 |
Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil
Agriculture: accounts for 36% of GDP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas) and animal products 50%; since 1989 self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.); note - the third largest exporter of rice in the World, behind the US and Thailand
Illicit drugs: opium producer and increasingly important transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe; growing opium addiction; small-scale heroin producer
Economic aid: recipient: $2 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 1995, Japan largest contributor with $650 million pledged for 1995
Currency: 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1 - 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Vietnam:Transportation
Railroads: total: 3,059 km (including 224 km not restored to service after war damage) standard gauge: 151 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 2,454 km 1.000-m gauge other gauge: 230 km NA-m dual gauge (three rails)
Highways: total: 85,000 km paved: 9,400 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 48,700 km; unimproved earth 26,900 km
Inland waterways: 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km
Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hon Gai, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang
Merchant marine: total: 109 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 449,963 GRT/932,837 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 92, oil tanker 10, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports: total: 48 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 8 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 13 with paved runways under 914 m: 7 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 5 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 5
@Vietnam:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; 2 telephones/1,000 persons; the inadequacies of the obsolete switching equipment and cable system are a serious constraint on the business sector and on economic growth, and restrict access to the international links that Vietnam has established with most major countries; the telephone system is not generally available for private use local: NA intercity: NA international: 3 satellite earth stations
Radio: broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 228, shortwave 0 radios: 7 million (1991)
Television: broadcast stations: 36 (repeaters 77) televisions: 2.5 million (1991)
@Vietnam:Defense Forces
Branches: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; includes Ground forces, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), and Air Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 18,799,370; males fit for military service 11,913,116; males reach military age (17) annually 742,394 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $435 million, 2.5% of GDP (1994)
VIRGIN ISLANDS
(territory of the US)
@Virgin Islands:Geography
Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total area: 352 sq km land area: 349 sq km comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 188 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
Land use: arable land: 15% permanent crops: 6% meadows and pastures: 26% forest and woodland: 6% other: 47%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources natural hazards: rarely affected by hurricanes; frequent and severe droughts, floods, and earthquakes international agreements: NA
Note: important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
@Virgin Islands:People
Population: 97,229 (July 1995 est.) note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8%
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: -0.29% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 18.49 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.2 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -16.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.54 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.29 years male: 73.6 years female: 77.2 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Virgin Islander(s) adjective: Virgin Islander
Ethnic divisions: black 80%, white 15%, other 5%
Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
Languages: English (official), Spanish, Creole
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 45,500 (1988) by occupation: tourism 70%
@Virgin Islands:Government
Names: conventional long form: Virgin Islands of the United States conventional short form: Virgin Islands
Digraph: VQ
Type: organized, unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Capital: Charlotte Amalie
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Transfer Day, 31 March (1917) (from Denmark to US)
Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Legal system: based on US
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branch: chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993) head of government: Governor Dr. Roy L. SCHNEIDER (since 5 January 1995); Lieutenant Governor Kenneth E. MAPP (since 5 January 1995); election last held 22 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 1998); results - Dr. Roy L. SCHNEIDER (Independent) 54.7%, former Lieutenant Governor Derek HODGE 42.6%
Legislative branch: unicameral Senate: elections last held 8 November 1994 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (15 total) Democrats 7, Independents 7, Republican 1 US House of Representatives: elections last held 8 November 1994 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - Victor O. FRAZER (Independent) 54.5%, Eileen R. PETERSON (Democrat) 45.5%; seats - (1 total) Independent 1; note - the Virgin Islands elects one representative to the US House of Representatives
Judicial branch: US District Court: handles civil matters over $50,000, felonies (persons 15 years of age and over), and federal cases Territorial Court: handles civil matters up to $50,000, small claims, juvenile, domestic, misdemeanors, and traffic cases
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party, Marilyn STAPLETON; Independent Citizens' Movement (ICM), Virdin C. BROWN; Republican Party, Charlotte-Poole DAVIS
Member of: ECLAC (associate), IOC
Diplomatic representation in US: none (territory of the US)
US diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
Flag: white with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows an eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
@Virgin Islands:Economy
Overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The manufacturing sector consists of textile, electronics, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly plants. The agricultural sector is small, most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1987 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $11,000 (1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 3.7% (1992)
Budget: revenues: $364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports: $2.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990) commodities: refined petroleum products partners: US, Puerto Rico
Imports: $3.3 billion (c.i.f., 1990) commodities: crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
partners: US, Puerto Rico
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 12% (year NA); accounts for NA% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 320,000 kW production: 970 million kWh consumption per capita: 9,172 kWh (1993)
Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
Agriculture: truck gardens, food crops (small scale), fruit, sorghum, Senepol cattle
Economic aid: recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $42 million
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
@Virgin Islands:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 856 km paved: NA unpaved: NA
Ports: Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix
Merchant marine: none
Airports: total: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 note: international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix
@Virgin Islands:Communications
Telephone system: 58,931 telephones; modern telephone system using fiber-optic cable, submarine cable, microwave radio, and satellite facilities local: NA intercity: NA international: NA
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 0 (1988) radios: 98,000
Television: broadcast stations: 4 (1988) televisions: 63,000
@Virgin Islands:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
WAKE ISLAND
(territory of the US)
@Wake Island:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands
Map references: Oceania
Area: total area: 6.5 sq km land area: 6.5 sq km comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 19.3 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Climate: tropical
Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim; average elevation less than 4 meters
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: occasional typhoons international agreements: NA
Note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights
@Wake Island:People
Population: 302 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
@Wake Island:Government
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island
Digraph: WQ
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Army and Strategic Defense Command since 1 October 1994
Capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
Independence: none (territory of the US)
Flag: the US flag is used
@Wake Island:Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity: supplied by US military
@Wake Island:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Ports: none; two offshore anchorages for large ships
Merchant marine: none
Airports: total: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
Note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used by US military, some commercial cargo planes, as well as the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command for missile launches
@Wake Island:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; satellite communications; 1 Autovon circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) local: NA intercity: NA international: NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio and television service provided by satellite
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio and television service provided by satellite
Television: broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio and television service provided by satellite
Note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now used by US military, as well as the US Army Space and Strategic Defense Command for missile launches
@Wake Island:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
WALLIS AND FUTUNA
(overseas territory of France)
@Wallis And Futuna:Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references: Oceania
Area: total area: 274 sq km land area: 274 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 129 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October)
Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 20% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 75%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA
Note: both island groups have fringing reefs
@Wallis And Futuna:People
Population: 14,499 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.11% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 25.06 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.14 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.92 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.24 years male: 71.62 years female: 72.9 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic divisions: Polynesian
Religions: Roman Catholic
Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1969) total population: 50% male: 50% female: 51%
Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing 80%, government 4% (est.)
@Wallis And Futuna:Government
Names: conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Digraph: WF
Type: overseas territory of France
Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France)
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981) head of government: High Administrator Philippe LEGRIX (since NA); President of the Territorial Assembly Soane Mani UHILA (since NA March 1992) cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of 3 kings and 3 members appointed by the high administrator on advice of the Territorial Assembly note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly (Assemblee Territoriale): elections last held 15 March 1987 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (20 total) RPR 7, UPL 5, UDF 4, UNF 4 French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held by NA September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) RPR 1 French National Assembly: elections last held 21 and 28 March 1992 (next to be held by NA September 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) MRG 1; note - Wallis and Futuna elect one deputy
Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law by the chief administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR); Union Populaire Locale (UPL); Union Pour la Democratie Francaise (UDF); Lua kae tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche (MRG)
Member of: FZ, SPC
Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas territory of France)
US diplomatic representation: none (overseas territory of France)
Flag: the flag of France is used
@Wallis And Futuna:Economy
Overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and Futuna imports food - particularly sugar and beef - fuel, clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are negligible, consisting of copra and handicrafts.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $28.7 million (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $2,000 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $2.7 million expenditures: $2.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1983 est.)
Exports: $6.6 million (f.o.b., 1986) commodities: copra, handicrafts partners: NA
Imports: $13.3 million (c.i.f., 1984) commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel, clothing partners: France, Australia, New Zealand
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: capacity: 1,200 kW production: 1 million kWh consumption per capita: 70 kWh (1990)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Agriculture: dominated by coconut production, with subsistence crops of yams, taro, bananas, and herds of pigs and goats
Economic aid: recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $118 million
Currency: 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 96.25 (January 1995), 100.94 (1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.0 (1990); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
Fiscal year: NA
@Wallis And Futuna:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20km) paved: 16 km (on Il Uvea) unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
Inland waterways: none
Ports: Leava, Mata-Utu
Merchant marine: total: 1 oil tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,000 GRT/40,000 DWT
Airports: total: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Wallis And Futuna:Communications
Telephone system: 225 telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: NA
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 0 televisions: NA
@Wallis And Futuna:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
WEST BANK
Note—The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, final status negotiations are to begin no later than the beginning of the third year of the transitional period.
@West Bank:Geography
Location: Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references: Middle East
Area: total area: 5,860 sq km land area: 5,640 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Land boundaries: total 404 km, Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 1% other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA
Note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 199 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 25 in East Jerusalem (August 1994 est.)
@West Bank:People
Population: 1,319,991 (July 1995 est.) note: in addition, there are 122,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 149,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1994 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (female 293,269; male 308,775) 15-64 years: 51% (female 335,193; male 337,722) 65 years and over: 3% (female 25,759; male 19,273) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 39.83 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.84 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.42 years male: 69.91 years female: 73 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.34 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA
Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English (widely understood)
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA by occupation: construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991) note: excluding Jewish settlers
@West Bank:Government
Note: Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. A transfer of powers and responsibilities in certain spheres for the rest of the West Bank has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 29 August 1994 Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations within five years.
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank
Digraph: WE
@West Bank:Economy
Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah). Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not productive assets that would enable local Palestinian firms to compete with Israeli industry. GDP has been substantially supplemented by remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states. Such transfers from the Gulf dropped after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have added to unemployment and lowered living standards. The area's economic situation has worsened since Israel's partial closure of the territories in 1993.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $2,800 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 35% (1994 est.)
Budget: revenues: $43.4 million expenditures: $43.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89/90)
Exports: $217 million (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables partners: Jordan, Israel
Imports: $867 million (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Jordan, Israel
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: capacity: NA kW production: NA kWh consumption per capita: NA kWh note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.0270 (December 1994), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6995 (January 1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
@West Bank:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA note: small road network; Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements
Ports: none
Airports: total: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 1
@West Bank:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; note - 8% of Palestinian households have telephones (1992 est.) local: NA intercity: NA international: NA note: Israeli company BEZEK is responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA; note - 82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992 est.)
Television: broadcast stations: 0; note - 1 planned for Jericho televisions: NA; note - 54% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)
@West Bank:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
WESTERN SAHARA
@Western Sahara:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 266,000 sq km land area: 266,000 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: total 2,046 km, Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
International disputes: claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been currently in effect since September 1991
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 19% forest and woodland: 0% other: 81%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: sparse water and arable land natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility international agreements: NA
@Western Sahara:People
Population: 217,211 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 2.48% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 46.9 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.52 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 148.95 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.31 years male: 45.34 years female: 47.59 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.91 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic divisions: Arab, Berber
Religions: Muslim
Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 12,000 by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
@Western Sahara:Government
Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara
Digraph: WI
Type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
Capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Executive branch: none
Member of: none
Diplomatic representation in US: none
US diplomatic representation: none
@Western Sahara:Economy
Overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level.
National product: GDP $NA
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.) commodities: phosphates 62% partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.) commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: capacity: 60,000 kW production: 79 million kWh consumption per capita: 339 kWh (1993)
Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts
Agriculture: limited largely to subsistence agriculture and fishing; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 8.892 (January 1995), 9.203 (1994), 9.299 (1993), 8.538 (1992), 8.707 (1991), 8.242 (1990)
Fiscal year: NA
@Western Sahara:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 6,200 km unpaved: gravel 1,450 km; improved, unimproved earth, tracks 4,750 km
Ports: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, El Aaiun
Airports: total: 14 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 3 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7
@Western Sahara:Communications
Telephone system: 2,000 telephones; sparse and limited system local: NA intercity: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, troposcatter, and 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations linked to Rabat, Morocco
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 2 televisions: NA
@Western Sahara:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
WESTERN SAMOA
@Western Samoa:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references: Oceania
Area: total area: 2,860 sq km land area: 2,850 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 24% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 47% other: 10%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: soil erosion natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
@Western Samoa:People
Population: 209,360 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 40% (female 41,503; male 42,844) 15-64 years: 56% (female 55,683; male 61,065) 65 years and over: 4% (female 4,323; male 3,942) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.37% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 31.74 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 35.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.38 years male: 65.99 years female: 70.88 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.04 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Western Samoan(s) adjective: Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Religions: Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1971) total population: 97% male: 97% female: 97%
Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture 60%
@Western Samoa:Government
Names: conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa conventional short form: Western Samoa
Digraph: WS
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea, Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)
National holiday: National Day, 1 June (1962)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Chief Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963) head of government: Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the head of state with the prime minister's advice
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono): elections last held 5 April 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) HRPP 28, SNDP 18, independents 1 note: only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197 FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia mailing address: P.O. Box 3430, Apia telephone: [685] 21631 FAX: [685] 22030
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
@Western Samoa:Economy
Overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry. The economy continued to falter in 1994, as remittances and tourist earnings remained low. Production of taro, the primary food export crop, has dropped 97% since a fungal disease struck the crop in 1993. The rapid growth in 1994 of the giant African snail population in Western Samoa is also threatening the country's basic food crops, such as bananas and coconuts.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $400 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate: -4.3% (1992 est.)
National product per capita: $2,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $95.3 million expenditures: $76.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports: $6.4 million (f.o.b., 1993) commodities: coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoa partners: New Zealand 34%, American Samoa 21%, Germany 18%, Australia 11%
Imports: $11.5 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12% partners: New Zealand 37%, Australia 25%, Japan 11%, Fiji 9%
External debt: $141 million (June 1993)
Industrial production: growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 29,000 kW production: 50 million kWh consumption per capita: 200 kWh (1993)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $306 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.4600 (January 1995), 2.5349 (1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Western Samoa:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,042 km paved: 375 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km
Ports: Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Merchant marine: total: 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT
Airports: total: 3 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 2
@Western Samoa:Communications
Telephone system: 7,500 telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: 70,000
Television: broadcast stations: 0 televisions: NA
@Western Samoa:Defense Forces
Branches: no regular armed services; Western Samoa Police Force
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
WORLD
@World:Geography
Map references: World, Time Zones
Area: total area: 510.072 million sq km land area: 148.94 million sq km water area: 361.132 million sq km comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US note: 70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 250,883.64 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline: 356,000 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm claimed by most but can vary continental shelf: 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of exploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can vary exclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can vary territorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most but can vary note: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm; 43 nations and other areas that are landlocked include Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
Terrain: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest depression is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 24% forest and woodland: 31% other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions) international agreements: 23 selected international environmental agreements included under the Environment entry for each country and in Appendix E: Selected International Environmental Agreements
@World:People
Population: 5,733,687,096 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 31.6% (female 882,809,689; male 928,121,801) 15-64 years: 62% (female 1,752,393,539; male 1,802,004,124) 65 years and over: 6.4% (female 209,437,234; male 158,246,581) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.5% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 64 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62 years male: 61 years female: 64 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Labor force: 2.24 billion (1992) by occupation: NA
@World:Government
Digraph: XX
Administrative divisions: 265 nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries
Legal system: varies by individual country; 186 (note including Yugoslavia) are parties to the United Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
@World:Economy
Overview: Led by recovery in Western Europe and strong performances by the US, Canada, and key Third World countries, real global output - gross world product (GWP) - rose 3% in 1994 compared with 2% in 1993. Results varied widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 3% in the GDP of industrialized countries (60% of GWP in 1994) and average growth of 6% in the GDP of less developed countries (34% of GWP) were partly offset by a further 11% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area (now only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at 2.9%, unemployment was typically 5%-12% in the industrial world. The US accounted for 22% of GWP in 1994; Western Europe accounted for another 22%; and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic superpowers" which are presumably destined to compete for mastery in international markets on into the 21st century. As for the less developed countries, China, India, and the Four Dragons - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - once again posted records of 5% growth or better; however, many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife. Central Europe made considerable progress in moving toward "market-friendly" economies, whereas the 15 ex-Soviet countries (with the notable exceptions of the three Baltic states) typically experienced further declines in output, sometimes as high as 30%. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, and in India. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. (For the specific economic problems of each country, see the individual country entries in this volume.)
National product: GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $30.7 trillion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $5,400 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): all countries: 25% developed countries: 5% developing countries: 50% (1994 est.) note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from stable prices to hyperinflation
Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 5%-12% unemployment
Exports: $4 trillion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services partners: in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports: $4.1 trillion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services partners: in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
External debt: $1 trillion for less developed countries (1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1994 est.)
Electricity: capacity: 2,773,000,000 kW production: 11.601 trillion kWh consumption per capita: 1,937 kWh (1993)
Industries: industry worldwide is dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces, and the technological gap between the industrial nations and the less-developed countries continues to widen; the rapid development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Agriculture: the production of major food crops has increased substantially in the last 20 years; the annual production of cereals, for instance, has risen by 50%, from about 1.2 billion metric tons to about 1.8 billion metric tons; production increases have resulted mainly from increased yields rather than increases in planted areas; while global production is sufficient for aggregate demand, about one-fifth of the world's population remains malnourished, primarily because local production cannot adequately provide for large and rapidly growing populations, which are too poor to pay for food imports; conditions are especially bad in Africa where drought in recent years has intensified the consequences of overpopulation
Economic aid: $NA
@World:Transportation
Railroads: total: 1,201,337 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 km in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by France's SNCF TGV-Atlantique line broad gauge: 251,153 km standard gauge: 710,754 km narrow gauge: 239,430 km
Highways: total: NA paved: NA unpaved: NA
Ports: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi (Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine: total: 25,364 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 435,458,296 GRT/697,171,651 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 39, bulk 5,202, cargo 8,121, chemical tanker 911, combination bulk 293, combination ore/oil 290, container 1,903, liquefied gas 675, livestock carrier 48, multifunction large-load carrier 53, oil tanker 4,332, passenger 287, passenger-cargo 114, railcar carrier 24, refrigerated cargo 1,023, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,047, short-sea passenger 465, specialized tanker 77, vehicle carrier 460 (April 1995)
@World:Communications
Telephone system: local: NA intercity: NA international: NA
Radio: broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: NA televisions: NA
@World:Defense Forces
Branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Defense expenditures: a further decline in 1994, by perhaps 5%-10%, to roughly three-quarters of a trillion dollars, or 2.5% of gross world product (1994 est.)
YEMEN
@Yemen:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Map references: Middle East
Area: total area: 527,970 sq km land area: 527,970 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Land boundaries: total 1,746 km, Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 18 nm in the North; 24 nm in the South continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia; a treaty with Oman defining the Yemeni-Omani boundary was ratified in December 1992
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 30% forest and woodland: 7% other: 57%
Irrigated land: 3,100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer international agreements: party to - Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note: controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
@Yemen:People
Population: 14,728,474 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 50% (female 3,551,953; male 3,776,358) 15-64 years: 48% (female 3,505,735; male 3,508,229) 65 years and over: 2% (female 216,210; male 169,989) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.02% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 44.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 8.01 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 58.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.51 years male: 61.57 years female: 63.5 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.15 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Arab; Afro-Arab concentrations in western coastal locations; South Asians in southern regions; small European communities in major metropolitan areas
Religions: Muslim including Sha'fi (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages: Arabic
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 38% male: 53% female: 26%
Labor force: no reliable estimates exist, most people are employed in agriculture and herding or as expatriate laborers; services, construction, industry, and commerce account for less than half of the labor force
@Yemen:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman
Digraph: YM
Type: republic
Capital: Sanaa
Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramaut, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana, Shabwah, Taizz note: there may be a new governorate for the capital city of Sanaa
Independence: 22 May 1990 Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen} and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
Constitution: 16 May 1991
Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen); Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since NA October 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Aziz ABD AL-GHANI (since NA October 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives: elections last held 27 April 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (301 total) GPC 124, Islaah 61, YSP 55, others 13, independents 47, election nullified 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: over 40 political parties are active in Yemen, but only three project significant influence; since the May-July 1994 civil war, President SALIH's General People's Congress (GPC) and Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Yemeni Grouping for Reform, or Islaah, have joined to form a coalition government; the Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), headed by Ali Salih UBAYD, has regrouped as a loyal opposition
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760, 4761 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador David NEWTON embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa; Sanaa, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6330 telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852 FAX: [967] (1) 251563
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
@Yemen:Economy
Overview: Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development of the country's moderate oil resources. Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support. The low level of domestic industry and agriculture has made northern Yemen dependent on imports for practically all of its essential needs. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to growing a shrub called qat, whose leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect by Yemenis and which has no significant export market. Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices. Yemen's large trade deficits have been compensated for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid. Since the Gulf crisis, remittances have dropped substantially. Growth in 1994-95 is constrained by low oil prices, rapid inflation, and political deadlock that are causing a lack of economic cooperation and leadership. However, a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia in February 1995 and the expectation of a rise in oil prices brighten Yemen's economic prospects.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $23.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: -1.4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,955 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 145% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (December 1994)
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $1.75 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables, dried and salted fish partners: Germany 28%, Japan 15%, UK 9%, Austria 7%, China 7% (1992)
Imports: $2.65 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, cement, machinery, chemicals partners: US 16%, UK 7%, Japan 6%, France 6%, Italy 6% (1992)
External debt: $7 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%, accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 810,000 kW production: 1.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 149 kWh (1993)
Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP; products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, fish; not self-sufficient in grain
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion
Currency: Yemeni rial (new currency); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils; 1 South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils note: following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar are to be replaced with a new Yemeni rial
Exchange rates: Yemeni rials per US$1 - 12.0 (official); 90 (market rate, December 1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Yemen:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 51,390 km paved: 4,830 km unpaved: 46,560 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km
Ports: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, Mocha, Nishtun
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,059 GRT/18,563 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, oil tanker 2
Airports: total: 46 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 4 with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 2 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 10 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 12
@Yemen:Communications
Telephone system: 65,000 telephones; since unification in 1990, efforts are still being made to create a national domestic civil telecommunications network local: NA intercity: the network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, and troposcatter international: 3 INTELSAT (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 2 ARABSAT earth stations; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 10 televisions: NA
@Yemen:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Police)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 3,135,649; males fit for military service 1,771,226; males reach military age (14) annually 181,057 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.65 billion, 7.1% of GDP (1993)
ZAIRE
@Zaire:Geography
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 2,345,410 sq km land area: 2,267,600 sq km comparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
Land boundaries: total 10,271 km, Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic 1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: boundaries with neighbors territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator - wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural resources: cobalt, copper, cadmium, petroleum, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 4% forest and woodland: 78% other: 15%
Irrigated land: 100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: poaching threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; deforestation; 1.2 million Rwandan refugees are responsible for significant deforestation, soil erosion, and wildlife poaching in eastern Zaire natural hazards: periodic droughts in south; volcanic activity international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83; signed, but not ratified - Desertification, Environmental Modification
Note: straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean; dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands
@Zaire:People
Population: 44,060,636 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (female 10,522,368; male 10,527,451) 15-64 years: 50% (female 11,211,353; male 10,630,118) 65 years and over: 2% (female 647,307; male 522,039) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.18% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 48.33 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: in 1994, more than one million refugees fled into Zaire to escape the fighting between the Hutus and the Tutsis in Rwanda and Burundi; a small number of these are returning to their homes in 1995 despite fear of the ongoing violence; additionally, Zaire is host to 105,000 Angolan, more than 250,000 Burundian and 100,000 Sudanese refugees; repatriation of Angolan refugees was suspended in May 1994 because of the recurrence of fighting in Angola; if present peace accords hold, repatriation of Angolans may recommence
Infant mortality rate: 108.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 47.54 years male: 45.68 years female: 49.46 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Zairian(s) adjective: Zairian
Ethnic divisions: over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are Bantu; four largest tribes - Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Religions: Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%
Languages: French, Lingala, Swahili, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 72% male: 84% female: 61%
Labor force: 15 million (25% of the labor force comprises wage earners) by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry 13%, services 12% (1985)
@Zaire:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Zaire conventional short form: Zaire local long form: Republique du Zaire local short form: Zaire former: Belgian Congo Congo/Leopoldville Congo/Kinshasa
Digraph: CG
Type: republic with a strong presidential system
Capital: Kinshasa
Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 town* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Zaire, Equateur, Haut-Zaire, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Shaba, Sud-Kivu
Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Regime (Second Republic), 24 November (1965)
Constitution: 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978; amended April 1990; new transitional constitution promulgated in April 1994
Legal system: based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (since 24 November 1965) election last held 29 July 1984 (next to be held by 9 July 1995); results - President MOBUTU was reelected without opposition head of government: Prime Minister Leon KENGO wa Dondo (since 14 June 1994) cabinet: National Executive Council; appointed by mutual agreement of the president and the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral parliament: a single body consisting of the High Council of the Republic and the Parliament of the Transition with membership equally divided between presidential supporters and opponents
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: sole legal party until January 1991 - Popular Movement of the Revolution (MPR); other parties include Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba; Democratic Social Christian Party (PDSC); Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (UFERI); Unified Lumumbast Party (PALU), Antoine GIZENGA; Union of Independent Democrats (UDI), Leon KENGO wa Dondo
Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador TATANENE Manata chancery: 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 234-7690, 7691
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John M. YATES embassy: 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa mailing address: Unit 31550, Kinshasha; APO AE 09828 telephone: [243] (12) 21532, 21628 FAX: [243] (12) 21534 ext. 2308, 21535 ext. 2308; (88) 43805, 43467
Flag: light green with a yellow disk in the center bearing a black arm holding a red flaming torch; the flames of the torch are blowing away from the hoist side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Zaire:Economy
Overview: Zaire's economy has continued to disintegrate although Prime Minister KENGO has had some success in slowing the rate of economic decline. While meaningful economic figures are difficult to come by, Zaire's hyperinflation, chronic large government deficits, and plunging mineral production have made the country one of the world's poorest. Most formal transactions are conducted in hard currency as indigenous bank notes have lost almost all value, and a barter economy now flourishes in all but the largest cities. Most individuals and families hang on grimly through subsistence farming and petty trade. The government has not been able to meet its financial obligations to the International Monetary Fund or put in place the financial measures advocated by the IMF. Although short-term prospects for improvement are dim, improved political stability would boost Zaire's long-term potential to effectively exploit its vast wealth of mineral and agricultural resources.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $18.8 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $440 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40% per month (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $362 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: copper, coffee, diamonds, cobalt, crude oil partners: US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, UK, Japan, South Africa
Imports: $356 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment, fuels partners: South Africa, US, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, UK
External debt: $9.2 billion (May 1992 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate -20% (1993); accounts for 16% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 2,830,000 kW production: 6.2 billion kWh consumption per capita: 133 kWh (1993)
Industries: mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear, cigarettes, processed foods and beverages), cement, diamonds
Agriculture: cash crops - coffee, palm oil, rubber, quinine; food crops - cassava, bananas, root crops, corn
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $263 million note: except for humanitarian aid to private organizations, no US assistance has been given to Zaire since 1992
Currency: 1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta
Exchange rates: new zaires (Z) per US$1 - 3,275.71 (December 1994), 1,194.12 (1994), 2.51 (1993); zaire (Z) per US$1 - 645,549 (1992), 15,587 (1991), 719 (1990) note: on 22 October 1993 the new zaire, equal to 3,000,000 old zaires, was introduced
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Zaire:Transportation
Railroads: total: 5,138 km; note - severely reduced trackage in use because of civil strife narrow gauge: 3,987 km 1.067-m gauge (858 km electrified); 125 km 1.000-m gauge; 1,026 km 0.600-m gauge
Highways: total: 146,500 km paved: 2,800 km unpaved: gravel, improved earth 46,200 km; unimproved earth 97,500 km
Inland waterways: 15,000 km including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes
Pipelines: petroleum products 390 km
Ports: Banana, Boma, Bukavu, Bumba, Goma, Kalemie, Kindu, Kinshasa, Kisangani, Matadi, Mbandaka
Merchant marine: none
Airports: total: 270 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 4 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2 with paved runways under 914 m: 97 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 22 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 127
@Zaire:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones local: NA intercity: NA barely adequate wire and microwave service in and between urban areas; 14 domestic earth stations international: 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth station
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 4, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 18 televisions: NA
@Zaire:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie, paramilitary Civil Guard, Special Presidential Division
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 9,479,245; males fit for military service 4,828,367 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $46 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990)
ZAMBIA
@Zambia:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, east of Angola
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 752,610 sq km land area: 740,720 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries: total 5,664 km, Angola 1,110 km, Malawi 837 km, Mozambique 419 km, Namibia 233 km, Tanzania 338 km, Zaire 1,930 km, Zimbabwe 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled
Climate: tropical; modified by altitude; rainy season (October to April)
Terrain: mostly high plateau with some hills and mountains
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, zinc, lead, coal, emeralds, gold, silver, uranium, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 47% forest and woodland: 27% other: 19%
Irrigated land: 320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain in the mineral extraction and refining region; poaching seriously threatens rhinoceros and elephant populations; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; lack of adequate water treatment presents human health risks natural hazards: tropical storms (November to April) international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification
Note: landlocked
@Zambia:People
Population: 9,445,723 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 50% (female 2,331,820; male 2,363,319) 15-64 years: 48% (female 2,332,798; male 2,193,363) 65 years and over: 2% (female 112,484; male 111,939) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 45.47 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.42 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 86 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.88 years male: 42.74 years female: 43.03 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.62 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Zambian(s) adjective: Zambian
Ethnic divisions: African 98.7%, European 1.1%, other 0.2%
Religions: Christian 50%-75%, Muslim and Hindu 24%-49%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages: English (official) note: about 70 indigenous languages
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 73% male: 81% female: 65%
Labor force: 3.4 million by occupation: agriculture 85%, mining, manufacturing, and construction 6%, transport and services 9%
@Zambia:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Zambia conventional short form: Zambia former: Northern Rhodesia
Digraph: ZA
Type: republic
Capital: Lusaka
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Central, Copperbelt, Eastern, Luapula, Lusaka, Northern, North-Western, Southern, Western
Independence: 24 October 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 October (1964)
Constitution: 2 August 1991
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in an ad hoc constitutional council; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: President Frederick CHILUBA (since 31 October 1991); Vice President General Godfrey MIYANDA (since NA August 1994; he replaced Levy MWANAWASA who was elected 31 October 1991 and resigned in NA August 1994) election last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Frederick CHILUBA 84%, Kenneth KAUNDA 16% cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president from members of the National Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly: elections last held 31 October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total) MMD 125, UNIP 25; note - the MMD's majority was weakened by the defection of 13 of its parliamentary members during 1993 and the defeat of its candidates in 4 of the resulting by-elections
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Movement for Multiparty Democracy (MMD), Frederick CHILUBA; United National Independence Party (UNIP), Kebby MUSOKATWANE; National Party (NP), Inonge MBIKUSITA-LEWANIKA;
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dunstan Weston KAMANA chancery: 2419 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9717 through 9719 FAX: [1] (202) 332-0826
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador Roland K. KUCHEL embassy: corner of Independence Avenue and United Nations Avenue, Lusaka mailing address: P. O. Box 31617, Lusaka telephone: [260] (1) 228595, 228601, 228602, 228603 FAX: [260] (1) 261538
Flag: green with a panel of three vertical bands of red (hoist side), black, and orange below a soaring orange eagle, on the outer edge of the flag
@Zambia:Economy
Overview: Prior to 1993 the economy had been in decline for more than a decade with falling imports and growing foreign debt. Economic difficulties stemmed largely from a chronically depressed level of copper production and weak copper prices, generally ineffective economic policies, and high inflation. An annual population growth of 3% brought a decline in per capita GDP of 50% over the decade. However, economic reforms enacted since 1992 have helped reduce inflation, have begun to strengthen the social safety net, and have been accompanied by GDP growth at an estimated 6.8% in 1993 and 4% in 1994. The huge external debt remains a key problem.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $7.9 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $860 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 89% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $665 million expenditures: $767 million, including capital expenditures of $300 million (1991 est.)
Exports: $1.01 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.) commodities: copper, zinc, cobalt, lead, tobacco partners: EC countries, Japan, South Africa, US, India
Imports: $1.13 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, foodstuffs, fuels, manufactures partners: EC countries, Japan, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, US
External debt: $7.3 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate -1% (1992); accounts for 42% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 2,440,000 kW production: 7.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 650 kWh (1993)
Industries: copper mining and processing, construction, foodstuffs, beverages, chemicals, textiles, and fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP and 85% of labor force; crops - corn (food staple), sorghum, rice, peanuts, sunflower, tobacco, cotton, sugarcane, cassava; cattle, goats, beef, eggs
Illicit drugs: increasingly a regional transshipment center for methaqualone and heroin
Economic aid: recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $4.8 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $60 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $533 million
Currency: 1 Zambian kwacha (ZK) = 100 ngwee
Exchange rates: Zambian kwacha (ZK) per US$1 - 672.8 (September 1994), 434.78 (1993), 156.25 (1992), 61.7284 (1991), 28.9855 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Zambia:Transportation
Railroads: total: 1,273 km narrow gauge: 1,273 km 1.067-m gauge (13 km double track) note: not a part of Zambia Railways is the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates 1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and New Kapiri M'poshi where it connects to the Zambia Railways system; 891 km of the TAZARA line transit Zambia
Highways: total: 36,370 km paved: 6,500 km unpaved: crushed stone, gravel, stabilized earth 7,000 km; improved, unimproved earth 22,870 km
Inland waterways: 2,250 km, including Zambezi and Luapula Rivers, Lake Tanganyika
Pipelines: crude oil 1,724 km
Ports: Mpulungu
Airports: total: 113 with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4 with paved runways under 914 m: 39 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 4 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 57
@Zambia:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; facilities are among the best in Sub-Saharan Africa local: NA intercity: high capacity micrwave radio relay connects most larger towns and cities international: 2 INTELSAT earth stations (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio: broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 5, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television: broadcast stations: 9 televisions: NA
@Zambia:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,953,967; males fit for military service 1,028,113 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $45 million, 1.4% of GDP (1994)
ZIMBABWE
@Zimbabwe:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, northeast of Botswana
Map references: Africa
Area: total area: 390,580 sq km land area: 386,670 sq km comparative area: slightly larger than Montana
Land boundaries: total 3,066 km, Botswana 813 km, Mozambique 1,231 km, South Africa 225 km, Zambia 797 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: quadripoint with Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia is in disagreement
Climate: tropical; moderated by altitude; rainy season (November to March)
Terrain: mostly high plateau with higher central plateau (high veld); mountains in east
Natural resources: coal, chromium ore, asbestos, gold, nickel, copper, iron ore, vanadium, lithium, tin, platinum group metals
Land use: arable land: 7.25% permanent crops: 0.25% (coffee is a permanent crop) meadows and pastures: 12.5% forest and woodland: 49% other: 31%
Irrigated land: 2,250 sq km (1993 est.)
Environment: current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; land degradation; air and water pollution; the black rhinoceros herd - once the largest concentration of the species in the world - has been significantly reduced by poaching natural hazards: recurring droughts; floods and severe storms are rare
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Desertification
Note: landlocked
@Zimbabwe:People
Population: 11,139,961 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 47% (female 2,588,193; male 2,617,485) 15-64 years: 51% (female 2,915,697; male 2,723,511) 65 years and over: 2% (female 151,635; male 143,440) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.78% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 36.35 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.54 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.) note: following the settlement of hostilities in Mozambique in 1992, refugees from the fighting there began to return to their homes; this process continues at a lesser rate in 1995; there is a small but steady flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa in search of better paid employment
Infant mortality rate: 72.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.35 years male: 39.73 years female: 43.01 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.93 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Zimbabwean(s) adjective: Zimbabwean
Ethnic divisions: African 98% (Shona 71%, Ndebele 16%, other 11%), white 1%, mixed and Asian 1%
Religions: syncretic (part Christian, part indigenous beliefs) 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs 24%, Muslim and other 1%
Languages: English (official), Shona, Sindebele
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1982) total population: 78% male: 84% female: 72%
Labor force: 3.1 million by occupation: agriculture 74%, transport and services 16%, mining, manufacturing, construction 10% (1987)
@Zimbabwe:Government
Names: conventional long form: Republic of Zimbabwe conventional short form: Zimbabwe former: Southern Rhodesia
Digraph: ZI
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Harare
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Manicaland, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland East, Mashonaland West, Masvingo (Victoria), Matabeleland North, Matabeleland South, Midlands
Independence: 18 April 1980 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 April (1980)
Constitution: 21 December 1979
Legal system: mixture of Roman-Dutch and English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state and head of government: Executive President Robert Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice President Simon Vengai MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987); Co-Vice President Joshua M. NKOMO (since 6 August 1990); election last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held NA March 1996); results - Robert MUGABE 78.3%, Edgar TEKERE 21.7% cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president; responsible to Parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament: elections last held 8-9 April 1995 (next to be held NA March 2000); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (150 total, 120 elected) ZANU-PF 118, ZANU-S 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert MUGABE; Zimbabwe African National Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi SITHOLE; Zimbabwe Unity Movement (ZUM), Edgar TEKERE; Democratic Party (DP), Emmanuel MAGOCHE; Forum Party of Zimbabwe, Enock DUMBUTSHENA; United Parties, Abel MUZOREWA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-15, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, PCA, SADC, UN, UNAMIR, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
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