4,748,059 (July 1992), growth rate 4.0% (1992); includes 95,000 Jewish
settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights,
4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
26 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
76 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Israeli(s); adjective - Israeli
Ethnic divisions:
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%
Religions:
Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%, Druze and other
2%
Languages:
Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority; English most
commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and write (1983)
Labor force:
1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry, mining, and
manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and business 9.5%; transport,
storage, and communications 6.8%; construction and public works 6.5%;
personal and other services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%;
electricity and water 1.0% (1983)
Organized labor:
90% of labor force
:Israel Government
Long-form name:
State of Israel
Type:
republic
Capital:
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all
other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem,
Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled
by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament
(Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal
matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985,
Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day; Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the
Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament (Knesset)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 12 parties that hold
66 of the Knesset's 120 seats; currently in state of flux; election held 23
June 1992
Members of the government:
Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR; Sephardic Torah Guardians (SHAS),
Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I; National Religious Party, Minister of
Education Shulamit ALONI; Agudat Israel, Avraham SHAPIRA; Degel HaTorah,
Avraham RAVITZ; Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yair TZABAN;
Ge'ulat Israel, Eliezer MIZRAHI; New Liberal Party, Minister of Finance,
Avraham SHOCHAT; Tehiya Party, Minister of Science Technology, Yuval NEEMAN;
Tzomet Party Unity for Peace and Aliyah, Rafael EITAN; Moledet Party,
Rehavam ZEEVI
Opposition parties:
Labor Party, Shimon PERES; Citizens' Rights Movement, Shulamit ALONI; United
Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN; Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon
RUBENSTEIN; New Israeli Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER; Progressive
List for Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI; Arab Democratic Party, `Abd Al Wahab
DARAWSHAH; Black Panthers, Charlie BITON
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
:Israel Government
Elections:
President:
last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February 1994); results - Chaim
HERZOG reelected by Knesset
Knesset:
last held June 1992 (next to be held by NA; results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party 44, Likud bloc 12, SHAS 6,
National Religious Party 6, Meretz 12, Agudat Yisrael 4, PAZI 3, MAKI 3,
Tehiya Party 3, Tzomet Party 8, Moledet Party 3, Degel HaTorah 4, Center
Movement Progressive List for Peace 1, Arab Democratic Party 2; Black
Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat Yisrael 1, Unity for Peace and Aliyah 1
Communists:
Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership) has some 1,500
members
Other political or pressure groups:
Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West
Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now, critical of government's West Bank/Gaza
Strip and Lebanon policies
Member of:
AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO,
ITU, OAS (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at 3514 International Drive NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 364-5500; there are Israeli Consulates
General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador William HARROP; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv (mailing
address is APO AE 09830; telephone [972] (3) 654338; FAX [972] (3) 663449;
there is a US Consulate General in Jerusalem
Flag:
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
:Israel Economy
Overview:
Israel has a 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.
Industry employs about 20% of Israeli workers, agriculture 5%, and services
most of the rest. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural
products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts
balance-of-payments deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments
from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's $17
billion external debt is owed to the United States, which is its major
source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel
has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as
medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August 1990 dealt a
blow to Israel's economy. Higher world oil prices added an estimated $300
million to the oil import bill that year and helped keep annual inflation at
18%. Regional tension and the continuing Palestinian uprising (intifadah)
have contributed to a sharp drop in tourism - a key foreign exchange earner
- to the lowest level since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The influx of Jewish
immigrants from the former USSR, which topped 330,000 during the period
1990-91, will increase unemployment, intensify housing problems, widen the
government budget deficit, and fuel inflation.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $54.6 billion, per capita $12,000; real growth
rate 5% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
11% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $41.7 billion; expenditures $47.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
$12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and clothing, processed
foods, fertilizer and chemical products, military hardware, electronics
partners:
US, EC, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland
Imports:
$18.1 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals, machinery, iron and
steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles, ships, aircraft
partners:
US, EC, Switzerland, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong
External debt:
$24 billion, of which government debt is $17 billion (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate - 7% (1991 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Electricity:
5,300,000 kWh capacity; 21,000 million kWh produced, 4,800 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles, clothing,
chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment,
electrical equipment, miscellaneous machinery, potash mining,
high-technology electronics, tourism
:Israel Economy
Agriculture:
accounts for about 3% of GDP; largely self-sufficient in food production,
except for grains; principal products - citrus and other fruits, vegetables,
cotton; livestock products - beef, dairy, and poultry
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.8 billion
Currency:
new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new
agorot
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.4019 (March 1992), 2.2791 (1991),
2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987)
Fiscal year:
previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 31 December, and since 1
January 1992 the fiscal year has conformed to the calendar year
:Israel Communications
Railroads:
600 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated
Highways:
4,750 km; majority is bituminous surfaced
Pipelines:
crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km
Ports:
Ashdod, Haifa
Merchant marine:
34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,966 GRT/721,106 DWT; includes 8
cargo, 23 container, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off; note - Israel
also maintains a significant flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at
least as large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of convenience
fleet typically includes all of its petroleum tankers
Civil air:
32 major transport aircraft
Airports:
51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
most highly developed in the Middle East although not the largest; good
system of coaxial cable and radio relay; 1,800,000 telephones; broadcast
stations - 14 AM, 21 FM, 20 TV; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations
- 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
:Israel Defense Forces
Branches:
Israel Defense Forces, including ground, naval, and air components;
historically, there have been no separate Israeli military services
Manpower availability:
eligible 15-49, 2,357,195; of the 1,189,275 males 15-49, 977,332 are fit for
military service; of the 1,167,920 females 15-49, 955,928 are fit for
military service; 44,624 males and 42,705 females reach military age (18)
annually; both sexes are liable for military service; Nahal or Pioneer
Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard, Chen
Defense expenditures:
$7.5 billion, 12.1% of GNP (1992 budget); note - does not include pay for
reserve soldiers and other defense-related categories; actual outlays would
therefore be higher
:Italy Geography
Total area:
301,230 km2
Land area:
294, 020 km2; includes Sardinia and Sicily
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
1,899.2 km; Austria 430 km, France 488 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 199
km, Switzerland 740 km, Vatican City 3.2 km
Coastline:
4,996 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain:
mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Natural resources:
mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil
reserves, fish, coal
Land use:
arable land 32%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures 17%; forest and
woodland 22%; other 19%; includes irrigated 10%
Environment:
regional risks include land-slides, mudflows, snowslides, earthquakes,
volcanic eruptions, flooding, pollution; land sinkage in Venice
Note:
strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea
and air approaches to Western Europe
:Italy People
Population:
57,904,628 (July 1992), growth rate 0.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
10 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
10 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
74 years male, 81 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Italian(s); adjective - Italian
Ethnic divisions:
primarily Italian but population includes small clusters of German-,
French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south; Sicilians; Sardinians
Religions:
virtually 100% Roman Catholic
Languages:
Italian; parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German
speaking; small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region;
Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area
Literacy:
97% (male 98%, female 96%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
23,988,000; services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)
Organized labor:
40-45% of labor force (est.)
:Italy Government
Long-form name:
Italian Republic
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
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
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister (president of the Council of Ministers)
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) consists of an upper chamber or Senate of
the Republic (Senato della Repubblica) and a lower chamber or Chamber of
Deputies (Camera dei Deputati)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Guiliano AMATO (since 28 June 1992); Deputy Prime Minister
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Party (DC), Arnaldo FORLANI (general secretary),
Ciriaco De MITA (president); Socialist Party (PSI), Bettino CRAXI (party
secretary); Social Democratic Party (PSDI), Carlo VIZZINI (party secretary);
Liberal Party (PLI), Renato ALTISSIMO (secretary general); Democratic Party
of the Left (PDS - was Communist Party, or PCI, until January 1991), Achille
OCCHETTO (secretary general); Italian Social Movement (MSI), Gianfranco FINI
(national secretary); Republican Party (PRI), Giorgio La MALFA (political
secretary); Lega Nord (Northern League), Umberto BOSSI, president
Suffrage:
universal at age 18 (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is
25)
Elections:
Senate:
last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held by April 1997); results - DC
33.9%, PCI 28.3%, PSI 10.7%, other 27.1%; seats - (326 total, 315 elected)
DC 107, PDS 64, PSI 49, Leagues 25, other 70
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 5-6 April 1992 (next to be held April 1997); results - DC 29.7%,
PDS 26.6%, PSI 13.6%, Leagues 8.7%, Communist Renewal 5.6%, MSI 5.4%, PRI
4.4%, PLI 2.8%, PSDI 2.7%, other 11%
:Italy Government
Other political or pressure groups:
the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (CGIL -
Communist dominated, CISL - Christian Democratic, and UIL - Social
Democratic, Socialist, and Republican); Italian manufacturers association
(Confindustria); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), Australia Group, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (nonregional
member), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-7, G-10,
GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IEA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC,
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, MTCR, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI CHIAPPORI; Chancery at 1601 Fuller Street NW,
Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 328-5500; there are Italian Consulates
General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, New Orleans, Los Angeles, Philadelphia,
San Francisco, and Consulates in Detroit and Newark (New Jersey)
US:
Ambassador Peter F. SECCHIA; Embassy at Via Veneto 119/A, 00187, Rome
(mailing address is APO AE 09624); telephone [39] (6) 46741, FAX [39] (6)
467-2356; there are US Consulates General in Florence, Genoa, Milan, Naples,
and Palermo (Sicily)
Flag:
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 Ivory Coast, which has the colors
reversed - orange (hoist side), white, and green
:Italy Economy
Overview:
Since World War II the 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. The country is still divided into a
developed industrial north, dominated by small private companies, and an
undeveloped agricultural south, dominated by large public enterprises.
Services account for 48% of GDP, industry about 35%, agriculture 4%, and
public administration 13%. Most raw materials needed by industry and over
75% of energy requirements must be imported. After growing at an annual
average rate of 3% during the period 1983-90, growth slowed to about 1% in
1991. For the 1990s, Italy faces the problems of refurbishing a tottering
communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial centers, and
adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the ongoing economic
integration of the European Community.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $965.0 billion, per capita $16,700; real
growth rate 1.0% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.5% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
11.0% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $431 billion; expenditures $565 billion, including capital
expenditures of $48 billion (1991)
Exports:
$209 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
textiles, wearing apparel, metals, transportation equipment, chemicals
partners:
EC 58.5%, US 8%, OPEC 4%
Imports:
$222 billion (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
petroleum, industrial machinery, chemicals, metals, food, agricultural
products
partners:
EC 58%, OPEC 7%, US 5%
External debt:
NA
Industrial production:
growth rate - 2.0% (1991); accounts for almost 35% of GDP
Electricity:
57,500,000 kW capacity; 235,000 million kWh produced, 4,072 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor
vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Agriculture:
accounts for about 4% of GDP and 10% of the work force; self-sufficient in
foods other than meat and dairy products; principal crops - fruits,
vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; fish
catch of 388,200 metric tons in 1988
Economic aid:
donor - ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion
Currency:
Italian lira (plural - lire); 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates:
Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 - 1,248.4 (March 1992), 1,240.6 (January 1991),
1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987)
:Italy Economy
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Italy Communications
Railroads:
20,011 km total; 16,066 km 1.435-meter government-owned standard gauge
(8,999 km electrified); 3,945 km privately owned - 2,100 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge (1,155 km electrified) and 1,845 km 0.950-meter narrow gauge
(380 km electrified)
Highways:
294,410 km total; autostrada (expressway) 5,900 km, state highways 45,170
km, provincial highways 101,680 km, communal highways 141,660 km; 260,500 km
paved, 26,900 km gravel and crushed stone, 7,010 km earth
Inland 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:
Cagliari (Sardinia), Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Palermo (Sicily),
Taranto, Trieste, Venice
Merchant marine:
546 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,004,462 GRT/10,265,132 DWT;
includes 17 passenger, 39 short-sea passenger, 94 cargo, 4 refrigerated
cargo, 24 container, 66 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 9 vehicle carrier, 1
multifunction large-load carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 142 petroleum tanker,
33 chemical tanker, 39 liquefied gas, 10 specialized tanker, 10 combination
ore/oil, 55 bulk, 2 combination bulk
Civil air:
125 major transport aircraft
Airports:
137 total, 134 usable; 91 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways
over 3,659 m; 36 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 39 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
modern, well-developed, fast; 25,600,000 telephones; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services; high-capacity cable and radio relay
trunks; very good broadcast service by stations - 135 AM, 28 (1,840
repeaters) FM, 83 (1,000 repeaters) TV; international service by 21
submarine cables; 3 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT with 3
Atlantic Ocean antennas and 2 Indian Ocean antennas; also participates in
INMARSAT and EUTELSAT systems
:Italy Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 14,864,191; 12,980,362 fit for military service; 441,768 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $22.7 billion, 2.2% of GDP (1991)
:Ivory Coast Geography
Total area:
322,460 km2
Land area:
318,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
3,110 km; Burkina 584 km, Ghana 668 km, Guinea 610 km, Liberia 716 km, Mali
532 km
Coastline:
515 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth)
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical along coast, semiarid in far north; three seasons - warm and dry
(November to March), hot and dry (March to May), hot and wet (June to
October)
Terrain:
mostly flat to undulating plains; mountains in northwest
Natural resources:
crude oil, diamonds, manganese, iron ore, cobalt, bauxite, copper
Land use:
arable land 9%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 9%; forest and
woodland 26%; other 52%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
coast has heavy surf and no natural harbors; severe deforestation
:Ivory Coast People