total: 2,382 km
narrow gauge: 2,382 km 1.067-m gauge; single track (1995)
Highways:
total: 64,799 km
paved: 7,841 km
unpaved: 56,958 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Luderitz, Walvis Bay
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 135 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 113
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 70
under 914 m: 21 (1997 est.)
@Namibia:Military
Military branches: National Defense Force (Army), Police
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 369,826 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 221,624 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $64 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY95/96)
@Namibia:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Botswana over uninhabited
Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River is presently at the
ICJ; at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested
______________________________________________________________________
NAURU
@Nauru:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of the
Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Natural resources: phosphates
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment-current issues: limited natural fresh water resources,
roof storage tanks collect rainwater; intensive phosphate mining
during the past 90 years-mainly by a UK, Australia, and New Zealand
consortium-has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and threatens
limited remaining land resources
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands
in the Pacific Ocean-the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati
and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
@Nauru:People
Population: 10,501 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.33% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 18.03 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.1 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 40.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.68 years
male: 64.3 years
female: 69.18 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.08 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%,
European 8%
Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Languages: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island language),
English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and
commercial purposes
Literacy: NA
@Nauru:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
Data code: NR
Government type: republic
National capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren
District
Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare,
Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, New Zealand-, and
UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution: 29 January 1968
Legal system: acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997);
note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kinza CLODUMAR (since 8 February 1997);
note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members of
Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term;
election last held 8 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: Kinza CLODUMAR elected president; percent of
Parliament vote-NA
note: President CLODUMAR is the country's fifth president in five
months
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members elected
by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 18 November 1995 (next to be held NA November
1998)
election results: percent of vote-NA; seats-independents 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: loose multi-party system; Nauru Party
(informal), Bernard DOWIYOGO; Democratic Party, Kennan ADEANG
International organization participation: AsDB, C (special), ESCAP,
ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an embassy in
the US
consulate(s): Agana (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag description: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across
the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the
hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to
the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12
original tribes of Nauru
@Nauru:Economy
Economy-overview: Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the
reserves of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000.
Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes
in the Third World, but incomes probably will drop sharply in the
future. Few other resources exist, so most necessities must be
imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of
mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates are serious
long-term problems. Substantial amounts of phosphate income are
invested in trust funds to help cushion the transition. However,
dividends from the trusts have declined sharply since 1990 and the
government has been borrowing heavily from the trusts to finance
fiscal deficits. In an effort to stem further escalation of fiscal
problems, the government has called for a freeze on wages for two
years, a reduction of over-staffed public service departments, drastic
cutbacks in hiring new government staff, privatization of numerous
government agencies, and closure of some overseas consulates.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$100 million (1993 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: NA%
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$10,000 (1993 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: -3.6% (1993)
Labor force:
by occupation: employed in mining phosphates, public administration,
education, and transportation
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget:
revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY95/96)
Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 10,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 30 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 2,956 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: coconuts predominate
Exports:
total value: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities: phosphates
partners: Australia, NZ
Imports:
total value: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery
partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
Debt-external: $33.3 million
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $2.25 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1-1.5281 (January
1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994),
1.4704 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 2,000 (1989 est.)
Telephone system: adequate local and international radiotelephone
communications provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 4,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1991 est.)
Televisions: NA
@Nauru:Transportation
Railways:
total: 3.9 km; note-used to haul phosphates from the center of the
island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
Highways:
total: 30 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 6 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Nauru
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Nauru:Military
Military branches: no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru
Police Force
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Nauru:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
NAVASSA ISLAND
(territory of the US)
@Navassa Island:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about one-fourth of
the way from Haiti to Jamaica
Geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5.2 sq km
land: 5.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: marine, tropical
Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating;
ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m
Natural resources: guano
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 90%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography-note: strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval Base
at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock, but enough grassland to
support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus
@Navassa Island:People
Population: uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
@Navassa Island:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Data code: BQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered
from Washington, DC, by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department
of the Interior; in September 1996, the Coast Guard ceased operations
and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a 46-meter-tall lighthouse
located on the southern side of the island; there has also been a
private claim advanced against the island
National capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
Legal system: NA
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Navassa Island:Economy
Economy-overview: no economic activity
@Navassa Island:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
@Navassa Island:Military
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the US
@Navassa Island:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: claimed by Haiti
______________________________________________________________________
NEPAL
@Nepal:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 140,800 sq km
land: 136,800 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to
subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central
hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential, scenic
beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 42%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 8,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides, drought,
and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration of the
summer monsoons
Environment-current issues: the almost total dependence on wood for
fuel and cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without
replanting has resulted in widespread deforestation; soil erosion;
water pollution (use of contaminated water presents human health
risks)
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation
Geography-note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
@Nepal:People
Population: 23,698,421 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 5,087,855; female 4,779,941)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,655,865; female 6,387,255)
65 years and over: 3% (male 392,141; female 395,364) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.52% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 35.66 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.44 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 75.98 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.89 years
male: 58.04 years
female: 57.74 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.87 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs,
Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
Religions: Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981)
note: only official Hindu state in the world, although no sharp
distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups
Languages: Nepali (official), 20 other languages divided into numerous
dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 27.5%
male: 40.9%
female: 14% (1995 est.)
People-note: refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of approximately
91,000 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven United Nations
Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps
@Nepal:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
Data code: NP
Government type: parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
National capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural);
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi,
Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the
throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King MAHENDRA
Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Heir Apparent
Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram
head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15
April 1998); note-Prime Minister KOIRALA-the country's seventh prime
minister since 1991-replaces Prime Minister Surya Bahadur THAPA, who
served from October 1997 until April 1998, when he resigned as part of
a power-sharing agreement with his coalition partners
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the king on the recommendation of the
prime minister
elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a
majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the king
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National
Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10 by
the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of the
members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the House
of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives-last held 15 November 1994 (next
to be held by 15 November 1999)
election results: House of Representatives-percent of vote by
party-NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party
3%, NWPP 1%; seats by party - CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP 4,
Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), chief justice is
appointed by the king on recommendation of the Constitutional Council,
the other judges are appointed by the king on the recommendation of
the Judicial Council
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United
Marxist-Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADHIKARI, party president,
Madhar KUMAR, general secretary; Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija
Prasad KOIRALA, party president, Daranath Rana DHATT, general
secretary; National Democratic Party (NDP; also called Rastriya
Prajantra Party or RPP), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Nepal Sadbhavana
(Goodwill) Party, Gajendra Narayan SINGH, president; Nepal Workers and
Peasants Party (NWPP), Narayan Man BIJUKCHHE, party chair
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous small, left-leaning
student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese
antimonarchist groups
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFCTU, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 667-4550
FAX: [1] (202) 667-5534
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [977] (1) 411179
FAX: [977] (1) 419963
Flag description: red with a blue border around the unique shape of
two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a
white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a white
12-pointed sun
@Nepal:Economy
Economy-overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed
countries in the world with more than half of its population living
below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy,
providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting
for 40% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing of
agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain.
Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and accounted
for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past two years.
Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable natural
resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural production
is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual population
growth of 2.5%. Since May 1991, the government has been moving forward
with economic reforms particularly those that encourage trade and
foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating business licenses and
registration requirements in order to simplify investment procedures.
The government has also been cutting expenditures by reducing
subsidies, privatizing state industries, and laying off civil
servants. More recently, however, political instability - five
different governments over the past few years-has hampered Kathmandu's
ability to forge consensus to implement key economic reforms. Nepal
has considerable scope for accelerating economic growth by exploiting
its potential in hydropower and tourism, areas where there has
recently been foreign investment interest. Prospects for foreign trade
or investment in other areas will remain poor, however, because of the
small size of the economy, its technological backwardness, its
remoteness, its landlocked geographic location, and its susceptibility
to natural disaster. The international community's role of funding
more than 60% of Nepal's development budget and more than 28% of total
budgetary expenditures will likely continue as a major ingredient of
growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$31.1 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4.2% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,370 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 21%
services: 39% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 7.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 10 million (1996 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 81%, services 16%, industry 3%
note: severe lack of skilled labor
Unemployment rate: NA%; substantial underemployment (1996)
Budget:
revenues: $536 million
expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97 est.)
Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar, and
oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate: 14.7% (FY94/95 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 292,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 980 million kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 48 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture-products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops; milk,
water buffalo meat
Exports:
total value: $419 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) but does not include
unrecorded border trade with India
commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute goods, grain
partners: India, US, Germany, UK
Imports:
total value: $1.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%
partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Debt-external: $2.6 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $411 million (FY97/98)
Currency: 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1-63.265 (January 1998),
58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995), 49.398 (1994), 48.607
(1993)
Fiscal year: 16 July-15 July
Communications
Telephones: 115,911 (1996 est.)