 |
#Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures
#Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
*People #Population: 40,600,518 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991); includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US;
four independent homelands—Bophuthatswana 2,419,515, growth rate 2.83%; Ciskei 1,056,552, growth rate 2.96%; Transkei 4,553,994, growth rate 4.16%; Venda 691,273, growth rate 3.83%;
six other homelands—Gazankulu 772,532, growth rate 3.98%; Kangwane 576,573, growth rate 3.62%; KwaNdebele 360,582, growth rate 3.38%; KwaZulu 5,546,082, growth rate 3.60%; Lebowa 2,812,630, growth rate 3.91%; QwaQwa 277,957, growth rate 3.60%
#Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 51 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 67 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 4.4 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—South African(s); adjective—South African
#Ethnic divisions: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
#Religion: most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks are Christian; about 60% of Indians are Hindu; Muslim 20%
#Language: Afrikaans, English (both official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana
#Literacy: 76% (male 78%, female 75%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
#Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active (1989); services 34%, agriculture 30%, industry and commerce 29%, mining 7% (1985)
#Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized; African unions represent 15% of black labor force
*Government #Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA
#Type: republic
#Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein
#Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US—4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)
#Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
#Constitution: 3 September 1984
#Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
#National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
#Executive branch: state president, Executive Council (cabinet), Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)
#Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of the House of Assembly (Volksraad; whites), House of Representatives (Raad van Verteenwoordigers; Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Raad van Afgevaardigdes; Indians)
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court
#Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—State President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)
#Political parties and leaders: white political parties and leaders—National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. TREURNICHT (official opposition party); Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap MARAIS; Democratic Party (DP), Zach DE BEER;
Colored political parties and leaders—Labor Party (LP), Allan HENDRICKSE (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter EBRAHIM; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac RABIE; Freedom Party;
Indian political parties and leaders—Solidarity, J. N. REDDY (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand RAJBANSI; Merit People's Party
#Suffrage: universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based
#Elections:
House of Assembly (whites)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by March 1995); results—NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats—(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34;
House of Representatives (Coloreds)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2;
House of Delegates (Indians)—last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1, National Federal Party 1, independents 6
#Communists: small Communist party legalized in 1990 after 30-year ban, Daniel TLOOME, chairman, and Joe SLOVO, general secretary
#Other political or pressure groups: African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president
#Member of: BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, LORCS, SACU, UN, UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended)
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Harry SCHWARZ; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York;
US—Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg
#Flag: actually four flags in one—three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
*Economy #Overview: Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of less than 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the 5-6% level needed to cut into the high unemployment rate.
#GDP: $101.7 billion, per capita $2,600; real growth rate - 0.9% (1990)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.4% (1990)
#Unemployment rate: 22% (1989); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in homelands (1988 est.)
#Budget: revenues $28.9 billion; expenditures $32.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (FY92 est.)
#Exports: $23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—gold 39%, minerals and metals 33%, food 5%, chemicals 3%;
partners—Italy, Japan, US, FRG, UK, other EC, Hong Kong
#Imports: $17 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals;
partners—FRG, Japan, UK, US, Italy
#External debt: $19.5 billion (July 1990)
#Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for about 45% of GDP
#Electricity: 34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1989)
#Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
#Agriculture: accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products—cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat; sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food
#Economic aid: NA
#Currency: rand (plural—rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
#Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1—2.5625 (January 1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)
#Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
*Communications #Railroads: 20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge
#Highways: 188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth
#Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas
#Ports: Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay
#Merchant marine: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 229,245 GRT/218,929 DWT; includes 6 container, 1 vehicle carrier
#Civil air: 81 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 917 total, 765 usable; 130 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 224 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 4,500,000 telephones; stations—14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 9,797,349; 5,980,786 fit for military service; 426,615 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is one year; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US
Defense expenditures: $3.67 billion, 11% of GDP (FY92) % @South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependent territory of the UK) *Geography Total area: 4,066 km2; land area: 4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks
#Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
#Land boundaries: none
#Coastline: undetermined
#Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
#Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
#Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
#Natural resources: fish
#Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen
#Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
#Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage
*People #Population: no permanent population; there is a small military garrison on South Georgia and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich islands are uninhabited
*Government #Long-form name: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)
#Type: dependent territory of the UK
#Capital: Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
#Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
#Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
#Constitution: 3 October 1985
#Legal system: English common law
#National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
#Executive branch: British monarch, commissioner
#Legislative branch: none
#Judicial branch: none
#Leaders:
Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley, Falkland Islands)
*Economy #Overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
#Budget: revenues $291,777; expenditures $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)
#Electricity: 900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1990)
*Communications #Highways: NA
#Ports: Grytviken on South Georgia
#Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m
#Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations
*Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK % @Soviet Union *Geography Total area: 22,402,200 km2; land area: 22,272,000 km2
#Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of US
#Land boundaries: 19,933 km total; Afghanistan 2,384 km, Czechoslovakia 98 km, China 7,520 km, Finland 1,313 km, Hungary 135 km, Iran 1,690 km, North Korea 17 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland 1,215 km, Romania 1,307 km, Turkey 617 km
#Coastline: 42,777 km
#Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Disputes: bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve disputed sections of the boundary with China; US Government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union; Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands and the Habomai island group occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; maritime dispute with Norway over portion of Barents Sea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR
#Climate: mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast
#Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south
#Natural resources: self-sufficient in oil, natural gas, coal, and strategic minerals (except bauxite, alumina, tantalum, tin, tungsten, fluorspar, and molybdenum), timber, gold, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, potash, phosphates; note—the USSR is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas, third in coal
#Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 17%; forest and woodland 41%; other 32%; includes irrigated 1%
#Environment: despite size and diversity, small percentage of land is arable and much is too far north; some of most fertile land is water deficient or has insufficient growing season; many better climates have poor soils; hot, dry, desiccating sukhovey wind affects south; desertification; continuous permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development
#Note: largest country in world, but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of world
*People #Population: 293,047,571 (July 1991), growth rate 0.7% (1991)
#Birth rate: 17 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 74 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Soviet(s); adjective—Soviet
#Ethnic divisions: Russian 50.78%, Ukrainian 15.45%, Uzbek 5.84%, Belorussian (Byelorussian) 3.51%, Kazakh 2.85%, Azeri 2.38%, Armenian 1.62%, Tajik 1.48%, Georgian 1.39%, Moldovan 1.17%, Lithuanian 1.07%, Turkmen 0.95%, Kirghiz 0.89%, Latvian 0.51%, Estonian 0.36%, other 9.75%
#Religion: Russian Orthodox 20%, Muslim 10%, Protestant, Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic 7%, Jewish less than 1%, atheist 60% (est.)
#Language: Russian (official); more than 200 languages and dialects (at least 18 with more than 1 million speakers); Slavic group 75%, other Indo-European 8%, Altaic 12%, Uralian 3%, Caucasian 2%
#Literacy: 98% (male 99%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1989)
#Labor force: 152,300,000 civilians; industry and other nonagricultural fields 80%, agriculture 20%; shortage of skilled labor (1989)
#Organized labor: the vast majority of workers are union members; official unions are organized within the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) and still operate within general guidelines set up by the CPSU and Soviet Government; a large number of independent trade unions have been formed since President Gorbachev came to power; most are locally or regionally based and represent workers from one enterprise or a group of enterprises; there are a few independent unions that claim a nationwide following, the most prominent of which is Independent Miners Trade Union set up by the country's coal miners
*Government #Long-form name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; abbreviated USSR
#Type: in transition to multiparty federal system
#Capital: Moscow
#Administrative divisions: 1 soviet federative socialist republic* (sovetskaya federativnaya sotsialistcheskaya respublika) and 14 soviet socialist republics (sovetskiye sotsialisticheskiye respubliki, singular—sovetskaya sotsialisticheskaya respublika); Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic*, Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; note—Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is often abbreviated RSFSR and Soviet Socialist Republic is often abbreviated SSR; the parliaments in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania have removed the words Soviet Socialist from the names of their republics, but the central government has not recognized those changes; the parliament in Kirghiziya changed the name Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic to Republic of Kyrgyzstan, but the central government has not recognized that change
#Independence: 30 December 1922 (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established)
#Constitution: 7 October 1977
#Legal system: civil law system as modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
#National holiday: Great October Socialist Revolution, 7-8 November (1917)
#Executive branch: president
#Legislative branch: the Congress of People's Deputies (S'ezd Narodnykh Deputatov) is the supreme organ of USSR state power and selects the bicameral Supreme Soviet (Verkhovnyi Sovyet) which consists of two coequal houses—Soviet of the Union (Soviet Soiuza) and Soviet of Nationalities (Soviet Natsional'nostei)
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court of the USSR
#Leaders:
Chief of State—President Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV (since 14 March 1990; former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party since 11 March 1985—resigned August 1991);
Head of Government—Prime Minister (vacant); Chairman of the Committee for the Operational Management of the USSR National Economy Ivan SILAYEV (since 24 August 1991)
#Political parties and leaders: nascent multiparty system
#Suffrage: universal at age 18
#Elections:
President—last held 14 March 1990 (next to be held NA 1995); results—Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV was elected by the Congress of People's Deputies;
Congress of People's Deputies—last held 17 December 1990 (next to be held NA); results—NA; seats—(2,250 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA; note—dissolved September 1991
USSR Supreme Soviet—consists of the Council of the Union and the Council of Republics;
Council of the Union—last held Spring 1991 (next to be held Fall 1991); results—NA; seats—(271 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA;
Council of Republics—last held Spring 1991 (next to be held Fall 1991); results—NA; seats—(271 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA; note—to be reconstituted as a new legislature—date not set
#Communists: prior to August 1991 about 15 million party members, with membership declining
#Other political or pressure groups: formal parties, regional popular fronts, trade unions, and informal organizations
#Member of: CSCE, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICFTU, IIB, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Viktor KOMPLEKTOV; Chancery at 1125 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 628-7551 or 8548; there is a Soviet Consulate General in San Francisco;
US—Ambassador Robert S. STRAUSS; Embassy at Ulitsa Chaykovskogo 19/21/23, Moscow (mailing address is APO New York 09862); telephone [7] (095) 252-2450 through 59; there is a US Consulate General in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad)
#Flag: red with the yellow silhouette of a crossed hammer and sickle below a yellow-edged five-pointed red star in the upper hoist-side corner
*Economy #Overview: The first six years of perestroyka (economic and political restructuring) have undermined the institutions and processes of the Soviet command economy without replacing them with efficiently functioning markets. The initial reforms have featured greater authority for enterprise managers over prices, wages, product mix, investment, sources of supply, and customers. But in the absence of effective market discipline, the result has been the disappearance of low-price goods, excessive wage increases, an even larger volume of unfinished construction projects, and, in general, continued economic stagnation. The Gorbachev regime has made at least four serious errors in economic policy in these six years: the unpopular and short-lived antialcohol campaign; the initial cutback in imports of consumer goods; the failure to act decisively at the beginning for the privatization of agriculture; and the buildup of a massive overhang of unspent rubles in the hands of households and enterprises. The regime has vacillated among a series of ambitious economic policy prescriptions put forth by leading economists and political leaders. The plans vary from proposals for (a) quick marketization of the economy; (b) gradual marketization; (c) a period of retrenchment to ensure a stable base for future marketization; and (d) a return to disciplined central planning and allocation. The economy, caught between two systems, is suffering from even greater mismatches between what is being produced and what would serve the best interests of enterprises and households. Meanwhile, the seething nationality problems have been dislocating regional patterns of economic specialization and pose a further major threat to growth prospects over the next few years. Official Soviet statistics report GNP fell by 2% in 1990, but the actual decline was substantially greater. Whatever the numerical decline, it does not capture the increasing disjointures in the economy evidenced by emptier shelves, longer lines, increased barter, and widespread strikes.
#GNP: approximately $2,660 billion, per capita $9,130; real growth rate - 2.4% to - 5.0% (1990 est. based on a reconstruction of official Soviet statistics); note—because of the continued unraveling of Soviet economic and statistical controls, the estimate is subject to even greater uncertainties than in earlier years; the dollar estimates most likely overstate Soviet GNP to some extent because of an incomplete allowance for the poor quality, narrow assortment, and low performance characteristics of Soviet goods and services; the - 2.4% growth figure is based on the application of CIA's usual estimating methods whereas the - 5.0% figure is corrected for measurement problems that worsened sharply in 1990
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1990 est.)
#Unemployment rate: official Soviet statistics imply an unemployment rate of 1 to 2 percent in 1990; USSR's first official unemployment estimate, however, is acknowledged to be rough
#Budget: revenues 422 billion rubles; expenditures 510 billion rubles, including capital expenditures of 53 billion rubles (1990 est.)
#Exports: $109.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood, agricultural products, and a wide variety of manufactured goods (primarily capital goods and arms);
partners—Eastern Europe 46%, EC 16%, Cuba 6%, US, Afghanistan (1989)
#Imports: $114.7 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities—grain and other agricultural products, machinery and equipment, steel products (including large-diameter pipe), consumer manufactures;
partners—Eastern Europe 50%, EC 13%, Cuba, China, US (1989)
#External debt: $55 billion (1990)
#Industrial production: growth rate - 2.4% (1990 est.)
#Electricity: 350,000,000 kW capacity; 1,740,000 million kWh produced, 5,920 kWh per capita (1990)
#Industries: diversified, highly developed capital goods and defense industries; comparatively less developed consumer goods industries
#Agriculture: accounts for roughly 20% of GNP and labor force; production based on large collective and state farms; inefficiently managed; wide range of temperate crops and livestock produced; world's third-largest grain producer after the US and China; shortages of grain, oilseeds, and meat; world's leading producer of sawnwood and roundwood; annual fish catch among the world's largest
#Illicit drugs: illegal producer of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has begun eradication program to control cultivation; used as a transshipment country for illicit drugs to Western Europe
#Economic aid: donor—extended to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-89), $49.6 billion; extended to other Communist countries (1954-89), $154 billion
#Currency: ruble (plural—rubles); 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
#Exchange rates: rubles (R) per US$1—0.580 (1990), 0.629 (1989), 0.629 (1988), 0.633 (1987), 0.704 (1986), 0.838 (1985); note—as of 1 April 1991 the official exchange rate remained administratively set; it should not be used indiscriminately to convert domestic rubles to dollars; in November 1990 the USSR introduced a commercial exchange rate of 1.8 rubles to the dollar used for accounting purposes within the USSR and which was still in force on 1 April 1991; on 1 April 1991 the USSR introduced a new foreign-currency market for foreign companies and individuals; the rate will be fixed twice a week based on supply and demand; as of 4 April 1991 the rate was 27.6 rubles to the dollar; Soviet citizens traveling abroad are restricted to buying $200 a year at prevailing rates
#Fiscal year: calendar year
*Communications #Railroads: 147,400 km total; 53,900 km electrified; does not include industrial lines (1989)
#Highways: 1,757,000 km total; 1,310,600 km hard-surfaced (asphalt, concrete, stone block, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone); 446,400 km earth (1989)
#Inland waterways: 123,700 km navigable, exclusive of Caspian Sea (1989)
#Pipelines: 82,000 km crude oil and refined products; 206,500 km natural gas (1987)
#Ports: St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), Riga, Tallinn, Kaliningrad, Liepaja, Ventspils, Murmansk, Arkhangel'sk, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Il'ichevsk, Nikolayev, Sevastopol', Vladivostok, Nakhodka; inland ports are Astrakhan', Baku, Nizhniy Novgorod (Gor'kiy), Kazan', Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kuybyshev, Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd, Kiev
#Merchant marine: 1,565 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,243,228 GRT/20,874,488 DWT; includes 52 passenger, 898 cargo, 52 container, 11 barge carrier, 4 roll-on/float off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 114 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 230 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 17 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized liquid carrier, 13 chemical tanker, 160 bulk; note—594 merchant ships are based in Black Sea, 366 in Baltic Sea, 398 in Soviet Far East, and 207 in Barents Sea and White Sea; the Soviet Union has been transferring merchant ships to a variety of flags of convenience; at the beginning of 1991 the USSR had 64 ships under foreign flags (Cyprus 52, Malta 7, Panama 2, Vanuatu 2, and Honduras 1)
#Civil air: 4,000 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 7,192 total, 4,607 usable; 1,163 with permanent-surface runways; 33 with runways over 3,659 m; 491 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 661 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: 37 million telephone subscribers; phone density of 37 per 100 households; urban phone density is 9.2 phones per 100 residents; rural phone density is 2.9 per 100 residents (June 1990); automatic telephone dialing with 70 countries and between 25 Soviet cities (April 1989); stations—457 AM, 131 FM, over 900 TV; 90 million TVs (December 1990)
*Defense Forces #Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces, Command and General Support, Security Forces
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 70,058,651; 55,931,817 fit for military service; 2,265,935 reach military age (18) annually (down somewhat from 2,500,000 a decade ago); approximately 35-40% receive deferments for health, education, or other reasons
Defense expenditures: 63.9 billion rubles, NA% of GDP % @Spain *Geography Total area: 504,750 km2; land area: 499,400 km2; includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco—Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
#Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
#Land boundaries: 1,903.2 km total; Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km
#Coastline: 4,964 km
#Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco—the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
#Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
#Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
#Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
#Land use: arable land 31%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures 21%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 6%
#Environment: deforestation; air pollution
#Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
*People #Population: 39,384,516 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
#Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Spaniard(s); adjective—Spanish
#Ethnic divisions: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
#Religion: Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%
#Language: Castilian Spanish; second languages include Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
#Literacy: 95% (male 97%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
#Labor force: 14,621,000; services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, constrction 9% (1988)
#Organized labor: less 10% of labor force (1988)
*Government #Long-form name: Kingdom of Spain
#Type: parliamentary monarchy
#Capital: Madrid
#Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular—comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco; note—there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
#Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
#Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
#Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
#National holiday: National Day, 12 October
#Executive branch: monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State
#Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
#Leaders:
Chief of State—King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Narcis SERRA (since 13 March 1991)
#Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from right to left—Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Luis DE GRANDES; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Adolfo SUAREZ Gonzalez; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez; Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA; chief regional parties— Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley, in Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza; Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS; Basque Left (EE), Kepa AULESTIA; Andalusian Party (PA), Pedro PACHECO; Independent Canary Group (AIC); Aragon Regional Party (PAR); Valencian Union (UV)
#Suffrage: universal at age 18
#Elections:
Senate —last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results—NA; seats (208) PSOE 106, PP 79, CiU 10, PNV 4, HB 3, AIC 1, other 5;
Congress of Deputies—last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results—PSOE 39.6%, PP 25.8%, CDS 9%, Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%, CiU 5%, Basque Nationalist Party 1.2%, HB 1%, Andalusian Party 1%, other 8.4%; seats—(350 total) PSOE 175, PP 106, CiU 18, IU 17, CDS 14, PNV 5, HB 4, other 11
#Communists: PCE membership declined from a possible high of 160,000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 in 1987; the party gained almost 1 million voters and 10 deputies in the 1989 election; voters came mostly from the disgruntled socialist left; remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country's two major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about 1 million; experienced a modest recovery in 1986 national election, nearly doubling the share of the vote it received in 1982
#Other political or pressure groups: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); the Catholic Church; business and landowning interests; Opus Dei; university students
#Member of: AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime de OJEDA; Chancery at 2700 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191; there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US—Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA; Embassy at Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid (mailing address is APO New York 09285); telephone [34] (1) 577-4000; there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in Bilbao
#Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
*Economy #Overview: This Western capitalistic economy has done well since Spain joined the EC in 1986. With annual increases in real GNP averaging about 5% in the 1987-90 period, Spain has been the fastest growing member of the EC. Increased investment—both domestic and foreign—has been the most important factor pushing the economic expansion. Inflation moderated to 4.8% in 1988, but an overheated economy caused inflation to reach almost 7% in 1989-90. Another economic problem facing Spain is an unemployment rate of 16.3%, the highest in Europe.
#GDP: $435.9 billion, per capita $11,100; real growth rate 3.7% (1990)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.7% (1990)
#Unemployment rate: 16.3% (1990)
#Budget: revenues $100.1 billion; expenditures $111.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
#Exports: $55.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—foodstuffs, live animals, wood, footwear, machinery, chemicals;
partners—EC 67.8%, US 6.5%, other developed countries 9%
#Imports: $87.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—petroleum, footwear, machinery, chemicals, grain, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, iron and steel, timber, cotton, transport equipment;
partners—EC 59.7%, US 8.5%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 3.4%
#External debt: $37 billion (1990 est.)
#Industrial production: growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.)
#Electricity: 46,589,000 kW capacity; 141,000 million kWh produced, 3,590 kWh per capita (1990)
#Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools
#Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 14% of labor force; major products—grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruit, beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons is among top 20 nations
#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million; not currently a recipient
#Currency: peseta (plural—pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
#Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1—95.20 (January 1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)
#Fiscal year: calendar year
*Communications #Railroads: 15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track; FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified; privately owned railways operate 918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double track
#Highways: 150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)
#Inland waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
#Pipelines: 265 km crude oil; 1,794 km refined products; 1,666 km natural gas
#Ports: Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo, Puerto de Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Mahon, Malaga, Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and 175 minor ports
#Merchant marine: 304 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,367,529 GRT/5,984,306 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 105 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 14 container, 29 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 vehicle carrier, 50 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 14 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized tanker, 48 bulk
#Civil air: 172 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 104 total, 98 usable; 61 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 22 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,350,464 telephones; stations—206 AM, 411 (134 relays) FM, 143 (1,297 relays) TV; 17 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (5 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and ENTELSAT systems
*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 10,134,256; 8,222,987 fit for military service; 339,749 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: $8.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990) % @Spratly Islands *Geography Total area: less than 5 km2; land area: less than 5 km2; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea
#Comparative area: undetermined
#Land boundaries: none
#Coastline: 926 km
#Maritime claims: undetermined
#Disputes: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all or part of the Spratly Islands
#Climate: tropical
#Terrain: flat
#Natural resources: fish, guano; oil and natural gas potential
#Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
#Environment: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
#Note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
*People #Population: no permanent inhabitants; garrisons
*Government #Long-form name: none
*Economy #Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing and phosphate mining. Geological surveys carried out several years ago suggest that substantial reserves of oil and natural gas may lie beneath the islands; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
#Industries: some guano mining
*Communications #Airports: 3 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Ports: no natural harbors
*Defense Forces Note: approximately 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam % @Sri Lanka *Geography Total area: 65,610 km2; land area: 64,740 km2
#Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
#Land boundaries: none
#Coastline: 1,340 km
#Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Climate: tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
#Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
#Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
#Land use: arable land 16%; permanent crops 17%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 37%; other 23%; includes irrigated 8%
#Environment: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
#Note: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
*People #Population: 17,423,736 (July 1991), growth rate 1.2% (1991)
#Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Sri Lankan(s); adjective—Sri Lankan
#Ethnic divisions: Sinhalese 74%; Tamil 18%; Moor 7%; Burgher, Malay, and Veddha 1%
#Religion: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
#Language: Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
#Literacy: 86% (male 91%, female 81%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
#Labor force: 6,600,000; agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and transport 12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)
#Organized labor: about 33% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and coconut estates
*Government #Long-form name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
#Type: republic
#Capital: Colombo
#Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala, Mullaittivu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Vavuniya; note—the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces (Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to the existing districts)
#Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon)
#Constitution: 31 August 1978
#Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
#National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
#Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
#Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court
#Leaders:
Chief of State—President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March 1989)
#Political parties and leaders: United National Party (UNP), Ranasinghe PREMADASA; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF; All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar PONNAMBALAM; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Eelam Democratic Front (EDF), Edward Sebastian PILLAI; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), leader (vacant); Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), Velupillai BALAKUMARAN; New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. de SILVA; Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARANATUNGA; Communist Party/Moscow (CP/M), K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. SHANMUGATHASAN; note—the United Socialist Alliance (USA) includes the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B
#Suffrage: universal at age 18
#Elections:
President—last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1994); results—Ranasinghe PREMADASA (UNP) 50%, Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE (SLFP) 45%, other 5%;
Parliament—last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by February 1995); results—UNP 51%, SLFP 32%, SLMC 4%, TULF 3%, USA 3%, EROS 3%, MEP 1%, other 3%; seats—(225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, other 33
#Other political or pressure groups: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People's Liberation Front); Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
#Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025 through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York;
US—Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE, Jr.; Embassy at 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone [94] (1) 448007
#Flag: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
*Economy #Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about 45% of the labor force and accounting for 26% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 35% of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has been depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1990 as domestic conditions began to improve.
#GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 4.5% (1990 est.)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (1990)
#Unemployment rate: 20% (1990 est.)
#Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.5 billion (1990)
#Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products;
partners—US 26%, FRG, Japan, UK, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China
#Imports: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities—food and beverages, textiles and textile materials, petroleum, machinery and equipment;
partners—Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran
#External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)
#Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP
#Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)
#Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing
#Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops—sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops—tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products—milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production
#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $4.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $369 million
#Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural—rupees); 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
#Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1—40.272 (January 1991), 40.063 (1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)
#Fiscal year: calendar year
*Communications #Railroads: 1,948 km total (1989); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km double track; no electrification; government owned
#Highways: 75,263 km total (1988); 27,637 km paved (mostly bituminous treated), 32,887 km crushed stone or gravel, 14,739 km improved earth or unimproved earth; several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks (1988 est.)
#Inland waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
#Pipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987)
#Ports: Colombo, Trincomalee
#Merchant marine: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,466 GRT/551,686 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk
#Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased)
#Airports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: good international service; 114,000 telephones (1982); stations—12 AM, 5 FM, 5 TV; submarine cables extend to Indonesia and Djibouti; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,636,767; 3,625,289 fit for military service; 178,010 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $300 million, 5% of GDP (1991) % @Sudan *Geography Total area: 2,505,810 km2; land area: 2,376,000 km2
#Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US
#Land boundaries: 7,697 km total; Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km
#Coastline: 853 km
#Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Disputes: administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary; administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary
#Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)
#Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
#Natural resources: small reserves of crude oil, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, crude oil
#Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and woodland 20%; other 51%; includes irrigated 1%
#Environment: dominated by the Nile and its tributaries; dust storms; desertification
#Note: largest country in Africa
*People #Population: 27,220,088 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)
#Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 85 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 54 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Sudanese (sing. and pl.); adjective—Sudanese
#Ethnic divisions: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
#Religion: Sunni Muslim (in north) 70%, indigenous beliefs 20%, Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) 5%
#Language: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Sudanic languages, English; program of Arabization in process
#Literacy: 27% (male 43%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
#Labor force: 6,500,000; agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%; labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.); 52% of population of working age (1985)
#Organized labor: trade unions suspended following 30 June 1989 coup; now in process of being legalized anew
*Government #Long-form name: Republic of the Sudan
#Type: military; civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 June 1989 coup
#Capital: Khartoum
#Administrative divisions: 9 states (wilayat, singular—wilayat or wilayah*); Aali an Nil, Al Wusta*, Al Istiwaiyah*, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah*, Ash Sharqiyah*, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan
#Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK; formerly Anglo-Egyptian Sudan)
#Constitution: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989
#Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the six northern states of Al Wusta, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah, Ash Sharqiyah, Darfur, and Kurdufan; the council is still studying criminal provisions under Islamic law; Islamic law will apply to all residents of the six northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
#National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
#Executive branch: executive and legislative authority vested in a 13-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC); chairman of the RCC acts as prime minister; in July 1989 RCC appointed a predominately civilian 22-member cabinet to function as advisers
#Legislative branch: none
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts
#Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—Revolutionary Command Council Chairman and Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989); Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister Maj. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH Ahmed (since 9 July 1989)
#Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup
#Suffrage: none
#Elections: none
#Member of: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH; Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 338-8565 through 8570; there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York;
US—Ambassador James R. CHEEK; Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668); telephone 74700 or 74611
#Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
*Economy #Overview: Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable largely to declining annual rainfall, has reduced levels of per capita income and consumption. A high foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative on account of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund.
#GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $330; real growth rate - 7% (FY90 est.)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 60% (FY90 est.)
#Unemployment rate: NA
#Budget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.)
#Exports: $465 million (f.o.b., FY90 est.);
commodities—cotton 52%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts;
partners—Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)
#Imports: $1.0 billion (c.i.f., FY90 est.);
commodities—petroleum products 28%, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals;
partners—Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)
#External debt: $12.3 billion (December 1990 est.)
#Industrial production: growth rate 0.7% (FY89); accounts for 11% of GDP
#Electricity: 606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989)
#Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining
#Agriculture: accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force; water shortages; two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and livestock; major products—cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sheep; marginally self-sufficient in most foods
#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.5 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $588 million
#Currency: Sudanese pound (plural—pounds); 1 Sudanese pound (5Sd) = 100 piasters
#Exchange rates: official rate—Sudanese pounds (5Sd) per US$1—4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987), 2.5000 (1986), 2.2883 (1985); note—commercial exchange rate 12.2 (May 1990)
#Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
*Communications #Railroads: 5,500 km total; 4,784 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line
#Highways: 20,000 km total; 1,600 km bituminous treated, 3,700 km gravel, 2,301 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track
#Inland waterways: 5,310 km navigable
#Pipelines: refined products, 815 km
#Ports: Port Sudan, Suakin
#Merchant marine: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,277 GRT/59,588 DWT; includes 3 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo
#Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 78 total, 66 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained; consists of radio relay, cables, radio communications, and troposcatter; domestic satellite system with 14 stations; 73,400 telephones; stations—4 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT
*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,176,917; 3,792,635 fit for military service; 306,695 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $610 million, 7.2% of GDP (1989 est) % @Suriname *Geography Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2
#Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia
#Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
#Coastline: 386 km
#Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)
#Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds
#Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
#Natural resources: timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
#Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 97%; other 3%; includes irrigated NEGL%
#Environment: mostly tropical rain forest
*People #Population: 402,385 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
#Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Surinamer(s); adjective—Surinamese
#Ethnic divisions: Hindustani (East Indian) 37.0%, Creole (black and mixed) 31.0%, Javanese 15.3%, Bush black 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, Europeans 1.0%, other 1.1%
#Religion: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant (predominantly Moravian) 25.2%, indigenous beliefs about 5%
#Language: Dutch (official); English widely spoken; Sranan Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population and is lingua franca among others; also Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri) and Javanese
#Literacy: 95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
#Labor force: 104,000 (1984)
#Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force
*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Suriname
#Type: republic
#Capital: Paramaribo
#Administrative divisions: 10 districts (distrikten, singular—distrikt); Brokopondo, Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca, Sipaliwini, Wanica
#Independence: 25 November 1975 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana)
#Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987
#Legal system: NA
#National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
#Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister, Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note—commander in chief of the National Army maintains significant power
#Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
#Judicial branch: Supreme Court
#Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government—President Ronald VENETIAAN (since 16 September 1991); Vice President and Prime Minister Jules AJODHIA (since 16 September 1991)
#Political parties and leaders:
traditional ethnic-based parties—The New Front (NF), Henck ARRON, a coalition formed of four parties following the 24 December 1990 military coup—Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath LACHMON; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck ARRON; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy SOEMITA; and Suriname Labor Party (SLP), Frank DERBY;
promilitary New Democratic Party (NDP), Jules Albert WIJDENBOSCH, Frank PLAYFAIR;
Democratic Alternative '91 (DA '91), Gerard BRUNINGS, a coalition of five parties formed in January 1991—Alternative Forum, Gerard BRUNINGS, Winston JESSURUN; Reformed Progressive Party (HPP), Panalall PARMISSER; Party for Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Caprino ALLENDY; Pendawalima, Marsha JAMIN; and Independent Progressive Group, Karam RAMSUNDERSINGH;
leftists—Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael NAARENDORP; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan KROLIS
#Suffrage: universal at age 18
#Elections:
President—last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results—elected by the National Assembly—Ronald VENETIAAN (NF) 80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans PRADE (DA '91) 6% (49 votes)
National Assembly—last held 25 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(51 total) NF 30, NDP 12, DA '91 9
#Member of: ACP, CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT; Chancery at Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-7488 or 7490 through 7492; there is a Surinamese Consulate General in Miami;
US—Ambassador John (Jack) P. LEONARD; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone [597] 72900, 77881, or 76459
#Flag: five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band
*Economy #Overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 70% of export earnings and 40% of tax revenues. The economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world bauxite prices that started in the late 1970s and continued until late 1986, was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla insurgency in the interior. The guerrillas targeted the economic infrastructure, crippling the important bauxite sector and shutting down other export industries. These problems have created high inflation, high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and a bad climate for foreign investment. A small gain in economic growth of 2.0% was registered in 1989 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite.
#GDP: $1.35 billion, per capita $3,400; real growth rate 2.0% (1989 est.)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1989 est.)
#Unemployment rate: 33% (1990)
#Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.)
#Exports: $425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities—alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas;
partners—Norway 33%, Netherlands 20%, US 15%, FRG 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 5%, Japan 3%, other 10%
#Imports: $370 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities—capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods;
partners—US 37%, Netherlands 15%, Netherlands Antilles 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Brazil 5%, UK 3%, other 20%
#External debt: $138 million (1990 est.)
#Industrial production: growth rate 16.4% (1988 est.); accounts for 22% of GDP
#Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,090 kWh per capita (1990)
#Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing
#Agriculture: accounts for 11% of both GDP and labor force; paddy rice planted on 85% of arable land and represents 60% of total farm output; other products—bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts, beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing importance; self-sufficient in most foods
#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.45 billion
#Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural—guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents
#Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1—1.7850 (fixed rate)
#Fiscal year: calendar year
*Communications #Railroads: 166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
#Highways: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay
#Inland waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging from 4.2 m to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways
#Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo
#Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container
#Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 46 total, 42 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: international facilities good; domestic radio relay system; 27,500 telephones; stations—5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
*Defense Forces #Branches: National Army (including Navy which is company-size, small Air Force element), Civil Police
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 107,544; 64,146 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: $91 million, 7.2% of GDP (1990 est.) % @Svalbard (territory of Norway) *Geography Total area: 62,049 km2; land area: 62,049 km2; includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
#Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
#Land boundaries: none
#Coastline: 3,587 km
#Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway, not recognized by USSR;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
#Disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute between Norway and USSR
#Climate: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year
#Terrain: wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts
#Natural resources: coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish
#Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%; there are no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry
#Environment: great calving glaciers descend to the sea
#Note: located 445 km north of Norway where the Arctic Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea meet
*People #Population: 3,942 (July 1991), growth rate NA% (1991); about one-third of the population resides in the Norwegian areas (Longyearbyen and Svea on Vestspitsbergen) and two-thirds in the Soviet areas (Barentsburg and Pyramiden on Vestspitsbergen); about 9 persons live at the Polish research station
#Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: NA migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: NA years male, NA years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman (1991)
#Ethnic divisions: Russian 64%, Norwegian 35%, other 1% (1981)
#Language: Russian, Norwegian
#Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
#Labor force: NA
#Organized labor: none
*Government #Long-form name: none
#Type: territory of Norway administered by the Ministry of Industry, Oslo, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was given to Norway
#Capital: Longyearbyen
#Leaders:
Chief of State—King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991);
Head of Government—Governor Leif ELDRING (since NA)
#Member of: none
#Flag: the flag of Norway is used
*Economy #Overview: Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. By treaty (9 February 1920), the nationals of the treaty powers have equal rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Soviet. Each company mines about half a million tons of coal annually. The settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some trapping of seal, polar bear, fox, and walrus.
#Budget: revenues $13.3 million, expenditures $13.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
#Electricity: 21,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 11,420 kWh per capita (1989)
#Currency: Norwegian krone (plural—kroner); 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 ore
#Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1—5.9060 (January 1991), 6.2597 (1990), 6.9045 (1989), 6.5170 (1988), 6.7375 (1987), 7.3947 (1986), 8.5972 (1985)
*Communications #Ports: limited facilities—Ny-Alesund, Advent Bay
#Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: 5 meteorological/radio stations; stations—1 AM, 1 (2 relays) FM, 1 TV
*Defense Forces Note: demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920) % @Swaziland *Geography Total area: 17,360 km2; land area: 17,200 km2
#Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
#Land boundaries: 535 km total; Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
#Coastline: none—landlocked
#Maritime claims: none—landlocked
#Climate: varies from tropical to near temperate
#Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
#Natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, tin, hydropower, forests, and small gold and diamond deposits
#Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 67%; forest and woodland 6%; other 19%; includes irrigated 2%
#Environment: overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
#Note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa
*People #Population: 859,336 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)
#Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 101 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 59 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Swazi(s); adjective—Swazi
#Ethnic divisions: African 97%, European 3%
#Religion: Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%
#Language: English and siSwati (official); government business conducted in English
#Literacy: 55% (male 57%, female 54%) age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
#Labor force: 195,000; over 60,000 engaged in subsistence agriculture; about 92,000 wage earners (many only intermittently), with agriculture and forestry 36%, community and social services 20%, manufacturing 14%, construction 9%, other 21%; 24,000-29,000 employed in South Africa (1987)
#Organized labor: about 10% of wage earners
*Government #Long-form name: Kingdom of Swaziland
#Type: monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
#Capital: Mbabane (administrative); Lobamba (legislative)
#Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
#Independence: 6 September 1968 (from UK)
#Constitution: none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended on 12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but has not been formally presented to the people
#Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts, Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
#National holiday: Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September (1968)
#Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Cabinet
#Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament is advisory and consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
#Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal
#Leaders:
Chief of State—King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Obed DLAMINI (since 12 July 1989)
#Political parties: none; banned by the Constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978
#Suffrage: none
#Elections: no direct elections
#Communists: no Communist party
#Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Absalom Vusani MAMBA; Chancery at 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-6683;
US—Ambassador Stephen H. ROGERS; Embassy at Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane (mailing address is P. O. Box 199, Mbabane); telephone [268] 46441 through 5
#Flag: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
*Economy #Overview: The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which occupies much of the labor force and contributes about 23% to GDP. Manufacturing, which includes a number of agroprocessing factories, accounts for another 26% of GDP. Mining has declined in importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted in 1978, and health concerns cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of sugar and forestry products are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa, from which it receives 92% of its imports and to which it sends about 40% of its exports.
#GNP: $563 million, per capita $670; real growth rate 5.0% (1990 est.)
#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (1990)
#Unemployment rate: NA%
#Budget: revenues $322.9 million; expenditures $325.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92 est.)
#Exports: $543 million (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, citrus, canned fruit;
partners—South Africa 40% (est.), EC, Canada
#Imports: $651 million (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products, foodstuffs, chemicals;
partners—South Africa 92% (est.), Japan, Belgium, UK
#External debt: $290 million (1990)
#Industrial production: growth rate NA; accounts for 26% of GDP (1989)
#Electricity: 50,000 kW capacity; 130 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1989)
#Industries: mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar
#Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP and over 60% of labor force; mostly subsistence agriculture; cash crops—sugarcane, citrus fruit, cotton, pineapples; other crops and livestock—corn, sorghum, peanuts, cattle, goats, sheep; not self-sufficient in grain
#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $142 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $488 million
#Currency: lilangeni (plural—emalangeni); 1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents
#Exchange rates: emalangeni (E) per US$1—2.5625 (January 1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985); note—the Swazi emalangeni is at par with the South African rand
#Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
*Communications #Railroads: 297 km plus 71 km disused, 1.067-meter gauge, single track
#Highways: 2,853 km total; 510 km paved, 1,230 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, and 1,113 km improved earth
#Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
#Airports: 23 total, 22 usable; 1 with permanent-surfaced runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
#Telecommunications: system consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines and low-capacity radio relay links; 15,400 telephones; stations—6 AM, 6 FM, 10 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
*Defense Forces #Branches: Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force, Royal Swaziland Police Force
#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 185,562; 107,254 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: $8 million, 1.3% of GDP (1988) % @Sweden *Geography Total area: 449,964 km2; land area: 410,928 km2
#Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
#Land boundaries: 2,205 km total; Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
#Coastline: 3,218 km
#Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
#Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north
#Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
#Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower potential
#Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 2%; forest and woodland 64%; other 27%; includes irrigated NEGL%
#Environment: water pollution; acid rain
#Note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas
*People #Population: 8,564,317 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
#Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)
#Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
#Net migration rate: 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
#Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
#Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 81 years female (1991)
#Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991)
#Nationality: noun—Swede(s); adjective—Swedish
#Ethnic divisions: homogeneous white population; small Lappish minority; foreign born or first-generation immigrants (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks) about 12%
#Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other 3.5% (1987)
#Language: Swedish, small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native languages
#Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
#Labor force: 4,572,000 (October 1990); government services 37.4%, mining, manufacturing, electricity, and water service 23.1%, private services 22.2%, transportation and communications 7%, construction 6.3%, agriculture, forestry, fishing, and hunting 3.8%, other 0.2% (1988) |
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