Aggregate world output in 1991 increased by 1.3%, in contrast to estimated
2% growth in 1990 and 3% growth in 1989. In 1991, the developed countries
grew by 2.5% and the LDCs by 3.5%, these gains being offset by a 10-15% drop
in the former Communist-dominated areas of the USSR and Eastern Europe. As
usual, results among individual countries differed widely. In the developed
group, Japan led with 4.5%, the West European members averaged 1.2%, and the
recession-plagued United States lagged,with GDP down 0.7%. As for the 15
former Soviet republics and the seven nations of Eastern Europe, output
plummeted in many economic sectors because of fundamental changes in the
rules of the game and in the channels of production and exchange. China and
the Four Dragons performed well in 1991 but many of the other developing
countries are mired in poverty and political instability. For the world as a
whole, the addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already
overcrowded globe will exacerbate the problems of pollution,
desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine.
GWP (gross world product):
purchasing power equivalent - $25 trillion, per capita $4,600; real growth
rate 1.3% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
developed countries 5%; developing countries 50%, with wide variations (1991
est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Exports:
$3.34 trillion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners:
in value, about 75% of exports from developed countries
Imports:
$3.49 trillion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners:
in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
External debt:
$1.0 trillion for less developed countries (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3% (1990 est.)
Electricity:
2,864,000,000 kW capacity; 11,450,000 million kWh produced, 2,150 kWh per
capita (1990)
Industries:
industry worldwide is dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in
computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical
equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small
portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these
technological forces, and the technological gap between the industrial
nations and the less-developed countries continues to widen; the rapid
development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating
already grim environmental problems
:World Economy
Agriculture:
the production of major food crops has increased substantially in the last
20 years. The annual production of cereals, for instance, has risen by 50%,
from about 1.2 billion metric tons to about 1.8 billion metric tons;
production increases have resulted mainly from increased yields rather than
increases in planted areas; while global production is sufficient for
aggregate demand, about one-fifth of the world's population remains
malnourished, primarily because local production cannot adequately provide
for large and rapidly growing populations, which are too poor to pay for
food imports; conditions are especially bad in Africa where drought in
recent years has exacerbated the consequences of all other factors
Economic aid:
NA
:World Communications
Railroads:
239,430 km of narrow gauge track; 710,754 km of standard gauge track;
251,153 km of broad gauge track; includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of
electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far
East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and only 4,160 km in
North America; fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by
France's SNCF TGV-Atlantique line
Ports:
Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, New
Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine:
23,596 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 386,736,000 GRT/637,493,000 DWT;
includes 348 passenger-cargo, 12,441 freighters, 5,446 bulk carriers, and
5,361 tankers (January 1991)
Civil air:
14,500-16,000 major transport aircraft with gross take-off weight of 9,000
kg (20,000 lbs) or more (1992 est.)
:World Defense Forces
Branches:
ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,400,000,000; NA fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
$1.0 trillion, 4% of total world output; decline of 5-10% (1991 est.)
:Yemen Geography
Total area:
527,970 km2
Land area:
527,970 km2; includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or
North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or
South Yemen)
Comparative area:
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
1,746 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline:
1,906 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
North - 18 nm; South - 24 nm
Continental shelf:
North - 200 meters (depth); South - edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia; Administrative Line with
Oman; there is a proposed treaty with Oman (which has not yet been formerly
accepted) to settle the Yemeni-Omani boundary
Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in western
mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh
desert in east
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains;
dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the desert interior of
the Arabian Peninsula
Natural resources:
crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, gold, lead,
nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use:
arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and
woodland 7%; other 57%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
subject to sand and dust storms in summer; scarcity of natural freshwater
resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note:
controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden,
one of world's most active shipping lanes
:Yemen People
Population:
10,394,749 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
51 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
16 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
118 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
49 years male, 52 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.3 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Yemeni(s); adjective - Yemeni
Ethnic divisions:
North - Arab 90%, Afro-Arab (mixed) 10%; South - almost all Arabs; a few
Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
Religions:
North - Muslim almost 100% (45% Sunni and 55% Zaydi Shi`a); NEGL Jewish;
South - Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
38% (male 53%, female 26%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
North - NA number of workers with agriculture and herding 70%, and
expatriate laborers 30% (est.); South - 477,000 with agriculture 45.2%,
services 21.2%, construction 13.4%, industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6%
(1983)
Organized labor:
North - NA; South - 348,200 and the General Confederation of Workers of the
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen had 35,000 members
:Yemen Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Yemen
Type:
republic
Capital:
Sanaa
Administrative divisions:
17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan, `Adan, Al Bayda',
Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb,
Lahij, Ma'rib, Sa`dah, San`a', Shabwah, Ta`izz
Independence:
Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with the merger of the
Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen} and the Marxist-dominated
People's Democratic Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen};
previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the
Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967
(from the UK); the union is to be solidified during a 30-month transition
period, which coincides with the remainder of the five-year terms of both
legislatures
Constitution:
16 April 1991
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local customary
law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
Executive branch:
five-member Presidential Council (president, vice president, two members
from northern Yemen and one member from southern Yemen), prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
North - State Security Court; South - Federal High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President `Ali `Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the former president of
North Yemen); Vice President Ali Salim al-BIDH (since 22 May 1990, and
Secretary General of the Yemeni Socialist Party); Presidential Council
Member Salim Salih MUHAMMED; Presidential Council Member Kadi Abdul-Karim
al-ARASHI; Presidential Council Member Abdul-Aziz ABDUL-GHANI; Prime
Minister Haydar Abu Bakr al-`ATTAS (since 22 May 1990, former president of
South Yemen)
Political parties and leaders:
General People's Congress, `Ali `Abdallah SALIH; Yemeni Socialist Party
(YSP; formerly South Yemen's ruling party - a coalition of National Front,
Ba`th, and Communist Parties), Ali Salim al-BIDH; Yemen Grouping for Reform
or Islaah, Abdallah Husayn AHMAR
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held NA (next to be held NA November 1992); results - percent of vote
NA; seats - (301); number of seats by party NA; note - the 301 members of
the new House of Representatives come from North Yemen's Consultative
Assembly (159 members), South Yemen's Supreme People's Council (111
members), and appointments by the New Presidential Council (31 members)
Communists:
small number in North, greater but unknown number in South
:Yemen Government
Other political or pressure groups:
conservative tribal groups, Muslim Brotherhood, leftist factions - pro-Iraqi
Ba`thists, Nasirists, National Democratic Front (NDF)
Member of:
ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI; Chancery at Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone (202) 965-4760 or 4761; there is
a Yemeni Consulate General in Detroit and a Consulate in San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Arthur H. HUGHES; Embassy at Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel
District, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa, Republic of Yemen
or Sanaa - Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6330); telephone [967]
(2) 238-842 through 238-852; FAX [967] (2) 251-563
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the
flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green
stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the
white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle
centered in the white band
:Yemen Economy
Overview:
Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen,
the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the
economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily
on Western-assisted development of promising oil resources. South Yemen's
willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet
economic support.
Overview:
North:
The low level of domestic industry and agriculture have made northern Yemen
dependent on imports for virtually all of its essential needs. Large trade
deficits have been made up for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad
and foreign aid. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has
become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit,
and vegetables - has been turned over to growing qat, a mildly narcotic
shrub chewed by Yemenis which has no significant export market. Oil export
revenues started flowing in late 1987 and boosted 1988 earnings by about
$800 million.
South:
This has been one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per capita GNP of
about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a widely dispersed population,
and an arid climate have made economic development difficult. The economy
has grown at an average annual rate of only 2-3% since the mid-1970s. The
economy had been organized along socialist lines, dominated by the public
sector. Economic growth has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly
stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment
allocation, and import choices.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $5.3 billion, per capita $545; real growth rate
NA% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
North:
16.9% (1988)
South:
0% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
North:
13% (1986)
South:
NA%
Budget:
North:
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital
expenditures of $590 million (1988 est.)
South:
revenues and grants $435 million; expenditures $1.0 billion, including
capital expenditure of $460 million (1988 est.)
Exports:
North:
$606 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables
partners:
FRG 29%, US 26%, Netherlands 12%
South:
$113.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish
:Yemen Economy
partners:
Japan, North Yemen, Italy
Imports:
North:
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Imports:
commodities:
textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar,
grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement
partners:
Saudi Arabia 12%, France 6%, US 5%, Australia 5% (1985)
South:
$553.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals
partners:
USSR, UK, Ethiopia
External debt:
$5.75 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
North:
growth rate 2% in manufacturing (1988)
South:
growth rate NA% in manufacturing
Electricity:
700,000 kW capacity; 1,200 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of
cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; fishing;
small aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture:
North:
accounted for 26% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm products - grain,
fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy,
poultry, meat, goat meat; not self-sufficient in grain
South:
accounted for 17% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products - grain, qat
(mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock; fish and honey major
exports; most food imported
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.0 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4
billion
Currency:
North Yemeni riyal (plural - riyals); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils;
South Yemeni dinar (plural - dinars); 1 South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
North Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1 - 12,1000 (June 1992), 12.0000 (1991),
9.7600 (1990), 9.7600 (January 1989), 9.7717 (1988), 10.3417 (1987); South
Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1 - 0.3454 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Yemen Communications
Highways:
15,500 km; 4,000 km paved, 11,500 km natural surface (est.)
Pipelines:
crude oil 644 km, petroleum products 32 km
Ports:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Khalf, Mocha, Nishtun, Ra's Kathib, Salif
Merchant marine:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT; includes 2 cargo,
1 petroleum tanker
Civil air:
11 major transport aircraft
Airports:
46 total, 40 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways
over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
since unification in 1990, efforts are being made to create a national
domestic civil telecommunications network and to revitalize the
infrastructure of a united Yemen; the network consists of microwave, cable
and troposcatter; 65,000 telephones (est.); broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM,
10 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 2 ARABSAT; microwave to Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti
:Yemen Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,981,710; 1,127,391 fit for military service; 130,405 reach
military age (14) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.06 billion, 20% of GDP (1990)
:Zaire Geography
Total area:
2,345,410 km2
Land area:
2,267,600 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
Land boundaries:
10,271 km total; Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km, Central African Republic
1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia
1,930 km
Coastline:
37 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longer be
indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of the
Zaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the
Congo River is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been
made)
Climate:
tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler and drier in
southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north of Equator
- wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south of
Equator - wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Terrain:
vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural resources:
cobalt, copper, cadmium, crude oil, industrial and gem diamonds, gold,
silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore,
coal, hydropower potential
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 4%; forest and
woodland 78%; other 15%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
dense tropical rain forest in central river basin and eastern highlands;
periodic droughts in south
Note:
straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land that controls the lower Congo
River and is only outlet to South Atlantic Ocean
:Zaire People
Population:
39,084,400 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
13 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
97 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
52 years male, 56 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Zairian(s); adjective - Zairian
Ethnic divisions:
over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are Bantu; four largest tribes
- Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up
about 45% of the population
Religions:
Roman Catholic 50%, Protestant 20%, Kimbanguist 10%, Muslim 10%, other
syncretic sects and traditional beliefs 10%
Languages:
French (official), Lingala, Swahili, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba
Literacy:
72% (male 84%, female 61%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
15,000,000; agriculture 75%, industry 13%, services 12%; wage earners 13%
(1981); population of working age 51% (1985)
Organized labor:
National Union of Zairian Workers (UNTZA) was the only officially recognized
trade union until April 1990; other unions are now in process of seeking
official recognition
:Zaire Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Zaire
Type:
republic with a strong presidential system
Capital:
Kinshasa
Administrative divisions:
10 regions (regions, singular - region) and 1 town* (ville); Bandundu,
Bas-Zaire, Equateur, Haut-Zaire, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental,
Kinshasa*, Maniema, Nord-Kivu, Shaba, Sud-Kivu
Independence:
30 June 1960 (from Belgium; formerly Belgian Congo, then Congo/Leopoldville,
then Congo/Kinshasa)
Constitution:
24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978; amended April
1990; new constitution to be promulgated in 1992
Legal system:
based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Regime (Second Republic), 24 November (1965)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (Conseil Legislatif)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu wa Za Banga (since 24
November 1965)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Jean NGUZ a Karl-i-Bond (since 26 November 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
sole legal party until January 1991 - Popular Movement of the Revolution
(MPR); other parties include Union for Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS),
Etienne TSHISEKEDI wa Mulumba; Democratic Social Christian Party (PDSC),
Joseph ILEO; Union of Federalists and Independent Republicans (UFERI), NGUZ
a Karl-I-Bond; and Congolese National Movement-Lumumba (MNC-L)
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 29 July 1984 (next to be scheduled by ongoing National
Conference); results - President MOBUTU was reelected without opposition
Legislative Council:
last held 6 September 1987 (next to be scheduled by ongoing National
Conference); results - MPR was the only party; seats - (210 total) MPR 210;
note - MPR still holds majority of seats but some deputies have joined other
parties
Member of:
ACCT, ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, CEEAC, CEPGL, CIPEC, ECA, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador TATANENE Manata; Chancery at 1800 New Hampshire Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7690 or 7691
:Zaire Government
US:
Ambassador Melissa F. WELLS; Embassy at 310 Avenue des Aviateurs, Kinshasa
(mailing address is APO AE 09828); telephone [243] (12) 21532, 21628; FAX
[243] (12) 21232; the US Consulate General in Lubumbashi was closed and
evacuated in October 1991 because of the poor security situation
Flag:
light green with a yellow disk in the center bearing a black arm holding a
red flaming torch; the flames of the torch are blowing away from the hoist
side; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
:Zaire Economy
Overview:
In 1990, in spite of large mineral resources Zaire had a GDP per capita of
only about $260, putting it among the desperately poor African nations. The
country's chronic economic problems worsened in 1991, with copper and cobalt
production down 20-30%, inflation near 8,000% in 1991 as compared with 100%
in 1987-89, and IMF and most World Bank support suspended until the
institution of agreed-on changes. Agriculture, a key sector of the economy,
employs 75% of the population but generates under 25% of GDP. The main
potential for economic development has been the extractive industries.
Mining and mineral processing account for about one-third of GDP and
three-quarters of total export earnings. Zaire is the world's largest
producer of diamonds and cobalt.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $9.8 billion, per capita $260; real growth rate
-3% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8,000% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $685 million; expenditures $1.1 billion, does not include capital
expenditures mostly financed by donors (1990)
Exports:
$2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
copper 37%, coffee 24%, diamonds 12%, cobalt, crude oil
partners:
US, Belgium, France, FRG, Italy, UK, Japan, South Africa
Imports:
$2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
consumer goods, foodstuffs, mining and other machinery, transport equipment,
fuels
partners:
South Africa, US, Belgium, France, FRG, Italy, Japan, UK
External debt:
$7.9 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -7.3%; accounts for almost 30% of GDP (1989)
Electricity:
2,580,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 160 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
mining, mineral processing, consumer products (including textiles, footwear,
and cigarettes), processed foods and beverages, cement, diamonds
Agriculture:
cash crops - coffee, palm oil, rubber, quinine; food crops - cassava,
bananas, root crops, corn
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.1 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $6.9 billion; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $35 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $263
million
Currency:
zaire (singular and plural); 1 zaire (Z) = 100 makuta
Exchange rates:
zaire (Z) per US$1 - 111,196 (March 1992), 15,587 (1991), 719 (1990), 381
(1989), 187 (1988), 112 (1987)
:Zaire Economy
Fiscal year:
calendar year
:Zaire Communications
Railroads:
5,254 km total; 3,968 km 1.067-meter gauge (851 km electrified); 125 km
1.000-meter gauge; 136 km 0.615-meter gauge; 1,025 km 0.600-meter gauge;
limited trackage in use because of civil strife
Highways:
146,500 km total; 2,800 km paved, 46,200 km gravel and improved earth;
97,500 unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
15,000 km including the Congo, its tributaries, and unconnected lakes
Pipelines:
petroleum products 390 km
Ports:
Matadi, Boma, Banana
Merchant marine:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 22,921 GRT/30,332 DWT; includes 1
passenger cargo, 1 cargo
Civil air:
45 major transport aircraft
Airports:
284 total, 239 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways
over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 73 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
barely adequate wire and microwave service; broadcast stations - 10 AM, 4
FM, 18 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 14 domestic
:Zaire Defense Forces