National capital: Monrovia
Administrative divisions: 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand
Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland,
Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Independence: 26 July 1847
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Constitution: 6 January 1986
Legal system: dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American
common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten
tribal practices for indigenous sector
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August
1997); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August
1997); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: the president is elected by universal adult suffrage for a
four-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to
be held NA July 2003)
election results: Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of
vote-Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP)
9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate
(26 seats; members serve NA-year terms) and the House of
Representatives (64 seats; members serve NA-year terms)
elections: Senate-last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003);
House of Representatives-last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA
2003)
election results: Senate: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by
party-NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives: percent of vote
by party-NA; seats by party-NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of
Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note-the Alliance of Political
Parties was a coalition of Liberian Action Party and Liberian
Unification Party
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party: National Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR,
leader]
opposition party: All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Alhaji KROMAH,
chairman]; Free Democratic Party or FDP [Fayah GBOLLIE, chairman];
Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletis WOTORSON]; Liberian National
Union or LINU [Harry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian Peoples Party or LPP
[Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; Liberian Unification Party or LUP
[Laveli SUPUWOOD]; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Dr.
George E. Saigbe BOLEY, chairman]; National Reformation Party or NRP
[Martin SHERIF, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Liberia or
PDPL [George Toe WASHINGTON, chairman]; People's Progressive Party or
PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry
Boimah FAHNBULLEH, chairman]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN,
chairman]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON-SIRLEAF, chairman]; United
People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador designate Rachel DIGGS; Charge d'Affaires
ad interim Konah K. BLACKETT
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission William MILAM
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
mailing address: P. O. Box 100098, Mamba Point, Monrovia
telephone: [231] 226-370
FAX: [231] 226-148
Flag description: 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom)
alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue
square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US
flag
@Liberia:Economy
Economy-overview: Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's
economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many
businessmen have fled the country, taking capital and expertise with
them. Some returned during 1997. Many will not return. Richly endowed
with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to
agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic
products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been
small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in
August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently
relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of
its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure
and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depends on
continued disarmament of factions and the implementation of sound
macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$2.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: NA% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,000 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 36%
services: 34%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
by occupation: agriculture 70%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA
Industries: rubber processing, food processing, construction
materials, furniture, palm oil processing, iron ore, diamonds
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 332,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 472 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 154 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca),
palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Exports:
total value: $667 million (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee
partners: US, EU, Netherlands, Singapore
Imports:
total value: $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation
equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
partners: US, EU, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS, South Korea
Debt-external: $2 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1-1.0000 (officially
fixed rate since 1940); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars (L$)
per US$1-50 (October 1995), 7 (January 1992); market rate floats
against the US dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: less than 25,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio
relay network; main center is Monrovia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 622,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998)
Televisions: 51,000 (1992 est.)
@Liberia:Transportation
Railways:
total: 490 km (single track); note-three rail systems owned and
operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with
Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989
after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the
civil war
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 10,600 km
paved: 657 km
unpaved: 9,943 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia
Merchant marine:
total: 1,620 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,521,524
GRT/97,187,450 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 4, bulk 413, cargo 117, chemical tanker
143, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 54, container 168,
liquefied gas tanker 89, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil
tanker 424, passenger 35, refrigerated cargo 67, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 21, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 11, vehicle
carrier 41
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 54 countries
among which are Germany 198, US 181, Norway 153, Greece 148, Japan
137, Hong Kong 109, China 58, UK 48, Singapore 43, and Monaco 41 (1997
est.)
Airports: 46 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 44
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 35 (1997 est.)
@Liberia:Military
Military branches:
note: The new government of Liberia has developed a plan for the armed
forces: total strength 5,000, of which Army 3,400, Navy 1,100, Air
Force 500; note - the Navy is to have several small coastal patrol
vessels and the Air Force is to comprise two air wings
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 631,546 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 337,744 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $14 million (1993)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.9% (1993)
@Liberia:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
Illicit drugs: increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and
Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and
US markets
______________________________________________________________________
LIBYA
@Libya:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 25 00 N, 17 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1,759,540 sq km
land: 1,759,540 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 4,383 km
border countries: Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger
354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline: 1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
note: Gulf of Sidra closing line-32 degrees 30 minutes north
Climate: Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain: mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus,
depressions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sabkhat Ghuzayyil -47 m
highest point: Bikku Bitti 2,267 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 8%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 91% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,700 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind
lasting one to four days in spring and fall; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment-current issues: desertification; very limited natural
fresh water resources; the Great Manmade River Project, the largest
water development scheme in the world, is being built to bring water
from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Desertification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
@Libya:People
Population: 5,690,727 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 144,363 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 1,399,354; female 1,351,442)
15-64 years: 49% (male 1,412,067; female 1,361,372)
65 years and over: 3% (male 81,711; female 84,781) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.68% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 43.95 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.15 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 55.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.44 years
male: 63.21 years
female: 67.78 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.18 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Libyan(s)
adjective: Libyan
Ethnic groups: Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Religions: Sunni Muslim 97%
Languages: Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the
major cities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.2%
male: 87.9%
female: 63% (1995 est.)
@Libya:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form: Libya
local long form: Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al
Ishtirakiyah
local short form: none
Data code: LY
Government type: Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory,
governed by the populace through local councils; in fact, a military
dictatorship
National capital: Tripoli
Administrative divisions: 25 municipalities (baladiyah,
singular-baladiyat); Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al
Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati',
Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah,
Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran,
Zlitan
note: the 25 municipalities may have been replaced by 1,500 communes
in 1992
Independence: 24 December 1951 (from Italy)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution: 11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Legal system: based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law;
separate religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: Revolutionary Leader Col. Muammar Abu Minyar
al-QADHAFI (since 1 September 1969); note-holds no official title, but
is de facto chief of state
head of government: Secretary of the General People's Committee
(Premier) Muhammad Ahmad al-MANQUSH (since NA January 1998)
cabinet: General People's Committee established by the General
People's Congress
elections: national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
peoples' committees; head of government elected by the General
People's Congress; election last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: Muhammad Ahmad al-MANQUSH elected head of
government; percent of General People's Congress vote-NA
Legislative branch: unicameral General People's Congress (NA seats;
members elected indirectly through a hierarchy of peoples' committees)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: various Arab nationalist
movements with almost negligible memberships may be functioning
clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,
AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU,
NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Libya does not have an embassy in
the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US suspended all embassy
activities in Tripoli on 2 May 1980
Flag description: plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam
(the state religion)
@Libya:Economy
Economy-overview: The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily
upon revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically all
export earnings and about one-third of GDP. Per capita GDP is the
highest in Africa at $6,700, but disproportionately little of national
income flows down to the lower orders of society. GDP growth
fluctuates sharply in response to changes in the world oil market; GDP
has either contracted or grown very sluggishly since 1992. Import
restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to periodic
shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs. The nonoil manufacturing and
construction sectors, which account for about 20% of GDP, have
expanded from processing mostly agricultural products to include the
production of petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although
agriculture accounts for only 5% of GDP, it employs 18% of the labor
force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output,
and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements. The UN sanctions
imposed in April 1992 do not have a major impact on the economy
although they have increased transaction and transportation costs.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$38 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 0.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$6,700 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 55%
services: 40% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 30% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1 million
by occupation: industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture
18%
note: 3% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $10.4 billion
expenditures: $10.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5
billion (1995 est.)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 4.6 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 17 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 3,239 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus,
vegetables, peanuts; meat, eggs
Exports:
total value: $9 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
partners: Italy, Germany, Spain, France, Turkey, Greece, Egypt
Imports:
total value: $6.2 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
partners: Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Eastern
Europe
Debt-external: $2.6 billion excluding military debt (1995 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Exchange rates: Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1-0.3902 (January 1998),
0.3891 (1997), 0.3651 (1996), 0.3532 (1995), 0.3596 (1994), 0.3250
(1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 370,000
Telephone system: modern telecommunications system
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, tropospheric scatter,
and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean); planned Arabsat and Intersputnik satellite earth
stations; submarine cables to France and Italy; microwave radio relay
to Tunisia and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; participant in
Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 1 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 500,000 (1993 est.)
@Libya:Transportation
Railways:
note: Libya has had no railroad in operation since 1965, all previous
systems having been dismantled; current plans are to construct a
1.435-m standard gauge line from the Tunisian frontier to Tripoli and
Misratah, then inland to Sabha, center of a mineral-rich area, but
there has been no progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would
establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt, to Tobruk with completion
set for mid-1994; no progress has been reported
Highways:
total: 83,200 km
paved: 47,590 km
unpaved: 35,610 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: none
Pipelines: crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes
liquefied petroleum gas or LPG 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km
Ports and harbors: Al Khums, Banghazi, Darnah, Marsa al Burayqah,
Misratah, Ra's Lanuf, Tobruk, Tripoli, Zuwarah
Merchant marine:
total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 615,505 GRT/1,044,175 DWT
ships by type: cargo 9, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil
tanker 9, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 4 (1997 est.)
Airports: 145 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 60
over 3,047 m: 24
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 85
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 43
under 914 m: 20 (1997 est.)
@Libya:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Command
Military manpower-military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,229,080 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 731,963 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually:
males: 59,730 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $1.4 billion (1994 est.)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 6.1% (1994 est.)
@Libya:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya
claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger and part of southeastern
Algeria
______________________________________________________________________
LIECHTENSTEIN
@Liechtenstein:Geography
Location: Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
Geographic coordinates: 47 10 N, 9 32 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 160 sq km
land: 160 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 76 km
border countries: Austria 35 km, Switzerland 41 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain;
cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Terrain: mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m
highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m
Natural resources: hydroelectric potential
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 25% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography-note: along with Uzbekistan, one of the only two doubly
landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations
based on elevation
@Liechtenstein:People
Population: 31,717 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 3,058; female 2,926)
15-64 years: 70% (male 11,084; female 11,154)
65 years and over: 11% (male 1,442; female 2,053) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.05% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 12.64 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.31 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.28 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.96 years
male: 75.51 years
female: 80.52 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.61 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective: Liechtenstein
Ethnic groups: Alemannic 87.5%, Italian, Turkish, and other 12.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 80%, Protestant 7.4%, unknown 7.7%, other
4.9% (1996)
Languages: German (official), Alemannic dialect
Literacy:
definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 100%
male: 100%
female: 100% (1981 est.)
@Liechtenstein:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form: Liechtenstein
local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein
local short form: Liechtenstein
Data code: LS
Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy
National capital: Vaduz