#External debt: $10 billion (1990)

#Industrial production: growth rate - 10.7% (1990); accounts for about 50% of GDP

#Electricity: 11,500,000 kW capacity; 45,000 million kWh produced, 5,040 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industries: machine and metal building,food processing, chemicals, textiles, building materials, ferrous and nonferrous metals

#Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP; climate and soil conditions support livestock raising and the growing of various grain crops, oilseeds, vegetables, fruits and tobacco; more than one-third of the arable land devoted to grain; world's fourth-largest tobacco exporter; surplus food producer

#Economic aid: donor—$1.6 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-89)

#Currency: lev (plural—leva); 1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki

#Exchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1—16.13 (March 1991), 0.7446 (November 1990), 0.84 (1989), 0.82 (1988), 0.90 (1987), 0.95 (1986), 1.03 (1985); note—floating exchange rate since February 1990

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Railroads: 4,300 km total, all government owned (1987); 4,055 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 245 km narrow gauge; 917 km double track; 2,510 km electrified

#Highways: 36,908 km total; 33,535 km hard surface (including 242 km superhighways); 3,373 km earth roads (1987)

#Inland waterways: 470 km (1987)

#Pipelines: crude, 193 km; refined product, 418 km; natural gas, 1,400 km (1986)

#Ports: Burgas, Varna, Varna West; river ports are Ruse, Vidin, and Lom on the Danube

#Merchant marine: 112 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 1,227,817 GRT/1,860,294 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 33 cargo, 2 container, 1 passenger-cargo training, 6 roll-on/roll-off, 18 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 47 bulk; Bulgaria owns 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 51,035 DWT operating under Liberian registry

#Civil air: 86 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 380 total, 380 usable; about 120 with permanent-surface runways; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: 2.5 million telephones; direct dialing to 36 countries; phone density is 25 phones per 100 persons; 67% of Sofia households now have a phone (November 1988); stations—21 AM, 16 FM, and 19 TV, with 1 Soviet TV relay in Sofia; 2.1 million TV sets (1990); 92% of country receives No. 1 television program (May 1990)

*Defense Forces #Branches: Bulgarian People's Army, Bulgarian Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Frontier Troops, Civil Defense

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,183,539; 1,826,992 fit for military service; 67,836 reach military age (19) annually

Defense expenditures: 1.615 billion leva, NA% of GDP (1990); note—conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate would produce misleading results % @Burkina *Geography Total area: 274,200 km2; land area: 273,800 km2

#Comparative area: slightly larger than Colorado

#Land boundaries: 3,192 km total; Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Ivory Coast 584 km, Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

#Coastline: none—landlocked

#Maritime claims: none—landlocked

#Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

#Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

#Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in west and southeast

#Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc, silver

#Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 37%; forest and woodland 26%; other 27%, includes irrigated NEGL%

#Environment: recent droughts and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities, population distribution, economy; overgrazing; deforestation

#Note: landlocked

*People #Population: 9,359,889 (July 1991), growth rate 3.1% (1991)

#Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 119 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 53 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Burkinabe; adjective—Burkinabe

#Ethnic divisions: more than 50 tribes; principal tribe is Mossi (about 2.5 million); other important groups are Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo, Mande, and Fulani

#Religion: indigenous beliefs about 65%, Muslim 25%, Christian (mainly Roman Catholic) 10%

#Language: French (official); tribal languages belong to Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population

#Literacy: 18% (male 28%, female 9%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 3,300,000 residents; 30,000 are wage earners; agriculture 82%, industry 13%, commerce, services, and government 5%; 20% of male labor force migrates annually to neighboring countries for seasonal employment (1984); 44% of population of working age (1985)

#Organized labor: four principal trade union groups represent less than 1% of population

*Government #Long-form name: Burkina Faso

#Type: military; established by coup on 4 August 1983

#Capital: Ouagadougou

#Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Kadiogo, Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo

#Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France; formerly Upper Volta)

#Constitution: none; constitution of 27 November 1977 was abolished following coup of 25 November 1980; constitutional referendum scheduled for June 1991

#Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

#National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

#Executive branch: chairman of the Popular Front, Council of Ministers

#Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved on 25 November 1980

#Judicial branch: Appeals Court

#Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government—Chairman of the Popular Front Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October 1987)

#Political parties and leaders: all political parties banned following November 1980 coup

#Suffrage: none

#Elections: the National Assembly was dissolved 25 November 1980; presidential elections are scheduled for 3 November 1991 and legislative elections for 8 December 1991

#Communists: small Communist party front group; some sympathizers

#Other political or pressure groups: committees for the defense of the revolution, watchdog/political action groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities

#Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul Desire KABORE; Chancery at 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-5577 or 6895;

US—Ambassador Edward P. BRYNN; Embassy at Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou (mailing address is 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou); telephone [226] 30-67-23 through 25 and [226] 33-34-22

#Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

*Economy #Overview: One of the poorest countries in the world, Burkina has a high population density, few natural resources, and relatively infertile soil. Economic development is hindered by a poor communications network within a landlocked country. Agriculture provides about 40% of GDP and is entirely of a subsistence nature. Industry, dominated by unprofitable government-controlled corporations, accounts for about 15% of GDP.

#GDP: $1.75 billion, per capita $205 (1988); real growth rate 3% (1989)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 0.5% (1989)

#Unemployment rate: NA%

#Budget: revenues $275 million; expenditures $287 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)

#Exports: $262 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities—oilseeds, cotton, live animals, gold;

partners—EC 42% (France 30%, other 12%), Taiwan 17%, Ivory Coast 15% (1985)

#Imports: $619 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities—grain, dairy products, petroleum, machinery;

partners—EC 37% (France 23%, other 14%), Africa 31%, US 15% (1985)

#External debt: $962 million (December 1990 est.)

#Industrial production: growth rate 5.7% (1990est.), accounts for about 15% of GDP (1988)

#Electricity: 121,000 kW capacity; 320 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989)

#Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing, soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

#Agriculture: accounts for about 40% of GDP; cash crops—peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton; food crops—sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock; not self-sufficient in food grains

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $113 million

#Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

#Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Railroads: 620 km total; 520 km Ouagadougou to Ivory Coast border and 100 km Ouagadougou to Kaya; all 1.00-meter gauge and single track

#Highways: 16,500 km total; 1,300 km paved, 7,400 km improved, 7,800 km unimproved (1985)

#Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 50 total, 43 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: all services only fair; radio relay, wire, and radio communication stations in use; 13,900 telephones; stations—2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, National Police

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,838,000; 937,304 fit for military service; no conscription

Defense expenditures: $55 million, 2.7% of GDP (1988) % @Burma *Geography Total area: 678,500 km2; land area: 657,740 km2

#Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

#Land boundaries: 5,876 km total; Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km, Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

#Coastline: 1,930 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 monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers (southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall, mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon, December to April)

#Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

#Natural resources: crude oil, timber, tin, antimony, zinc, copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious stones, natural gas

#Land use: arable land 15%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 49%; other 34%; includes irrigated 2%

#Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); deforestation

#Note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean shipping lanes

*People #Population: 42,112,082 (July 1991), growth rate 2.0% (1991)

#Birth rate: 32 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 95 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 56 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Burmese; adjective—Burmese

#Ethnic divisions: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese 3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%

#Religion: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic 1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%

#Language: Burmese; minority ethnic groups have their own languages

#Literacy: 81% (male 89%, female 72%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 16,036,000; agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%, trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY89 est.)

#Organized labor: Workers' Asiayone (association), 1,800,000 members; Peasants' Asiayone, 7,600,000 members

*Government #Long-form name: Union of Burma; note—the local official name is Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw which has been translated by the US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of Myanmar

#Type: military regime

#Capital: Rangoon (sometimes translated as Yangon)

#Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular—yin) and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular—pyine); Chin State, Irrawaddy*, Kachin State, Karan State, Kayah State, Magwe*, Mandalay*, Mon State, Pegu*, Rakhine State, Rangoon*, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tenasserim*

#Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)

#Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988)

#Legal system: martial law in effect throughout most of the country; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

#National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

#Executive branch: chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council, State Law and Order Restoration Council

#Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Pyithu Hluttaw) was dissolved after the coup of 18 September 1988

#Judicial branch: Council of People's Justices was abolished after the coup of 18 September 1988

#Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government—Chairman of the State Law and Order Restoration Council Gen. SAW MAUNG (since 18 September 1988)

#Political parties and leaders: National Unity Party (NUP; proregime), THA KYAW; National League for Democracy (NLD), U TIN OO and AUNG SAN SUU KYI; League for Democracy and Peace, U NU

#Suffrage: universal at age 18

#Elections:

People's Assembly—last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened; results—NLD 80%; seats—(485 total) NLD 396, the regime-favored NUP 10, other 79

#Communists: several hundred (est.) in Burma Communist Party (BCP)

#Other political or pressure groups: Kachin Independence Army (KIA), United Wa State Army (UWSA), Karen National Union (KNU), several Shan factions, including the Shan United Army (SUA) (all ethnically-based insurgent groups)

#Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador U MYO AUNG; Chancery at 2300 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-9044 through 9046; there is a Burmese Consulate General in New York;

US—Ambassador (vacant); Deputy Chief of Mission Franklin P. HUDDLE, Jr.; Embassy at 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (mailing address is G. P. O. Box 521, Rangoon or Box B, APO San Francisco 96346); telephone 82055 or 82181

#Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars represent the 14 administrative divisions

*Economy #Overview: Burma is a poor Asian country, with a per capita GDP of about $400. The nation has been unable to achieve any substantial improvement in export earnings because of falling prices for many of its major commodity exports. For rice, traditionally the most important export, the drop in world prices has been accompanied by shrinking markets and a smaller volume of sales. In 1985 teak replaced rice as the largest export and continues to hold this position. The economy is heavily dependent on the agricultural sector, which generates about half of GDP and provides employment for 66% of the work force.

#GDP: $16.8 billion, per capita $408; real growth rate NEGL% (FY90 est.)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.6% (FY89 est.)

#Unemployment rate: 9.6% in urban areas (FY89 est.)

#Budget: revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $5.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (FY89 est.)

#Exports: $228 million (f.o.b., FY89)

commodities—teak, rice, oilseed, metals, rubber, gems;

partners—Southeast Asia, India, China, EC, Africa

#Imports: $540 million (c.i.f., FY89)

commodities—machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, food products;

partners—Japan, EC, China, Southeast Asia

#External debt: $5.5 billion (December 1990 est.)

#Industrial production: growth rate 2.6% (FY90 est.); accounts for 10% of GDP

#Electricity: 950,000 kW capacity; 2,900 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; petroleum refining; mining of copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

#Agriculture: accounts for 51% of GDP (including fish and forestry); self-sufficient in food; principal crops—paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane, pulses; world's largest stand of hardwood trees; rice and teak account for 55% of export revenues; fish catch of 732,000 metric tons (FY90)

#Illicit drugs: world's largest illicit producer of opium poppy and minor producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; opium production is on the increase as growers respond to the collapse of Rangoon's antinarcotic programs

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $158 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $424 million

#Currency: kyat (plural—kyats); 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

#Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1—6.0476 (January 1991), 6.3386 (1990), 6.7049 (1989), 6.3945 (1988), 6.6535 (1987), 7.3304 (1986), 8.4749 (1985)

#Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

*Communications #Railroads: 3,991 km total, all government owned; 3,878 km 1.000-meter gauge, 113 km narrow-gauge industrial lines; 362 km double track

#Highways: 27,000 km total; 3,200 km bituminous, 17,700 km improved earth or gravel, 6,100 km unimproved earth

#Inland waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

#Pipelines: crude, 1,343 km; natural gas, 330 km

#Ports: Rangoon, Moulmein, Bassein

#Merchant marine: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 968,226 GRT/1,433,584 DWT; includes 3 passenger-cargo, 19 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 3 vehicle carrier, 2 container, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical, 1 combination ore/oil, 24 bulk, 1 combination bulk

#Civil air: 17 major transport aircraft (including 3 helicopters)

#Airports: 86 total, 79 usable; 29 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: meets minimum requirements for local and intercity service; international service is good; radiobroadcast coverage is limited to the most populous areas; 53,000 telephones (1986); stations—2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV (1985); 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force

#Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 20,766,975; of the 10,378,743 males 15-49, 5,566,247 are fit for military service; of the 10,388,232 females 15-49, 5,558,007 are fit for military service; 442,200 males and 431,407 females reach military age (18) annually; both sexes are liable for military service

Defense expenditures: $315.0 million, 3% of GDP (FY88) % @Burundi *Geography Total area: 27,830 km2; land area: 25,650 km2

#Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

#Land boundaries: 974 km total; Rwanda 290 km, Tanzania 451 km, Zaire 233 km

#Coastline: none—landlocked

#Maritime claims: none—landlocked

#Climate: temperate; warm; occasional frost in uplands

#Terrain: mostly rolling to hilly highland; some plains

#Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxide, peat, cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium

#Land use: arable land 43%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 35%; forest and woodland 2%; other 12%; includes irrigated NEGL%

#Environment: soil exhaustion; soil erosion; deforestation

#Note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo watershed

*People #Population: 5,831,233 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)

#Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 109 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Burundian(s); adjective—Burundi

#Ethnic divisions: Africans—Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy) 1%; other Africans include about 70,000 refugees, mostly Rwandans and Zairians; non-Africans include about 3,000 Europeans and 2,000 South Asians

#Religion: Christian about 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%). indigenous beliefs 32%, Muslim 1%

#Language: Kirundi and French (official); Swahili (along Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

#Literacy: 50% (male 61%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 1,900,000 (1983 est.); agriculture 93.0%, government 4.0%, industry and commerce 1.5%, services 1.5; 52% of population of working age (1985)

#Organized labor: sole group is the Union of Burundi Workers (UTB); by charter, membership is extended to all Burundi workers (informally); active membership figures NA

*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Burundi

#Type: republic

#Capital: Bujumbura

#Administrative divisions: 15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura, Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo, Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi

#Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian administration)

#Constitution: 20 November 1981; suspended following the coup of 3 September 1987; referendum for a new constitution scheduled for March 1992

#Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

#National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

#Executive branch: president; chairman of the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), prime minister

#Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) was dissolved following the coup of 3 September 1987; at an extraordinary party congress held from 27 to 29 December 1990, the Central Committee of the National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA) replaced the Military Committee for National Salvation, and became the supreme governing body during the transition to constitutional government

#Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

#Leaders:

Chief of State—President Pierre BUYOYA (since 9 September 1987);

Head of Government Prime Minister Adrien SIBOMANA (since 26 October 1988)

#Political parties and leaders: only party—National Party of Unity and Progress (UPRONA), President Pierre BUYOYA, chairman, and Nicolas MAYUGI, secretary general

#Suffrage: universal adult at age NA

#Elections:

National Assembly—dissolved after the coup of 3 September 1987;

note—The National Unity Charter outlining the principles for constitutional government was adopted by a national referendum on 5 February 1991

#Communists: no Communist party

#Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Julien KAVAKURE; Chancery at Suite 212, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-2574;

US—Ambassador Cynthia Shepherd PERRY; Embassy at Avenue du Zaire, Bujumbura (mailing address is B. P. 1720, Avenue des Etats-Unis, Bujumbura); telephone 234-54 through 56

#Flag: divided by a white diagonal cross into red panels (top and bottom) and green panels (hoist side and outer side) with a white disk superimposed at the center bearing three red six-pointed stars outlined in green arranged in a triangular design (one star above, two stars below)

*Economy #Overview: A landlocked, resource-poor country in an early stage of economic development, Burundi is predominately agricultural with only a few basic industries. Its economic health depends on the coffee crop, which accounts for an average 90% of foreign exchange earnings each year. The ability to pay for imports therefore continues to rest largely on the vagaries of the climate and the international coffee market.

#GDP: $1.1 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 1.5% (1989)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.7% (1989)

#Unemployment rate: NA%

#Budget: revenues $158 million; expenditures $204 million, including capital expenditures of $131 million (1989 est.)

#Exports: $81 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities—coffee 88%, tea, hides, and skins;

partners—EC 83%, US 5%, Asia 2%

#Imports: $197 million (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities—capital goods 31%, petroleum products 15%, foodstuffs, consumer goods;

partners—EC 57%, Asia 23%, US 3%

#External debt: $957 million (December 1990 est.)

#Industrial production: real growth rate 5.1% (1986); accounts for about 10% of GDP

#Electricity: 51,000 kW capacity; 105 million kWh produced, 19 kWh per capita (1989)

#Industries: light consumer goods such as blankets, shoes, soap; assembly of imports; public works construction; food processing

#Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP; 90% of population dependent on subsistence farming; marginally self-sufficient in food production; cash crops—coffee, cotton, tea; food crops—corn, sorghum, sweet potatoes, bananas, manioc; livestock—meat, milk, hides, and skins

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $71 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $10.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $32 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million

#Currency: Burundi franc (plural—francs); 1 Burundi franc (FBu) = 100 centimes

#Exchange rates: Burundi francs (FBu) per US$1—163.29 (January 1991), 171.26 (1990), 158.67 (1989), 140.40 (1988), 123.56 (1987), 114.17 (1986), 120.69 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Highways: 5,900 km total; 400 km paved, 2,500 km gravel or laterite, 3,000 km improved or unimproved earth

#Inland waterways: Lake Tanganyika

#Ports: Bujumbura (lake port) connects to transportation systems of Tanzania and Zaire

#Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 8 total, 7 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m

#Telecommunications: sparse system of wire, radiocommunications, and low-capacity radio relay links; 8,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: Army (includes naval and air units); paramilitary Gendarmerie

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,268,342; 661,888 fit for military service; 64,538 reach military age (16) annually

Defense expenditures: $33 million, 3.1% of GDP (1988) % @Cambodia *Geography Total area: 181,040 km2; land area: 176,520 km2

#Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oklahoma

#Land boundaries: 2,572 km total; Laos 541 km, Thailand 803 km, Vietnam 1,228 km

#Coastline: 443 km

#Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

#Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Vietnam are in dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam not defined; occupied by Vietnam on 25 December 1978

#Climate: tropical; rainy, monsoon season (May to October); dry season (December to March); little seasonal temperature variation

#Terrain: mostly low, flat plains; mountains in southwest and north

#Natural resources: timber, gemstones, some iron ore, manganese, phosphates, hydropower potential

#Land use: arable land 16%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 76%; other 4%; includes irrigated 1%

#Environment: a land of paddies and forests dominated by Mekong River and Tonle Sap

#Note: buffer between Thailand and Vietnam

*People #Population: 7,146,386 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)

#Birth rate: 38 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 125 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 51 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Cambodian(s); adjective—Cambodian

#Ethnic divisions: Khmer 90%, Chinese 5%, other 5%

#Religion: Theravada Buddhism 95%, other 5%

#Language: Khmer (official), French

#Literacy: 35% (male 48%, female 22%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 2.5-3.0 million; agriculture 80% (1988 est.)

#Organized labor: Kampuchea Federation of Trade Unions (FSC); under government control

*Government #Long-form name: none

#Type: disputed between the National Government of Cambodia (NGC) led by Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK, and the State of Cambodia (SOC) led by HENG SAMRIN

#Capital: Phnom Penh

#Administrative divisions: NGC—18 provinces (khet, singular and plural) and 1 capital city* (rottatheanei); Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Phnum Penh*, Pouthisat, Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanokiri, Siemreab-Otdar Meanchey, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev; note—the SOC adds a province of Banteay Meanchey and an autonomous municipality of Kampong Saom to the NGC administrative structure

#Independence: 9 November 1953 (from France)

#Constitution: SOC—27 June 1981

#National holidays: NGC—Independence Day, 17 April (1975); SOC—Liberation Day, 7 January (1979)

#Executive branch: NGC—president, prime minister; SOC—chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers

#Legislative branch: NGC—none; SOC—unicameral National Assembly

#Judicial branch: NGC—none; SOC—Supreme People's Court

#Leaders:

Chief of State—NGC—President Prince NORODOM SIHANOUK (since NA July 1982); SOC—Chairman of the Council of State HENG SAMRIN (since 27 June 1981)

Head of Government—NGC—Prime Minister SON SANN (since NA July 1982); SOC—Chairman of the Council of Ministers HUN SEN (since 14 January 1985)

#Political parties and leaders: NGC—three resistance groups including: Democratic Kampuchea (DK, also known as the Khmer Rouge) under KHIEU SAMPHAN; Khmer People's National Liberation Front (KPNLF) under SON SANN; and National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) under Prince NORODOM RANNARIDH; SOC—Kampuchean People's Revolutionary Party (KPRP) led by HENG SAMRIN

#Suffrage: NGC—none; SOC—universal at age 18

#Elections:

NGC—none;

SOC—National Assembly—last held 1 May 1981; in February 1986 the Assembly voted to extend its term for five years; results—KPRP is the only party; seats—(123 total) KPRP 123

#Member of: AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: none

#Flag: NGC—three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white stylized three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat centered on the red band;

SOC—two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and blue with a gold stylized five-towered temple representing Angkor Wat in the center

*Economy #Overview: Cambodia is a desperately poor country whose economic development has been stymied by deadly political infighting. The economy is based on agriculture and related industries. Over the past decade Cambodia has been slowly recovering from its near destruction by war and political upheaval. It still remains, however, one of the world's poorest countries, with an estimated per capita GDP of about $130. The food situation is precarious; during the 1980s famine has been averted only through international relief. In 1986 the production level of rice, the staple food crop, was able to meet only 80% of domestic needs. The biggest success of the nation's recovery program has been in new rubber plantings and in fishing. Industry, other than rice processing, is almost nonexistent. Foreign trade is primarily with the USSR and Vietnam. Statistical data on the economy continues to be sparse and unreliable. Foreign aid from the USSR and Eastern Europe almost certainly is being slashed.

#GDP: $890 million, per capita $130; real growth rate 0% (1989 est.)

#Unemployment rate: NA%

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

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (first half 1990)

#Exports: $32 million (f.o.b., 1988);

commodities—natural rubber, rice, pepper, wood;

partners—Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India

#Imports: $147 million (c.i.f., 1988);

commodities—international food aid; fuels, consumer goods, machinery;

partners—Vietnam, USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, India

#External debt: $600 million (1989)

#Industrial production: growth rate NA%

#Electricity: 126,000 kW capacity; 150 million kWh produced, 20 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining

#Agriculture: mainly subsistence farming except for rubber plantations; main crops—rice, rubber, corn; food shortages—rice, meat, vegetables, dairy products, sugar, flour

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $719 million; Western (non-US) countries (1970-88), $285 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1,800 million

#Currency: riel (plural—riels); 1 riel (CR) = 100 sen

#Exchange rates: riels (CR) per US$1—560 (November 1990), 159.00 (1988), 100.00 (1987), 30.00 (1986), 7.00 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Railroads: 612 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned

#Highways: 13,351 km total; 2,622 km bituminous; 7,105 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth; 3,624 km unimproved earth; some roads in disrepair

#Inland waterways: 3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 meters; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 meters

#Ports: Kampong Saom, Phnom Penh

#Airports: 22 total, 9 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public; international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries; stations—1 AM, no FM, 1 TV

*Defense Forces #Branches: SOC—Cambodian People's Armed Forces (CPAF); Communist resistance forces—National Army of Democratic Kampuchea (Khmer Rouge); non-Communist resistance forces—Armee National Kampuchea Independent (ANKI) which is sometimes anglicized as National Army of Independent Cambodia (NAIC) and Khmer People's National Liberation Armed Forces (KPNLAF)

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,869,880; 1,030,356 fit for military service; 57,288 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP % @Cameroon *Geography Total area: 475,440 km2; land area: 469,440 km2

#Comparative area: slightly larger than California

#Land boundaries: 4,591 km total; Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km

#Coastline: 402 km

#Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 50 nm

#Disputes: demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Nigerian proposals to reopen maritime boundary negotiations and redemarcate the entire land boundary have been rejected by Cameroon

#Climate: varies with terrain from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north

#Terrain: diverse with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north

#Natural resources: crude oil, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential

#Land use: arable land 13%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 54%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%

#Environment: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification

#Note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa

*People #Population: 11,390,374 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)

#Birth rate: 41 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 118 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Cameroonian(s); adjective—Cameroonian

#Ethnic divisions: over 200 tribes of widely differing background; Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%

#Religion: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%

#Language: English and French (official), 24 major African language groups

#Literacy: 54% (male 66%, female 43%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: NA; agriculture 74.4%, industry and transport 11.4%, other services 14.2% (1983); 50% of population of working age (15-64 years) (1985)

#Organized labor: under 45% of wage labor force

*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Cameroon

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

#Capital: Yaounde

#Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest

#Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration; formerly French Cameroon)

#Constitution: 20 May 1972

#Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

#National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)

#Executive branch: president, Cabinet

#Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

#Judicial branch: Supreme Court

#Leaders:

Chief of State President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982);

Head of Government interim Prime Minister Sadou HAYATOU (since 25 April 1991)

#Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (RDPC), Paul BIYA, president, is government-controlled and was formerly the only party; 17 parties formed by 1 May 1991

#Suffrage: universal at age 21

#Elections:

President—last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held April 1993); results—President Paul BIYA reelected without opposition;

National Assembly—last held 24 April 1988 (next to be held by the end of 1992); results—RDPC was the only party; seats—(180 total) RDPC 180

#Communists: no Communist party or significant number of sympathizers

#Other political or pressure groups: NA

#Member of: ACCT (associate), ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Paul PONDI; Chancery at 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-8790 through 8794;

US—Ambassador Frances D. COOK; Embassy at Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde (mailing address is B. P. 817, Yaounde); telephone [237] 234014; there is a US Consulate General in Douala

#Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

*Economy #Overview: Over the past decade the economy has registered a remarkable performance because of the development of an offshore oil industry. Real GDP growth annually averaged 10% from 1978 to 1985. In 1986 Cameroon had one of the highest levels of income per capita in tropical Africa, with oil revenues picking up the slack as growth in other sectors softened. Because of the sharp drop in oil prices, however, the economy experienced serious budgetary difficulties and balance-of-payments disequilibrium. Despite the recent upsurge in oil prices, Cameroon's economic outlook is troubled. Oil reserves currently being exploited will be depleted in the early 1990s, so ways must be found to boost agricultural and industrial exports in the medium term. The Sixth Cameroon Development Plan (1986-91) stresses balanced development and designates agriculture as the basis of the country's economic future.

#GDP: $11.5 billion, per capita $1,040; real growth rate 0.7% (1990 est.)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (FY88)

#Unemployment rate: 25% (1990 est.)

#Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA million (FY89)

#Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities—petroleum products 56%, coffee, cocoa, timber, manufactures;

partners—EC (particularly the French) about 50%, US 10%

#Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);

commodities—machines and electrical equipment, transport equipment, chemical products, consumer goods;

partners—France 41%, Germany 9%, US 4%

#External debt: $4.9 billion (December 1989 est.)

#Industrial production: growth rate - 6.4% (FY87); accounts for 30% of GDP

#Electricity: 752,000 kW capacity; 2,940 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1989)

#Industries: crude oil products, food processing, light consumer goods industries textiles, sawmills

#Agriculture: the agriculture and forestry sectors provide employment for the majority of the population, contributing nearly 25% to GDP and providing a high degree of self-sufficiency in staple foods; commercial and food crops include coffee, cocoa, timber, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, livestock, root starches

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $440 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $29 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $125 million

#Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

#Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

#Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

*Communications #Railroads: 1,003 km total; 858 km 1.000-meter gauge, 145 km 0.600-meter gauge

#Highways: about 65,000 km total; includes 2,682 km bituminous, 30,000 km unimproved earth, 32,318 km gravel, earth, and improved earth

#Inland waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance

#Ports: Douala

#Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT

#Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 60 total, 52 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 21 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: good system of open wire, cable, troposcatter, and radio relay; 26,000 telephones; stations—10 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

*Defense Forces #Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,628,909; 1,324,899 fit for military service; 125,421 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: $219 million, 1.7% of GDP (1990 est.) % @Canada *Geography Total area: 9,976,140 km2; land area: 9,220,970 km2

#Comparative area: slightly larger than US

#Land boundaries: 8,893 km with US (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)

#Coastline: 243,791 km

#Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

#Disputes: maritime boundary disputes with France (Saint Pierre and Miquelon) and US

#Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north

#Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast

#Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, crude oil, natural gas

#Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 35%; other 57%; includes NEGL% irrigated

#Environment: 80% of population concentrated within 160 km of US border; continuous permafrost in north a serious obstacle to development

#Note: second-largest country in world (after USSR); strategic location between USSR and US via north polar route

*People #Population: 26,835,036 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)

#Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Canadian(s); adjective—Canadian

#Ethnic divisions: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, indigenous Indian and Eskimo 1.5%

#Religion: Roman Catholic 46%, United Church 16%, Anglican 10%

#Language: English and French (both official)

#Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)

#Labor force: 13,380,000; services 75%, manufacturing 14%, agriculture 4%, construction 3%, other 4% (1988)

#Organized labor: 30.6% of labor force; 39.6% of nonagricultural paid workers

*Government #Long-form name: none

#Type: confederation with parliamentary democracy

#Capital: Ottawa

#Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory*

#Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)

#Constitution: amended British North America Act 1867 patriated to Canada 17 April 1982; charter of rights and unwritten customs

#Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

#National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)

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

#Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or House of Commons (Chambre des Communes)

#Judicial branch: Supreme Court

#Leaders:

Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Raymond John HNATSHYN (since 29 January 1990);

Head of Government—Prime Minister (Martin) Brian MULRONEY (since 4 September 1984); Deputy Prime Minister Donald Frank MAZANKOWSKI (since NA June 1986)

#Political parties and leaders: Progressive Conservative, Brian MULRONEY; Liberal, Jean CHRETIEN; New Democratic, Audrey McLAUGHLIN

#Suffrage: universal at age 18

#Elections:

House of Commons—last held 21 November 1988 (next to be held by November 1993); results—Progressive Conservative 43.0%, Liberal 32%, New Democratic Party 20%, other 5%; seats—(295 total) Progressive Conservative 159, Liberal 80, New Democratic Party 44, independent 12

#Communists: 3,000

#Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CDB, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, FAO, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Derek BURNEY; Chancery at 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 785-1400; there are Canadian Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Seattle;

US—Ambassador Edward N. NEY; Embassy at 100 Wellington Street, K1P 5T1, Ottawa (mailing address is P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430); telephone (613) 248-25256, 25106, 25271, and 25170; there are US Consulates General in Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver

#Flag: three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band

*Economy #Overview: As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in per capita output, market-oriented economic system, and pattern of production. Since World War II the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. In the 1980s Canada registered one of the highest rates of real growth among the OECD nations, averaging about 3.2%. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada has excellent economic prospects. In mid-1990, however, the long-simmering problems between English- and French-speaking areas became so acute that observers spoke openly of a possible split in the confederation; foreign investors were becoming edgy.

#GDP: $516.7 billion, per capita $19,500; real growth rate 0.9% (1990)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.8% (1990)

#Unemployment rate: 8.1% (1990)

#Budget: revenues $105.8 billion; expenditures $131.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)

#Exports: $126.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities—newsprint, wood pulp, timber, grain, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, ferrous and nonferrous ores, motor vehicles and parts;

partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, USSR

#Imports: $116.3 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities—processed foods, beverages, crude petroleum, chemicals, industrial machinery, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electronic computers;

partners—US, Japan, UK, FRG, other EC, Taiwan, South Korea, Mexico

#External debt: $247 billion (1987)

#Industrial production: growth rate - 2.7% (1990); accounts for 34% of GDP

#Electricity: 105,000,000 kW capacity; 500,000 million kWh produced, 18,840 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industries: processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas

#Agriculture: accounts for about 3% of GDP; one of the world's major producers and exporters of grain (wheat and barley); key source of US agricultural imports; large forest resources cover 35% of total land area; commercial fisheries provide annual catch of 1.5 million metric tons, of which 75% is exported

#Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors

#Economic aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $7.2 billion

#Currency: Canadian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Canadian dollar (Can$) = 100 cents

#Exchange rates: Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$1—1.1559 (January 1991), 1.1668 (1990), 1.1840 (1989), 1.2307 (1988), 1.3260 (1987), 1.3895 (1986), 1.3655 (1985)

#Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

*Communications #Railroads: 93,544 km total; two major transcontinental freight railway systems—Canadian National (government owned) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service—VIA (government operated)

#Highways: 884,272 km total; 712,936 km surfaced (250,023 km paved), 171,336 km earth

#Inland waterways: 3,000 km, including Saint Lawrence Seaway

#Pipelines: oil, 23,564 km total crude and refined; natural gas, 74,980 km

#Ports: Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), Saint John's (Newfoundland), Toronto, Vancouver

#Merchant marine: 75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 532,062 GRT/727,118 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 13 cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 1 refrigerated cargo, 8 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 27 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 8 bulk; note—does not include ships used exclusively in the Great Lakes

#Civil air: 636 major transport aircraft; Air Canada is the major carrier

#Airports: 1,397 total, 1,154 usable; 443 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 328 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: excellent service provided by modern media; 18.0 million telephones; stations—900 AM, 29 FM, 53 (1,400 repeaters) TV; 5 coaxial submarine cables; over 300 earth stations operating in INTELSAT (including 4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and domestic systems

*Defense Forces #Branches: Canadian Armed Forces (including Mobile Command, Maritime Command, Air Command, Communications Command, Canadian Forces Europe, Training Commands), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 7,243,909; 6,297,520 fit for military service; 188,996 reach military age (17) annually

Defense expenditures: $11.3 billion, 2% of GDP (FY90) % @Cape Verde *Geography Total area: 4,030 km2; land area: 4,030 km2

#Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island

#Land boundaries: none

#Coastline: 965 km

#Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

#Climate: temperate; warm, dry, summer precipitation very erratic

#Terrain: steep, rugged, rocky, volcanic

#Natural resources: salt, basalt rock, pozzolana, limestone, kaolin, fish

#Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 6%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 85%; includes irrigated 1%

#Environment: subject to prolonged droughts; harmattan wind can obscure visibility; volcanically and seismically active; deforestation; overgrazing

#Note: strategic location 500 km from African coast near major north-south sea routes; important communications station; important sea and air refueling site

*People #Population: 386,501 (July 1991), growth rate 3.0% (1991)

#Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 63 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 63 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Cape Verdean(s); adjective—Cape Verdean

#Ethnic divisions: Creole (mulatto) about 71%, African 28%, European 1%

#Religion: Roman Catholicism fused with indigenous beliefs

#Language: Portuguese and Crioulo, a blend of Portuguese and West African words

#Literacy: 66% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)

#Labor force: 102,000 (1985 est.); agriculture (mostly subsistence) 57%, services 29%, industry 14% (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)

#Organized labor: Trade Unions of Cape Verde Unity Center (UNTC-CS)

*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Cape Verde

#Type: republic

#Capital: Praia

#Administrative divisions: 14 districts (concelhos, singular—concelho); Boa Vista, Brava, Fogo, Maio, Paul, Praia, Porto Novo, Ribeira Grande, Sal, Santa Catarina, Santa Cruz, Sao Nicolau, Sao Vicente, Tarrafal

#Independence: 5 July 1975 (from Portugal)

#Constitution: 7 September 1980; amended 12 February 1981, NA December 1988, and 28 September 1990 (legalized opposition parties)

#National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1975)

#Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy minister, secretaries of state, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

#Legislative branch: unicameral People's National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional Popular)

#Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justia)

#Leaders:

Chief of State—President Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (since 22 March 1991);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA (since 13 January 1991)

#Political parties and leaders: Movement for Democracy (MPD), Prime Minister Carlos VEIGA, founder and chairman; African Party for Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV), Pedro Verona Rodrigues PIRES, chairman

#Suffrage: universal at age 18

#Elections:

President—last held 17 February 1991 (next to be held February 1996); results—Antonio Mascarenhas MONTEIRO (MPD) received 72.6% of vote;

People's National Assembly—last held 13 January 1991 (next to be held January 1996); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(79 total) MPD 56, PAICV 23; note—this multiparty Assembly election ended 15 years of single-party rule

#Communists: no Communist party

#Member of: ACP, AfDB, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Luis de Matos Monteiro da FONSECA; Chancery at 3415 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-6820; there is a Cape Verdean Consulate General in Boston;

US—Ambassador Francis T. (Terry) McNAMARA; Embassy at Rua Hojl Ya Yenna 81, Praia (mailing address is C. P. 201, Praia); telephone [238] 614-363 or 614-253

#Flag: two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and green with a vertical red band on the hoist side; in the upper portion of the red band is a black five-pointed star framed by two corn stalks and a yellow clam shell; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea-Bissau which is longer and has an unadorned black star centered in the red band

*Economy #Overview: Cape Verde's low per capita GDP reflects a poor natural resource base, a 17-year drought, and a high birthrate. The economy is service oriented, with commerce, transport, and public services accounting for 65% of GDP during the period 1985-88. Although nearly 70% of the population lives in rural areas, agriculture's share of GDP is only 16%; the fishing sector accounts for 4%. About 90% of food must be imported. The fishing potential, mostly lobster and tuna, is not fully exploited. In 1988 fishing represented only 3.5% of GDP. Cape Verde annually runs a high trade deficit, financed by remittances from emigrants and foreign aid.

#GDP: $262 million, per capita $740; real growth rate 3.2% (1988 est.)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.2% (1988 est.)

#Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)

#Budget: revenues $98.3 million; expenditures $138.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)

#Exports: $10.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities—fish, bananas, salt;

partners—Portugal, Angola, Algeria, France, Italy

#Imports: $107.8 million (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities—petroleum, foodstuffs, consumer goods, industrial products;

partners—Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, France, Brazil, FRG

#External debt: $150 million (December 1990 est.)

#Industrial production: growth rate 18% (1988 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP

#Electricity: 13,000 kW capacity; 15 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industry: fish processing, salt mining, clothing factories, ship repair, construction materials, food and beverage production

#Agriculture: accounts for 16% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; bananas are the only export crop; other crops—corn, beans, sweet potatoes, coffee; growth potential of agricultural sector limited by poor soils and limited rainfall; annual food imports required; fish catch provides for both domestic consumption and small exports

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY75-89), $88 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $590 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $12 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $36 million

#Currency: Cape Verdean escudo (plural—escudos); 1 Cape Verdean escudo (CVEsc) = 100 centavos

#Exchange rates: Cape Verdean escudos (CVEsc) per US$1—64.10 (November 1990), 74.86 (December 1989), 72.01 (1988), 72.5 (1987), 76.56 (1986), 85.38 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Ports: Mindelo and Praia

#Merchant marine: 7 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,708 GRT/19,000 DWT

#Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft (4 owned, 1 leased)

#Airports: 6 total, 6 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: interisland radio relay system, high-frequency radio to mainland Portugal and Guinea-Bissau; 1,740 telephones; stations—5 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 2 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: People's Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARP)—Army and Navy are separate components of FARP; Militia, Security Service

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 70,771; 41,844 fit for military service

Defense expenditures: $15 million, 11% of GDP (1981) % @Cayman Islands (dependent territory of the UK) *Geography Total area: 260 km2; land area: 260 km2

#Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

#Land boundaries: none

#Coastline: 160 km

#Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

#Climate: tropical marine; warm, rainy summers (May to October) and cool, relatively dry winters (November to April)

#Terrain: low-lying limestone base surrounded by coral reefs

#Natural resources: fish, climate and beaches that foster tourism

#Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland 23%; other 69%

#Environment: within the Caribbean hurricane belt

#Note: important location between Cuba and Central America

*People #Population: 27,489 (July 1991), growth rate 4.2% (1991)

#Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 33 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Caymanian(s); adjective—Caymanian

#Ethnic divisions: 40% mixed, 20% white, 20% black, 20% expatriates of various ethnic groups

#Religion: United Church (Presbyterian and Congregational), Anglican, Baptist, Roman Catholic, Church of God, other Protestant denominations

#Language: English

#Literacy: 98% (male 98%, female 98%) age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)

#Labor force: 8,061; service workers 18.7%, clerical 18.6%, construction 12.5%, finance and investment 6.7%, directors and business managers 5.9% (1979)

#Organized labor: Global Seaman's Union; Cayman All Trade Union

*Government #Long-form name: none

#Type: dependent territory of the UK

#Capital: George Town

#Administrative divisions: 8 districts; Creek, Eastern, Midland, South Town, Spot Bay, Stake Bay, West End, Western

#Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)

#Legal system: British common law and local statutes

#Constitution: 1959, revised 1972

#National holiday: Constitution Day (first Monday in July), 1 July 1991

#Executive branch: British monarch, governor, Executive Council (cabinet)

#Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly

#Judicial branch: Grand Court, Cayman Islands Court of Appeal

#Leaders:

Chief of State—Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Alan James SCOTT (since NA 1987);

Head of Government—Governor and President of the Executive Council Alan James SCOTT (since NA 1987)

#Political parties and leaders: no formal political parties

#Suffrage: universal at age 18

#Elections:

Legislative Assembly—last held NA November 1988 (next to be held November 1992); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(15 total, 12 elected)

#Communists: none

#Member of: CDB, IOC

#Diplomatic representation: as a dependent territory of the UK, Caymanian interests in the US are represented by the UK;

US—none

#Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Caymanian coat of arms on a white disk centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms includes a pineapple and turtle above a shield with three stars (representing the three islands) and a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto HE HATH FOUNDED IT UPON THE SEAS

*Economy #Overview: The economy depends heavily on tourism (70% of GDP and 75% of export earnings) and offshore financial services, with the tourist industry aimed at the luxury market and catering mainly to visitors from North America. About 90% of the islands' food and consumer goods needs must be imported. The Caymanians enjoy one of the highest standards of living in the region.

#GDP: $342 million, per capita $13,670 (1989); real growth rate 15% (1988)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.2% (1988)

#Unemployment rate: NA%

#Budget: revenues $76 million; expenditures $56 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)

#Exports: $1.5 million (f.o.b., 1987 est.);

commodities—turtle products, manufactured consumer goods;

partners—mostly US

#Imports: $136 million (c.i.f., 1987 est.);

commodities—foodstuffs, manufactured goods;

partners—US, Trinidad and Tobago, UK, Netherlands Antilles, Japan

#External debt: $15 million (1986)

#Industrial production: growth rate NA%

#Electricity: 74,000 kW capacity; 256 million kWh produced, 9,710 kWh per capita (1990)

#Industries: tourism, banking, insurance and finance, construction, building materials, furniture making

#Agriculture: minor production of vegetables, fruit, livestock; turtle farming

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $26.7 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $35.0 million

#Currency: Caymanian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Caymanian dollar (CI$) = 100 cents

#Exchange rates: Caymanian dollars (CI$) per US$1—1.20 (fixed rate)

#Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

*Communications #Highways: 160 km of main roads

#Ports: George Town, Cayman Brac

#Merchant marine: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 372,732 GRT/604,395 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 6 cargo, 7 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 6 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas carrier, 9 bulk; note—a flag of convenience registry

#Airports: 3 total; 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones; telephone system uses 1 submarine coaxial cable and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station to link islands and access international services; stations—2 AM, 1 FM, no TV

*Defense Forces #Branches: Royal Cayman Islands Police Force (RCIPF)

Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK % @Central African Republic *Geography Total area: 622,980 km2; land area: 622,980 km2

#Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas

#Land boundaries: 5,203 km total; Cameroon 797 km, Chad 1,197 km, Congo 467 km, Sudan 1,165 km, Zaire 1,577 km

#Coastline: none—landlocked

#Maritime claims: none—landlocked

#Climate: tropical; hot, dry winters; mild to hot, wet summers

#Terrain: vast, flat to rolling, monotonous plateau; scattered hills in northeast and southwest

#Natural resources: diamonds, uranium, timber, gold, oil

#Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 64%; other 28%

#Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern areas; poaching has diminished reputation as one of last great wildlife refuges; desertification

#Note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

*People #Population: 2,952,382 (July 1991), growth rate 2.6% (1991)

#Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 138 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 49 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Central African(s); adjective—Central African

#Ethnic divisions: about 80 ethnic groups, the majority of which have related ethnic and linguistic characteristics; Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum 4%, M'Baka 4%; 6,500 Europeans, of whom 3,600 are French

#Religion: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic 25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%; animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the Christian majority

#Language: French (official); Sangho (lingua franca and national language); Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

#Literacy: 27% (male 33%, female 15%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 775,413 (1986 est.); agriculture 85%, commerce and services 9%, industry 3%, government 3%; about 64,000 salaried workers; 55% of population of working age (1985)

#Organized labor: 1% of labor force

*Government #Long-form name: Central African Republic (no short-form name); abbreviated CAR

#Type: republic, one-party presidential regime since 1986

#Capital: Bangui

#Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular—prefecture) and 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures economiques, singular—prefecture economique); Bamingui-Bangoran, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto, Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou, Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*, Vakaga; note—there may be a new autonomous commune of Bangui

#Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France; formerly Central African Empire)

#Constitution: 21 November 1986

#Legal system: based on French law

#National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the republic), 1 December (1958)

#Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

#Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) advised by the Economic and Regional Council (Conseil Economique et Regional); when they sit together this is known as the Congress (Congres)

#Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

#Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government—President Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA (since 1 September 1981)

#Political parties and leaders: only party—Centrafrican Democrtic Rally Party (RDC), Andre-Dieudonne KOLINGBA

#Suffrage: universal at age 21

#Elections:

President—last held 21 November 1986 (next to be held November 1993); results—President KOLINGBA was reelected without opposition;

National Assembly—last held 31 July 1987 (next to be held July 1992); results—RDC is the only party; seats—(52 total) RDC 52

#Communists: small number of Communist sympathizers

#Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jean-Pierre SOHAHONG-KOMBET; Chancery at 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-7800 or 7801;

US—Ambassador Daniel H. SIMPSON; Embassy at Avenue du President David Dacko, Bangui (mailing address is B. P. 924, Bangui); telephone 61-02-00 or 61-25-78, 61-43-33

#Flag: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band

*Economy #Overview: The Central African Republic (CAR) had a per capita income of roughly $440 in 1990. Subsistence agriculture, including forestry, is the backbone of the economy, with over 70% of the population living in the countryside. In 1988 the agricultural sector generated about 40% of GDP. Agricultural products accounted for about 60% of export earnings and the diamond industry for 30%. Important constraints to economic development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor transportation infrastructure, and a weak human resource base. Multilateral and bilateral development assistance plays a major role in providing capital for new investment.

#GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate 2.0% (1990 est.)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 4.2% (1988 est.)

#Unemployment rate: 30% in Bangui (1988 est.)

#Budget: revenues $132 million; current expenditures $305 million, including capital expenditures of $NA million (1989 est.)

#Exports: $148 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities—diamonds, cotton, coffee, timber, tobacco;

partners—France, Belgium, Italy, Japan, US

#Imports: $239 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);

commodities—food, textiles, petroleum products, machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products;

partners—France, other EC, Japan, Algeria, Yugoslavia

#External debt: $671 million (December 1989)

#Industrial production: 0.8% (1988); accounts for 12% of GDP

#Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 84 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)

#Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles, footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

#Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; self-sufficient in food production except for grain; commercial crops—cotton, coffee, tobacco, timber; food crops—manioc, yams, millet, corn, bananas

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $49 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $38 million

#Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

#Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Highways: 22,000 km total; 458 km bituminous, 10,542 km improved earth, 11,000 unimproved earth

#Inland waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river

#Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 66 total, 49 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: fair system; network relies primarily on radio relay links, with low-capacity, low-powered radiocommunication also used; 6,000 telephones; stations—1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: Central African Armed Forces, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Police Force

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 659,802; 345,049 fit for military service

Defense expenditures: $23 million, 1.8% of GDP (1989 est.) % @Chad *Geography Total area: 1,284,000 km2; land area: 1,259,200 km2

#Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of California

#Land boundaries: 5,968 km total; Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197 km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

#Coastline: none—landlocked

#Maritime claims: none—landlocked

#Disputes: Libya claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in the far north; demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria

#Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

#Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains in northwest, lowlands in south

#Natural resources: crude oil (unexploited but exploration beginning), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

#Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 36%; forest and woodland 11%; other 51%; includes irrigated NEGL%

#Environment: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north; drought and desertification adversely affecting south; subject to plagues of locusts

#Note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant water body in the Sahel

*People #Population: 5,122,467 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)

#Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 22 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 134 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 39 years male, 41 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 5.3 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Chadian(s); adjective—Chadian

#Ethnic divisions: some 200 distinct ethnic groups, most of whom are Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko, Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba) in the north and center and non-Muslims (Sara, Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa) in the south; some 150,000 nonindigenous, of whom 1,000 are French

#Religion: Muslim 44%, Christian 33%, indigenous beliefs, animism 23%

#Language: French and Arabic (official); Sara and Sango in south; more than 100 different languages and dialects are spoken

#Literacy: 30% (male 42%, female 18%) age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic (1990 est.)

#Labor force: NA; agriculture (engaged in unpaid subsistence farming, herding, and fishing) 85%

#Organized labor: about 20% of wage labor force

*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Chad

#Type: republic

#Capital: N'Djamena

#Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures, singular—prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti, Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile

#Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)

#Constitution: 22 December 1989, suspended 3 December 1990; Provisional National Charter 1 March 1991

#Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

#National holiday: NA

#Executive branch: president, Council of State (cabinet)

#Legislative branch: the National Consultative Council (Conseil National Consultatif) was disbanded 3 December 1990 and replaced by the Provisional Council of the Republic; 30 members appointed by President DEBY on 8 March 1991

#Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

#Leaders:

Chief of State—Col. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December 1990);

Head of Government—Prime Minister Jean LINGUE Bawoyeu (since 8 March 1991)

#Political parties and leaders: Patriotic Salvation Movement (MPS; former dissident group), Idriss DEBY, chairman; President DEBY has promised political pluralism, a new constitution, and free elections by September 1993; numerous dissident groups

#Suffrage: universal at age NA

#Elections:

President—last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held NA); results—President Hissein HABRE was elected without opposition; note—the government of then President HABRE fell on 1 December 1990 and Idriss DEBY seized power on 3 December 1990;

National Consultative Council—last held 8 July 1990; disbanded 3 December 1990

#Communists: no front organizations or underground party; probably a few Communists and some sympathizers

#Other political or pressure groups: NA

#Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

#Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mahamat Ali ADOUM; Chancery at 2002 R Steet NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-4009;

US—Ambassador Richard W. BOGOSIAN; Embassy at Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena (mailing address is B. P. 413, N'Djamena); telephone [235] (51) 62-18, 40-09

#Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar to the flag of Andorra which has a national coat of arms featuring a quartered shield centered in the yellow band; design was based on the flag of France

*Economy #Overview: The climate, geographic location, and lack of infrastructure and natural resources potential make Chad one of the most underdeveloped countries in the world. Its economy is burdened by the ravages of civil war, conflict with Libya, drought, and food shortages. In 1986 real GDP returned to its 1977 level, with cotton, the major cash crop, accounting for 48% of exports. Over 80% of the work force is employed in subsistence farming and fishing. Industry is based almost entirely on the processing of agricultural products, including cotton, sugarcane, and cattle. Chad is highly dependent on foreign aid, with its economy in trouble and many regions suffering from shortages. Oil companies are exploring areas north of Lake Chad and in the Doba basin in the south.

#GDP: $1,015 million, per capita $205; real growth rate 0.9% (1989 est.)

#Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 4.9% (1989)

#Unemployment rate: NA

#Budget: revenues $78 million; expenditures $127 million, not including capital expenditures that are mostly financed by foreign aid donors (1989 est.)

#Exports: $174 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities—cotton 48%, cattle 35%, textiles 5%, fish;

partners—France, Nigeria, Cameroon

#Imports: $264 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);

commodities—machinery and transportation equipment 39%, industrial goods 20%, petroleum products 13%, foodstuffs 9%; note—excludes military equipment;

partners—US, France, Nigeria, Cameroon



#External debt: $530 million (December 1990 est.)

#Industrial production: growth rate 12.9% (1989 est.); accounts for nearly 15% of GDP

#Electricity: 38,000 kW capacity; 70 million kWh produced, 14 kWh per capita (1989)

#Industries: cotton textile mills, slaughterhouses, brewery, natron (sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes

#Agriculture: accounts for about 45% of GDP; largely subsistence farming; cotton most important cash crop; food crops include sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice, potatoes, manioc; livestock—cattle, sheep, goats, camels; self-sufficient in food in years of adequate rainfall

#Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $198 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $28 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $80 million

#Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural—francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

#Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1—256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

#Fiscal year: calendar year

*Communications #Highways: 31,322 km total; 32 km bituminous; 7,300 km gravel and laterite; remainder unimproved

#Inland waterways: 2,000 km navigable

#Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft

#Airports: 70 total, 54 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 23 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

#Telecommunications: fair system of radiocommunication stations for intercity links; 5,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, 1 FM, limited TV service; many facilities are inoperative; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Defense Forces #Branches: Patriotic Salvation Force (FPS; Army, Air Force), paramilitary Gendarmerie, National Police

#Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,188,222; 616,932 fit for military service; 51,713 reach military age (20) annually

Defense expenditures: $39 million, 4.3% of GDP (1988) % @Chile *Geography Total area: 756,950 km2; land area: 748,800 km2; includes Isla de Pascua (Easter Island) and Isla Sala y Gomez

#Comparative area: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

#Land boundaries: 6,171 km total; Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km

#Coastline: 6,435 km

#Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

#Disputes: short section of the southern boundary with Argentina is indefinite; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine claim

#Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south

#Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east

#Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum

#Land use: arable land 7%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 16%; forest and woodland 21%; other 56%; includes irrigated 2%

#Environment: subject to severe earthquakes, active volcanism, tsunami; Atacama Desert one of world's driest regions; desertification

#Note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

*People #Population: 13,286,620 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)

#Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1991)

#Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

#Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

#Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

#Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 77 years female (1991)

#Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)

#Nationality: noun—Chilean(s); adjective—Chilean

#Ethnic divisions: European and European-Indian 95%, Indian 3%, other 2%

#Religion: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, and small Jewish population

#Language: Spanish

#Literacy: 93% (male 94%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

#Labor force: 3,840,000; services 38.6% (includes government 12%) 38.6%; industry and commerce 31.3%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 15.9%; mining 8.7%; construction 4.4% (1985)

#Organized labor: 11% of labor force (1990)

*Government #Long-form name: Republic of Chile

#Type: republic

#Capital: Santiago

#Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular—region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso; note—the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

#Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

#Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989

#Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

#National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

#Executive branch: president, Cabinet

#Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consisting of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)