Introductory material (continued 20)

elections: last held 2 July 2000 (next to be held NA July 2004)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - MPRP 72, other 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (serves as appeals court for people's and provincial courts, but rarely overturns verdicts of lower courts; judges are nominated by the General Council of Courts for approval by the president)

Political parties and leaders: Citizens' Will Party or CWP (also called Civil Will Party) [Sanjaasurengyn OYUN]; Democratic Party or DP [D. DORLIGAN]; Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party or MPRP [Nambaryn ENKHBAYAR]; Mongolian Democratic New Socialist Party or MDNSP [B. ERDENEBAT]; Mongolian Republican Party or MRP [B. JARGALSAIHAN]

note: the MPRP is the ruling party

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CCC, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jalbuugiyn CHOINHOR

chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007

telephone: [1] (202) 333-7117

FAX: [1] (202) 298-9227

consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John DINGER

embassy: inner north side of the Big Ring, just west of the Selbe Gol, Ulaanbaatar

mailing address: United States Embassy in Mongolia, P. O. Box 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13; PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP 96521-0002

telephone: [976] (11) 329095

FAX: [976] (11) 320776

Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow is the national emblem ("soyombo" - a columnar arrangement of abstract and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and the yin-yang symbol)

Mongolia Economy

Economy - overview: Economic activity traditionally has been based on agriculture and breeding of livestock. Mongolia also has extensive mineral deposits: copper, coal, molybdenum, tin, tungsten, and gold account for a large part of industrial production. Soviet assistance, at its height one-third of GDP, disappeared almost overnight in 1990-91, at the time of the dismantlement of the USSR. Mongolia was driven into deep recession, which was prolonged by the Mongolian People's Revolutionary Party's (MPRP) reluctance to undertake serious economic reform. The Democratic Coalition (DC) government has embraced free-market economics, easing price controls, liberalizing domestic and international trade, and attempting to restructure the banking system and the energy sector. Major domestic privatization programs were undertaken, as well as the fostering of foreign investment through international tender of the oil distribution company, a leading cashmere company, and banks. Reform was held back by the ex-communist MPRP opposition and by the political instability brought about through four successive governments under the DC. Economic growth picked up in 1997-99 after stalling in 1996 due to a series of natural disasters and declines in world prices of copper and cashmere. In August and September 1999, the economy suffered from a temporary Russian ban on exports of oil and oil products, and Mongolia remains vulnerable in this sector. Mongolia joined the World Trade Organization (WTrO) in 1997. The international donor community pledged over $300 million per year at the last Consultative Group Meeting, held in Ulaanbaatar in June 1999. The MPRP government, elected in July 2000, is anxious to improve the investment climate; it must also deal with a heavy burden of external debt.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -1% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,780 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 36%

industry: 22%

services: 42% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 40% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9%

highest 10%: 24.5% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (1999)

Labor force: 1.3 million (1999)

Labor force - by occupation: primarily herding/agricultural

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $262 million

expenditures: $328 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)

Industries: construction materials, mining (particularly coal and copper); food and beverages, processing of animal products

Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production: 2.671 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 2.767 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 80 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 363 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, potatoes, forage crops; sheep, goats, cattle, camels, horses

Exports: $454.3 million (f.o.b., 1999)

Exports - commodities: copper, livestock, animal products, cashmere, wool, hides, fluorspar, other nonferrous metals

Exports - partners: China 60%, US 20%, Russia 9%, Japan 2% (2000 est.)

Imports: $510.7 million (c.i.f., 1999)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, fuels, food products, industrial consumer goods, chemicals, building materials, sugar, tea

Imports - partners: Russia 33%, China 21%, Japan 12%, South Korea 10%, US 4% (1999)

Debt - external: $760 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $200 million (1998 est.)

Currency: togrog/tugrik (MNT)

Currency code: MNT

Exchange rates: togrogs/tugriks per US dollar - 1,097.00 (December 2000), 1,076.67 (2000), 1,072.37 (1999), 840.83 (1998), 789.99 (1997), 548.40 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Mongolia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 104,100 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 110,000 (2001)

Telephone system: general assessment: very low density: about 3.5 telephones for each thousand persons

domestic: NA

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 9, shortwave 4 (2001)

Radios: 155,900 (1999)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (plus 18 provincial repeaters and many low powered repeaters) (1999)

Televisions: 168,800 (1999)

Internet country code: .mn

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 5 (2001)

Internet users: between 10,000 and 15,000 (2001)

Mongolia Transportation

Railways: 1,815 km

broad gauge: 1,815 km 1.524-m gauge (2001)

Highways: total: 3,387 km

paved: 1,563 km

unpaved: 1,824 km

note: there are also 45,862 km of rural roads that consist of rough, unimproved, cross-country tracks (2000)

Waterways: 400 km (1999)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 34 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 8

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26

over 3,047 m: 3

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)

Mongolia Military

Military branches: Mongolian Armed Forces (includes General Purpose Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense Troops); note - Border Troops are under Ministry of Justice and Home Affairs in peacetime

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 748,779 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 486,491 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 30,230 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $25.5 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (FY01)

Mongolia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Montserrat

Montserrat Introduction

Background: Much of this island has been devastated and two-thirds of the population has fled abroad due to the eruption of the Soufriere Hills volcano that began on 18 July 1995.

Montserrat Geography

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 62 12 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 100 sq km

land: 100 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: about 0.6 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 3 NM

Climate: tropical; little daily or seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: volcanic islands, mostly mountainous, with small coastal lowland

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Chances Peak (in the Soufriere Hills) 914 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use: arable land: 20%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 10%

forests and woodland: 40%

other: 30% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: severe hurricanes (June to November); volcanic eruptions (full-scale eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano occurred during 1996-97)

Environment - current issues: land erosion occurs on slopes that have been cleared for cultivation

Montserrat People

Population: 7,574

note: an estimated 8,000 refugees left the island following the resumption of volcanic activity in July 1995; some have returned (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 23.83% (male 907; female 898)

15-64 years: 64.66% (male 2,341; female 2,556)

65 years and over: 11.51% (male 464; female 408) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 13.39% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 17.43 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.53 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 123.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.14 male(s)/female

total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 8.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.03 years

male: 75.95 years

female: 80.22 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Montserratian(s)

adjective: Montserratian

Ethnic groups: black, white

Religions: Anglican, Methodist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Seventh-Day Adventist, other Christian denominations

Languages: English

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school

total population: 97%

male: 97%

female: 97% (1970 est.)

Montserrat Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Montserrat

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK

Government type: NA

Capital: Plymouth (abandoned in 1997 due to volcanic activity; interim government buildings have been built at Brades, in the Carr's Bay/Little Bay vicinity at the northwest end of Montserrat)

Administrative divisions: 3 parishes; Saint Anthony, Saint Georges, Saint Peter's

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)

Constitution: present constitution came into force 19 December 1989

Legal system: English common law and statutory law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Anthony John ABBOTT (since NA September 1997)

head of government: Chief Minister David BRANDT (since 22 August 1997)

cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, the chief minister, three other ministers, the attorney general, and the finance secretary

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party usually becomes chief minister; note - as a result of the last election, a coalition party was formed between NPP, NDP, and one of the independent candidates

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (11 seats, 7 popularly elected; members serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 11 November 1996 (next to be held by NA November 2001)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPA 2, MNR 2, NPP 1, independent 2

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint Lucia, one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court)

Political parties and leaders: Movement for National Reconstruction or MNR [Percival Austin BRAMBLE]; National Development Party or NDP [leader NA]; National Progressive Party or NPP [Reuben T. MEADE]; People's Progressive Alliance or PPA [John A. OSBORNE]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: Caricom, CDB, ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), OECS, WCL

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Montserratian coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a woman standing beside a yellow harp with her arm around a black cross

Montserrat Economy

Economy - overview: Severe volcanic activity, which began in July 1995, has put a damper on this small, open economy. A catastrophic eruption in June 1997 closed the airports and seaports, causing further economic and social dislocation. Two-thirds of the 12,000 inhabitants fled the island. Some began to return in 1998, but lack of housing limited the number. The agriculture sector continued to be affected by the lack of suitable land for farming and the destruction of crops. Prospects for the economy depend largely on developments in relation to the volcano and on public sector construction activity. The UK committed to a three year $125 million aid program in 1999 to help reconstruct the economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $31 million (1999 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: -1.5% (1999 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (1999 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5.4%

industry: 13.6%

services: 81% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1998)

Labor force: 4,521 (1992); note - recently lowered by flight of people from volcanic activity

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%

Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $31.4 million

expenditures: $31.6 million, including capital expenditures of $8.4 million (1997 est.)

Industries: tourism, rum, textiles, electronic appliances

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 10 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 9.3 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: cabbages, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, onions, peppers; livestock products

Exports: $1.5 million (1998)

Exports - commodities: electronic components, plastic bags, apparel, hot peppers, live plants, cattle

Exports - partners: US, Antigua and Barbuda (1993)

Imports: $26 million (1998)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transportation equipment, foodstuffs, manufactured goods, fuels, lubricants, and related materials

Imports - partners: US, UK, Trinidad and Tobago, Japan, Canada (1993)

Debt - external: $8.9 million (1997)

Economic aid - recipient: $9.8 million (1995); note - about $100 million (1996-98) in reconstruction aid from the UK; Country Policy Plan (1999) is a three-year program for spending $122.8 million in British budgetary assistance

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (XCD)

Currency code: XCD

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Montserrat Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 4,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 70 (1994)

Telephone system: general assessment: NA

domestic: NA

international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: 3,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .ms

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000)

Internet users: NA

Montserrat Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 269 km

paved: 203 km

unpaved: 66 km (1995)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Plymouth (abandoned), Little Bay (anchorages and ferry landing), Carr's Bay

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Montserrat Military

Military branches: Police Force

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Montserrat Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe

======================================================================

@Morocco

Morocco Introduction

Background: Morocco's long struggle for independence from France ended in 1956. The internationalized city of Tangier was turned over to the new country that same year. Morocco virtually annexed Western Sahara during the late 1970s, but final resolution on the status of the territory remains unresolved. Gradual political reforms in the 1990s resulted in the establishment of a bicameral legislature in 1997.

Morocco Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Western Sahara

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 5 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 446,550 sq km

land: 446,300 sq km

water: 250 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than California

Land boundaries: total: 2,017.9 km

border countries: Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km, Spain (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Spain (Melilla) 9.6 km

Coastline: 1,835 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior

Terrain: northern coast and interior are mountainous with large areas of bordering plateaus, intermontane valleys, and rich coastal plains

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebkha Tah -55 m

highest point: Jbel Toubkal 4,165 m

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt

Land use: arable land: 21%

permanent crops: 1%

permanent pastures: 47%

forests and woodland: 20%

other: 11% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,580 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to earthquakes; periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: land degradation/desertification (soil erosion resulting from farming of marginal areas, overgrazing, destruction of vegetation); water supplies contaminated by raw sewage; siltation of reservoirs; oil pollution of coastal waters

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar

Morocco People

Population: 30,645,305 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34.39% (male 5,368,784; female 5,170,891)

15-64 years: 60.93% (male 9,270,095; female 9,402,561)

65 years and over: 4.68% (male 646,567; female 786,407) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.71% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 24.16 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 5.94 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 48.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.43 years

male: 67.2 years

female: 71.76 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.05 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.03% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Moroccan(s)

adjective: Moroccan

Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99.1%, other 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%

Religions: Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%

Languages: Arabic (official), Berber dialects, French often the language of business, government, and diplomacy

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 43.7%

male: 56.6%

female: 31% (1995 est.)

Morocco Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Morocco

conventional short form: Morocco

local long form: Al Mamlakah al Maghribiyah

local short form: Al Maghrib

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Rabat

Administrative divisions: 37 provinces and 2 wilayas*; Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra, Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Meknes, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi, Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt, Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit

note: three additional provinces of Ad Dakhla (Oued Eddahab), Boujdour, and Es Smara as well as parts of Tan-Tan and Laayoune fall within Moroccan-claimed Western Sahara; decentralization/regionalization law passed by the legislature in March 1997 creating many new provinces/regions; specific details and scope of the reorganization not yet available

Independence: 2 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday: Throne Day (accession of King MOHAMED VI to the throne), 30 July (1999)

Constitution: 10 March 1972, revised 4 September 1992, amended (to create bicameral legislature) September 1996

Legal system: based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: King MOHAMED VI (since 23 July 1999)

head of government: Prime Minister Abderrahmane YOUSSOUFI (since 14 March 1998)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch following legislative elections

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Chamber of Counselors (270 seats; members elected indirectly by local councils, professional organizations, and labor syndicates for nine-year terms; one-third of the members are renewed every three years) and a lower house or Chamber of Representatives (325 seats; members elected by popular vote for five-year terms)

elections: Chamber of Counselors - last held 15 September 2000 (next to be held NA 2002); Chamber of Representatives - last held 14 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2002)

election results: Chamber of Counselors - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Chamber of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - USFP 57, UC 50, RNI 46, MP 40, MDS 32, IP 32, MNP 19, PND 10, MPCD 9, PPS 9, FFD 9, PSD 5, OADP 4, PA 2, PDI 1

note: CDT, UTM, UGTM, UNMT are all labor unions listed under Political pressure groups and leaders; see explanation in the description of Parliament

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed on the recommendation of the Supreme Council of the Judiciary, presided over by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders: Action Party or PA [Muhammad IDRISS]; Constitutional Union or UC [leader NA]; Democratic Forces Front or FFD [Thami KHIARI]; Democratic Socialist Party or PSD [Issa OUARDIGHI]; Democratic Party for Independence or PDI [Thami EL-OUAZZANI, Said BOUACHRINE]; Istiqlal Party or IP [Abbas El-FASSI]; Labor Party or UT [leader NA]; National Democratic Party or PND [Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI]; National Popular Movement or MNP [Mahjoubi AHERDANE]; National Rally of Independents or RNI [Ahmed OSMAN]; Organization of Democratic and Popular Action or OADP [Mohamed BEN SAID ait Idder]; Party of Progress and Socialism or PPS [Moulay Ismail ALAOUI]; Popular Constitutional and Democratic Movement or MPCD (has become Party of Justice and Development or PJD) [Dr. Abdelkarim KHATIB]; Popular Movement or MP [Mohamed LAENSER]; Social Democratic Movement or MDS [Mahmoud ARCHANE]; Socialist Union of Popular Forces or USFP [Abd ar-Rahman EL-YOUSSOUFI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Association of Popular Trade Unions or ADP [leader NA]; Democratic Confederation of Labor or CDT [Noubir AMAOUI]; Democratic National Trade Union or USND [leader NA]; Democratic Trade Union or SD [leader NA]; General Union of Moroccan Workers or UGTM [Abderrazzak AFILAL]; Labor Union Commissions or CS [leader NA]; Moroccan National Workers Union or UNMT [leader NA]; Moroccan Union of Workers or UTM [Mahjoub BENSEDIQ]; Party of Shura and Istiqla [Abdelwaheb MAASH]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abdullah MAAROUFI

chancery: 1601 21st Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 462-7979 through 7982

FAX: [1] (202) 265-0161

consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward M. GABRIEL

embassy: 2 Avenue de Mohamed El Fassi, Rabat

mailing address: PSC 74, Box 3, APO AE 90718

telephone: [212] (37) 76 22 65

FAX: [212] (37) 76 56 61

consulate(s) general: Casablanca

Flag description: red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is the traditional color of Islam

Morocco Economy

Economy - overview: Morocco faces the problems typical of developing countries - restraining government spending, reducing constraints on private activity and foreign trade, and achieving sustainable economic growth. Following structural adjustment programs supported by the IMF, World Bank, and the Paris Club, the dirham is now fully convertible for current account transactions, and reforms of the financial sector have been implemented. Drought conditions depressed activity in the key agricultural sector and contributed to a stagnant economy in 1999 and 2000. During that time, however, Morocco reported large foreign exchange inflows from the sale of a mobile telephone license and partial privatization of the state-owned telecommunications company. Favorable rainfalls have led Morocco to predict a growth of 1% for 2001. Formidable long-term challenges include: servicing the external debt; preparing the economy for freer trade with the EU; and improving education and attracting foreign investment to boost living standards and job prospects for Morocco's youthful population.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $105 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 0.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,500 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 15%

industry: 33%

services: 52% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: 19% (1999 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6%

highest 10%: 30.9% (1998-99)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 11 million (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 50%, services 35%, industry 15% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 23% (1999 est.)

Budget: revenues: $9.6 billion

expenditures: $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.1 billion (2001 est.)

Industries: phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing, leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production: 13.695 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.19%

hydro: 10.81%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 13.441 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 705 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: barley, wheat, citrus, wine, vegetables, olives; livestock

Exports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: phosphates and fertilizers, food and beverages, minerals

Exports - partners: France 35%, Spain 9%, UK 8%, Germany 7%, US 5% (1999)

Imports: $12.2 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)

Imports - commodities: semiprocessed goods, machinery and equipment, food and beverages, consumer goods, fuel

Imports - partners: France 32%, Spain 12%, Italy 7%, Germany 6%, UK 6% (1999)

Debt - external: $18.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $565.6 million (1995)

Currency: Moroccan dirham (MAD)

Currency code: MAD

Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Morocco Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 1.391 million (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 116,645 (1998)

Telephone system: general assessment: modern system with all important capabilities; however density is low with only 4.6 main lines available for each 100 persons

domestic: good system composed of open-wire lines, cables, and microwave radio relay links; Internet available but expensive; principal switching centers are Casablanca and Rabat; national network nearly 100% digital using fiber-optic links; improved rural service employs microwave radio relay

international: 7 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria; participant in Medarabtel; fiber-optic cable link from Agadir to Algeria and Tunisia (1998)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 27, FM 25, shortwave 6 (1998)

Radios: 6.64 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 35 (plus 66 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)

Internet country code: .ma

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)

Internet users: 120,000 (1999)

Morocco Transportation

Railways: total: 1,907 km

standard gauge: 1,907 km 1.435-m gauge (1,003 km electrified; 540 km double track)

Highways: total: 57,847 km

paved: 30,254 km (including 327 km of expressways)

unpaved: 27,593 km (1998)

Waterways: none

Pipelines: crude oil 362 km; petroleum products 491 km (abandoned); natural gas 241 km

Ports and harbors: Agadir, El Jadida, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia, Nador, Rabat, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and Melilla

Merchant marine: total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 223,052 GRT/272,786 DWT

ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 6, container 5, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 9, roll on/roll off 8, short-sea passenger 1 (2000 est.)

Airports: 69 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 26

over 3,047 m: 10

2,438 to 3,047 m: 5

1,524 to 2,437 m: 9

914 to 1,523 m: 1

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 43

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 11

914 to 1,523 m: 20

under 914 m: 11 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Morocco Military

Military branches: Royal Armed Forces (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 8,182,073 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 5,160,374 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 348,380 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.4 billion (FY99/00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 4% (FY99/00)

Morocco Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of hashish; trafficking on the increase for both domestic and international drug markets; shipments of hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; transit point for cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe

======================================================================

@Mozambique

Mozambique Introduction

Background: Almost five centuries as a Portuguese colony came to a close with independence in 1975. Large-scale emigration by whites, economic dependence on South Africa, a severe drought, and a prolonged civil war hindered the country's development. The ruling party formally abandoned Marxism in 1989, and a new constitution the following year provided for multiparty elections and a free market economy. A UN-negotiated peace agreement with rebel forces ended the fighting in 1992.

Mozambique Geography

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the Mozambique Channel, between South Africa and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 S, 35 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 801,590 sq km

land: 784,090 sq km

water: 17,500 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California

Land boundaries: total: 4,571 km

border countries: Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km

Coastline: 2,470 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical to subtropical

Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point: Monte Binga 2,436 m

Natural resources: coal, titanium, natural gas, hydropower, tantalum, graphite

Land use: arable land: 4%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 56%

forests and woodland: 18%

other: 22% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (2000 est.)

Natural hazards: severe droughts and floods occur in central and southern provinces; devastating cyclones

Environment - current issues: a long civil war and recurrent drought in the hinterlands have resulted in increased migration of the population to urban and coastal areas with adverse environmental consequences; desertification; pollution of surface and coastal waters

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Mozambique People

Population: 19,371,057

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; the 1997 Mozambican census reported a population of 16,099,246 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.72% (male 4,124,093; female 4,152,135)

15-64 years: 54.53% (male 5,222,477; female 5,339,615)

65 years and over: 2.75% (male 221,678; female 311,059) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.3% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 37.2 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 24.21 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 139.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 36.45 years

male: 37.25 years

female: 35.62 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.82 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 13.22% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 1.2 million (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 98,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Mozambican(s)

adjective: Mozambican

Ethnic groups: indigenous tribal groups 99.66% (Shangaan, Chokwe, Manyika, Sena, Makua, and others), Europeans 0.06%, Euro-Africans 0.2%, Indians 0.08%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 30%, Muslim 20%

Languages: Portuguese (official), indigenous dialects

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 42.3%

male: 58.4%

female: 27% (1998 est.)

Mozambique Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Mozambique

conventional short form: Mozambique

local long form: Republica de Mocambique

local short form: Mocambique

former: Portuguese East Africa

Government type: republic

Capital: Maputo

Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia

Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975)

Constitution: 30 November 1990

Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986); note - before being popularly elected, CHISSANO was elected president by Frelimo's Central Committee 4 November 1986 (reelected by the Committee 30 July 1989)

head of government: Prime Minister Pascoal MOCUMBI (since NA December 1994)

cabinet: Cabinet

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004); prime minister appointed by the president

election results: Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO reelected president; percent of vote - Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO 52.29%, Afonso DHLAKAMA 47.71%

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (250 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on a secret ballot to serve five-year terms)

elections: last held 3-5 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results: percent of vote by party - Frelimo 48.54%, Renamo-UE 38.81%; seats by party - Frelimo 133, Renamo-UE 117

note: Renamo-UE ran as a multiparty coalition; none of the other opposition parties received the 5% required to win parliamentary seats

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the court of final appeal; some of its professional judges are appointed by the president and some are elected by the Assembly); other courts include an Administrative Court, customs courts, maritime courts, courts marshal, labor courts

note: although the constitution provides for the creation of a separate Constitutional Court, one has never been established; in its absence the Supreme Court reviews constitutional cases

Political parties and leaders: Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (Frente de Liberatacao de Mocambique) or Frelimo [Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO, chairman]; Mozambique National Resistance - Electoral Union (Resistencia Nacional Mocambicana - Uniao Eleitoral) or Renamo-UE [Afonso DHLAKAMA, president]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marcos Geraldo NAMASHULUA

chancery: Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone: [1] (202) 293-7146

FAX: [1] (202) 835-0245

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON

embassy: Avenida Kenneth Kuanda 193, Maputo

mailing address: P. O. Box 783, Maputo

telephone: [258] (1) 492797

FAX: [258] (1) 490114

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book

Mozambique Economy

Economy - overview: Before the peace accord of October 1992, Mozambique's economy was devastated by a protracted civil war and socialist mismanagement. In 1994, it ranked as one of the poorest countries in the world. Since then, Mozambique has undertaken a series of economic reforms. Almost all aspects of the economy have been liberalized to some extent. More than 900 state enterprises have been privatized. A value-added tax, introduced in 1999, launched the government's comprehensive tax reform program. Pending are much needed commercial code reform and greater private sector involvement in the transportation, telecommunications, and energy sectors. Since 1996, inflation has been low and foreign exchange rates relatively stable. Albeit from a small base, Mozambique's economy grew at an annual 10% rate in 1997-99, one of the highest growth rates in the world. Growth slowed and inflation rose in 2000 due to devastating flooding in the early part of the year. Both indicators should recover in 2001. The country depends on foreign assistance to balance the budget and to pay for a trade imbalance in which imports greatly outnumber exports. The trade situation should improve in the medium term, however, as trade and transportation links to South Africa and the rest of the region have been improved and sizeable foreign investments are beginning to materialize. Among these investments are metal production (aluminum, steel), natural gas, power generation, agriculture, fishing, timber, and transportation services. Mozambique has received a formal cancellation of a large portion of its external debt through an IMF initiative and is scheduled to receive additional relief.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $19.1 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3.8% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 44%

industry: 19%

services: 37% (1999 est.)

Population below poverty line: 70% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.5%

highest 10%: 31.7% (1996-97)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.4% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 7.4 million (1997 est.)

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 81%, industry 6%, services 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $466.9 million

expenditures: $1.004 billion, including capital expenditures of $502.5 million (2000 est.)

Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, cement, glass, asbestos, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 7.2% (1999)

Electricity - production: 2.3 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 13.04%

hydro: 86.96%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 307 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 1.9 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 68 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, cassava (tapioca), corn, rice, coconuts, sisal, tropical fruits; beef, poultry

Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: prawns 40%, cashews, cotton, sugar, citrus, timber; bulk electricity (2000)

Exports - partners: EU 27%, South Africa 26%, Zimbabwe 15%, India 12%, US 5%, Japan 4% (1999 est.)

Imports: $1.4 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, mineral products, chemicals, metals, foodstuffs, textiles (2000)

Imports - partners: South Africa 44%, EU 16%, US 6.5%, Japan 6.5%, Pakistan 3%, India 3% (1999 est.)

Debt - external: $1.4 billion (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $1.04 billion (1998)

Currency: metical (MZM)

Currency code: MZM

Exchange rates: meticais per US dollar - 17,331.0 (January 2001), 5,199.8 (2000), 12,775.1 (1999), 11,874.6 (1998), 11.543.6 (1997), 11,293.8 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Mozambique Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 65,354 (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 18,500 (2000)

Telephone system: general assessment: fair system but not available generally (telephone density is only 3.5 telephones for each 1,000 persons)

domestic: the system consists of open-wire lines and trunk connection by microwave radio relay and tropospheric scatter

international: satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 13, FM 16, shortwave 12 (2000)

Radios: 730,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (2000)

Televisions: 67,600 (2000)

Internet country code: .mz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 8 (2000)

Internet users: 6,250

note: 150 corporate accounts and 6,100 individual accounts (2000)

Mozambique Transportation

Railways: total: 3,131 km

narrow gauge: 2,988 km 1.067-m gauge; 143 km 0.762-m gauge (1994)

Highways: total: 30,400 km

paved: 5,685 km

unpaved: 24,715 km (1996)

Waterways: 3,750 km (navigable routes)

Pipelines: crude oil 306 km; petroleum products 289 km

note: not operating

Ports and harbors: Beira, Inhambane, Maputo, Nacala, Pemba, Quelimane

Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,125 GRT/7,024 DWT

ships by type: cargo 3 (2000 est.)

Airports: 168 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 22

over 3,047 m: 1

2,438 to 3,047 m: 3

1,524 to 2,437 m: 10

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 146

2,438 to 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 16

914 to 1,523 m: 37

under 914 m: 92 (2000 est.)

Mozambique Military

Military branches: Army, Naval Command, Air and Air Defense Forces, Militia

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,627,052 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,670,933 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $35.1 million (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (2000 est.)

Mozambique Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: Southern African transit point for South Asian hashish, South Asian heroin, and South American cocaine probably destined for the European and South African markets; producer of cannabis (for local consumption) and methaqualone (for export to South Africa)

======================================================================

@Namibia

Namibia Introduction

Background: South Africa occupied the German colony of Sud-West Afrika during World War I and administered it as a mandate until after World War II when it annexed the territory. In 1966 the Marxist South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO) guerrilla group launched a war of independence for the area that was soon named Namibia, but it was not until 1988 that South Africa agreed to end its administration in accordance with a UN peace plan for the entire region. Independence came in 1990.

Namibia Geography

Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 17 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 825,418 sq km

land: 825,418 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly more than half the size of Alaska

Land boundaries: total: 3,824 km

border countries: Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 855 km, Zambia 233 km

Coastline: 1,572 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic

Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point: Konigstein 2,606 m

Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, lithium, cadmium, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, hydropower, fish

note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore

Land use: arable land: 1%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 46%

forests and woodland: 22%

other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: prolonged periods of drought

Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Namibia People

Population: 1,797,677

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 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 42.74% (male 389,028; female 379,229)

15-64 years: 53.54% (male 480,075; female 482,375)

65 years and over: 3.72% (male 29,109; female 37,861) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.38% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 34.71 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 20.9 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

total population: 1 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 71.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 40.62 years

male: 42.48 years

female: 38.71 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.83 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 19.54% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 160,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 18,000 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Namibian(s)

adjective: Namibian

Ethnic groups: black 87.5%, white 6%, mixed 6.5%

note: about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% to the Kavangos tribe; other ethnic groups are: Herero 7%, Damara 7%, Nama 5%, Caprivian 4%, Bushmen 3%, Baster 2%, Tswana 0.5%

Religions: Christian 80% to 90% (Lutheran 50% at least), indigenous beliefs 10% to 20%

Languages: English 7% (official), Afrikaans common language of most of the population and about 60% of the white population, German 32%, indigenous languages: Oshivambo, Herero, Nama

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 38%

male: 45%

female: 31% (1960 est.)

Namibia Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Namibia

conventional short form: Namibia

former: German Southwest Africa, South-West Africa

Government type: republic

Capital: Windhoek

Administrative divisions: 13 regions; Caprivi, Erongo, Hardap, Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Ohangwena, Okavango, Omaheke, Omusati, Oshana, Oshikoto, Otjozondjupa

Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March (1990)

Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990; effective 12 March 1990

Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990); 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 National Assembly

elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)

election results: Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA elected president; percent of vote - Sam Shafishuna NUJOMA 77%

Legislative branch: bicameral legislature consists of the National Council (26 seats; two members are chosen from each regional council to serve six-year terms) and the National Assembly (72 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: National Council - elections for regional councils, to determine members of the National Council, held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held by December 2004); National Assembly - last held 30 November-1 December 1999 (next to be held by December 2004)

election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - SWAPO 21, DTA 4, UDF 1; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - SWAPO 76%, COD 10%, DTA 9%, UDF 3%, MAG 1%, other 1%; seats by party - SWAPO 55, COD 7, DTA 7, UDF 2, MAG 1,

note: the National Council is primarily an advisory body

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the president on the recommendation of the Judicial Service Commission)

Political parties and leaders: Congress of Democrats or COD [Ben ULENGA]; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance of Namibia or DTA [Katuutire KAURA, president]; Monitor Action Group or MAG [Kosie PRETORIUS]; South West Africa People's Organization or SWAPO [Sam NUJOMA]; United Democratic Front or UDF [Justus GAROEB]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNTAET, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Leonard Nangolo IIPUMBU

chancery: 1605 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009

telephone: [1] (202) 986-0540

FAX: [1] (202) 986-0443

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jeffrey A. BADER

embassy: Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen Street, Private Bag 12029 Ausspannplatz, Windhoek

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [264] (61) 221601

FAX: [264] (61) 229792

Flag description: a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe that is contrasted by two narrow white-edge borders

Namibia Economy

Economy - overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the extraction and processing of minerals for export. Mining accounts for 20% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Rich alluvial diamond deposits make Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten. Half of the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood. Namibia must import some of its food. Although per capita GDP is four times the per capita GDP of Africa's poorer countries, the majority of Namibia's people live in pronounced poverty because of large-scale unemployment, the great inequality of income distribution, and the large amount of wealth going to foreigners. The Namibian economy has close links to South Africa. GDP growth in 2000 was led by gains in the diamond and fish sectors. Agreement has been reached on the privatization of several more enterprises in coming years, which should stimulate long-run foreign investment. Growth in 2001 could be 5.5% provided the world economy remains stable.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $7.6 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,300 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 12%

industry: 25%

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): 9.1% (2000)

Labor force: 500,000

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 47%, industry 20%, services 33% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% to 40%, including underemployment (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $883 million

expenditures: $950 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998)

Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products; mining (diamond, lead, zinc, tin, silver, tungsten, uranium, copper)

Industrial production growth rate: NA

Electricity - production: 1.198 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 2%

hydro: 98%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 1.948 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 56 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 890 million kWh

note: supplied by South Africa (1999)

Agriculture - products: millet, sorghum, peanuts; livestock; fish

Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Exports - commodities: diamonds, copper, gold, zinc, lead, uranium; cattle, processed fish, karakul skins

Exports - partners: UK 43%, South Africa 26%, Spain 14%, France 8%, Japan (1998 est.)

Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: foodstuffs; petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment, chemicals

Imports - partners: South Africa 81%, US 4%, Germany 2% (1997 est.)

Debt - external: $217 million (2000 est.)

Economic aid - recipient: $127 million (1998)

Currency: Namibian dollar (NAD); South African rand (ZAR)

Currency code: NAD; ZAR

Exchange rates: Namibian dollars per US dollar - 7.78307 (January 2001), 6.93983 (2000), 6.10948 (1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

Namibia Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 100,848 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: general assessment: good system; about 6 telephones for each 100 persons

domestic: good urban services; fair rural service; microwave radio relay links major towns; connections to other populated places are by open wire; 100% digital

international: fiber-optic cable to South Africa, microwave radio relay link to Botswana, direct links to other neighboring countries; connected to Africa ONE and South African Far East (SAFE) submarine cables through South Africa; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 34, shortwave 5 (1998)

Radios: 232,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 8 (plus about 20 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 60,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .na

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)

Internet users: 9,000 (1999)

Namibia Transportation

Railways: total: 2,382 km

narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge; single track (1995)

Highways: total: 63,258 km

paved: 5,250 km

unpaved: 58,008 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Luderitz, Walvis Bay

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 131 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 21

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 13

914 to 1,523 m: 4 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 110

2,438 to 3,047 m: 2

1,524 to 2,437 m: 21

914 to 1,523 m: 69

under 914 m: 18 (2000 est.)

Namibia Military

Military branches: National Defense Force (Army), Police

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 427,067 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 255,016 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $104.4 million (2001)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY97/98)

Namibia Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Nauru

Nauru Introduction

Background: Nauru's phosphate deposits began to be mined early in the 20th century by a German-British consortium; the island was occupied by Australian forces in World War I. Upon achieving independence in 1968, Nauru became the smallest independent republic in the world; it joined the UN in 1999.

Nauru Geography

Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the Marshall Islands

Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 21 sq km

land: 21 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 30 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM

exclusive economic zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)

Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m

highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m

Natural resources: phosphates

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 100% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater, but mostly dependent on a single, aging desalination plant; intensive phosphate mining during the past 90 years - mainly by a UK, Australia, and NZ consortium - has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens limited remaining land resources

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping

signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator

Nauru People

Population: 12,088 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.33% (male 2,510; female 2,365)

15-64 years: 57.97% (male 3,475; female 3,533)

65 years and over: 1.7% (male 103; female 102) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 27.22 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 7.2 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female

total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 10.71 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.2 years

male: 57.7 years

female: 64.88 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.61 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Nauruan(s)

adjective: Nauruan

Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%

Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)

Languages: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes

Literacy: definition: NA

total population: NA%

male: NA%

female: NA%

Nauru Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Nauru

conventional short form: Nauru

former: Pleasant Island

Government type: republic

Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District

Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren

Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, NZ-, and UK-administered UN trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)

Constitution: 29 January 1968

Legal system: acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch: chief of state: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 19 April 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of Parliament

elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term; election last held 8 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2003)

election results: Bernard DOWIYOGO elected president by a vote in Parliament of nine to eight

note: former President Rene HARRIS was deposed in a no-confidence vote; this is the eighth change of government in Nauru since the fall of the Lagumont HARRIS government in a no-confidence motion in early November 1996; six of the last eight governments have resulted because of parliamentary no-confidence motions

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)

elections: last held 9 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2003)

election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 18

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: loose multiparty system; Democratic Party [Kennan ADEANG]; Nauru Party (informal) [Bernard DOWIYOGO]

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a UN office at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400 D, New York, New York 10017; telephone: (212) 937-0074

consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru

Flag description: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru

Nauru Economy

Economy - overview: Revenues of this tiny island have come from exports of phosphates, but reserves are expected to be exhausted within five to ten years. Phosphate production has declined since 1989, as demand has fallen in traditional markets and as the marginal cost of extracting the remaining phosphate increases, making it less internationally competitive. While phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World, few other resources exist with most necessities being imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious long-term problems. In anticipation of the exhaustion of Nauru's phosphate deposits, substantial amounts of phosphate income have been invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition and provide for Nauru's economic future. The government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has called for a freezing of wages, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates. In recent years Nauru has encouraged the registration of offshore banks and corporations. Tens of billions of dollars have been channeled through their accounts. Few comprehensive statistics on the Nauru economy exist, with estimates of Nauru's per capita GDP varying widely.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $59 million (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: NA%

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,000 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA%

industry: NA%

services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%

highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -3.6% (1993)

Labor force - by occupation: employed in mining phosphates, public administration, education, and transportation

Unemployment rate: 0%

Budget: revenues: $23.4 million

expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96)

Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 30 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100%

hydro: 0%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 27.9 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: coconuts

Exports: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)

Exports - commodities: phosphates

Exports - partners: Australia, NZ

Imports: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)

Imports - commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery

Imports - partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan

Debt - external: $33.3 million

Economic aid - recipient: $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)

Currency: Australian dollar (AUD)

Currency code: AUD

Exchange rates: Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996)

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

Nauru Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 2,000 (1996)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 450 (1994)

Telephone system: general assessment: adequate local and international radiotelephone communications provided via Australian facilities

domestic: NA

international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 7,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: 500 (1997)

Internet country code: .nr

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)

Internet users: NA

Nauru Transportation

Railways: total: 5 km; note - used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast

Highways: total: 30 km

paved: 24 km

unpaved: 6 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Nauru

Merchant marine: none (2000 est.)

Airports: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Nauru Military

Military branches: no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 3,018 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,661 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Military - note: Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an informal agreement, defense is the responsibility of Australia

Nauru Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

======================================================================

@Navassa Island

Navassa Island Introduction

Background: This uninhabited island was claimed by the US in 1857 for its guano, and mining took place between 1865 and 1898. The lighthouse, built in 1917, was shut down in 1996 and administration of Navassa Island transferred from the Coast Guard to the Department of the Interior. A 1998 scientific expedition to the island described it as a unique preserve of Caribbean biodiversity; the following year it became a National Wildlife Refuge.

Navassa Island Geography

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about one-fourth of the way from Haiti to Jamaica

Geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 75 02 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 5.2 sq km

land: 5.2 sq km

water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: about nine 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: marine, tropical

Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 m high)

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m

Natural resources: guano

Land use: arable land: 0%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 10%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 90%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock, but enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus

Navassa Island People

Population: uninhabited

note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island (July 2001 est.)

Navassa Island Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Navassa Island

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the Fish and Wildlife Service, US Department of the Interior; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse located on the southern side of the island; there has also been a private claim advanced against the island

Legal system: the laws of the US, where applicable, apply

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

Navassa Island Economy

Economy - overview: no economic activity

Navassa Island Transportation

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Navassa Island Military

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Navassa Island Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: claimed by Haiti

======================================================================

@Nepal

Nepal Introduction

Background: In 1951, the Nepalese monarch ended the century-old system of rule by hereditary premiers and instituted a cabinet system of government. Reforms in 1990 established a multiparty democracy within the framework of a constitutional monarchy. The refugee issue of some 100,000 Bhutanese in Nepal remains unresolved; 90% of these displaced persons are housed in seven United Nations Offices of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps.

Nepal Geography

Location: Southern Asia, between China and India

Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 140,800 sq km

land: 136,800 sq km

water: 4,000 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas

Land boundaries: total: 2,926 km

border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winters in south

Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m

highest point: Mount Everest 8,850 m (1999 est.)

Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower, scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 17%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 15%

forests and woodland: 42%

other: 26% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 8,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the summer monsoons

Environment - current issues: deforestation (overuse of wood for fuel and lack of alternatives); contaminated water (with human and animal wastes, agricultural runoff, and industrial effluents); wildlife conservation; vehicular emissions

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation

Geography - note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks

Nepal People

Population: 25,284,463 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 40.35% (male 5,267,234; female 4,933,910)

15-64 years: 56.16% (male 7,264,575; female 6,934,384)

65 years and over: 3.49% (male 437,813; female 446,547) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.32% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 33.4 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female

total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 74.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 58.22 years

male: 58.65 years

female: 57.77 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.58 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.29% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 34,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,500 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)

adjective: Nepalese

Ethnic groups: Brahman, Chetri, Newar, Gurung, Magar, Tamang, Rai, Limbu, Sherpa, Tharu, and others (1995)

Religions: Hinduism 86.2%, Buddhism 7.8%, Islam 3.8%, other 2.2%

note: only official Hindu state in the world (1995)

Languages: Nepali (official; spoken by 90% of the population), about a dozen other languages and about 30 major dialects; note - many in government and business also speak English (1995)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 27.5%

male: 40.9%

female: 14% (1995 est.)

Nepal Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal

conventional short form: Nepal

Government type: parliamentary democracy and constitutional monarchy

Capital: Kathmandu

Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti

Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)

National holiday: Birthday of King GYANENDRA, 7 July (1946)

Constitution: 9 November 1990

Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: King GYANENDRA Bir Bikram Shah (succeeded to the throne 4 June 2001 following the death of his nephew King DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah)

head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 22 March 2000)

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch

note: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev died in a bloody shooting at the royal palace on 1 June 2001 that also claimed the lives of most of the royal family; King BIRENDRA's son, Crown Price DIPENDRA, is believed to have been responsible for the shootings before fatally wounding himself; immediately following the shootings and while still clinging to life, DIPENDRA was crowned king; he died three days later and was succeeded by his uncle

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

elections: House of Representatives - last held 3 and 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2004)

election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NC 37.3%, CPN/UML 31.6%, NDP 10.4%, NSP 3.2%, Rastriya Jana Morcha 1.4%, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 0.8%, NWPP 0.5%, others 14.8%; seats by party - NC 113, CPN/UML 69, NDP 11, NSP 5, Rastriya Jana Morcha 5, Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal 1, NWPP 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Sarbochha Adalat (chief justice is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional Council; the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the Judicial Council)

Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist-Leninist or CPN/UML [Madhav Kumar NEPAL, general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called Rastriya Prajantra Party or RPP) [Surya Bahadur THAPA, chairman]; Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party or NSP [Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president]; Nepal Workers and Peasants Party or NWPP [Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair]; Nepali Congress or NC [Girija Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Sushil KOIRALA, general secretary]; Rastriya Jana Morcha [Chitra Bahadur K. C., chairman]; Samyukta Janmorcha Nepal [Lila Mani POKHAREL, general secretary]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Maoist guerrilla-based insurgency; numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUC, NAM, OPCW, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNTAET, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Damodar Prasad GAUTAM

chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550

FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534

consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK

embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu

mailing address: use embassy street address

telephone: [977] (1) 411179, 410531

FAX: [977] (1) 419963

Flag description: red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun

Nepal Economy

Economy - overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the world with nearly half of its population living below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy, providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past three years. Agricultural production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population growth of 2.3%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward with economic reforms, particularly those that encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by reducing business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures. The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political instability - five different governments over the past few years - has hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor, however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of growth.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $33.7 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,360 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 41%

industry: 22%

services: 37% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: 42% (FY95/96 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2%

highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (FY99/00 est.)

Labor force: 10 million (1996 est.)

note: severe lack of skilled labor

Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%

Unemployment rate: NA%; substantial underemployment (1999)

Budget: revenues: $536 million

expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.)

Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - production: 1.255 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 9.56%

hydro: 90.44%

nuclear: 0%

other: 0% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 1.309 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 68 million kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 210 million kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk, water buffalo meat

Exports: $485 million (f.o.b., 1998), but does not include unrecorded border trade with India

Exports - commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain

Exports - partners: India 33%, US 26%, Germany 25% (FY97/98)

Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports - commodities: gold, machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer

Imports - partners: India 31%, China/Hong Kong 16%, Singapore 14% (FY97/98)

Debt - external: $2.4 billion (1997)

Economic aid - recipient: $411 million (FY97/98)

Currency: Nepalese rupee (NPR)

Currency code: NPR

Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees per US dollar - 74.129 (January 2001), 71.104 (2000), 68.239 (1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996)

Fiscal year: 16 July - 15 July

Nepal Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 236,816 (January 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular: NA

Telephone system: general assessment: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radiotelephone communication service and mobile cellular telephone network

domestic: NA

international: radiotelephone communications; microwave landline to India; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 1 (January 2000)

Radios: 840,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus 9 repeaters) (1998)

Televisions: 130,000 (1997)

Internet country code: .np

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (2000)

Internet users: 35,000 (2000)

Nepal Transportation

Railways: total: 59 km; note - all in Kosi close to Indian border

narrow gauge: 59 km 0.762-m gauge (2000)

Highways: total: 13,223 km

paved: 4,073 km

unpaved: 9,150 km (April 1999)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 45 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 8

over 3,047 m: 1

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 6 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 37

1,524 to 2,437 m: 1

914 to 1,523 m: 7

under 914 m: 29 (2000 est.)

Nepal Military

Military branches: Royal Nepalese Army (includes Royal Nepalese Army Air Service), Nepalese Police Force

Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,295,990 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 3,272,077 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 292,589 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $44 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY96/97)

Nepal Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately 98,700 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and international drug markets; transit point for opiates from Southeast Asia to the West

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@Netherlands

Netherlands Introduction

Background: The Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed in 1815. In 1830 Belgium seceded and formed a separate kingdom. The Netherlands remained neutral in World War I but suffered a brutal invasion and occupation by Germany in World War II. A modern, industrialized nation, the Netherlands is also a large exporter of agricultural products. The country was a founding member of NATO and the EC, and participated in the introduction of the euro in 1999.

Netherlands Geography

Location: Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between Belgium and Germany

Geographic coordinates: 52 30 N, 5 45 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 41,526 sq km

land: 33,883 sq km

water: 7,643 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey

Land boundaries: total: 1,027 km

border countries: Belgium 450 km, Germany 577 km

Coastline: 451 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters

Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some hills in southeast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Prins Alexanderpolder -7 m

highest point: Vaalserberg 321 m

Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, arable land

Land use: arable land: 25%

permanent crops: 3%

permanent pastures: 25%

forests and woodland: 8%

other: 39% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 6,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

Environment - current issues: water pollution in the form of heavy metals, organic compounds, and nutrients such as nitrates and phosphates; air pollution from vehicles and refining activities; acid rain

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography - note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine, Maas or Meuse, and Schelde)

Netherlands People

Population: 15,981,472 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18.38% (male 1,501,925; female 1,436,017)

15-64 years: 67.9% (male 5,518,575; female 5,333,442)

65 years and over: 13.72% (male 899,052; female 1,292,461) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.55% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 11.85 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 8.69 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female

total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.43 years

male: 75.55 years

female: 81.44 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.19% (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 15,000 (1999 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women)

adjective: Dutch

Ethnic groups: Dutch 91%, Moroccans, Turks, and other 9% (1999 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic 31%, Protestant 21%, Muslim 4.4%, other 3.6%, unaffiliated 40% (1998)

Languages: Dutch

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 99% (2000 est.)

male: NA%

female: NA%

Netherlands Government

Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of the Netherlands

conventional short form: Netherlands

local long form: Koninkrijk der Nederlanden

local short form: Nederland

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amsterdam; The Hague is the seat of government

Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien, singular - provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen, Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland, Zuid-Holland

Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles

Independence: 1579 (from Spain)

National holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

Constitution: adopted 1814; amended many times, last time 17 February 1983

Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory; constitution does not permit judicial review of acts of the States General; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX (since 30 April 1980); Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER (born 27 April 1967), son of the monarch

head of government: Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 22 August 1994) and Vice Prime Ministers Annemarie JORRITSMA (since 3 August 1998) and Els BORST-EILERS (since 3 August 1998)

cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the monarch

elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following Second Chamber elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch; vice prime ministers appointed by the monarch

note: government coalition - PvdA, VVD, and D'66; there is also a Council of State composed of the monarch, heir apparent, and councilors consulted by the executive on legislative and administrative policy

Legislative branch: bicameral States General or Staten Generaal consists of the First Chamber or Eerste Kamer (75 seats; members indirectly elected by the country's 12 provincial councils for four-year terms) and the Second Chamber or Tweede Kamer (150 seats; members directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: First Chamber - last held 25 May 1999 (next to be held NA May 2003); Second Chamber - last held 6 May 1998 (next to be held May 2002)

election results: First Chamber - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CDA 20, VVD 19, PvdA 15, D'66 4, other 17; Second Chamber - percent of vote by party - PvdA 30.0%, VVD 25.3%, CDA 19.3%, D'66 9.3%, other 16.1%; seats by party - PvdA 45, VVD 38, CDA 29, D'66 14, other 24

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Hoge Raad (justices are nominated for life by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal or CDA [Jaap de Hoop SCHEFFER]; Democrats '66 or D'66 [Tom DE GRAAF]; Labor Party or PvdA [Wim KOK]; People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (Liberal) or VVD [Hans F. DIJKSTAL]; a host of minor parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: Federation of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant Employers Associations; Interchurch Peace Council or IKV; large multinational firms; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands Enterprises

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, 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), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joris M. VOS

chancery: 4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone: [1] (202) 244-5300

FAX: [1] (202) 362-3430

consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York

consulate(s): Boston

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Cynthia P. SCHNEIDER

embassy: Lange Voorhout 102, 2514 EJ, The Hague

mailing address: PSC 71, Box 1000, APO AE 09715

telephone: [31] (70) 310-9209

FAX: [31] (70) 361-4688

consulate(s) general: Amsterdam

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar to the flag of Luxembourg, which uses a lighter blue and is longer

Netherlands Economy

Economy - overview: The Netherlands is a prosperous and open economy depending heavily on foreign trade. The economy is noted for stable industrial relations, moderate inflation, a sizable current account surplus, and an important role as a European transportation hub. Industrial activity is predominantly in food processing, chemicals, petroleum refining, and electrical machinery. A highly mechanized agricultural sector employs no more than 4% of the labor force but provides large surpluses for the food-processing industry and for exports. The Dutch rank third worldwide in value of agricultural exports, behind the US and France. The Dutch economy has expanded by 3% or more in each of the last four years and real GDP growth is likely to be about 3.6% in 2001. The government in 2001 will implement its most comprehensive tax reform since World War II, designed to reduce high income tax levels and redirect the fiscal burden onto consumption. The Dutch were among the first 11 EU countries establishing the euro currency zone on 1 January 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $388.4 billion (2000 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,400 (2000 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3%

industry: 26.3%

services: 70.4% (2000 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8%

highest 10%: 25.1% (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (2000 est.)

Labor force: 7.2 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 23%, agriculture 4% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: 2.6% (2000 est.)

Budget: revenues: $134 billion

expenditures: $134 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2001 est.)

Industries: agroindustries, metal and engineering products, electrical machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum, construction, microelectronics, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 3.2% (2000)

Electricity - production: 85.294 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 90.25%

hydro: 0.11%

nuclear: 4.27%

other: 5.37% (1999)

Electricity - consumption: 97.76 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - exports: 3.97 billion kWh (1999)

Electricity - imports: 22.407 billion kWh (1999)

Agriculture - products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, fruits, vegetables; livestock

Exports: $210.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000)

Exports - commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs

Exports - partners: EU 78% (Germany 26%, Belgium-Luxembourg 12%, France 12%, UK 11%, Italy 6%), Central and Eastern Europe, US (2000)

Imports: $201.2 billion (c.i.f., 2000 est.)

Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, fuels; foodstuffs, clothing

Imports - partners: EU 56% (Germany 18%, Belgium-Luxembourg 10%, UK 5%, France 6%), US 9%, Central and Eastern Europe (2000)

Debt - external: $0

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $3.5 billion (2000 est.)

Currency: Netherlands guilder (NLG); euro (EUR)

note: on 1 January 1999, the EU introduced the euro as a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in the Netherlands at a fixed rate of 2.20371 Netherlands guilders per euro and will replace the local currency for all transactions in 2002

Currency code: NLG; EUR

Exchange rates: euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); Netherlands guilders per US dollar - 1.9837 (1998), 1.9513 (1997), 1.6859 (1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Netherlands Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 9,132,400 (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,081,891 (April 1999)

Telephone system: general assessment: highly developed and well maintained

domestic: the existing system of multi-conductor cables is gradually being replaced by fiber-optic cables; the density of cellular telephone traffic is rapidly increasing and further modernization of the system is expected in the year 2001, with the introduction of the third generation of the Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM)

international: 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions) (1996)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 58, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios: 15.3 million (1996)

Television broadcast stations: 21 (plus 26 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions: 8.1 million (1997)

Internet country code: .nl

Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 52 (2000)

Internet users: 6.8 million (2000)

Netherlands Transportation

Railways: total: 2,739 km

standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge; (1,991 km electrified) (1998)

Highways: total: 125,575 km

paved: 113,018 km (including 2,235 km of expressways)

unpaved: 12,557 km (1998)

Waterways: 5,046 km

note: 47% of total route length is usable by craft of 1,000 metric ton capacity or larger

Pipelines: crude oil 418 km; petroleum products 965 km; natural gas 10,230 km

Ports and harbors: Amsterdam, Delfzijl, Dordrecht, Eemshaven, Groningen, Haarlem, Ijmuiden, Maastricht, Rotterdam, Terneuzen, Utrecht, Vlissingen

Merchant marine: total: 596 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,321,500 GRT/4,877,632 DWT

ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 371, chemical tanker 43, container 59, liquefied gas 21, livestock carrier 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 9, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 26, refrigerated cargo 29, roll on/roll off 18, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 5 (2000 est.)

Airports: 28 (2000 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 19

over 3,047 m: 2

2,438 to 3,047 m: 7

1,524 to 2,437 m: 6

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9

914 to 1,523 m: 3

under 914 m: 6 (2000 est.)

Heliports: 1 (2000 est.)

Netherlands Military

Military branches: Royal Netherlands Army, Royal Netherlands Navy (includes Naval Air Service and Marine Corps), Royal Netherlands Air Force, Royal Constabulary

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 4,083,349 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 3,555,501 (2001 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 96,082 (2001 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $6.5 billion (FY00/01 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (FY00/01 est.)

Netherlands Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: major European producer of illicit amphetamine and other synthetic drugs; important gateway for cocaine, heroin, and hashish entering Europe; major source of US-bound ecstasy

======================================================================

@Netherlands Antilles

Netherlands Antilles Introduction

Background: Once the center of the Caribbean slave trade, the island of Curacao was hard hit by the abolition of slavery in 1863. Its prosperity (and that of neighboring Aruba) was restored in the early 20th century with the construction of oil refineries to service the newly discovered Venezuelan oil fields. The island of Sint Maarten is shared with France; its northern portion is named Saint Martin and is part of Guadeloupe.

Netherlands Antilles Geography

Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the Caribbean Sea - one includes Curacao and Bonaire north of Venezuela; the other is east of the Virgin Islands

Geographic coordinates: 12 15 N, 68 45 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 960 sq km

land: 960 sq km

water: 0 sq km

note: includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)

Area - comparative: more than five times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: total: 10.2 km

border countries: Guadeloupe (Saint Martin) 10.2 km

Coastline: 364 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 NM

territorial sea: 12 NM

Climate: tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds

Terrain: generally hilly, volcanic interiors

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m

highest point: Mount Scenery 862 m

Natural resources: phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)

Land use: arable land: 10%

permanent crops: 0%

permanent pastures: 0%

forests and woodland: 0%

other: 90% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt and are rarely threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to hurricanes from July to October

Environment - current issues: NA

Netherlands Antilles People

Population: 212,226 (July 2001 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25.21% (male 27,332; female 26,169)

15-64 years: 66.99% (male 67,562; female 74,599)

65 years and over: 7.8% (male 6,874; female 9,690) (2001 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.97% (2001 est.)

Birth rate: 16.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Death rate: 6.41 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female

15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female

65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female

total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (2001 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 11.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.94 years

male: 72.76 years

female: 77.22 years (2001 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA

Nationality: noun: Dutch Antillean(s)

adjective: Dutch Antillean

Ethnic groups: mixed black 85%, Carib Amerindian, white, East Asian

Religions: Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist

Languages: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write

total population: 98%

male: 98%

female: 99% (1981 est.)

Netherlands Antilles Government

Country name: conventional long form: none

conventional short form: Netherlands Antilles

local long form: none

local short form: Nederlandse Antillen

former: Curacao and Dependencies

Dependency status: part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in 1954; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs

Government type: parliamentary

Capital: Willemstad

Administrative divisions: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

note: each island has its own government

Independence: none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands)

National holiday: Queen's Day (Birthday of Queen-Mother JULIANA in 1909 and accession to the throne of her oldest daughter BEATRIX in 1980), 30 April

Constitution: 29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended

Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989)

head of government: Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 8 November 1999); Deputy Prime Minister Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER (since NA)

note: Miguel POURIER assumed prime ministership following the resignation of Susanne CAMELIA-ROMER

cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten

elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch for a six-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually elected prime minister by the Staten; election last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002)

note: government coalition - PDB, DP-St. M, FOL, PLKP, PNP

Legislative branch: unicameral States or Staten (22 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)

elections: last held 30 January 1998 (next to be held by NA 2002)

election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PAR 4, PNP 3, SPA 1, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, PLKP 3, WIPM 1, SEA 1, DP-St. M 2, FOL 2; no party won enough seats to form a government

note: the government of Prime Minister Miguel POURIER is a coalition of several parties; current seats by party - PAR 4, PNP 3, FOL 2, MAN 2, UPB 2, DP-St. M 2, PDB 1, SEA 1, WIPM 1, other 4

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice (judges appointed by the monarch)