AFGHANISTAN (continued 13)
Reading edition
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Jamaica:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 292,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 45,178 (1995)
Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 13, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1.215 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)
Televisions: 460,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (1999)
@Jamaica:Transportation
Railways: total: 370 km standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note - 207 km belong to the Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite
Highways: total: 18,700 km paved: 13,100 km unpaved: 5,600 km (1997 est.)
Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km
Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,930 GRT/3,065 DWT ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 36 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 23 (1999 est.)
@Jamaica:Military
Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 725,975 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 510,419 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 27,202 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $30 million (FY95/96 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
@Jamaica:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program
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JAN MAYEN
@Jan Mayen:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 373 sq km land: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
@Jan Mayen:People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran-C) base and the weather and coastal services radio station (July 2000 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Data code: JN
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
@Jan Mayen:Economy
Economy - overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island.
@Jan Mayen:Communications
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: there is one radio and meteorological station (1998)
@Jan Mayen:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
@Jan Mayen:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
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JAPAN
@Japan:Introduction
Background: While retaining its time-honored culture, Japan rapidly absorbed Western technology during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After its devastating defeat in World War II, Japan recovered to become the second most powerful economy in the world and a staunch ally of the US. While the emperor retains his throne as a symbol of national unity, actual power rests in networks of powerful politicians, bureaucrats, and business executives. The economy experienced a major slowdown in the 1990s following three decades of unprecedented growth.
@Japan:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits - La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis
Environment - current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location in northeast Asia
@Japan:People
Population: 126,549,976 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15% (male 9,575,637; female 9,105,713) 15-64 years: 68% (male 43,363,054; female 42,980,253) 65 years and over: 17% (male 9,024,015; female 12,501,304) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.18% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 9.96 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 8.15 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.7 years male: 77.51 years female: 84.05 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.41 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@Japan:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan
Data code: JA
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Yoshiro MORI (since 5 April 2000) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister note: on 3 April 2000, Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI suffered a stroke and was relieved of his duties; Chief Cabinet Secretary Mikio AOKI became acting prime minister; on 5 April 2000, Yoshiro MORI was elected prime minister by a vote in both houses of the Diet, receiving 137 out of 244 votes cast in the House of Councillors ans 335 out of 488 votes cast in the House of Representatives
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected every three years - 76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats - 200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Councillors - last held 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2001); House of Representatives - last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2000) election results: House of Councillors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note - the distribution of seats as of December 1999 is as follows - LDP 105, DPJ 57, Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 6, others 12; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note - the distribution of seats as of December 1999 is as follows - LDP 267, DPJ 93, Komeito/Reform Club 48, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP 14, independents 9, others 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are appointed by the cabinet
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Japan or DPJ [Yukio HATOYAMA, leader, Tsutomu HATA, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party or JCP ; Komeito [Takenori KANZAKI, president, Tetsuzo FUYUSHIBA, secretary general]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Yoshiro MORI, president, Hiromu NONAKA, secretary general]; Liberal Party [Ichiro OZAWA, president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Reform Club [Tatsuo OZAWA, leader, Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Takako DOI, chairperson, Sadao FUCHIGAMI, secretary general] note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; in late 1997, the LP was formed by former NFP members; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; New Peace Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in November 1998
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Shunji YANAI chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 238-6700 FAX: (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 205, APO AP 96337-5004 telephone: (3) 3224-5000 FAX: (3) 3224-5856 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
@Japan:Economy
Economy - overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most technologically powerful economy in the world after the US and third largest economy in the world after the US and China. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force. Both features are now eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in corporate structures and labor markets. In 1999 output started to stabilize as emergency government spending began to take hold and business confidence gradually improved. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems. Robotics constitutes a key long-term economic strength, with Japan possessing 410,000 of the world's 720,000 "working robots".
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.95 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0.3% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $23,400 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 35% services: 63% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 67.76 million (November 1999)
Labor force - by occupation: trade and services 65%, industry 30%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5%
Unemployment rate: 4.7% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $463 billion expenditures: $809 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $94 billion (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of motor vehicles, electronic equipment, machine tools, steel and nonferrous metals, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods
Industrial production growth rate: -0.1% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 995.982 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 56.68% hydro: 8.99% nuclear: 31.93% other: 2.4% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 926.263 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish
Exports: $413 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: motor vehicles, semiconductors, office machinery, chemicals
Exports - partners: US 31%, Taiwan 7%, China 5.5%, South Korea 5.4%, Hong Kong 5.2% (1999)
Imports: $306 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: fuels, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, office machinery
Imports - partners: US 22%, China 14%, South Korea 5.1%, Australia 4.2%, Taiwan 4.1% (1999)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)
Currency: yen
Exchange rates: yen per US$1 - 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Japan:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 60.3 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 36.5 million (1998)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 88, shortwave 24 (1999)
Radios: 120.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 7,108 (plus 441 repeaters; note - in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable services) (1999)
Televisions: 86.5 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 357 (1999)
@Japan:Transportation
Railways: total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)
Highways: total: 1,152,207 km paved: 863,003 km (including 6,114 km of expressways) unpaved: 289,204 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km
Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai
Merchant marine: total: 662 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,039,488 GRT/18,024,969 DWT ships by type: bulk 146, cargo 49, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 25, liquified gas 45, passenger 9, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 214, refrigerated cargo 22, roll-on/roll-off 48, short-sea passenger 9, vehicle carrier 60 (1999 est.)
Airports: 171 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 140 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 41 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 31 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 31 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 14 (1999 est.)
@Japan:Military
Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 30,259,247 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 26,139,516 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 771,452 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $42.9 billion (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY98/99)
@Japan:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
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JARVIS ISLAND
@Jarvis Island:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 4.5 sq km land: 4.5 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife
@Jarvis Island:People
Population: uninhabited note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service (July 2000 est.)
@Jarvis Island:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Data code: DQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Jarvis Island:Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
@Jarvis Island:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note - there is one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island
Transportation - note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
@Jarvis Island:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
@Jarvis Island:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
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JERSEY
@Jersey:Introduction
Background: The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II.
@Jersey:Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 70 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers
Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m
Natural resources: arable land
Land use: arable land: 66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
@Jersey:People
Population: 88,915 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 8,140; female 7,563) 15-64 years: 68% (male 30,036; female 30,329) 65 years and over: 14% (male 5,454; female 7,393) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.52% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 11.65 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.26 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.48 years male: 76.07 years female: 81.07 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.56 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian
Languages: English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy: definition: NA total: NA male: NA female: NA
@Jersey:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey
Data code: JE
Dependency status: British crown dependency
Government type: NA
Capital: Saint Helier
Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: English law and local statute
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Sir Michael WILKES (since NA 1995) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 52
Judicial branch: Royal Court, judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency)
Flag description: white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow
@Jersey:Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1998)
Labor force: 57,050 (1996)
Unemployment rate: 0.7% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $666.9 million expenditures: $618.5 million, including capital expenditures of $128.4 million (1996 est.)
Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 266 million kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 467 million kWh (1995)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 201 million kWh (from France) (1995)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products
Exports: $NA
Exports - commodities: light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles
Exports - partners: UK
Imports: $NA
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners: UK
Debt - external: none
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: 1 Jersey pound = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Jersey pounds per US$1 - 0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Jersey:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Jersey:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Jersey:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
@Jersey:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JOHNSTON ATOLL
@Johnston Atoll:Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 169 30 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 2.8 sq km land: 2.8 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 10 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Summit Peak 5 m
Natural resources: NA; guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former US nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation
@Johnston Atoll:People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there is an average of 1,100 US military and civilian contractor personnel present (January 2000 est.)
@Johnston Atoll:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Johnston Atoll
Data code: JQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and managed cooperatively by DTRA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Johnston Atoll:Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity - production: NA kWh note: there are six 25,000 kWh generators supplied by the base operating support contractor
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
@Johnston Atoll:Communications
Telephone system: 13 outgoing and 10 incoming commercial lines; adequate telecommunications domestic: 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite, Autodin with standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), UHF/VHF air-ground radio, a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satellite international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Television broadcast stations: commercial satellite television system, with 16 channels (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Johnston Atoll:Transportation
Ports and harbors: Johnston Island
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Johnston Atoll:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
@Johnston Atoll:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JORDAN
@Jordan:Introduction
Background: For most of its history since independence from British administration in 1946, Jordan was ruled by King HUSSEIN (1953-1999). A pragmatic ruler, he successfully navigated competing pressures from the major powers (US, USSR, and UK), various Arab states, Israel, and a large internal Palestinian population, through several wars and coup attempts. In 1989 he resumed parliamentary elections and gradually permitted political liberalization; in 1994 a formal peace treaty was signed with Israel.
@Jordan:Geography
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 89,213 sq km land: 88,884 sq km water: 329 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total: 1,619 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,734 m
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 1% other: 85% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
@Jordan:People
Population: 4,998,564 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38% (male 968,579; female 925,987) 15-64 years: 59% (male 1,568,615; female 1,374,303) 65 years and over: 3% (male 79,748; female 81,332) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.1% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 26.24 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 2.63 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.14 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.36 years male: 74.94 years female: 79.93 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.44 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4% (1997 est.)
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.6% male: 93.4% female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
@Jordan:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun former: Transjordan
Data code: JO
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King ABDALLAH bin al Hussein (since 7 February 1999); Crown Prince HAMZAH bin al Hussein (half brother of the King, born 29 March 1980) head of government: Prime Minister Abdur-Rauf RAWABDEH (since 4 March 1999) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held 4 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2 note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation; Supreme Court (court of final appeal)
Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party [Dr. Ahmad ZO'BI, secretary general]; Arab Ba'th Progressive Party [Mahmoud al-MA'AYTAH, secretary general]; Arab Islamic Democratic Party (Doa'a) ; Arab Jordanian Ansar Party ; Arab Land Party [Dr. Muhammad al-'ORAN, secretary general]; Democratic Party of the Left [Musa MA'AITAH, secretary general]; Islamic Action Front [Abd-al-Latif ARABIYAT, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Constitutional Front Party ; Jordanian Arab New Dawn Party ; Jordanian Ba'th Arab Socialist Party [Tayseer al-HOMSI, secretary general]; Jordanian Communist Party [Ya'acoub ZAYADIN, secretary general]; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party [Sa'eed MUSTAPHA, secretary general]; Jordanian Labor Party [Muhammad KHATAYIBAH, secretary general]; Jordanian Peace Party [Dr. Shaher KHREIS, secretary general]; Jordanian People's Democratic Party or HASHD ; Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party ; National Action Party or Haqq ; National Constitutional Party ; National Democratic Public Movement Party ; Progressive Party ; Al-Umma (Nation) Party ; The Generations [Hamad al-KHALAYLA, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Council of Professional Association Presidents ; Jordanian Press Association ; Muslim Brotherhood International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHER chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 966-2664 FAX: (202) 966-3110
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William BURNS embassy: Abdoum, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: (6) 5920101 FAX: (6) 5927712
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran
@Jordan:Economy
Economy - overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil. The Persian Gulf crisis, which began in August 1990, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf. After averaging 9% in 1992-95, GDP growth averaged only 2% during 1996-99. In an attempt to spur growth, King ABDALLAH has undertaken limited economic reform, including partial privatization of some state owned enterprises and Jordan's entry in January 2000 into the World Trade Organization (WTrO). Debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $16 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 25% services: 72% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.15 million note: in addition, at least 300,000 workers are employed abroad (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; actual rate is 25%-30% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $3.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: -3.4% (1996)
Electricity - production: 6.08 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.51% hydro: 0.49% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 6.102 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 2 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 450 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry
Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures
Exports - partners: Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE, Lebanon, Kuwait, Syria, Ethiopia
Imports: $3.3 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods
Imports - partners: Germany, Iraq, US, Japan, UK, Italy, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China
Debt - external: $8.4 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $850 million (1996 est.)
Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7090 (January 2000-1996), 0.7005 (1995) note: since May 1989, the dinar has been pegged to a group of currencies
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Jordan:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 402,600 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 75,000 (1999)
Telephone system: service has improved recently with the increased use of digital switching equipment, but better access to the telephone system is needed in the rural areas and easier access to pay telephones is needed by the urban public domestic: microwave radio relay transmission and coaxial and fiber-optic cable are employed on trunk lines; considerable use is made of mobile cellular systems; Internet service is available international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals; fiber-optic cable to Saudi Arabia and microwave radio relay link with Egypt and Syria; connection to international submarine cable FLAG (Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe); participant in MEDARABTEL; international links total about 4,000
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 1.66 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus approximately 42 repeaters and 1 TV receive-only satellite link) (1999)
Televisions: 500,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (1999)
@Jordan:Transportation
Railways: total: 677 km narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge (2000)
Highways: total: 8,000 km paved: 8,000 km unpaved: 0 km (2000 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 209 km; note - may not be in use
Ports and harbors: Al 'Aqabah
Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,746 GRT/59,100 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 2, container 1, livestock carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 20 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 16 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Jordan:Military
Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Badiya (irregular) Border Guards; Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,399,138 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 993,730 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 55,742 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $608.9 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 7.8% (FY98)
@Jordan:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
JUAN DE NOVA ISLAND
@Juan de Nova Island:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique
Geographic coordinates: 17 03 S, 42 45 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 4.4 sq km land: 4.4 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 24.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth the of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low and flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 10 m
Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: periodic cyclones
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: wildlife sanctuary
@Juan de Nova Island:People
Population: no indigenous population note: there is a small military garrison (July 2000 est.)
@Juan de Nova Island:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Juan de Nova
Data code: JU
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
@Juan de Nova Island:Economy
Economy - overview: 12,000 tons of guano are mined per year.
@Juan de Nova Island:Communications
Communications - note: 1 meteorological station
@Juan de Nova Island:Transportation
Railways: total: NA km; short line going to a jetty
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Juan de Nova Island:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
@Juan de Nova Island:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claimed by Madagascar
______________________________________________________________________
KAZAKHSTAN
@Kazakhstan:Introduction
Background: During the 1950s and 1960s Soviet citizens were urged to help settle the "New Lands" of the Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic. The influx of immigrants (mostly Russians, but including some deported minority nationalities) skewed the ethnic mixture and enabled non-Kazakhs to outnumber natives. Independence has caused many of these newcomers to emigrate. Current issues include: resolving ethnic differences; speeding up market reforms; establishing stable relations with Russia, China, and other foreign powers; and developing and expanding the country's abundant energy resources.
@Kazakhstan:Geography
Location: Central Asia, northwest of China
Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: total: 12,012 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) note: Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Khan Tangiri Shyngy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m
Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 11% permanent pastures: 57% forests and woodland: 4% other: 16% (1996 est.)
Irrigated land: 22,000 sq km (1996 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mud slides around Almaty
Environment - current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with its former defense industries and test ranges are found throughout the country and pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from poor infrastructure and wasteful irrigation practices
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked
@Kazakhstan:People
Population: 16,733,227 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27% (male 2,332,284; female 2,260,730) 15-64 years: 65% (male 5,320,938; female 5,638,710) 65 years and over: 8% (male 398,225; female 782,340) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.05% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 16.78 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 10.56 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.19 years male: 57.73 years female: 68.93 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.03 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani
Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 46%, Russian 34.7%, Ukrainian 4.9%, German 3.1%, Uzbek 2.3%, Tatar 1.9%, other 7.1% (1996)
Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq, state language) 40%, Russian (official, used in everyday business) 66%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 96% (1989 est.)
@Kazakhstan:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: none former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: KZ
Government type: republic
Capital: Astana note: the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998
Administrative divisions: 14 oblystar (singular - oblysy) and 3 cities (qala, singular - qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Shevchenko), Ongtustik Qazaqstan (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan (Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk)
Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday: Day of the Republic, 25 October (1990) (date on which Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty)
Constitution: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990, elected president 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Kazymzhomart TOKAYEV (since 2 October 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note - President NAZARBAYEV's previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president; percent of vote - Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV 79.8%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 11.7%, Gani KASYMOV 4.6% note: President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two from each oblast and Almaty, to serve six-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; the addition of 10 "Party List" seats brings the total to 77; members are popularly elected to serve five-year terms); note - with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37; a number of Senate seats come up for reelection every two years elections: Senate - (indirect) last held 17 September 1999 (next to be held NA 2001); Majilis - last held 10 October 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; 16 seats up for election in 1999, candidates nominated by local councils; Majilis - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Otan 25, Civic Party 10, Communist Party 3, Agrarian Party 3, People's Cooperative Party 1, independents 32, 3 seats unaccounted for note - most independent candidates are affiliated with parastatal enterprises and other pro-government institutions
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)
Political parties and leaders: Agrarian Party ; Alash ; AZAMAT Movement [Petr SVOIK, Murat AUEZOV, and Galym ABILSIITOV, cochairmen]; Civic Party [Azat PERUASHEV, first secretary]; Communist Party or KPK [Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN, first secretary]; Forum of Democratic Forces ; Labor and Workers Movement ; Orleu Movement [Seidakhmet KUTTYKADAM]; Otan ; Pensioners Movement or Pokoleniye ; People's Congress of Kazakhstan or NKK ; People's Cooperative Party ; Republican People's Party of Kazakhstan Political pressure groups and leaders: Kazakhstan International Bureau on Human Rights
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV chancery: 1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 232-5488 FAX: (202) 232-5845 consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES embassy: 99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480091 mailing address: American Embassy Almaty, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7030 telephone: (3272) 63-39-21, 63-13-75, 50-76-23 FAX: (3272) 63-38-83
Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in gold
@Kazakhstan:Economy
Economy - overview: Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous untapped fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large machine building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy turned downward in 1998 with a 2.5% decline in GDP growth due to slumping oil prices and the August financial crisis in Russia. A bright spot in 1999 was the recovery of international oil prices, which, combined with a well-timed tenge devaluation and a bumper grain harvest, pulled the economy out of recession.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $54.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.7% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 10% industry: 30% services: 60% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 24.9% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.3% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 8.8 million (1997)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 27%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 50% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13.7% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3.1 billion expenditures: $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 49.299 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 87.73% hydro: 12.07% nuclear: 0.2% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 48.822 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 400 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 3.374 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool, livestock
Exports: $5.2 billion (1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: oil 40%, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery, chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal
Exports - partners: EU 32%, China 29%, Russia 29% (1998)
Imports: $4.8 billion (1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas, vehicles
Imports - partners: Russia 39%, Ukraine, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK, Germany, South Korea (1998)
Debt - external: $7.9 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $409.6 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Kazakhstani tenge = 100 tiyn
Exchange rates: tenges per US$1 - 139.02 (January 2000), 119.52 (1999), 78.30 (1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996), 60.95 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Kazakhstan:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.963 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,600 (1995)
Telephone system: service is poor; equipment antiquated domestic: intercity by landline and microwave radio relay; mobile cellular systems are available in most of Kazakhstan international: international traffic with other former Soviet republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay; with other countries by satellite and by the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 60, FM 17, shortwave 9 (1998)
Radios: 6.47 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (plus nine repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 3.88 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 83 (Kazakhstan and Russia) (1999)
@Kazakhstan:Transportation
Railways: total: 14,400 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)
Highways: total: 119,390 km paved: 103,272 km unpaved: 16,118 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 3,900 km on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis (Irtysh)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural gas 3,480 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen (Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)
Airports: 10 (1997 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 9 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Kazakhstan:Military
Military branches: General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force, Border Guards, Navy, Republican Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,477,455 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 3,572,688 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 158,838 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $322 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY99)
@Kazakhstan:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome
Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest Asia
______________________________________________________________________
KENYA
@Kenya:Introduction
Background: Ethnic divisions account for many of Kenya's problems. During the early 1990s, tribal clashes killed thousands and left tens of thousands homeless. Ethnically split opposition groups allowed the regime of Daniel Toroitich arap MOI, in power since 1978, to be reelected for a fourth term in 1997 in balloting marred by violence and fraud.
@Kenya:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Somalia and Tanzania
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 582,650 sq km land: 569,250 sq km water: 13,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries: total: 3,446 km border countries: Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km, Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline: 536 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m
Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites, rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 37% forests and woodland: 30% other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring drought in northern and eastern regions; flooding during rainy seasons
Environment - current issues: water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers on Mt. Kenya; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and economic value
@Kenya:People
Population: 30,339,770 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43% (male 6,566,424; female 6,419,034) 15-64 years: 54% (male 8,284,719; female 8,238,121) 65 years and over: 3% (male 366,200; female 465,272) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.53% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 29.35 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 14.08 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 68.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.98 years male: 46.95 years female: 49.04 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.66 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Kenyan(s) adjective: Kenyan
Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%
Languages: English (official), Kiswahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.1% male: 86.3% female: 70% (1995 est.)
@Kenya:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kenya conventional short form: Kenya former: British East Africa
Data code: KE
Government type: republic
Capital: Nairobi
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley, Western
Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1997
Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote from among the members of the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held by early 2003); vice president appointed by the president election results: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI reelected; percent of vote - Daniel T. arap MOI (KANU) 40.6%, Mwai KIBAKI (DP) 31.5%, Raila ODINGA (NDP) 11.1%, Michael WAMALWA (FORD-K) 8.4%, Charity NGILU (SDP) 7.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (222 seats, 12 appointed by the president, 210 members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held between 1 December 2002 and 30 April 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - KANU 107, FORD-A 1, FORD-K 17, FORD-People 3, DP 39, NDP 21, SDP 15, SAFINA 5, smaller parties 2; seats appointed by the president - KANU 6, FORD-K 1, DP 2, SDP 1, NDP 1, SAFINA 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, chief justice is appointed by the president; High Court
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Kenya or DP [Mwai KIBAKI]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Asili or FORD-A ; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or FORD-K ; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-People or FORD-People ; Kenya African National Union or KANU - the governing party; National Development Party or NDP [Raila ODINGA, president, Dr. Charles MARANGA, secretary general]; SAFINA [Farah MAALIM, chairman, Mghanga MWANDAWIRO, secretary general]; Social Democratic Party or SDP
Political pressure groups and leaders: human rights groups; labor unions; Muslim organizations; National Convention Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political parties and nongovernment organizations ; Protestant National Council of Churches of Kenya or NCCK ; Roman Catholic and other Christian churches; Supreme Council of Kenyan Muslims or SUPKEM International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MONUC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel K. CHEMAI (recalled in November 1999) chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 387-6101 FAX: (202) 462-3829 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Johnnie CARSON embassy: US Embassy, Mombasa Road, Nairobi mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831 telephone: (2) 537-800 FAX: (2) 537-810
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed spears is superimposed at the center
@Kenya:Economy
Economy - overview: Kenya is well placed to serve as an engine of growth in East Africa, but its economy is stagnating because of poor management and uneven commitment to reform. In 1993, the government of Kenya implemented a program of economic liberalization and reform that included the removal of import licensing, price controls, and foreign exchange controls. With the support of the World Bank, IMF, and other donors, the reforms led to a brief turnaround in economic performance following a period of negative growth in the early 1990s. Kenya's real GDP grew 5% in 1995 and 4% in 1996, and inflation remained under control. Growth slowed in 1997-99 however. Political violence damaged the tourist industry, and Kenya's Enhanced Structural Adjustment Program lapsed due to the government's failure to maintain reform or address public sector corruption. A new economic team was put in place in 1999 to revitalize the reform effort, strengthen the civil service, and curb corruption, but wary donors continue to question the government's commitment to sound economic policy. Long-term barriers to development include electricity shortages, the government's continued and inefficient dominance of key sectors, endemic corruption, and the country's high population growth rate.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $45.1 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26% industry: 18% services: 56% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: 42% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.2% highest 10%: 47.7% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 9.2 million (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 75%-80%
Unemployment rate: 50% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $2.91 billion expenditures: $2.97 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 4.23 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 8.27% hydro: 82.74% nuclear: 0% other: 8.99% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 4.078 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 144 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs
Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: tea, coffee, horticultural products, petroleum products (1995)
Exports - partners: Uganda 16%, UK 13%, Tanzania 13%, Egypt 5%, Germany 5% (1998)
Imports: $3.3 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products, iron and steel
Imports - partners: UK 12%, UAE 9%, US 8%, Japan 8%, Germany 6%, India 4% (1998)
Debt - external: $6.5 billion (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $457 million (1997)
Currency: 1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 73.943 (December 1999), 70.326 (1999), 60.367 (1998), 58.732 (1997), 57.115 (1996), 51.430 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Kenya:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 290,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 6,000 (1999)
Telephone system: unreliable; little attempt to modernize domestic: trunks are primarily microwave radio relay; data commonly transferred by a very small aperature terminal (VSAT) international: satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 8, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios: 3.07 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8 (1997)
Televisions: 730,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 7 (1999)
@Kenya:Transportation
Railways: total: 2,778 km narrow gauge: 2,778 km 1.000-m gauge note: the line connecting Nairobi with the port of Mombasa is the most important in the country
Highways: total: 63,800 km paved: 8,868 km unpaved: 54,932 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: part of the Lake Victoria system is within the boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines: petroleum products 483 km
Ports and harbors: Kisumu, Lamu, Mombasa
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,893 GRT/6,255 DWT ships by type: petroleum tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 230 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 21 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 209 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 110 under 914 m: 84 (1999 est.)
@Kenya:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 7,482,095 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,631,987 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $197 million (FY98/99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY98/99)
@Kenya:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary
Illicit drugs: widespread harvesting of small, wild plots of marijuana and qat (chat); transit country for South Asian heroin destined for Europe and, sometimes, North America; Indian methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
______________________________________________________________________
KINGMAN REEF
@Kingman Reef:Geography
Location: Oceania, reef in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Geographic coordinates: 6 24 N, 162 24 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 1 sq km land: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain: low and nearly level
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 1 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1996)
Natural hazards: wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter makes Kingman Reef a maritime hazard
Environment - current issues: none
Geography - note: barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public
@Kingman Reef:People
Population: uninhabited (July 2000 est.)
@Kingman Reef:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Kingman Reef
Data code: KQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the US Navy; however, it is awash the majority of the time, so it is not usable and is uninhabited
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Kingman Reef:Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity
@Kingman Reef:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
@Kingman Reef:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
@Kingman Reef:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
KIRIBATI
@Kiribati:Introduction
Background: The Gilbert Islands were granted self-rule by the UK in 1971 and complete independence in 1979 under the new name of Kiribati. The US relinquished all claims to the sparsely inhabited Phoenix and Line Island groups in a 1979 treaty of friendship with Kiribati.
@Kiribati:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the Pacific Ocean, straddling the equator, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia; note - on 1 January 1995, Kiribati unilaterally moved the International Date Line from the middle of the country to include its easternmost islands and make it the same day throughout the country
Geographic coordinates: 1 25 N, 173 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 717 sq km land: 717 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,143 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Banaba 81 m
Natural resources: phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 51% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 3% other: 46% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; occasional tornadoes; low-level of some of the islands make them very sensitive to sea-level rise
Environment - current issues: heavy pollution in lagoon of south Tarawa atoll due to heavy migration mixed with traditional practices such as lagoon latrines and open-pit dumping; ground water at risk
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: 20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia, and Nauru
@Kiribati:People
Population: 91,985 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.85% (male 19,027; female 18,551) 15-64 years: 56% (male 25,411; female 26,097) 65 years and over: 3.15% (male 1,239; female 1,660) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.34% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 32.43 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.01 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 55.36 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.78 years male: 56.89 years female: 62.82 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.4 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: I-Kiribati (singular and plural) adjective: I-Kiribati
Ethnic groups: Micronesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 53%, Protestant (Congregational) 41%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985 est.)
Languages: English (official), Gilbertese
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
@Kiribati:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kiribati conventional short form: Kiribati note: pronounced kir-ih-bahss former: Gilbert Islands
Data code: KR
Government type: republic
Capital: Tarawa
Administrative divisions: 3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands note: in addition, there are 6 districts (Banaba, Central Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa) and 21 island councils - one for each of the inhabited islands (Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba, Beru, Butaritari, Kanton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei, Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa, Teraina)
Independence: 12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution: 12 July 1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Teburoro TITO (since 1 October 1994); Vice President Tewareka TENTOA (since 12 October 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of the House of Assembly, includes the president, vice president, attorney general, and up to eight other ministers elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; note - the House of Assembly chooses the presidential candidates from among their members and then those candidates compete in a general election; election last held 27 November 1998 (next to be held by NA November 2002); vice president appointed by the president election results: Teburoro TITO reelected president; percent of vote - Teburoro TITO 52.3%, Dr. Harry TONG 45.8%, Amberoti NIKORA 1.9%, Taberannang TIMEON 0%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly or Maneaba Ni Maungatabu (41 seats; 39 elected by popular vote, one ex officio member, and one nominated to represent Banaba; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 23 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Maneaban Te Mauri Party 14, National Progressive Party 11, independents 14
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; High Court, judges at all levels are appointed by the president; 26 Magistrates' courts, judges at all levels are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party ; Maneaban Te Mauri Party ; National Progressive Party ; New Movement Party note: there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Kiribati does not have an embassy in the US; there is an honorary consulate in Honolulu
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Kiribati; the ambassador to the Marshall Islands is accredited to
Flag description: the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy white stripes to represent the ocean
@Kiribati:Economy
Economy - overview: A remote country of 33 scattered coral atolls, Kiribati has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate deposits were exhausted at the time of independence from the UK in 1979. Copra and fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has fluctuated widely in recent years. Economic development is constrained by a shortage of skilled workers, weak infrastructure, and remoteness from international markets. Tourism provides more than one-fifth of GDP. The financial sector is at an early stage of development as is the expansion of private sector initiatives. Foreign financial aid, largely from the UK and Japan, is a critical supplement to GDP, equal to 25%-50% of GDP in recent years. Remittances from workers abroad account for more than $5 million each year.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $74 million (1999 est.), supplemented by a nearly equal amount from external sources
GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $860 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14% industry: 7% services: 79% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985 est.)
Unemployment rate: 2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget: revenues: $33.3 million expenditures: $47.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1996 est.)
Industries: fishing, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 0.7% (1992 est.)
Electricity - production: 7 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 7 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: copra, taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; fish
Exports: $6 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: copra 62%, seaweed, fish
Exports - partners: US, Australia, NZ (1996)
Imports: $37 million (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods, fuel
Imports - partners: Australia 46%, Fiji, Japan, NZ, US (1996)
Debt - external: $7.2 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $15.5 million (1995), largely from UK and Japan
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.5207 (January 2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995)
Fiscal year: NA
@Kiribati:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2,600 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1995)
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) note: Kiribati is being linked to the Pacific Ocean Cooperative Telecommunications Network, which should improve telephone service
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 17,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 1,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Kiribati:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 670 km (1996 est.) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Waterways: small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands
Ports and harbors: Banaba, Betio, English Harbor, Kanton
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295 DWT ships by type: passenger/cargo 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 21 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 5 (1999 est.)
@Kiribati:Military
Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary duties; small police posts are on all islands)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Military - note: Kiribati does not have military forces; defense assistance is provided by Australia and NZ
@Kiribati:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
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KOREA
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 127 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 120,540 sq km land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries: total: 1,673 km border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline: 2,495 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm note: military boundary line 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned
Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 m
Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 14% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 61% other: 23% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 14,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall
Environment - current issues: localized air pollution attributable to inadequate industrial controls; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated
@Korea:People
Population: 21,687,550 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26% (male 2,843,250; female 2,705,206) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,223,364; female 7,502,094) 65 years and over: 6% (male 448,242; female 965,394) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.35% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 20.43 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.88 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.46 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.74 years male: 67.76 years female: 73.86 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Korean(s) adjective: Korean
Ethnic groups: racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese
Religions: traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom
Languages: Korean
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write Korean total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (1990 est.)
@Korea:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: none note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country abbreviation: DPRK
Data code: KN
Government type: authoritarian socialist; one-man dictatorship
Capital: P'yongyang
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Independence: 9 September 1948, Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) Foundation Day note: 15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and celebrated in North Korea as National Liberation Day
National holiday: Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution: adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998
Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - in September 1998, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Young-nam was named President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials head of government: Premier HONG Song-nam (since 5 September 1998) cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA 1998 (next to be held NA) election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26 July 1998 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch: Central Court, judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Korean Social Democratic Party ; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, General Secretary]
International organization participation: ESCAP, FAO, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York, headed by YI Hyong-chol
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power)
Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
@Korea:Economy
Economy - overview: North Korea ranks among the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies. The resulting economic distortions and the government's reluctance to publicize economic data limit the amount of reliable information available. State-owned industry produces nearly all manufactured goods, and the regime continues to devote its focus on heavy and military industries at the expense of light and consumer industries. Economic conditions remain stagnant at best and the country's deepening economic slide has been fueled by acute energy shortages, poorly maintained and aging industrial facilities, and a lack of new investment. The agricultural outlook, though slightly improved over previous years, remains weak. The combined effects of serious fertilizer shortages, successive natural disasters, and structural constraints - such as marginal arable land and a short growing season - have reduced staple grain output to more than 1 million tons less than what the country needs to meet even minimum international requirements. The steady flow of international food aid has been critical in meeting the population's basic food needs. The impact of other forms of humanitarian assistance such as medical supplies and agricultural assistance largely has been limited to local areas. Even with aid, malnutrition rates are among the world's highest and estimates of mortality range in the hundreds of thousands as a direct result of starvation or famine-related diseases.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 30% industry: 42% services: 28% (1999 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 9.6 million
Labor force - by occupation: agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 31.975 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 34.4% hydro: 65.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 29.737 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs
Exports: $680 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports - commodities: minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); agricultural and fishery products
Exports - partners: Japan 28%, South Korea 21%, China 5%, Germany 4%, Russia 1% (1995)
Imports: $954 million (c.i.f., 1998 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; consumer goods, grain
Imports - partners: China 33%, Japan 17%, Russia 5%, South Korea 4%, Germany 3% (1995)
Debt - external: $12 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - an estimated $200 million to $300 million in humanitarian aid from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 1997 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations
Currency: 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates: official: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989); market: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 200
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Korea:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.1 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1999)
Telephone system: international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean Region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999)
Radios: 3.36 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 38 (1999)
Televisions: 1.2 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Korea:Transportation
Railways: total: 5,000 km standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified; 159 km double track) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge dual gauge: 240 km 1.435-m and 1.600-m gauges (four rails interlaced) (1996 est.)
Highways: total: 31,200 km paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines: crude oil 37 km; petroleum product 180 km
Ports and harbors: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan
Merchant marine: total: 107 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 675,609 GRT/937,477 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 91, combination bulk 1, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, short-sea passenger 2 (1999 est.)
Airports: 49 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 27 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 6 (1994 est.)
@Korea:Military
Military branches: Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,853,635 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 3,527,760 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 178,931 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.7 billion to $4.9 billion (FY98 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 25% to 33% (FY98 est.)
@Korea:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 33-km section of boundary with China in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South
______________________________________________________________________
KOREA
______________________________________________________________________
KUWAIT
@Kuwait:Introduction
Background: Kuwait was attacked and overrun by Iraq on 2 August 1990. Following several weeks of aerial bombardment, a US-led UN coalition began a ground assault on 23 February 1991 that completely liberated Kuwait in four days. Kuwait has spent more than $5 billion dollars to repair oil infrastructure damaged during 1990-91.
@Kuwait:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 29 30 N, 45 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 17,820 sq km land: 17,820 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries: total: 464 km border countries: Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline: 499 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: unnamed location 306 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 8% forests and woodland: 0% other: 92% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: sudden cloudbursts are common from October to April; they bring inordinate amounts of rain which can damage roads and houses; sandstorms and dust storms occur throughout the year, but are most common between March and August
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification