conventional long form:
Czech Republic
conventional short form:
Czech Republic
local long form:
Ceska Republika
local short form:
Cechy
Digraph:
EZ
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Prague
Administrative divisions:
8 regions (kraje, kraj - singular); Jihocesky, Jihomoravsky, Praha,
Severocesky, Severomoravsky, Stredocesky, Vychodocesky, Zapadocesky
Independence:
1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)
National holiday:
National Liberation Day, 9 May; Founding of the Republic, 28 October
Constitution:
ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system:
civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring it in line
with Conference on Security and Cooperation in Europe (CSCE)
obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993); election last held 26
January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998); results - Vaclav HAVEL
elected by the National Council
head of government:
Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992); Deputy Prime
Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK, Josef LUX, Jan KALVODA (since NA June 1992)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime
minister
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Council (Narodni rada)
Senate:
elections not yet held; seats (81 total)
Chamber of Deputies:
elections last held 5-6 June 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (200 total) Civic Democratic
Party/Christian Democratic Party 76, Left Bloc 35, Czech Social
Democratic Party 16, Liberal Social Union 16, Christian Democratic
Union/Czech People's Party 15, Assembly for the Republic/Republican
Party 14, Civic Democratic Alliance 14, Movement for Self-Governing
Democracy for Moravia and Silesia 14
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Civic Democratic Party (ODS), Vaclav KLAUS, chairman; Christian
Democratic Union-Czech People's Party (KDU-CSL), Josef LUX, chairman;
Civic Democratic Alliance (ODA), Jan KALVODA, chairman; Christian
Democratic Party (KDS), Ivan PILIP, chairman; Czech Social Democratic
Party, Milos ZEMAN, chairman; Czech-Moravian Center Party, Jan KYCER,
chairman; Liberal Social Union (LSU), Frantisek TRNKA; Communist Party
of Bohemia/Moravia (KSCM), Miroslav GREBENICEK, chairman; Association
for the Republic - Republican Party, Miroslav SLADEK, chairman; Left
Bloc, Marie STIBOROVA, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
Left Bloc; Liberal Party; Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade Unions
Member of:
BIS, CCC, CE (guest), CEI, CERN, COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE,
FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IFCTU, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, NSG,
PCA, UN (as of 8 January 1993), UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNOMIG, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael ZANTOVSKY
chancery:
3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 363-6315 or 6316
FAX:
(202) 966-8540
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Adrian A. BASORA
embassy:
Trziste 15, 11801, Prague 1
mailing address:
Unit 25402; APO AE 09213
telephone:
[42] (2) 251-0847
FAX:
[42] (2) 531-193
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue
isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost identical to the
flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
@Czech Republic, Economy
Overview:
The dissolution of Czechoslovakia into two independent nation states -
the Czech Republic and Slovakia - on 1 January 1993 has complicated
the task of moving toward a more open and decentralized economy. The
old Czechoslovakia, even though highly industrialized by East European
standards, suffered from an aging capital plant, lagging technology,
and a deficiency in energy and many raw materials. In January 1991,
approximately one year after the end of communist control of Eastern
Europe, the Czech and Slovak Federal Republic launched a sweeping
program to convert its almost entirely state-owned and controlled
economy to a market system. In 1991-92 these measures resulted in
privatization of some medium- and small-scale economic activity and
the setting of more than 90% of prices by the market - but at a cost
in inflation, unemployment, and lower output. For Czechoslovakia as a
whole inflation in 1991 was roughly 50% and output fell 15%. In 1992,
in the Czech lands, inflation dropped to an estimated 12.5% and GDP
was down a more moderate 5%. In 1993, Czech aggregate output remained
unchanged, prices rose about 19%, and unemployment hovered above 3%;
exports to Slovakia fell roughly 30%. An estimated 40% of the economy
was privately owned. In 1994, Prague expects 2% to 3% growth in GDP,
roughly 9% inflation, and 5% unemployment. Economic growth in 1994 is
less important than continued economic restructuring; a mere 1% growth
would be noteworthy if restructuring is accompanied by rising
unemployment and enterprise bankruptcies.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $75 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
0% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$7,200 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
19% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
3.3% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$11.9 billion
expenditures:
$11.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$12.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals,
fuels, minerals, and metals
partners:
Germany, Slovakia, Poland, Austria, Hungary, Italy, France, US, UK,
CIS republics
Imports:
$12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manfactured
goods, raw materials, chemicals, agricultural products
partners:
Slovakia, CIS republics, Germany, Austria, Poland, Switzerland,
Hungary, UK, Italy
External debt:
$8.6 billion (October 1993)
Industrial production:
growth rate -5.5% (December 1993 over December 1992)
Electricity:
capacity:
16,500,000 kW
production:
62.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
6,030 kWh (1992)
Industries:
fuels, ferrous metallurgy, machinery and equipment, coal, motor
vehicles, glass, armaments
Agriculture:
largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and
livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops,
fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of forest products
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American
cocaine to Western Europe
Economic aid:
donor:
the former Czechoslovakia was a donor - $4.2 billion in bilateral aid
to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-89)
Currency:
1 koruna (Kc) = 100 haleru
Exchange rates:
koruny (Kcs) per US$1 - 30.122 (January 1994), 29.153 (1993), 28.26
(1992), 29.53 (1991), 17.95 (1990), 15.05 (1989)
note:
values before 1993 reflect Czechoslovak exchange rates
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Czech Republic, Communications
Railroads:
9,434 km total (1988)
Highways:
total:
55,890 km (1988)
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA
Inland waterways:
NA km; the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river
Pipelines:
natural gas 5,400 km
Ports:
coastal outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin), Croatia
(Rijeka), Slovenia (Koper), Germany (Hamburg, Rostock); principal
river ports are Prague on the Vltava, Decin on the Elbe (Labe)
Merchant marine:
18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 225,934 GRT/350,330 DWT, bulk 7,
cargo 11
Airports:
total:
155
usable:
123
with permanent-surface runways:
27
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
17
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
52
note:
a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
NA
@Czech Republic, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Civil Defense, Railroad Units
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,747,126; fit for military service 2,091,532; reach
military age (18) annually 93,342 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
23 billion koruny, NA% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of
defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate
could produce misleading results
@Denmark, Geography
Location:
Nordic State, Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea on a peninsula
north of Germany
Map references:
Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
43,070 sq km
land area:
42,370 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Massachusetts
note:
includes the island of Bornholm in the Baltic Sea and the rest of
metropolitan Denmark, but excludes the Faroe Islands and Greenland
Land boundaries:
total 68 km, Germany 68 km
Coastline:
3,379 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
4 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Iceland, Ireland, and the
UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall
area); dispute between Denmark and Norway over maritime boundary in
Arctic Ocean between Greenland and Jan Mayen has been settled by the
International Court of Justice
Climate:
temperate; humid and overcast; mild, windy winters and cool summers
Terrain:
low and flat to gently rolling plains
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, fish, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
61%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
6%
forest and woodland:
12%
other:
21%
Irrigated land:
4,300 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution; nitrogen and phosphorus pollution of the North Sea;
drinking and surface water becoming polluted from animal wastes
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Note:
controls Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas; about
one-quarter of the population lives in Copenhagen
@Denmark, People
Population:
5,187,821 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.23% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
12.45 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
11.28 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.1 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
75.81 years
male:
72.93 years
female:
78.86 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.68 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Dane(s)
adjective:
Danish
Ethnic divisions:
Scandinavian, Eskimo, Faroese, German
Religions:
Evangelical Lutheran 91%, other Protestant and Roman Catholic 2%,
other 7% (1988)
Languages:
Danish, Faroese, Greenlandic (an Eskimo dialect), German (small
minority)
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
99%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
2,553,900
by occupation:
private services 37.1%, government services 30.4%, manufacturing and
mining 20%, construction 6.3%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing
5.6%, electricity/gas/water 0.6% (1991)
@Denmark, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Denmark
conventional short form:
Denmark
local long form:
Kongeriget Danmark
local short form:
Danmark
Digraph:
DA
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Copenhagen
Administrative divisions:
metropolitan Denmark - 14 counties (amter, singular - amt) and 1 city*
(stad); Arhus, Bornholm, Frederiksborg, Fyn, Kbenhavn, Nordjylland,
Ribe, Ringkbing, Roskilde, Snderjylland, Staden Kbenhavn*, Storstrm,
Vejle, Vestsjaelland, Viborg
note:
see separate entries for the Faroe Islands and Greenland, which are
part of the Danish realm and self-governing administrative divisions
Independence:
1849 (became a constitutional monarchy)
National holiday:
Birthday of the Queen, 16 April (1940)
Constitution:
5 June 1953
Legal system:
civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen MARGRETHE II (since NA January 1972); Heir Apparent Crown Prince
FREDERIK, elder son of the Queen (born 26 May 1968)
head of government:
Prime Minister Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN (since NA January 1993)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Parliament (Folketing):
elections last held 12 December 1990 (next to be held by December
1994); results - Social Democratic Party 37.4%, Conservative Party
16.0%, Liberal 15.8%, Socialist People's Party 8.3%, Progress Party
6.4%, Center Democratic Party 5.1%, Radical Liberal Party 3.5%,
Christian People's Party 2.3%, other 5.2%; seats - (179 total;
includes 2 from Greenland and 2 from the Faroe Islands) Social
Democratic 69, Conservative 30, Liberal 29, Socialist People's 15,
Progress Party 12, Center Democratic 9, Radical Liberal 7, Christian
People's 4
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Social Democratic Party, Poul Nyrup RASMUSSEN; Conservative Party,
Torben RECHENDORFF; Liberal Party, Uffe ELLEMANN-JENSEN; Socialist
People's Party, Holger K. NIELSEN; Progress Party, Johannes SORENSEN;
Center Democratic Party, Mimi Stilling JAKOBSEN; Radical Liberal
Party, Marianne JELVED; Christian People's Party, Jann SJURSEN; Common
Course, Preben Moller HANSEN; Danish Workers' Party
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN,
COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NC,
NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNMOGIP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Peter Pedersen DYVIG
chancery:
3200 Whitehaven Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 234-4300
FAX:
(202) 328-1470
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward E. ELSON
embassy:
Dag Hammarskjolds Alle 24, 2100 Copenhagen O
mailing address:
APO AE 09716
telephone:
[45] (31) 42-31-44
FAX:
[45] (35) 43-0223
Flag:
red with a white cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the
vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side, and that
design element of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag) was subsequently adopted
by the other Nordic countries of Finland, Iceland, Norway, and Sweden
@Denmark, Economy
Overview:
This modern economy features high-tech agriculture, up-to-date
small-scale and corporate industry, extensive government welfare
measures, comfortable living standards, and high dependence on foreign
trade. Denmark's new center-left coalition government will concentrate
on reducing the persistent high unemployment rate and the budget
deficit as well as following the previous government's policies of
maintaining low inflation and a current account surplus. In the face
of recent international market pressure on the Danish krone, the
coalition has also vowed to maintain a stable currency. The coalition
hopes to lower marginal income taxes while maintaining overall tax
revenues; boost industrial competitiveness through labor market and
tax reforms and increased research and development funds; and improve
welfare services for the neediest while cutting paperwork and delays.
Prime Minister RASMUSSEN's reforms will focus on adapting Denmark to
the criteria for European integration by 1999; although Copenhagen has
won from the European Union (EU) the right to opt out of the European
Monetary Union (EMU) if a national referendum rejects it. Denmark is,
in fact, one of the few EU countries likely to fit into the EMU on
time. Denmark is weathering the current worldwide slump better than
many West European countries. As the EU's single market (formally
established on 1 January 1993) gets underway, Danish economic growth
is expected to pickup to around 2% in 1994. Danish approval of the
Maastricht treaty on EU political and economic union in May 1993 has
reversed the drop in investment, further boosting growth. The current
account surplus remains strong as limitations on wage increases and
low inflation - expected to be around 2% in 1994 - improve export
competitiveness. Although unemployment is high, it remains stable
compared to most European countries.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $95.6 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
0.5% (1993)
National product per capita:
$18,500 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.8% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
11.8% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$48 billion
expenditures:
$55.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993)
Exports:
$36.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
meat and meat products, dairy products, transport equipment
(shipbuilding), fish, chemicals, industrial machinery
partners:
EC 54.3% (Germany 23.6%, UK 10.1%, France 5.7%), Sweden 10.5%, Norway
5.8%, US 4.9%, Japan 3.6% (1992)
Imports:
$29.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, machinery and equipment, chemicals, grain and foodstuffs,
textiles, paper
partners:
EC 53.4% (Germany 23.1%, UK 8.2%, France 5.6%), Sweden 10.8%, Norway
5.4%, US 5.7%, Japan 4.1% (1992)
External debt:
$40 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -2.5% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
11,215,000 kW
production:
34.17 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
6,610 kWh (1992)
Industries:
food processing, machinery and equipment, textiles and clothing,
chemical products, electronics, construction, furniture, and other
wood products, shipbuilding
Agriculture:
accounts for 4% of GDP and employs 5.6% of labor force (includes
fishing and forestry); farm products account for nearly 15% of export
revenues; principal products - meat, dairy, grain, potatoes, rape,
sugar beets, fish; self-sufficient in food production
Economic aid:
donor:
ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.9 billion
Currency:
1 Danish krone (DKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates:
Danish kroner (DKr) per US$1 - 6.771 (January 1994), 6.484 (1993),
6.036 (1992), 6.396 (1991), 6.189 (1990), 7.310 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Denmark, Communications
Railroads:
2,770 km; Danish State Railways (DSB) operate 2,120 km (1,999 km rail
line and 121 km rail ferry services); 188 km electrified, 730 km
double tracked; 650 km of standard-gauge lines are privately owned and
operated
Highways:
total:
66,482 km
paved:
concrete, asphalt, stone block 64,551 km
unpaved:
gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 1,931 km
Inland waterways:
417 km
Pipelines:
crude oil 110 km; petroleum products 578 km; natural gas 700 km
Ports:
Alborg, Arhus, Copenhagen, Esbjerg, Fredericia; numerous secondary and
minor ports
Merchant marine:
347 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,974,494 GRT/6,820,067 DWT,
bulk 15, cargo 110, chemical tanker 24, combination bulk 1, container
51, liquefied gas 36, livestock carrier 4, oil tanker 33, railcar
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 39, short-sea
passenger 12
note:
Denmark has created its own internal register, called the Danish
International Ship register (DIS); DIS ships do not have to meet
Danish manning regulations, and they amount to a flag of convenience
within the Danish register; by the end of 1990, 308 of the Danish-flag
ships belonged to the DIS
Airports:
total:
118
usable:
109
with permanent-surface runways:
28
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
9
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
7
Telecommunications:
excellent telephone, telegraph, and broadcast services; 4,509,000
telephones; buried and submarine cables and microwave radio relay
support trunk network; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 50 TV; 19
submarine coaxial cables; 7 earth stations operating in INTELSAT,
EUTELSAT, and INMARSAT
@Denmark, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Danish Army, Royal Danish Navy, Royal Danish Air Force, Home
Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,360,050; fit for military service 1,168,940; reach
military age (20) annually 36,800 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1993)
@Djibouti, Geography
Location:
Eastern Africa, at the entrance to the Red Sea between Eritrea and
Somalia
Map references:
Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
22,000 sq km
land area:
21,980 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
total 508 km, Eritrea 113 km, Ethiopia 337 km, Somalia 58 km
Coastline:
314 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
desert; torrid, dry
Terrain:
coastal plain and plateau separated by central mountains
Natural resources:
geothermal areas
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
9%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
91%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
desertification
natural hazards:
prone to earthquakes, droughts
international agreements:
party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ship Pollution; signed,
but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
strategic location near world's busiest shipping lanes and close to
Arabian oilfields; terminus of rail traffic into Ethiopia; a vast
wasteland
@Djibouti, People
Population:
412,599 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.71% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
42.94 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
15.8 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
111 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
49.23 years
male:
47.42 years
female:
51.1 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.21 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Djiboutian(s)
adjective:
Djiboutian
Ethnic divisions:
Somali 60%, Afar 35%, French, Arab, Ethiopian, and Italian 5%
Religions:
Muslim 94%, Christian 6%
Languages:
French (official), Arabic (official), Somali, Afar
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
48%
male:
63%
female:
34%
Labor force:
NA
by occupation:
a small number of semiskilled laborers at the port and 3,000 railway
workers
note:
52% of population of working age (1983)
@Djibouti, Government