187 km total, all single track 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
7,665 km total; 550 km paved, 5,000 km gravel, 1,525 km earth, 590 km
unimproved
Inland waterways:
6,000 km total of navigable waterways; Berbice, Demerara, and Essequibo
Rivers are navigable by oceangoing vessels for 150 km, 100 km, and 80 km,
respectively
Ports:
Georgetown
Civil air:
3 major transport aircraft
Airports:
54 total, 49 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system with radio relay network; over 27,000 telephones; tropospheric
scatter link to Trinidad; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 3 FM, no TV, 1
shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Guyana Defense Forces
Branches:
Guyana Defense Force (GDF; includes Coast Guard and Air Corps), Guyana
Police Force (GPF), Guyana People's Militia (GPM), Guyana National Service
(GNS)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 196,066; 149,045 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $5.5 million, 6% of GDP (1989 est.)
:Haiti Geography
Total area:
27,750 km2
Land area:
27,560 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
275 km; Dominican Republic 275 km
Coastline:
1,771 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claims US-administered Navassa Island
Climate:
tropical; semiarid where mountains in east cut off trade winds
Terrain:
mostly rough and mountainous
Natural resources:
bauxite
Land use:
arable land 20%; permanent crops 13%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and
woodland 4%; other 45%; includes irrigated 3%
Environment:
lies in the middle of the hurricane belt and subject to severe storms from
June to October; occasional flooding and earthquakes; deforestation; soil
erosion
Note:
shares island of Hispaniola with Dominican Republic
:Haiti People
Population:
6,431,977 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
42 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
15 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-5 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
104 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
53 years male, 55 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.2 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Haitian(s); adjective - Haitian
Ethnic divisions:
black 95%, mulatto and European 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic is the official religion; Roman Catholic 80% (of which an
overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo), Protestant 16% (Baptist 10%,
Pentecostal 4%, Adventist 1%, other 1%), none 1%, other 3% (1982)
Languages:
French (official) spoken by only 10% of population; all speak Creole
Literacy:
53% (male 59%, female 47%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,300,000; agriculture 66%, services 25%, industry 9%; shortage of skilled
labor, unskilled labor abundant (1982)
Organized labor:
NA
:Haiti Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Haiti
Type:
republic
Capital:
Port-au-Prince
Administrative divisions:
9 departments, (departements, singular - departement); Artibonite, Centre,
Grand'Anse, Nord, Nord-Est, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Est
Independence:
1 January 1804 (from France)
Constitution:
27 August 1983, suspended February 1986; draft constitution approved March
1987, suspended June 1988, most articles reinstated March 1989; October
1991, government claims to be observing the Constitution
Legal system:
based on Roman civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 January (1804)
Executive branch:
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale) consisting of an upper
house or Senate and a lower house or Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE (since 7 February 1991), ousted in a coup
in September 1991, but still recognized by international community as Chief
of State; President Joseph NERETTE installed by military on 7 October 1991
Head of Government:
de facto Prime Minister Marc BAZIN (since June 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
National Front for Change and Democracy (FNCD) led by Jean-Bertrand
ARISTIDE, including Congress of Democratic Movements (CONACOM), Victor
BENOIT; National Konbite Movement (MKN), Volvick Remy JOSEPH; National
Alliance for Democracy and Progress (ANDP), a coalition - that broke up
following elections - consisting of Movement for the Installation of
Democracy in Haiti (MIDH), Marc BAZIN; National Progressive Revolutionary
Party (PANPRA), Serge GILLES; and National Patriotic Movement of November 28
(MNP-28), Dejean BELIZAIRE; National Agricultural and Industrial Party
(PAIN), Louis DEJOIE; Movement for National Reconstruction (MRN), Rene
THEODORE; Haitian Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Joseph DOUZE; Assembly
of Progressive National Democrats (RDNP), Leslie MANIGAT; National Party of
Labor (PNT), Thomas DESULME; Mobilization for National Development (MDN),
Hubert DE RONCERAY; Democratic Movement for the Liberation of Haiti
(MODELH), Francois LATORTUE; Haitian Social Christian Party (PSCH), Gregoire
EUGENE; Movement for the Organization of the Country (MOP), Gesner COMEAU
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January 1991 (next to be
held by December 1994); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (83 total)
FNCD 27, ANDP 17, PDCH 7, PAIN 6, RDNP 6, MDN 5, PNT 3, MKN 2, MODELH 2, MRN
1, independents 5, other 2
:Haiti Government
President:
last held 16 December 1990 (next election to be held by December 1995);
results - Rev. Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE 67.5%, Marc BAZIN 14.2%, Louis DEJOIE
4.9%
Elections:
Senate:
last held 16 December 1990, with runoff held 20 January 1991 (next to be
held December 1992); results - percent of vote NA; seats - (27 total) FNCD
13, ANDP 6, PAIN 2, MRN 2, PDCH 1, RDNP 1, PNT 1, independent 1
Communists:
United Party of Haitian Communists (PUCH), Rene THEODORE (roughly 2,000
members)
Other political or pressure groups:
Democratic Unity Confederation (KID), Roman Catholic Church, Confederation
of Haitian Workers (CTH), Federation of Workers Trade Unions (FOS),
Autonomous Haitian Workers (CATH), National Popular Assembly (APN)
Member of:
ACCT, CARICOM (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LAES,
LORCS, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Jean CASIMIR; Chancery at 2311 Massachusetts Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-4090 through 4092; there are
Haitian Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Miami, New York, and San Juan
(Puerto Rico)
US:
Ambassador Alvin P. ADAMS, Jr.; Embassy at Harry Truman Boulevard,
Port-au-Prince (mailing address is P. O. Box 1761, Port-au-Prince),
telephone [509] 22-0354 or 22-0368, 22-0200, 22-0612
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a centered white
rectangle bearing the coat of arms, which contains a palm tree flanked by
flags and two cannons above a scroll bearing the motto L'UNION FAIT LA FORCE
(Union Makes Strength)
:Haiti Economy
Overview:
About 75% of the population live in abject poverty. Agriculture is mainly
small-scale subsistence farming and employs nearly three-fourths of the work
force. The majority of the population does not have ready access to safe
drinking water, adequate medical care, or sufficient food. Few social
assistance programs exist, and the lack of employment opportunities remains
one of the most critical problems facing the economy, along with soil
erosion and political instability. Trade sanctions applied by the
Organization of American States in response to the September 1991 coup
against President Aristide have further damaged the economy.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $2.7 billion, per capita $440; real growth rate -
3.0% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
25-50% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues $300 million; expenditures $416 million, including capital
expenditures of $145 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$169 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
light manufactures 65%, coffee 19%, other agriculture 8%, other 8%
partners:
US 84%, Italy 4%, France 3%, other industrial countries 6%, less developed
countries 3% (1987)
Imports:
$348 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
commodities:
machines and manufactures 34%, food and beverages 22%, petroleum products
14%, chemicals 10%, fats and oils 9%
partners:
US 64%, Netherlands Antilles 5%, Japan 5%, France 4%, Canada 3%, Germany 3%
(1987)
External debt:
$838 million (December 1990)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.3% (FY88); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
217,000 kW capacity; 468 million kWh produced, 74 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement manufacturing, tourism,
light assembly industries based on imported parts
Agriculture:
accounts for 28% of GDP and employs 74% of work force; mostly small-scale
subsistence farms; commercial crops - coffee, mangoes, sugarcane and wood;
staple crops - rice, corn, sorghum; shortage of wheat flour
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for cocaine
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-89), $700 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $770 million
Currency:
gourde (plural - gourdes); 1 gourde (G) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
gourdes (G) per US$1 - 5.0 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
:Haiti Communications
Railroads:
40 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge, single-track, privately owned industrial
line
Highways:
4,000 km total; 950 km paved, 900 km otherwise improved, 2,150 km unimproved
Inland waterways:
negligible; less than 100 km navigable
Ports:
Port-au-Prince, Cap-Haitien
Civil air:
12 major transport aircraft
Airports:
13 total, 10 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
domestic facilities barely adequate, international facilities slightly
better; 36,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 33 AM, no FM, 4 TV, 2
shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Haiti Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Police), Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,313,044; 706,221 fit for military service; 59,060 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $34 million, 1.5% of GDP (1988 est.)
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Geography
Total area:
412 km2
Land area:
412 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
101.9 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
antarctic
Terrain:
Heard Island - bleak and mountainous, with an extinct volcano; McDonald
Islands - small and rocky
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%
Environment:
primarily used as research stations
Note:
located 4,100 km southwest of Australia in the southern Indian Ocean
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands People
Population:
uninhabited
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Government
Long-form name:
Territory of Heard Island and McDonald Islands
Type:
territory of Australia administered by the Antarctic Division of the
Department of Science in Canberra (Australia)
Capital:
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
:Heard Island and McDonald Islands Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia
:Holy See (Vatican City) Geography
Total area:
0.438 km2
Land area:
0.438 km2
Comparative area:
about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
3.2 km; Italy 3.2 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers
(May to September)
Terrain:
low hill
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%
Environment:
urban
Note:
landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the
Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer
residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
:Holy See (Vatican City) People
Population:
802 (July 1992), growth rate 1.2% (1992)
Nationality:
no noun or adjectival forms
Ethnic divisions:
primarily Italians but also Swiss and other nationalities
Religions:
Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian, Latin, and various other languages
Literacy:
100% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
high dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and 3,000 lay workers who live
outside the Vatican
Organized labor:
Association of Vatican Lay Workers, 1,800 members (1987)
:Holy See (Vatican City) Government
Long-form name:
State of the Vatican City; note - the Vatican City is the physical seat of
the Holy See, which is the central government of the Roman Catholic Church
Type:
monarchical-sacerdotal state
Capital:
Vatican City
Independence:
11 February 1929 (from Italy)
Constitution:
Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
National holiday:
Installation Day of the Pope (John Paul II), 22 October (1978); note - Pope
John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978
Executive branch:
pope
Legislative branch:
unicameral Pontifical Commission
Judicial branch:
none; normally handled by Italy
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYA; since 16 October 1978)
Head of Government:
Secretary of State Archbishop Angelo SODANO
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Elections:
Pope:
last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current
pope); results - Karol WOJTYA was elected for life by the College of
Cardinals
Other political or pressure groups:
none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Member of:
CSCE, IAEA, ICFTU, IMF (observer), INTELSAT, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS
(observer), UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation:
Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121
US:
Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294,
00165 Rome (mailing address is APO AE 09624); telephone [396] 639-0558
Flag:
two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of
Saint Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white band
:Holy See (Vatican City) Economy
Overview:
This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions
(known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale
of postage stamps and tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and
the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers
are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work
in the city of Rome.
Budget:
revenues $92 million; expenditures $178 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1992)
Electricity:
5,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by Italy
Industries:
printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms;
worldwide banking and financial activities
Currency:
Vatican lira (plural - lire); 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates:
Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1 - 1,248.4 (March 1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1
(1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987); note - the Vatican
lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates freely
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Holy See (Vatican City) Communications
Railroads:
850 m, 750 mm gauge (links with Italian network near the Rome station of
Saint Peter's)
Highways:
none; all city streets
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - 3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line automatic telephone
exchange; no communications satellite systems
:Holy See (Vatican City) Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at
entrances to the Vatican City
:Honduras Geography
Total area:
112,090 km2
Land area:
111,890 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
1,520 km; Guatemala 256 km, El Salvador 342 km, Nicaragua 922 km
Coastline:
820 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
dispute with El Salvador over several sections of the land boundary; dispute
over Golfo de Fonseca maritime boundary because of disputed sovereignty of
islands; unresolved maritime boundary with Nicaragua
Climate:
subtropical in lowlands, temperate in mountains
Terrain:
mostly mountains in interior, narrow coastal plains
Natural resources:
timber, gold, silver, copper, lead, zinc, iron ore, antimony, coal, fish
Land use:
arable land 14%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and
woodland 34%; other 20%; includes irrigated 1%
Environment:
subject to frequent, but generally mild, earthquakes; damaging hurricanes
and floods along Caribbean coast; deforestation; soil erosion
:Honduras People
Population:
5,092,776 (July 1992), growth rate 2.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
37 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
54 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
65 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Honduran(s); adjective - Honduran
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo (mixed Indian and European) 90%, Indian 7%, black 2%, white 1%
Religions:
Roman Catholic about 97%; small Protestant minority
Languages:
Spanish, Indian dialects
Literacy:
73% (male 76%, female 71%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
1,300,000; agriculture 62%, services 20%, manufacturing 9%, construction 3%,
other 6% (1985)
Organized labor:
40% of urban labor force, 20% of rural work force (1985)
:Honduras Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Honduras
Type:
republic
Capital:
Tegucigalpa
Administrative divisions:
18 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Atlantida,
Choluteca, Colon, Comayagua, Copan, Cortes, El Paraiso, Francisco Morazan,
Gracias a Dios, Intibuca, Islas de la Bahia, La Paz, Lempira, Ocotepeque,
Olancho, Santa Barbara, Valle, Yoro
Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution:
11 January 1982, effective 20 January 1982
Legal system:
rooted in Roman and Spanish civil law; some influence of English common law;
accepts ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch:
president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (since 26 January 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Liberal Party (PLH) - faction leaders, Carlos FLORES Facusse (leader of
Florista Liberal Movement), Carlos MONTOYA (Azconista subfaction), Ramon
VILLEDA Bermudez and Jorge Arturo REINA (M-Lider faction); National Party
(PNH), Jose Celin DISCUA, party president; PNH faction leaders - Oswaldo
RAMOS Soto and Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS Romero (Monarca faction); National
Innovation and Unity Party - Social Democrats (PINU-SD), Enrique AGUILAR
Cerrato Paz; Christian Democratic Party (PDCH), Jorge ILLESCAS; Democratic
Action (AD), Walter LOPEZ Reyes
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
National Congress:
last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results - PNH
51%, PLH 43%, PDCH 1.9%, PINU-SD 1.5%, other 2.6%; seats - (128 total) PNH
71, PLH 55, PINU-SD 2
President:
last held on 26 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993); results -
Rafael Leonardo CALLEJAS (PNH) 51%, Carlos FLORES Facusse (PLH) 43.3%, other
5.7%
Other political or pressure groups:
National Association of Honduran Campesinos (ANACH), Honduran Council of
Private Enterprise (COHEP), Confederation of Honduran Workers (CTH),
National Union of Campesinos (UNC), General Workers Confederation (CGT),
United Federation of Honduran Workers (FUTH), Committee for the Defense of
Human Rights in Honduras (CODEH), Coordinating Committee of Popular
Organizations (CCOP)
:Honduras Government
Member of:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, OAS, OPANAL,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Jorge Ramon HERNANDEZ Alcerro; Chancery at 3007 Tilden Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-7702; there are Honduran
Consulates General in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
and San Francisco, and Consulates in Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, Houston,
and Jacksonville
US:
Ambassador S. Crescencio ARCOS; Embassy at Avenida La Paz, Tegucigalpa
(mailing address is APO AA 34022); telephone [504] 32-3120
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with five blue
five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band; the
stars represent the members of the former Federal Republic of Central
America - Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua;
similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled
by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the
white band; also similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which features a triangle
encircled by the word REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on
the bottom, centered in the white band
:Honduras Economy