Introductory material (continued 8)

Presidential Council: appointed by the governor general Great Council of Chiefs: highest ranking members of the traditional chiefly system cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by prime minister from members of Parliament and responsible to Parliament

Legislative branch: the bicameral Parliament was dissolved following the coup of 14 May 1987 Senate: nonelective body containing 34 seats, 24 reserved for ethnic Fijians, 9 for Indians and others, 1 for the island of Rotuma; appointed by President House of Representatives: elections last held 18-25 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (70 total, with ethnic Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic Indians 27 seats, and independents and other 6 seats) number of seats by party SVT 31, NFP 20, FLP 7, FA 5, GVP 4, independents 2, ANC 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Fijian Political Party (SVT - primarily Fijian), leader Maj. Gen. Sitivini RABUKA; National Federation Party (NFP; primarily Indian), Jai Ram REDDY; Fijian Nationalist Party (FNP), Sakeasi BUTADROKA; Fiji Labor Party (FLP), Mahendra CHAUDHRY; General Voters Party (GVP), Bill SORBY; Fiji Conservative Party (FCP), Isireli VUIBAU; Conservative Party of Fiji (CPF), Jolale ULUDOLE and Viliame SAVU; Fiji Indian Liberal Party, Swami MAHARAJ; Fiji Indian Congress Party, Ishwari BAJPAI; Fiji Independent Labor (Muslim), leader NA; Four Corners Party, David TULVANUAVOU; Fijian Association (FA), leader NA; General Electors' Association, leader NA note: in early 1995, ethnic Fijian members of the All National Congress (ANC) merged with the Fijian Association (FA); the new FA is scheduled to hold its first meeting in April 1995 at which time the leaders of the party will be chosen; it is likely that Josevata KAMIKAMICA, the leader of the FA before the merger, will be elected leader and Adi Kuini Bavadra SPEED, the leader of the ANC before the merger, will be elected deputy leader; the remaining members of the ANC have renamed their party the General Electors' Association

Member of: ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAMIR, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pita Kewa NACUVA chancery: Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 337-8320 FAX: [1] (202) 337-1996 consulate(s): New York

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael W. MARINE embassy: 31 Loftus Street, Suva mailing address: P. O. Box 218, Suva telephone: [679] 314466 FAX: [679] 300081

Flag: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove

@Fiji:Economy

Overview: Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports and tourism are the major sources of foreign exchange. Industry contributes 13% to GDP, with sugar processing accounting for one-third of industrial activity. Roughly 250,000 tourists visit each year. Political uncertainty and drought, however, contribute to substantial fluctuations in earnings from tourism and sugar and to the emigration of skilled workers. In 1992, growth was approximately 3%, based on growth in tourism and a lessening of labor-management disputes in the sugar and gold-mining sectors. In 1993, the government's budgeted growth rate of 3% was not achieved because of a decline in non-sugar agricultural output and damage from Cyclone Kina. Growth in 1994 is estimated to be 5%, largely attributed to increased tourism and expansion in domestic production, particularly in the manufacturing sector.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4.3 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $5,650 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 5.4% (1992)

Budget: revenues: $485 million expenditures: $579 million, including capital expenditures of $58 million (1994)

Exports: $405 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: sugar 40%, clothing, gold, processed fish, lumber partners: EC 26%, Australia 15%, Pacific Islands 11%, Japan 6%

Imports: $634 million (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, consumer goods, chemicals partners: Australia 30%, NZ 17%, Japan 13%, EC 6%, US 6%

External debt: $670 million (1994 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1993 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP

Electricity: capacity: 200,000 kW production: 480 million kWh consumption per capita: 581 kWh (1993)

Industries: sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, clothing, lumber, small cottage industries

Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP; principal cash crop is sugarcane; coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; small livestock sector includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats; fish catch nearly 33,000 tons (1989)

Economic aid: recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $815 million

Currency: 1 Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1 - 1.4140 (January 1995), 1.4641 (1994), 1.5418 (1993), 1.5030 (1992), 1.4756 (1991), 1.4809 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Fiji:Transportation

Railroads: total: 644 km; note - belongs to the government owned Fiji Sugar Corporation narrow gauge: 644 km 0.610-m gauge

Highways: total: 3,300 km paved: 1,590 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 1,290 km; unimproved earth 420 km (1984)

Inland waterways: 203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges

Ports: Labasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva

Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,267 GRT/17,884 DWT ships by type: chemical tanker 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2

Airports: total: 23 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 16 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4

@Fiji:Communications

Telephone system: 53,228 telephones; 71 telephones/1,000 persons; modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center local: NA intercity: NA international: important COMPAC cable link between US-Canada and NZ-Australia; 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: 0 televisions: NA

@Fiji:Defense Forces

Branches: Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes army, navy, and air elements)

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 201,441; males fit for military service 111,046; males reach military age (18) annually 8,466 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $22.4 million, about 2% of GDP (FY91/92)

________________________________________________________________________

FINLAND

@Finland:Geography

Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia

Map references: Europe

Area: total area: 337,030 sq km land area: 305,470 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries: total 2,628 km, Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km

Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 6 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 4 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes

Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills

Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver

Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 76% other: 16%

Irrigated land: 620 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife populations natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain

@Finland:People

Population: 5,085,206 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (female 469,666; male 491,484) 15-64 years: 67% (female 1,683,371; male 1,716,307) 65 years and over: 14% (female 457,061; male 267,317) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.3% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 12.22 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.77 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.59 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.22 years male: 72.51 years female: 80.11 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Finn(s) adjective: Finnish

Ethnic divisions: Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar

Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%

Languages: Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official), small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.) total population: 100%

Labor force: 2.533 million by occupation: public services 30.4%, industry 20.9%, commerce 15.0%, finance, insurance, and business services 10.2%, agriculture and forestry 8.6%, transport and communications 7.7%, construction 7.2%

@Finland:Government

Names: conventional long form: Republic of Finland conventional short form: Finland local long form: Suomen Tasavalta local short form: Suomi

Digraph: FI

Type: republic

Capital: Helsinki

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa

Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)

Constitution: 17 July 1919

Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994); election last held 31 January-6 February 1994 (next to be held January 2000); results - Martti AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46% head of government: Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13 April 1995); Deputy Prime Minister Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995) cabinet: Council of State (Valtioneuvosto); appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Eduskunta): elections last held 19 March 1995 (next to be held March 1999); results - Social Democratic Party 28.3%, Center Party 19.9%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 17.9%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 11.2%, Swedish People's Party 5.1%, Green League 6.5%, Ecology Party 0.3%, Rural 1.3%, Finnish Christian League 3.0%, Liberal People's Party 0.6%, Young Finns 2.8%; seats - (200 total) Social Democratic Party 63, Center Party 44, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 39, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 22, Swedish People's Party 11, Green League 9, Ecology Party 1, Rural 1, Finnish Christian League 7, Young Finns 2, Aaland Islands 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)

Political parties and leaders: government coalition: Social Democratic Party, Paavo LIPPONEN; National Coalition (conservative) Party, Sauli NIINISTO; Leftist Alliance (Communist) People's Democratic League and Democratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSON; Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK; Green League, Pekka HAAVISTO other: Center Party, Esko AHO; Finnish Christian League, Toimi KANKAANNIEMI; Rural Party, Tina MAKELA; Liberal People's Party, Tuulikki UKKOLA; Greens Ecological Party (EPV); Young Finns

Other political or pressure groups: Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI

Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), EU, FAO, G- 9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC (observer), NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800 FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Derek N. SHEARER embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki mailing address: APO AE 09723 telephone: [358] (0) 171931 FAX: [358] (0) 174681

Flag: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)

@Finland:Economy

Overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output two-thirds of the US figure. Its key economic sector is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation for the rural population. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, sank into deep recession in 1991 as GDP contracted by 6.5%. The recession - which continued in 1992 with GDP contracting by 4.1% - has been caused by economic overheating, depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between Finland and the former Soviet Union under which Soviet oil and gas had been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finnish Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness and efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts in public expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and changes in monetary policy. In June 1991 Helsinki had tied the markka to the European Union's (EU) European Currency Unit (ECU) to promote stability. Ongoing speculation resulting from a lack of confidence in the government's policies forced Helsinki to devalue the markka by about 12% in November 1991 and to indefinitely break the link in September 1992. The devaluations have boosted the competitiveness of Finnish exports. The recession bottomed out in 1993, and Finland participated in the general European upturn of 1994. Unemployment probably will remain a serious problem during the next few years; the majority of Finnish firms face a weak domestic market and the troubled German and Swedish export markets. The Finns voted in an October 1994 referendum to enter the EU, and Finland officially joined the Union on 1 January 1995. Increasing integration with Western Europe will dominate the economic picture over the next few years.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $81.8 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 3.5% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $16,140 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.1% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 22% (1993)

Budget: revenues: $21.7 billion expenditures: $31.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)

Exports: $23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: paper and pulp, machinery, chemicals, metals, timber partners: EC 53.2% (Germany 15.6%, UK 10.7%), EFTA 19.5% (Sweden 12.8%), US 5.9%, Japan 1.3%, Russia 2.8% (1992)

Imports: $18 billion (c.i.f., 1993) commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains partners: EC 47.2% (Germany 16.9%, UK 8.7%), EFTA 19.0% (Sweden 11.7%), US 6.1%, Japan 5.5%, Russia 7.1% (1992)

External debt: $30 billion (December 1993)

Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1993 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP

Electricity: capacity: 13,360,000 kW production: 58 billion kWh consumption per capita: 12,196 kWh (1993)

Industries: metal products, shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing

Agriculture: accounts for 7% of GDP (including forestry); livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; main crops - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of foodgrains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Latin American cocaine for the West European market

Economic aid: donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7 billion

Currency: 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia

Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 4.7358 (January 1995), 5.2235 (1994), 5.7123 (1993), 4.4794 (1992), 4.0440 (1991), 3.8235 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Finland:Transportation

Railroads: total: 5,864 km broad gauge: 5,864 km 1.524-m gauge (1,710 km electrified; 480 km multiple track)

Highways: total: 76,755 km paved: bituminous concrete, bituminous treated soil 47,588 km (318 km of expressways) unpaved: gravel 29,167 km (1992)

Inland waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers

Pipelines: natural gas 580 km

Ports: Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus

Merchant marine: total: 93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,050,270 GRT/1,080,150 DWT ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 20, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 12, passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 31, short-sea passenger 10, vehicle carrier 1

Airports: total: 159 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 23 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 21 with paved runways under 914 m: 94 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5

@Finland:Communications

Telephone system: 3,140,000 telephones; good service from cable and microwave radio relay network local: NA intercity: cable and microwave radio relay international: 1 submarine cable; INTELSAT satellite transmission service via Swedish earth station and a receive-only INTELSAT earth station near Helsinki for TV programs

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 105, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: 235 televisions: NA

@Finland:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes Sea Guard)

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,318,231; males fit for military service 1,083,749; males reach military age (17) annually 33,085 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.86 billion, about 1.9% of GDP (1994)

________________________________________________________________________

FRANCE

@France:Geography

Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English Channel, between Belgium and Spain southeast of the UK; bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain

Map references: Europe

Area: total area: 547,030 sq km land area: 545,630 sq km comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado note: includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions

Land boundaries: total 2,892.4 km, Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km

Coastline: 3,427 km (mainland 2,783 km, Corsica 644 km)

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; Mexico claims Clipperton Island; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Saint Pierre and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and France

Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean

Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east

Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash

Land use: arable land: 32% permanent crops: 2% meadows and pastures: 23% forest and woodland: 27% other: 16%

Irrigated land: 11,600 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural runoff natural hazards: flooding international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Note: largest West European nation; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral

@France:People

Population: 58,109,160 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (female 5,438,447; male 5,700,143) 15-64 years: 65% (female 18,889,771; male 19,001,536) 65 years and over: 16% (female 5,433,276; male 3,645,987) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.46% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 9.29 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.37 years male: 74.5 years female: 82.44 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women) adjective: French

Ethnic divisions: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, Basque minorities

Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6%

Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.) total population: 99%

Labor force: 24.17 million by occupation: services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.2% (1987)

@France:Government

Names: conventional long form: French Republic conventional short form: France local long form: Republique Francaise local short form: France

Digraph: FR

Type: republic

Capital: Paris

Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes note: the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)

Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); election last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held by May 1995); results - Second Ballot Francois MITTERRAND 54%, Jacques CHIRAC 46% head of government: Prime Minister Edouard BALLADUR (since 29 March 1993) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on the suggestion of the prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) Senate (Senat): elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September 1995; nine-year term, elected by thirds every three years); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 91, UDF 142, PS 66, PCF 16, independents 2, other 4 National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (577 total) RPR 247, UDF 213, PS 67, PCF 24, independents 26

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Cour Constitutionnelle)

Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Alain JUPPE, interim head; Union for French Democracy (UDF, coalition of PR, CDS, RAD, PSD), Valery Giscard d'ESTAING; Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET; Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Francois BAYROU; Radical (RAD), Yves GALLAND; Socialist Party (PS), Henri EMMANUELLI; Left Radical Movement (MRG), Jean-Francois HORY; Communist Party (PCF), Robert HUE; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN; The Greens, Antoine WAECHTER, Jean-Louis VIDAL, Guy CAMBOT; Generation Ecology (GE), Brice LALONDE

Other political or pressure groups: Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail - CGT) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT) about 800,000 members (est.); independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais - CNPF or Patronat)

Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, FZ, G- 5, G- 7, 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, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIH, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI chancery: 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 944-6000 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Pamela C. HARRIMAN embassy: 2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 mailing address: Unit 21551, Paris; APO AE 09777 telephone: [33] (1) 42 96 12 02, 42 61 80 75 FAX: [33] (1) 42 66 97 83 consulate(s) general: Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg

Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors are similar to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Cote d'Ivoire, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas

@France:Economy

Overview: One of the world's most highly developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a diversified modern industrial sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. Largely self-sufficient in agricultural products, France is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-quarter of GDP, and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy. Following stagnation and recession in 1991-93, French GDP in 1994 expanded 2.4%. Growth in 1995 is expected to be in the 3.0% to 3.5% range. Persistently high unemployment will still pose a major problem for the government. Paris remains committed to maintaining the franc-deutsche mark parity, which has kept French interest rates high despite France's low inflation. Although the pace of economic and financial integration within the European Union has slowed down, integration presumably will remain a major force shaping the fortunes of the various economic sectors over the next few years.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.0801 trillion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 2.4% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $18,670 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.6% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 12.6% (yearend 1994)

Budget: revenues: $220.5 billion expenditures: $249.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1993 budget)

Exports: $249.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing partners: Germany 18.6%, Italy 11.0%, Spain 11.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.1%, UK 8.8%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 6.4%, Japan 2.0%, FSU 0.7% (1991 est.)

Imports: $238.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products partners: Germany 17.8%, Italy 10.9%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, Spain 8.8%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.5%, UK 7.5%, Japan 4.1%, FSU 1.3% (1991 est.)

External debt: $300 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 2.6% (1994 est.)

Electricity: capacity: 105,250,000 kW production: 447 billion kWh consumption per capita: 6,149 kWh (1993)

Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, tourism

Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); one of the world's top five wheat producers; other principal products - beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically

Economic aid: donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.9243 (January 1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@France:Transportation

Railroads: total: 34,074 km standard gauge: 33,975 km 1.435-m gauge (5,850 km electrified; 12,132 km double or multiple track) other: 99 km various gauges including 1.000-m (privately owned and operated) (1994)

Highways: total: 1,511,200 km paved: 811,200 km (including 7,700 km of controlled access divided highway) unpaved: 700,000 km (1992)

Inland waterways: 14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled

Pipelines: crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural gas 24,746 km

Ports: Bordeaux, Boulogne, Cherbourg, Dijon, Dunkerque, La Pallice, Le Havre, Lyon, Marseille, Mullhouse, Nantes, Paris, Rouen, Saint Nazaire, Saint Malo, Strasbourg

Merchant marine: total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,186,183 GRT/3,323,068 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 6, container 15, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 21, passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 5, specialized tanker 2 note: France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia

Airports: total: 476 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 12 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 29 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 96 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 74 with paved runways under 914 m: 188 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 3 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 74

@France:Communications

Telephone system: 39,200,000 telephones; highly developed; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks; large-scale introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems for domestic traffic local: NA intercity: microwave radio relay, optical fiber cable, and domestic satellites international: 2 INTELSAT earth stations (with total of 5 antennas - 2 Indian Ocean and 3 for Atlantic Ocean); HF radio communications with more than 20 countries; INMARSAT service; EUTELSAT TV service

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 41, FM 800 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0 radios: 48 million

Television: broadcast stations: 846 (mostly repeaters) televisions: 36 million

@France:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air), Air Force and Air Defense, National Gendarmerie

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 14,740,155; males fit for military service 12,258,691; males reach military age (18) annually 378,489 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $47.1 billion, 3.1% of GDP (1995)

________________________________________________________________________

FRENCH GUIANA

(overseas department of France)

@French Guiana:Geography

Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Brazil and Suriname

Map references: South America

Area: total area: 91,000 sq km land area: 89,150 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total 1,183 km, Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km

Coastline: 378 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains

Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 82% other: 18%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: high frequency of heavy showers and severe thunderstorms; flooding international agreements: NA

Note: mostly an unsettled wilderness

@French Guiana:People

Population: 145,270 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 32% (female 22,511; male 23,535) 15-64 years: 63% (female 41,995; male 50,064) 65 years and over: 5% (female 3,608; male 3,557) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.13% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 25.23 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 20.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.52 years male: 72.27 years female: 78.94 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.46 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: French Guianese (singular and plural) adjective: French Guianese

Ethnic divisions: black or mulatto 66%, Caucasian 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%, other 10%

Religions: Roman Catholic

Languages: French

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1982) total population: 83% male: 84% female: 82%

Labor force: 23,265 by occupation: services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)

@French Guiana:Government

Names: conventional long form: Department of Guiana conventional short form: French Guiana local long form: none local short form: Guyane

Digraph: FG

Type: overseas department of France

Capital: Cayenne

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981) head of government: Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA 1992); President of the General Council Elie CASTOR (since NA); President of the Regional Council Antoine KARAM (22 March 1993) cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council General Council: elections last held 25 September and 8 October 1988 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (19 total) PSG 12, URC 7 Regional Council: elections last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (31 total) PSG 16, FDG 10, RPR 2, independents 3 French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) PSG 1 French National Assembly: elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) RPR 1, independent 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)

Political parties and leaders: Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Elie CASTRO; Conservative Union for the Republic (UPR), Leon BERTRAND; Rally for the Center Right (URC); Rally for the Republic (RPR); Guyana Democratic Front (FDG), Georges OTHILY; Walwari Committee, Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON

Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas department of France)

US diplomatic representation: none (overseas department of France)

Flag: the flag of France is used

@French Guiana:Economy

Overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities, with exports of fish and fish products (mostly shrimp) accounting for more than 60% of total revenue in 1992. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops - rice, cassava, bananas, and sugarcane - is limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $800 million (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA%

National product per capita: $6,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 13% (1990)

Budget: revenues: $735 million expenditures: $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987)

Exports: $59 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence partners: France 52%, Spain 15%, US 5% (1992)

Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods, petroleum partners: France 77%, Germany 11%, US 5% (1992)

External debt: $1.2 billion (1988)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: capacity: 180,000 kW production: 450 million kWh consumption per capita: 3,149 kWh (1993)

Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining

Agriculture: some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock - cattle, pigs, poultry

Illicit drugs: small amount of marijuana grown for local consumption

Economic aid: recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.51 billion

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.9243 (January 1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@French Guiana:Transportation

Railroads: total: 22 km (est.)

Highways: total: 1,137 km paved: 455 km unpaved: improved, unimproved earth 682 km (1988)

Inland waterways: 460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft

Ports: Cayenne, Degrad des Cannes, Saint-Laurent du Maroni

Merchant marine: none

Airports: total: 11 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 5 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3

@French Guiana:Communications

Telephone system: 18,100 telephones; fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system local: NA intercity: open wire and microwave radio relay international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: 9 televisions: NA

@French Guiana:Defense Forces

Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 41,986; males fit for military service 27,298

Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP

Note: defense is the responsibility of France

________________________________________________________________________

FRENCH POLYNESIA

(overseas territory of France)

@French Polynesia:Geography

Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia

Map references: Oceania

Area: total area: 3,941 sq km land area: 3,660 sq km comparative area: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2,525 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: tropical, but moderate

Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs

Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 19% meadows and pastures: 5% forest and woodland: 31% other: 44%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: occasional cyclonic storms in January international agreements: NA

Note: includes five archipelagoes; Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru

@French Polynesia:People

Population: 219,999 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 36% (female 38,361; male 39,744) 15-64 years: 60% (female 64,034; male 69,024) 65 years and over: 4% (female 4,437; male 4,399) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.23% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 27.56 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 5.27 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 14.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.75 years male: 68.32 years female: 73.29 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian

Ethnic divisions: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%

Religions: Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%

Languages: French (official), Tahitian (official)

Literacy: age 14 and over can read and write but definition of literary not available (1977) total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98%

Labor force: 76,630 employed (1988)

@French Polynesia:Government

Names: conventional long form: Territory of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise

Digraph: FP

Type: overseas territory of France since 1946

Capital: Papeete

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia

Independence: none (overseas territory of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: based on French system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Paul RONCIERE (since 8 August 1994) head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Gaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991); Deputy to the French Assembly and President of the Territorial Assembly Jean JUVENTIN (since NA November 1992); Territorial Vice President and Minister of Health Michel BUILLARD (since 12 September 1991) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly: elections last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (41 total) People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party 12, New Fatherland Party 7, other 4 French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) party NA French National Assembly: elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA March 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 2

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, Court of the First Instance, Court of Administrative Law

Political parties and leaders: People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira), Gaston FLOSSE; Polynesian Union Party (includes Te Tiarama), Alexandre LEONTIEFF; Here Ai'a Party, Jean JUVENTIN; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON; Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini Hviraatira No Te Ao Maohi), Oscar TEMARU; Independent Party (Ia Mana Te Nunaa), Jacques DROLLET; other small parties

Member of: ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas territory of France)

US diplomatic representation: none (overseas territory of France)

Flag: the flag of France is used

@French Polynesia:Economy

Overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about 20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.5 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA%

National product per capita: $7,000 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1991)

Unemployment rate: 10% (1990 est.)

Budget: revenues: $614 million expenditures: $957 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)

Exports: $88.9 million (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla, shark meat partners: France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%

Imports: $765 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, equipment partners: France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 15% of GDP

Electricity: capacity: 75,000 kW production: 275 million kWh consumption per capita: 1,189 kWh (1993)

Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts

Agriculture: coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit; poultry, beef, dairy products

Economic aid: recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion

Currency: 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 96.25 (January 1995), 100.94 (1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00 (1990); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Fiscal year: calendar year

@French Polynesia:Transportation

Railroads: 0 km

Highways: total: 600 km (1982) paved: NA unpaved: NA

Ports: Mataura, Papeete, Rikitea, Uturoa

Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,127 GRT/6,710 DWT ships by type: passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1 note: a subset of the French register allowing French-owned ships to operate under more liberal taxation and manning regulations than permissable under the main French register

Airports: total: 43 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 14 with paved runways under 914 m: 18 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4

@French Polynesia:Communications

Telephone system: 33,200 telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 2, shortwave 0 radios: 84,000

Television: broadcast stations: 6 televisions: 26,400

@French Polynesia:Defense Forces

Branches: French Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie

Note: defense is responsibility of France

________________________________________________________________________

FRENCH SOUTHERN AND ANTARCTIC LANDS

(overseas territory of France)

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Geography

Location: Southern Africa, islands in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia; note - "French Southern and Antarctic Lands" includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet, and Iles Kerguelen in the southern Indian Ocean, along with the French-claimed sector of Antartica, "Terre Adelie"; the United States does not recognize the French claim to "Terre Adelie"

Map references: Antarctic Region

Area: total area: 7,781 sq km land area: 7,781 sq km comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Delaware note: includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Crozet and Iles Kerguelen; excludes "Terre Adelie" claim of about 500,000 sq km in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,232 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm from Iles Kerguelen only territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: "Terre Adelie" claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US

Climate: antarctic

Terrain: volcanic

Natural resources: fish, crayfish

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: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes international agreements: NA

Note: remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are researchers whose numbers vary from 150 in winter (July) to 200 in summer (January)

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Government

Names: conventional long form: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands conventional short form: French Southern and Antarctic Lands local long form: Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises local short form: Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises

Digraph: FS

Type: overseas territory of France since 1955; governed by High Administrator Bernard de GOUTTES (since May 1990), who is assisted by a 7-member Consultative Council and a 12-member Scientific Council

Capital: none; administered from Paris, France

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes "Terre Adelie" claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US

Independence: none (overseas territory of France)

Flag: the flag of France is used

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Economy

Overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fish catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.

Budget: revenues: $17.5 million expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Transportation

Highways: total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA

Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

Merchant marine: total: 48 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,290,975 GRT/2,403,050 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 6, chemical tanker 4, container 1, liquefied gas tanker 3, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, specialized liquefied tanker 1 note: a subset of the French register allowing French-owned ships to operate under more liberal taxation and manning regulations than permissable under the main French register

Airports: none

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Communications

Telephone system: NA telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: NA

Radio: broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

@French Southern And Antarctic Lands:Defense Forces

Note: defense is the responsibility of France

________________________________________________________________________

GABON

@Gabon:Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator, between Congo and Equatorial Guinea

Map references: Africa

Area: total area: 267,670 sq km land area: 257,670 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries: total 2,551 km, Cameroon 298 km, Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km

Coastline: 885 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south

Natural resources: petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 18% forest and woodland: 78% other: 2%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Environment: current issues: deforestation; poaching natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94

@Gabon:People

Population: 1,155,749 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (female 193,859; male 194,761) 15-64 years: 61% (female 347,839; male 359,997) 65 years and over: 5% (female 30,218; male 29,075) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.46% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 28.34 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 13.72 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 92.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.14 years male: 52.31 years female: 58.06 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.93 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Gabonese (singular and plural) adjective: Gabonese

Ethnic divisions: Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke), other Africans and Europeans 100,000, including 27,000 French

Religions: Christian 55%-75%, Muslim less than 1%, animist

Languages: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 61% male: 74% female: 48%

Labor force: 120,000 salaried by occupation: agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%, government 2.5%

@Gabon:Government

Names: conventional long form: Gabonese Republic conventional short form: Gabon local long form: Republique Gabonaise local short form: Gabon

Digraph: GB

Type: republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)

Capital: Libreville

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga, Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem

Independence: 17 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Renovation Day, 12 March (1968) (Gabonese Democratic Party established)

Constitution: adopted 14 March 1991

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court; compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967); election last held on 5 December 1993 (next to be held 1998); results - President Omar BONGO was reelected with 51% of the vote head of government: Prime Minister Paulin OBAME Nguema (since 9 December 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale): elections last held on 5 December 1993 (next to be held by 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) PDG 62, Morena-Bucherons/RNB 19, PGP 18, National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

Political parties and leaders: Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG, former sole party), Jaques ADIAHENOT, Secretary General; National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks (Morena-Bucherons/RNB), Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE, leader; Gabonese Party for Progress (PGP), Pierre-Louis AGONDHO-OKAWE, President; National Recovery Movement (Morena-Original), Pierre ZONGUE-NGUEMA, Chairman; Association for Socialism in Gabon (APSG), leader NA; Gabonese Socialist Union (USG), leader NA; Circle for Renewal and Progress (CRP), leader NA; Union for Democracy and Development (UDD), leader NA; Rally of Democrats (RD), leader NA; Forces of Change for Democratic Union, leader NA

Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA chancery: 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007, Suite 200 telephone: [1] (202) 797-1000

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph C. WILSON IV embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville telephone: [241] 76 20 03 through 76 20 04, 74 34 92 FAX: [241] 74 55 07

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

@Gabon:Economy

Overview: Notwithstanding its serious ongoing economic problems, Gabon enjoys a per capita income more than twice that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP. Real growth was feeble in 1992 and Gabon continues to face the problem of fluctuating prices for its oil, timber, manganese, and uranium exports. Despite an abundance of natural wealth, and a manageable rate of population growth, the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management. In 1992, the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP, and Gabon failed to settle arrears on its bilateral debt, leading to a cancellation of rescheduling agreements with official and private creditors. Devaluation of its Francophone currency by 50% in January 1994 did not set off an expected inflationary spiral but the government must continue to keep a tight reign on spending and wage increases.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $5.6 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: 1.9% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $4,900 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 35% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $1.3 billion expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $311 million (1993 est.)

Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est) commodities: crude oil 80%, timber 10%, manganese 6%, uranium 2% partners: US 38%, France 26%, Japan, Germany

Imports: $832 million (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, chemical products, petroleum products, construction materials, manufactures, machinery partners: France 42%, African countries 23%, US, Japan

External debt: $3.3 billion (1993 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate -3% (1991)

Electricity: capacity: 315,000 kW production: 910 million kWh consumption per capita: 757 kWh (1993)

Industries: food and beverages, lumbering and plywood, textiles, cement, petroleum refining, mining - manganese, uranium, gold, petroleum

Agriculture: cash crops - cocoa, coffee, palm oil; livestock raising not developed; importer of food; small fishing operations provide a catch of about 20,000 metric tons; okoume (a tropical softwood) is the most important timber product

Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $68 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90), $2.342 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $27 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: calendar year

@Gabon:Transportation

Railroads: total: 649 km single track (Transgabonese Railroad) standard gauge: 649 km 1.437-m gauge

Highways: total: 7,500 km paved: 560 km unpaved: crushed stone 960 km; earth 5,980 km

Inland waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km

Ports: Cape Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville, Owendo, Port-Gentil

Merchant marine: total: 1 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,281 GRT/12,665 DWT

Airports: total: 69 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: 7 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 28 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 8 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 23

@Gabon:Communications

Telephone system: 15,000 telephones; telephone density - 13/1,000 persons local: NA intercity: adequate system, comprising cable, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, radiocommunication stations, and 12 domestic satellite links international: 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 6, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: 3 (repeaters 5) televisions: NA

@Gabon:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard, National Gendarmerie, National Police

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 272,025; males fit for military service 138,197; males reach military age (20) annually 10,516 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $154 million, 2.4% of GDP (1993)

________________________________________________________________________

THE GAMBIA

@The Gambia:Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and Senegal

Map references: Africa

Area: total area: 11,300 sq km land area: 10,000 sq km comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries: total 740 km, Senegal 740 km

Coastline: 80 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: short section of boundary with Senegal is indefinite

Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season (November to May)

Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Natural resources: fish

Land use: arable land: 16% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 9% forest and woodland: 20% other: 55%

Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent natural hazards: rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last thirty years international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

Note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of Africa

@The Gambia:People

Population: 989,273 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (female 231,636; male 231,053) 15-64 years: 51% (female 257,329; male 244,947) 65 years and over: 2% (female 11,850; male 12,458) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.08% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 45.97 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 15.19 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 120.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 50.55 years male: 48.25 years female: 52.92 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Gambian(s) adjective: Gambian

Ethnic divisions: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-Gambian 1%

Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous vernaculars

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 27% male: 39% female: 16%

Labor force: 400,000 (1986 est.) by occupation: agriculture 75.0%, industry, commerce, and services 18.9%, government 6.1%

@The Gambia:Government

Names: conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia conventional short form: The Gambia

Digraph: GA

Type: republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Banjul

Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Lower River, MacCarthy Island, North Bank, Upper River, Western

Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK; The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

Constitution: 24 April 1970

Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council Capt. Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since the military coup of 22 July 1994); Vice Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council Capt. Edward SINGHATEH (since March 1995); election last held on 29 April 1992; results - Sir Dawda JAWARA (PPP) 58.5%, Sherif Mustapha DIBBA (NCP) 22.2%, Assan Musa CAMARA (GPP) 8.0% (prior to the 22 July 1994 coup, next election was scheduled for April 1997) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president from members of the House of Representatives (present cabinet appointed by Chairman of the Armed Forces Provisional Ruling Council)

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives: elections last held on 29 April 1992 (next to be held April 1997); results - PPP 58.1%; seats - (43 total, 36 elected) PPP 30, NCP 6

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: People's Progressive Party (PPP), Dawda K. JAWARA (in exile), secretary general; National Convention Party (NCP), Sheriff DIBBA (in exile); Gambian People's Party (GPP), Hassan Musa CAMARA; United Party (UP), leader NA; People's Democratic Organization of Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), leader NA; People's Democratic Party (PDP), Jabel SALLAH

Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Aminatta DIBBA chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 785-1399, 1379, 1425 FAX: [1] (202) 785-1430

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew J. WINTER embassy: Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul telephone: [220] 392856, 392858, 391970, 391971 FAX: [220] 392475

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and green

@The Gambia:Economy

Overview: The Gambia has no important mineral or other natural resources and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of the population is engaged in crop production and livestock raising, which contribute 30% to GDP. Small-scale manufacturing activity - processing peanuts, fish, and hides - accounts for less than 10% of GDP. A sustained structural adjustment program, including a liberalized trade policy, had fostered a respectable 4% rate of growth in recent years. Reexport trade constitutes one-third of economic activity; however, border closures associated with Senegal's monetary crisis in late 1993 led to a halving of reexport trade, reducing government revenues in turn. The 50% devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 has made Senegalese goods more competitive and apparently prompted a relaxation of Senegalese controls, paving the way for a comeback in reexports. But overwhelming these developments were the devastating effects of the military's takeover in July 1994. By October, traffic at the Port of Banjul had fallen precipitously as importers nervously scaled back their activities with the commencement of the anticorruption drive by the new regime. Concerned with the growing potential for serious unrest after a countercoup attempt was bloodily put down by the regime, the United Kingdom and the EU in November issued a travelers advisory for The Gambia, which brought a halt to tourism almost immediately. The Gambia faces additional problems in 1995 if, as is likely, economic sanctions by Western governments remain in effect in response to indications that the military regime intends to stay in power far longer than expected by the donors.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA%

National product per capita: $1,050 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1993)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $94 million expenditures: $89 million, including capital expenditures of $24 million (FY92/93 est.)

Exports: $81 million (f.o.b., FY92/93 est.) commodities: peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels partners: Japan 60%, Europe 29%, Africa 5%, US 1%, other 5% (1989)

Imports: $154 million (f.o.b., FY92/93 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, raw materials, fuel, machinery and transport equipment partners: Europe 57%, Asia 25%, USSR and Eastern Europe 9%, US 6%, other 3% (1989)

External debt: $286 million (FY92/93 est.)

Industrial production: growth rate 6.7%

Electricity: capacity: 30,000 kW production: 70 million kWh consumption per capita: 64 kWh (1993)

Industries: peanut processing, tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing

Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; one-third of food requirements is imported; major export crop is peanuts; other principal crops - millet, sorghum, rice, corn, cassava, palm kernels; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats; forestry and fishing resources not fully exploited

Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $93 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $535 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $39 million

Currency: 1 dalasi (D) = 100 butut

Exchange rates: dalasi (D) per US$1 - 9.565 (January 1995), 9.576 (1994), 9.129 (1993), 8.888 (1992), 8.803 (1991), 7.883 (1990)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

@The Gambia:Transportation

Railroads: 0 km

Highways: total: 3,083 km paved: 431 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 501 km; unimproved earth 2,151 km

Inland waterways: 400 km

Ports: Banjul

Merchant marine: total: 1 bulk ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,194 GRT/19,394 DWT

Airports: total: 1 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1

@The Gambia:Communications

Telephone system: 3,500 telephones; telephone density - 4 telephones/1,000 persons local: NA intercity: adequate network of radio relay and wire international: 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 2, shortwave 0 radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

@The Gambia:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, National Police

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 214,680; males fit for military service 108,659 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $14 million, 3.8% of GDP (FY93/94)

________________________________________________________________________

GAZA STRIP

Note—The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, final status negotiations are to begin no later than the beginning of the third year of the transitional period.

@Gaza Strip:Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Israel

Map references: Middle East

Area: total area: 360 sq km land area: 360 sq km comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: total 62 km, Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined

International disputes: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Natural resources: negligible

Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 32% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 55%

Irrigated land: 115 sq km (1992 est.)

Environment: current issues: desertification natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA

Note: there are 24 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1994 est.)

@Gaza Strip:People

Population: 813,322 (July 1995 est.) note: in addition, there are 4,800 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (August 1994 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 52% (female 205,192; male 215,158) 15-64 years: 45% (female 185,748; male 183,886) 65 years and over: 3% (female 13,106; male 10,232) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.55% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 50.24 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 4.75 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 30.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.09 years male: 69.56 years female: 72.69 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.74 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA

Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.6%

Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English (widely understood)

Literacy: NA%

Labor force: NA by occupation: construction 33.4%, agriculture 20.0%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 14.9%, industry 10.0%, other services 21.7% (1991) note: excluding Jewish settlers

@Gaza Strip:Government

Note: Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations within five years.

Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Digraph: GZ

@Gaza Strip:Economy

Overview: In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances supplementing GDP by roughly 50%. Gaza depends upon Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. Aggravating the impact of Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory since 1988 (intifadah) has raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf states have dropped, unemployment has increased, and exports have fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994 brings a new set of adjustment problems.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.7 billion (1993 est.)

National product real growth rate: NA%

National product per capita: $2,400 (1993 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.7% (1993)

Unemployment rate: 45% (1994 est.)

Budget: revenues: $33.6 million expenditures: $34.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89/90)

Exports: $83 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: citrus partners: Israel, Egypt

Imports: $365 million (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Israel, Egypt

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate 11% (1991 est.)

Electricity: power supplied by Israel

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center

Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits; vegetables; beef and dairy products

Economic aid: $240 million disbursed from international aid pledges in 1994

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.0270 (December 1994), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

@Gaza Strip:Transportation

Railroads: total: NA km; note - one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little trackage remains

Highways: total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA note: small, poorly developed road network

Ports: Gaza

Airports: total: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1

@Gaza Strip:Communications

Telephone system: NA; note - 10% of Palestinian households have telephones (1992 est.) local: NA intercity: NA international: NA

Radio: broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA; note - 95% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)

Television: broadcast stations: 0 televisions: NA; note - 59% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)

@Gaza Strip:Defense Forces

Branches: NA

Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP

________________________________________________________________________

GEORGIA

Note—Georgia has been beset by ethnic and civil strife since independence. In late 1991, the country's first elected president, Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA was ousted in an armed coup. In October 1993, GAMSAKHURDIA, and his supporters sponsored a failed attempt to retake power from the current government led by former Soviet Foreign Minister Eduard SHEVARDNADZE. The Georgian government has also faced armed separatist conflicts in the Abkhazia and South Ossetia regions. A cease-fire went into effect in South Ossetia in June 1992 and a joint Georgian-Ossetian-Russian peacekeeping force has been in place since that time. Georgian forces were driven out of the Abkhaz region in September 1993 after a yearlong war with Abkhaz separatists. Nearly 200,000 Georgian refugees have since fled Abkhazia, adding substantially to the estimated 100,000 internally displaced persons already in Georgia. Russian peacekeepers are deployed along the border of Abkhazia and the rest of Georgia.

@Georgia:Geography

Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia

Map references: Middle East

Area: total area: 69,700 sq km land area: 69,700 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than South Carolina

Land boundaries: total 1,461 km, Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km, Turkey 252 km

Coastline: 310 km

Maritime claims: NA

International disputes: none

Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhida Lowland opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

Natural resources: forest lands, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ores, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important tea and citrus growth

Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 4% meadows and pastures: 29% forest and woodland: 38% other: 18%

Irrigated land: 4,660 sq km (1990)

Environment: current issues: air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic chemicals natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Desertification

@Georgia:People

Population: 5,725,972 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 24% (female 674,331; male 707,355) 15-64 years: 64% (female 1,894,681; male 1,791,847) 65 years and over: 12% (female 410,703; male 247,055) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.77% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 15.77 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 8.73 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.1 years male: 69.43 years female: 76.95 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.16 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian

Ethnic divisions: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%

Religions: Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Muslim 11%, Armenian Orthodox 8%, unknown 6%

Languages: Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, other 7%

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989) total population: 99% male: 100% female: 98%

Labor force: 2.763 million by occupation: industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)

@Georgia:Government

Names: conventional long form: Republic of Georgia conventional short form: Georgia local long form: Sak'art'velos Respublika local short form: Sak'art'velo former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Digraph: GG

Type: republic

Capital: T'bilisi

Administrative divisions: 2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom respublika); Abkhazia (Sokhumi), Ajaria (Bat'umi) note: the administrative centers of the autonomous republics are included in parentheses; there are no oblasts - the rayons around T'bilisi are under direct republic jurisdiction

Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1991)

Constitution: adopted 21 February 1921; currently amending constitution for Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995

Legal system: based on civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (Chairman of the Government Council since 10 March 1992; elected Chairman of Parliament in 11 October 1992; note - the Government Council has since been disbanded); election last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held October 1995); results - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 95% head of government: Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993); Deputy Prime Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI (since 25 November 1992), Tamaz NADAREISHVILI (since September 1993), Temur BASILIA (since 17 March 1994), Bakur GULA (since NA) cabinet: Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet): elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held October 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (225 total) number of seats by party NA

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Citizens Union (CU), Eduard SHEVARDNADZE, Zurab SHVANIA, general secretary; National Democratic Party (NDP), Georgi (Gia) CHANTURIA, Ivane GIORGADZE; United Republican Party, umbrella organization for parties including the GPF and the Charter 1991 Party, cochairmen Bakhtand DZABIRADZE, Notar NATADZE, and Theodor PAATASHVILI; Georgian Popular Front (GPF), Nodar NATADZE, chairman; Charter 1991 Party, Thedor PAATASHVILI; Georgian Social Democratic Party (GSDP), Guram MUCHAIDZE, secretary general; National Reconstruction and Rebirth of Georgia Union, Valerian ADVADZE; Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Irakli SHENGELAYA; Democratic Georgia Union (DGU), El'dar SHENGELAYA; National Independence Party (NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairman; Georgian Monarchists' Party (GMP), Temur ZHORZHOLIANI; Green Party, Zurab ZHVANIA; Republican Party (RP), Ivliane KHAINDRAVA; Workers' Union of Georgia (WUG), Vakhtang GABUNIA; Agrarian Party of Georgia (APG), Roin LIPARTELIANI; Choice Society (Archevani), Jaba IOSELIANI, chairman; Georgian Workers Communist Party, Panteleimon GIORGADZE, chairman; National Liberation Front, Tengiz SIGULA, chairman

Other political or pressure groups: supporters of ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January 1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of opposition

Member of: BSEC, CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NACC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tedo JAPARIDZE chancery: (temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 393-6060, 5959

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Kent N. BROWN embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [7] (8832) 98-99-67, 93-38-03 FAX: [7] (8832) 93-37-59

Flag: maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

@Georgia:Economy

Overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mingreliya, have severely aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993 and 1994, much of industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity; heavy disruptions in agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it is having problems paying for even minimal imports. Georgia is pinning its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on developing international transportation through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi. The government began a tenuous program in 1994 aiming to stabilize prices and reduce large consumer subsidies.

National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $6 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

National product real growth rate: -30% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: $1,060 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40.5% per month (2nd half 1993 est.)

Unemployment rate: officially less than 5% but real unemployment may be more than 20%, with even larger numbers of underemployed workers

Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exports: $NA commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel re-exports partners: Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (1992)

Imports: $NA commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment partners: Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (1993); note - EU and US sent humanitarian food shipments

External debt: NA (T'bilisi owes about $400 million to Turkmenistan for natural gas as of January 1995)

Industrial production: growth rate -27% (1993); accounts for 36% of GDP

Electricity: capacity: 4,410,000 kW production: 9.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 1,526 kWh (1993)

Industries: heavy industrial products include raw steel, rolled steel, airplanes; machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors, process control equipment, instruments; trucks, tractors, and other farm machinery; light industrial products, including cloth, hosiery, and shoes; chemicals; wood-working industries; the most important food industry is wine

Agriculture: accounted for 97% of former USSR citrus fruits and 93% of former USSR tea; important producer of grapes; also cultivates vegetables and potatoes; dependent on imports for grain, dairy products, sugar; small livestock sector

Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid: recipient: heavily dependent on US and EU for humanitarian grain shipments; EC granted around $70 million in trade credits in 1992 and another $40 million in 1993; Turkey granted $50 million in 1993; smaller scale credits granted by Russia and China

Currency: coupons introduced in April 1993 to be followed by introduction of the lari at undetermined future date; in July 1993 use of the Russian ruble was banned

Exchange rates: coupons per $US1 - 1,280,000 (end December 1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Georgia:Transportation

Railroads: total: 1,570 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 1,570 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Highways: total: 33,900 km paved and graveled: 29,500 km unpaved: earth 4,400 km (1990)

Pipelines: crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)

Ports: Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi

Merchant marine: total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 419,416 GRT/640,897 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 1, oil tanker 19, short-sea passenger 1

Airports: total: 28 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 6

Note: transportation network is in poor condition and disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair

@Georgia:Communications

Telephone system: 672,000 telephones (mid-1993); 117 telephones/1,000 persons; poor telephone service; 339,000 unsatisfied applications for telephones (December 1990) local: NA intercity: NA international: links via landline to CIS members and Turkey; low-capacity satellite link and leased international connections via the Moscow international gateway switch with other countries; international electronic mail and telex service available

Radio: broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA

Television: broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA

@Georgia:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards/National Guard

Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,385,593; males fit for military service 1,095,835; males reach military age (18) annually 42,207 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $85 million, NA% of GDP (1992)

Note: Georgian forces are poorly organized and not fully under the government's control

________________________________________________________________________

GERMANY

@Germany:Geography

Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Map references: Europe

Area: total area: 356,910 sq km land area: 349,520 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana note: includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany, the German Democratic Republic, and Berlin following formal unification on 3 October 1990

Land boundaries: total 3,621 km, Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Coastline: 2,389 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

International disputes: none

Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity

Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south

Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel

Land use: arable land: 34% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 16% forest and woodland: 30% other: 19%

Irrigated land: 4,800 sq km (1989 est.)

Environment: current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result of continued use of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; heavy pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes

Note: strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

@Germany:People

Population: 81,337,541 (July 1995 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 16% (female 6,518,108; male 6,857,577) 15-64 years: 68% (female 27,167,824; male 28,130,083) 65 years and over: 16% (female 8,127,938; male 4,536,011) (July 1995 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.26% (1995 est.)

Birth rate: 10.98 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death rate: 10.83 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.62 years male: 73.5 years female: 79.92 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality: noun: German(s) adjective: German

Ethnic divisions: German 95.1%, Turkish 2.3%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks 0.4%, Poles 0.4%, other 1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former Yugoslavia)

Religions: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other 18%

Languages: German

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991 est.) total population: 99%

Labor force: 36.75 million by occupation: industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)

@Germany:Government

Names: conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany conventional short form: Germany local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland local short form: Deutschland

Digraph: GM

Type: federal republic

Capital: Berlin note: the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of years with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several ministries

Administrative divisions: 16 states (laender, singular - land); Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen

Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four power rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991

National holiday: German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October (1990)

Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Roman HERZOG (since 1 July 1994) head of government: Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president upon the proposal of the chancellor

Legislative branch: bicameral chamber (no official name for the two chambers as a whole) Federal Assembly (Bundestag): last held 16 October 1994 (next to be held by NA 1998); results - CDU 34.2%, SPD 36.4%, Alliance 90/Greens 7.3%, CSU 7.3%, FDP 6.9%, PDS 4.4%, Republicans 1.9% ; seats - (662 total, but number can vary) CDU 244, SPD 252, Alliance 90/Greens 49, CSU 50, FDP 47, PDS 30; elected by direct popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or 3 direct mandates to gain representation Federal Council (Bundesrat): State governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on size and are required to vote as a block; current composition: votes - (68 total) SPD-led states 37, CDU-led states 31

Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL, chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Klaus KINKEL, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Rudolf SCHARPING, chairman; Alliance '90/Greens, Krista SAGER, Juergen TRITTIN, cochairpersons; Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), Lothar BISKY, chairman; Republikaner, Rolf SCHLIERER, chairman; National Democratic Party (NPD), Guenter DECKERT; Communist Party (DKP), Rolf PRIEMER

Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans groups

Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, 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 (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-4000 FAX: [1] (202) 298-4249 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle consulate(s): Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands) and Wellington (America Samoa)

US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles E. REDMAN embassy: Deichmanns Aue 29, 53170 Bonn mailing address: Unit 21701, Bonn; APO AE 09080 telephone: [49] (228) 3391 FAX: [49] (228) 339-2663 branch office: Berlin consulate(s) general: Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow

@Germany:Economy

Overview: Five years after the fall of the Berlin Wall, progress towards economic integration between eastern and western Germany is clearly visible, yet the eastern region almost certainly will remain dependent on subsidies funded by western Germany until well into the next century. The staggering $390 billion in western German assistance that the eastern states have received since 1990 - 40 times the amount in real terms of US Marshall Fund aid sent to West Germany after World War II - is just beginning to have an impact on the eastern German standard of living, which plummeted after unification. Assistance to the east continues to run at roughly $100 billion annually. Although the growth rate in the east was much greater than in the west in 1993-94, eastern GDP per capita nonetheless remains well below preunification levels; it will take 10-15 years for the eastern states to match western Germany's living standards. The economic recovery in the east is led by the construction industries which account for one-third of industrial output, with growth increasingly supported by the service sectors and light manufacturing industries. Eastern Germany's economy is changing from one anchored on manufacturing to a more service-oriented economy. Western Germany, with three times the per capita output of the eastern states, has an advanced market economy and is a world leader in exports. The strong recovery in 1994 from recession began in the export sector and spread to the investment and consumption sectors in response to falling interest rates. Western Germany has a highly urbanized and skilled population that enjoys excellent living standards, abundant leisure time, and comprehensive social welfare benefits. It is relatively poor in natural resources, coal being the most important mineral. Western Germany's world-class companies manufacture technologically advanced goods. The region's economy is mature: services and manufacturing account for the dominant share of economic activities, and raw materials and semimanufactured goods constitute a large portion of imports.

National product: Germany: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.3446 trillion (1994 est.) western: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2363 trillion (1994 est.) eastern: GDP - purchasing power parity - $108.3 billion (1994 est.)

National product real growth rate: Germany: 2.9% (1994 est.) western: 2.3% (1994 est.) eastern: 9.2% (1994 est.)

National product per capita: Germany: $16,580 (1994 est.) western: $19,660 (1994 est.) eastern: $5,950 (1994 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): western: 3% (1994) eastern: 3.2% (1994 est.)

Unemployment rate: western: 8.2% (December 1994) eastern: 13.5% (December 1994)

Budget: revenues: $690 billion expenditures: $780 billion, including capital expenditures of $96.5 billion (1994)

Exports: $437 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactures 89.3% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 5.5%, raw materials 2.7%, fuels 1.3% (1993) partners: EC 47.9% (France 11.7%, Netherlands 7.4%, Italy 7.5%, UK 7.7%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6.6%), EFTA 15.5%, US 7.7%, Eastern Europe 5.2%, OPEC 3.0% (1993)

Imports: $362 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactures 75.1%, agricultural products 10.0%, fuels 8.3%, raw materials 5.0% (1993) partners: EC 46.4% (France 11.3%, Netherlands 8.4%, Italy 8.1%, UK 6.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.7%), EFTA 14.3%, US 7.3%, Japan 6.3%, Eastern Europe 5.1%, OPEC 2.6% (1993)

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: western: growth rate 2.8% (1994) eastern: growth rate $NA

Electricity: capacity: 115,430,000 kW production: 493 billion kWh consumption per capita: 5,683 kWh (1993)

Industries: western: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics; food and beverages eastern: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining

Agriculture: western: accounts for about 1% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net importer of food eastern: accounts for about 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); principal crops - wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net importer of food

Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American cocaine for West European markets

Economic aid: western-donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.5 billion eastern-donor: bilateral to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-89) $4 billion

Currency: 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige

Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1 - 1.5313 (January 1995), 1.6228 (1994), 1.6533 (1993), 1.5617 (1992), 1.6595 (1991), 1.6157 (1990)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Germany:Transportation

Railroads: total: 43,457 km standard gauge: 43,190 km (electrified 16,694 km) narrow gauge: 267 km (1994)

Highways: total: 636,282 km paved: 501,282 km (10,955 km of autobahn) unpaved: 135,000 km (1991)

Inland waterways: western: 5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric-ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea eastern: 2,319 km (1988)

Pipelines: crude oil 3,644 km; petroleum products 3,946 km; natural gas 97,564 km (1988)

Ports: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lubeck, Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart

Merchant marine: total: 481 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,065,074 GRT/6,409,198 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 6, bulk 8, cargo 224, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 5, container 158, liquefied gas tanker 13, oil tanker 10, passenger 3, railcar carrier 4, refrigerated cargo 7, roll-on/roll-off cargo 18, short-sea passenger 5

note: the German register includes ships of the former East and West Germany

Airports: total: 660 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 13 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 64 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 68 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 53 with paved runways under 914 m: 381 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 9 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 62

@Germany:Communications

Telephone system: western: 40,300,000 telephones; highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the country; fully adequate in all respects; intensively developed, highly redundant cable and microwave radio relay networks, all completely automatic local: very modern intercity: domestic satellite, microwave radio relay, and cable systems international: 12 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean), 2 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean), and 1 EUTELSAT earth station; 2 HF radiocommunication centers; tropospheric scatter links eastern: 3,970,000 telephones; badly needs modernization local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT earth station and 1 Intersputnik system

Radio: western: NA broadcast stations: AM 80, FM 470, shortwave 0 radios: NA eastern: NA broadcast stations: AM 23, FM 17, shortwave 0 radios: 67 million

Television: broadcast stations: 246 (repeaters 6,000); note - there are 15 Russian repeaters in eastern Germany televisions: 25 million in western Germany, 6 million in eastern Germany

@Germany:Defense Forces

Branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force, Border Police, Coast Guard

Manpower availability: males 15-49 20,274,127; males fit for military service 17,472,940; males reach military age (18) annually 428,082 (1995 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $40 billion, 1.8% of GNP (1995)

________________________________________________________________________

GHANA

@Ghana:Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Map references: Africa

Area: total area: 238,540 sq km land area: 230,020 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries: total 2,093 km, Burkina 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km

Coastline: 539 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm