conventional long form:
Republic of Kenya
conventional short form:
Kenya
former:
British East Africa
Digraph:
KE
Type:
republic
Capital:
Nairobi
Administrative divisions:
8 provinces; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza,
Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments
1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1992
Legal system:
based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial
review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure
one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice
President George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989); election last held on 29
December 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - President Daniel T.
arap MOI was reelected with 37% of the vote; Kenneth Matiba
(FORD-ASILI) 26%; Mwai Kibaki (SP) 19%, Oginga Odinga (FORD-Kenya) 17%
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
unicameral
National Assembly (Bunge):
elections last held on 29 December 1992; results - (188 total) KANU
100, FORD-Kenya 31, FORD-Asili 31, DP 23, smaller parties 3; president
nominates 12 additional members
note:
first multiparty election since repeal of one-party state law in 1991
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party is Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap
MOI, president; opposition parties include Forum for the Restoration
of Democracy (FORD-Kenya), Michael WAMALWA; Forum for the Restoration
of Democracy (FORD-Asili), Kenneth MATIBA; Democratic Party of Kenya
(DP), Mwai KIBAKI; Kenya National Congress (KNC), Titus MBATHI; Kenya
Social Congress (KSC), George ANYONA; Kenya National Democratic
Alliance (KENYA), Mukara NG'ANG'A; Party for Independent Candidates of
Kenya (PKK), Otieno OTOERA
Other political or pressure groups:
labor unions; Roman Catholic Church
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
(vacant)
chancery:
2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 387-6101
consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL
embassy:
corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi
mailing address:
P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi or APO AE 09831
telephone:
[254] (2) 334141
FAX:
[254] (2) 340838
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red
band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed
spears is superimposed at the center
@Kenya, Economy
Overview:
Kenya's 3.1% annual population growth rate - one of the highest in the
world - has led to a decline in per capita output in each of the last
three years, 1991-93. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage
of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading
economic sector. In industry and services, Nairobi's reluctance to
embrace IMF-supported reforms has held back investment. Ethnic clashes
and continued suspension of quick disbursing aid by the international
donors kept growth at only 0.5% in 1993.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $33.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
0.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,200 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
55% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
23.8% urban (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$2.4 billion
expenditures:
$2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $740 million (1990
est.)
Exports:
$1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
tea 25%, coffee 18%, petroleum products 11% (1990)
partners:
EC 47%, Africa 23%, Asia 11%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1991)
Imports:
$1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum
products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer
goods (1989)
partners:
EC 46%, Asia 23%, Middle East 20%, US 5% (1991)
External debt:
$7 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
730,000 kW
production:
2.54 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
100 kWh (1990)
Industries:
small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining,
cement, tourism
Agriculture:
most important sector, accounting for 25% of GDP and 65% of exports;
cash crops - coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products - corn,
wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork,
poultry, eggs; food output not keeping pace with population growth,
and crop production has been extended into marginal land
Illicit drugs:
widespread wild, small-plot cultivation of marijuana and gat; most
locally consumed; transit country for Southwest Asian heroin moving to
West Africa and onward to Europe and North America; Indian
methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.49
billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist
countries (1970-89), $83 million
Currency:
1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 68.413 (December 1993), 32.217
(1992), 27.508 (1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
@Kenya, Communications
Railroads:
2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
64,590 km
paved:
7,000 km
unpaved:
gravel 4,150 km; improved earth 53,440 km
Inland waterways:
part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines:
petroleum products 483 km
Ports:
coastal - Mombasa, Lamu; inland - Kisumu
Merchant marine:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT, barge
carrier 1, oil tanker ship 1
Airports:
total:
248
usable:
213
with permanent-surface runways:
28
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
44
Telecommunications:
in top group of African systems; consists primarily of radio relay
links; over 260,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 16 AM; 4 FM, 6
TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
Ocean INTELSAT
@Kenya, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 6,144,891; fit for military service 3,799,202
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $294 million, 4.9% of GDP (FY88/89 est.)
@Kingman Reef
Header
Affiliation:
(territory of the US)
@Kingman Reef, Geography
Location:
Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km
south-southwest of Honolulu, about halfway between Hawaii and American
Samoa
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total area:
1 sq km
land area:
1 sq km
comparative area:
about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
3 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain:
low and nearly level with a maximum elevation of about 1 meter
Natural resources:
none
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100%
Irrigated land:
0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter
makes this a maritime hazard
international agreements:
NA
Note:
barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public
@Kingman Reef, People
Population:
uninhabited
@Kingman Reef, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Kingman Reef
Digraph:
KQ
Type:
unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Navy,
however it is awash the majority of the time, so it is not usable and
uninhabited.
Capital:
none; administered from Washington, DC
@Kingman Reef, Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
@Kingman Reef, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa
by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938
@Kingman Reef, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
@Kiribati, Geography
Location:
Oceania, Micronesia, straddling the equator in the Pacific Ocean,
about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total area:
717 sq km
land area:
717 sq km
comparative area:
slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
note:
includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix
Islands
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,143 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Natural resources:
phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
51%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
3%
other:
46%
Irrigated land:
NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; subject to
occasional tornadoes
international agreements:
party to - Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
ratified - Climate Change
Note:
20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati
is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean
- the others are Makatea in French Polynesia and Nauru
@Kiribati, People
Population:
77,853 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.99% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
31.64 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
12.31 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
98.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
54.16 years
male:
52.56 years
female:
55.78 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.77 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective:
I-Kiribati
Ethnic divisions:
Micronesian
Religions:
Roman Catholic 52.6%, Protestant (Congregational) 40.9%, Seventh-Day
Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985)
Languages:
English (official), Gilbertese
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985
est.)
@Kiribati, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form:
Kiribati
former:
Gilbert Islands
Digraph:
KR
Type:
republic
Capital:
Tarawa
Administrative divisions:
3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
note:
a new administrative structure of 6 districts (Banaba, Central
Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa)
may have been changed to 21 island councils (one for each of the
inhabited islands) named Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba,
Beru, Butaritari, Canton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei,
Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa,
Teraina
Independence:
12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
12 July 1979
Legal system:
NA
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President (Beretitenti) Teatao TEANNAKI (since 8 July 1991); Vice
President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Taomati IUTA (since 8 July 1991);
election last held on 8 July 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996);
results - Teatao TEANNAKI 52%, Roniti TEIWAKI 28%
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president from an elected parliament
Legislative branch:
unicameral
House of Assembly (Maneaba Ni Maungatabu):
elections last held on 8 May 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (40 total; 39 elected)
percent of seats by party NA
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
National Progressive Party, Teatao TEANNAKI; Christian Democratic
Party, Teburoro TITO; New Movement Party, leader NA; Liberal Party,
Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaba Party, Roniti TEIWAKI
note:
there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in
Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
structures
Member of:
ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT
(nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU,
WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
Kiribati has no mission in the US
US diplomatic representation:
the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
Flag:
the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow
rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy
white stripes to represent the ocean
@Kiribati, Economy
Overview:
The country has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate
deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979. Copra and
fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has
fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP declined about 8% in 1987,
as the fish catch fell sharply to only one-fourth the level of 1986
and copra production was hampered by repeated rains. Output rebounded
strongly in 1988, with real GDP growing by 17%. The upturn in economic
growth came from an increase in copra production and a good fish
catch. Following the strong surge in output in 1988, GNP increased 1%
in both 1989 and 1990.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $36.8 million (1990 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$525 (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$29.9 million
expenditures:
$16.3 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1990
est.)
Exports:
$4.2 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
copra 50%, seaweed 16%, fish 15%
partners:
Denmark, Fiji, US
Imports:
$33.1 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods,
fuel
partners:
Australia 40%, Japan 18%, Fiji 17%, NZ 6%, US 4% (1991)
External debt:
$2 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.7% (1992 est.); accounts for less than 4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
5,000 kW
production:
13 million kWh
consumption per capita:
190 kWh (1990)
Industries:
fishing, handicrafts
Agriculture:
accounts for 23% of GDP (including fishing); copra and fish contribute
about 65% to exports; subsistence farming predominates; food crops -
taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; not self-sufficient in
food
Economic aid:
recipient:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $273 million
Currency:
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704
(1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)
Fiscal year:
NA
@Kiribati, Communications
Highways:
total:
640 km
paved:
NA
unpaved:
NA
Inland waterways:
small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands
Ports:
Banaba and Betio (Tarawa)
Merchant marine:
1 passenger-cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295
DWT
Airports:
total:
21
usable:
20
with permanent-surface runways:
4
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
5
Telecommunications:
1,400 telephones; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific
Ocean INTELSAT earth station
@Kiribati, Defense Forces
Branches:
Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary
duties; there are small police posts on all islands); no military
force is maintained
Defense expenditures:
$NA, NA% of GDP
@Korea, North, Geography
Location:
Eastern Asia, between China and South Korea
Map references:
Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
120,540 sq km
land area:
120,410 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries:
total 1,673 km, China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline:
2,495 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
military boundary line:
50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the
Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission
are banned
International disputes:
short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line
with South Korea
Climate:
temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain:
mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal
plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Natural resources:
coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper,
gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
18%
permanent crops:
1%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
74%
other:
7%
Irrigated land:
14,000 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
localized air pollution attributable to inadequate industrial controls
natural hazards:
late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; subject to
occasional typhoons which occur during the early fall
international agreements:
party to - Antarctic Treaty, Environmental Modification, Ship
Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely
populated
@Korea, North, People
Population:
23,066,573 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.83% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
23.75 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
27.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
69.78 years
male:
66.69 years
female:
73.02 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Korean(s)
adjective:
Korean
Ethnic divisions:
racially homogeneous
Religions:
Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and syncretic Chondogyo
note:
autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
religious freedom
Languages:
Korean
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
99%
male:
99%
female:
99%
Labor force:
9.615 million
by occupation:
agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
note:
shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
@Korea, North, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form:
North Korea
local long form:
Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form:
none
Abbreviation:
DPRK
Digraph:
KN
Type:
Communist state; Stalinist dictatorship
Capital:
P'yongyang
Administrative divisions:
9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi,
singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto
(North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province),
Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South
Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon
Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan
Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si*
(P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Independence:
9 September 1948
note:
15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and celebrated
in North Korea as National Liberation Day
National holiday:
DPRK Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution:
adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
April 1992
Legal system:
based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and
Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President KIM Il-song (national leader since 1948, president since 28
December 1972); designated successor KIM Chong-il (son of president,
born 16 February 1942); election last held 24 May 1990 (next to be
held by NA 1995); results - President KIM Il-song was reelected
without opposition
head of government:
Premier KANG Song-san (since December 1992)
cabinet:
State Administration Council; appointed by the Supreme People's
Assembly
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui):
elections last held on 7-9 April 1993 (next to be held NA); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (687 total) the KWP approves a
single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor
parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch:
Central Court
Political parties and leaders:
major party - Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general
secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee;
Korean Social Democratic Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist
Chongu Party, YU Mi-yong, chairwoman
Member of:
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, INTELSAT
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
none
US diplomatic representation:
none
Flag:
three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a
white disk with a red five-pointed star
@Korea, North, Economy