129,494 km2
Land area:
120,254 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than New York State
Land boundaries:
1,231 km total; Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline:
910 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain)
Continental shelf:
not specified
Territorial sea:
200 nm
Disputes:
territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y
Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; unresolved maritime boundary in Golfo de
Fonseca
Climate:
tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain:
extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains;
narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Natural resources:
gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land 9%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 43%; forest and
woodland 35%; other 12%; including irrigated 1%
Environment:
subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasional
severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
:Nicaragua People
Population:
3,878,150 (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:
-1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
57 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
60 years male, 66 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Nicaraguan(s); adjective - Nicaraguan
Ethnic divisions:
mestizo 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Indian 5%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%
Languages:
Spanish (official); English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic
coast
Literacy:
57% (male 57%, female 57%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
Labor force:
1,086,000; service 43%, agriculture 44%, industry 13% (1986)
Organized labor:
35% of labor force
:Nicaragua Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Nicaragua
Type:
republic
Capital:
Managua
Administrative divisions:
9 administrative regions encompassing 17 departments (departamentos,
singular - departamento); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli,
Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, North Atlantic
Coast Autonomous Zone (RAAN), Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, South
Atlantic Coast Autonomous Zone (RAAS)
Independence:
15 September 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution:
January 1987
Legal system:
civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
National holiday:
Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) and municipal courts
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (since 25 April 1990); Vice President
Virgilio GODOY (since 25 April 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling coalition:
National Opposition Union (UNO) is a 14-party alliance - National
Conservative Party (PNC), Silviano MATAMOROS; Conservative Popular Alliance
Party (PAPC), Myriam ARGUELLO; National Conservative Action Party (PANC),
Hernaldo ZUNIGA; National Democratic Confidence Party (PDCN), Augustin
JARQUIN; Independent Liberal Party (PLI), Wilfredo NAVARRO; Neo-Liberal
Party (PALI), Andres ZUNIGA; Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Jose
Ernesto SOMARRIBA; National Action Party (PAN), Eduardo RIVAS; Nicaraguan
Socialist Party (PSN), Gustavo TABLADA; Communist Party of Nicaragua
(PCdeN), Eli ALTIMIRANO; Popular Social Christian Party (PPSC), Luis
Humberto GUZMAN; Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), Roberto URROZ; Social
Democratic Party (PSD), Guillermo POTOY; Central American Integrationist
Party (PIAC), Alejandro PEREZ
opposition parties:
Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA; Central American
Unionist Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS; Democratic Conservative Party of
Nicaragua (PCDN), Jose BRENES; Liberal Party of National Unity (PLUIN),
Eduardo CORONADO; Movement of Revolutionary Unity (MUR), Francisco SAMPER;
Social Christian Party (PSC), Erick RAMIREZ; Revolutionary Workers' Party
(PRT), Bonifacio MIRANDA; Social Conservative Party (PSOC), Fernando
AGUERRO; Popular Action Movement - Marxist-Leninist (MAP-ML), Isidro TELLEZ;
Popular Social Christian Party (PPSC), Mauricio DIAZ
Suffrage:
universal at age 16
:Nicaragua Government
Elections:
President:
last held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held February 1996); results -
Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (UNO) 54.7%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN)
40.8%, other 4.5%
National Assembly:
last held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held February 1996); results - UNO
53.9%, FSLN 40.8%, PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats - (92 total) UNO 51, FSLN 39,
PSC 1, MUR 1
Communists:
15,000-20,000
Other political or pressure groups:
National Workers Front (FNT) is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight labor
unions: Sandinista Workers' Central (CST), Farm Workers Association (ATC),
Health Workers Federation (FETASALUD), National Union of Employees (UNE),
National Association of Educators of Nicaragua (ANDEN), Union of Journalists
of Nicaragua (UPN), Heroes and Martyrs Confederation of Professional
Associations (CONAPRO), and the National Union of Farmers and Ranchers
(UNAG); Permanent Congress of Workers (CPT) is an umbrella group of four
non-Sandinista labor unions: Confederation of Labor Unification (CUS),
Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN-A), Independent General
Confederation of Labor (CGT-I), and Labor Action and Unity Central (CAUS);
Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN) is an independent labor union; Superior
Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) is a confederation of business groups
Member of:
BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LORCS,
NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Ernesto PALAZIO; Chancery at 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6570
US:
Ambassador Harry W. SHLAUDEMAN; Embassy at Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur.,
Managua (mailing address is APO AA 34021); telephone [505] (2) 666010 or
666013, 666015 through 18, 666026, 666027, 666032 through 34; FAX [505] (2)
666046
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the
national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features
a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and
AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; 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
Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the
white band
:Nicaragua Economy
Overview:
Government control of the economy historically has been extensive, although
the CHAMORRO government has pledged to greatly reduce intervention. Four
private banks have been licensed, and the government has liberalized foreign
trade and abolished price controls on most goods. Over 50% of the
agricultural and industrial firms remain state owned. Sandinista economic
policies and the war had produced a severe economic crisis. The foundation
of the economy continues to be the export of agricultural commodities,
largely coffee and cotton. Farm production fell by roughly 7% in 1989 and 4%
in 1990, and remained about even in 1991. The agricultural sector employs
44% of the work force and accounts for 15% of GDP and 80% of export
earnings. Industry, which employs 13% of the work force and contributes
about 25% to GDP, showed a drop of 7% in 1989, fell slightly in 1990, and
remained flat in 1991; output still is below pre-1979 levels. External debt
is one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis. In 1991 the
inflation rate was 766%, down sharply from the 13,490% of 1990.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, per capita $425; real growth rate
-1.0% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
766% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
13%; underemployment 50% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $347 million; expenditures $499 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA million (1991)
Exports:
$342 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, seafood, meat, chemicals
partners:
OECD 75%, USSR and Eastern Europe 15%, other 10%
Imports:
$738 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, food, chemicals, machinery, clothing
partners:
Latin America 30%, US 25%, EC 20%, USSR and Eastern Europe 10%, other 15%
(1990 est.)
External debt:
$10 billion (December 1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA; accounts for about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
423,000 kW capacity; 1,409 million kWh produced, 376 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum
refining and distribution, beverages, footwear
Agriculture:
accounts for 15% of GDP and 44% of work force; cash crops - coffee, bananas,
sugarcane, cotton; food crops - rice, corn, cassava, citrus fruit, beans;
variety of animal products - beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy; normally
self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,381 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $3.5 billion
Currency:
cordoba (plural - cordobas); 1 cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos
:Nicaragua Economy
Exchange rates:
cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 25,000,000 (March 1992), 21,354,000 (1991), 15,655
(1989), 270 (1988), 102.60 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Nicaragua Communications
Railroads:
373 km 1.067-meter narrow gauge, government owned; majority of system not
operating; 3 km 1.435-meter gauge line at Puerto Cabezas (does not connect
with mainline)
Highways:
25,930 km total; 4,000 km paved, 2,170 km gravel or crushed stone, 5,425 km
earth or graded earth, 14,335 km unimproved; Pan-American highway 368.5 km
Inland waterways:
2,220 km, including 2 large lakes
Pipelines:
crude oil 56 km
Ports:
Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama
Merchant marine:
2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,161 GRT/2,500 DWT
Civil air:
9 major transport aircraft
Airports:
228 total, 155 usable; 11 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection into
Central American Microwave System; 60,000 telephones; broadcast stations -
45 AM, no FM, 7 TV, 3 shortwave; earth stations - 1 Intersputnik and 1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
:Nicaragua Defense Forces
Branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 878,066; 541,090 fit for military service; 42,997 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $70 million, 3.8% of GDP (1991 budget)
:Niger Geography
Total area:
1,267,000 km2
Land area:
1,266,700 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
5,697 km total; Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 628 km, Chad 1,175 km,
Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; demarcation of
international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border
incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon,
Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary
demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
Climate:
desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain:
predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south;
hills in north
Natural resources:
uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and
woodland 2%; other 88%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal
agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion
Note:
landlocked
:Niger People
Population:
8,052,945 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
58 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
23 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
115 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
42 years male, 45 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Nigerien(s); adjective - Nigerien
Ethnic divisions:
Hausa 56%; Djerma 22%; Fula 8.5%; Tuareg 8%; Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%; Arab,
Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%; about 4,000 French expatriates
Religions:
Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
Languages:
French (official); Hausa, Djerma
Literacy:
28% (male 40%, female 17%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,500,000 wage earners (1982); agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%,
government 4%; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
negligible
:Niger Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Niger
Type:
as of November 1991, transition government appointed by national reform
conference; scheduled to turn over power to democratically elected
government in January 1993
Capital:
Niamey
Administrative divisions:
7 departments (departements, singular - departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso,
Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder
Independence:
3 August 1960 (from France)
Constitution:
December 1989 constitution revised November 1991 by National Democratic
Reform Conference
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Executive branch:
president (ceremonial), prime minister (interim), Cabinet
Legislative branch:
National Assembly
Judicial branch:
State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14 November 1987); ceremonial post
since national conference (1991)
Head of Government:
Interim Prime Minister Amadou CHEIFFOU (since November 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD-NASSARA), Tanda MAMADOU;
Niger Progressive Party - African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA), Harou KOUKA;
Union of Popular Forces for Democracy and Progress (UDFP-SAWABA), Djibo
BAKARY; Niger Democratic Union (UDN-SAWABA), Mamoudou PASCAL; Union of
Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives (UPDP), Andre SALIFOU; Niger Social
Democrat Party (PSDN-ALHERI), Mallam Adji WAZIRI; Niger Party for Democracy
and Socialism (PNDS-TARAYA), Issoufou MAHAMADOU; Democratic and Social
Convention (CDS-RAHAMA), Mahamane OUSMANE; Union for Democracy and Progress
(UDP), Bello TCHIOUSSO; Union for Democracy and Social Progress
(UDPS-AMANA), Akoli DAOUEL; Masses Union for Democratic Action (UMAD-AIKI),
Belko GARBA; Worker's Liberation Party (PLT), Idi Ango OUMAROU; Convention
for Social Rehabilitation (CRS), Abdoul Karim SEYNI; Popular Movement for
Democracy in Niger (MPDN), Abdou SANDA; Popular Front for National
Liberation (FPLN), Diallo SABO; Republican Party for Freedom and Progress in
Niger (PRLPN), Alka ALMOU; other parties forming
Suffrage:
universal adult at age 18
Elections:
President:
President Ali SAIBOU has been in office since December 1989, but the
presidency is now a largely ceremonial position
:Niger Government
National Assembly:
last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held NA); results - MNSD was the only
party; seats - (150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected); note - Niger held
a national conference from July to November 1991 to decide upon a
transitional government and an agenda for multiparty elections
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Chancery at 2204 R Street NW,
Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4224 through 4227
US:
Ambassador Jennifer C. WARD; Embassy at Avenue des Ambassades, Niamey
(mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey); telephone [227] 72-26-61 through
64
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small
orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to
the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered in the white band
:Niger Economy
Overview:
About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock raising,
activities that generate almost half the national income. The economy also
depends heavily on exploitation of large uranium deposits. Uranium
production grew rapidly in the mid-1970s, but tapered off in the early 1980s
when world prices declined. France is a major customer, while Germany,
Japan, and Spain also make regular purchases. The depressed demand for
uranium has contributed to an overall sluggishness in the economy, a severe
trade imbalance, and a mounting external debt.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $2.4 billion, per capita $300; real growth rate
-3.4% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $220 million; expenditures $446 million, including capital
expenditures of $190 million (FY89 est.)
Exports:
$320 million (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
uranium 75%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions
partners:
France 65%, Nigeria 11%, Ivory Coast, Italy
Imports:
$439 million (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
petroleum products, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts,
electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, cereals,
foodstuffs
partners:
France 32%, Ivory Coast 11%, Germany 5%, Italy 4%, Nigeria 4%
External debt:
$1.8 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0% (1989); accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity:
105,000 kW capacity; 230 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses, and a
few other small light industries; uranium production began in 1971
Agriculture:
accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor force; cash crops -
cowpeas, cotton, peanuts; food crops - millet, sorghum, cassava, rice;
livestock - cattle, sheep, goats; self-sufficient in food except in drought
years
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3,165 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $61
million
Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural - francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF)
= 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 269.01 (January
1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54
(1987)
:Niger Economy
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
:Niger Communications
Highways:
39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel and laterite, 3,470
km earthen, 23,000 km tracks
Inland waterways:
Niger River is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier
from mid-December through March
Civil air:
2 major transport aircraft
Airports:
29 total, 27 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
small system of wire, radiocommunications, and radio relay links
concentrated in southwestern area; 14,260 telephones; broadcast stations -
15 AM, 5 FM, 18 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 3 domestic, with 1 planned
:Niger Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican National Guard, National police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,724,293; 928,177 fit for military service; 83,528 reach
military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $27 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989)
:Nigeria Geography
Total area:
923,770 km2
Land area:
910,770 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
4,047 km total; Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km
Coastline:
853 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
30 nm
Disputes:
demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has
led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification
by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; boundary commission created with
Cameroon to discuss unresolved land and maritime boundaries - has not yet
convened
Climate:
varies - equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
Terrain:
southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in
southeast, plains in north
Natural resources:
crude oil, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc, natural
gas
Land use:
arable land 31%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 23%; forest and
woodland 15%; other 28%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
recent droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural
activities; desertification; soil degradation, rapid deforestation
:Nigeria People
Population:
126,274,589 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992); note - a new population
figure of 88.5 million is in the process of being incorporated into revised
Census Bureau figures (April 1992)
Birth rate:
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
16 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
110 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
48 years male, 50 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Nigerian(s); adjective - Nigerian
Ethnic divisions:
more than 250 tribal groups; Hausa and Fulani of the north, Yoruba of the
southwest, and Ibos of the southeast make up 65% of the population; about
27,000 non-Africans
Religions:
Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages:
English (official); Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani, and several other languages
also widely used
Literacy:
51% (male 62%, female 40%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
42,844,000; agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%,
government 15%; 49% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor:
3,520,000 wage earners belong to 42 recognized trade unions, which come
under a single national labor federation - the Nigerian Labor Congress (NLC)
:Nigeria Government