840 km all 1.000-meter gauge (includes NA km electrified); does not include
industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
11,300 km total (1990); 10,500 km hard surfaced, 800 km earth
Inland waterways:
NA km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
NA
Ports:
none - landlocked
Merchant marine:
none:
landlocked
Civil air:
none
Airports:
NA total, NA usable; NA with permanent-surface runways; NA with runways over
3,659 m; NA with runways 2,440-3,659 m; NA with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
Armenia has about 260,000 telephones, of which about 110,000 are in Yerevan;
average telephone density is 8 per 100 persons; international connections to
other former republics of the USSR are by landline or microwave and to other
countries by satellite and by leased connection through the Moscow
international gateway switch; broadcast stations - 100% of population
receives Armenian and Russian TV programs; satellite earth station -
INTELSAT
:Armenia Defense Forces
Branches:
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard; CIS
Forces (Ground and Air Defense)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service; NA reach military age (18)
annually
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
:Aruba Geography
Total area:
193 km2
Land area:
193 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
68.5 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Natural resources:
negligible; white sandy beaches
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%
Environment:
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Note:
28 km north of Venezuela
:Aruba People
Population:
64,692 (July 1992), growth rate 0.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
16 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
--3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
73 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Aruban(s); adjective - Aruban
Ethnic divisions:
mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and
Jewish minority
Languages:
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English
dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)
Organized labor:
Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)
:Aruba Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
part of the Dutch realm - full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986
upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Capital:
Oranjestad
Administrative divisions:
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Independence:
none (part of the Dutch realm); note - in 1990, Aruba requested and received
from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give
independence to the island in 1996
Constitution:
1 January 1986
Legal system:
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
National holiday:
Flag Day, 18 March
Executive branch:
Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral legislature (Staten)
Judicial branch:
Joint High Court of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by
Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP),
Henny EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New
Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny
NISBET; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86
(AD '86), Arturo ODUBER; Organization for Aruban Liberty (OHA), Glenbert
CROES; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislature:
last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by NA January 1993); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1,
PPA 1
Member of:
ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation:
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Flag:
blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and
a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner
:Aruba Economy
Overview:
Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil
refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly
between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has
steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1991. The reopening
of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign
exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $854 million, per capita $13,600; real growth
rate l0% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital
expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Exports:
$134.4 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
mostly petroleum products
partners:
US 64%, EC
Imports:
$488 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
food, consumer goods, manufactures
partners:
US 8%, EC
External debt:
$81 million (1987)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA
Electricity:
310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,000 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Agriculture:
poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the
cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220
million
Currency:
Aruban florin (plural - florins); 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Aruba Communications
Highways:
Aruba has a system of all-weather highways
Ports:
Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Civil air:
Air Aruba has a fleet of 3 intermediate-range Boeing aircraft
Airports:
government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights
Telecommunications:
generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay links; 72,168
telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to Sint
Maarten
:Aruba Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Geography
Total area:
5 km2
Land area:
5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier
Island
Comparative area:
about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
74.1 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
12 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploration
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
low with sand and coral
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other - grass and sand 100%
Environment:
surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve
established in August 1983
Note:
located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia, 320
km off the northwest coast of Australia
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands People
Population:
no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Government
Long-form name:
Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Type:
territory of Australia administered by the Australian Minister for Arts,
Sports, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories - Roslyn KELLY
Capital:
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of Australia)
Legal system:
relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia
Diplomatic representation:
none (territory of Australia)
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
:Ashmore and Cartier Islands Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal
Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
:Atlantic Ocean Geography
Total area:
82,217,000 km2
Land area:
82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait,
Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea,
Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Comparative area:
slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of the
world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean
or Arctic Ocean)
Coastline:
111,866 km
Disputes:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Climate:
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape
Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from
May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Terrain:
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and
Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular
system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre
in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin;
maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench
Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel
aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Environment:
endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles,
and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and
eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal
sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs
common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from
February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the
Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern
Atlantic
Note:
ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic from October
to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can be
a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the
Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals;
strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona
Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic shipping
lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the
Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways
:Atlantic Ocean Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural resources,
especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and crude oil and
natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).
:Atlantic Ocean Communications
Ports:
Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain),
Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen
(Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki
(Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Lisbon
(Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal
(Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria),
Oslo (Norway), Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam
(Netherlands), Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad; Russia), Stockholm
(Sweden)
Telecommunications:
numerous submarine cables with most between continental Europe and the UK,
North America and the UK, and in the Mediterranean; numerous direct links
across Atlantic via INTELSAT satellite network
:Australia Geography
Total area:
7,686,850 km2
Land area:
7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
25,760 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
12 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)
Climate:
generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Terrain:
mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Natural resources:
bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten,
mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil
Land use:
arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and
woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited
freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical,
invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in
summer; desertification
Note:
world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country
:Australia People
Population:
17,576,354 (July 1992), growth rate 1.4% (1992)
Birth rate:
15 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
7 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
74 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Australian(s); adjective - Australian
Ethnic divisions:
Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1%
Religions:
Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3%
Languages:
English, native languages
Literacy:
100% (male 100%, female 100%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
Labor force:
8,630,000 (September 1991); finance and services 33.8%, public and community
services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing and industry
16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987)
Organized labor:
40% of labor force (November 1991)
:Australia Government
Long-form name:
Commonwealth of Australia
Type:
federal parliamentary state
Capital:
Canberra
Administrative divisions:
6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales,
Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria,
Western Australia
Independence:
1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Constitution:
9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Dependent areas:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands,
Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island
Legal system:
based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
National holiday:
Australia Day, 26 January
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a
lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General
William George HAYDEN (since 16 February 1989)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Paul John KEATING (since 20 December 1991); Deputy Prime
Minister Brian HOWE (since 4 June 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
government:
Australian Labor Party, Paul John KEATING
opposition:
Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER; Australian
Democratic Party, John COULTER
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by NA November 1993); results -
Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats and independents
11.1%; seats - (148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1
Senate:
last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by NA July 1993); results - Labor
43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats -
(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7,
independents 3
Communists:
4,000 members (est.)
:Australia Government
Other political or pressure groups:
Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter
group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party
splinter group)
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, COCOM,
CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, G-8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian
Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York,
Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian
Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO AP 96549); telephone [61] (6)
270-5000; FAX [61] (6) 270-5970; there are US Consulates General in
Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane
Flag:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large
seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a
representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small
five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars
:Australia Economy
Overview:
Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per
capita GDP comparable to levels in industrialized West European countries.
Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural
products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are
primary products, so that, as happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world
commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is
pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in
international markets continues to be severe.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $280.8 billion, per capita $16,200; real
growth rate --0.6% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.3% (September 1991)
Unemployment rate:
10.5% (November 1991)
Budget:
revenues $76.9 billion; expenditures $75.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (FY91)
Exports:
$41.7 billion (f.o.b., FY91)
commodities:
metals, minerals, coal, wool, cereals, meat, manufacturers
partners:
Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, UK, Taiwan, Hong
Kong
Imports:
$37.8 billion (f.o.b., FY91)
commodities:
manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods
partners:
US 24%, Japan 19%, UK 6%, FRG 7%, NZ 4% (1990)
External debt:
$130.4 billion (June 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate --0.9% (1991); accounts for 32% of GDP
Electricity:
40,000,000 kW capacity; 155,000 million kWh produced, 8,960 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals,
steel, motor vehicles
Agriculture:
accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues; world's largest exporter
of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton, and among top wheat exporters;
major crops - wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit; livestock - cattle, sheep,
poultry
Illicit drugs:
Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products;
government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation
and output of poppy straw concentrate
Economic aid:
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.4 billion
Currency:
Australian dollar (plural - dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.3360 (January 1992), 1.2836 (1991),
1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987)
:Australia Economy
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
:Australia Communications
Railroads:
40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge; 1,130 km electrified;
government owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of privately owned
track) (1985)
Highways:
837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or
stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft
Pipelines:
crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km
Ports:
Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart,
Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville
Merchant marine:
85 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,324,803 GRT/3,504,385 DWT; includes
2 short-sea passenger, 8 cargo, 8 container, 11 roll-on/roll-off, 1 vehicle
carrier, 17 petroleum tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 1
combination ore/oil, 30 bulk, 1 combination bulk
Civil air:
about 150 major transport aircraft
Airports:
481 total, 440 usable; 237 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runway
over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 268 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
good international and domestic service; 8.7 million telephones; broadcast
stations - 258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service; satellite stations - 4
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
:Australia Defense Forces
Branches:
Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 4,769,005; 4,153,060 fit for military service; 138,117 reach
military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $7.5 billion, 2.4% of GDP (FY92 budget)
:Austria Geography
Total area:
83,850 km2
Land area:
82,730 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
2,591 km total; Czechoslovakia 548 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy
430 km, Liechtenstein 37 km, Slovenia 262 km, Switzerland 164 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain in lowlands
and snow in mountains; cool summers with occasional showers
Terrain:
mostly mountains with Alps in west and south; mostly flat, with gentle
slopes along eastern and northern margins
Natural resources:
iron ore, crude oil, timber, magnesite, aluminum, lead, coal, lignite,
copper, hydropower
Land use:
arable land 17%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and
woodland 39%; other 19%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
because of steep slopes, poor soils, and cold temperatures, population is
concentrated on eastern lowlands
Note:
landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many
easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube
:Austria People