the executive
Political parties and leaders: Union Solidarity and Development Association (USDA), THAN AUNG, Secretary; National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW; National League for Democracy (NLD), U AUNG SHWE; and eight other minor legal parties
Other political or pressure groups: National Coalition Government of the Union of Burma (NCGUB), headed by the elected prime minister SEIN WIN (consists of individuals legitimately elected to Parliament but not recognized by the military regime; the group fled to a border area and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel government; Kachin Independence Army (KIA); United Wa State Army (UWSA); Karen National Union (KNU); several Shan factions, including the Mong Tai Army (MTA); All Burma Student Democratic Front (ABSDF)
Member of: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador U THAUNG chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-9044, 9045 consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Marilyn A. MEYERS embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521) mailing address: American Embassy, Box B, APO AP 96546 telephone: [95] (1) 82055, 82182 (operator assistance required) FAX: [95] (1) 80409
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions
@Burma:Economy
Overview: Burma has a mixed economy with about 75% private activity, mainly in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with about 25% state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy industry, and foreign trade. Government policy in the last six years, 1989-94, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after four decades of tight central planning. Thus, private activity has markedly increased; foreign investment has been encouraged, so far with moderate success; and efforts continue to increase the efficiency of state enterprises. Published estimates of Burma's foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of black market trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Although Burma remains a poor Asian country, its rich resources furnish the potential for substantial long-term increases in income, exports, and living standards.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $41.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 6.4% (1994)
National product per capita: $930 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 38% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $4.4 billion expenditures: $6.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93/94 est.)
Exports: $674 million (FY93/94 est.) commodities: pulses and beans, teak, rice, hardwood partners: Singapore, China, Thailand, India, Hong Kong
Imports: $1.2 billion (FY93/94 est.) commodities: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products partners: Japan, China, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia
External debt: $5.4 billion (FY93/94 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (FY92/93 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 1,100,000 kW production: 2.6 billion kWh consumption per capita: 55 kWh (1993)
Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for 65% of GDP and 65% of employment (including fishing, animal husbandry, and forestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops - paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and timber account for 55% of export revenues
Illicit drugs: world's largest illicit producer of opium (2,030 metric tons in 1994 - dropped 21% due to regional drought in 1994) and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production continues to be almost double since the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs; growing role in amphetamine production for regional consumption
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $158 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $424 million
Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas
Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1 - 5.8640 (January 1995), 5.9749 (1994), 6.1570 (1993), 6.1045 (1992), 6.2837 (1991), 6.3386 (1990); unofficial - 120
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Burma:Transportation
Railroads: total: 3,991 km (3,878 km common carrier lines, 113 km industrial lines) standard gauge: 3,878 km 1.435-m gauge other: 113 km NA-m gauge
Highways: total: 27,000 km paved: bituminous 3,200 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 17,700 km; unimproved earth 6,100 km
Inland waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km
Ports: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein, Myitkyina, Rangoon, Sittwe, Tavoy
Merchant marine: total: 49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 638,297 GRT/884,492 DWT ships by type: bulk 19, cargo 15, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker 3, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 4, vehicle carrier 2
Airports: total: 80 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 11 with paved runways under 914 m: 33 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 5 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 17
@Burma:Communications
Telephone system: 53,000 telephones (1986); meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service for business and government; international service is good local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1985) radios: NA note: radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas
Television: broadcast stations: 1 (1985) televisions: NA
@Burma:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 11,553,094; females age 15-49 11,463,189; males fit for military service 6,180,091; females fit for military service 6,116,421; males reach military age (18) annually 457,445 (1995 est.); females reach military age (18) annually 441,628 (1995 est.) note: both sexes liable for military service
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
________________________________________________________________________
BURUNDI
@Burundi:Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Zaire
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 27,830 sq km land area: 25,650 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: total 974 km, Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: none
Climate: temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands; dry season from June to September
Terrain: hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east, some plains
Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium
Land use: arable land: 43% permanent crops: 8% meadows and pastures: 35% forest and woodland: 2% other: 12%
Irrigated land: 720 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: soil erosion as a result of overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands; deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife populations natural hazards: flooding, landslides international agreements: party to - Endangered Species; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed
@Burundi:People
Population: 6,262,429 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (female 1,489,721; male 1,494,730) 15-64 years: 50% (female 1,606,307; male 1,498,021) 65 years and over: 2% (female 105,446; male 68,204) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.18% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 43.35 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 21.51 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: in a number of waves since April 1994, hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the civil strife between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi and crossed into Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zaire; the refugee flows are continuing in 1995 as the ethnic violence has persisted
Infant mortality rate: 111.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 39.86 years male: 37.84 years female: 41.95 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.63 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Burundian(s) adjective: Burundi
Ethnic divisions: Africans: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1% non-Africans: Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000
Religions: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%), indigenous beliefs 32%, Muslim 1%
Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 50% male: 61% female: 40%
Labor force: 1.9 million (1983 est.) by occupation: agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5%
@Burundi:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Burundi conventional short form: Burundi local long form: Republika y'u Burundi local short form: Burundi
Digraph: BY
Type: republic
Capital: Bujumbura
Administrative divisions: 15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: 13 March 1992; provides for establishment of a plural political system
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Executive branch: chief of state: President Sylvestre NTIBANTUNGANYA (since September 1994) note: President Melchior NDADAYE, Burundi's first democratically elected president, died in the military coup of 21 October 1993 and was succeeded on 5 February 1994 by President Cyprien NTARYAMIRA, who was killed in a mysterious airplane explosion on 6 April 1994 head of government: Prime Minister Antoine NDUWAYO (since February 1995); selected by President NTIBANTUNGANYA following the resignation of Anatole KANYENKIKO on 15 February 1995 cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 29 June 1993 (next to be held NA); results - FRODEBU 71%, UPRONA 21.4%; seats - (81 total) FRODEBU 65, UPRONA 16; other parties won too small shares of the vote to win seats in the assembly note: The National Unity Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted by a national referendum on 5 February 1991
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: Unity for National Progress (UPRONA); Burundi Democratic Front (FRODEBU); Organization of the People of Burundi (RBP); Socialist Party of Burundi (PSB); People's Reconciliation Party (PRP); opposition parties, legalized in March 1992, include Burundi African Alliance for the Salvation (ABASA); Rally for Democracy and Economic and Social Development (RADDES); and Party for National Redress (PARENA)
Other political or pressure groups: NA;
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: post vacant since recall of Ambassador Jacques BACAMURWANKO in November 1994 chancery: Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2574
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. KRUEGER embassy: Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura mailing address: B. P. 1720, Bujumbura telephone: [257] (2) 23454 FAX: [257] (2) 22926
Flag: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)
@Burundi:Economy
Overview: A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi since October 1993 has suffered from massive ethnic-based violence that has displaced an estimated million people, disrupted production, and set back needed reform programs. Burundi is predominately agricultural with roughly 90% of the population dependent on subsistence agriculture. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts for 80% of foreign exchange earnings. The ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market. As part of its economic reform agenda, launched in February 1991 with IMF and World Bank support, Burundi is trying to diversify its agricultural exports, attract foreign investment in industry, and modernize government budgetary practices. Although the government remains committed to reforms, it fears new austerity measures would add to ethnic tensions.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: -13.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $600 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $318 million expenditures: $326 million, including capital expenditures of $150 million (1991 est.)
Exports: $68 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: coffee 81%, tea, cotton, hides, and skins partners: EC 57%, US 19%, Asia 1%
Imports: $203 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods partners: EC 45%, Asia 29%, US 2%
External debt: $1.05 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 15% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 55,000 kW production: 100 million kWh consumption per capita: 20 kWh (1993)
Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imported components; public works construction; food processing
Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; cash crops - coffee, cotton, tea; food crops - corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock - meat, milk, hides and skins
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $71 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $10.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million
Currency: 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1 - 248.51 (December 1994), 252.66 (1994), 242.78 (1993), 208.30 (1992), 181.51 (1991), 171.26 (1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Burundi:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 5,900 km paved: 640 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 2,260 km; improved, unimproved earth 3,000 km (1990)
Inland waterways: Lake Tanganyika
Ports: Bujumbura
Airports: total: 4 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
@Burundi:Communications
Telephone system: 8,000 telephones; primative system; telephone density - 1.3 telephones/1,000 persons local: NA intercity: sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity microwave radio relay links international: 1 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 2, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@Burundi:Defense Forces
Branches: Army (includes naval and air units), paramilitary Gendarmerie
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,350,042; males fit for military service 705,864; males reach military age (16) annually 73,308 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $25 million, 2.6% of GDP (1993)
________________________________________________________________________
CAMBODIA
@Cambodia:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand and Vietnam
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total area: 181,040 sq km land area: 176,520 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oklahoma
Land boundaries: total 2,572 km, Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km
Coastline: 443 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: offshore islands and sections of the boundary with Vietnam are in dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam not defined; parts of border with Thailand in dispute; maritime boundary with Thailand not clearly defined
Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to November); dry season (December to April); little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north
Natural resources: timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 16% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 3% forest and woodland: 76% other: 4%
Irrigated land: 920 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: logging activities throughout the country and strip mining for gems in the western region along the border with Thailand are resulting in habitat loss and declining biodiversity (in particular, destruction of mangrove swamps threatens natural fisheries); deforestation; soil erosion; in rural areas, a majority of the population does not have access to potable water natural hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts international agreements: party to - Marine Life Conservation, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Note: a land of paddies and forests dominated by the Mekong River and Tonle Sap
@Cambodia:People
Population: 10,561,373 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (female 2,367,414; male 2,438,104) 15-64 years: 51% (female 2,932,788; male 2,494,203) 65 years and over: 3% (female 185,337; male 143,527) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.83% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 44.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 16.16 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 109.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.46 years male: 48 years female: 51 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.81 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cambodian(s) adjective: Cambodian
Ethnic divisions: Khmer 90%, Vietnamese 5%, Chinese 1%, other 4%
Religions: Theravada Buddhism 95%, other 5%
Languages: Khmer (official), French
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 35% male: 48% female: 22%
Labor force: 2.5 million to 3 million by occupation: agriculture 80% (1988 est.)
@Cambodia:Government
Names: conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Reacheanachak Kampuchea local short form: Kampuchea
Digraph: CB
Type: multiparty liberal democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993
Capital: Phnom Penh
Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (khet, singular and plural); Banteay Meanchey, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Phnum Penh, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanokiri, Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey, Sihanoukville, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev note: Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey may have been divided into two provinces named Siemreab and Otdar Meanchey
Independence: 9 November 1949 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 November 1949
Constitution: promulgated September 1993
Legal system: currently being defined
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated 24 September 1993) head of government: power shared between First Prime Minister Prince Norodom RANARIDDH and Second Prime Minister HUN SEN cabinet: Council of Ministers; elected by the National Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral; a 120-member constituent assembly based on proportional representation within each province was established following the UN-supervised election in May 1993; the constituent assembly was transformed into a legislature in September 1993 after delegates promulgated the constitution
Judicial branch: Supreme Court provided for by the constitution has not yet been established and the future judicial system is yet to be defined by law
Political parties and leaders: National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH; Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party (CPP), CHEA SIM; Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party, SON SANN; Democratic Kampuchea (DK, also known as the Khmer Rouge), KHIEU SAMPHAN; Molinaka, PROM NEAKAREACH
Member of: ACCT, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: Ambassador SISOWATH SIRIRATH represents Cambodia at the United Nations
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles H. TWINING embassy: 27 EO Street 240, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 26436, 26438 FAX: [855] (23) 26437
Flag: horizontal band of red separates two equal horizontal bands of blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the center
@Cambodia:Economy
Overview: The Cambodian economy - virtually destroyed by decades of war - is slowly recovering. Government leaders are moving toward restoring fiscal and monetary discipline and have established good working relations with international financial institutions. Growth, starting from a low base, has been strong in 1991-94. Despite such positive developments, the reconstruction effort faces many tough challenges because of the persistence of internal political divisions and the related lack of confidence of foreign investors. Rural Cambodia, where 90% of about 9.5 million Khmer live, remains mired in poverty. The almost total lack of basic infrastructure in the countryside will hinder development and will contribute to a growing imbalance in growth between urban and rural areas over the near term. Moreover, the government's lack of experience in administering economic and technical assistance programs and rampant corruption among officials will slow the growth of critical public sector investment. Inflation for 1994 as a whole was less than a quarter of the 1992 rate and was declining during the year.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $6.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $630 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 26%-30% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $190 million expenditures: $365 million, including capital expenditures of $120 million (1994 est.)
Exports: $283.6 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: timber, rubber, soybeans, sesame partners: Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia
Imports: $479.3 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: cigarettes, construction materials, petroleum products, machinery partners: Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia
External debt: $383 million to OECD members (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate 7.9% (1993 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 40,000 kW production: 160 million kWh consumption per capita: 14 kWh (1993)
Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining
Agriculture: mainly subsistence farming except for rubber plantations; main crops - rice, rubber, corn; food shortages - rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour
Illicit drugs: increasingly used as a transshipment country for heroin produced in the Golden Triangle; growing money-laundering center; high-level narcotics-related corruption in government; possible small-scale heroin production; large producer of cannibis
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $725 million; Western (non-US countries) (1970-89), $300 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.8 billion; donor countries and multilateral institutions pledged $880 million in assistance in 1992; IMF pledged $120 million in aid for 1995-98
Currency: 1 new riel (CR) = 100 sen
Exchange rates: riels (CR) per US$1 - 2,470 (December 1993), 2,800 (September 1992), 500 (December 1991), 560 (1990), 159.00 (1988), 100.00 (1987)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Cambodia:Transportation
Railroads: total: 655 km narrow gauge: 655 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 34,100 km (some roads in serious disrepair) paved: bituminous 3,000 km unpaved: crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth 3,100 km; unimproved earth 28,000 km
Inland waterways: 3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 meters; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters
Ports: Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville), Kampot, Krong Kaoh Kong, Phnom Penh
Merchant marine: none
Airports: total: 22 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 2 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10
@Cambodia:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public local: NA intercity: NA international: international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@Cambodia:Defense Forces
Branches: Khmer Royal Armed Forces (KRAF): created in 1993 by the merger of the Cambodian People's Armed Forces and the two non-Communist resistance armies; note - the KRAF is also known as the Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF) Resistance forces: National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 2,255,050; males fit for military service 1,256,632; males reach military age (18) annually 70,707 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $85 million, 1.4% of GDP (1995 est.)
________________________________________________________________________
CAMEROON
@Cameroon:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 475,440 sq km land area: 469,440 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total 4,591 km, Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 50 nm
International disputes: demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; dispute with Nigeria over land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the International Court of Justice
Climate: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 54% other: 13%
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 94
Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa
@Cameroon:People
Population: 13.521 million (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44% (female 2,978,216; male 3,001,487) 15-64 years: 52% (female 3,562,247; male 3,523,100) 65 years and over: 4% (female 248,314; male 207,636) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.92% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 40.42 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 11.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 75.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.48 years male: 55.41 years female: 59.6 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian
Ethnic divisions: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%
Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1987) total population: 55% male: 66% female: 45%
Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%, other services 14.2% (1983)
@Cameroon:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon former: French Cameroon
Digraph: CM
Type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)
Capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)
National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)
Constitution: 20 May 1972
Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982); election last held 11 October 1992; results - President Paul BIYA reelected with about 40% of the vote amid widespread allegations of fraud; SDF candidate John FRU NDI got 36% of the vote; UNDP candidate Bello Bouba MAIGARI got 19% of the vote head of government: Prime Minister Simon ACHIDI ACHU (since 9 April 1992) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 1 March 1992 (next scheduled for March 1997); results - (180 seats) CPDM 88, UNDP 68, UPC 18, MDR 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM), Paul BIYA, president, is government-controlled and was formerly the only party, but opposition parties were legalized in 1990
major opposition parties: National Union for Democracy and Progress (UNDP); Social Democratic Front (SDF); Cameroonian Democratic Union (UDC); Union of Cameroonian Populations (UPC); Movement for the Defense of the Republic (MDR)
Other political or pressure groups: Alliance for Change (FAC), Cameroon Anglophone Movement (CAM)
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 through 8794
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet W. ISOM embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde telephone: [237] 23-40-14 FAX: [237] 23-07-53 consulate(s): none (Douala closed September 1993)
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Cameroon:Economy
Overview: Because of its offshore oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed, most diversified primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as political instability, a top-heavy civil service, and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. The development of the oil sector led rapid economic growth between 1970 and 1985. Growth came to an abrupt halt in 1986, precipitated by steep declines in the prices of major exports: coffee, cocoa, and petroleum. Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and inefficiencies in fiscal management were exposed. In 1990-93, with support from the IMF and World Bank, the government began to introduce reforms designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, and recapitalize the nation's banks. Political instability, following suspect elections in 1992, brought IMF/WB structural adjustment to a halt. Although the 50% devaluation of the currency in January 1994 improved the potential for export growth, mismanagement remains and is the main barrier to economic improvement.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $15.7 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: -2.9% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,200 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (FY91/92)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1990 est.)
Budget: revenues: $1.6 billion expenditures: $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $226 million (FY92/93 est.)
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton partners: EC (particularly France) about 40%, African countries, US
Imports: $1.96 billion (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods, transport equipment partners: EC about 60% (France 38%, Germany 9%), African countries, Japan, US 5%
External debt: $6 billion (1991)
Industrial production: growth rate -2.1% (FY90/91); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 630,000 kW production: 2.7 billion kWh consumption per capita: 196 kWh (1993)
Industries: petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber
Agriculture: the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of the population, contributing about 25% to GDP and providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods; commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $479 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $4.75 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $125 million
Currency: 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 529.43 (January 1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Cameroon:Transportation
Railroads: total: 1,111 km narrow gauge: 1,111 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 65,000 km paved: 2,682 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 32,318 km; unimproved earth 30,000 km
Inland waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance
Ports: Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko
Merchant marine: total: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT
Airports: total: 60 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 20 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21
@Cameroon:Communications
Telephone system: 26,000 telephones; telephone density - 2 telephones/1,000 persons; available only to business and government local: NA intercity: cable, microwave radio relay, and troposcatter international: 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 11, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 1 televisions: NA
@Cameroon:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 3,038,007; males fit for military service 1,532,303; males reach military age (18) annually 147,293 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $102 million, NA% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
CANADA
@Canada:Geography
Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US
Map references: North America
Area: total area: 9,976,140 sq km land area: 9,220,970 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries: total 8,893 km, US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: maritime boundary disputes with the US; Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 3% forest and woodland: 35% other: 57%
Irrigated land: 8,400 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated in the region near the US/Canada border
@Canada:People
Population: 28,434,545 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21% (female 2,874,705; male 3,016,050) 15-64 years: 67% (female 9,529,272; male 9,531,107) 65 years and over: 12% (female 2,022,324; male 1,461,087) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.09% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 13.74 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.43 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.29 years male: 74.93 years female: 81.81 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.83 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian
Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 46%, United Church 16%, Anglican 10%, other 28%
Languages: English (official), French (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1986) total population: 97%
Labor force: 13.38 million by occupation: services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)
@Canada:Government
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada
Digraph: CA
Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy
Capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Romeo LeBLANC (since 8 February 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993) was elected on 25 October 1993, replacing Kim CAMBELL; Deputy Prime Minister Sheila COPPS cabinet: Federal Ministry; chosen by the prime minister from members of his own party sitting in Parliament
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) Senate (Senat): consisting of a body whose members are appointed to serve until 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit 104 senators House of Commons (Chambre des Communes): elections last held 25 October 1993 (next to be held by NA October 1998); results - percent of votes by party NA; seats - (295 total) Liberal Party 178, Bloc Quebecois 54, Reform Party 52, New Democratic Party 8, Progressive Conservative Party 2, independents 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party, Jean CHRETIEN; Bloc Quebecois, Lucien BOUCHARD; Reform Party, Preston MANNING; New Democratic Party, Audrey McLAUGHLIN; Progressive Conservative Party, Jean CHAREST
Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Raymond A.J. CHRETIEN chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle consulate(s): Cincinnati, Cleveland, Miami, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Princeton, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador James Johnston BLANCHARD embassy: 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 238-5720 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver
Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band
@Canada:Economy
Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s, Canada registered one of the highest rates of real growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 3.2%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects, although the country still faces high unemployment and a growing debt. Moreover, the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas has observers discussing a possible split in the confederation; foreign investors have become edgy.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $639.8 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4.5% (1994)
National product per capita: $22,760 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.2% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 9.6% (December 1994)
Budget: revenues: $85 billion (Federal) expenditures: $115.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93/94 est.)
Exports: $164.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum, motor vehicles and parts; telecommunications equipment partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China
Imports: $151.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electronic computers; telecommunications equipment and parts partners: US, Japan, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea
External debt: $243 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1993)
Electricity: capacity: 108,090,000 kW production: 511 billion kWh consumption per capita: 16,133 kWh (1993)
Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas
Agriculture: accounts for about 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; growing role as a transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market
Economic aid: donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $7.2 billion
Currency: 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1 - 1.4129 (January 1995), 1.3656 (1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992), 1.1457 (1991), 1.1668 (1990)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Canada:Transportation
Railroads: total: 78,148 km; note - there are two major transcontinental freight railway systems: Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service provided by VIA (government operated) standard gauge: 78,148 km 1.435-m gauge (185 km electrified) (1994)
Highways: total: 849,404 km paved: 253,692 km (15,983 km of expressways) unpaved: gravel 595,712 km (1991)
Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway
Pipelines: crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km
Ports: Becancour, Churchill, Halifax, Montreal, New Westminister, Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint John's (Newfoundland), Seven Islands, Sydney, Three Rivers, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor
Merchant marine: total: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 617,010 GRT/878,819 DWT ships by type: bulk 17, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 23, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 2 note: does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes
Airports: total: 1,386 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 17 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 16 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 147 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 234 with paved runways under 914 m: 550 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 69 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 353
@Canada:Communications
Telephone system: 18,000,000 telephones; excellent service provided by modern media local: NA intercity: about 300 earth stations for domestic satellite communications international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; 5 INTELSAT earth stations (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 900, FM 29, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 53 (repeaters 1,400) televisions: NA
@Canada:Defense Forces
Branches: Canadian Armed Forces (includes Land Forces Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 7,570,877; males fit for military service 6,522,092; males reach military age (17) annually 151,590 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $9.0 billion, 1.6% of GDP (FY95/96)
________________________________________________________________________
CAPE VERDE
@Cape Verde:Geography