In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the
border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural
enterprises, with worker remittances accounting for about one-third of
GNP. The construction, agricultural, and industrial sectors account
for about 18%, 16%, and 12% of GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon
Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. Aggravating the impact of
Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory since 1988
(intifadah) has raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living
of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt
blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf
states have dropped, unemployment has increased, and exports have
fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994
brings a new set of adjustment problems.
National product:
GNP - exchange rate conversion - $840 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,275 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$33.6 million
expenditures:
$34.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
Exports:
$75 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
citrus
partners:
Israel, Egypt
Imports:
$370 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners:
Israel, Egypt
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 12% of GNP
Electricity:
power supplied by Israel
Industries:
generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap,
olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have
established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Agriculture:
accounts for about 16% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits,
vegetables, beef, dairy products
Economic aid:
$NA
Currency:
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301
(1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
@Gaza Strip, Communications
Railroads:
one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains
Highways:
total:
NA
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA
note:
small, poorly developed road network
Ports:
facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza
Airports:
total:
1
usable:
1
with permanent-surface runways:
0
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV
@Gaza Strip, Defense Forces
Branches:
NA
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
@Georgia
Note:
Georgia is currently besieged by interethnic strife in its Abkhazian
and South Ossetian enclaves.
@Georgia, Geography
Location:
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Map references:
Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States,
Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
69,700 sq km
land area:
69,700 sq km
comparative area:
slightly larger than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total 1,461 km, Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
Turkey 252 km
Coastline:
310 km
Maritime claims:
note:
12 nm in 1973 USSR-Turkish Protocol concerning the sea boundary
between the two states in the Black Sea; Georgia claims the coastline
along the Black Sea as its international waters, although it cannot
control this area and the Russian navy and commercial ships transit
freely
International disputes:
none
Climate:
warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain:
largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and
Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhida Lowland opens to the
Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in
river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Natural resources:
forest lands, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ores, copper, minor
coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important
tea and citrus growth
Land use:
arable land:
NA%
permanent crops:
NA%
meadows and pastures:
NA%
forest and woodland:
NA%
other:
NA%
Irrigated land:
4,660 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari
River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water;
soil pollution from toxic chemicals
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
NA
@Georgia, People
Population:
5,681,025 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.81% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
16.11 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
23.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
72.84 years
male:
69.16 years
female:
76.7 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.18 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Georgian(s)
adjective:
Georgian
Ethnic divisions:
Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%,
Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions:
Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Muslim 11%, Armenian
Orthodox 8%, unknown 6%
Languages:
Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, other 7%
Literacy:
age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
100%
male:
100%
female:
100%
Labor force:
2.763 million
by occupation:
industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44%
(1990)
@Georgia, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Georgia
conventional short form:
Georgia
local long form:
Sak'art'velos Respublika
local short form:
Sak'art'velo
former:
Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
GG
Type:
republic
Capital:
T'bilisi
Administrative divisions:
2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom
respublika); Abkhazia (Sokhumi), Ajaria (Bat'umi)
note:
the administrative centers of the autonomous republics are included in
parentheses; there are no oblasts - the rayons around T'bilisi are
under direct republic jurisdiction
Independence:
9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 April (1991)
Constitution:
adopted NA February 1921; currently amending constitution for
Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (since 10
March 1992); election last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA
1995); results - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 95%
head of government:
Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993); Deputy Prime
Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI (since NA), Tamaz
NADARISHVILI (since September 1993), Teimuraz BASILIA (since NA)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet):
elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1995); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (225 total) number of seats by
party NA; note - representatives of 26 parties elected; Peace Bloc,
October 11, Unity, National Democratic Party, and the Greens Party won
the largest representation
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Merab Kostava Society, Vazha ADAMIA, chairman; Traditionalists' Union,
Akaki ASATIANI, chairman; Georgian Social Democratic Party, Guram
MUCHAIDZE, chairman; Green Party, Zurab ZHVANIA, chairman; Georgian
Popular Front (GPF), Nodar NATADZE, chairman; National Democratic
Party (NDP), Gia CHANTURIA, chairman; National Independence Party
(NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairmen; Charter 1991 Party, Tedo
PATASHVILI, chairman; Peace Bloc; Unity; October 11
Other political or pressure groups:
supporters of ousted President Zuiad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January
1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of
opposition and instability
Member of:
BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC,
ITU, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Petr CHKHEIDZE
chancery:
(temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC
telephone:
(202) 393-6060
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Kent N. BROWN
embassy:
#25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
(7) 8832-98-99-68
FAX:
(7) 8832-93-37-59
Flag:
maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner;
rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below
@Georgia, Economy
Overview:
Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism;
cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and
copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals,
machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of
its energy needs, including natural gas and coal. Its only sizable
domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread
conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mengrelia, severely
aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of
the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993, much of
industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity; heavy disruptions in
agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The
country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain
shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average
citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it
is having problems paying for even minimal imports. Georgia is pinning
its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on
developing international transportation through the key Black Sea
ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $7.8 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 Georgian statistics, which are
very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
-35% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,390 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
40.5% per month (2nd half 1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
officially less than 5% but real unemployment may be up near 20%, with
even larger numbers of underemployed workers; real unemployment may be
up near 20% with even larger numbers of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
$NA
expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$NA
commodities:
citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types
of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel
re-exports
partners:
Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (1992)
Imports:
$NA
commodities:
fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment
partners:
Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (1993)
External debt:
$100 million to $200 million (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -27% (1993); accounts for 36% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
4,875,000 kW
production:
15.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
2,835 kWh (1992)
Industries:
heavy industrial products include raw steel, rolled steel, airplanes;
machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes,
electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat
packing, electric motors, process control equipment, instruments;
trucks, tractors, and other farm machinery; light industrial products,
including cloth, hosiery, and shoes; chemicals; wood-working
industries; the most important food industry is wine
Agriculture:
accounts for 41% of GDP; accounted for 97% of former USSR citrus
fruits and 93% of former USSR tea; important producer of grapes; also
cultivates vegetables and potatoes; dependent on imports for grain,
dairy products, sugar; small livestock sector
Illicit drugs:
illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for domestic
consumption; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western
Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
heavily dependent on US for humanitarian grain shipments; EC granted
around $70 million in trade credits in 1992 and another $40 million in
1993; Turkey granted $50 million in 1993; smaller scale credits
granted by Russia and China
Currency:
coupons introduced in April 1993 to be followed by introduction of the
lari at undetermined future date; in July 1993 use of the Russian
ruble was banned
Exchange rates:
NA
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Georgia, Communications
Railroads:
1,570 km, does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
33,900 km
paved and gravelled:
29,500 km
unpaved:
earth 4,400 km (1990)
Pipelines:
crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)
Ports:
coastal - Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Merchant marine:
41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 575,823 GRT/882,110 DWT, bulk
cargo 14, oil tanker 27
Airports:
total:
37
usable:
27
with permanent-surface runways:
14
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
10
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
4
note:
a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
poor telephone service; as of mid-1993, 672,000 telephone lines
providing 14 lines per 100 persons; 339,000 unsatisfied applications
for telephones (31 December 1990); international links via landline to
CIS members and Turkey; low capacity satellite earth station and
leased international connections via the Moscow international gateway
switch with other countries; international electronic mail and telex
service available
Note:
transportation network is disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal
activities, and fuel shortages
@Georgia, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Force, Navy, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 1,362,818; fit for military service 1,081,624; reach
military age (18) annually 42,881 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GNP
Note:
Georgian forces are poorly organized and not fully under the
government's control
@Germany, Geography
Location:
Central Europe, bordering the North Sea between France and Poland
Map references:
Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
356,910 sq km
land area:
349,520 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Montana
note:
includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany, the German
Democratic Republic, and Berlin following formal unification on 3
October 1990
Land boundaries:
total 3,621 km, Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km,
Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km,
Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline:
2,389 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm in North Sea and Schleswig-Holstein coast of Baltic Sea (extends,
at one point, to 16 nm in the Helgolander Bucht); 12 nm in remainder
of Baltic Sea
International disputes:
none
Climate:
temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain:
lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas,
salt, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
34%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
16%
forest and woodland:
30%
other:
19%
Irrigated land:
4,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries in the southeast
and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result of continued use
of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting
from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; heavy pollution in
the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in
eastern Germany
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, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Note:
strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to
the Baltic Sea
@Germany, People
Population:
81,087,506 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.36% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
11.04 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
10.89 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.34 years
male:
73.22 years
female:
79.64 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.47 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
German(s)
adjective:
German
Ethnic divisions:
German 95.1%, Turkish 2.3%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks 0.4%, Poles 0.4%,
other 1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former
Yugoslavia)
Religions:
Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other 18%
Languages:
German
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1977 est.)
total population:
99%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
36.75 million
by occupation:
industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)
@Germany, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form:
Germany
local long form:
Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form:
Deutschland
Digraph:
GM
Type:
federal republic
Capital:
Berlin
note:
the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of years
with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several
ministries
Administrative divisions:
16 states (laender, singular - land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern,
Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland,
Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringen
Independence:
18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones
of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following
World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany)
proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French
zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7
October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West
Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four power
rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991
National holiday:
German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
German people 3 October 1990
Legal system:
civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984); note -
presidential elections were held on 23 May 1994; Roman HERZOG was the
winner and will be inaugurated 1 July 1994
head of government:
Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president upon the proposal of the
chancellor
Legislative branch:
bicameral chamber (no official name for the two chambers as a whole)
Federal Assembly (Bundestag):
last held 2 December 1990 (next to be held by 16 October 1994);
results - CDU 36.7%, SPD 33.5%, FDP 11.0%, CSU 7.1%, Green Party (West
Germany) 3.9%, PDS 2.4%, Republikaner 2.1%, Alliance 90/Green Party
(East Germany) 1.2%, other 2.1%; seats - (662 total) CDU 268, CSU 51,
SPD 239, FDP 79, PDS 17, Greens/Alliance '90 8; elected by direct
popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional
representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or 3 direct
mandates to gain representation
Federal Council (Bundesrat):
State governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6
votes depending on size and are required to vote as a block; current
composition: votes - (68 total) SPD-led states 37, CDU-led states 31
Judicial branch:
Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Political parties and leaders:
Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian
Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL, chairman; Free Democratic Party
(FDP), Klaus KINKEL, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Rudolf
SCHARPING, chairman; Alliance '90/Greens, Ludger VOLMER, Marianne
BIRTHLER, co-chairmen; Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), Lothar
BISKY, chairman; Republikaner, Franz SCHOENHUBER; National Democratic
Party (NPD), Guenter DECKERT; Communist Party (DKP), Rolf PRIEMER
Other political or pressure groups:
expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC,
CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA,
FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, UNOMIG,
UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Immo STABREIT
chancery:
4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
(202) 298-4000
FAX:
(202) 298-4249
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s):
Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands) and Wellington
(America Samoa)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard C. HOLBROOKE
embassy:
Deichmanns Avenue 29, 53170 Bonn
mailing address:
Unit 21701, Bonn; APO AE 09080
telephone:
[49] (228) 3391
FAX:
[49] (228) 339-2663
branch office:
Berlin
consulate(s) general:
Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow
@Germany, Economy