Total area:_The 1992 CIA World Factbook

5,860 km2

Land area:

5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No

Man's Land, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt.

Scopus

Comparative area:

slightly larger than Delaware

Land boundaries:

404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Coastline:

none - landlocked

Maritime claims:

none - landlocked

Disputes:

Israeli occupied with status to be determined

Climate:

temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot

summers, cool to mild winters

Terrain:

mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east

Natural resources:

negligible

Land use:

arable land 27%, permanent crops 0%, meadows and pastures 32%, forest and

woodland 1%, other 40%

Environment:

highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers

Note:

landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14

Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem

:West Bank People

Population:

1,362,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992); in addition, there are

95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992

est.)

Birth rate:

35 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Net migration rate:

2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

37 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

68 years male, 71 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

4.5 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality:

Ethnic divisions:

Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%

Religions:

Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%, Jewish 12%, Christian and other 8%

Languages:

Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood

Literacy:

NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

Labor force:

NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers - small industry, commerce, and

business 29.8%, construction 24.2%, agriculture 22.4%, service and other

23.6% (1984)

Organized labor:

:West Bank Government

Long-form name:

none

Note:

The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities and

Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the

West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties.

These negotiations will determine how the area is to governed.

:West Bank Economy

Overview:

Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military

administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah).

Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have

been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli

policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not

productive assets that would enable local firms to compete with Israeli

industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers

employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states, but such transfers from the Gulf

dropped dramatically after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake

of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West

Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have plunged because of

the loss of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to

curtail the intifadah also have pushed unemployment up and lowered living

standards. The area's economic outlook remains bleak.

GNP:

exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion, per capita $1,200; real growth rate

-10% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

11% (1991 est.)

Unemployment rate:

15% (1990 est.)

Budget:

revenues $31.0 million; expenditures $36.1 million, including capital

expenditures of $NA (FY88)

Exports:

$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.)

commodities:

partners:

Jordan, Israel

Imports:

$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.)

commodities:

partners:

Jordan, Israel

External debt:

$NA

Industrial production:

growth rate 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP

Electricity:

power supplied by Israel

Industries:

generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap,

olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have

established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and

industrial centers

Agriculture:

accounts for about 15% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables,

beef, and dairy products

Economic aid:

Currency:

new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural - dinars);

1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) =

1,000 fils

:West Bank Economy

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); Jordanian dinars

(JD) per US$1 - 0.6760 (January 1992), 0.6810 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704

(1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (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

:West Bank Communications

Highways:

small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways to service

new settlements

Airports:

2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over

2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications:

open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; broadcast stations - no

AM, no FM, no TV

:West Bank Defense Forces

Branches:

Manpower availability:

males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

:Western Sahara Geography

Total area:

266,000 km2

Land area:

266,000 km2

Comparative area:

slightly smaller than Colorado

Land boundaries:

2,046 km total; Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

Coastline:

1,110 km

Maritime claims:

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Disputes:

claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the

UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered

cease-fire has been currently in effect since September 1991

Climate:

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents produce fog and heavy

dew

Terrain:

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising

to small mountains in south and northeast

Natural resources:

phosphates, iron ore

Land use:

arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 19%; forest and

woodland 0%; other 81%

Environment:

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring;

widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting

visibility; sparse water and arable land

:Western Sahara People

Population:

201,467 (July 1992), growth rate 2.6% (1992)

Birth rate:

48 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

20 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Net migration rate:

-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

159 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

43 years male, 45 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

7.1 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s); adjective - Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic divisions:

Arab and Berber

Religions:

Muslim

Languages:

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy:

NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

Labor force:

12,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming

Organized labor:

:Western Sahara Government

Long-form name:

none

Type:

legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory

contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation

of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally

proclaimed a government in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic

(SADR); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976,

with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from

Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979;

Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since

asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government in exile was

seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued

sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September

1991

Capital:

none

Administrative divisions:

none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Leaders:

none

Member of:

none

Diplomatic representation:

none

:Western Sahara Economy

Overview:

Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little

rainfall, has a per capita GDP of roughly $300. Pastoral nomadism, fishing,

and phosphate mining are the principal sources of income for the population.

Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and

other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government.

GDP:

$60 million, per capita $300; real growth rate NA% (1991 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

NA%

Unemployment rate:

NA%

Budget:

revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Exports:

$8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.)

commodities:

phosphates 62%

partners:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are

included in overall Moroccan accounts

Imports:

$30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.)

commodities:

fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

partners:

Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are

included in overall Moroccan accounts

External debt:

$NA

Industrial production:

growth rate NA%

Electricity:

60,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced, 425 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries:

phosphate, fishing, handicrafts

Agriculture:

limited largely to subsistence agriculture; some barley is grown in

nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food

imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic

natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces

Economic aid:

Currency:

Moroccan dirham (plural - dirhams); 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates:

Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 8.889 (March 1992), 8.071 (1991), 8.242

(1990), 8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359 (1987)

Fiscal year:

:Western Sahara Communications

Highways:

6,200 km total; 1,450 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth

roads and tracks

Ports:

El Aaiun, Ad Dakhla

Airports:

13 total, 13 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways

over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications:

sparse and limited system; tied into Morocco's system by microwave,

tropospheric scatter, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations linked to

Rabat, Morocco; 2,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, no FM, 2 TV

:Western Sahara Defense Forces

Branches:

Manpower availability:

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

:Western Samoa Geography

Total area:

2,860 km2

Land area:

2,850 km2

Comparative area:

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries:

none

Coastline:

403 km

Maritime claims:

Exclusive economic zone:

200 nm

Territorial sea:

12 nm

Disputes:

none

Climate:

tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to October)

Terrain:

narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior

Natural resources:

hardwood forests, fish

Land use:

arable land 19%; permanent crops 24%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and

woodland 47%; other 10%

Environment:

subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism

Note:

located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific Ocean about

halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand

:Western Samoa People

Population:

194,992 (July 1992), growth rate 2.4% (1992)

Birth rate:

34 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Net migration rate:

-4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

40 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

65 years male, 70 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

4.4 children born/woman (1992)

Nationality:

noun - Western Samoan(s); adjective - Western Samoan

Ethnic divisions:

Samoan; Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood) about 7%,

Europeans 0.4%

Religions:

Christian 99.7% (about half of population associated with the London

Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist,

Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)

Languages:

Samoan (Polynesian), English

Literacy:

97% (male 97%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)

Labor force:

38,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1987 est.)

Organized labor:

Public Service Association (PSA)

:Western Samoa Government

Long-form name:

Independent State of Western Samoa

Type:

constitutional monarchy under native chief

Capital:

Apia

Administrative divisions:

11 districts; A`ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua, Fa`asaleleaga, Gaga`emauga,

Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa`itea, Tuamasaga, Va`a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano

Independence:

1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)

Constitution:

1 January 1962

Legal system:

based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of

legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not

accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday:

National Day, 1 June

Executive branch:

chief, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch:

unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)

Judicial branch:

Supreme Court, Court of Appeal

Leaders:

Chief of State:

Chief Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962

until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963)

Head of Government:

Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988)

Political parties and leaders:

Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP), TOFILAU Eti, chairman; Samoan National

Development Party (SNDP), VA'AI Kolone, chairman

Suffrage:

universal adult over age 21, but only matai (head of family) are able to run

for the Legislative Assembly

Elections:

Legislative Assembly:

last held NA February 1991 (next to be held by NA February 1994); results -

percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) HRPP 30, SNDP 14,

independents 3

Member of:

ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IOC, ITU,

LORCS, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation:

Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at suite 510,

1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005; telephone (202) 833-1743

US:

the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa (mailing

address is P.O. Box 3430, Apia); telephone (685) 21-631; FAX (685) 22-030

Flag:

red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five

white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation

:Western Samoa Economy

Overview:

Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to

GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from

the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant

remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports several times

export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and

construction of the first international hotel is under way.

GDP:

exchange rate conversion - $115 million, per capita $690 (1989); real growth

rate -4.5% (1990 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):

15% (1990)

Unemployment rate:

NA%; shortage of skilled labor

Budget:

revenues $95.3 million; expenditures $95.4 million, including capital

expenditures of $41 million (FY92)

Exports:

$9 million (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:

coconut oil and cream 54%, taro 12%, copra 9%, cocoa 3%

partners:

NZ 28%, American Samoa 23%, Germany 22%, US 6% (1990)

Imports:

$75 million (c.i.f., 1990)

commodities:

intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%

partners:

New Zealand 41%, Australia 18%, Japan 13%, UK 6%, US 6%

External debt:

$83 million (December 1990 est.)

Industrial production:

growth rate -4% (1990 est.); accounts for 14% of GDP

Electricity:

29,000 kW capacity; 45 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)

Industries:

timber, tourism, food processing, fishing

Agriculture:

accounts for 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)

Economic aid:

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million; Western (non-US)

countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $306 million; OPEC

bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million

Currency:

tala (plural - tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene

Exchange rates:

tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2,4284 (March 1992), 2,3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990),

2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987)

Fiscal year:

calendar year

:Western Samoa Communications

Highways:

2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or

earth

Ports:

Apia

Merchant marine:

1 roll-on/roll-off ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT

Civil air:

3 major transport aircraft

Airports:

3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over

3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications:

7,500 telephones; 70,000 radios; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1

Pacific Ocean INTELSAT ground station

:Western Samoa Defense Forces

Branches:

Department of Police and Prisons

Manpower availability:

males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service

Defense expenditures:

exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP

:World Geography

Total area:

510,072,000 km2

Land area:

148,940,000 km2 (29.2%)

Comparative area:

land area about 16 times the size of the US

Land boundaries:

442,000 km

Coastline:

356,000 km

Maritime claims:

range from 3 to 200 nm; 1 claim is rectangular; 112 states claim a 12 nm

limit; note - boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many

countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200 nm;

41 nations and other areas are landlocked and include Afghanistan, Andorra,

Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina,

Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macedonia,

Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San Marino,

Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan,

Vatican City, West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Contiguous zone:

39 states claim contiguous zone, 33 of which have 24 nm limits

Continental shelf:

approximately 78 states have specific continental shelf claims, the limit of

42 claims is based on depth (200 m) plus exploitability, 21 claims define

the continental shelf as 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin

Exclusive fishing zone:

23 claims with limits ranging from 12 nm to 200 nm

Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ):

83 states claim an EEZ, with most limits being 200 nm

Territorial sea:

claims range from 3 to 200 nm, 112 states claim a 12 nm limit; note - 41

nations and miscellaneous areas are landlocked and comprise Afghanistan,

Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina,

Burundi, Byelarus, Central African Republic, Chad, Czechoslovakia, Hungary,

Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Macebia,

Zimbabwe

Disputes:

major international land boundary or territorial diputes - Bahrain-Qatar,

Chad-Libya, China-India, China-Russia, Ecuador-Peru, El Salvador-Honduras,

Israel-Jordan, Israel-Syria, Japan-Russia, North Korea-South Korea, Saudi

Arabia-Yemen, South China Sea

Climate:

two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow temperate

zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates

Terrain:

highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest depression is

the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the

Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters

Natural resources:

the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of

forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and

the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe and

the former USSR) pose serious long-term problems that governments and

peoples are only beginning to address

Land use:

arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 24%; forest and

woodland 31%; other 34%; includes irrigated 1.6%

:World Geography

Environment:

large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters

(earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions), overpopulation,

industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances),

loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of

wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion

:World People

Population:

5,515,617,484 (July 1992), growth rate 1.7% (1992)

Birth rate:

26 births/1,000 population (1992)

Death rate:

9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)

Infant mortality rate:

63 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)

Life expectancy at birth:

61 years male, 65 years female (1992)

Total fertility rate:

3.3 children born/woman (1992)

Literacy:

74% (male 81%, female 67%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

Labor force:

2.24 billion (1992)

Organized labor:

:World Government

Administrative divisions:

187 sovereign nations plus 72 dependent, other, and miscellaneous areas

Legal system:

varies by individual country; 182 are parties to the United Nations

International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)

Diplomatic representation:

there are 178 members of the UN

:World Economy