Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 6 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-VP 18, UMP 12, NUP 11, other and independent 11; note-political party associations are fluid; there have been four changes of government since the November 1995 elections note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission

Political parties and leaders: Union of Moderate Parties (UMP), Serge VOHOR; National United Party (NUP), Walter LINI; Vanuatu Party (VP), Donald KALPOKAS; Melanesian Progressive Party (MPP), Barak SOPE; Tan Union (TU), Vincent BOULEKONE; Na-Griamel Movement, Frankie STEVENS; Friend Melanesian Party, Albert RAVUTIA; John Frum Movement, leader NA; Vanuatu Republican Party, Maxime Carlot KORMAN

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, NAM, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US

Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow

@Vanuatu:Economy

Economy-overview: The economy is based primarily on subsistence or small-scale agriculture which provides a living for 65% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with 46,000 visitors in 1996, are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$231 million (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,300 (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 23% industry: 13% services: 64% (1996)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 2.2% (1997 est.)

Labor force: total: NA by occupation: agriculture 65%, services 32%, industry 3% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $94.4 million expenditures: $99.8 million, including capital expenditures of $30.4 million (1996 est.)

Industries: food and fish freezing, wood processing, meat canning

Industrial production growth rate: 6.4% (1996 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 11,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 30 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 173 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: copra, coconuts, cocoa, coffee, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, vegetables; fish, beef

Exports: total value: $30 million (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: copra, beef, cocoa, timber, coffee partners: Japan 28%, Spain 21%, Germany 14%, UK 7%, Cote d'Ivoire 7%, Australia, New Caledonia (1996 est.)

Imports: total value: $97 million (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: machines and vehicles, food and beverages, basic manufactures, raw materials and fuels, chemicals partners: Japan 47%, Australia 23%, Singapore 8%, New Zealand 6%, France 3%, Fiji (1996 est.)

Debt-external: $63 million (1996 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $9.6 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $3.1 million from NZ (FY95/96)

Currency: 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1-124.56 (January 1998), 115.87 (1997), 111.72 (1996), 112.11 (1995), 116.41 (1994), 121.58 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 4,000 (1994 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 49,000 (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1

Televisions: 2,000 (1994 est.)

@Vanuatu:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,070 km paved: 256 km unpaved: 814 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Forari, Port-Vila, Santo (Espiritu Santo)

Merchant marine: total: 88 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,407,737 GRT/1,761,413 DWT ships by type: bulk 31, cargo 24, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 13, vehicle carrier 8 note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 15 countries among which are ships of Japan 30, India 10, US 8, Netherlands 6, Greece 4, Hong Kong 4, Australia 2, Canada 1, China 1, and Poland 1 (1997 est.)

Airports: 31 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 29 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 18 (1997 est.)

@Vanuatu:Military

Military branches: no regular military forces; Vanuatu Police Force (VPF; includes the paramilitary Vanuatu Mobile Force or VMF)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%

@Vanuatu:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: claims Matthew and Hunter Islands east of New Caledonia



VENEZUELA

@Venezuela:Geography

Location: Northern South America, bordering the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, between Colombia and Guyana

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 66 00 W

Map references: South America, Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 912,050 sq km land: 882,050 sq km water: 30,000 sq km

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

Land boundaries: total: 4,993 km border countries: Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km

Coastline: 2,800 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 15 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

Terrain: Andes Mountains and Maracaibo Lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guiana Highlands in southeast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Bolivar (La Columna) 5,007 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds

Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 20% forests and woodland: 34% other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,900 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: subject to floods, rockslides, mud slides; periodic droughts

Environment-current issues: sewage pollution of Lago de Valencia; oil and urban pollution of Lago de Maracaibo; deforestation; soil degradation; urban and industrial pollution, especially along the Caribbean coast

Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping

Geography-note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America

@Venezuela:People

Population: 22,803,409 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 34% (male 3,979,045; female 3,733,364) 15-64 years: 62% (male 7,054,525; female 7,011,814) 65 years and over: 4% (male 469,799; female 554,862) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.77% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 22.96 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4.98 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 27.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.66 years male: 69.68 years female: 75.87 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Venezuelan(s) adjective: Venezuelan

Ethnic groups: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Amerindian 2%

Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%

Languages: Spanish (official), native dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 91.1% male: 91.8% female: 90.3% (1995 est.)

@Venezuela:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Venezuela conventional short form: Venezuela local long form: Republica de Venezuela local short form: Venezuela

Data code: VE

Government type: republic

National capital: Caracas

Administrative divisions: 22 states (estados, singular-estado),1 federal district* (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependency** (dependencia federal); Amazonas, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro, Dependencias Federales**, Distrito Federal*, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia note: the federal dependency consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands

Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)

Constitution: 23 January 1961

Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (since 2 February 1994); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held 6 December 1998) election results: Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez elected president; percent of vote-Rafael CALDERA Rodriguez (National Convergence) 30.45%, Claudio FERMIN (AD) 23.59%, Oswaldo ALVAREZ PAZ (COPEI) 22.72%, Andres VELASQUEZ (Causa R) 21.94%, other 1.3%

Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic or Congreso de la Republica consists of the Senate or Senado (52 seats, two from each state and the Federal District (50), and retired presidents (2); members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (207 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held 6 December 1998); Chamber of Deputies-last held 5 December 1993 (next to be held 6 December 1998) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-AD 16, COPEI 14, Causa R 9, National Convergence 5, MAS 3, independents 5; note-two former presidents (1 from AD, 1 from COPEI) hold lifetime Senate seats; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-AD 25.6%, COPEI 24.6%, MAS 10.6%, National Convergence 8.7%, Causa R 19.3%; seats by party-AD 53, COPEI 51, Causa R 40, MAS 22, National Convergence 18, other 23

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), magistrates are elected by both chambers in joint session for a nine-year term, a third are re-elected every three years

Political parties and leaders: National Convergence (Convergencia), Jose Miguel UZCATEGUI, president, Juan Jose CALDERA, national coordinator; Social Christian Party (COPEI), Luis HERRERA Campins, president, and Donald RAMIREZ, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD), David MORALES Bello, president, and Luis ALFARO Ucero, secretary general; Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Felipe MUJICA, president, and Leopoldo PUCHI, secretary general; Radical Cause (La Causa R), Lucas MATHEUS, secretary general; Homeland for All (PPT), Alexis ROSAS, director

Political pressure groups and leaders: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers (CTV, labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action); VECINOS groups

International organization participation: AG, Caricom (observer), CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G- 3, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, MINUGUA, MINURSO, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Pedro Luis ECHEVERRIA chancery: 1099 30th Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 342-2214 FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Francis MAISTO embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Colinas de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1060 mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A; APO AA 34037 telephone: [58] (2) 977-2011 FAX: [58] (2) 977-0843

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band

@Venezuela:Economy

Economy-overview: The petroleum sector dominates the economy, accounting for 27% of GDP, 78% of export earnings, and more than half of government operating revenues. It is likely to become even more important as the state petroleum company plans to double its production over the next 10 years. Realizing the failure of interventionist policies, the CALDERA administration embarked on a comprehensive economic reform program, which included negotiation of a stand-by agreement with the IMF in 1996, elimination of price and exchange controls, and revitalization of Venezuela's stalled privatization program. The influx of foreign capital, and the currency depreciation that followed exchange liberalization, led to 103% inflation in 1996, the highest in Venezuelan history. The government stepped in toward the end of 1996, propping up the Bolivar by using a stable nominal exchange rate as a restraint on inflation-which fell in 1997 to 38%. The macroeconomic adjustments, bolstered by strong oil prices, resulted in strong growth in 1997. However, the East Asian financial crisis and the decline of international oil prices toward the end of 1997 brought pressure on the currency, which Caracas was able to stave off. Caracas readjusted its exchange rate bands and began to allow quicker depreciation of the Bolivar; the government also tightened monetary policy. Concerned over potential revenue shortfalls from soft oil prices for the 1998 budget, Caracas has implemented budget cuts to compensate for previously optimistic oil revenue estimates. The government also has pushed ahead with sale of the state-owned steel company and the strategic aluminum sector, thereby reassuring domestic and international investors of Venezuela's commitment to reform. The monetary and fiscal measures have been well received by the international financial community. As a result, financial analysts believe the economy will still grow at a healthy pace in 1998, though they have lowered their initial projections for GDP growth due to the soft oil market.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$185 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$8,300 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 63% services: 33% (1997 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 38% (1997)

Labor force: total: 9.2 million by occupation: services 64%, industry 23%, agriculture 13% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 11.5% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $11.99 billion expenditures: $11.48 billion, including capital expenditures of $3 billion (1996 est.)

Industries: petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1995 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 18.975 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 74 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 3,508 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish

Exports: total value: $20.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: petroleum 78%, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals, agricultural products, basic manufactures partners: US and Puerto Rico 55%, Japan, Netherlands, Italy

Imports: total value: $10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, construction materials partners: US 40%, Germany, Japan, Netherlands, Canada

Debt-external: $26.5 billion (1996)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $46 million (1993)

Currency: 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos

Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1-507.447 (January 1998), 488.635 (1997), 417.333 (1996), 176.843 (1995), 148.503 (1994), 90.826 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 1.44 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: modern and expanding domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations international: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 181, FM 0, shortwave 26

Radios: 9.04 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 59

Televisions: 3.3 million (1992 est.)

@Venezuela:Transportation

Railways: total: 584 km (336 km single track; 248 km privately owned) standard gauge: 584 km 1.435-m gauge

Highways: total: 84,300 km paved: 33,214 km unpaved: 51,086 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels

Pipelines: crude oil 6,370 km; petroleum products 480 km; natural gas 4,010 km

Ports and harbors: Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon

Merchant marine: total: 28 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 526,832 GRT/933,135 DWT ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 5, combination bulk 1, container 1, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 9, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 1 (1997 est.)

Airports: 377 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 126 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 61 under 914 m: 15 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 251 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 96 under 914 m: 147 (1997 est.)

@Venezuela:Military

Military branches: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or FAN) includes Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia Nacional)

Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 6,134,691 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 4,429,265 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 240,506 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $902 million (1996)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.4% (1996)

@Venezuela:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo River; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, opium, and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia; important money-laundering hub; active eradication program primarily targeting opium



VIETNAM

@Vietnam:Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area: total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km

Area-comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries: total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests

Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 30% other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding

Environment-current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

@Vietnam:People

Population: 76,236,259 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 13,570,312; female 12,796,687) 15-64 years: 60% (male 22,222,286; female 23,621,122) 65 years and over: 5% (male 1,613,103; female 2,412,749) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.43% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 21.55 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 6.69 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 36.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 67.74 years male: 65.37 years female: 70.25 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham

Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao

Languages: Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 96.5% female: 91.2% (1995 est.)

@Vietnam:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam conventional short form: Vietnam local long form: Cong Hoa Chu Nghia Viet Nam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation: SRV

Data code: VM

Government type: Communist state

National capital: Hanoi

Administrative divisions: 50 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh Thuan, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Bac, Ha Giang, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ho Chi Minh*, Hoa Binh, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Song Be, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phu, Yen Bai note: eight existing provinces (Bac Thai, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Minh Hai, Nam Ha, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Song Be, and Vinh Phu) may have been abolished and from their territory 15 new provinces and one new municipality* (Bac Can, Bac Giang, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Ca Mau, Da Nang City*, Ha Nam, Hai Duong, Hung Yen, Nam Dinh, Phu Tho, Quang Nam, Thai Nguyen, and Vinh Phuc) may have been created

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution: 15 April 1992

Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24 September 1997) and Vice President Nguyen Thi BINH (since NA October 1992) head of government: Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September 1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 29 September 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Cong TAN (since 29 September 1997), Ngo Xuan LOC (since 29 September 1997), Nguyen Manh CAM (since 29 September 1997), and Pham Gia KHIEM (since 29 September 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its members for a five-year term; election last held 25 September 1997 (next to be held when National Assembly meets following legislative elections in NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime ministers appointed by the prime minister election results: Tran Duc LUONG elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (450 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-CPV 92%, other 8% (the 8% are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for election); seats by party-CPV or CPV-approved 450

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court, chief justice is elected for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders: only party-Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), Le Kha PHIEU, general secretary

International organization participation: will become a member at the next APEC meeting in the fall of 1998, ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador LE VAN BANG chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, Suite 501 telephone: [1] (202) 861-0737 FAX: [1] (202) 861-0917

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas "Pete" Peterson embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002 telephone: [84] (4) 8431500 FAX: [84] (4) 8350484 or 8431510

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center

@Vietnam:Economy

Economy-overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country that has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a centrally planned economy. Substantial progress has been achieved over the past 10 years in moving forward from an extremely low starting point. Economic growth continued at a strong pace during 1997 with industrial output rising by 12% and real GDP expanding by 8.5%. These positive numbers, however, masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement, steel, and paper, reported large stockpiles of inventory and tough competition from more efficient foreign producers, giving Vietnam a trade deficit of $3.3 billion in 1997. While disbursements of aid and foreign direct investment have risen, they are not large enough to finance the rapid increase in imports; and it is widely believed that Vietnam may be using short-term trade credits to bridge the gap-a risky strategy that could result in a foreign exchange crunch. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities continue to move slowly toward implementing the structural reforms needed to revitalize the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down in political controversy, while the country's dynamic private sector is denied both financing and access to markets. Reform of the banking sector is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to maintain current high levels of growth. Administrative and legal barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to maintain the inflow of foreign capital. Ideological bias in favor of state intervention and control of the economy is slowing progress toward a more liberalized investment environment.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$128 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 8.5% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,700 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 28% industry: 30% services: 42% (1996 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 5% (1997)

Labor force: total: 32.7 million by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry and services 35% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.)

Budget: revenues: $5.6 billion expenditures: $6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7 billion (1996 est.)

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil

Industrial production growth rate: 12% (1997 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 5.32 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 12.3 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 165 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas; poultry, pigs; fish

Exports: total value: $7.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee, rubber, tea, garments, shoes partners: Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong, France, South Korea

Imports: total value: $11.1 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products, fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles partners: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong Kong, Taiwan

Debt-external: $7.3 billion Western countries; $4.5 billion CEMA debts primarily to Russia; $9 billion to $18 billion nonconvertible debt (former CEMA, Iraq, Iran)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA note: $2.4 billion in credits and grants pledged by international donors for 1997

Currency: 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu

Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1-12,300 (January 1998), 11,100 (December 1996), 11,193 (1995 average), 11,000 (October 1994), 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 800,000 (1995 est.)

Telephone system: while Vietnam's telecommunication sector lags far behind other countries in Southeast Asia, Hanoi has made considerable progress since 1991 in upgrading the system; Vietnam has digitized all provincial switch boards, while fiber-optic and microwave transmission systems have been extended from Hanoi, Da Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City to all provinces; the density of telephone receivers nationwide doubled from 1993 to 1995, but is still far behind other countries in the region; Vietnam's telecommunications strategy aims to increase telephone density to 30 per 1,000 inhabitants by the year 2000 and authorities estimate that approximately $2.7 billion will be spent on telecommunications upgrades through the end of the decade domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations-2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 228, shortwave 0

Radios: 7.215 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 36 (repeaters 77)

Televisions: 2.9 million (1992 est.)

@Vietnam:Transportation

Railways: total: 2,835 km (in addition, there are 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: 93,300 km paved: 23,418 km unpaved: 69,882 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft

Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km

Ports and harbors: Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City, Hong Gai, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang

Merchant marine: total: 121 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 487,427 GRT/750,000 DWT ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 97, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 note: Vietnam owns an additional 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 97,531 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Honduras, Liberia, Malta, and Panama (1997 est.)

Airports: 48 (1994 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 36 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 13 under 914 m: 7 (1994 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 12 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 5 (1994 est.)

@Vietnam:Military

Military branches: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force), Coast Guard

Military manpower-military age: 17 years of age

Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 19,818,187 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 12,519,072 (1998 est.)

Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 811,382 (1998 est.)

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $544 million (1995)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.7% (1995)

@Vietnam:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei; maritime boundary with Thailand resolved, August 1997; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; offshore islands and sections of boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; sections of land border with China are indefinite

Illicit drugs: key growing areas in Vietnam cultivated 6,150 hectares of poppy in 1997 (an increase of 95% over 1996), with a potential production of 45 metric tons (an increase of 80% over 1996) of opium; opium producer and probably minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and Europe; growing opium addiction; possible small-scale heroin production



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

Geographic coordinates: 18 20 N, 64 50 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km

Area-comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 188 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November

Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m

Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf

Land use: arable land: 15% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 26% forests and woodland: 6% other: 47% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts, floods, and earthquakes

Environment-current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources

Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography-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: 118,211 (July 1998 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: 29% (male 17,310; female 16,502) 15-64 years: 64% (male 34,434; female 40,645) 65 years and over: 7% (male 4,065; female 5,255) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.16% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 16.45 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 5.01 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 9.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.3 years male: 74.68 years female: 82.15 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.32 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Virgin Islander(s) adjective: Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups: black 80%, white 15%, other 5%

Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%

Languages: English (official), Spanish, Creole

Literacy: NA

@Virgin Islands:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Virgin Islands of the United States conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies

Data code: VQ

Dependency status: organized, unincorporated territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior

Government type: NA

National 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 laws

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 of the US 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) and Lieutenant Governor Kenneth E. MAPP (since 5 January 1995) cabinet: NA elections: governor and lieutenant governor of the Virgin Islands elected by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 22 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 1998) election results: Dr. Roy L. SCHNEIDER elected governor of the Virgin Islands; percent of vote-Roy L. SCHNEIDER (ICM) 54.7%, former Lieutenant Governor Derek HODGE 42.6%

Legislative branch: unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 2 November 1998) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-independents 6, Democrats 5, Republicans 2, Independent Citizens Movement 2 note: the Virgin Islands elects one representative to the US House of Representatives; elections last held 19 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 1998); results - Dr. Donna GREEN (ICM) 51.5%, Victor O. FRAZER (independent) 48.5%

Judicial branch: US District Court, handles civil matters over $200,000, felonies (persons 15 years of age and over), and federal cases; judges are appointed by the president; Territorial Court, handles civil matters of unlimited cash amount; felonies, small claims, juvenile, domestic, misdemeanors, and traffic cases; judges appointed by the governor

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party, Marilyn STAPLETON; Independent Citizens' Movement (ICM), Virdin C. BROWN; Republican Party, Charlotte-Poole DAVIS

International organization participation: ECLAC (associate), IOC

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

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

Flag description: white with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow 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

Economy-overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The number of US tourists in the first five months of 1996 was down by 55% from the same period in 1995, the lingering result of the fierce hurricanes of 1995. Unemployment rose sharply in 1996. 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. A major economic problem at the beginning of 1997 was the more than $1 billion in governmental arrears, in income tax refunds, payments to vendors, and overdue wages.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.2 billion (1987 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: NA%

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$12,500 (1987 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%

Labor force: total: 47,443 (1990 est.) by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 62%, other 17% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 6.2% (March 1994)

Budget: revenues: $364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: 316 million kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 1 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 10,285 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: truck garden products, fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle

Exports: total value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1992) commodities: refined petroleum products partners: US, Puerto Rico

Imports: total value: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials partners: US, Puerto Rico

Debt-external: $NA

Economic aid: $NA

Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September

Communications

Telephones: 60,000 (1990 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 0 (1988)

Radios: 105,000 (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1988 est.)

Televisions: 66,000 (1994 est.)

@Virgin Islands:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 856 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 2 note: international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix; there is an airfield on St. John (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1997 est.)

@Virgin Islands:Military

Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the US

@Virgin Islands:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: none



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

Geographic coordinates: 19 17 N, 166 36 E

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area-comparative: 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

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 6 m

Natural resources: none

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons

Environment-current issues: NA

Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography-note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; emergency landing location for transpacific flights

@Wake Island:People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are no permanent US military personnel on the island; some civilian contract personnel remain (1998 est.)

@Wake Island:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Wake Island

Data code: WQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Department of the Interior; occasional activities on the island are managed by the US Army under a US Air Force contract

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

@Wake Island:Economy

Economy-overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.

Electricity-capacity: NA kW note: electricity supplied by the US military

Electricity-production: NA kWh note: electricity supplied by the US military

Communications

Telephone system: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the Overseas Telephone System (OTS) domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service provided by satellite

Television broadcast stations: NA note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) television service provided by satellite

@Wake Island:Transportation

Ports and harbors: none; two offshore anchorages for large ships

Airports: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Transportation-note: formerly an important commercial aviation base, now occasionally used by US military, some commercial cargo planes, and for emergency landings

@Wake Island:Military

Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the US

@Wake Island:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: claimed by Marshall Islands



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

Geographic coordinates: 13 18 S, 176 12 W

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 274 sq km land: 274 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets

Area-comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 129 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C

Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Singavi 765 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 20% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 75% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

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

Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography-note: both island groups have fringing reefs

@Wallis and Futuna:People

Population: 14,974 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 1.06% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 23.02 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4.78 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 20.93 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.82 years male: 73.24 years female: 74.4 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.78 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

Ethnic groups: Polynesian

Religions: Roman Catholic 100%

Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 50% male: 50% female: 50% (1969 est.)

@Wallis and Futuna:Government

Country name: 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

Data code: WF

Dependency status: overseas territory of France

Government type: NA

National capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms named Wallis, Sigave, Alo

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 of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Administrator Claude PIERRET (since NA) head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Victor BRIAL (since 1 June 1997) cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers elections: high administrator appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; 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 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held by NA March 2002); results - percent of vote by party-NA; seats-(1 total) RPR 1

Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law by the high 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 or RPR; Union Populaire Locale or UPL; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF; Lua kae tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG; Taumu'a Lelei

International organization participation: FZ, SPC

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

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

Flag description: a large white modified Maltese cross centered on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for official occasions

@Wallis and Futuna:Economy

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 flour, sugar, rice, and beef-fuel, clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are negligible, consisting mostly of breadfruit, yams, and taro root.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$28.7 million (1995 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: NA%

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,000 (1995 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%

Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing 80%, government 4% (est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues: $22 million expenditures: $22 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)

Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: NA kW

Electricity-production: NA kWh

Electricity-consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture-products: breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats

Exports: total value: $370,000 (f.o.b., 1995 est.) commodities: copra, handicrafts partners: NA

Imports: total value: $13.5 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel, clothing partners: France, Australia, New Zealand

Debt-external: $NA

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1-110.60 (January 1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00 (1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.94 (1994), 102.96 (1993); note-linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 340 (1985 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 0

Televisions: NA

@Wallis and Futuna:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km) paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea) unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Leava, Mata-Utu

Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,160 GRT/41,656 DWT ships by type: oil tanker 1, passenger 1 (1997 est.)

Airports: 2 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

@Wallis and Futuna:Military

Military-note: defense is the responsibility of France

@Wallis and Futuna:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: none



WEST BANK

Introduction

Current issues: 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. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May 1996, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, 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 took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement and the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron. 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. Permanent status is to be determined through direct negotiations.

@West Bank:Geography

Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 5,860 sq km land: 5,640 sq km water: 220 sq km 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

Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: total: 404 km border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 32% forests and woodland: 1% other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment-current issues: adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment

Environment-international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography-note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)

@West Bank:People

Population: 1,556,919 (July 1998 est.) note: in addition, there are 155,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and 164,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 359,848; female 342,173) 15-64 years: 52% (male 405,929; female 396,928) 65 years and over: 3% (male 21,853; female 30,188) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.71% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 36.65 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 4.35 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 26.35 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.47 years male: 70.7 years female: 74.33 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.92 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: 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 and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Literacy: NA

@West Bank:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: West Bank

Data code: WE

@West Bank:Economy

Economy-overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and Israeli policies that block the movement of goods and people. 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 workers who commute to jobs in Israel. Worker remittances from the Persian Gulf states 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. An estimated 147,000 people were in refugee camps in 1996.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$2.8 billion (1996 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: -6.9% (1996 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,600 (1996 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 8.4% (1996 est.)

Labor force: NA by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 13%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12%, construction 8%, other services 54% (1996) note: excluding Israeli settlers

Unemployment rate: 28% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $684 million expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996) note: includes Gaza Strip

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: NA kW 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

Electricity-production: 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

Electricity-consumption per capita: NA kWh

Agriculture-products: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables; beef, dairy products

Exports: total value: $630 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone partners: Jordan, Israel

Imports: total value: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Jordan, Israel

Debt-external: $51 million (1995)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $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$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1-0.7090 (January 1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Communications

Telephones: NA note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: NA note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are 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: about 25 low-powered stations

Televisions: NA; note-54% of Palestinian households have televisions (1992 est.)

@West Bank:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 4,500 km paved: 2,700 km unpaved: 1,800 km (1997 est.) note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 2 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)

@West Bank:Military

Military branches: NA

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%

@West Bank:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement-permanent status to be determined through further negotiation



WESTERN SAHARA

@Western Sahara:Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco

Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area-comparative: about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries: total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

Coastline: 1,110 km

Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore

Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 24% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 47% other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

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

Environment-current issues: sparse water and arable land

Environment-international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

@Western Sahara:People

Population: 233,730 (July 1998 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 2.4% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 45.78 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 17.05 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 139.74 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.41 years male: 47.32 years female: 49.83 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.75 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber

Religions: Muslim

Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy: NA

@Western Sahara:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara

Data code: WI

Government 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

National capital: none

Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Suffrage: none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed

Executive branch: none

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation in the US: none

Diplomatic representation from the US: none

@Western Sahara:Economy

Economy-overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient 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.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$NA

GDP-real growth rate: NA%

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$NA

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%-45% (1996 est.)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%

Labor force: total: 12,000 by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%

Unemployment rate: NA%

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

Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: 56,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 85 million kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 391 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by the nomads)

Exports: $NA commodities: phosphates 62% partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Imports: $NA commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Debt-external: $NA

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1-9.822 (January 1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996), 8.540 (1995), 9.203 (1994), 9.299 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 2,000

Telephone system: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 2

Televisions: NA

@Western Sahara:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.)

Ports and harbors: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, El Aaiun

Airports: 12 (1997 est.)

Airports-with paved runways: total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 3 (1997 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)

@Western Sahara:Military

Military branches: NA

Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%

@Western Sahara:Transnational Issues

Disputes-international: 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 in effect since September 1991



WORLD

@World:Geography

Map references: World, Time Zones

Area: total: 510.072 million sq km land: 148.94 million sq km water: 361.132 million sq km note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land

Area-comparative: land area about 15 times the size of the US

Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 251,480.24 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 Faso, 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: the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924 m in the Pacific Ocean

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m

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% permanent pastures: 26% forests and woodland: 32% other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,481,250 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions)

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

Environment-international agreements: selected international environmental agreements are included under the Environment-international agreements entry for each country and in the Selected International Environmental Agreements appendix

@World:People

Population: 5,926,466,814 (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.3% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female

Infant mortality rate: 58 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63 years male: 61 years female: 65 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1998 est.)

@World:Government

Data code: none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the World, so the Factbook uses the "W" data code from DIAM 65-18 "Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features," Data Standard No. 3, March 1984, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency; see the Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes appendix

Administrative divisions: 266 nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries

Legal system: varies by individual country; 186 (not including Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)

@World:Economy

Economy-overview: Real global output-gross world product (GWP)-rose an estimated 4.0% in 1997. And, once more, results varied widely among regions and countries. With its solid 3.8% growth, the US again accounted for 21% of GWP in 1997. Western Europe grew at 2.5%, not enough to cut into its high unemployment, and accounted for another 21% of GWP. Japan's faltering economy grew at only 0.9% with its share of GWP at 8%. The advanced countries as a whole accounted for an estimated 53% of GWP, with overall growth at 3.0%. The 15 former Soviet republics and the countries of Eastern Europe posted growth of 1.8%, reversing the long downturn that followed the collapse of communism. Growth varied widely among these countries, e.g., Ukraine at a negative 3.2%, Russia at a positive 0.4%, and the Baltic countries at a strong 7%. The area as a whole accounted for 5% of global output. China and India, with a combined population of 2.2 billion or 37% of the world total, grew at 8.8% and 5%, respectively. (China's official GDP statistics probably are overstated.) The developing countries as a whole contributed 42% to GWP with an overall growth rate of 5.7%. 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, in India, and in Canada. 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 more than 80 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. Toward the end of 1997 and on into 1998, serious financial difficulties in several high-growth East Asia countries cast a shadow over short-term global economic prospects. The introduction of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in January 1999 will pose serious economic risks because of varying levels of income and cultural and political differences among the participating nations. (For specific economic developments in each country of the world in 1997, see the individual country entries.)

GDP: GWP (gross world product)-purchasing power parity-$38 trillion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$6,500 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate-consumer price index: all countries 25%; developed countries 2% to 4% typically; developing countries 10% to 60% typically (1997 est.) note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from stable prices in Japan to hyperinflation in a number of Third World countries

Labor force: total: 2.24 billion (1992) by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 5%-12% unemployment (1997 est.)

Industries: 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; the accelerated development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)

Electricity-capacity: 4 billion kW (1994)

Electricity-production: 12.34268 trillion kWh (1994)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,996 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture-products: the whole gamut of crops, livestock, forest products, and fish

Exports: total value: $5 trillion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services partners: in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries

Imports: total value: $5.1 trillion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services partners: in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries

Debt-external: $2 trillion for less developed countries (1997 est.)

Economic aid: worldwide traditional foreign aid $50 billion (1995 est.)

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA

@World:Transportation

Railways: 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 Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV)-Atlantique line broad gauge: 251,153 km standard gauge: 710,754 km narrow gauge: 239,430 km

Highways: total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi (Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama

Merchant marine: total: 27,052 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 477,514,362 GRT/743,923,664 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 21, bulk 5,623, cargo 8,426, chemical tanker 1,048, combination bulk 321, combination ore/oil 246, container 2,378, liquefied gas tanker 768, livestock carrier 58, multifunction large-load carrier 86, oil tanker 4,435, passenger 306, passenger-cargo 126, railcar carrier 20, refrigerated cargo 1,056, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,084, short-sea passenger 491, specialized tanker 93, vehicle carrier 466 (1997 est.)

@World:Military

Military branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology

Military expenditures-dollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on arms worldwide in 1997 remained at about the 1996 level, about three-quarters of a trillion dollars in money terms (1997 est.)

Military expenditures-percent of GDP: roughly 2% of gross world product (1997 est.)



YEMEN

@Yemen:Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 48 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 527,970 sq km land: 527,970 sq km water: 0 sq km 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)

Area-comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries: total: 1,746 km border countries: 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

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

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west

Land use: arable land: 3% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 30% forests and woodland: 4% other: 63% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 3,600 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer

Environment-current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography-note: strategic location on 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: 16,387,963 (July 1998 est.) note: other estimates range as high as 16.6 million

Age structure: 0-14 years: 48% (male 4,016,052; female 3,859,079) 15-64 years: 49% (male 4,066,601; female 3,902,686) 65 years and over: 3% (male 280,152; female 263,393) (July 1998 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.31% (1998 est.)

Birth rate: 43.36 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Death rate: 10.27 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female (1998 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 72.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 59.47 years male: 57.71 years female: 61.32 years (1998 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.14 children born/woman (1998 est.)

Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni

Ethnic groups: predominantly Arab; Afro-Arab concentrations in western coastal locations; South Asians in southern regions; small European communities in major metropolitan areas

Religions: Muslim including Shaf'i (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), small numbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu

Languages: Arabic

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 38% male: 53% female: 26% (1990 est.)

@Yemen:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Yemen conventional short form: Yemen local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyah local short form: Al Yaman

Data code: YM

Government type: republic

National capital: Sanaa

Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular-muhafazah); Abyan, Aden, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, 'Ataq, Dhamar, Hadhramaut, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa'dah, San'a', Ta'izz 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; amended 29 September 1994

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 Lt. Gen. Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of North Yemen, assumed office upon the merger of North and South Yemen); Vice President Maj. Gen. Abd al-Rab Mansur al-HADI (since NA October 1994) head of government: Acting Prime Minister Dr. Abd al-Karim Ali al-IRYANI (since NA April 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: President SALIH was elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term, however, future presidents will be elected by direct, popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 1 October 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); vice president appointed by the president; prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: Ali Abdallah SALIH elected president; percent of House of Representatives vote-NA

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (301 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 April 1997 (next to be held NA April 2001) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-GPC 189, Islaah 52, Nasserite Unionist Party 3, National Arab Socialist Baath Party 2, independents 54, election pending 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: there are over 12 political parties active in Yemen, some of the more prominent are: General People's Congress (GPC), President Ali Abdallah SALIH; Islamic Reform Grouping (Islaah), Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR; Yemeni Socialist Party (YSP), Ali Salih UBAYD; Nasserite Unionist Party, leader NA; National Arab Socialist Baath Party, Dr. Qassim SALAAM note: President SALIH's General People's Congress (GPC) won a landslide victory in the April 1997 legislative election and no longer governs in coalition with Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Islamic Reform Grouping (Islaah) - the two parties had been in coalition since the end of the civil war in 1994; the YSP, a loyal opposition party, boycotted the April 1997 legislative election

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, 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, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Abd al-Wahhab Abdallah al-HAJRI chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Barbara K. BODINE embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347, Sanaa telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852 FAX: [967] (1) 251563

Flag description: 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

Economy-overview: The northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, and the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on the attraction of foreign investment to diversify the economy. Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the sharp 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 GDP has been supplemented by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid. Since the Gulf crisis, however, remittances have dropped substantially. Floods in June 1996 caused the loss of much valuable topsoil in the agricultural sector, increasing the need for imports of foodstuffs. Oil production and GDP as a whole are expected to increase moderately in 1998.

GDP: purchasing power parity-$31.8 billion (1997 est.)

GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)

GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,300 (1997 est.)

GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 15% industry: 39% services: 46% (1995)

Inflation rate-consumer price index: 5% (1997 est.)

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 one-half of the labor force

Unemployment rate: 30% (1995 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.6 billion expenditures: $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (1998 est.)

Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity-capacity: 810,000 kW (1995)

Electricity-production: 1.85 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity-consumption per capita: 126 kWh (1995)

Agriculture-products: grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton; dairy products, poultry, meat; fish

Exports: total value: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: crude oil, cotton, coffee, dried and salted fish partners: China 23%, South Korea 19%, Thailand 14%, Brazil 13%, Japan 12%, Thailand 7% (1995)

Imports: total value: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, cement, machinery, chemicals partners: US 12%, France 11%, UAE 10%, Saudi Arabia 7%, UK 5% (1995)

Debt-external: $8 billion (1996)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $148 million (1993)

Currency: Yemeni rial (YRl) (new currency)

Exchange rates: Yemeni rials (YRl) per US$1-129.158 (1997), 94.157 (1996), 40.839 (1995), 12.010 (official fixed rate 1991-94)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 131,655 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: since unification in 1990, efforts have been made to create a national telecommunications network domestic: the network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, and tropospheric scatter international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 2 Arabsat; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and Djibouti

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios: 325,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 10

Televisions: 100,000 (1993 est.)

@Yemen:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 64,725 km paved: 5,243 km unpaved: 59,482 km (1996 est.)