British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,
Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint
Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos
Islands
Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th
century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the
Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and
Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative
union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801 adopting
the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the
Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six
northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as
Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United
Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second
Saturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern
continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir
Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government: Prime Minister Tony BLAIR (since 2 May 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; prime minister is
the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and must have
the consent of the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords
(1,200 seats; four-fifths of the members are hereditary peers, two
archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of
Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers) and House of
Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: House of Lords-no elections; House of Commons-last held 1
May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002)
election results: House of Commons-percent of vote by party-Labor
44.5%, Conservative 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7.5%; seats by
party-Labor 418, Conservative 165, Liberal Democratic 46, other 30
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary
are appointed by the monarch for life
Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party
[William HAGUE]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats
or LD [Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN]; Scottish National Party [Alex
SALMOND]; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY];
Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]; Democratic
Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Social
Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME];
Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Alliance Party (Northern
Ireland) [Lord ALDERDICE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Trades Union Congress;
Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Campaign
for Nuclear Disarmament
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, CP, EAPC,
EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G-
7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN
Security Council, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH,
UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher MEYER
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Philip LADER
embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE
mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, London; FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone: [44] (171) 499-9000
FAX: [44] (171) 409-1637
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron
saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red
cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed
on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of
Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and
colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number
of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and
others
@United Kingdom:Economy
Economy-overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading powers
and financial centers, and its essentially capitalistic economy ranks
among the four largest in Western Europe. Over the past two decades
the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the
growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly
mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60%
of food needs with only about 1% of the labor force. The UK has large
coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production
accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial
nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business
services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while
industry continues to decline in importance, now employing only 18% of
the work force. Exports and manufacturing output have been the primary
engines of growth. Unemployment is gradually falling. Inflation is a
moderate 3.1%. A major economic policy question for the UK in the late
1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and
economic integration of Europe.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.242 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$21,200 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 31.4%
services: 66.8% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 3.1% (1997)
Labor force:
total: 28.2 million (1997)
by occupation: services 68.9%, manufacturing and construction 17.5%,
government 11.3%, energy 1.2%, agriculture 1.1% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $416.1 billion
expenditures: $470 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric
power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment,
shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and
communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper
and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other
consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 66.149 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 306.62 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,546 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle,
sheep, poultry; fish
Exports:
total value: $268 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals,
semifinished goods, transport equipment
partners: EU countries 53.2% (Germany 12.4%, France 9.9%, Netherlands
7.8%), US 11.4% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $283.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods,
foodstuffs, consumer goods
partners: EU countries 50.2% (Germany 14.2%, France 9.0%, Netherlands
6.5%), US 13.9% (1996)
Debt-external: $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $2.908 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 British pound (£) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds (£) per US$1-0.6115 (January 1998),
0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658
(1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international
system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth
stations-10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large
international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters), shortwave
0
Radios: 70 million
Television broadcast stations: 207 (repeaters 3,210)
Televisions: 20 million
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railways:
total: 16,878 km
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note-all
1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in
Northern Ireland
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591
km double or multiple track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 372,000 km
paved: 372,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 3,200 km under British Waterways Board
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum
products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover,
Falmouth, Felixstowe, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London,
Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Scapa Flow, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine:
total: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,192,956 GRT/2,224,715
DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination
ore/oil 1, container 21, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 47,
passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea
passenger 12, specialized tanker 1
note: UK owns 337 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
13,511,240 DWT that operate under the registries of Bermuda, The
Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Liberia,
Malta, Panama, Singapore, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997
est.)
Airports: 497 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 356
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 32
1,524 to 2,437 m: 170
914 to 1,523 m: 90
under 914 m: 54 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 141
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 24
under 914 m: 116 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1997 est.)
@United Kingdom:Military
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal
Air Force
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 14,468,079 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service:
males: 12,069,296 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $35.1 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 3.1% (FY95/96)
@United Kingdom:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Northern Ireland question with Ireland
(historic peace agreement approved 10 April 1998); Gibraltar question
with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas);
Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean
Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark,
Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary
agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in Antarctica
(British Antarctic Territory); Seychelles claims Chagos Archipelago in
British Indian Ocean Territory
Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the
European market; producer of synthetic drugs, precursor chemicals;
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin; money-laundering
center
______________________________________________________________________
UNITED STATES
@United States:Geography
Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and
the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 38 00 N, 97 00 W
Map references: North America
Area:
total: 9,629,091 sq km
land: 9,158,960 sq km
water: 470,131 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area-comparative: about one-half the size of Russia; about
three-tenths the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South
America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China;
about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe
Land boundaries:
total: 12,248 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska),
Cuba 29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part
of Cuba
Coastline: 19,924 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and
arctic in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi
River and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter
temperatures in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January
and February by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the
Rocky Mountains
Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low
mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska;
rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates,
uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver,
tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 207,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around
Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic coast; tornadoes in the
midwest; mud slides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding;
permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
Environment-current issues: air pollution resulting in acid rain in
both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon
dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff
of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water
resources in much of the western part of the country require careful
management; desertification
Environment-international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, 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-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Biodiversity, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes
Geography-note: world's third-largest country (after Russia and
Canada)
@United States:People
Population: 270,311,756 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 29,952,220; female 28,560,357)
15-64 years: 66% (male 88,113,895; female 89,399,501)
65 years and over: 12% (male 14,088,571; female 20,197,212) (July 1998
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.87% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 14.4 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.8 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 3 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: 6.44 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.13 years
male: 72.85 years
female: 79.58 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.07 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups: white 83.4%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Amerindian 0.8%
(1992)
Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%,
none 10% (1989)
Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1979 est.)
@United States:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA
Data code: US
Government type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition
National capital: Washington, DC
Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska,
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island,
Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa
Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands, Wake Island
note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a
new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern
Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth in political union with the US
(effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free
Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated
States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US
(effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands
signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October
1986)
Independence: 4 July 1776 (from England)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January
1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993);
note-the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20
January 1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January
1993); note-the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state;
president and vice president serve four-year terms; election last held
5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: William Jefferson CLINTON elected president; percent
of popular vote - William Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic Party) 49.2%,
Bob DOLE (Republican Party) 40.7%, Ross PEROT (Reform Party) 8.4%,
other 1.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of Senate (100 seats,
one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from
each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and House of
Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate-last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 2
November 1998); House of Representatives-last held 5 November 1996
(next to be held 2 November 1998)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by
party-Republican Party 55, Democratic Party 45; House of
Representatives-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Republican
Party 227, Democratic Party 205, independent 1, vacant 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices are appointed for life by the
president with confirmation by the Senate
Political parties and leaders: Republican Party, Jim NICHOLSON,
national committee chairman; Democratic Party, Steve GROSSMAN,
national committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor
political significance
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS,
APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD,
ECE, ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINUGUA,
MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN,
UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG,
UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Flag description: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and
bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper
hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged
in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom)
alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50
states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as
Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of
other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
@United States:Economy
Economy-overview: The US has the most powerful, diverse, and
technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GDP
of $30,200, the largest among major industrial nations. In this
market-oriented economy, private individuals and business firms make
most of the decisions, and government buys needed goods and services
predominantly in the private marketplace. US business firms enjoy
considerably greater flexibility than their counterparts in Western
Europe and Japan in decisions to expand capital plant, lay off surplus
workers, and develop new products. At the same time, they face higher
barriers to entry in their rivals' home markets than the barriers to
entry of foreign firms in US markets. In all economic sectors, US
firms are at or near the forefront in technological advances,
especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and military
equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the end of
World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the gradual
development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the bottom
lack the education and the professional/technical skills of those at
the top and, more and more, fail to get pay raises, health insurance
coverage, and other benefits. The years 1994-97 witnessed moderate
gains in real output, low inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment
below 6%. Long-term problems include inadequate investment in economic
infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs of an aging population,
sizable trade deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower
economic groups. The outlook for 1998 is for continued moderate
growth, low inflation, and about the same level of unemployment. Two
shadows for 1998 are the severe financial crises in East Asia and the
exuberant level of stock prices in relation to corporate earnings.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$8.083 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3.8% (1997)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$30,200 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 23%
services: 75% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 2% (1997)