Luxembourg National Railways (CFL) operates 270 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge; 162 km double track; 162 km electrified
Highways:
5,108 km total; 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km earth; about 80 km
limited access divided highway
Inland waterways:
37 km; Moselle River
Pipelines:
petroleum products 48 km
Ports:
Mertert (river port)
Merchant marine:
49 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,592,985 GRT/2,642,249 DWT; includes
3 cargo, 5 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off, 6 petroleum tanker, 4 chemical
tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 8 liquefied gas, 1 passenger, 8 bulk, 6
combination bulk
Civil air:
13 major transport aircraft
Airports:
2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over
3,659 m; 1 with runways less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications:
highly developed, completely automated and efficient system, mainly buried
cables; 230,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 3 TV; 3
channels leased on TAT-6 coaxial submarine cable; 1 direct-broadcast
satellite earth station; nationwide mobile phone system
:Luxembourg Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 100,994; 83,957 fit for military service; 2,320 reach military
age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $100 million, 1.4% of GDP (1991)
:Macau Geography
Total area:
16 km2
Land area:
16 km2
Comparative area:
about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0.34 km; China 0.34 km
Coastline:
40 km
Maritime claims:
not known
Disputes:
none
Climate:
subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Terrain:
generally flat
Natural resources:
negligible
Land use:
arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and
woodland 0%; other 100%
Environment:
essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect the two islands to
the peninsula on mainland
Note:
27 km west-southwest of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of China
:Macau People
Population:
473,333 (July 1992), growth rate 1.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
17 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
4 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
8 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
78 years male, 84 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Macanese (singular and plural); adjective - Macau
Ethnic divisions:
Chinese 95%, Portuguese 3%, other 2%
Religions:
Buddhist 45%, Roman Catholic 7%, Protestant 1%, none 45.8%, other 1.2%
(1981)
Languages:
Portuguese (official); Cantonese is the language of commerce
Literacy:
90% (male 93%, female 86%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Labor force:
180,000 (1986)
Organized labor:
none
:Macau Government
Long-form name:
none
Type:
overseas territory of Portugal; scheduled to revert to China in 1999
Capital:
Macau
Administrative divisions:
2 districts (concelhos, singular - concelho); Ilhas, Macau
Independence:
none (territory of Portugal); Portugal signed an agreement with China on 13
April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20 December 1999; in the joint
declaration, China promises to respect Macau's existing social and economic
systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transition
Constitution:
17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau; basic law drafted primarily by
Beijing awaiting final approval
Legal system:
Portuguese civil law system
National holiday:
Day of Portugal, 10 June
Executive branch:
President of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since 9 March 1986)
Head of Government:
Governor Gen. Vasco Joachim Rocha VIEIRA (since 20 March 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Association to Defend the Interests of Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group
to Study the Development of Macau; Macau Independent Group
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Assembly:
last held on 10 March 1991; results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -
(23 total; 8 elected by universal suffrage, 8 by indirect suffrage, and 7
appointed by the governor) number of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups:
wealthy Macanese and Chinese representing local interests, wealthy
pro-Communist merchants representing China's interests; in January 1967 the
Macau Government acceded to Chinese demands that gave China veto power over
administration
Member of:
IMO (associate), WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation:
as Chinese territory under Portuguese administration, Macanese interests in
the US are represented by Portugal
US:
the US has no offices in Macau, and US interests are monitored by the US
Consulate General in Hong Kong
Flag:
the flag of Portugal is used
:Macau Economy
Overview:
The economy is based largely on tourism (including gambling) and textile and
fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have spawned other small
industries - toys, artificial flowers, and electronics. The tourist sector
has accounted for roughly 25% of GDP, and the clothing industry has provided
about two-thirds of export earnings; the gambling industry represented 36%
of GDP in 1991. Macau depends on China for most of its food, fresh water,
and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong are the main suppliers of raw
materials and capital goods.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3.1 billion, per capita $6,900; real growth rate
6% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.8% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports:
$1.5 billion (1990 est.)
commodities:
textiles, clothing, toys
partners:
US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)
Imports:
$1.8 billion (1990 est.)
commodities:
raw materials, foodstuffs, capital goods
partners:
Hong Kong 39%, China 21%, Japan 10% (1987)
External debt:
$91 million (1985)
Industrial production:
NA
Electricity:
220,000 kW capacity; 520 million kWh produced, 1,165 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
clothing, textiles, toys, plastic products, furniture, tourism
Agriculture:
rice, vegetables; food shortages - rice, vegetables, meat; depends mostly on
imports for food requirements
Economic aid:
none
Currency:
pataca (plural - patacas); 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos
Exchange rates:
patacas (P) per US$1 - 8.034 (1991), 8.024 (1990), 8.030 (1989), 8.044
(1988), 7.993 (1987); note - linked to the Hong Kong dollar at the rate of
1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Macau Communications
Highways:
42 km paved
Ports:
Macau
Civil air:
no major transport aircraft
Airports:
none useable, 1 under construction; 1 seaplane station
Telecommunications:
fairly modern communication facilities maintained for domestic and
international services; 52,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 3 FM,
no TV; 75,000 radio receivers (est.); international high-frequency radio
communication facility; access to international communications carriers
provided via Hong Kong and China; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
:Macau Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 135,923; 76,414 fit for military service
Note:
defense is responsibility of Portugal
:Macedonia Header
Note:
Macedonia has proclaimed independent statehood but has not been formally
recognized as a state by the United States.
:Macedonia Geography
Total area:
25,333 km2
Land area:
24,856 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Vermont
Land boundaries:
748 km; Albania 151 km, Bulgaria 148 km, Greece 228 km, Serbia and
Montenegro 221 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Greece claims republic's name implies territorial claims against Aegean
Macedonia
Climate:
hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall
Terrain:
territory covered with deep basins and valleys; there are three large lakes,
each divided by a frontier line
Natural resources:
chromium, lead, zinc, manganese, tungsten, nickel, low-grade iron ore,
asbestos, sulphur, timber
Land use:
arable land 5%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and
woodland 30%; other 40%; includes irrigated NA%
Environment:
Macedonia suffers from high seismic hazard; air pollution from metallurgical
plants
Note:
major transportation corridor from Western and Central Europe to Aegean Sea
:Macedonia People
Population:
2,174,000 (July 1992), growth rate NA% (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:
71 years male, 75 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
NA children born/woman (1992)
Ethnic divisions:
Macedonian 67%, Albanian 20%, Turkish 4%, Serb 2%, other 7%
Religions:
Eastern Orthodox 59%, Muslim 26%, Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, unknown 10%
Languages:
Macedonian 70%, Albanian 21%, Turkish 3%, Serbo-Croatian 3%, other 3%
Literacy:
89.1% (male 94.2%, female 83.8%) age 10 and over can read and write (1992
est.)
Labor force:
507,324; agriculture 8%, manufacturing and mining 40% (1990)
Organized labor:
NA
:Macedonia Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Macedonia
Type:
emerging democracy
Capital:
Skopje
Administrative divisions:
NA
Independence:
20 November 1991 from Yugoslavia
Constitution:
adopted 17 November 1991, effective 20 November 1991
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
National holiday:
NA
Executive branch:
presidency, Council of Ministers, prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Assembly
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court, Judicial Court of the Republic
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Kiro GLIGOROV (since 27 January 1991)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Nikola KLJUSEV (since March 1991), Deputy Prime Ministers
Jovan ANDONOV (since March 1991), Blaze RISTOVSKI (since March 1991), and
Bezir ZUTA (since March 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
Social Democratic Alliance (SDA; former Communist Party), Branko
CRVENKOVSKI, chairman; Party of Democratic Prosperity, (PDP), Nevzat HALILI,
chairman; National Democratic Party, Iliaz HALIMI, chairman; Alliance of
Reform Forces of Macedonia (MARF), Sojan ANDOV, chairman; Socialist Party,
chairman NA; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization - Democratic
Party for Macedonian National Unity (IMRO-DPMNU), Ljupco GEORGIEVSKI,
chairman
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 27 January 1991 (next to be held NA); results - Kiro GLIGOREV won
Assembly:
last held 11 November 1990 (next to be held NA);results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (120 total) IMRO-DPMNU 37, SDA 31, PDP 25, MARF 17, Party
of Yugoslavs 1, Socialists 5, others 4
Communists:
NA
Other political or pressure groups:
Movement for All Macedonian Action (MAAK), IMRU-Democratic Party, League for
Democracy, Albanian Democratic Union-Liberal Party
Member of:
none
Diplomatic representation:
has not been formerly recognized by the US
Flag:
NA
:Macedonia Economy
Overview:
Macedonia, although the poorest among the six republics of a disintegrated
Yugoslav federation, can meet basic food and energy needs through its own
agricultural and coal resources. As a breakaway republic, however, it will
move down toward a bare subsistence level of life unless economic ties are
reforged or enlarged with its neighbors Serbia, Albania, Greece, and
Bulgaria. The economy depends on outside sources for all of its oil and gas
and its modern machinery and parts. Continued political turmoil, both
internally and in the region as a whole, prevents any swift readjustments of
trade patterns and economic rules of the game. Inflation in early 1992 was
out of control, the result of fracturing trade links, the decline in
economic activity, and general uncertainties about the future status of the
country; prices rose 38% in March 1992 alone. Macedonia's geographical
isolation, technological backwardness, and political instability place it
far down the list of countries of interest to Western investors. Recognition
of Macedonia by the EC and an internal commitment to economic reform would
help to encourage foreign investment over the long run.
GDP:
$7.1 billion, per capita $3,110; real growth rate -18% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (1991 est.)
Exports:
$578 million (1990)
commodities:
manufactured goods 40%, machinery and transport equipment 14%, miscellaneous
manufactured articles 23%, raw materials 7.6%, food (rice) and live animals
5.7%, beverages and tobacco 4.5%, chemicals 4.7%
partners:
principally Serbia and the other former Yugoslav republics, Germany, Greece,
Albania
Imports:
$1,112 million (1990)
commodities:
fuels and lubricants 19%, manufactured goods 18%, machinery and transport
equipment 15%, food and live animals 14%, chemicals 11.4%, raw materials
10%, miscellaneous manufactured articles 8.0%, beverages and tobacco 3.5%
partners:
other former Yugoslav republics, Greece, Albania, Germany, Bulgaria
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate -18% (1991 est.)
Electricity:
1,600,000 kw capacity; 6,300 million kWh produced, 3,103 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
low levels of technology predominate, such as, oil refining by distillation
only; produces basic fuels; mining and manufacturing processes result in the
extraction and production of coal as well as metallic chromium, lead, zinc,
and ferronickel; light industry produces basic textiles, wood products, and
tobacco
Agriculture:
provides 12% of Macedonia's GDP and meets the basic need for food; principal
crops are rice, tobacco, wheat, corn, and millet; also grown are cotton,
sesame, mulberry leaves, citrus fruit, and vegetables; Macedonia is one of
the seven legal cultivators of the opium poppy for the world pharmaceutical
industry, including some exports to the US; agricultural production is
highly labor intensive
:Macedonia Economy
Illicit drugs:
NA
Economic aid:
$NA
Currency:
denar (plural - denars); 1 denar (NA) = 100 NA
Exchange rates:
denar (NA) per US$1 - 240 (January 1991)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Macedonia Communications
Railroads:
NA
Highways:
10,591 km total (1991); 5,091 km paved, 1,404 km gravel, 4,096 km earth
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
none
Ports:
none - landlocked
Airports:
2 main
Telecommunications:
125,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 2 FM, 5 (2 relays) TV;
370,000 radios, 325,000 TV; satellite communications ground stations - none
:Macedonia Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 590,613; NA fit for military service; 22,913 reach military age
(18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - 7.0 billion dinars (est.), NA% of GDP (1992);
note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current
exchange rate could produce misleading results
:Madagascar Geography
Total area:
587,040 km2
Land area:
581,540 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
4,828 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova
Island, and Tromelin Island (all administered by France)
Climate:
tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Natural resources:
graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt, quartz, tar sands, semiprecious
stones, mica, fish
Land use:
arable land 4%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and
woodland 26%; other 11%; includes irrigated 2%
Environment:
subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification
Note:
world's fourth-largest island; strategic location along Mozambique Channel
:Madagascar People
Population:
12,596,263 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
14 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
93 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
51 years male, 55 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Malagasy (singular and plural); adjective - Malagasy
Ethnic divisions:
basic split between highlanders of predominantly Malayo-Indonesian origin
(Merina and related Betsileo) on the one hand and coastal tribes,
collectively termed the Cotiers, with mixed African, Malayo-Indonesian, and
Arab ancestry (Betsimisaraka, Tsimihety, Antaisaka, Sakalava), on the other;
there are also small French, Indian, Creole, and Comoran communities; no
current, accurate assessment of tribal numbers is available
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 52%, Christian about 41%, Muslim 7%
Languages:
French and Malagasy (official)
Literacy:
80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
4,900,000; 90% nonsalaried family workers engaged in subsistence
agriculture; 175,000 wage earners - agriculture 26%, domestic service 17%,
industry 15%, commerce 14%, construction 11%, services 9%, transportation
6%, other 2%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
4% of labor force
:Madagascar Government
Long-form name:
Democratic Republic of Madagascar
Type:
republic
Capital:
Antananarivo
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces (plural - NA, singular - faritanin'); Antananarivo, Antsiranana,
Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliary
Independence:
26 June 1960 (from France; formerly Malagasy Republic)
Constitution:
21 December 1975; note - a new constitution is to be in place before 1993
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral Popular National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire); note -
the National Assembly has suspended its operations during 1992 in
preparation for new legislative and presidential elections. In its place, an
interim High Authority of State and a Social and Economic Recovery Council
have been established
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), High Constitutional Court (Haute Cour
Constitutionnelle)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA (since 15 June 1975)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Guy RASANAMAZY (since 8 August 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
some 30 political parties now exist in Madagascar, the most important of
which are the Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier
RATSIRAKA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM),
RAKOTOVAO-ANDRIATIANA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence-Revival
(AKFM-R), Pastor Richard ANDRIAMANJATO; Movement for National Unity (VONJY),
Dr. Marojama RAZANABAHINY; Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA),
Norbert ANDRIAMORASATA; Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian
Regime (MFM), Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA; National Movement for the Independence
of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja JAONA; National Union for the Defense of
Democracy (UNDD), Albert ZAFY
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held on 12 March 1989 (next to be held NA 1992); results - Didier
RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 62%, Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA (MFM/MFT) 20%, Dr. Jerome
Marojama RAZANABAHINY (VONJY) 15%, Monja JAONA (MONIMA) 3%
Popular National Assembly:
last held on 28 May 1989 (next to be held 1992); results - AREMA 88.2%, MFM
5.1%, AKFM 3.7%, VONJY 2.2%, other 0.8%; seats - (137 total) AREMA 120, MFM
7, AKFM 5, VONJY 4, MONIMA 1
:Madagascar Government
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Pierrot Jocelyn RAJAONARIVELO; Chancery at 2374 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-5525 or 5526; there is
a Malagasy Consulate General in New York
US:
Ambassador Howard K. WALKER; Embassy at 14 and 16 Rue Rainitovo,
Antsahavola, Antananarivo (mailing address is B. P. 620, Antananarivo);
telephone [261] (2) 212-57, 209-56, 200-89, 207-18
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band
of the same width on hoist side
:Madagascar Economy
Overview:
Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. Agriculture,
including fishing and forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, accounting
for over 40% of GDP, employing about 80% of the labor force, and
contributing to more than 70% of total export earnings. Industry is largely
confined to the processing of agricultural products and textile
manufacturing; in 1990 it accounted for only 16% of GDP and employed almost
5% of the labor force. In 1986 the government introduced a five-year
development plan that stressed self-sufficiency in food (mainly rice) by
1990, increased production for exports, and reduced energy imports. After
mid-1991, however, output dropped sharply because of protracted
antigovernment strikes and demonstrations for political reform.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate
-3.8% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $390 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital
expenditures of $240 million (1990 est.)
Exports:
$290 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
coffee 45%, vanilla 15%, cloves 11%, sugar, petroleum products
partners:
France, Japan, Italy, Germany, US
Imports:
$436 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%, petroleum 15%, consumer
goods 14%, food 13%
partners:
France, Germany, UK, other EC, US
External debt:
$4.4 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5.2% (1990 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
Electricity:
125,000 kW capacity; 450 million kWh produced, 35 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap factories, breweries,
tanneries, sugar refining plants), light consumer goods industries
(textiles, glassware), cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum
Agriculture:
accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops - coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves,
cocoa; food crops - rice, cassava, beans, bananas, peanuts; cattle raising
widespread; almost self-sufficient in rice
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for
domestic consumption
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $136 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3,125 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $491 million
Currency:
Malagasy franc (plural - francs); 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes
:Madagascar Economy
Exchange rates:
Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1 - 1,943.4 (March 1992), 1,835.4 (1991),
1,454.6 (December 1990), 1,603.4 (1989) , 1,407.1 (1988), 1,069.2 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Madagascar Communications