International organization participation: BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr. embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note—an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government

Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag



Economy



Economy—overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, one-sixth of the total population and adding scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the immigration bonus petered out.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$101.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 1.9% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$18,100 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 17% services: 81% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 2.3 million (1997)

Labor force—by occupation: public services 31.2%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 8.7% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $55 billion expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1996)

Electricity—production: 28.035 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 99.88% hydro: 0.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 27.725 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 310 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products

Exports: $22.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals

Exports—partners: US 32%, UK, Hong Kong, Benelux, Japan, Netherlands (1997)

Imports: $26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports—commodities: raw materials, military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods

Imports—partners: US 19%, Benelux 12%, Germany 9%, UK 8%, Italy 7%, Switzerland 6% (1997)

Debt—external: $18.7 billion (1997)

Economic aid—recipient: $1.241 billion (1994); note?$1.2 billion from the US (1997)

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—4.2269 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)



Communications



Telephones: 2.6 million (1996)

Telephone system: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations—3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0

Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 24 (in addition, there are 31 low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)



Transportation



Railways: total: 610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

Highways: total: 15,464 km paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km

Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo

Merchant marine: total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 736,419 GRT/855,497 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, container 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 54 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 31 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)



Military



Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note—historically there have been no separate Israeli military services

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 1,474,046 females age 15-49: 1,439,569 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,206,320 females age 15-49: 1,173,818 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 50,737 females: 48,546 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $8.7 billion (1999)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 9.5% (1999)



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; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982

Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon



======================================================================



@Italy ——-



Introduction



Background: Italy failed to secure political unification until the 1860s, thus lacking the military and imperial power of Spain, Britain, and France. The fascist dictatorship of MUSSOLINI after World War I, led to the disastrous alliance with HITLER's Germany and defeat in World War II. Italy was a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC) and joined in the growing political and economic unification of Western Europe, including the introduction of the euro in January 1999. On-going problems include illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of Southern Italy compared with the North.



Geography



Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area—comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries: total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline: 7,600 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) 4,807 m

Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal

Land use: arable land: 31% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 23% other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice

Environment—current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

Environment—international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography—note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe



People



Population: 56,735,130 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 4,161,841; female 3,925,413) 15-64 years: 68% (male 19,205,293; female 19,285,848) 65 years and over: 18% (male 4,169,098; female 5,987,637) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.08% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 9.27 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.28 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.51 years male: 75.4 years female: 81.82 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)

Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Languages: Italian, German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 96% (1990 est.)



Government



Country name: conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy

Data code: IT

Government type: republic

Capital: Rome

Administrative divisions: 20 regions (regioni, singular—regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)

Constitution: 1 January 1948

Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch: chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992) head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Massimo D'ALEMA (since 27 October 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 25 May 1992 (next to be held NA June 1999); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by parliament election results: Oscar Luigi SCALFARO elected president; percent of electoral college vote—NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (326 seats—315 elected by popular vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by regional proportional representation, 11 are appointed senators-for-life; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms) elections: Senate—last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001); Chamber of Deputies—last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001) election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1, Panella Reformers 1; Chamber of Deputies—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246, Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3, Autonomous List 2, other 1

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale, composed of 15 judges (one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts)

Political parties and leaders: MARINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and 2700 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas M. FOGLIETTA embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed—orange (hoist side), white, and green



Economy



Economy—overview: Since World War II, the Italian economy has changed from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This basically capitalistic economy is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with large public enterprises and more than 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus, it finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care benefits. In December 1998, Italy adopted a budget compliant with the requirements of the European Monetary Union (EMU); representatives of government, labor, and employers agreed to an update of the 1993 "social pact," which has been widely credited with having brought Italy's inflation into conformity with EMU requirements. In 1999, Italy must adjust to the loss of an independent monetary policy, which it has used quite liberally in the past to help cope with external shocks. Italy also must work to stimulate employment, promote wage flexibility, and tackle the informal economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.181 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 1.5% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$20,800 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 33% services: 63.7% (1994)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.9% highest 10%: 23.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 23.193 million

Labor force—by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture 7% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 12.5% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $559 billion expenditures: $589 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1996 est.)

Electricity—production: 226.707 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 80.02% hydro: 18.25% nuclear: 0% other: 1.73%

Electricity—consumption: 264.007 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 800 million kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 38.1 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Exports: $243 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment, chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous metals

Exports—partners: Germany 16.4%, France 12.2%, US 7.9%, UK 7.1%, Spain 5.2%, Netherlands 2.8% (1997)

Imports: $202 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports—commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco

Imports—partners: Germany 18.0%, France 13.2%, UK 6.7%, Netherlands 6.2%, US 5.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7% (1997)

Debt—external: $45 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid—donor: ODA, $1.6 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1—1,688.7 (January 1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 1,936.27 lire per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year



Communications



Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)

Telephone system: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: satellite earth stations—3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas—3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave 0

Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 6,317 (consisting of 117 public stations with two kW of power or more, about 5,300 low-power public stations, and about 900 low-power private stations, mostly in local service) (1997)

Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)



Transportation



Railways: total: 19,272 km standard gauge: 17,983 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,889 km electrified) narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,177 km 0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)

Highways: total: 317,000 km paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value

Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km

Ports and harbors: Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi, Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine: total: 393 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,982,870 GRT/8,413,850 DWT ships by type: bulk 38, cargo 46, chemical tanker 60, combination ore/oil 2, container 16, liquefied gas tanker 35, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 84, passenger 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 53, short-sea passenger 28, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 11 (1998 est.)

Airports: 136 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 97 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 17 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 12 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 39 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)



Military



Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 14,142,889 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 12,200,780 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 315,952 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $21.095 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.9% (1995)



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: Italy and Slovenia made progress in resolving bilateral issues; Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights

Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market



======================================================================



@Jamaica ———-



Geography



Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 10,990 sq km land: 10,830 sq km water: 160 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,022 km

Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use: arable land: 14% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 17% other: 39% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)

Environment—current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Environment—international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography—note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal



People



Population: 2,652,443 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 31% (male 421,127; female 402,593) 15-64 years: 62% (male 819,956; female 828,176) 65 years and over: 7% (male 79,747; female 100,844) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.64% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 20.22 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.39 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 13.93 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.62 years male: 73.22 years female: 78.13 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.26 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic groups: black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%

Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7%

Languages: English, Creole

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 85% male: 80.8% female: 89.1% (1995 est.)



Government



Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica

Data code: JM

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Kingston

Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland

Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

Constitution: 6 August 1962

Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition eight seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—PNP 50, JLP 10

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders: People's National Party or PNP [P.

Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement or NBM

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston mailing address: use embassy street address

Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles—green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)



Economy



Economy—overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and fiscal policies have helped slow inflation—although inflationary pressures are mounting—and stabilize the exchange rate, but have resulted in the slowdown of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in 1992 to 0.5% in 1995). In 1996, GDP showed negative growth (-1.4%) and remained negative through 1998. Serious problems include: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts to various ailing sectors of the economy, particularly the financial sector. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging investment in the productive sectors, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, stabilizing the labor environment, selling off reacquired firms, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary policies.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$8.8 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: -2% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,300 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 7.4% industry: 42.1% services: 50.5% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 31.9% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.14 million (1996)

Labor force—by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1997 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.27 billion expenditures: $3.66 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.265 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light manufactures

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity—production: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 97.96% hydro: 2.04% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk

Exports: $1.7 billion (1997)

Exports—commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum

Exports—partners: US 33.3%, EU (excluding UK and Norway) 17.1%, Canada 14.1%, UK 13.4%, Norway 6.1%, Caricom 3.4%

Imports: $2.8 billion (1997)

Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals

Imports—partners: US 47.7%, EU (excluding UK) 12.8%, Caricom 10.2%, Latin America 6.7%, UK 3.7% (1997)

Debt—external: $4.2 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $102.7 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1—35.57 (December 1998), 35.404 (1997), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March



Communications



Telephones: 350,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1997)

Radios: 1.973 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)

Televisions: 330,000 (1992 est.)



Transportation



Railways: total: 370 km standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note—207 km belong to the Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite

Highways: total: 18,700 km paved: 13,100 km unpaved: 5,600 km (1997 est.)

Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km

Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel (Longswharf)

Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,478 GRT/5,878 DWT ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 36 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 23 (1998 est.)



Military



Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 715,260 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 503,667 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 26,108 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $47.9 million (FY97/98 est.)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program



======================================================================



@Jan Mayen ————-



Geography



Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland

Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references: Arctic Region

Area: total: 373 sq km land: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 124.1 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 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: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970

Environment—current issues: NA

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

Geography—note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass



People



Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran) C base and the weather and coastal services radio station



Government



Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Data code: JN

Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service

Legal system: NA

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

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

Flag description: the flag of Norway is used



Economy



Economy—overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island.



Communications



Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: radio and meteorological station



Transportation



Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)



Military



Military—note: defense is the responsibility of Norway



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none



======================================================================



@Japan ——-



Geography



Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Area—comparative: slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 29,751 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international straits—La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis

Environment—current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber, contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere

Environment—international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography—note: strategic location in northeast Asia



People



Population: 126,182,077 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 15% (male 9,697,851; female 9,242,027) 15-64 years: 68% (male 43,405,024; female 43,023,885) 65 years and over: 17% (male 8,686,347; female 12,126,943) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.2% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.12 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80.11 years male: 77.02 years female: 83.35 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including Christian 0.7%)

Languages: Japanese

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%



Government



Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan

Data code: JA

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Tokyo

Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Constitution: 3 May 1947

Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI (since 30 July 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected every three years—76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats—200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Councillors—last held 12 July 1998 (next to be held NA July 2001); House of Representatives—last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2000) election results: House of Councillors—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13, Liberal Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note—the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows—LDP 104, DPJ 56, Komeito 24, JCP 23, SDP 14, Liberal Party 12, independents 5, others 14; House of Representatives—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note—the distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows—LDP 266, DPJ 94, Komeito/Reform Club 52, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP 14, independents 5, others 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the monarch after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are appointed by the cabinet

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party or LDP president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general] note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; New Peace Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in November 1998

International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420 mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center



Economy



Economy—overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force; this guarantee is eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in corporate structures and labor markets. In early 1999 output has started to stabilize as emergency government spending begins to take hold. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$2.903 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: -2.6% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$23,100 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 38% services: 60% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 67.72 million (November 1998)

Labor force—by occupation: trade and services 50%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (November 1998)

Budget: revenues: $407 billion expenditures: $711 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $86 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools, automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate: -6.9% (1998)

Electricity—production: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 61.47% hydro: 8.34% nuclear: 29.83% other: 0.36% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish

Exports: $440 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports—commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%)

Exports—partners: US 30%, EU 18%, Southeast Asia 12%, China 5%

Imports: $319 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports—commodities: manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16%

Imports—partners: US 24%, Southeast Asia 14%, EU 14%, China 13%

Debt—external: $NA

Economic aid—donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)

Currency: yen (Y)

Exchange rates: yen (Y) per US$1—113.18 (January 1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March



Communications



Telephones: 64 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations—5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0

Radios: 97 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 7,549 (consisting of 6,995 non-government and non-commercial stations, of which 95 are main stations of 1 kW or greater power and 6,900 are low-power stations, and 554 commercial stations of which 113 are main stations and 441 are repeaters); note—in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV stations and 2 TV cable stations (1997)

Televisions: 100 million (1993 est.)



Transportation



Railways: total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)

Highways: total: 1.16 million km paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways) unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas

Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km

Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai

Merchant marine: total: 713 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,753,027 GRT/19,311,312 DWT ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 54, chemical tanker 13, combination bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 27, liquefied gas tanker 40, oil tanker 232, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle carrier 68 (1998 est.)

Airports: 170 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 140 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 35 1,524 to 2,437 m: 39 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 14 (1998 est.)



Military



Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 30,646,516 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 26,438,961 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 784,658 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $42.9 billion (FY98/99)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY98/99)



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan



======================================================================



@Jarvis Island ——————-



Geography



Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands

Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 4.5 sq km land: 4.5 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 8 km

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

Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m

Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

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

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)

Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard

Environment—current issues: no natural fresh water resources

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

Geography—note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife



People



Population: uninhabited note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish and Wildlife Service



Government



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

Data code: DQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used



Economy



Economy—overview: no economic activity



Transportation



Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note—there is one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island

Transportation—note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast



Military



Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none



======================================================================



@Jersey ———



Geography



Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 70 km

Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m

Natural resources: agricultural land

Land use: arable land: 66% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: 34%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment—current issues: NA

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

Geography—note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier



People



Population: 89,721 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 18% (male 8,308; female 7,663) 15-64 years: 68% (male 30,168; female 30,754) 65 years and over: 14% (male 5,348; female 7,480) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.63% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 11.85 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.08 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.83 years male: 76.08 years female: 81.87 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent

Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian

Languages: English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts

Literacy: NA



Government



Country name: conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey

Data code: JE

Dependency status: British crown dependency

Government type: NA

Capital: Saint Helier

Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice

Legal system: English law and local statute

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Sir Michael WILKES (since NA 1995) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States (57 seats—53 elected including 12 senators popularly elected for six-year terms, half retiring every third year, 12 constables popularly elected triennially, and 29 deputies popularly elected triennially) elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote—NA; seats—independents 52

Judicial branch: Royal Court, judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff

Political parties and leaders: none; all independents

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown dependency)

Flag description: white with the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) extending to the corners of the flag



Economy



Economy—overview: The economy is based largely on financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light tax and death duties make the island a popular tax haven.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$NA

GDP—real growth rate: NA%

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$NA

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1995)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1996)

Labor force: 57,050 (1996)

Unemployment rate: 0.7% (1996)

Budget: revenues: $666.9 million expenditures: $618.5 million, including capital expenditures of $128.4 million (1996 est.)

Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity—production: NA kWh

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%

Electricity—consumption: 467 million kWh (1995)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh

Electricity—imports: NA kWh; note?much electricity supplied by France

Agriculture—products: potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes; beef, dairy products

Exports: $NA

Exports—commodities: light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles

Exports—partners: UK

Imports: $NA

Imports—commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals

Imports—partners: UK

Debt—external: none

Economic aid—recipient: none

Currency: 1 Jersey pound (LJ) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Jersey pounds (LJ) per US$1—0.6057 (January 1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March



Communications



Telephones: 61,447 (1983 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: NA



Transportation



Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)



Military



Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the UK



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none



======================================================================



@Johnston Atoll ———————



Geography



Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands

Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 169 30 W

Map references: Oceania

Area: total: 2.8 sq km land: 2.8 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 10 km

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

Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly flat

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Summit Peak 5 m

Natural resources: NA; guano deposits worked until depletion about 1890

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

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment—current issues: no natural fresh water resources

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

Geography—note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former US nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation



People



Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are 1,200 US military and civilian contractor personnel (January 1999 est.)



Government



Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Johnston Atoll

Data code: JQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC, by the US Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) and managed cooperatively by DTRA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used



Economy



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

Electricity—production: NAkWh note: there are six 25,000 kWh generators supplied by the base operating support contractor

Electricity—consumption: NAkWh



Communications



Telephone system: 13 outgoing and 10 incoming commercial lines; adequate telecommunications domestic: 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite, Autodin with standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), UHF/VHF air-ground radio, a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network (PCTN) satellite international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 5 channels; also 1 local volunteer FM radio station;, shortwave NA;

Television broadcast stations: commercial satellite television system, with 16 channels (1997)



Transportation



Ports and harbors: Johnston Island

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)



Military



Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the US



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none



======================================================================



@Jordan ———



Geography



Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 89,213 sq km land: 88,884 sq km water: 329 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total: 1,619 km border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims: territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)

Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m highest point: Jabal Ram 1,754 m

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 1% other: 85% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment—current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

Environment—international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements



People



Population: 4,561,147 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 43% (male 1,005,211; female 954,968) 15-64 years: 54% (male 1,265,116; female 1,200,372) 65 years and over: 3% (male 67,852; female 67,628) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.05% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 34.31 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 3.85 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 32.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.06 years male: 71.15 years female: 75.08 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.64 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Jordanian(s) adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4% (1997 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 86.6% male: 93.4% female: 79.4% (1995 est.)



Government



Country name: conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun former: Transjordan

Data code: JO

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Constitution: 8 January 1952

Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: King ABDULLAH II (since 7 February 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Fayez TARAWNEH (since 20 August 1998) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Representatives—last held 4 November 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Representatives—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land Party 1, independents 75, other 2 note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party [Dr. Ahmad ZO'BI, secretary general]; Arab Ba'th Progressive Party Ishaq al-FARHAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Constitutional MAJALI, secretary general]; National Democratic Public Movement HNEIDI, secretary general]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHIR chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William BURNS embassy: Jabel Amman, Amman mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran



Economy



Economy—overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil and coal. Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed real economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year. Imports—mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food—outstripped exports, with the difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling negotiations and agreed to implement an IMF-supported program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms. The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf, but recovery was uneven. A preliminary agreement with the IMF in early 1999 will provide new loans over the next three years. Sluggish growth, along with debt, poverty, and unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$15.5 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,500 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 30% services: 64% (1995 est.)

Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.4% highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.15 million note: in addition, there are 300,000 foreign workers (1997 est.)

Labor force—by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; note—actual rate is 25%-30% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.8 billion expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $672 million (1999 est.)

Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate: -3.4% (1996)

Electricity—production: 5.52 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 99.64% hydro: 0.36% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)

Electricity—consumption: 5.52 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity—imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture—products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry

Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports—commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures

Exports—partners: Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE, Syria, Ethiopia

Imports: $3.9 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)

Imports—commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods

Imports—partners: EU, Iraq, US, Japan, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria, China

Debt—external: $7.5 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid—recipient: $1.097 billion (1995); note?received $320 million from ODA in 1998 (est.)

Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1—0.7090 (January 1999-1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993) note: since May 1989, the dinar has been pegged to a basket of currencies

Fiscal year: calendar year



Communications



Telephones: 425,000 (1998)

Telephone system: domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial and fiber-optic cable, and cellular; Jordan has two cellular telephone providers (with approximately 50,000 subscribers in 1998), ten data service providers, and four Internet service providers (with approximately 8,000 subscribers in 1998) international: satellite earth stations—3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and 29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals (1996); coaxial cable, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Syria, and Israel; building a Red Sea Fiber-Optic Link Around the Globe (FLAG) fiber-optic submarine cable link and planning to update links with Saudi Arabia and Israel to fiber-optic cable; 4,000 international circuits (1998 est.); participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 7, shortwave 1 (1998 est.)

Radios: 1.1 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 8 (in addition, there are approximately 42 repeaters and 1 TV receive-only satellite link) (1997)

Televisions: 350,000 (1992 est.)



Transportation



Railways: total: 677 km narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge; note—an additional 110 km stretch of the old Hejaz railroad is out of use (1998 est.)

Highways: total: 8,000 km paved: 8,000 km unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 209 km

Ports and harbors: Al 'Aqabah

Merchant marine: total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,746 GRT/59,100 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 2, container 1, livestock carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 17 (1998 est.)

Airports—with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)



Military



Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Badiya (irregular) Border Guards; Ministry of the Interior's Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)

Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower—availability: males age 15-49: 1,113,998 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—fit for military service: males age 15-49: 793,002 (1999 est.)

Military manpower—reaching military age annually: males: 49,954 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures—dollar figure: $608.9 million (FY 98)

Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 7.8% (1997)



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: none



======================================================================



@Juan de Nova Island —————————-



Geography



Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 S, 42 45 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 4.4 sq km land: 4.4 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area—comparative: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 24.1 km

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

Climate: tropical

Terrain: NA

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 10 m

Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers

Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 90% other: 10%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: periodic cyclones

Environment—current issues: NA

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

Geography—note: wildlife sanctuary



People



Population: uninhabited



Government



Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island local long form: none local short form: Ile Juan de Nova

Data code: JU

Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion

Legal system: NA

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used



Economy



Economy—overview: no economic activity



Transportation



Railways: total: NA km; short line going to a jetty

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)



Military



Military—note: defense is the responsibility of France



Transnational Issues



Disputes—international: claimed by Madagascar



======================================================================



@Kazakhstan —————



Introduction



Background: As a republic within the USSR (1920-91), Kazakhstan suffered greatly from Stalinist purges, from environmental damage, and saw the ethnic Russian portion of its population rise to 37% while other non-Kazakhs made up almost 20%. Current issues include the pace of market reform and privatization; fair and free elections and democratic reform; ethnic differences between Russians and Kazakhs; environmental problems; and how to convert the country's abundant energy resources into a better standard of living.



Geography



Location: Central Asia, northwest of China

Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area: total: 2,717,300 sq km land: 2,669,800 sq km water: 47,500 sq km

Area—comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries: total: 12,012 km border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) note: Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid

Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m highest point: Zhengis Shingy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 11% permanent pastures: 57% forests and woodland: 4% other: 16% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 22,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment—current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with its former defense industries and test ranges are found throughout the country and pose health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural chemicals and salination from faulty irrigation practices

Environment—international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography—note: landlocked



People



Population: 16,824,825 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 2,432,519; female 2,359,375) 15-64 years: 65% (male 5,279,877; female 5,580,271) 65 years and over: 7% (male 392,934; female 779,849) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.09% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.34 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 58.82 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.39 years male: 57.92 years female: 69.13 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality: noun: Kazakhstani(s) adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 46%, Russian 34.7%, Ukrainian 4.9%, German 3.1%, Uzbek 2.3%, Tatar 1.9%, other 7.1% (1996)

Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%

Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq) (state language) 40%, Russian (official, used in everyday business) 66%

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 96% (1989 est.)



Government



Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan conventional short form: Kazakhstan local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy local short form: none former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Data code: KZ

Government type: republic

Capital: Astana note: the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998

Administrative divisions: 14 oblystar (singular—oblysy) and 3 cities (qala, singular—qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana), Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*, Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Gur'yev), Ongtustik Qazaqstan (Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan (Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul) note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk)

Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Day of the Republic, 25 October (1990) (date on which Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty)

Constitution: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995; first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Legal system: based on civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990-91, president since 1 December 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Nurlan BALGIMBAYEV (since 10 October 1997) and First Deputy Prime Minister Uraz ZHANDOSOV (since 20 February 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note—President NAZARBAYEV's previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president; percent of vote—Nursultan NAZARBAYEV 82%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 12% note: President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members are popularly elected, two from each oblast and Almaty, to serve four-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; members are popularly elected to serve four-year terms); note—with the oblasts being reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37 elections: Senate—(indirect) last held 5 December 1995 (next to be held NA 1999); Majilis—last held 9 December and 23 December 1995 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—party members 13, no party affiliation 34, of which "independent" state officials 25, nominated by the president 7, elected by popular vote 15; Majilis—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—PUP 24, December National Democratic Party 12, Kazakhstan Agrarian Union 5, Confederation of Kazakh Trade Unions 5, KPK 2, independents and others 19

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders: People's Unity Party or PUP (was

Political pressure groups and leaders: Independent Trade Union chairman]

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV chancery: 1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES embassy: 99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480091 mailing address: American Embassy Almaty, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7030

Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in yellow



Economy



Economy—overview: Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous untapped fossil fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production. Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large machine building sector specializing in construction equipment, tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy turned downward in 1998 with a 2.5% decline in GDP growth due to slumping oil prices and the August financial crisis in Russia. 1999 will also be a difficult year.

GDP: purchasing power parity—$52.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP—real growth rate: -2.5% (1998 est.)

GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,100 (1998 est.)

GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 11.5% industry: 32.6% services: 55.9% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.1% highest 10%: 24.9% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 8.8 million (1997)

Labor force—by occupation: industry 27%, agriculture and forestry 23%, other 50% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 13.7% (1998 est.)

Budget: revenues: $2.9 billion expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)

Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural machinery, electric motors, construction materials; much of industrial capacity is shut down and/or is in need of repair

Industrial production growth rate: -2.1% (1998 est.)

Electricity—production: 52 billion kWh (1997)

Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 86.3% hydro: 13.6% nuclear: 0.1% other: 0% (1997)

Electricity—consumption: 64.34 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity—exports: 1.75 billion kWh (1996)