no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are seasonally staffed
research stations
Summer (January) population:
over 4,115 total; Argentina 207, Australia 268, Belgium 13, Brazil 80,
Chile 256, China NA, Ecuador NA, Finland 11, France 78, Germany 32,
Greenpeace 12, India 60, Italy 210, Japan 59, South Korea 14,
Netherlands 10, NZ 264, Norway 23, Peru 39, Poland NA, South Africa
79, Spain 43, Sweden 10, UK 116, Uruguay NA, US 1,666, former USSR 565
(1989-90)
Winter (July) population:
over 1,046 total; Argentina 150, Australia 71, Brazil 12, Chile 73,
China NA, France 33, Germany 19, Greenpeace 5, India 1, Japan 38,
South Korea 14, NZ 11, Poland NA, South Africa 12, UK 69, Uruguay NA,
US 225, former USSR 313 (1989-90)
Year-round stations:
42 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2,
Finland 1, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 2, South Korea 1, NZ 1,
Poland 1, South Africa 3, UK 5, Uruguay 1, US 3, former USSR 6
(1990-91)
Summer only stations:
over 38 total; Argentina 7, Australia 3, Chile 5, Germany 3, India 1,
Italy 1, Japan 4, NZ 2, Norway 1, Peru 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1,
Sweden 2, UK 1, US numerous, former USSR 5 (1989-90); note - the
disintegration of the former USSR has placed the status and future of
its Antarctic facilities in doubt; stations may be subject to closings
at any time because of ongoing economic difficulties
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Antarctica
Digraph:
AY
Type:
Antarctic Treaty Summary:
The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force
on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of
Antarctica. Administration is carried out through consultative member
meetings - the 18th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was in Japan
in April 1993. Currently, there are 42 treaty member nations: 26
consultative and 16 acceding. Consultative (voting) members include
the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national
territory (some claims overlap) and 19 nonclaimant nations. The US and
some other nations that have made no claims have reserved the right to
do so. The US does not recognize the claims of others. The year in
parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full
consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates the country was
an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are - Argentina,
Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant
consultative nations are - Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985),
Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy
(1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989),
Poland (1977), South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay
(1985), the US, and Russia.
Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parentheses,
are - Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988),
Cuba (1984), Czech Republic (1993), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987),
Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea
(1981), Romania (1971), Slovakia (1993), Switzerland (1990), and
Ukraine (1992).
Article 1:
area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as
weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment
may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose
Article 2:
freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue
Article 3:
free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN
and other international agencies
Article 4:
does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no
new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force
Article 5:
prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes
Article 6:
includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees
00 minutes south
Article 7:
treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation,
to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and
equipment; advance notice of all activities and of the introduction of
military personnel must be given
Article 8:
allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own
states
Article 9:
frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations
Article 10:
treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica
that are contrary to the treaty
Article 11:
disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or,
ultimately, by the ICJ
Article 12, 13, 14:
deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among
involved nations
Other agreements:
more than 170 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings
and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for the
Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the
Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation
of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources
agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected; in 1991
the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was
signed and awaits ratification; this agreement provides for the
protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes
on marine pollution, fauna, and flora, environmental impact
assessments, waste management, and protected areas; it also prohibits
all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific
research; nine parties have ratified Protocol as of April 1994
Legal system:
US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US
nationals, such as murder, may apply to areas not under jurisdiction
of other countries. Some US laws directly apply to Antarctica. For
example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et
seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following
activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: The taking of
native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and
animals; entry into specially protected or scientific areas; the
discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US
of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of the Antarctic
Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and 1
year in prison. The Departments of Treasury, Commerce, Transportation,
and Interior share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law 95-541,
the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, requires expeditions from
the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans and
Polar Affairs, Room 5801, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520,
which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic
Treaty. For more information contact Permit Office, Office of Polar
Programs, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230
(703-306-1031).
Overview:
No economic activity at present except for fishing off the coast and
small-scale tourism, both based abroad.
@Antarctica, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only at most coastal stations
Airports:
42 landing facilities at different locations operated by 15 national
governments party to the Treaty; one additional air facility operated
by commercial (nongovernmental) tourist organization; helicopter pads
at 28 of these locations; runways at 10 locations are gravel, sea ice,
glacier ice, or compacted snow surface suitable for wheeled fixed-wing
aircraft; no paved runways; 16 locations have snow-surface skiways
limited to use by ski-equipped planes--11 runways/skiways 1,000 to
3,000 m, 3 runways/skiways less than 1,000 m, 5 runways/skiways
greater than 3,000 m, and 7 of unspecified or variable length;
airports generally subject to severe restrictions and limitations
resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; airports do
not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the respective
governmental or non-governmental operating organization required for
landing
@Antarctica, Defense Forces
Note:
the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such
as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the
carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of
weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for
scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes
@Antigua and Barbuda, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 420 km east-southeast
of Puerto Rico
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
440 sq km
land area:
440 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note:
includes Redonda
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
153 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic
areas
Natural resources:
negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use:
arable land:
18%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
7%
forest and woodland:
16%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
insufficient freshwater resources
natural hazards:
subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Whaling
@Antigua and Barbuda, People
Population:
64,762 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.59% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
17.31 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.44 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
18.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.11 years
male:
71.07 years
female:
75.26 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective:
Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic divisions:
black African, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Religions:
Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic
Languages:
English (official), local dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)
total population:
89%
male:
90%
female:
88%
Labor force:
30,000
by occupation:
commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
@Antigua and Barbuda, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Antigua and Barbuda
Digraph:
AC
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Saint John's
Administrative divisions:
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George,
Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Independence:
1 November 1981 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Constitution:
1 November 1981
Legal system:
based on English common law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
General James B. CARLISLE (since NA 1993)
head of government:
Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March 1994)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; appointed by the governor general on the advice
of the prime minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
Senate:
17 member body appointed by the governor general
House of Representatives:
elections last held 8 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) ALP 11, UPP 5,
independent 1
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Lester Bryant BIRD; United Progressive
Party (UPP), Baldwin SPENCER
Other political or pressure groups:
United Progressive Party (UPP), headed by Baldwin SPENCER, a coalition
of three opposition political parties - the United National Democratic
Party (UNDP); the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM); and
the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM); Antigua Trades and Labor Union
(ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS
Member of:
ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
LORCS, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL,
WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS
chancery:
Suite 4M, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122
FAX:
(202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general:
Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda,
and, in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant
J. SALTER
embassy:
Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's
mailing address:
FPO AA 34054-0001
telephone:
(809) 462-3505 or 3506
FAX:
(809) 462-3516
Flag:
red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the
flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top),
light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band
@Antigua and Barbuda, Economy
Overview:
The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most
important determinant of economic performance. During the period
1986-91, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 6%.
Tourism makes a direct contribution to GDP of about 13% and also
affects growth in other sectors - particularly in construction,
communications, and public utilities. In 1992, reduced government
capital spending and private sector investment, dampened by recession
in the major world economies, slowed economic growth.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $368.5 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
NA
National product per capita:
$5,800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
5% (1988 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$105 million
expenditures:
$161 million, including capital expenditures of $56 million (1992)
Exports:
$54.7 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%,
machinery and transport equipment 17%
partners:
OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Imports:
$260.9 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures, chemicals, oil
partners:
US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
External debt:
$250 million (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
52,100 kW
production:
95 million kWh
consumption per capita:
1,482 kWh (1992)
Industries:
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol,
household appliances)
Agriculture:
accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits,
vegetables, and livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers,
mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments (1985-88), $10 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA
and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $50 million
Currency:
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
@Antigua and Barbuda, Communications
Railroads:
64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane
Highways:
total:
240 km
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA
Ports:
Saint John's
Merchant marine:
227 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 849,699 GRT/1,218,492 DWT, bulk
4, cargo 156, chemical tanker 11, container 37, liquified gas 2, oil
tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11
note:
a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
3
usable:
3
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric
scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 2
FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
@Antigua and Barbuda, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda
Police Force (including the Coast Guard)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY90/91)
@Arctic Ocean, Geography
Location:
body of water mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Map references:
Arctic Region, Asia, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
14.056 million sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the
world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian
Ocean)
note:
includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East
Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea,
Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Coastline:
45,389 km
International disputes:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states); Svalbard is the focus of
a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia
Climate:
polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow
annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous
darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers
characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak
cyclones with rain or snow
Terrain:
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that
averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be
three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral
Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian
Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland);
the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more
than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling
land masses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest
percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin
interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen
Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the
Fram Basin
Natural resources:
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil
and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Environment:
current issues:
endangered marine species include walruses and whales; fragile
ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or
damage
natural hazards:
ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island;
icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme
northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from
October to June
international agreements:
NA
Note:
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the
Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure
icing from October to May; strategic location between North America
and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and
western Russia, floating research stations operated by the US and
Russia; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50
centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months
@Arctic Ocean, Government
Digraph:
XQ
@Arctic Ocean, Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources,
including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
@Arctic Ocean, Communications
Ports:
Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Telecommunications:
no submarine cables
Note:
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important
seasonal waterways
@Argentina, Geography
Location:
Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between
Chile and Uruguay
Map references:
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
2,766,890 sq km
land area:
2,736,690 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total 9,665 km, Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km,
Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline:
4,989 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
not specified
territorial sea:
200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short
section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims
British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims
British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands;
territorial claim in Antarctica
Climate:
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of
Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Natural resources:
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore,
manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land:
9%
permanent crops:
4%
meadows and pastures:
52%
forest and woodland:
22%
other:
13%
Irrigated land:
17,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
erosion results from inadequate flood controls and improper land use
practices; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air pollution
in Buenos Aires and other major cites; water pollution in urban areas;
rivers becoming polluted due to increased pesticide and fertilizer use
natural hazards:
Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to earthquakes;
pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the Pampas and
northeast; heavy flooding
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate
Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratfied - Biodiversity, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic
location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South
Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
@Argentina, People
Population:
33,912,994 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.12% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
19.62 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
29.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.35 years
male:
68.06 years
female:
74.81 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.68 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Argentine(s)
adjective:
Argentine
Ethnic divisions:
white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%
Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant
2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
Languages:
Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
95%
male:
96%
female:
95%
Labor force:
10.9 million
by occupation:
agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)
@Argentina, Government