The World Factbook is published every year by the Central Intelligence Agency for the use of U.S. Government officials, and the style, format, coverage, and content are tailored to their specific needs. Comments and questions are welcome and can be sent to:

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                       Attn: Public Affairs
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                       (703) 351-2053

——————————————————————————
                     Table of Contents

Text (249 nations, dependent areas, and other entities)
    Afghanistan
    Albania
    Algeria
    American Samoa
    Andorra
    Angola
    Anguilla
    Antarctica
    Antigua and Barbuda
    Arctic Ocean
    Argentina
    Aruba
    Ashmore and Cartier Islands
    Atlantic Ocean
    Australia
    Austria

Bahamas, The
    Bahrain
    Baker Island
    Bangladesh
    Barbados
    Bassas da India
    Belgium
    Belize
    Benin
    Bermuda
    Bhutan
    Bolivia
    Botswana
    Bouvet Island
    Brazil
    British Indian Ocean Territory
    British Virgin Islands
    Brunei
    Bulgaria
    Burkina
    Burma
    Burundi

Cambodia
    Cameroon
    Canada
    Cape Verde
    Cayman Islands
    Central African Republic
    Chad
    Chile
    China (also see separate Taiwan entry)
    Christmas Island
    Clipperton Island
    Cocos (Keeling) Islands
    Colombia
    Comoros
    Congo
    Cook Islands
    Coral Sea Islands
    Costa Rica
    Cuba
    Cyprus
    Czechoslovakia

Denmark
    Djibouti
    Dominica
    Dominican Republic

Ecuador
    Egypt
    El Salvador
    Equatorial Guinea
    Ethiopia
    Europa Island

Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
    Faroe Islands
    Fiji
    Finland
    France
    French Guiana
    French Polynesia
    French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Gabon
    Gambia, The
    Gaza Strip
    German Democratic Republic
      (East Germany)
    Germany, Federal Republic of
      (West Germany)
    Ghana
    Gibraltar
    Glorioso Islands
    Greece
    Greenland
    Grenada
    Guadeloupe
    Guam
    Guatemala
    Guernsey
    Guinea
    Guinea-Bissau
    Guyana

Haiti
Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Honduras
Hong Kong
Howland Island
Hungary

Iceland
India
Indian Ocean
Indonesia
Iran
Iraq
Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone
Ireland
Israel (also see separate entries for Gaza Strip and West Bank)
Italy
Ivory Coast

Jamaica
    Jan Mayen
    Japan
    Jarvis Island
    Jersey
    Johnston Atoll
    Jordan (also see separate West Bank entry)
    Juan de Nova Island

Kenya
    Kingman Reef
    Kiribati
    Korea, North
    Korea, South
    Kuwait

Laos
    Lebanon
    Lesotho
    Liberia
    Libya
    Liechtenstein
    Luxembourg

Macau
    Madagascar
    Malawi
    Malaysia
    Maldives
    Mali
    Malta
    Isle of Man
    Marshall Islands
    Martinique
    Mauritania
    Mauritius
    Mayotte
    Mexico
    Federated States of Micronesia
    Midway Islands
    Monaco
    Mongolia
    Montserrat
    Morocco
    Mozambique

Namibia
    Nauru
    Navassa Island
    Nepal
    Netherlands
    Netherlands Antilles
    New Caledonia
    New Zealand
    Nicaragua
    Niger
    Nigeria
    Niue
    Norfolk Island
    Northern Mariana Islands
    Norway

Oman

Pacific Islands, Trust Territory of the
      (Palau)
    Pacific Ocean
    Pakistan
    Palmyra Atoll
    Panama
    Papua New Guinea
    Paracel Islands
    Paraguay
    Peru
    Philippines
    Pitcairn Islands
    Poland
    Portugal
    Puerto Rico

Qatar

Reunion
    Romania
    Rwanda

St. Helena
    St. Kitts and Nevis
    St. Lucia
    St. Pierre and Miquelon
    St. Vincent and the Grenadines
    San Marino
    São Tomé and Príncipe
    Saudi Arabia
    Senegal
    Seychelles
    Sierra Leone
    Singapore
    Solomon Islands
    Somalia
    South Africa
    South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
    Soviet Union
    Spain
    Spratly Islands
    Sri Lanka
    Sudan
    Suriname
    Svalbard
    Eswatini (formerly Swaziland)
    Sweden
    Switzerland
    Syria

Taiwan entry follows Zimbabwe
    Tanzania
    Thailand
    Togo
    Tokelau
    Tonga
    Trinidad and Tobago
    Tromelin Island
    Tunisia
    Turkey
    Turks and Caicos Islands
    Tuvalu

Uganda
    United Arab Emirates
    United Kingdom
    United States
    Uruguay

Vanuatu
    Vatican City
    Venezuela
    Vietnam
    Virgin Islands

Wake Island
    Wallis and Futuna
    West Bank
    Western Sahara
    Western Samoa
    World

Yemen Arab Republic
      {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen}
    Yemen, People's Democratic Republic of
      {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}
    Yugoslavia

Zaire
    Zambia
    Zimbabwe

Taiwan

Appendix A: The United Nations System
Appendix B: International Organizations
Appendix C: Country Membership in International Organizations
Appendix D: Weights and Measures
Appendix E: Cross-Reference List of Geographic Names

Note: all maps will be available only in the printed version for the
  foreseeable future
——————————————————————————
                  Notes, Definitions, and Abbreviations

There have been some major updates in this edition. In the Government section, the old Branches entry has been replaced by three entries—Executive branch, Legislative branch, and Judicial branch. The Leaders entry now includes subentries for Chief of State, Head of Government, and their deputies. The Elections entry has been completely revamped with details for each branch of the national government, including the date of the last election, the date of the next election, results (percentage of votes by candidate or party), and the current distribution of seats by party. In the Economy section, there’s a new entry on Illicit drugs.

Abbreviations: (see Appendix B for global organizations)

avdp. avoirdupois c.i.f. cost, insurance, and freight CY calendar year DWT deadweight ton est. estimate Ex-Im Export-Import Bank of the United States f.o.b. free on board FRG Federal Republic of Germany (West Germany) FY fiscal year GDP gross domestic product GDR German Democratic Republic (East Germany) GNP gross national product GRT gross register ton km kilometer km2 square kilometer kW kilowatt kWh kilowatt-hour m meter NA not available NEGL negligible nm nautical mile NZ New Zealand ODA official development assistance OOF other official flows PDRY People's Democratic Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen} UAE United Arab Emirates UK United Kingdom US United States USSR Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (Soviet Union) YAR Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen}

Administrative divisions: The numbers, designatory terms, and first-order administrative divisions are generally those approved by the United States Board on Geographic Names (BGN) as of April 5, 1990. Changes that have been reported but not yet addressed by BGN are noted.

Area: Total area is the combined measurement of all land and water spaces marked by international borders and/or coastlines. Land area includes all surfaces defined by international borders and/or coastlines, excluding inland bodies of water (lakes, reservoirs, rivers). Comparative areas are based on total area equivalents. Most entities are compared to the whole US or one of the 50 states. The smaller entities are compared to Washington, DC (178 km2, 69 miles2) or The Mall in Washington, DC (0.59 km2, 0.23 miles2, 146 acres).

Birth rate: The average number of births in a year per 1,000 people at midyear. Also referred to as the crude birth rate.

Contributors: Information was provided by the Bureau of the
Census (Department of Commerce), Central Intelligence Agency,
Defense Intelligence Agency, Defense Nuclear Agency, Department of
State, Foreign Broadcast Information Service, Navy Operational
Intelligence Center and Maritime Administration (merchant marine data),
Office of Territorial and International Affairs (Department of the
Interior), United States Board on Geographic Names, United States
Coast Guard, and others.

Dates of information: In general, information available as of January 1, 1990, was used in preparing this edition. Population figures are estimates for July 1, 1990, with population growth rates estimated from mid-1990 to mid-1991. Major political events have been updated through March 30, 1990. Military age figures are average annual estimates for 1990-1994.

Death rate: The average number of deaths per year for every 1,000 people in the population at midyear. Also referred to as the crude death rate.

Diplomatic representation: The US government has diplomatic relations with 162 countries. There are only 144 US embassies since some countries have US ambassadors assigned to them, but no physical US mission. The US has diplomatic relations with 149 of the 159 UN member states—the exceptions are Albania, Angola, Belarus (a republic of the Soviet Union), Cambodia, Cuba, Iran, Vietnam, the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (Yemen, Aden, or South Yemen), Ukraine (a republic of the Soviet Union), and of course, the US itself. Additionally, the US has diplomatic relations with 13 countries that are not in the UN—Andorra, Federated States of Micronesia, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Monaco, Nauru, San Marino, South Korea, Switzerland, Tonga, Tuvalu, and Vatican City. North Korea is not in the UN, and the US does not have diplomatic relations with that country. The US has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union and continues to accredit the diplomatic representatives of their last free governments.

Disputes: This category covers a wide range of situations, from traditional bilateral boundary disputes to various unilateral claims. Every international land boundary dispute in the "Guide to International Boundaries," a map published by the Department of State, is included. There may also be references to other relevant situations related to borders or frontiers, such as maritime disputes, geopolitical questions, or irredentist issues. However, inclusion does not necessarily mean official acceptance or recognition by the US Government.

Entities: Some of the nations, dependent areas, areas of special sovereignty, and governments included in this publication are not independent, and others are not officially recognized by the US Government. Nation refers to a group of people politically organized into a sovereign state with a defined territory. Dependent area refers to a broad category of political entities that are associated in some way with a nation. Names used for page headings are usually the short-form names as approved by the US Board on Geographic Names. The long-form name is included in the Government section, and an entry of "none" indicates that a long-form name does not exist. In some instances, no short-form name exists—then the long-form name must be used for all purposes.

There are 249 entities in the Factbook that can be categorized as follows:

NATIONS
157 UN members (there are 159 members in the UN, but only 157 are
included in The World Factbook because Belarus and Ukraine are
constituent republics of the Soviet Union)
15 nations that are not members of the UN—Andorra, Federated States of
Micronesia, Kiribati, Liechtenstein, Marshall Islands, Monaco,
Namibia, Nauru, North Korea, San Marino, South Korea, Switzerland,
Tonga, Tuvalu, Vatican City

OTHER
  1 Taiwan

DEPENDENT AREAS
  6 Australia—Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
      Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and
      McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
  2 Denmark—Faroe Islands, Greenland
 16 France—Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
      French Guiana, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic
      Lands, Glorioso Islands, Guadeloupe, Juan de Nova Island,
      Martinique, Mayotte, New Caledonia, Reunion, St. Pierre and
      Miquelon, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
  2 Netherlands—Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
  3 New Zealand—Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
  3 Norway—Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
  1 Portugal—Macau
 16 United Kingdom—Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,
      British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands,
      Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Jersey, Montserrat,
      Pitcairn Islands, St. Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich
      Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
 15 United States—American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island,
      Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands,
      Navassa Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll,
      Puerto Rico, Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands (Palau),
      Virgin Islands, Wake Island

MISCELLANEOUS
  7 Antarctica, Gaza Strip, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone,
      Paracel Islands, Spratly Islands, West Bank, Western Sahara

OTHER ENTITIES 4 oceans—Arctic Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Pacific Ocean 1 World === 249 total

Notes: The US Government does not recognize the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union as constituent republics during World War II. These Baltic states are not members of the UN and are not included in the list of nations. The US Government also does not recognize the four so-called "independent" homelands of Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, and Venda in South Africa.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP): The total value of all goods and services made within a country.

Gross national product (GNP): The total value of all goods and services produced within a country, plus income earned from abroad, minus income earned by foreigners from production within the country.

GNP/GDP methodology: GNP/GDP dollar estimates for OECD countries, the USSR, Eastern Europe, and some developing countries are based on purchasing power parity (PPP) calculations instead of conversions at official currency exchange rates. The PPP methods use average price weights that fall between the domestic and foreign price systems; using these weights, US $100 converted into German marks by a PPP method will buy the same amount of goods and services in both the US and Germany. One thing to note: the percentage of military spending as a part of GNP/GDP in local currencies may differ significantly from the percentage when GNP/GDP is expressed in PPP dollar terms, as, for example, when someone estimates the dollar amount of Soviet or Japanese military spending. Likewise, dollar figures for exports and imports reflect international market price patterns rather than PPP price patterns.

Growth rate (population): The yearly percentage change in the population, resulting from a surplus (or deficit) of births compared to deaths, along with the balance of migrants coming into and leaving a country. The rate can be either positive or negative.

Illicit drugs: There are five categories of illicit drugs—narcotics, stimulants, depressants (sedatives), hallucinogens, and cannabis. These categories encompass many drugs that are legally manufactured and prescribed by doctors, along with those that are illegally produced and sold outside of medical channels.

Cannabis (Cannabis sativa) is the common hemp plant, offers hallucinogens with some calming effects, and includes marijuana (weed, Acapulco gold, grass, reefer), tetrahydrocannabinol (THC, Marinol), hashish (hash), and hashish oil (hash oil).

Coca (Erythroxylon coca) is a shrub, and its leaves contain the stimulant cocaine. Coca should not be confused with cocoa, which comes from cacao seeds and is used to make chocolate, cocoa, and cocoa butter.

Cocaine is a stimulant made from the leaves of the coca plant.

Depressants (sedatives) are medications that help alleviate tension and anxiety. This category includes chloral hydrate, barbiturates like Amytal, Nembutal, Seconal, and phenobarbital, as well as benzodiazepines such as Librium and Valium. Additionally, it features methaqualone (Quaalude), glutethimide (Doriden), and others like Equanil, Placidyl, and Valmid.

Drugs are any chemical substances that cause a physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral change in a person.

Drug abuse is the use of any legal or illegal chemical substance that leads to physical, mental, emotional, or behavioral issues in a person.

Hallucinogens are drugs that change how you feel, think, perceive yourself, and experience emotions. Some examples of hallucinogens are LSD (acid, microdot), mescaline and peyote (mexc, buttons, cactus), amphetamine variants (PMA, STP, DOB), phencyclidine (PCP, angel dust, hog), phencyclidine analogues (PCE, PCPy, TCP), and others like psilocybin and psilocyn.

Hashish is the sticky resin that comes from the cannabis or hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).

Heroin is a partially synthetic version of morphine.

Marijuana is the dried leaves of the cannabis or hemp plant
(Cannabis sativa).

Narcotics are drugs that alleviate pain, often cause drowsiness, and include opium, opium derivatives, and synthetic alternatives. Natural narcotics consist of opium (paregoric, parepectolin), morphine (MS-Contin, Roxanol), codeine (Tylenol with codeine, Empirin with codeine, Robitussin A-C), and thebaine. Semisynthetic narcotics include heroin (horse, smack) and hydromorphone (Dilaudid). Synthetic narcotics comprise meperidine or Pethidine (Demerol, Mepergan), methadone (Dolophine, Methadose), and others (Darvon, Lomotil).

Opium is the milky fluid that seeps from the cut, unripe seedpod of the
opium poppy.

Opium poppy (Papaver somniferum) is the source of many natural and
semi-synthetic narcotics.

Poppy straw concentrate is the alkaloid derived from the mature dried opium poppy.

Qat (kat, khat) is a stimulant derived from the buds or leaves of Catha edulis
that is chewed or consumed as tea.

Stimulants are drugs that help with mild depression, boost energy and activity, and include cocaine (coke, snow, crack), amphetamines (Desoxyn, Dexedrine), phenmetrazine (Preludin), methylphenidate (Ritalin), and others (Cylert, Sanorex, Tenuate).

Infant mortality rate: The number of deaths of infants under one year old in a specific year for every 1,000 live births that occur in that same year.

Land use: Human utilization of the land surface is divided into arable land—land used for crops that are replanted after every harvest (like wheat, corn, and rice); permanent crops—land used for crops that don’t get replanted after each harvest (such as oranges, coffee, and rubber); meadows and pastures—land that’s permanently used for growing grass and other forage crops; forest and woodland—land covered with either dense or open trees; and other—any type of land not specifically mentioned above (including urban areas, roads, and deserts). The percentage for irrigated land refers to the part of the total land area that receives water through artificial means.

Leaders: The head of state is the symbolic leader of the country who represents the nation at official and ceremonial events but isn't involved in the daily operations of the government. The head of government is the administrative leader who oversees the daily functions of the government. In the UK, the monarch is the head of state, and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the President serves as both the head of state and the head of government.

Life expectancy at birth: The average number of years that a group of people born in the same year is expected to live, assuming that mortality rates at each age stay the same in the future.

Maritime claims: The closeness of neighboring countries might limit some national claims from being fully extended.

Merchant marine: All ships involved in transporting goods. All commercial vessels (as opposed to nonmilitary ships), which excludes tugs, fishing boats, offshore oil rigs, etc. Also, a classification of merchant ships by their nationality or registration.

Captive register—A register of ships kept by a territory, possession, or colony mainly or solely for the use of ships owned in the parent country. It's also known as an offshore register, which is the offshore version of an internal register. Ships on a captive register will fly the same flag as the parent country or a local version of it, but they will follow the maritime laws and tax rules of the offshore territory. While a captive register is particularly appealing for ships owned in the parent country, like in the internal register, ships can also be owned from abroad. The captive register then serves as a flag of convenience register, but it's not a register of an independent state.

Flag of convenience register—A national register that allows a merchant ship to be registered even if it's not owned in that country. Major flags of convenience (FOC) attract ships to their register because of low fees, minimal or no taxes on profits, and relaxed crew requirements. True FOC registers usually have only a small number of the ships registered that are actually owned in the flag state. Therefore, while almost any flag can be used for ships under certain conditions, an FOC register is one where most of the merchant fleet is owned overseas. It's also known as an open register.

Flag state—The country where a ship is registered and which has legal authority over the ship’s operation, whether at home or overseas. Variations in flag state maritime laws affect how a ship is crewed and taxed, as well as whether a ship owned by a foreign entity can be registered.

Internal register—A list of ships kept as part of a national register. Ships on the internal register fly the national flag and hold that nationality but follow a different set of maritime rules than those on the main national register. These differences typically include lower tax on profits, crewed by foreign nationals, and usually, ownership outside the flag state (when it operates as a FOC register). The Norwegian International Ship Register and Danish International Ship Register are the most notable examples of an internal register. Both have played a key role in preventing the shift from the national flag to flags of convenience and in bringing foreign-owned ships under the Norwegian and Danish flags.

Merchant ship—A vessel that transports goods for a fee. Generally used to refer to any nonmilitary ship, but more specifically limited to commercial vessels only.

Register—The record of a ship's ownership and nationality as listed with the maritime authorities of a country. Also, the collection of registrations for individual ships. Registering a ship gives it a nationality and subjects it to the laws of the country where it's registered (the flag state), regardless of the nationality of the ship's ultimate owner.

Money figures: All are shown in current US dollars unless stated otherwise.

Net migration rate: The difference between the number of people coming into and leaving a country in a year per 1,000 people (based on the midyear population). More people entering the country is called net immigration (3.56 migrants/1,000 population); more people leaving the country is referred to as net emigration (-9.26 migrants/1,000 population).

Population: The numbers are estimates from the Census Bureau based on data from population censuses, vital registration systems, or sample surveys regarding the recent past, as well as assumptions about future trends.

Total fertility rate: The average number of children a woman would have if she lived through her entire childbearing years and had kids according to a specific fertility rate at each age.

Years: All year references are for the calendar year (CY) unless noted as fiscal year (FY).

—————————————————————————————————- THE WORLD FACTBOOK 1990 —————————————————————————————————-

Country: Afghanistan
- Geography
Total area: 647,500 km²; land area: 647,500 km²

Comparative area: a bit smaller than Texas

Land boundaries: 5,826 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km,
Pakistan 2,430 km, USSR 2,384 km

Coastline: none—landlocked

Maritime claims: none—landlocked

Disputes: Pashtun issues with Pakistan; Baloch issues with Iran and Pakistan; ongoing disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; insurgency involving Iran and Pakistan; traditional tribal rivalries

Climate: dry to semi-dry; chilly winters and hot summers

Terrain: mostly rough mountains; flat areas in the north and southwest

Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barite, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semi-precious stones

Land use: 12% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 46% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: damaging earthquakes happen in the Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution

Note: landlocked

- People
Population: 15,862,293 (July 1990), growth rate 7.7% (1990)

Birth rate: 44 births per 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 18 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 51 migrants per 1,000 people (1990); note—there are movements across the border in both directions, but the data is incomplete and not trustworthy.

Infant mortality rate: 154 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 47 years for males, 46 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Afghan(s); adjective—Afghan

Ethnic divisions: 50% Pashtun, 25% Tajik, 9% Uzbek, 12-15% Hazara; smaller ethnic groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others.

Religion: 74% Sunni Muslim, 15% Shia Muslim, 11% other

Language: 50% Pashto, 35% Afghan Persian (Dari), 11% Turkic languages (mainly Uzbek and Turkmen), 4% thirty minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai); a lot of bilingualism

Literacy: 12%

Labor force: 4,980,000; 67.8% agriculture and animal husbandry, 10.2% industry, 6.3% construction, 5.0% commerce, 10.7% services and other (1980 est.)

Organized labor: a few small unions managed by the government

- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Afghanistan

Type: authoritarian

Capital: Kabul

Administrative divisions: 30 provinces (velayat, singular—velayat);
Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah,
Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabul,
Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kunduz, Laghman, Logar,
Nangarhar, Nimroz, Urozgan, Paktia, Paktika,
Parwan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Wardak, Zabul;
note—there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)

Independence: August 19, 1919 (from the UK)

Constitution: adopted 30 November 1987

Legal system: has not accepted mandatory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Anniversary of the Saur Revolution, April 27 (1978)

Executive branch: president, four vice presidents, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: the bicameral National Assembly (Meli Shura) consists of an upper house or Senate (Sena) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Wolasi Jirgah)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President (Mohammad)
NAJIBULLAH (Ahmadzai) (since November 30, 1987); Chairman of the Council
of Ministers Executive Committee Soltan Ali KESHTMAND (since February 21,
1989); Prime Minister Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since May 21, 1990)

Political parties and leaders: the only party—the People's Democratic Party of Afghanistan (PDPA) has two factions—the Parchami faction has been in power since December 1979, and members of the ousted Khalqi faction still occupy some important positions, mostly in the military and the Ministry of Interior; non-party figures also hold some positions.

Suffrage: universal, male ages 15-50

Elections: Senate—last held in April 1988 (next to be held in April 1991); results—PDPA is the only party; seats—(192 total, 115 elected) PDPA 115;

House of Representatives—last held in April 1988 (next to be held in April 1993); results—PDPA is the only party; seats—(234 total) PDPA 184, 50 seats reserved for opposition

Communists: the PDPA claims 200,000 members (1988)

Other political or pressure groups: the military and other branches of internal security have been reconstructed by the USSR; insurgency persists across the country; there is widespread anti-Soviet and anti-regime sentiment and opposition based on religious and political reasons.

Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG; suspended from OIC in January 1980

Diplomatic representation: Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires MIAGOL; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; phone (202) 234-3770 or 3771; US—Charge d'Affaires (vacant); Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; phone 62230 through 62235 or 62436; note—US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989

Flag: three equal horizontal stripes of black (top), red, and green, with the national coat of arms placed on the left side of the black and red stripes; it resembles the flag of Malawi, which is shorter and features a bright, rising red sun centered in the black stripe.

- Economy Overview: Basically, Afghanistan is a very poor, landlocked country that relies heavily on farming (especially wheat) and raising livestock (sheep and goats). However, economic issues have taken a backseat to political and military turmoil, including the nine-year Soviet military occupation (which ended on February 15, 1989) and the ongoing civil war. Over the last decade, about a third of the population has fled the country, with Pakistan hosting around 3 million refugees and Iran housing about 2 million. Another million have likely moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. A significant number of bridges, buildings, and factories have been destroyed or damaged by military action or sabotage. Despite government claims to the contrary, the gross domestic product is almost certainly lower than it was 10 years ago due to the loss of labor and capital, along with disruption of trade and transport. Official statistics suggest that agriculture grew by 0.7% and industry by 3.5% in 1988.

GDP: $3 billion, per person $200; actual growth rate 0% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 50% (estimated in 1989)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues N/A; expenditures $646.7 million, including capital expenditures of $370.2 million (FY87 est.)

Exports: $512 million (f.o.b., FY88); commodities—natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides, and pelts; partners—mostly USSR and Eastern Europe

Imports: $996 million (c.i.f., FY88); commodities—food and petroleum products; partners—mostly USSR and Eastern Europe

External debt: $1.8 billion (estimated December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 6.2% (FY89 plan)

Electricity: 480,000 kW capacity; 1,470 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven rugs; natural gas, oil, coal, copper

Agriculture: mainly subsistence farming and nomadic animal herding; cash crops—wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton

Illicit drugs: an illegal producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; the world's second largest opium producer (after Burma) and a major source of hashish.

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $265 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $419 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $4.1 billion

Currency: afghani (plural—afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls

Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1—50.6 (fixed rate since 1982)

Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March

- Communications
Railroads: 9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (USSR) to
Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (USSR) to Kheyrabad transshipment
point on the south bank of Amu Darya

Highways: 21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km paved, 1,650 km gravel treated with bitumen and upgraded dirt, 16,550 km unpaved dirt and paths

Inland waterways: total navigability 1,200 km; mainly the Amu Darya, which accommodates steamers of up to around 500 metric tons.

Pipelines: petroleum, oil, and lubricant pipelines—USSR to Bagram and USSR to Shindand; natural gas, 180 km

Ports: Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)

Civil air: 2 TU-154, 2 Boeing 727, various smaller transport planes

Airports: 38 total, 34 available for use; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways longer than 3,659 m; 10 with runways between 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways between 1,220-2,439 m.

Telecommunications: limited phone, telegraph, and radio broadcast services; television launched in 1980; 31,200 phones; stations—5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station

- Defense Forces
Branches: Armed Forces (Army; Air and Air Defense Forces); Border
Guard Forces; National Police Force (Sarandoi); Ministry of
State Security (WAD); Tribal Militia

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 3,880,124; 2,080,725 fit for military service; 168,021 reach military age (22) each year.

Defense spending: 9.1% of GDP (1984)
——————————————————————————
Country: Albania
- Geography
Total area: 28,750 km²; land area: 27,400 km²

Comparative area: a bit larger than Maryland

Land boundaries: total of 768 km; Greece 282 km, Yugoslavia 486 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: not specified;

Territorial sea: 15 nm

Disputes: Kosovo issue with Yugoslavia; Northern Epirus issue with Greece

Climate: mild temperate; cool, cloudy, and wet winters; hot, clear, and dry summers; the interior is cooler and wetter

Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; small plains along the coast

Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel

Land use: 21% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 38% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes 1% irrigated

Environment: prone to damaging earthquakes; tsunamis happen along the southwestern coast; deforestation appears to be slowing down.

Note: strategic location along the Strait of Otranto (connects
Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)

- People
Population: 3,273,131 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)

Birth rate: 25 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 5 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 52 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 72 years for males, 78 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 3.0 children per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Albanian(s); adjective—Albanian

Ethnic divisions: Albanian 90%, Greeks 8%, other 2% (Vlachs,
Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)

Religion: Albania claims to be the world's first atheist state; all churches and mosques were closed in 1967 and religious practices were banned; pre-1967 estimates of religious affiliation—70% Muslim, 20% Albanian Orthodox, 10% Roman Catholic

Language: Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek

Literacy: 75%

Labor force: 1,500,000 (1987); around 60% agriculture, 40% industry and commerce (1986)

Organized labor: Central Council of Albanian Trade Unions, 610,000 members

- Government
Long-form name: People's Socialist Republic of Albania

Type: Communist state (Stalinist)

Capital: Tirane

Administrative divisions: 26 districts (rrethe, singular—rreth);
Berat, Dibër, Durrës, Elbasan, Fier, Gjirokastër, Gramsh, Kolonjë,
Korçë, Krujë, Kukës, Lezhë, Librazhdi, Lushnjë, Mat, Mirditë,
Përmet, Pogradec, Pukë, Sarandë, Shkodër, Skrapar, Tepelenë, Tiranë,
Tropojë, Vlorë

Independence: November 28, 1912 (from Turkey); People's Socialist
Republic of Albania declared January 11, 1946

Constitution: 27 December 1976

Legal system: judicial review of legislative acts only in the Presidium of the People's Assembly, which is not a true court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Liberation Day, November 29 (1944)

Executive branch: president of the Presidium of the People's Assembly, three vice presidents, Presidium of the People's Assembly; chairman of the Council of Ministers, three deputy chairmen, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: one-chamber People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders:
Chief of State—President of the Presidium of the People's Assembly Ramiz
ALIA (since November 22, 1982);

Head of Government—Chairman of the Council of Ministers Adil CARCANI (since January 14, 1982)

Political parties and leaders: only party—Albanian Workers Party,
Ramiz Alia, first secretary

Suffrage: universal and mandatory at age 18

Elections:
President—last held February 19, 1987 (next to be held
February 1991);
results—President Ramiz Alia was reelected without opposition;

People's Assembly—last held on February 1, 1987 (next one scheduled for February 1991); results—Albanian Workers Party is the only party; seats—(250 total) Albanian Workers Party 250

Communists: 147,000 party members (November 1986)

Member of: CCC, CEMA (has not participated since the split with the USSR in 1961), FAO, IAEA, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: none—the US does not recognize the Albanian government and has no diplomatic or consular relations with Albania; there is no third-party representation of Albanian interests in the US or of US interests in Albania.

Flag: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center below a red five-pointed star outlined in yellow

- Economy Overview: As the poorest country in Europe, Albania's development is behind even the least favored areas of the Yugoslav economy. The economy operates on principles of central planning and state ownership of production resources, similar to a Stalinist model. In recent years, Albania has made some limited economic reforms to boost its struggling economy, but these reforms are nowhere near as extensive as the current changes in the USSR and Eastern Europe. Efforts to be self-reliant and a policy against borrowing from international lenders—often overlooked in recent years—have significantly slowed the development of a comprehensive economic infrastructure. However, Albania does have substantial mineral resources and is mostly self-sufficient in food. Estimates of Albanian economic activity can vary widely since the government operates in isolation and is very secretive.

GNP: $3.8 billion, per person $1,200; real growth rate NA% (1989 estimate)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $2.3 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1989)

Exports: $378 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities—asphalt, bitumen, petroleum products, metals and metallic ores, electricity, oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco; partners—Italy, Yugoslavia, Germany, Greece, Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary

Imports: $255 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.); commodities—machinery, machine tools, iron and steel products, textiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; partners—Italy, Yugoslavia, West Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary, Bulgaria, East Germany

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA

Electricity: 1,630,000 kW capacity; 4.725 billion kWh produced, 1,440 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, basic metals, hydropower

Agriculture: arable land per person is among the lowest in Europe; half of the workforce is involved in farming; produces a wide variety of crops and livestock suitable for temperate climates; claims to be self-sufficient in grain production.

Aid: none

Currency: lek (plural—leke); 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars

Exchange rates: leke (L) per US$1—8.00 (noncommercial fixed rate since 1986), 4.14 (commercial fixed rate since 1987)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 543 km total; 509 km of standard gauge (1.435 meters), single track, and 34 km of narrow gauge, single track (1988); the line connecting Titograd (Yugoslavia) and Shkoder (Albania) was completed in August 1986

Highways: 16,700 km total; 6,700 km of highways and roads, 10,000 km of forest and agricultural roads.

Inland waterways: 43 km plus the Albanian sections of Lake Shkodra, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa.

Pipelines: crude oil, 145 km; refined products, 55 km; natural gas, 64 km (1988)

Ports: Durres, Sarande, Vlore

Merchant marine: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,886 GRT/75,993
DWT; includes 11 cargo

Airports: 12 total, 10 usable; more than 5 with permanent-surface runways; more than 5 with runways ranging from 2,440 to 3,659 m; 5 with runways between 1,220 and 2,439 m.

Telecommunications: stations—17 AM, 5 FM, 9 TV; 52,000 TV sets; 210,000 radios

- Defense Forces
Branches: Albanian People's Army, Border Troops, Interior Troops,
Albanian Coastal Defense Command, Air and Air Defense Force

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 882,965; 729,635 fit for military service; 33,598 reach military age (19) annually

Defense spending: 1.1 billion leks, 11.3% of the total budget (FY88); note—converting the military budget into US dollars using the official exchange rate set by the government could lead to inaccurate results —————————————————————————— Country: Algeria - Geography Total area: 2,381,740 km²; land area: 2,381,740 km²

Comparative area: just under 3.5 times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 6,343 km total; Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km,
Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km,
Western Sahara 42 km

Coastline: 998 km

Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: Libya claims around 19,400 km² in the southeast of Algeria.

Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along the coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on the high plateau; sirocco is a hot wind filled with dust and sand, especially common in the summer.

Terrain: primarily high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, uneven coastal plain

Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc

Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 13% meadows and pastures; 2% forest and woodland; 82% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: mountainous regions prone to severe earthquakes; desertification

Note: second largest country in Africa (after Sudan)

- People
Population: 25,566,507 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Birth rate: 37 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 9 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants per 1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 61 years for males, 64 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Algerian(s); adjective—Algerian

Ethnic divisions: 99% Arab-Berber, under 1% European

Religion: 99% Sunni Muslim (official religion); 1% Christian and Jewish

Language: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects

Literacy: 52%

Labor force: 3,700,000; 40% industry and commerce, 24% agriculture, 17% government, 10% services (1984)

Organized labor: 16-19% of the labor force identified; the General Union of Algerian
Workers (UGTA) is the sole labor organization and is under the
National Liberation Front

- Government
Long-form name: Democratic and People's Republic of Algeria

Type: republic

Capital: Algiers

Administrative divisions: 31 provinces (wilayat, singular—wilaya); Adrar,
Algiers, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bouira, Constantine,
Djelfa, El Asnam, Guelma, Jijel, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mostaganem,
M'sila, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda,
Tamanrasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen; note—there may now be 48
provinces with El Asnam abolished, and the addition of 18 new provinces named
Ain Delfa, Ain Temouchent, Bordjbou, Boumerdes, Chlef, El Bayadh, El Oued,
El Tarf, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Mila, Naama, Relizane, Souk Ahras, Tindouf,
Tipaza, Tissemsilt

Independence: July 5, 1962 (from France)

Constitution: November 19, 1976, effective November 22, 1976

Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc Constitutional Council made up of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted mandatory ICJ jurisdiction.

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, November 1 (1954)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale Populaire)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Supreme Court)

Leaders:
Chief of State—President Chadli BENDJEDID (since February 7, 1979);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Mouloud HAMROUCHE (since September 9, 1989)

Political parties and leaders: National Liberation Front (FLN), Col. Chadli Bendjedid, chairman; Abdelhamid Mehri, secretary general; the government set up a multiparty system in September 1989, and as of February 1, 1990, there were 19 legal parties.

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President—last held on December 22, 1988 (next to be held in December 1993); results—President Bendjedid was reelected without opposition;

People's National Assembly—last held on February 26, 1987 (next to be held by February 1992); results—FLN was the only party; seats—(281 total) FLN 281; note—the government has promised to hold multiparty elections (municipal and wilaya) in June 1990, the first in Algerian history.

Communists: 400 (estimated); Communist Party banned in 1962

Member of: AfDB, AIOEC, Arab League, ASSIMER, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT
(de facto), IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IOOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID;
Chancery at 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; phone
(202) 328-5300;
US—Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir
Brahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers);
phone [213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186; there is a US Consulate in Oran

Flag: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star inside a red crescent; the crescent, star, and green color are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)

- Economy Overview: The extraction of oil and natural gas is the foundation of the economy. Algeria relies on hydrocarbons for almost all of its export earnings, about 30% of government revenue, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74, the sharp rise in oil prices resulted in an economic boom that funded an ambitious industrialization program. However, falling oil and gas prices, along with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, have plunged the nation into its worst social and economic crisis since independence. The government has promised significant reforms, including granting public sector companies more independence, fostering private sector activity, increasing gas and non-hydrocarbon exports, and a major revamp of the banking and financial systems. In 1988, the government began to execute a new economic policy to break up large state farms into privately operated units.

GDP: $54.1 billion, per capita $2,235; real growth rate - 1.8% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.9% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 19% (1988)

Budget: revenues $17.4 billion; expenditures $22.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $8.0 billion (1988)

Exports: $9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—petroleum and natural gas 98%; partners—Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US

Imports: $7.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—capital goods 35%, consumer goods 36%, food 20%; partners—France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%

External debt: $26.2 billion (December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (1986)

Electricity: 4,333,000 kW capacity; 14,370 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: oil, light manufacturing, natural gas, mining, electricity, petrochemicals, food production

Agriculture makes up 8% of GDP and employs 24% of the labor force. It is a net importer of food, including grain, vegetable oil, and sugar. Farm production includes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus fruits, sheep, and cattle.

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $8.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.7 billion

Currency: Algerian dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Algerian dinar
(DA) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1—8.0086 (January 1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988), 4.8497 (1987), 4.7023 (1986), 5.0278 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 4,146 km total; 2,632 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,258 km 1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215 km double track

Highways: 80,000 km total; 60,000 km paved with concrete or asphalt, 20,000 km gravel, crushed stone, or unpaved earth.

Pipelines: crude oil, 6,612 km; refined products, 298 km; natural gas, 2,948 km

Ports: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Jijel, Mers el Kebir, Mostaganem,
Oran, Skikda

Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 900,957 GRT/1,063,994 DWT; includes 5 passenger ships, 27 cargo ships, 2 vehicle carriers, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, 5 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tankers, 9 liquefied gas carriers, 7 chemical tankers, 9 bulk carriers, and 1 specialized liquid cargo ship.

Civil air: 42 major transport planes

Airports: 147 in total, 136 usable; 53 with paved runways; 2 with runways longer than 3,660 m; 29 with runways between 2,440-3,659 m; 68 with runways between 1,220-2,439 m.

Telecommunications: great domestic and international service in the north, limited in the south; 693,000 telephones; 26 AM radio stations, no FM, 113 TV stations; 1,550,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 receivers; 6 submarine cables; coaxial cable or radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; satellite ground stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT, and 15 domestic.

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 5,886,334; 3,638,458 eligible for military service; 293,476 reach military age (19) each year.

Defense spending: 1.8% of GDP, or $974 million (1989 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: American Samoa (territory of the US) - Geography Total area: 199 km²; land area: 199 km²

Comparative area: a bit bigger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 116 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 m;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical marine, influenced by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; minimal seasonal temperature variation.

Terrain: five volcanic islands with steep peaks and small coastal plains, two coral atolls

Natural resources: pumice and pumicite

Land use: 10% arable land; 5% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 75% forest and woodland; 10% other

Environment: typhoons are common from December to March

Note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by its shape from rough seas and protected by surrounding mountains from high winds; it has a strategic location about 3,700 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean, roughly halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand.

- People
Population: 41,840 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)

Birth rate: 41 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 4 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: - 8 immigrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 11 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 69 years for males, 74 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—American Samoan(s); adjective—American Samoan

Ethnic breakdown: 90% Samoan (Polynesian), 2% Caucasian, 2% Tongan, 6% other

Religion: about 50% Christian Congregationalist, 20% Roman Catholic, 30% mostly Protestant denominations and others

Language: Samoan (which is closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages) and English; most people are bilingual.

Literacy: 99%

Labor force: 10,000; 48% government, 33% tuna canning, 19% other (1986 est.)

Organized labor: NA

Note: about 65,000 American Samoans live in the States of
California and Washington and 20,000 in Hawaii

- Government
Long-form name: Territory of American Samoa

Type: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US

Capital: Pago Pago

Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)

Independence: none (territory of the US)

Constitution: ratified in 1966, effective in 1967

National holiday: Flag Day, April 17 (1900)

Executive branch: US president, governor, lieutenant governor

Legislative branch: bicameral Legislature (Fono) consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives.

Judicial branch: High Court

Leaders:
Chief of State—President George BUSH (since January 20, 1989);
Vice President Dan QUAYLE (since January 20, 1989);

Head of Government—Governor Peter Tali COLEMAN (since January 20, 1989);
Lieutenant Governor Galea'i POUMELE (since NA 1989)

Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous people are US nationals, not US citizens.

Elections: Governor—last held on November 7, 1988 (next to be held in November 1992); results—Peter T. Coleman was elected (percentage of vote not available);

Senate—last held on November 7, 1988 (next to be held in November 1992); results—senators elected by county councils from 12 senate districts; seats—(18 total) number of seats by party NA;

House of Representatives—last held on November 7, 1988 (next to be held in November 1990); results—representatives are elected by popular vote from 17 house districts; seats—(21 total, 20 elected and 1 nonvoting delegate from Swain's Island);

US House of Representatives—last held on November 19, 1988 (next to be held in November 1990); results—Eni R. F. H. Faleomavaega elected as a non-voting delegate.

Communists: none

Diplomatic representation: none (U.S. territory)

Flag: blue with a white triangle outlined in red that extends from the fly side to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club.

Note: administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Territorial and International Affairs; indigenous inhabitants are US nationals, not citizens of the US

- Economy Overview: Economic development is closely tied to the US, with American Samoa conducting 90% of its foreign trade with them. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the core of the private sector economy, with canned tuna being the main export. The tuna canneries are the second-largest employer, just behind the government. Other economic activities include meat canning, handicrafts, dairy farming, and a gradually growing tourist industry. Tropical agricultural production offers very little surplus for export.

GNP: $190 million, per person $5,210; real growth rate NA% (1985)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 13.4% (1986)

Budget: revenues $90.3 million; expenditures $93.15 million, including capital expenditures of $4.9 million (1988)

Exports: $288 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities—canned tuna 93%; partners—US 99.6%

Imports: $346 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—building materials 18%, food 17%, petroleum products 14%; partners—US 72%, Japan 7%, NZ 7%, Australia 5%, other 9%

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 1,720 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: tuna canneries (mainly reliant on imports of raw tuna)

Agriculture: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas

Aid: $20.1 million in operational funds and $5.8 million in construction funds for capital improvement projects from the US Department of Interior (1989)

Currency: US currency is used

Exchange rates: The US dollar is used

Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September

- Communications
Railways: small marine railway in Pago Pago harbor

Highways: 350 km in total; 150 km paved, 200 km unpaved

Ports: Pago Pago, Ta'u

Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m (international airport at Tafuna, near Pago Pago); small airstrips on Ta'u and Ofu.

Telecommunications: 6,500 phones; stations—1 AM, no FM, 1 TV; reliable telex, telegraph, and fax services; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
——————————————————————————
Country: Andorra
- Geography
Total area: 450 km²; land area: 450 km²

Comparative area: a little over 2.5 times bigger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 125 km total; France 60 km, Spain 65 km

Coastline: none—landlocked

Maritime claims: none—landlocked

Climate: mild; snowy, cold winters and cool, dry summers

Terrain: rough mountains cut through by narrow valleys

Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead

Land use: 2% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 56% meadows and pastures; 22% forest and woodland; 20% other

Environment: deforestation, overgrazing

Note: landlocked

- People
Population: 51,895 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Birth rate: 12 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 4 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 18 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 74 years for males, 81 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.3 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Andorran(s); adjective—Andorran

Ethnic divisions: Catalan origin; 61% Spanish, 30% Andorran, 6% French, 3% other

Religion: virtually all Roman Catholic

Language: Catalan (official); many also speak some French and Spanish.

Literacy: 100%

Labor force: NA

Organized labor: none

- Government
Long-form name: Principality of Andorra

Type: unique coprincipality under the formal authority of the president of France and the Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by officials called verguers.

Capital: Andorra la Vella

Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singular—parroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana, Les Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria

Independence: 1278

Constitution: none; some charters and laws, mostly tradition and practice

Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; there is no judicial review of legislative acts; it has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

National holiday: Our Lady of Meritxell, September 8

Executive branch: two co-princes (the president of France and the bishop of Seo de Urgel in Spain), two appointed representatives (French veguer and Episcopal veguer), two permanent delegates (French prefect for the department of Pyrénées-Orientales and Spanish vicar general for the diocese of Seo de Urgel), president of the government, Executive Council

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell
General de las Valls)

Judicial branch: civil cases—Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) or the Ecclesiastical Court of the bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain); criminal cases—Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes)

Leaders: Chiefs of State—French Co-Prince Francois MITTERRAND (since May 21, 1981), represented by Veguer de Franca Louis DEBLE; Spanish Episcopal Co-Prince Mgr. Joan MARTI y Alanis (since January 31, 1971), represented by Veguer Episcopal Francesc BADIA Batalla;

Head of Government—Josep PINTAT Solans (since NA 1984)

Political parties and leaders: political parties that haven't been legally recognized yet; traditionally there are no political parties, but supporters for specific independent candidates for the General Council based on their competence, character, and views towards Spain or France; various small pressure groups emerged in 1972; the first formal political party, Andorran Democratic Association, was established in 1976 and reorganized in 1979 as Andorran Democratic Party.

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: General Council of the Valleys—last held on December 11, 1989 (next to be held in December 1993); results—percent of vote N/A; seats—(28 total) number of seats by party N/A

Communists: negligible

Member of: CCC, UNESCO

Diplomatic representation: Andorra does not have a mission in the US; the US includes Andorra in the Barcelona (Spain) Consular District, and the US Consul General visits Andorra occasionally; Consul General Ruth A. DAVIS; Consulate General at Via Layetana 33, Barcelona 3, Spain (mailing address APO NY 09286); telephone [34] (3) 319-9550

Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (on the hoist side), yellow, and red, with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms has a quartered shield; it's similar to the flag of Chad, which doesn't have a national coat of arms in the center; also similar to the flag of Romania, which has a national coat of arms featuring a mountain landscape beneath a red five-pointed star and the words REPUBLICA SOCIALISTA ROMANIA at the bottom.

- Economy Overview: The backbone of Andorra's economy is tourism. About 12 million tourists visit each year, drawn by Andorra's duty-free status and its summer and winter resorts. Agricultural production is limited due to a lack of arable land, so most food must be imported. The main livestock activity is sheep farming. Manufacturing primarily includes cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. The fast pace of European economic integration poses a potential threat to Andorra's benefits from its duty-free status.

GNP: $NA, per person $NA; actual growth rate NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

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

Exports: $17,000 (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—electricity; partners—France, Spain

Imports: $531 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities—N/A; partners—France, Spain

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 140 million kWh produced, 2,800 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: tourism (especially skiing), sheep farming, timber, tobacco, smuggling, banking

Agriculture: raising sheep; small amounts of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and some vegetables.

Aid: none

Currency: French franc (plural—francs) and Spanish peseta (plural—pesetas); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes and 1 Spanish peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.7598 (January 1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985); Spanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1—109.69 (January 1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications
Highways: 96 km

Telecommunications: global digital microwave network; international landline connections to France and Spain; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 17,700 telephones

- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
——————————————————————————
Country: Angola
- Geography
Total area: 1,246,700 km²; land area: 1,246,700 km²

Comparative area: just under twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 5,198 km total; Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km,
Zaire 2,511 km, Zambia 1,110 km

Coastline: 1,600 km

Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 20 nm

Disputes: civil war since independence on November 11, 1975

Climate: semiarid in the south and along the coast to Luanda; the north has a cool, dry season (May to October) and a hot, rainy season (November to April)

Terrain: a narrow coastal plain quickly rises to a massive interior plateau

Natural resources: oil, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 23% meadows and pastures; 43% forest and woodland; 32% other

Environment: heavy rainfall in the area leads to regular flooding on the plateau; desertification

Note: Cabinda is cut off from the rest of the country by Zaire.

- People
Population: 8,534,483 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)

Birth rate: 47 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 20 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 2 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 158 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 42 years for males, 46 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Angolan(s); adjective—Angolan

Ethnic divisions: 37% Ovimbundu, 25% Kimbundu, 13% Bakongo, 2% Mestico, 1% European

Religion: 47% indigenous beliefs, 38% Roman Catholic, 15% Protestant (est.)

Language: Portuguese (official); various Bantu dialects

Literacy: 41%

Labor force: 2,783,000 people employed; 85% in agriculture, 15% in industry (1985 est.)

Organized labor: about 450,695 (1980)

- Government
Long-form name: People's Republic of Angola

Type: Marxist people's republic

Capital: Luanda

Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias,
singular—provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango,
Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte,
Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire

Independence: November 11, 1975 (from Portugal)

Constitution: November 11, 1975; revised January 7, 1978, and August 11, 1980

Legal system: based on the Portuguese civil law system and customary law, but being modified along socialist principles

National holiday: Independence Day, November 11 (1975)

Executive branch: president, head of the Council of Ministers,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: one-chamber National People's Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal da Relação)

Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Jose Eduardo dos
SANTOS (since September 21, 1979)

Political parties and leaders: the only party—Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola-Labor Party (MPLA-Labor Party), José Eduardo dos Santos; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), lost to the MPLA with Cuban military backing during the immediate post-independence struggle and is now conducting an insurgency.

Suffrage: universal adult at age NA

Elections: none held to date

Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), ICAO, IFAD, ILO,
IMO, INTELSAT, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: none

Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star inside half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (like a hammer and sickle)

- Economy Overview: Subsistence farming is the main source of income for 80-90% of the population, but only makes up 10-20% of GDP. Oil production is the most profitable part of the economy, contributing about 50% to GDP. In recent years, though, the effects of an internal conflict have significantly harmed the economy, requiring food imports.

GDP: $5.0 billion, per person $600; real growth rate 9.2% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues N/A; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of N/A (1986 est.)

Exports: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—oil, coffee, diamonds, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton; partners—US, USSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil

Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities—capital equipment (machinery and electrical equipment), food, vehicles and spare parts, textiles and clothing, medicines; significant military deliveries; partners—US, USSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil

External debt: $3.0 billion (1989)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 506,000 kW capacity; 770 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: oil, mining (phosphate rock, diamonds), fish processing, brewing, tobacco, sugar, textiles, cement, food processing, construction

Agriculture: cash crops—coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, sugar, manioc, tobacco; food crops—cassava, corn, vegetables, plantains, bananas, and other local foods; disruptions from civil war and marketing issues create a need for food imports.

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $263 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $903 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $1.3 billion

Currency: kwanza (plural—kwanza); 1 kwanza (Kz) = 100 lwei

Exchange rates: kwanza (Kz) per US$1—29.62 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications
Railroads: 3,189 km total; 2,879 km of 1.067-meter gauge, 310 km of 0.600-meter
gauge; limited tracks in operation due to insurgent attacks; parts of the
Benguela Railroad are closed because of the insurgency

Highways: 73,828 km total; 8,577 km with bituminous surface treatment, 29,350 km of crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth, remainder unimproved earth

Inland waterways: 1,295 km navigable

Pipelines: crude oil, 179 km

Ports: Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, Cabinda

Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 66,348 GRT/102,825 DWT; includes 11 cargo ships and 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker.

Civil air: 27 major transport planes

Airports: 317 total, 184 usable; 28 with paved runways; 1 with runways over 12,000 feet; 12 with runways between 8,000-12,000 feet; 60 with runways between 4,000-8,000 feet.

Telecommunications: a reliable network of wired, radio relay, and troposcatter routes; high frequency widely used for military and Cuban communications; 40,300 telephones; stations—17 AM, 13 FM, 2 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force/Air Defense; paramilitary
forces—People's Defense Organization and Territorial Troops, Frontier Guard,
Popular Vigilance Brigades

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 2,049,295; 1,030,868 eligible for military service; 90,877 reach military age (18) each year.

Defense expenditures: NA —————————————————————————— Country: Anguilla (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 91 km²; land area: 91 km²

Comparative area: roughly half the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 61 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to the depth of extraction;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical; influenced by northeast trade winds

Terrain: a flat, low-lying island made of coral and limestone

Natural resources: minimal; salt, fish, lobsters

Land use: NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, a few trees, and some commercial salt ponds.

Environment: frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October)

Note: located 270 km east of Puerto Rico

- People
Population: 6,883 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)

Birth rate: 24 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 9 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: - 10 migrants per 1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 71 years for males, 76 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 3.1 kids per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Anguillan(s); adjective—Anguillan

Ethnic divisions: primarily of Black African descent

Religion: Anglican, Methodist, and Roman Catholic

Language: English (official)

Literacy: 80%

Labor force: 2,780 (1984)

Organized labor: NA

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: dependent territory of the UK

Capital: The Valley

Administrative divisions: none (British dependent territory)

Independence: none (UK dependent territory)

Constitution: 1 April 1982

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Anguilla Day, May 30

Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief minister,
Executive Council (cabinet)

Legislative branch: single-chamber House of Assembly

Judicial branch: High Court

Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 6, 1952), represented by
Governor Geoffrey O. WHITTAKER (since NA 1987);

Head of Government—Chief Minister Emile GUMBS (since March 1984, previously served from February 1977 to May 1980)

Political parties and leaders: Anguilla National Alliance (ANA), Emile
Gumbs; Anguilla United Party (AUP), Ronald Webster; Anguilla Democratic Party
(ADP), Victor Banks

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: House of Assembly—last held on February 27, 1989 (next one scheduled for February 1994); results—percentage of votes by party NA; seats—(11 total, 7 elected) ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP 1, independent 1

Communists: none

Member of: Commonwealth

Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)

Flag: two horizontal stripes, one white (top, nearly three times wider) and one light blue, featuring three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular pattern centered in the white stripe.

- Economy Overview: Anguilla has limited natural resources, and the economy relies heavily on lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and money sent back home by emigrants. In recent years, the economy has thrived due to a surge in tourism. Development is underway to enhance infrastructure, especially transport and tourist facilities, as well as light industry. Economic growth has decreased unemployment from 40% in 1984 to around 5% in 1988.

GDP: $23 million, per person $3,350 (1988 est.); actual growth rate 8.2% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1988 estimate)

Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)

Budget: revenues $9.0 million; expenditures $8.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988 est.)

Exports: $NA; commodities—lobsters and salt; partners—NA

Imports: $NA; commodities—NA; partners —NA

External debt: $NA

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 3,000 kW capacity; 9 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh per person (1988)

Industries: tourism, boat building, salt production, fishing (including lobster)

Agriculture: pigeon peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry

Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $33 million

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: NA

- Communications
Highways: 60 km surfaced

Ports: Road Bay, Blowing Point

Civil air: no major transport aircraft

Airports: 3 total, 3 operational; 1 with paved runways of 1,100 m
(Wallblake Airport)

Telecommunications: modern internal phone system; 890 phones; stations—3 AM, 1 FM, no TV; radio relay link to the island of St. Martin

- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
——————————————————————————
Country: Antarctica
- Geography
Total area: approximately 14,000,000 km²; land area: approximately 14,000,000 km²

Comparative area: just under 1.5 times the size of the US; second-smallest continent (after Australia)

Land boundaries: see entry on Disputes

Coastline: 17,968 km

Maritime claims: see entry on Disputes

Disputes: The Antarctic Treaty puts all claims on hold; areas (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France (Adelie Land), New Zealand (Ross Dependency), Norway (Queen Maud Land), and the UK; Brazil asserts a Zone of Interest; the US and USSR do not recognize the territorial claims of other countries and have not made any claims themselves (but keep the option open); no formal claims have been made in the area between 90° west and 150° west.

Climate: extremely low temperatures differ based on latitude, elevation, and how far you are from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than the Antarctic Peninsula in the west; the highest temperatures happen in January along the coast and average just below freezing.

Terrain: about 98% is covered by a thick continental ice sheet, with average elevations ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 meters; mountain ranges rise up to 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include portions of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, and the scientific research locations of Graham Land and Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers create ice shelves along about half of the coastline.

Natural resources: coal and iron ore; chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum, and hydrocarbons have been discovered in small amounts along the coast; offshore oil and gas deposits.

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other (98% ice, 2% barren rock)

Environment: mostly uninhabitable; katabatic winds blow down from the high interior toward the coast; frequent blizzards occur near the base of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and rotate clockwise around the coast; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than what is received at the Equator during the same period; in October 1987, it was reported that the ozone layer, which protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation, had dropped to its lowest level ever over Antarctica; subject to active volcanism (Deception Island)

Note: the coldest continent

- People Population: no indigenous residents; staff at research stations changes with the seasons;

Summer (January) population—3,330; Argentina 179, Australia 216,
Brazil 36, Chile 124, China 62, France 46, FRG 9, GDR 15, India 59,
Italy 121, Japan 52, NZ 251, Poland 19, South Africa 102, South
Korea 17, UK 72, Uruguay 47, US 1,250, USSR 653 (1986-87);

Winter (July) population—1,148 total; Argentina 149, Australia
82, Brazil 11, Chile 59, China 16, France 32, FRG 9, GDR 9, India 17,
Japan 37, NZ 11, Poland 19, South Africa 15, UK 61, Uruguay 10, US 242,
USSR 369 (1986-87);

Year-round stations—43 total; Argentina 7, Australia 3, Brazil 1,
Chile 3, China 1, France 1, West Germany 1, East Germany 1, India 1, Japan 2, New Zealand 1,
Poland 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 1, UK 6, Uruguay 1, US 3, USSR 8
(1986-87);

Summer only stations—26 total; Argentina 3, Australia 3, Chile 4,
Italy 1, Japan 1, NZ 2, South Africa 2, US 4, USSR 6 (1986-87)

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on December 1, 1959, and effective from June 23, 1961, created a legal framework for at least 30 years focused on peaceful use, scientific research, and halting territorial claims. Administration is managed through meetings of consulting member countries—the 14th and final meeting took place in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in October 1987.

Consultative (voting) members include claimant nations (those that claim parts of Antarctica as their national territory, with some claims overlapping) and nonclaimant nations (those that have made no claims to Antarctic territory, although the US and USSR have reserved the right to do so and do not recognize the claims of others); the year in parentheses shows when a nation that joined was granted full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant nations are Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), FRG (1981), GDR (1987), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, Poland (1977), South Africa, Uruguay (1985), US, and USSR.

Acceding (nonvoting) members, with the year of accession in parentheses,
are—Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962),
Denmark (1965), Finland (1984), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984),
Netherlands (1987), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Peru (1981),
Romania (1971), South Korea (1986), Spain (1982), and Sweden (1984).

Antarctic Treaty Summary: Article 1—this area is to be used only for peaceful purposes, and military activities like weapons testing are banned, but military personnel and equipment can be used for scientific work; Article 2—freedom for scientific research and cooperation will continue; Article 3—there will be a free exchange of information and people; Article 4—does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims, and no new claims can be made while the treaty is active; Article 5—prohibits nuclear explosions and the disposal of radioactive waste; Article 6—applies to all land and ice shelves south of 60° 00' south, but water areas will be governed by international law; Article 7—observers from treaty nations have unrestricted access, including aerial observations, to any area and can inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be provided; Article 8—each observer and scientist falls under the jurisdiction of their own nation; Article 9—frequent consultative meetings will be held among member nations, and nations joining will be given consultative status; Article 10—treaty nations will discourage any country from taking actions in Antarctica that go against the treaty; Article 11—disputes will be resolved peacefully by the parties involved or, if necessary, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13, 14—cover the upholding, interpretation, and amendment of the treaty among the involved nations.

Other agreements: Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals; a mineral resources agreement is currently being ratified by the Antarctic Treaty consultative parties.

- Economy Overview: There's currently no economic activity except for fishing off the coast and small-scale tourism, both of which are driven by foreign visitors. The extraction of mineral resources will be limited by technical challenges, high costs, and opposition from environmentalists.

- Communications Airports: 39 total; 25 available for use; none have permanent surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways between 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways between 1,220-2,439 m

Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

- Defense Forces Note: none; Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty states that advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given —————————————————————————— Country: Antigua and Barbuda - Geography Total area: 440 km²; land area: 440 km²; includes Redonda

Comparative area: just under 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 153 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical marine; minimal seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly flat limestone and coral islands with some elevated volcanic regions

Natural resources: minimal; nice climate encourages tourism

Land use: 18% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 59% other

Environment: prone to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); limited freshwater resources; highly indented coastline offers numerous natural harbors

Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico

- People
Population: 63,726 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Birth rate: 18 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 6 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: - 10 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 70 years for males, 74 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Antiguan(s); adjective—Antiguan

Ethnic groups: mainly of black African descent; with some from
British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian backgrounds

Religion: Anglican (main), other Protestant groups, some Roman
Catholic

Language: English (official), local dialects

Literacy: 90% (est.)

Labor force: 30,000; 82% in commerce and services, 11% in agriculture, 7% in industry (1983)

Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association
(ABPSA), 500 members; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members;
Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Saint John's

Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,
Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter,
Saint Philip

Independence: November 1, 1981 (from the UK)

Constitution: 1 November 1981

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Independence Day, November 1 (1981)

Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: a bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 6, 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since November 1, 1981, previously Governor since 1976);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976); Deputy Prime Minister Lester BIRD (since NA 1976)

Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. Bird,
Sr., Lester Bird; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor Heath

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: House of Representatives—last held March 9, 1989 (next to be held in 1994); results—percentage of vote by party NA; seats—(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1

Communists: negligible

Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement
(ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) Hector;
Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel Thomas

Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ILO, IMF,
ISO, OAS, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE; Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate in Miami; US—the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and in his absence, the Embassy is led by Charge d'Affaires Roger R. GAMBLE; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's (mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506

Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle along the top edge of the flag; the triangle features three horizontal stripes of black (top), light blue, and white, with a yellow rising sun in the black stripe.

- Economy Overview: The economy is mainly focused on services, with tourism being the key factor for economic performance. Between 1983 and 1987, real GDP grew at an average annual rate of 8%. The contribution of tourism to GDP, as measured by value added in hotels and restaurants, increased from about 14% in 1983 to 17% in 1987, which boosted growth in other sectors—especially construction, communications, and public utilities. During this same time, the combined share of agriculture and manufacturing fell from 12% to below 10%. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few places in the Caribbean facing a labor shortage in certain sectors of the economy.

GDP: $353.5 million, per person $5,550; actual growth rate 6.2% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.1% (estimated in 1988)

Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)

Budget: revenues $77 million; expenditures $81 million, including capital expenditures of $13 million (1988 est.)

Exports: $30.4 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum products 46%, manufactured goods 29%, food and live animals 14%, machinery and transportation equipment 11%; partners—Trinidad and Tobago 40%, Barbados 8%, US 0.3%

Imports: $302.1 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—food and live animals, machinery and transportation equipment, manufactured goods, chemicals, oil; partners—US 27%, UK 14%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 4%, other 48%

External debt: $245.4 million (1987)

Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1987)

Electricity: 49,000 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, home appliances)

Agriculture: makes up 4% of GDP; increasing production of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock; other crops include bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, and mangoes; not self-sufficient in food.

Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $40 million

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural—dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1—2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

- Communications Railroads: 64 km of 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km of 0.610-meter gauge used almost exclusively for transporting sugarcane

Highways: 240 km

Ports: St. John's

Merchant marine: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 307,315 GRT/501,552 DWT; includes 50 cargo ships, 4 refrigerated cargo ships, 8 container ships, 8 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tankers, 5 chemical tankers, 2 liquefied gas carriers, and 1 short-sea passenger vessel; note—a flag of convenience registry

Civil air: 10 major transport planes

Airports: 3 in total, 3 available for use; 2 with paved runways; 1 with runways ranging from 2,440 to 3,659 m; 2 with runways shorter than 2,440 m.

Telecommunications: a reliable automatic phone system; 6,700 phones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; stations—4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)

Military manpower: NA

Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Arctic Ocean
- Geography
Total area: 14,056,000 km²; includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea,
Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay,
Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other connected waterways

Comparative area: just over 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean)

Coastline: 45,389 km

Climate: constant cold and relatively limited annual temperature fluctuations; winters marked by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather, and clear skies; summers marked by continuous daylight, moist and foggy weather, and weak cyclones bringing rain or snow.

Terrain: a central area covered by a long-lasting drifting polar ice pack that averages about 10 feet thick, though pressure ridges can be up to 30 feet high; it moves in a clockwise pattern in the Beaufort Gyre, but travels in almost a straight line from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to the Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open water in the summer but more than doubles in size during the winter, extending to the surrounding land masses; the ocean floor consists of about 50% continental shelf (the highest percentage of any ocean), with the rest being a central basin interrupted by three underwater ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonosov Ridge); the maximum depth reaches 15,300 feet in the Fram Basin.

Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales)

Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs break off from western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in March or April is about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months; permafrost on islands; virtually frozen from October to June; fragile ecosystem is slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage.

Note: the main bottleneck is the southern Chukchi Sea (the northern route to the Pacific Ocean through the Bering Strait); ships can experience icing on their superstructures from October to May; it has a strategic position between North America and the USSR; it's the shortest maritime connection between the far east and west of the USSR; floating research stations are operated by both the US and USSR.

- Economy Overview: Economic activity focuses on using natural resources, such as crude oil, natural gas, fishing, and sealing.

- Communications
Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)

Telecommunications: no submarine cables

Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Asia) are important waterways
——————————————————————————
Country: Argentina
- Geography
Total area: 2,766,890 km²; land area: 2,736,690 km²

Comparative area: a little more than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km,
Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km

Coastline: 4,989 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to the depth of extraction;

Territorial sea: 200 nm (flying over and navigating allowed beyond 12 nm)

Disputes: a small part of the border with Uruguay is disputed; a small part of the border with Chile is unclear; claims the British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims the British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica.

Climate: mostly mild; dry in the southeast; subantarctic in the southwest

Terrain: lush plains of the Pampas in the northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in the south, and rugged Andes along the western border

Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium

Land use: 9% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 52% meadows and pastures; 22% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes 1% irrigated

Environment: The Tucumán and Mendoza regions in the Andes are prone to earthquakes; pamperos are fierce windstorms that can hit the Pampas and northeast; irrigation leads to soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires.

Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location related to sea routes between the South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

- People
Population: 32,290,966 (July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 20 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 9 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 67 years for males, 74 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Argentine(s); adjective—Argentine

Ethnic divisions: 85% white, 15% mestizo, Indigenous, or other non-white groups

Religion: 90% nominally Roman Catholic (fewer than 20% actually practicing), 2%
Protestant, 2% Jewish, 6% other

Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

Literacy: 94%

Labor force: 10,900,000; 12% agriculture, 31% industry, 57% services (1985 est.)

Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of the workforce

- Government
Long-form name: Argentine Republic

Type: republic

Capital: Buenos Aires (plans to move to Viedma by 1990 have been postponed indefinitely)

Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular—provincia),
1 national territory* (territorio nacional), and 1 district** (distrito);
Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Córdoba, Corrientes,
Distrito Federal**, Entre Ríos, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza,
Misiones, Neuquén, Río Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz,
Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego and Antártida e Islas del
Atlántico Sur*, Tucumán

Independence: July 9, 1816 (from Spain)

Constitution: 1 May 1853

Legal system: a blend of US and Western European legal systems; has not accepted mandatory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Day, May 25 (1810)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camera de Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Supreme Court)

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government—President Carlos Saul MENEM (since July 8, 1989); Vice President Eduardo DUHALDE (since July 8, 1989)

Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (JP), Antonio Cafiero, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Raul Alfonsin, moderately left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCEDE), Alvaro Alsogaray, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar Alende, leftist party; several provincial parties

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President—last held on May 14, 1989 (next to be held in May 1995); results—Carlos Saul Menem was elected;

Chamber of Deputies—last held on May 14, 1989 (next will be held in May 1991); results—JP 47%, UCR 30%, UDC 7%, other 16%; seats—(254 total); JP 122, UCR 93, UDC 11, other 28

Communists: around 70,000 members in different party organizations, including a small core of activists

Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association), Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces

Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ISO, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission,
IWC—International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Guido Jose Maria DI TELLA; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles; US—Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a bright yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May

- Economy Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. However, the economy has faced major issues in recent years, resulting in a recession in 1988-89. Economic growth slowed to 2.0% in 1987 and dropped to -1.8% in 1988; a sharp decline of -5.5% is estimated for 1989. A growing public-sector deficit and hyperinflation have dominated the economy over the past three years, reaching around 5,000% in 1989. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has almost doubled to $60 billion, creating significant debt-servicing challenges and damaging the country's creditworthiness with international lenders.

GNP: $72.0 billion, per person $2,217; real growth rate - 5.5% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4,925% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 8.5% (1989 est.)

Budget: revenues $11.5 billion; expenditures $13.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.93 billion (1988)

Exports: $9.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—meat, wheat, corn, oilseeds, hides, wool; partners—US 14%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands

Imports: $4.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products; partners—US 25%, Brazil, Germany, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands

External debt: $60 billion (December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate - 8% (1989)

Electricity: 16,449,000 kW capacity; 46,590 million kWh produced, 1,460 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: food processing (especially meat packing), automotive, consumer goods, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

Agriculture: makes up 15% of GNP (including fishing); provides plenty of food for both local use and exports; one of the world's top five exporters of grain and beef; main crops—wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.6 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $718 million

Currency: austral (plural—australes); 1 austral (A) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: australes (A) per US$1—1,930 (December 1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); consists of a mix of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter gauge, and 0.750-meter gauge

Highways: 208,350 km in total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved dirt, 20,300 km unimproved dirt

Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable

Pipelines: 4,090 km of crude oil; 2,900 km of refined products; 9,918 km of natural gas

Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario,
Santa Fe

Merchant marine: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 1,693,540
GRT/2,707,079 DWT; includes 45 cargo ships, 6 refrigerated cargo ships, 6 container ships,
1 roll-on/roll-off cargo ship, 1 railcar carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tankers, 2 chemical tankers, 4 liquefied gas carriers, 18 bulk carriers

Civil air: 54 major transport planes

Airports: 1,799 total, 1,617 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 335 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: a vast modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public phones); radio relay is widely used; stations—171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 stations

- Defense Forces
Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air
Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture, National Aeronautical
Police Force

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 7,860,054; 6,372,189 are fit for military service; 277,144 reach military age (20) each year.

Defense expenditures: 1.4% of GNP (1987) —————————————————————————— Country: Aruba (part of the Dutch realm) - Geography Total area: 193 km²; land area: 193 km²

Comparative area: a bit bigger than Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 68.5 km

Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical marine; minimal seasonal temperature changes

Terrain: flat with a few hills; minimal vegetation

Natural resources: minimal; white sandy beaches

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other

Environment: is located outside the Caribbean hurricane zone.

Note: 28 km north of Venezuela

- People
Population: 62,656 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 16 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 6 deaths per 1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 8 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 72 years for males, 80 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Aruban(s); adjective—Aruban

Ethnic divisions: 80% mixed European/Caribbean Indian

Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 8% Protestant; also small Hindu, Muslim,
Confucian, and Jewish minority

Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a mix of Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,
English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

Literacy: 95%

Labor force: NA, but most jobs are in the tourism industry (1986)

Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: part of the Dutch realm—gained full control over local matters in 1986 after separating from the Netherlands Antilles.

Capital: Oranjestad

Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Independence: planned for 1996

Constitution: 1 January 1986

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

National holiday: Flag Day, March 18

Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of
Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Staten)

Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

Leaders: Chief of State—Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since April 30, 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since January 1, 1986);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since February 1989)

Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party (MEP),
Nelson Oduber; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny Eman; National
Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro Kelly; New Patriotic Party (PPN),
Eddy Werlemen; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny Nisbet; Aruban Democratic
Party (PDA), Leo Berlinski; Democratic Action '86 (AD'86), Arturo
Oduber; the governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: Parliament—last held on January 6, 1989 (next to be held by January 1993); results—percent of vote by party not available; seats—(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1

Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

Flag: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower part and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper left corner

- Economy Overview: Tourism is the backbone of the economy. In 1985, the economy took a big hit when Exxon shut down its refinery, which was a major source of jobs and foreign exchange. An economic collapse was averted thanks to low-interest loans from the Dutch Government and a thriving tourism industry. Hotel capacity grew by 20% between 1985 and 1987 and is expected to more than double by 1990. Unemployment has consistently fallen from around 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1988.

GDP: $620 million, per person $10,000; actual growth rate 16.7% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1988 estimate)

Unemployment rate: 3% (1988 est.)

Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, which includes capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)

Exports: $47.5 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—mainly petroleum products; partners—US 64%, EC

Imports: $296.0 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—food, consumer goods, manufactures; partners—US 8%, EC

External debt: $81 million (1987)

Industrial production: growth rate - 20% (1984)

Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,120 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities

Agriculture: poor soil and low rainfall restrict farming to growing aloes.

Aid: none

Currency: Aruban florin (plural—florins); 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1—1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications
Ports: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

Airfield: a government-owned airport located east of Oranjestad

Telecommunications: generally sufficient; widespread interisland radio relay connections; 72,168 telephones; stations—4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 underwater cable to St. Maarten

- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands until 1996 —————————————————————————— Country: Ashmore and Cartier Islands (territory of Australia) - Geography Total area: 5 km²; land area: 5 km²; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

Comparative area: about 8.5 times larger than The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 74.1 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 meters or up to the depth of exploration;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical

Terrain: flat with sand and coral

Natural resources: fish

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other—grass and sand

Environment: surrounded by schools of fish and coral reefs; Ashmore Reef National
Nature Reserve established in August 1983

Note: located in the far eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia, 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia.

- People
Population: no permanent residents; seasonal caretakers

- Government
Long-form name: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Type: territory of Australia managed by the Australian Department of Territories and Local Government

Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)

Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia

Note: administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the
Environment, Tourism, and Territories Graham Richardson

Diplomatic representation: none (part of Australia)

- Economy
Overview: no economic activity

- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

- Defense Forces
Note: Defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic
visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
——————————————————————————
Country: Atlantic Ocean
- Geography
Total area: 82,217,000 km²; includes the Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea,
Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea,
North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other related water bodies

Comparative area: just under nine times the size of the US; the second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than the Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)

Coastline: 111,866 km

Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) form off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most common from August to November.

Terrain: a surface typically covered with sea ice in the Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and the Baltic Sea from October to June; a clockwise warm water gyre (a broad, circular system of currents) in the North Atlantic, and a counterclockwise warm water gyre in the South Atlantic; the ocean floor is primarily shaped by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south backbone for the entire Atlantic basin; the maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench.

Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

Environment: endangered marine species include manatees, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution is found off the eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution affects the Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollute the Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs are common in the Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been seen as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the far southern Atlantic.

Note: Ships may experience icing on their superstructures in the extreme North Atlantic from October to May and in the extreme South Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can pose a risk to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the Dardanelles, the Strait of Gibraltar, and access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; North Atlantic shipping lanes are at risk of icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean.

- Economy Overview: Economic activity mainly focuses on the exploitation of natural resources, particularly fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and producing crude oil and natural gas (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).

- Communications
Ports: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium),
Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco),
Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain),
Le Havre (France), Saint Petersburg (Russia), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK),
Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands),
Stockholm (Sweden)

Telecommunications: many underwater cables, primarily between continental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the Mediterranean; several direct connections across the Atlantic using the INTELSAT satellite network.

Note: Kiel Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways
——————————————————————————
Country: Australia
- Geography
Total area: 7,686,850 km²; land area: 7,617,930 km²; includes
Macquarie Island

Comparative area: a bit smaller than the US

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 25,760 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to the depth of extraction;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)

Climate: usually dry to semi-dry; mild in the south and east; tropical in the north

Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in the southeast.

Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil

Land use: 6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 58% meadows and pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: facing extreme droughts and floods; cyclones along the coast; limited access to freshwater; degradation of irrigated soil; a regular, refreshing sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along the west coast in summer; desertification.

Note: smallest continent in the world but the sixth-largest country

- People
Population: 16,923,478 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)

Birth rate: 15 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 8 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 6 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 73 years for males, 80 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Australian(s); adjective—Australian

Ethnic breakdown: 95% White, 4% Asian, 1% Indigenous and other

Religion: 26.1% Anglican, 26.0% Roman Catholic, 24.3% other Christian

Language: English, native languages

Literacy: 98.5%

Labor force: 7,700,000; 33.8% in finance and services, 22.3% in public and community services, 20.1% in wholesale and retail trade, 16.2% in manufacturing and industry, 6.1% in agriculture (1987)

Organized labor: 42% of the workforce (1988)

- Government
Long-form name: Commonwealth of Australia

Type: federal parliamentary state

Capital: Canberra

Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
Islands, Norfolk Island

Independence: January 1, 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

Constitution: July 9, 1900, effective January 1, 1901

Legal system: based on English common law; accepts mandatory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Australia Day (last Monday in January), January 29, 1990

Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: the bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house called the Senate and a lower house known as the House of Representatives.

Judicial branch: High Court

Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Robert James Lee Hawke (since March 11, 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul Keating (since April 3, 1990)

Political parties and leaders: government—Australian Labor
Party, Robert Hawke; opposition—Liberal Party, Andrew Peacock;
National Party, Charles Blunt; Australian Democratic Party, Janine Haines

Suffrage: universal and mandatory at age 18

Elections: Senate—last held on July 11, 1987 (next to be held by May 12, 1990); results—Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats—(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7, independents 3;

House of Representatives—last held on March 24, 1990 (next to be held by November 1993); results—Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats and independents 11.1%; seats—(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1

Communists: 4,000 members (est.)

Other political or pressure groups: Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)

Member of: ADB, AIOEC, ANZUS, CCC, CIPEC (associate), Colombo Plan,
Commonwealth, DAC, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO,
ICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC,
IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC—International Whaling Commission,
IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; phone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San Francisco 6404); phone [61] (62) 705000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane.

Flag: blue with the UK flag in the upper left corner and a large seven-pointed star in the lower left corner; the rest of the flag shows the Southern Cross constellation in white, featuring one small five-pointed star and four larger seven-pointed stars.

- Economy Overview: Australia has a thriving capitalist economy similar to those of Western countries, with a per capita GNP that matches levels found in developed Western European nations. With abundant natural resources, Australia exports a lot of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Out of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, meaning that, as seen in 1983-84, a drop in global commodity prices can significantly affect the economy. The government is advocating for more exports of manufactured goods, but the competition in international markets will be tough.

GNP: $240.8 billion, per capita $14,300; real growth rate 4.1% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 6.0% (December 1989)

Budget: revenues $76.3 billion; expenditures $69.1 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90 est.)

Exports: $43.2 billion (f.o.b., FY89); commodities—wheat, barley, beef, lamb, dairy products, wool, coal, iron ore; partners—Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, USSR 3%

Imports: $48.6 billion (c.i.f., FY89); commodities—manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods; partners—US 22%, Japan 22%, UK 7%, FRG 6%, NZ 4% (1984)

External debt: $111.6 billion (September 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (FY88)

Electricity: 38,000,000 kW capacity; 139,000 million kWh produced, 8,450 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles

Agriculture: makes up 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues; world's largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton, and among the top wheat exporters; major crops include wheat, barley, sugarcane, and fruit; livestock includes cattle, sheep, and poultry.

Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $8.8 billion

Currency: Australian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Australian dollar
($A) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1—1.2784 (January 1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

- Communications Railroads: 40,478 km total; 7,970 km of 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km of 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge; 1,130 km electrified; government-owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of privately owned track) (1985)

Highways: 837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways: 8,368 km; primarily using small, shallow-draft vessels

Pipelines: crude oil, 1,553 miles; refined products, 310 miles; natural gas, 3,480 miles

Ports: Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong,
Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville

Merchant marine: 77 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 2,300,049 GRT/3,493,802 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger ships, 7 cargo ships, 5 container ships, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, 17 petroleum, oil, and lubricants (POL) tankers, 2 chemical tankers, 3 liquefied gas carriers, 1 combination ore/oil ship, 1 livestock carrier, and 29 bulk carriers.

Civil air: about 150 major commercial airplanes

Airports: 564 total, 524 usable; 235 with permanent-surface runways, 2 with runways longer than 3,659 m; 20 with runways between 2,440 and 3,659 m; 311 with runways between 1,220 and 2,439 m.

Telecommunications: excellent international and domestic service; 8.7 million phones; stations—258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service; satellite stations—4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air
Force

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 4,588,750; 4,009,127 fit for military service; 136,042 reaching military age (17) each year

Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Austria
- Geography
Total area: 83,850 km²; land area: 82,730 km²

Comparative area: a bit smaller than Maine

Land boundaries: 2,640 km total; Czechoslovakia 548 km, Hungary 366 km,
Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Switzerland 164 km, FRG 784 km,
Yugoslavia 311 km

Coastline: none—landlocked

Maritime claims: none—landlocked

Disputes: South Tyrol issue with Italy

Climate: moderate; continental, overcast; cold winters with regular rain in the lowlands and snow in the mountains; cool summers with occasional rain showers.

Terrain: mostly mountains, with the Alps in the west and south; mostly flat, with gentle slopes along the eastern and northern edges.

Natural resources: iron ore, crude oil, timber, magnesite, aluminum, lead, coal, lignite, copper, hydropower

Land use: 17% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures; 39% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: due to steep slopes, poor soils, and cold temperatures, the population is concentrated in the eastern lowlands.

Note: landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily navigable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube

- People
Population: 7,644,275 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)

Birth rate: 12 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 11 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 2 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 73 years for males, 80 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Austrian(s); adjective—Austrian

Ethnic divisions: 99.4% German, 0.3% Croatian, 0.2% Slovene, 0.1% other

Religion: 85% Roman Catholic, 6% Protestant, 9% other

Language: German

Literacy: 98%

Labor force: 3,037,000; 56.4% in services, 35.4% in industry and crafts, 8.1% in agriculture and forestry; an estimated 200,000 Austrians work in other European countries; there are 177,840 foreign workers in Austria, making up about 6% of the labor force (1988)

Organized labor: 1,672,820 members of the Austrian Trade Union Federation (1984)

- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Austria

Type: federal republic

Capital: Vienna

Administrative divisions: 9 states (bundesländer, singular—bundesland);
Burgenland, Kärnten, Niederösterreich, Oberösterreich, Salzburg,
Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien

Independence: November 12, 1918 (from the Austro-Hungarian Empire)

Constitution: 1920, updated 1929 (reintroduced 1945)

Legal system: civil law system with roots in Roman law; judicial review of legislative acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.

National holiday: National Day, October 26 (1955)

Executive branch: president, chancellor, vice chancellor, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung) consists of an upper council or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower council or National Council (Nationalrat)

Judicial branch: Supreme Judicial Court for civil and criminal cases, Administrative Court for bureaucratic cases, Constitutional Court for constitutional cases

Leaders:
Chief of State—President Kurt WALDHEIM (since July 8, 1986);

Head of Government—Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since June 16, 1986);
Vice Chancellor Josef RIEGLER (since May 19, 1989)

Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party of Austria (SPO),
Franz Vranitzky, chair; Austrian People's Party (OVP), Josef
Riegler, chair; Freedom Party of Austria (FPO), Jorg Haider,
chair; Communist Party (KPO), Franz Muhri, chair; Green
Alternative List (GAL), Andreas Wabl, chair

Suffrage: everyone can vote at age 19; mandatory for presidential elections

Elections: President—last held 8 June 1986 (next to be held May 1992); results of Second Ballot—Dr. Kurt Waldheim 53.89%, Dr. Kurt Steyrer 46.11%;

Federal Council—last held on November 23, 1986 (next one scheduled for November 1990); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(63 total) OVP 32, SPO 30, FPO 1;

National Council—last held on November 23, 1986 (next scheduled for November 1990); results—SP0 43.1%, OVP 41.3%, FPO 9.7%, GAL 4.8%, KPO 0.7%, other 0.32%; seats—(183 total) SP0 80, OVP 77, FPO 18, GAL 8

Communists: approximately 15,000 members; 7,000-8,000 activists

Other political or pressure groups: Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Austrian Trade Union Federation (mainly Socialist); three combined leagues of the Austrian People's Party (OVP) representing business, labor, and farmers; OVP-aligned League of Austrian Industrialists; Roman Catholic Church, including its main lay organization, Catholic Action

Member of: ADB, Council of Europe, CCC, DAC, ECE, EFTA, ESA,
FAO, GATT, IAEA, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU,
IWC—International Wheat Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO, WSG; Austria is neutral and is not a member of NATO or the EC

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Friedrich HOESS; Embassy at 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; phone (202) 483-4474; there are Austrian Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York; US—Ambassador Henry A. GRUNWALD; Embassy at Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna (mailing address is APO New York 09108); phone [43] (222) 31-55-11; there is a US Consulate General in Salzburg.

Flag: three equal horizontal stripes of red (top), white, and red

- Economy Overview: Austria has a thriving and stable capitalist economy with a significant portion of nationalized industries and extensive welfare benefits. Thanks to a wealth of natural resources, a highly skilled workforce, and strong connections with West German industrial companies, Austria has carved out specialized niches in European industries and services (like tourism and banking) and nearly produces enough food to sustain itself, with only 8% of the workforce in agriculture. Living standards are about on par with the major industrial countries of Western Europe. Challenges for the 1990s include an aging population and the effort to manage welfare benefits within budget constraints.

GDP: $103.2 billion, per person $13,600; actual growth rate 4.2% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (1989)

Unemployment: 4.8% (1989)

Budget: revenues $34.2 billion; expenditures $39.5 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)

Exports: $31.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities—machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles, paper products, chemicals; partners—Germany 35%, Italy 10%, Eastern Europe 9%, Switzerland 7%, US 4%, OPEC 3%

Imports: $37.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities—oil, food items, machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals; partners—Germany 44%, Italy 9%, Eastern Europe 6%, Switzerland 5%, US 4%, USSR 2%

External debt: $12.4 billion (December 1987)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.8% (1989 estimate)

Electricity: 17,562,000 kW capacity; 49,290 million kWh produced, 6,500 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: food, iron and steel, machinery, textiles, chemicals, electronics, paper and pulp, tourism, mining

Agriculture: makes up 4% of GDP (including forestry); main crops and livestock—grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets, sawn wood, cattle, pigs, poultry; 80-90% self-sufficient in food.

Aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $1.7 billion

Currency: Austrian schilling (plural—schillings); 1 Austrian schilling (S) = 100 groschen

Exchange rates: Austrian schillings (S) per US$1—11.907 (January 1990), 13.231 (1989), 12.348 (1988), 12.643 (1987), 15.267 (1986), 20.690 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 6,028 km total; 5,388 km government-owned and 640 km privately owned (1.435 and 1.000-meter gauge); 5,403 km of 1.435-meter standard gauge, with 3,051 km electrified and 1,520 km double-tracked; 363 km of 0.760-meter narrow gauge, of which 91 km is electrified.

Highways: 95,412 km total; 34,612 km are part of the primary network (including 1,012 km of autobahn, 10,400 km of federal roads, and 23,200 km of provincial roads); of this total, 21,812 km are paved and 12,800 km are unpaved; additionally, there are 60,800 km of local roads (mostly gravel, crushed stone, or dirt).

Inland waterways: 446 km

Ports: Vienna, Linz (river ports)

Merchant marine: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 209,311 GRT/366,401 DWT; includes 23 cargo ships, 1 container ship, and 5 bulk carriers.

Pipelines: 554 km of crude oil; 2,611 km of natural gas; 171 km of refined products

Civil air: 25 major transport planes

Airports: 55 total, 54 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: well-developed and efficient; 4,014,000 telephones; extensive TV and radio broadcast systems; stations—6 AM, 21 (544 repeaters) FM, 47 (867 repeaters) TV; satellite stations operating in INTELSAT 1 Atlantic Ocean earth station and 1 Indian Ocean earth station and EUTELSAT systems

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,970,189; 1,656,228 fit for military service; 50,090 reach military age (19) each year.

Defense spending: 1.1% of GDP, or $1.1 billion (1989 estimate)
——————————————————————————
Country: The Bahamas
- Geography
Total area: 13,940 km²; land area: 10,070 km²

Comparative area: a bit larger than Connecticut

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 3,542 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to the exploitation depth;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical marine; tempered by the warm waters of the Gulf Stream

Terrain: long, flat coral formations with a few low, rounded hills

Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber

Land use: 1% arable land; negligible% permanent crops; negligible% meadows and pastures; 32% forest and woodland; 67% other

Environment: exposed to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause significant flood damage

Note: strategic location next to the US and Cuba; large island chain

- People
Population: 246,491 (July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 17 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 6 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants per 1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 68 years for males, 75 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Bahamian(s); adjective—Bahamian

Ethnic divisions: 85% Black, 15% White

Religion: Baptist 29%, Anglican 23%, Roman Catholic 22%, smaller groups of other Protestants, Greek Orthodox, and Jews

Language: English; some Creole spoken by Haitian immigrants

Literacy: 95% (1986)

Labor force: 132,600; 30% government, 25% hotels and restaurants, 10% business services, 5% agriculture (1986)

Organized labor: 25% of the workforce

- Government
Long-form name: The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Type: commonwealth

Capital: Nassau

Administrative divisions: 21 districts; Abaco, Acklins Island,
Andros Island, Berry Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Cay Lobos, Crooked Island,
Eleuthera, Exuma, Grand Bahama, Harbour Island, Inagua, Long Cay, Long Island,
Mayaguana, New Providence, Ragged Island, Rum Cay, San Salvador, Spanish Wells

Independence: July 10, 1973 (from the UK)

Constitution: 10 July 1973

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Independence Day, July 10, 1973

Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 6, 1952), represented by Acting Governor General Sir Henry TAYLOR (since June 26, 1988);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Sir Lynden Oscar PINDLING (since January 16, 1967)

Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party (PLP),
Sir Lynden O. Pindling; Free National Movement (FNM), Cecil Wallace-Whitfield

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: House of Assembly—last held June 19, 1987 (next to be held by June 1992); results—percent of votes by party NA; seats—(49 total) PLP 31, FNM 16, independents 2

Communists: none known

Other political or pressure groups: Vanguard Nationalist and Socialist
Party (VNSP), a small leftist party led by Lionel Carey; Trade Union
Congress (TUC), led by Arlington Miller

Member of: ACP, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77,
GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret E. McDonald; Chancery at Suite 865, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone (202) 944-3390; there are Bahamian Consulates General in Miami and New York; US—Ambassador Chic Hecht; Embassy at Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau (mailing address is P.O. Box N-8197, Nassau); telephone (809) 322-1181 or 328-2206

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle on the hoist side.

- Economy Overview: The Bahamas is a stable, middle-income developing country whose economy mainly relies on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism accounts for about 50% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs around 50,000 people, representing 40% of the local workforce. In recent years, the economy has thrived, supported by a consistent annual rise in the number of tourists. The per capita GDP of over $9,800 is among the highest in the region.

GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $9,875; real growth rate 2.0% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1988)

Unemployment: 12% (1986)

Budget: revenues $555 million; expenditures $702 million, which includes capital expenditures of $138 million (1989 est.)

Exports: $733 million (f.o.b., 1987); products—pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish; partners—US 90%, UK 10%

Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1987); commodities—food, manufactured goods, mineral fuels; partners—Iran 30%, Nigeria 20%, US 10%, EC 10%, Gabon 10%

External debt: $1.5 billion (September 1988)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 368,000 kW capacity; 857 million kWh produced, 3,470 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: banking, tourism, cement, oil refining and shipping, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral weld, steel pipe

Agriculture: makes up less than 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale farmers; main products—citrus fruits, vegetables, poultry; significant net importer of food.

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $42 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $344 million

Currency: Bahamian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Bahamian dollar
(B$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1—1.00 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications
Highways: 2,400 km total; 1,350 km paved, 1,050 km gravel

Ports: Freeport, Nassau

Merchant marine: 533 ships (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 11,684,123 GRT/19,574,532 DWT; includes 26 passenger ships, 15 short-sea passenger ships, 121 cargo ships, 40 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships, 42 refrigerated cargo ships, 16 container ships, 6 car carriers, 123 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tankers, 6 liquefied gas carriers, 19 combination ore/oil carriers, 29 chemical tankers, 1 specialized tanker, 86 bulk carriers, 3 combination bulk carriers; note—a flag of convenience registry

Civil air: 9 major transport planes

Airports: 59 total, 57 usable; 31 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways between 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with runways between 1,220-2,439 m.

Telecommunications: highly advanced; 99,000 telephones in a fully automatic system; tropospheric scatter and underwater cable connections to Florida; stations—3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (only includes coast guard),
Royal Bahamas Police Force

Military manpower: NA

Defense expenditures: NA
——————————————————————————
Country: Bahrain
- Geography
Total area: 620 km²; land area: 620 km²

Comparative area: just under 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: not specific;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

Disputes: territorial disagreement with Qatar over the Hawar Islands

Climate: dry; mild, enjoyable winters; very hot, humid summers

Terrain: mainly flat desert plain that gradually rises to a low central cliff.

Natural resources: oil, both associated and non-associated natural gas, fish

Land use: 2% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 6% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 90% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: groundwater sources are being used up quickly (needs the development of desalination plants); dust storms; land turning into desert.

Note: being close to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources and its strategic position in the Persian Gulf, through which a significant portion of the Western world’s crude oil has to pass to reach the open ocean.

- People
Population: 520,186 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)

Birth rate: 28 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 3 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 8 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 71 years for males, 76 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Bahraini(s); adjective—Bahraini

Ethnic divisions: 63% Bahraini, 13% Asian, 10% other Arab, 8% Iranian, 6% other

Religion: Muslim (70% Shia, 30% Sunni)

Language: Arabic (official); English is also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu

Literacy: 40%

Labor force: 140,000; 42% of the labor force is Bahraini; 85% in industry and commerce, 5% in agriculture, 5% in services, 3% in government (1982)

Organized labor: The General Committee for Bahrain Workers only exists in eight major designated companies.

- Government
Long-form name: State of Bahrain

Type: traditional monarchy

Capital: Manama

Administrative divisions: 11 municipalities (baladiyat, singular—baladiyah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah

Independence: August 15, 1971 (from the UK)

Constitution: May 26, 1973, effective December 6, 1973

Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law

National holiday: National Day, December 16

Executive branch: emir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime minister,
Cabinet

Legislative branch: the unicameral National Assembly was dissolved on August 26, 1975, and the Cabinet took over its legislative powers.

Judicial branch: High Civil Appeals Court

Leaders: Chief of State—Amir Isa bin Salman Al KHALIFA (since 2 November 1961); Heir Apparent Hamad bin Isa Al KHALIFA (son of Amir; born 28 January 1950);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Khalifa bin Salman Al KHALIFA, (since January 19, 1970)

Political parties and pressure groups: political parties are banned; several small, secret leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are operating.

Suffrage: none

Elections: none

Communists: negligible

Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB—Islamic Development Bank, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ghazi Muhammad AL-QUSAYBI; Chancery at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in New York; US—Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Shaikh Isa Road, Manama (mailing address is P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York 09526); telephone [973] 714151 through 714153

Flag: red with a white zigzag band (eight white points) on the hoist side

- Economy Overview: The recent drop in oil prices has negatively affected the economy. Oil production and processing make up about 85% of export income, 60% of government revenue, and 20% of GDP. In 1986, weak oil market conditions led to a 5% decrease in GDP, which was a stark contrast to the 5% average annual growth rate seen in the early 1980s. However, the slowdown in economic activity has helped reduce the inflation of the 1970s. The government's previous efforts to diversify the economy have lessened the impact of the downturn but haven't been enough to make up for the losses in oil and gas revenue.

GDP: $3.5 billion, per person $7,550 (1987); actual growth rate 0% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1988)

Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)

Budget: revenues $1.136 billion; expenditures $1.210 billion, including capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)

Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners—US, UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia

Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—non-oil 59%, crude oil 41%; partners—UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan

External debt: $1.1 billion (estimated December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1987)

Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6 billion kWh produced, 12,800 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: oil processing and refining, aluminum production, offshore banking, ship repair

Agriculture, which includes fishing, makes up less than 2% of GDP; the country is not self-sufficient in food production; it's a heavily subsidized sector that produces fruits, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, and fish; the fish catch was 9,000 metric tons in 1987.

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $28 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion

Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar
(BD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1—0.3760 (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Highways: 200 km of paved roads, including a 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia that opened in November 1986; NA km of unpaved tracks

Ports: Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah

Merchant marine: 1 cargo ship and 1 bulk carrier (1,000 GRT or more) totaling 28,621
GRT/44,137 DWT

Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km

Civil air: 24 major transport planes

Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with paved runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways between 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: great international telecommunications; sufficient domestic services; 98,000 phones; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia; undersea cable to Qatar and UAE

- Defense Forces
Branches: Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force, Police Force

Military manpower: males aged 15-49, 183,580; 102,334 are fit for military service

Defense spending: 5% of GDP, or $194 million (1990 est.) —————————————————————————— Country: Baker Island (territory of the US) - Geography Total area: 1.4 km²; land area: 1.4 km²

Comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 4.8 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 m;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; little rainfall, steady winds, scorching sun

Terrain: flat, almost level coral island encircled by a slim fringing reef

Natural resources: guano (mined until 1891)

Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other

Environment: barren, with sparse and scattered plants including grasses, low vines, and short shrubs; lacks fresh water; mainly a nesting, roosting, and foraging area for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine animals.

Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific
Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia

- People
Population: uninhabited

Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by the US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and cemetery ruins are located near the middle of the west coast.

- Government
Long-form name: none

Type: unincorporated territory of the US managed by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

- Economy
Overview: no economic activity

- Communications Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle of the west coast

Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway measuring 1,665 meters

Note: there is a day marker near the middle of the west coast

- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the
US Coast Guard
——————————————————————————
Country: Bangladesh
- Geography
Total area: 144,000 km²; land area: 133,910 km²

Comparative area: a bit smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Myanmar 193 km, India 4,053 km

Coastline: 580 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 18 nm;

Continental shelf: up to the outer edges of the continental margin;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: part of the border with India is disputed; issues with water sharing with upstream riparian India over the Ganges

Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
(March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)

Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in the southeast

Natural resources: natural gas, uranium, farmland, timber

Land use: 67% cultivated land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 16% forests and woodlands; 11% other; includes 14% irrigated.

Environment: at risk of droughts; much of the country often experiences flooding during the summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation

Note: almost entirely surrounded by India

- People
Population: 118,433,062 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)

Birth rate: 42 births per 1,000 people (1990)

Death rate: 14 deaths per 1,000 people (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants per 1,000 people (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 54 years for males, 53 years for females (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born per woman (1990)

Nationality: noun—Bangladeshi(s); adjective—Bangladesh

Ethnic divisions: 98% Bengali; 250,000 Biharis, and under 1 million tribals

Religion: 83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian, and others

Language: Bengali (official), English commonly used

Literacy: 29% (39% men, 18% women)

Labor force: 35,100,000; 74% agriculture, 15% services, 11% industry and commerce; significant labor exports to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Kuwait (FY86)

Organized labor: 3% of the workforce is part of 2,614 registered unions (1986 est.)

- Government
Long-form name: People's Republic of Bangladesh

Type: republic

Capital: Dhaka

Administrative divisions: 64 districts (zillagulo,
singular—zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra,
Borguna, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj,
Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka,
Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj,
Habiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah,
Khagrachari, Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur,
Lalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur,
Moulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail,
Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona, Nilphamari,
Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram,
Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur,
Satkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet,
Tangail, Thakurgaon

Independence: December 16, 1971 (from Pakistan; previously East Pakistan)

Constitution: November 4, 1972, effective December 16, 1972, suspended after the coup on March 24, 1982, restored November 10, 1986

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Independence Day, March 26 (1971)

Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: single-chamber Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders:
Chief of State—President Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD
(since December 11, 1983, elected October 15, 1986); Vice President
Moudad AHMED (since August 12, 1989);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Qazi Zafar AHMED (since August 12, 1989)

Political parties and leaders: Jatiyo Party, Hussain Mohammad Ershad; Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Ziaur Rahman; Awami League, Sheikh Hasina Wazed; United People's Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed; Democratic League, Khondakar Mushtaque Ahmed; Muslim League, Khan A. Sabur; Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (National Socialist Party), M. A. Jalil; Bangladesh Communist Party (pro-Soviet), Saifuddin Ahmed Manik; Jamaat-E-Islami, Ali Khan

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections:
President—last held on October 15, 1986 (next to be held in October
1991);
results—President Hussain Mohammad Ershad received 83.5% of the vote;

Parliament—last held on March 3, 1988 (next scheduled for March 1993); results—percentage of votes by party NA; seats—(330 total, 300 elected and 30 reserved for women) Jatiyo Party won 256 out of 300 seats

Communists: 5,000 members (1987 est.)

Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador A. H. S. Ataul KARIM; Chancery at 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-8372 through 8376; there is a Bangladesh Consulate General in New York; US—Ambassador-designate William B. MILAM; Embassy at Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara Model Town, Dhaka (mailing address is G. P. O. Box 323, Ramna, Dhaka); telephone [88] (2) 608170

Flag: green with a large red circle slightly to the left side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam.

- Economy Overview: The economy relies heavily on a limited range of agricultural products, with jute as the main cash crop and key source of export earnings. Bangladesh faces challenges due to a relative shortage of natural resources, a rapid population growth of 2.8% per year, and inadequate infrastructure, making it very susceptible to natural disasters. Despite these challenges, the real GDP grew by an average of about 3.8% annually from 1985 to 1988. As one of the poorest countries in the world, reducing poverty is a central focus of the government's development strategy. The agricultural sector makes up over 50% of GDP and 75% of exports, employing more than 74% of the workforce. Industry represents about 10% of GDP.

GDP: $20.6 billion; per capita: $180; real growth rate: 2.1% (FY89 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8-10% (FY89 estimate)

Unemployment rate: 30% (FY88 est.)

Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenses $3.3 billion, including capital expenses of $1.7 billion (FY89)

Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities—jute, tea, leather, shrimp, manufacturing; partners—US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%, Eastern Europe 7%

Imports: $3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities—food, oil and other energy sources, nonfood consumer products, semiprocessed materials, and machinery; partners—Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%

External debt: $10.4 billion (December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (FY89 est.)

Electricity: 1,700,000 kW capacity; 4.9 billion kWh produced, 40 kWh per person (1989)

Industries: jute production, food processing, cotton textiles, oil, urea fertilizer

Agriculture: makes up about 50% of GDP and 74% of both jobs and exports; imports 10% of its food grain needs; the world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products include jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, and poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils, and cotton; fish catch was 778,000 metric tons in 1986

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $3.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $9.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $1.5 billion

Currency: taka (plural—taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise

Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1—32.270 (January 1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

- Communications Railroads: 2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km of 1,000 mm gauge, 978 km of 1,676 mm broad gauge

Highways: 7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved

Inland waterways: 5,150-8,046 km of navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km of main cargo routes)