conventional long form:
Republic of Austria
conventional short form:
Austria
local long form:
Republik Oesterreich
local short form:
Oesterreich
Digraph:
AU
Type:
federal republic
Capital:
Vienna
Administrative divisions:
9 states (bundeslander, singular - bundesland); Burgenland, Karnten,
Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol,
Vorarlberg, Wien
Independence:
12 November 1918 (from Austro-Hungarian Empire)
National holiday:
National Day, 26 October (1955)
Constitution:
1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945)
Legal system:
civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative
acts by a Constitutional Court; separate administrative and
civil/penal supreme courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage:
19 years of age, universal; compulsory for presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Thomas KLESTIL (since 8 July 1992); election last held 24
May 1992 (next to be held 1996); results of second ballot - Thomas
KLESTIL 57%, Rudolf STREICHER 43%
head of government:
Chancellor Franz VRANITZKY (since 16 June 1986); Vice Chancellor
Erhard BUSEK (since 2 July 1991)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; chosen by the president on the advice of the
chancellor
Legislative branch:
bicameral Federal Assembly (Bundesversammlung)
Federal Council (Bundesrat):
consists of 63 members representing each of the provinces on the basis
of population, but with each province having at least 3
representatives
National Council (Nationalrat):
elections last held 7 October 1990 (next to be held October 1994);
results - SPOE 43%, OEVP 32.1%, FPOE 16.6%, GAL 4.5%, KPOE 0.7%, other
3.1%; seats - (183 total) SPOE 80, OEVP 60, FPOE 33, GAL 10
Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for civil and criminal
cases, Administrative Court (Verwaltungsgerichtshof) for bureaucratic
cases, Constitutional Court (Verfassungsgerichtshof) for
constitutional cases
Political parties and leaders:
Social Democratic Party of Austria (SPOE), Franz VRANITZKY, chairman;
Austrian People's Party (OEVP), Erhard BUSEK, chairman; Freedom Party
of Austria (FPOE), Joerg HAIDER, chairman; Communist Party (KPOE),
Walter SILBERMAYER, chairman; Green Alternative List (GAL), Peter
PILZ, chairman; Liberal Forum (LF), Heidi SCHMIDT
Other political or pressure groups:
Federal Chamber of Commerce and Industry; Austrian Trade Union
Federation (primarily Socialist); three composite leagues of the
Austrian People's Party (OEVP) representing business, labor, and
farmers; OEVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists; Roman
Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN,
COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM
(guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNDOF, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNTAC, UNTSO,
UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Helmut TUERK
chancery:
3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035
telephone:
(202) 895-6700
FAX:
(202) 895-6750
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Swanee G. HUNT
chancery:
Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1091, Vienna
mailing address:
Unit 27937, Vienna
telephone:
[43] (1) 313-39
FAX:
[43] (1) 513-43-51
consulate(s) general:
Salzburg
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red
@Austria, Economy
Overview:
Austria boasts a prosperous and stable socialist market economy with a
sizable but falling proportion of nationalized industry and extensive
welfare benefits. Thanks to its raw material endowment, a technically
skilled labor force, and strong links to German industrial firms,
Austria occupies specialized niches in European industry and services
(tourism, banking) and produces almost enough food to feed itself with
only 8% of the labor force in agriculture. Increased export sales
resulting from German unification, boosted Austria's economy through
1991, but Austria's GDP growth slowed to 2% in 1992 and -0.5% in 1993
due to the weak international economy, particularly in Germany - its
largest trading partner. GDP growth will resume slowly in 1994, with
estimates ranging from a 0.5% to a 1% increase. Unemployment has risen
to 7% as a result of the slowdown and will continue to rise in 1994.
Problems for the l990s include an aging population, the high level of
subsidies, and the struggle to keep welfare benefits within budgetary
capabilities. Austria's government has taken measures to make the
economy more liberal and open by introducing a major tax reform,
privatizing state-owned firms, and liberalizing cross-border capital
movements. Although it will face increased competition, Austria should
benefit from the continued opening of eastern European markets, as
well as the 1 January 1994 start of the European Economic Area which
extends the European Union rules on the free movement of people,
capital, and goods and services to four members (including Austria) of
the European Free Trade Association (EFTA). Austria has concluded
membership negotiations with the European Union and is expected to
join in early 1995, thus broadening European economic unity. The
government, however, plans to hold a national referendum on the matter
on 12 June 1994; support for and opposition to membership appears
about equal.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $134.4 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
-0.5% (1993)
National product per capita:
$17,000 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.7% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$52.2 billion
expenditures:
$60.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$39.9 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, iron and steel, lumber, textiles, paper
products, chemicals
partners:
EC 63.5% (Germany 38.9%), EFTA 9.0%, Eastern Europe/FSU 12.3%, Japan
1.5%, US 3.35% (1993)
Imports:
$48.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
petroleum, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals,
textiles and clothing, pharmaceuticals
partners:
EC 66.8% (Germany 41.3%), EFTA 6.7%, Eastern Europe/FSU 7.5%, Japan
4.4%, US 4.4% (1993)
External debt:
$16.2 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -4.5% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
17,600,000 kW
production:
49.5 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
6,300 kWh (1992)
Industries:
foods, iron and steel, machines, textiles, chemicals, electrical,
paper and pulp, tourism, mining, motor vehicles
Agriculture:
accounts for 3.2% of GDP (including forestry); principal crops and
animals - grains, fruit, potatoes, sugar beets, sawn wood, cattle,
pigs, poultry; 80%-90% self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan
route and Eastern Europe
Economic aid:
donor:
ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.4 billion
Currency:
1 Austrian schilling (S) = 100 groschen
Exchange rates:
Austrian schillings (S) per US$1 - 12.255 (January 1994), 11.632
(1993), 10.989 (1992), 11.676 (1991), 11.370 (1990), 13.231 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Austria, Communications
Railroads:
5,749 km total; 5,652 km government owned and 97 km privately owned
(0.760-, 1.435- and 1.000-meter gauge); 5,394 km 1.435-meter standard
gauge of which 3,154 km is electrified and 1,520 km is double tracked;
339 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge of which 84 km is electrified
Highways:
total:
95,412 km
paved:
21,812 km (including 1,012 km of autobahn)
unpaved:
mostly gravel and earth 73,600 km
Inland waterways:
446 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 554 km; petroleum products 171 km; natural gas 2,611 km
Ports:
Vienna, Linz (Danube river ports)
Merchant marine:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 158,724 GRT/259,594 DWT, bulk 3,
cargo 23, oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2
Airports:
total:
55
usable:
55
with permanent-surface runways:
20
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
4
Telecommunications:
highly developed and efficient; 4,014,000 telephones; broadcast
stations - 6 AM, 21 (545 repeaters) FM, 47 (870 repeaters) TV;
satellite ground stations for Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, Indian Ocean
INTELSAT, and EUTELSAT systems
@Austria, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army (including Flying Division)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,018,954; fit for military service 1,693,341; reach
military age (19) annually 48,710 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.7 billion, 0.9% of GDP (1993)
@Azerbaijan, Geography
Location:
Southwestern Asia, between Armenia and Turkmenistan, bordering the
Caspian Sea
Map references:
Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian
States, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle
East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
86,600 sq km
land area:
86,100 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maine
note:
includes the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh
regions; regions' autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet
on 26 November 1991
Land boundaries:
total 2,013 km, Armenia (west) 566 km, Armenia (southwest) 221 km,
Georgia 322 km, Iran (south) 432 km, Iran (southwest) 179 km, Russia
284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
note:
Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)
Maritime claims:
NA
note:
Azerbaijani claims in Caspian Sea unknown; 10-nm fishing zone provided
for in 1940 treaty regarding trade and navigation between Soviet Union
and Iran
International disputes:
violent and longstanding dispute with ethnic Armenians of
Nagorno-Karabakh over its status, lesser dispute concerns Nakhichevan;
some Azerbaijanis desire absorption of and/or unification with the
ethnic Azeri portion of Iran
Climate:
dry, semiarid steppe
Terrain:
large, flat Kur-Araz Lowland (much of it below sea level) with Great
Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag (Karabakh) Upland in west;
Baku lies on Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula that juts into Caspian Sea
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina
Land use:
arable land:
18%
permanent crops:
4%
meadows and pastures:
25%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
53%
Irrigated land:
14,010 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
local scientists consider the Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula (including
Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most
devastated area in the world because of severe air, water, and soil
pollution; soil pollution results from the use of DDT as a pesticide
and also from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton
natural hazards:
subject to drought; some coastal areas threatened by rising levels of
the Caspian Sea
international agreements:
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
landlocked
@Azerbaijan, People
Population:
7,684,456 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.41% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
23.04 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
6.58 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
34.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
70.85 years
male:
67.08 years
female:
74.8 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.7 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Azerbaijani(s)
adjective:
Azerbaijani
Ethnic divisions:
Azeri 82.7%, Russian 5.6%, Armenian 5.6%, Dagestani 3.2%, other 2.9%
(1989)
note:
Armenian share is now approximately 0.3% because most Armenians have
fled the ethnic violence since 1989 census; Russian percentage is
probably half what it was for the same reason
Religions:
Muslim 87%, Russian Orthodox 5.6%, Armenian Orthodox 5.6%, other 1.8%
Languages:
Azeri 82%, Russian 7%, Armenian 5%, other 6%
Literacy:
age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
100%
male:
100%
female:
100%
Labor force:
2.789 million
by occupation:
agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 26%, other 42%
(1990)
@Azerbaijan, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Azerbaijani Republic
conventional short form:
Azerbaijan
local long form:
Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form:
none
former:
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
AJ
Type:
republic
Capital:
Baku (Baky)
Administrative divisions:
1 autonomous republic (avtomnaya respublika); Nakhichevan
(administrative center at Nakhichevan)
note:
all rayons except for the exclave of Nakhichevan are under direct
republic jurisdiction
Independence:
30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Novruz Bayram, 21-22 March
Constitution:
adopted NA April 1978; writing a new constitution mid-1993
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993 after President ELCIBEY
left Baku for Nakhichevan); election last held 3 October 1993 (next to
be held NA); results - Heydar ALIYEV won 97% of vote
head of government:
Prime Minister Surat HUSEYNOV (since 30 June 1993)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and confirmed by the
Mejlas
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Assembly (Milli Mejlis):
elections last held 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme
Soviet (next expected to be held NA 1994 for the National Assembly);
seats for Supreme Soviet - (360 total) Communists 280, Democratic Bloc
45 (grouping of opposition parties), other 15, vacant 20; note - on 19
May 1992 the Supreme Soviet was prorogued in favor of a Popular
Front-dominated National Council; seats - (50 total) Popular Front 25,
opposition elements 25
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Azerbaijan Popular Front (APF), Ebulfez ELCIBEY, chairman; Musavat
Party, Isa GAMBAR, chairman; National Independence Party, Etibar
MAMEDOV, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Araz ALIZADE,
chairman; Communist Party, Ramiz AKHMEDOV, chairman; People's Freedom
Party, Yunus OGUZ, chairman; Independent Social Democratic Party, Arif
YUNUSOV and Leila YUNOSOVA, cochairmen; New Azerbaijan Party, Heydar
ALIYEV, chairman; Boz Gurd Party, Iskander HAMIDOV, chairman;
Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Sardar MAMEDOV, chairman; Azerbaijan
Democratic Independence Party, Qabil HUSELNLI, chairman; Islamic Party
of Azerbaijan, Ali Akram, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh
independence movement
Member of:
BSEC, CCC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, ILO,
IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Hafiz Mir Jalal Ogly PASHAYEV
chancery:
Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
(202) 842-0001
FAX:
(202) 842-0004
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard KAZLAURICH
embassy:
Hotel Intourist, Baku
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
7-8922-92-63-06 through 09, extension 441, 442, 446, 447, 448, 450
FAX:
Telex 142110 AMEMB SU
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent
and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band
@Azerbaijan, Economy
Overview:
Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or
Georgia, the other Transcaucasian states. It resembles the Central
Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high structural
unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent
products are oil, cotton, and gas. Production from the Caspian oil and
gas field has been in decline for several years. With foreign
assistance, the oil industry might generate the funds needed to spur
industrial development. However, civil unrest, marked by armed
conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Muslim Azeris and
Christian Armenians, makes foreign investors wary. Azerbaijan
accounted for 1.5% to 2% of the capital stock and output of the former
Soviet Union. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the
ex-Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a
market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its
prospects somewhat. Old economic ties and structures have yet to be
replaced. A particularly galling constraint on economic revival is the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said to consume 25% of Azerbaijan's
economic resources.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.5 billion (1993 estimate from
the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
extrapolated to 1993 using official Azerbaijani statistics, which are
very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
-13.3% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$2,040 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20% per month (average 1993); above 50% per month (February 1994)
Unemployment rate:
0.7% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of
underemployed workers (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$355 million to outside the FSU countries (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment, textiles, cotton (1991)
partners:
mostly CIS and European countries
Imports:
$240 million from outside the FSU countries (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
machinery and parts, consumer durables, foodstuffs, textiles (1991)
partners:
European countries
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate -7% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
6,025,000 kW
production:
22,300 kWh
consumption per capita:
2,990 kWh (1992)
Industries:
petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles
iculture:
cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle,
pigs, sheep and goats
Illicit drugs:
illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
consumption; limited government eradication program; transshipment
point for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
wheat from Turkey
Currency:
1 manat = 100 gopik
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Azerbaijan, Communications
Railroads:
2,090 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
36,700 km
paved or graveled:
31,800 km
unpaved:
earth 4,900 km (1990)
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural gas 1,240 km
Ports:
inland - Baku (Baky)
Airports:
total:
65
usable:
33
with permanent-surface runways:
26
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
8
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
23
Telecommunications:
domestic telephone service is of poor quality and inadequate; 710,000
domestic telephone lines [density - 9 lines per 100 persons (1991)],
202,000 persons waiting for telephone installations (January 1991);
connections to other former USSR republics by cable and microwave and
to other countries via the Moscow international gateway switch;
INTELSAT earth station installed in late 1992 in Baku with Turkish
financial assistance with access to 200 countries through Turkey;
since August 1993 an earth station near Baku has provided direct
communications with New York through Russia's Stationar-11 satellite;
a joint venture to establish a cellular telephone system (Bakcel) in
the Baku area is supposed to become operational in 1994; domestic and
Russian TV programs are received locally and Turkish and Iranian TV is
received from an INTELSAT satellite through a receive-only earth
station
@Azerbaijan, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Force, Navy, Maritime Border Guard, National Guard, Security
Forces (internal and border troops)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,884,458; fit for military service 1,525,123; reach
military age (18) annually 68,192 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
2,848 million rubles, NA% of GDP (1992 est.); note - conversion of the
military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
produce misleading results
@The Bahamas, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the western North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida
and northwest of Cuba
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones
of the World
Area:
total area:
13,940 sq km
land area:
10,070 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
3,542 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain:
long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Natural resources:
salt, aragonite, timber
Land use:
arable land:
1%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
32%
other:
67%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive
flood and wind damage
international agreements:
party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
Note:
strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain
@The Bahamas, People
Population:
273,055 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.57% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
18.86 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
33.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.52 years
male:
67.66 years
female:
75.49 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Bahamian(s)
adjective:
Bahamian
Ethnic divisions:
black 85%, white 15%
Religions:
Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of
God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
Languages:
English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:
age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963 est.)
total population:
90%
male:
90%
female:
89%
Labor force:
127,400
by occupation:
government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%,
agriculture 5% (1989)
@The Bahamas, Government