arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 74% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are
rare; short droughts possible
Environment-current issues: water supply depends on catchments to
collect rain water
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography-note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
@Seychelles:People
Population: 78,641 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 11,787; female 11,694)
15-64 years: 64% (male 24,555; female 25,681)
65 years and over: 6% (male 1,700; female 3,224) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.67% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 19.71 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.76 years
male: 66.13 years
female: 75.53 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychelles
Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 56%
female: 60% (1971 est.)
@Seychelles:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles
Data code: SE
Government type: republic
National capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins,
Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie
Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand'
Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, La
Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue,
Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of new
constitution)
Constitution: 18 June 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977);
note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977);
note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003)
election results: President France Albert RENE reelected; percent of
vote-France Albert RENE (SPPF) 61%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN 27%, Sir James
MANCHAM (DP) 12%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (35 seats, 25 popularly elected by direct vote, 10 allocated
on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 9 percent of the
vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party
(elected)-SPPF 24, DP 1; seats by party (awarded)-SPPF 6, DP 1, UO 3
note: the 10 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of
each party in the total vote
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the
president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: ruling party-Seychelles People's
Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE]; Democratic Party or
DP; United Opposition or UO [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] - a coalition of the
following parties: Seychelles Party or PS [Wavel RAMKALAWAN],
Seychelles Democratic Movement or MSPD [Jacques HONDOUL], and
Seychelles Liberal Party or SLP [Ogilvie BERLOUIS]; New Democratic
Party [Christopher GILL (former member of DP)]
Political pressure groups and leaders: trade unions; Roman Catholic
Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Claude MOREL
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of Seychelles to
the United Nations, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX: [1] (212) 972-1786
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the
Seychelles
Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow,
red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist
side
@Seychelles:Economy
Economy-overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in
this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the
old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector,
which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70%
of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing, which accounted for
70% of GDP in 1996-97. In recent years the government has encouraged
foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At
the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on
tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and
small-scale manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was
illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war.
Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the
continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff
international competition.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$550 million (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: NA%
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$7,000 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 15%
services: 81% (1994)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: -0.3% (1995 est.)
Labor force:
total: 26,000 (1996)
by occupation: industry 19%, services 57%, government 14%, fishing,
agriculture, and forestry 10% (1989)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $220 million
expenditures: $241 million, including capital expenditures of $36
million (1994 est.)
Industries: fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir
(coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1992)
Electricity-capacity: 28,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 125 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,719 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes,
cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fishing (expansion
under way)
Exports:
total value: $56.1 million ( f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(re-exports)
partners: France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)
Imports:
total value: $238 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco,
beverages, machinery and transportation equipment
partners: China, Singapore, South Africa, UK (1993)
Debt-external: $170 million (1994 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1-5.1901 (January
1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994),
5.1815 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 13,000 (1995 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent
island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth
station-1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 35,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (in a government network)
Televisions: 6,000 (1993 est.)
@Seychelles:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 280 km
paved: 176 km
unpaved: 104 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Victoria
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 14 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (1997 est.)
@Seychelles:Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard,
Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 22,107 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 11,111 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $13.7 million (1995)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Seychelles:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian
Ocean Territory
______________________________________________________________________
SIERRA LEONE
Introduction
Current issues: On 25 May 1997, the democratically-elected government
of President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH was overthrown by disgruntled army
personnel under the command of Major Johnny Paul KOROMA; President
KABBAH fled to exile in Guinea. The Economic Community of West African
States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) forces, led by a strong
Nigerian contingent, undertook the suppression of the rebellion. They
were initially unsuccessful, but, by October 1997, they forced the
rebels to agree to a cease-fire and to a plan to return the government
to democratic control by 22 April 1998. However, the agreed
demobilization of the combatants was not carried out by the rebel
junta. On 5 February 1998, hostilities broke out in the outskirts of
Freetown and ECOMOG mounted a major offensive, completely routing the
rebels. President KABBAH returned to office on 10 March to face the
task of restoring order to a demoralized population and a disorganized
and severely damaged economy.
@Sierra Leone:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water: 120 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December);
winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,
chromite
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 31%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment-current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the
environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing,
and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil
exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
@Sierra Leone:People
Population: 5,080,004 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,130,728; female 1,167,084)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,257,901; female 1,367,902)
65 years and over: 3% (male 79,113; female 77,276) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.01% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 46.16 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 17.25 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 129.38 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.57 years
male: 45.56 years
female: 51.66 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.23 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%,
other 30%), Creole 10% (descendents of freed Jamaican slaves who were
settled in the Freetown area in the late-eighteenth century), refugees
from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese,
Pakistanis and Indians
Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal
vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the
descendents of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown
area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population
but understood by 95%)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write in English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Data code: SL
Government type: constitutional democracy
National capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern,
Southern, Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001);
note-president's tenure of office is limited to 2 five-year terms
election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of
popular vote-first round KABBAH 36.0%, second round KABBAH 59.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats, 68
elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections;
members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-SLPP 27,
UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note-first elections since the
former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of
29 April 1992
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: 15 parties registered for the February
1996 elections; National Peoples Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY];
Democratic Center Party or DCP [Abu KOROMA]; Peoples Progressive Party
or PPP [Edward KAMARA, chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP
[Geredine WILLIAMS-SARHO]; National Unity Movement or NUM [John
Desmond Fashole LUKE]; United National Peoples Party or UNPP [John
KARIFA-SMART]; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA,
chairman]; All Peoples Congress or APC [Edward Mohammed TURAY,
chairman]; National Republican Party or NRP [Sahr Stephen MAMBU];
Social Democratic Party or SDP [Andrew Victor LUNGAY]; Peoples
National Convention or PNC [Edward John KARGBO, chairman]; National
Unity Party or NUP [Dr. John KARIMU, chairman]; Sierra Leone Peoples
Party or SLPP [President Tejan KABBAH, chairman]; National Democratic
Alliance or NDA [Amadu M. B. JALLOH]; National Alliance for Democracy
Party or NADP [Mohamed Yahya SILLAH]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263
FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John L. HIRSCH
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485
FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top),
white, and light blue
@Sierra Leone:Economy
Economy-overview: Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural,
and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure
is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper
economic development. The seizure of power by the new Armed Forces
Revolutionary Council (AFRC) in May 1997 led to UN sanctions and a
sharp drop in GDP. About two-thirds of the working-age population
engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of
the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the
domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil
strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of
diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$2.65 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -27% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$540 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 27%
services: 34% (1995)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 40% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1.369 million (1981 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.)
note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $96 million
expenditures: $150 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages,
textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 126,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 230 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 48 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil,
peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Exports:
total value: $47 million (f.o.b., 1996); note-much reduced in 1997 by
civil warfare
commodities: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
partners: US 20%, Belgium 20%, Spain 13%, UK 6%, other Western Europe
Imports:
total value: $211 million (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants
partners: Cote d'Ivoire, EU countries, India
Debt-external: $1.1 billion (1996)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: leones (Le) per US$1-1,312.37 (December 1997), 967.72
(1997), 920.73 (1996), 755.22 (1995), 586.74 (1994), 567.46 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 17,526 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by
military activities
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1
Radios: 980,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 45,000 (1992 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Transportation
Railways:
total: 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is
closed
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 11,700 km
paved: 1,287 km
unpaved: 10,413 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports and harbors: Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 10 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,074,728 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 521,580 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $14 million (FY92/93)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY92/93)
@Sierra Leone:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
SINGAPORE
@Singapore:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 647.5 sq km
land: 637.5 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington,
DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as defined
in treaties and practice
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry
seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 87% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural
fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste
disposal problems; seasonal smoke/haze resulting from forest fires in
Indonesia
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
@Singapore:People
Population: 3,490,356 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 383,960; female 361,244)
15-64 years: 72% (male 1,252,427; female 1,255,795)
65 years and over: 7% (male 105,417; female 131,513) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.2% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 13.79 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 4.68 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.87 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)