200-metric-ton barges
Ports and harbors: Labasa, Lautoka, Levuka, Savusavu, Suva
Merchant marine:
total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,800 GRT/18,034 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, oil tanker 1, passenger 1,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1997 est.)
Airports: 24 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 21
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 17 (1997 est.)
@Fiji:Military
Military branches: Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; includes
army, navy, and a small air wing)
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 214,475 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 118,181 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 9,180 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $32 million (1997)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 5% (1997)
@Fiji:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
FINLAND
@Finland:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,
and Gulf of Finland, between Sweden and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 64 00 N, 26 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 337,030 sq km
land: 305,470 sq km
water: 31,560 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:
total: 2,628 km
border countries: Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline: 1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 6 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm (in the Gulf of Finland-3 nm)
Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild
because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic
Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes
and low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Haltiatunturi 1,328 m
Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use:
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 76%
other: 16% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 640 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: air pollution from manufacturing and power
plants contributing to acid rain; water pollution from industrial
wastes, agricultural chemicals; habitat loss threatens wildlife
populations
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94
Geography-note: long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost
national capital on European continent; population concentrated on
small southwestern coastal plain
@Finland:People
Population: 5,149,242 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 488,974; female 469,343)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,736,883; female 1,700,466)
65 years and over: 14% (male 284,929; female 468,647) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.2% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 11.24 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 9.65 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.82 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.15 years
male: 73.61 years
female: 80.83 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.73 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Finn(s)
adjective: Finnish
Ethnic groups: Finn 93%, Swede 6%, Lapp 0.11%, Gypsy 0.12%, Tatar
0.02%
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other
1%
Languages: Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official), small
Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 100% (1980 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Finland:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Finland
conventional short form: Finland
local long form: Suomen Tasavalta
local short form: Suomi
Data code: FI
Government type: republic
National capital: Helsinki
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (laanit, singular-laani); Aland,
Etela-Suomen Laani, Ita-Suomen Lanni, Lansi-Suomen Laani, Lappi, Oulun
Laani
Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Russia)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution: 17 July 1919
Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may
request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Paavo LIPPONEN (since 13 April
1995) and Deputy Prime Minister Sauli NIINISTO (since 13 April 1995)
cabinet: Council of State or Valtioneuvosto appointed by the
president, responsible to Parliament
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 31 January-6 February 1994 (next to be held NA
January 2000); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Martti AHTISAARI elected president; percent of
vote-Martti AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Eduskunta (200 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on a proportional basis to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 March 1995 (next to be held NA March 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party-Social Democratic Party
28.3%, Center Party 19.9%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party
17.9%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 11.2%, Swedish People's Party
5.1%, Green League 6.5%, Ecology Party 0.3%, Rural 1.3%, Finnish
Christian League 3.0%, Liberal People's Party 0.6%, Young Finns 2.8%;
seats by party-Social Democratic Party 63, Center Party 44, National
Coalition (Conservative) Party 39, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 22,
Swedish People's Party 11, Green League 9, Ecology Party 1, Rural 1,
Finnish Christian League 7, Young Finns 2, Aaland Islands 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Korkein Oikeus, judges appointed by
the president
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition: Social Democratic Party [Paavo LIPPONEN];
National Coalition (conservative) Party [Sauli NIINISTO]; Leftist
Alliance (Communist) composed of People's Democratic League and
Democratic Alternative [Claes ANDERSSON]; Swedish People's Party
[(Johan) Ole NORRBACK]; Green League [Pekka HAAVISTO]
other: Center Party [Esko AHO]; Finnish Christian League [C. P. Bjarne
KALLIS]; Rural Party [Raimo VISTBACKA]; Liberal People's Party [Pekka
RYTILA]; Greens Ecological Party or EPV [Eugen PARKATTI]; Young Finns
[Risto PENTTILA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Finnish Communist Party-Unity
[Yrjo HAKANEN]; Constitutional Rightist Party; Finnish Pensioners
Party; Communist Workers Party [Timo LAHDENMAKI]
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA,
EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU,
WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jaakko Tapani LAAJAVA
chancery: 3301 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 298-5800
FAX: [1] (202) 298-6030
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Derek N. SHEARER
embassy: Itainen Puistotie 14A, FIN-00140, Helsinki
mailing address: APO AE 09723
telephone: [358] (9) 171931
FAX: [358] (9) 174681
Flag description: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of
the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side
in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
@Finland:Economy
Economy-overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely
free-market economy, with per capita output roughly that of the UK,
France, Germany, and Italy. Its key economic sector is
manufacturing-principally the wood, metals, and engineering
industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing
about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland
depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for
manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development
is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products.
Forestry, an important export earner, provides a secondary occupation
for the rural population. The economy has come back from the recession
of 1990-92, which had been caused by economic overheating, depressed
foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system between
Finland and the former Soviet Union under which Soviet oil and gas had
been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finns voted in an
October 1994 referendum to enter the EU, and Finland officially joined
the Union on 1 January 1995. Attempts to cut the unacceptably high
rate of unemployment and increasing integration with Western Europe
will dominate the economic picture over the next few years. Despite
high unemployment and moderate GDP growth of 3.9% anticipated for
1998, inflation is forecast to rise to 2.5%
GDP: purchasing power parity-$102.1 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4.6% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$20,000 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 37%
services: 56% (1995)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 1.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 2.533 million
by occupation: public services 30.4%, industry 20.9%, commerce 15.0%,
finance, insurance, and business services 10.2%, agriculture and
forestry 8.6%, transport and communications 7.7%, construction 7.2%
Unemployment rate: 14.6% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $33 billion
expenditures: $40 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996
est.)
Industries: metal products, shipbuilding, pulp and paper, copper
refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1995)
Electricity-capacity: 14.143 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 58.626 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 13,181 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; dairy cattle;
annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
Exports:
total value: $38.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: paper and pulp, machinery, chemicals, metals, timber
partners: EU 46.5% (Germany 13.4%, UK 10.4%), Sweden 10.1%, US 6.7%,
Japan 2.6%, Russia 4.8% (1995)
Imports:
total value: $29.3 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals,
transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and
fabrics, fodder grains
partners: EU 44% (Germany 16.6%, UK 8.0%), Sweden 11.7%, US 7.1%,
Russia 7.1%, Japan 6.3% (1995)
Debt-external: $30 billion (December 1993)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $355 million (1993)
Currency: 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1-5.4948 (January 19987), 5.1914
(1997), 4.5936 (1996), 4.3667 (1995), 5.2235 (1994), 5.7123 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2.5 million (1995 est.)
Telephone system: good service from cable and microwave radio relay
network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations-access to
Intelsat transmission service via a Swedish satellite earth station, 1
Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note-Finland shares the
Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark,
Iceland, Norway, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 105, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.98 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 235
Televisions: 1.92 million (1995 est.)
@Finland:Transportation
Railways:
total: 5,859 km
broad gauge: 5,859 km 1.524-m gauge (2,073 km electrified; 480 km
double- or more-track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 77,782 km
paved: 49,780 km (including 431 km of expressways)
unpaved: 28,002 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable
for steamers
Pipelines: natural gas 580 km
Ports and harbors: Hamina, Helsinki, Kokkola, Kotka, Loviisa, Oulu,
Pori, Rauma, Turku, Uusikaupunki, Varkaus
Merchant marine:
total: 93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,069,794 GRT/1,127,087
DWT
ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 22, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 11,
passenger 1, railcar carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 34, short-sea
passenger 11 (1997 est.)
Airports: 158 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 69
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 23
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 9 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 89
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 84 (1997 est.)
@Finland:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (includes Sea
Guard)
Military manpower-military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,286,563 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 1,059,657 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 33,492 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $1.9 billion (1995)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.6% (1995)
@Finland:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for Latin American cocaine
for the West European market
______________________________________________________________________
FRANCE
@France:Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay and English
Channel, between Belgium and Spain southeast of the UK; bordering the
Mediterranean Sea, between Italy and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 2 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 547,030 sq km
land: 545,630 sq km
water: 1,400 sq km
note: includes only metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas
administrative divisions
Area-comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,892.4 km
border countries: Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy
488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573
km
Coastline: 3,427 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (does not apply to the Mediterranean)
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and
hot summers along the Mediterranean
Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rhone River delta -2 m
highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Land use:
arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 20%
forests and woodland: 27%
other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 16,300 sq km (1995 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment-current issues: some forest damage from acid rain; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from
urban wastes, agricultural runoff
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: largest West European nation; occasional strong, cold,
dry, north-to-northwesterly wind known as mistral
@France:People
Population: 58,804,944 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 5,674,417; female 5,411,685)
15-64 years: 65% (male 19,243,919; female 19,182,933)
65 years and over: 16% (male 3,759,565; female 5,532,425) (July 1998
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.31% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 11.68 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 9.12 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.58 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.69 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.51 years
male: 74.6 years
female: 82.62 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective: French
Ethnic groups: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African,
Indochinese, Basque minorities
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North
African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6%
Languages: French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and
languages (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque,
Flemish)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 99%
female: 99% (1980 est.)
@France:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: French Republic
conventional short form: France
local long form: Republique Francaise
local short form: France
Data code: FR
Government type: republic
National capital: Paris
Administrative divisions: 22 regions (regions, singular-region);
Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne,
Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie,
Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine,
Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie,
Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes
note: metropolitan France is divided into 22 regions (including the
"territorial collectivity" of Corse or Corsica) and is subdivided into
96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments
(French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the overseas
territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island,
French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso
Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis
and Futuna
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 486 (unified by Clovis)
National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of
president in 1962, amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht
Treaty in 1992; amended to tighten immigration laws 1993
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of
administrative but not legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Lionel JOSPIN (since 3 June 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
suggestion of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 23 April and 7 May 1995 (next to be held by May
2002); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Jacques CHIRAC elected president; percent of vote,
second ballot-Jacques CHIRAC 52.64%, Lionel JOSPIN 47.36%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the
Senate or Senat (321 seats-296 for metropolitan France, 13 for
overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals
abroad; members are indirectly elected by an electoral college to
serve nine-year terms; elected by thirds every three years) and the
National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (577 seats; members are
elected under a single-member majoritarian system to serve five-year
terms)
elections: Senate-last held 24 September 1995 (next to be held
September 1998); National Assembly-last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next
to be held NA May 2002)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by
party-RPR 94, UDF 127, PS 75, PCF 15, other 10; National
Assembly-percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party-PS 245, RPR
140, UDF 109, PCF 37, PRS 13, Ecologists 8, MDC 7, LDI-MPF 1, FN 1,
various left 9, various right 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Appeals or Cour de Cassation, judges
are appointed by the president from nominations of the High Council of
the Judiciary; Constitutional Council or Conseil Constitutionnel,
three members appointed by the president, three members appointed by
the president of the National Assembly, and three appointed by the
president of the Senate; Council of State or Conseil d'Etat
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR [Philippe
SEGUIN]; Union for French Democracy or UDF (coalition of PR, FD, RAD,
PPDF) [Francois LEOTARD]; Democratie Liberale or DL [Alain MADELIN];
Democratic Force or FD [Francois BAYROU]; Socialist Party or PS
[Francois HOLLANDE]; Communist Party or PCF [Robert HUE]; National
Front or FN [Jean-Marie LE PEN]; The Greens [Jean-Luc BENNAHMIAS];
Generation Ecology or GE [Brice LALONDE]; Citizens Movement or MDC
[Jean Pierre CHEVENEMENT]; National Center of Independents and
Peasants or CNIP [Oliver d'ORMESSON]; Radical Socialist Party or PRS
(previously the Left Radical Movement or MRG) [Jean-Michel BAYLET];
Movement for France or LDI-MPF [Philippe DEVILLIERS]; Mouvement des
Reformateurs [Jean-Pierre SOISSON]; Mouvement Ecologiste Independant
[Jenevieve ANDUEZA]; Parti Populaire Pour la Democratie Francaise or
PPDF [Herve de CHARETTE]; Parti Radical [Thierry CORNILLET]; Adherents
Directs [Pierre-Andre WILTZER]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Communist-controlled labor
union (Confederation Generale du Travail) or CGT, nearly 2.4 million
members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation
Francaise Democratique du Travail) or CFDT, about 800,000 members
(est.); independent labor union or Force Ouvriere, 1 million members
(est.); independent white-collar union or Confederation Generale des
Cadres, 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French
Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais) or CNPF or Patronat