transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia to
Western Europe
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1992), $10 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-86), $NA million;
Communist countries (1971-86), $NA million
Currency:
kroon; to be introduced in 1992
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Estonia Communications
Railroads:
1,030 km (includes NA km electrified); does not include industrial lines
(1990)
Highways:
30,300 km total (1990); 29,200 km hard surfaced; 1,100 km earth
Inland waterways:
500 km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
crude oil NA km, refined products NA km, natural gas NA km
Ports:
maritime - Tallinn, Parnu; inland - Narva
Merchant marine:
65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 386,634 GRT/516,866 DWT; includes 51
cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off, 2 short-sea passenger, 6 bulk
Civil air:
NA major transport aircraft
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:
telephone diversity - NA; broadcast stations - 3 TV (provide Estonian
programs as well as Moscow Ostenkino's first and second programs);
international traffic is carried to the other former USSR republics by
landline or microwave and to other countries by leased connection to the
Moscow international gateway switch, by the Finnish cellular net, and by an
old copper submarine cable to Finland
:Estonia Defense Forces
Branches:
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard;
Russian Forces (Ground, Navy, Air, Air Defense, and Border Guard)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, total mobilized force projected 120,000-130,000; NA fit for
military service; between 10,000-12,000 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
:Ethiopia Geography
Total area:
1,221,900 km2
Land area:
1,101,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
5,141 km; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km
Coastline:
1,094 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative
Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis;
territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; independence referendum in
Eritrea scheduled for April 1992
Climate:
tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; some areas prone
to extended droughts
Terrain:
high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley
Natural resources:
small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash
Land use:
arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 41%; forest and
woodland 24%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic
eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification;
frequent droughts; famine
Note:
strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and
close to Arabian oilfields
:Ethiopia People
Population:
54,270,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
112 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
50 years male, 53 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Ethiopian(s); adjective - Ethiopian
Ethnic divisions:
Oromo 40%, Amhara and Tigrean 32%, Sidamo 9%, Shankella 6%, Somali 6%, Afar
4%, Gurage 2%, other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 40-45%, Ethiopian Orthodox 35-40%, animist 15-20%, other 5%
Languages:
Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Guaraginga, Somali, Arabic, English
(major foreign language taught in schools)
Literacy:
62% (male NA%, female NA%) age 10 and over can read and write (1983 est.)
Labor force:
18,000,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 80%, government and services
12%, industry and construction 8% (1985)
Organized labor:
All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in January 1977 to
represent 273,000 registered trade union members; was dissolved when the TGE
came to power; labor code of 1975 is being redrafted
:Ethiopia Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
on 28 May 1991 the Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Democratic Front (EPRDF)
toppled the authoritarian government of MENGISTU Haile-Mariam and took
control in Addis Ababa; the Transitional Government of Ethiopia (TGE),
announced as a two-year transitional period; on 29 May 1991, Issayas
AFEWORKE, secretary general of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front
(EPLF), announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea
(PGE), in preparation for an eventual referendum on independence for the
province
Capital:
Addis Ababa
Administrative divisions:
14 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular - astedader
akababi) and 1 autonomous region* (rasgez akababi); Addis Ababa (Addis
Ababa), Afar, Agew, Amhara, Benishangul, Ertra (Eritrea)*, Gambela,
Gurage-Hadiya-Wolayta, Harer, Kefa, Omo, Oromo, Sidamo, Somali, Tigray
Independence:
oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world - at
least 2,000 years
Constitution:
to be redrafted by 1993
Legal system:
NA
National holiday:
National Revolution Day 12 September (1974)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
Council of Representatives
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Interim President Meles ZENAWI (since 1 June 1991); transitional government
Head of Government:
Acting Prime Minister Tamirat LAYNE (since 6 June 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
NA
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Council of Representatives:
last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held after new constitution drafted)
President:
last held 10 September 1987; next election planned after new constitution
drafted; results - MENGISTU Haile-Mariam elected by the now defunct National
Assembly, but resigned and left Ethiopia on 21 May 1991
Other political or pressure groups:
Oromo Liberation Front (OLF); Ethiopian People's Revolutionary Party (EPRP);
numerous small, ethnic-based groups have formed since Mengistu's resignation
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Girma AMARE; Chancery at 2134
Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282
:Ethiopia Government
US:
Charge d'Affaires Marc A. BAAS; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa
(mailing address is P. O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone [251] (01)
550666; FAX [251] (1) 551-166
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is
the oldest independent country in Africa, and the colors of her flag were so
often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became
known as the pan-African colors
:Ethiopia Economy
Overview:
Ethiopia is one of the poorest and least developed countries in Africa. Its
economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which accounts for about 45% of
GDP, 90% of exports, and 80% of total employment; coffee generates 60% of
export earnings. The manufacturing sector is heavily dependent on inputs
from the agricultural sector. Over 90% of large-scale industry, but less
than 10% of agriculture, is state run; the government is considering selling
off a portion of state-owned plants. Favorable agricultural weather largely
explains the 4.5% growth in output in FY89, whereas drought and
deteriorating internal security conditions prevented growth in FY90. In 1991
the lack of law and order, particularly in the south, interfered with
economic development and growth.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $6.6 billion, per capita $130, real growth rate-
0.4% (FY90 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.2% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $1.7 billion, including capital
expenditures of $842 million (FY88)
Exports:
$429 million (f.o.b., FY88)
commodities:
coffee 60%, hides
partners:
US, FRG, Djibouti, Japan, PDRY, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia
Imports:
$1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY88)
commodities:
food, fuels, capital goods
partners:
USSR, Italy, FRG, Japan, UK, US, France
External debt:
$2.6 billion (1988)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
330,000 kW capacity; 650 million kWh produced, 10 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
food processing, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metals processing, cement
Agriculture:
accounts for 45% of GDP and is the most important sector of the economy even
though frequent droughts and poor cultivation practices keep farm output
low; famines not uncommon; export crops of coffee and oilseeds grown partly
on state farms; estimated 50% of agricultural production at subsistence
level; principal crops and livestock - cereals, pulses, coffee, oilseeds,
sugarcane, potatoes and other vegetables, hides and skins, cattle, sheep,
goats
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $504 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.4 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $8 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.0
billion
Currency:
birr (plural - birr); 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
birr (Br) per US$1 - 2.0700 (fixed rate)
:Ethiopia Economy
Fiscal year:
8 July - 7 July
:Ethiopia Communications
Railroads:
988 km total; 681 km 1.000-meter gauge; 307 km 0.950-meter gauge
(nonoperational)
Highways:
44,300 km total; 3,650 km paved, 9,650 km gravel, 3,000 km improved earth,
28,000 km unimproved earth
Ports:
Aseb, Mitsiwa
Merchant marine:
12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 62,627 GRT/88,909 DWT; includes 8
cargo, 1 roll-on/roll off, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum tanker
Civil air:
25 major transport aircraft
Airports:
123 total, 86 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over
3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
open-wire and radio relay system adequate for government use; open-wire to
Sudan and Djibouti; radio relay to Kenya and Djibouti; broadcast stations -
4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 100,000 TV sets; 9,000,000 radios; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
:Ethiopia Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 12,015,589; 6,230,680 fit for military service; 572,982 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $760 million, 12.8% of GDP (1989)
:Europa Island Geography
Total area:
28 km2
Land area:
28 km2
Comparative area:
about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
22.2 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claimed by Madagascar
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
NA
Natural resources:
negligible
Land use:
arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and
woodland NA%; other NA%; heavily wooded
Environment:
wildlife sanctuary
Note:
located in the Mozambique Channel 340 km west of Madagascar
:Europa Island People
Population:
uninhabited
:Europa Island Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic Jacques
DEWATRE (as of July 1991); resident in Reunion
Capital:
none; administered by France from Reunion
:Europa Island Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
:Europa Island Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
1 with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m
Telecommunications:
1 meteorological station
:Europa Island Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of France
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Geography
Total area:
12,170 km2
Land area:
12,170 km2; includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and
about 200 small islands
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
1,288 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
100 meter depth
Exclusive fishing zone:
150 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate:
cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than
half of days in year; occasional snow all year, except in January and
February, but does not accumulate
Terrain:
rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Natural resources:
fish and wildlife
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 99%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 1%
Environment:
poor soil fertility and a short growing season
Note:
deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) People
Population:
1,900 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
NA births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NA migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
NA deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
NA years male, NA years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
NA children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Falkland Islander(s); adjective - Falkland Island
Ethnic divisions:
almost totally British
Religions:
primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, and United Free Church; Evangelist
Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:
English
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education age 5 to 15 (1988)
Labor force:
1,100 (est.); agriculture, mostly sheepherding about 95%
Organized labor:
Falkland Islands General Employees Union, 400 members
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Government
Long-form name:
Colony of the Falkland Islands
Type:
dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
Stanley
Administrative divisions:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution:
3 October 1985
Legal system:
English common law
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor, Executive Council
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
Head of Government:
Governor William Hugh FULLERTON (since NA 1988)
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Council:
last held 11 October 1989 (next to be held October 1994); results - percent
of vote by party NA; seats - (10 total, 8 elected) number of seats by party
NA
Member of:
ICFTU
Diplomatic representation:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag:
blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
Falkland Island coat of arms in a white disk centered on the outer half of
the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising is the major
economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the
islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Economy
Overview:
The economy is based on sheep farming, which directly or indirectly employs
most of the work force. A few dairy herds are kept to meet domestic
consumption of milk and milk products, and crops grown are primarily those
for providing winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to
the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. Rich stocks of fish in the
surrounding waters are not presently exploited by the islanders. So far,
efforts to establish a domestic fishing industry have been unsuccessful. In
1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers
operating within the Falklands exclusive fishing zone. These license fees
amount to more than $40 million per year and are a primary source of income
for the government. To encourage tourism, the Falkland Islands Development
Corporation has built three lodges for visitors attracted by the abundant
wildlife and trout fishing.
GDP:
$NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.4% (1980-87 average)
Unemployment rate:
NA%; labor shortage
Budget:
revenues $62.7 million; expenditures $41.8 million, excluding capital
expenditures of $NA (FY90)
Exports:
at least $14.7 million
commodities:
wool, hides and skins, and other
partners:
UK, Netherlands, Japan (1987 est.)
Imports:
at least $13.9 million
commodities:
food, clothing, fuels, and machinery
partners:
UK, Netherlands Antilles (Curacao), Japan (1987 est.)
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
9,200 kW capacity; 17 million kWh produced, 8,638 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
wool and fish processing
Agriculture:
predominantly sheep farming; small dairy herds; some fodder and vegetable
crops
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
$277 million
Currency:
Falkland pound (plural - pounds); 1 Falkland pound (#F) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
Falkland pound (#F) per US$1 - 0.5519 (January 1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5604
(1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987); note - the Falkland
pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Communications
Highways:
510 km total; 30 km paved, 80 km gravel, and 400 km unimproved earth
Ports:
Port Stanley
Civil air:
no major transport aircraft
Airports:
5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over
3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220 to 2,439 m
Telecommunications:
government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radio networks provide
effective service to almost all points on both islands; 590 telephones;
broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, no TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station with links through London to other countries
:Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) Defense Forces
Branches:
British Forces Falkland Islands (including Army, Royal Air Force, Royal
Navy, and Royal Marines); Police Force
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
:Faroe Islands Geography
Total area:
1,400 km2
Land area:
1,400 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than eight times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
764 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
mild winters, cool summers; usually overcast; foggy, windy
Terrain:
rugged, rocky, some low peaks; cliffs along most of coast
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 98%
Environment:
precipitous terrain limits habitation to small coastal lowlands; archipelago
of 18 inhabited islands and a few uninhabited islets
Note:
strategically located along important sea lanes in northeastern Atlantic
about midway between Iceland and Shetland Islands
:Faroe Islands People
Population:
48,588 (July 1992), growth rate 0.9% (1992)
Birth rate:
17 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
75 years male, 81 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.2 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Faroese (singular and plural); adjective - Faroese
Ethnic divisions:
homogeneous Scandinavian population
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran
Languages:
Faroese (derived from Old Norse), Danish
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
17,585; largely engaged in fishing, manufacturing, transportation, and
commerce
Organized labor:
NA
:Faroe Islands Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of
Denmark
Capital:
Torshavn
Administrative divisions:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Independence:
part of the Danish realm; self-governing overseas administrative division of
Denmark
Constitution:
Danish
Legal system:
Danish
National holiday:
Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Executive branch:
Danish monarch, high commissioner, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
Cabinet (Landsstyri)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (Lgting)
Judicial branch:
none
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen MARGRETHE II (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner
Bent KLINTE (since NA)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Atli P. DAM (since 15 January 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
opposition:
Cooperation Coalition Party, Pauli ELLEFSEN; Republican Party, Signer
HANSEN; Progressive and Fishing Industry Party-Christian People's Party
(PFIP-CPP), leader NA; Progress Party, leader NA; Home Rule Party, Hilmar
KASS
two-party ruling coalition:
Social Democratic Party, Atli P. DAM; People's Party, Jogvan SUND- STEIN
Suffrage:
universal at age 20
Elections:
Danish Parliament:
last held on 12 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1994); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) Social Democratic 1, People's
Party 1; note - the Faroe Islands elects two representatives to the Danish
Parliament
Faroese Parliament:
last held 17 November 1990 (next to be held November 1994); results - Social
Democratic 27.4%, People's Party 21.9%, Cooperation Coalition Party 18.9%,
Republican Party 14.7%, Home Rule 8.8%, PFIP-CPP 5.9%, other 2.4%; seats -
(32 total) two-party coalition 17 (Social Democratic 10, People's Party 7),
Cooperation Coalition Party 6, Republican Party 4, Home Rule 3, PFIP-CPP 2
Diplomatic representation:
none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark)
Flag:
white with a red cross outlined in blue that extends to the edges of the
flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the
style of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)
:Faroe Islands Economy