conventional long form:
Republic of Poland
conventional short form:
Poland
local long form:
Rzeczpospolita Polska
local short form:
Polska
Digraph:
PL
Type:
democratic state
Capital:
Warsaw
Administrative divisions:
49 provinces (wojewodztwa, singular - wojewodztwo); Biala Podlaska,
Bialystok, Bielsko Biala, Bydgoszcz, Chelm, Ciechanow, Czestochowa,
Elblag, Gdansk, Gorzow, Jelenia Gora, Kalisz, Katowice, Kielce, Konin,
Koszalin, Krakow, Krosno, Legnica, Leszno, Lodz, Lomza, Lublin, Nowy
Sacz, Olsztyn, Opole, Ostroleka, Pila, Piotrkow, Plock, Poznan,
Przemysl, Radom, Rzeszow, Siedlce, Sieradz, Skierniewice, Slupsk,
Suwalki, Szczecin, Tarnobrzeg, Tarnow, Torun, Walbrzych, Warszawa,
Wloclawek, Wroclaw, Zamosc, Zielona Gora
Independence:
11 November 1918 (independent republic proclaimed)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 3 May (1791)
Constitution:
interim "small constitution" came into effect in December 1992
replacing the Communist-imposed Constitution of 22 July 1952; new
democratic Constitution being drafted
Legal system:
mixture of Continental (Napoleonic) civil law and holdover Communist
legal theory; changes being gradually introduced as part of broader
democratization process; limited judicial review of legislative acts;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Lech WALESA (since 22 December 1990); election first round
held 25 November 1990, second round held 9 December 1990 (next to be
held NA November 1995); results - second round Lech WALESA 74.7%,
Stanislaw TYMINSKI 25.3%
head of government:
Prime Minister Waldemar PAWLAK (since 26 October 1993)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; responsible to the president and the Sejm
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly (Zgromadzenie Narodowe)
Senate (Senat):
elections last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held no later than
NA October 1997); seats - (100 total)
post-Solidarity bloc:
UW 6, NSZZ 12, BBWR 2
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:
independents 7, unaffiliated 1, vacant 1 (to be filled in a 19 June
election)
Communist origin or linked:
PSL 34, SLD 37
Diet (Sejm):
elections last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held no later than
NA October 1997); seats - (460 total)
post-Solidarity bloc:
UW 74, UP 41, BBWR 16
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:
KPN 22
Communist origin or linked:
SLD 171, PSL 132
note:
4 seats were won by ethnic Germans
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
post-Solidarity parties:
Freedom Union (WD; UD and Liberal Democratic Congress merged to form
Freedom Union), Tadeusz MAZOWIECKI; Christian-National Union (ZCHN),
Wieslaw CHRZANOWSKI; Centrum (PC), Jaroslaw KACZYNSKI; Peasant
Alliance (PL), Gabriel JANOWSKI; Solidarity Trade Union (NSZZ), Marian
KRZAKLEWSKI; Union of Labor (UP), Ryszard BUGAJ; Christian-Democratic
Party (PCHD), Pawel LACZKOWSKI; Conservative Party, Alexander HALL;
Nonparty Bloc for the Support of the Reforms (BBWR)
non-Communist, non-Solidarity:
Confederation for an Independent Poland (KPN), Leszek MOCZULSKI;
Polish Economic Program (PPG), Janusz REWINSKI; Christian Democrats
(CHD), Andrzej OWSINSKI; German Minority (MN), Henryk KROL; Union of
Real Politics (UPR), Janusz KORWIN-MIKKE; Democratic Party (SD),
Antoni MACKIEWICZ; Party X, Stanislaw Tyminski
Communist origin or linked:
Social Democracy (SDRP, party of Poland), Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI;
Polish Peasants' Party (PSL), Waldemar PAWLAK; Democratic Left
Alliance, Aleksander KWASNIEWSKI
Other political or pressure groups:
powerful Roman Catholic Church; Solidarity (trade union); All Poland
Trade Union Alliance (OPZZ), populist program
Member of:
BIS, BSEC (observer), CBSS, CCC, CE, CEI, CERN, COCOM (cooperating),
CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, ILO,
IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNDOF, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR,
UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Jerzy KOZMINSKI
chancery:
2640 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 234-3800 through 3802
FAX:
(202) 328-6271
consulate(s) general:
Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Nicholas A. REY
embassy:
Aleje Ujazdowskie 29/31, Warsaw
mailing address:
American Embassy Warsaw, Unit 1340, or APO AE 09213-1340
telephone:
[48] (2) 628-3041
FAX:
[48] (2) 628-8298
consulate(s) general:
Krakow, Poznan
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; similar to the
flags of Indonesia and Monaco which are red (top) and white
@Poland, Economy
Overview:
Poland is continuing the difficult transition to a market economy that
began on 1 January 1990, when the new democratic government instituted
"shock therapy" by decontrolling prices, slashing subsidies, and
drastically reducing import barriers. The economy contracted sharply
in 1990 and 1991, but in 1992 real GDP grew 1% despite a severe
drought. Real GDP expanded about 4% in 1993, the highest rate in
Europe except for Albania. About half of GDP now comes from the
private sector even though privatization of the large state-owned
enterprises is proceeding slowly and most industry remains in state
hands. The pattern of industrial production is changing rapidly;
output of textiles and construction materials is well above 1990
levels, while output of basic metals remains depressed. Inflation,
which had exceeded 50% monthly in late 1989, was down to about 37% for
all of 1993, as the government held the budget deficit below 3% of
GDP. Unemployment has risen steadily, however, to about 16%. The trade
deficit is also a problem, in part due to recession in Western Europe,
Poland's main customer. The new government elected in September 1993
is politically to the left of its predecessor but is continuing the
reform process.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $180.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
4.1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
$4,680 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
37% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
15.7% (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
$24.3 billion
expenditures:
$27.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1993
est.)
Exports:
$13.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery 24%, metals 17%, chemicals 12%, fuels and power 11%, food
10% (1992)
partners:
Germany 31.4%, Netherlands 6.0%, Italy 5.6%, Russia 5.5% (1992)
Imports:
$15.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
fuels and power 17%, machinery 36%, chemicals 17%, food 8% (1992)
partners:
Germany 23.9%, Russia 8.5%, Italy 6.9%, UK 6.7% (1992)
External debt:
$47 billion (1993); note - Poland's Western government creditors
promised in 1991 to forgive 30% of Warsaw's $35 billion official debt
immediately and to forgive another 20% in 1994; foreign banks agreed
in early 1994 to forgive 45% of their $12 billion debt claim
Industrial production:
growth rate 7% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
31,530,000 kW
production:
137 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
3,570 kWh (1992)
Industries:
machine building, iron and steel, extractive industries, chemicals,
shipbuilding, food processing, glass, beverages, textiles
Agriculture:
accounts for 7% of GDP and a much larger share of labor force; 75% of
output from private farms, 25% from state farms; productivity remains
low by European standards; leading European producer of rye, rapeseed,
and potatoes; wide variety of other crops and livestock; major
exporter of pork products; normally self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
illicit producers of opium for domestic consumption and amphetamines
for the international market; transshipment point for Asian and Latin
American illicit drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
donor:
bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-89),
$2.2 billion
recipient:
Western governments and institutions have pledged $8 billion in grants
and loans since 1989, but most of the money has not been disbursed
Currency:
1 zloty (Zl) = 100 groszy
Exchange rates:
zlotych (Zl) per US$1 - 21,080 (January 1994), 18,115 (1993), 13,626
(1992), 10,576 (1991), 9,500 (1990), 1,439.18 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Poland, Communications
Railroads:
26,250 km total; 23,857 km 1.435-meter gauge, 397 km 1.520-meter
gauge, 1,996 km narrow gauge; 8,987 km double track; 11,510 km
electrified; government owned (1991)
Highways:
total:
360,629 km (excluding farm, factory and forest roads)
paved:
220,000 km (220 km of which are limited access expressways)
unpaved:
140,629 km (1988)
Inland waterways:
3,997 km navigable rivers and canals (1991)
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,986 km; petroleum products 360 km; natural gas 4,600 km
(1992)
Ports:
Gdansk, Gdynia, Szczecin, Swinoujscie; principal inland ports are
Gliwice on Kanal Gliwicki, Wrocaw on the Oder, and Warsaw on the
Vistula
Merchant marine:
173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,327,855 GRT/3,458,445 DWT,
bulk 89, cargo 57, chemical tanker 4, container 8, oil tanker 1,
passenger 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8, short-sea passenger 5
note:
Poland owns 3 ships operating under Liberian registry
Airports:
total:
209
usable:
167
with permanent-surface runways:
70
with runway over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
47
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
78
note:
a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
severely underdeveloped and outmoded system; cable, open wire and
microwave; phone density is 10.5 phones per 100 residents (October
1990); 3.6 million telephone subscribers; exchanges are 86% automatic
(1991); broadcast stations - 27 AM, 27 FM, 40 (5 Soviet repeaters) TV;
9.6 million TVs; 1 satellite earth station using INTELSAT, EUTELSAT,
INMARSAT and Intersputnik
@Poland, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 10,046,993; fit for military service 7,856,680; reach
military age (19) annually 316,339 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
30.8 trillion zlotych, 1.8% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of
defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate
could produce misleading results
@Portugal, Geography
Location:
Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean west of Spain
Map references:
Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
92,080 sq km
land area:
91,640 sq km
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Indiana
note:
includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Land boundaries:
total 1,214 km, Spain 1,214 km
Coastline:
1,793 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with
Indonesia
Climate:
maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Terrain:
mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south
Natural resources:
fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble
Land use:
arable land:
32%
permanent crops:
6%
meadows and pastures:
6%
forest and woodland:
40%
other:
16%
Irrigated land:
6,340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle
emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
natural hazards:
Azores subject to severe earthquakes
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands;
signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban
Note:
Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western
sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
@Portugal, People
Population:
10,524,210 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.36% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
11.66 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
9.7 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
1.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
9.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
75.2 years
male:
71.77 years
female:
78.86 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.46 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Portuguese (singular and plural)
adjective:
Portuguese
Ethnic divisions:
homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands;
citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during
decolonization number less than 100,000
Religions:
Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%
Languages:
Portuguese
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
85%
male:
89%
female:
82%
Labor force:
4,605,700
by occupation:
services 45%, industry 35%, agriculture 20% (1988)
@Portugal, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Portuguese Republic
conventional short form:
Portugal
local long form:
Republica Portuguesa
local short form:
Portugal
Digraph:
PO
Type:
republic
Capital:
Lisbon
Administrative divisions:
18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous
regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro,
Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra,
Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto,
Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Dependent areas:
Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on
20 December 1999)
Independence:
1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)
National holiday:
Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)
Constitution:
25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982 and 1 June 1989
Legal system:
civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the
constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President Dr. Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES (since 9 March 1986);
election last held 13 February 1991 (next to be held NA February
1996); results - Dr. Mario Lopes SOARES 70%, Basilio HORTA 14%, Carlos
CARVALHAS 13%, Carlos MARQUES 3%
head of government:
Prime Minister Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 6 November 1985)
Council of State:
acts as a consultative body to the president
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on recommendation of
the prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral
Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica):
elections last held 6 October 1991 (next to be held NA October 1995);
results - PSD 50.4%, PS 29.3%, CDU 8.8%, Center Democrats 4.4%,
National Solidarity Party 1.7%, PRD 0.6%, other 4.8%; seats - (230
total) PSD 136, PS 71, CDU 17, Center Democrats 5, National Solidarity
Party 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Tribunal of Justice (Supremo Tribunal de Justica)
Political parties and leaders:
Social Democratic Party (PSD), Anibal CAVACO Silva; Portuguese
Socialist Party (PS), Antonio GUTERRES; Party of Democratic Renewal
(PRD), Pedro CANAVARRO; Portuguese Communist Party (PCP), Carlos
CARVALHAS; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Manuel MONTEIRO; National
Solidarity Party (PSN), Manuel SERGIO; Center Democratic Party (CDS);
United Democratic Coalition (CDU; Communists)
Member of:
AfDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC,
ECE, ECLAC, EIB, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA,
IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA,
NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ,
UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Francisco Jose Laco Treichler KNOPFLI
chancery:
2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 328-8610
FAX:
(202) 462-3726
consulate(s) general:
Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco
consulate(s):
Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), and Providence (Rhode
Island)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Sharon P. WILKINSON
embassy:
Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon
mailing address:
PSC 83, Lisbon; APO AE 09726
telephone:
[351] (1) 726-6600 or 6659, 8670, 8880
FAX:
[351] (1) 726-9109
consulate(s):
Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Flag:
two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red
(three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the
dividing line
@Portugal, Economy
Overview:
Portugal's economy registered only 1.1% growth in 1992 and contracted
by 0.4% in 1993, in contrast to the 4.5% average of the fast-paced
1986-90 period. Recession in the European Union, which accounts for
75% of Portugal's international trade, is the key factor in the
downturn. The government's long-run economic goal is the modernization
of Portuguese markets, industry, infrastructure, and workforce in
order to catch up with productivity and income levels of the more
advanced EU countries. Per capita income now equals only 55% of the EU
average. The government's medium-term economic objective is to be in
the first tier of EU countries eligible to join the economic and
monetary union (EMU) as early as 1997. Economic policy in 1993 focused
on reducing inflationary pressures by lowering the fiscal deficit,
maintaining a stable escudo, moderating wage increases, and
encouraging increased competition. Resumption of growth in the short
run depends on the revival of growth in Europe as a whole, not a
likely prospect in the immediate future.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $91.5 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
-0.4% (1993)
National product per capita:
$8,700 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
7% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
$27.3 billion
expenditures:
$33.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.5 billion (1991
est.)
Exports:
$17.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
cotton textiles, cork and paper products, canned fish, wine, timber
and timber products, resin, machinery, appliances
partners:
EC 75.4%, other developed countries 12.4%, US 3.8% (1992)
Imports:
$28 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals,
petroleum, textiles
partners:
EC 72%, other developed countries 10.9% less developed countries
12.9%, US 3.4%
External debt:
$20 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 9.1% (1990); accounts for 40% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
6,624,000 kW
production:
26.4 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
2,520 kWh (1992)
Industries:
textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil
refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism
Agriculture:
accounts for 6.1% of GDP and 20% of labor force; small, inefficient
farms; imports more than half of food needs; major crops - grain,
potatoes, olives, grapes; livestock sector - sheep, cattle, goats,
poultry, meat, dairy products
Illicit drugs:
increasingly important gateway country for Latin American cocaine
entering the European market; transshipment point for hashish from
North Africa to Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.8 billion
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $1.2 billion
Currency:
1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 176.16 (January 1994), 160.80
(1993), 135.00 (1992), 144.48 (1991), 142.55 (1990), 157.46 (1989)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
@Portugal, Communications
Railroads:
3,625 km total; state-owned Portuguese Railroad Co. (CP) operates
2,858 km 1.665-meter gauge (434 km electrified and 426 km double
track), 755 km 1.000-meter gauge; 12 km (1.435-meter gauge)
electrified, double track, privately owned
Highways:
total:
73,661 km
paved and gravel:
61,599 km (including 453 km of expressways)
unpaved:
earth 12,062 km
Inland waterways:
820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by
shallow-draft craft limited to 300-metric-ton cargo capacity
Pipelines:
crude oil 22 km; petroleum products 58 km
Ports:
Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Velas (Azores),
Setubal, Sines
Merchant marine:
61 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 962,293 GRT/1,779,855 DWT, bulk
3, cargo 25, chemical tanker 4, container 3, liquified gas 2, oil
tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1, short-sea
passenger 2
note:
Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira (MAR) for
Portuguese-owned ships that will have the taxation and crewing
benefits of a flag of convenience; although only one ship currently is
known to fly the Portuguese flag on the MAR register, it is likely
that a majority of Portuguese flag ships will transfer to this
subregister in a few years
Airports:
total:
65
usable:
63
with permanent-surface runways:
37
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
10
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
11
Telecommunications:
generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire and
microwave radio relay; 2,690,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 57
AM, 66 (22 repeaters) FM, 66 (23 repeaters) TV; 6 submarine cables; 3
INTELSAT earth stations (2 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT,
domestic satellite systems (mainland and Azores); tropospheric link to
Azores
@Portugal, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, National Republican Guard,
Fiscal Guard, Public Security Police
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,723,987; fit for military service 2,207,637; reach
military age (20) annually 89,380 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.1 billion, 2.9% of GDP (1993)
@Puerto Rico
Header
Affiliation:
(commonwealth associated with the US)
@Puerto Rico, Geography
Location:
Caribbean, in the North Caribbean Sea, between the Dominican Republic
and the Virgin Islands group
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area:
9,104 sq km
land area:
8,959 sq km
comparative area:
slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
501 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 marine, mild, little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains
precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal
areas
Natural resources:
some copper and nickel, potential for onshore and offshore crude oil
Land use:
arable land:
8%
permanent crops:
9%
meadows and pastures:
41%
forest and woodland:
20%
other:
22%
Irrigated land:
390 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
NA
natural hazards:
NA
international agreements:
NA
Note:
important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the
Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors
in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure
land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal
plain belt in north
@Puerto Rico, People
Population:
3,801,977 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.13% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
16.5 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
7.93 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
-7.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
13.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.95 years
male:
70.42 years
female:
77.65 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.04 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Puerto Rican(s)
adjective:
Puerto Rican
Ethnic divisions:
Hispanic
Religions:
Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%
Languages:
Spanish (official), English widely understood
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
89%
male:
90%
female:
88%
Labor force:
1.17 million (1992)
by occupation:
government 20%, manufacturing 14%, trade 17%, construction 5%,
communications and transportation 5%, other 39% (1992)
@Puerto Rico, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form:
Puerto Rico
Digraph:
RQ
Type:
commonwealth associated with the US
Capital:
San Juan
Administrative divisions:
none (commonwealth associated with the US), note: there are 78
municipalities
Independence:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)
National holiday:
US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution:
ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective
25 July 1952
Legal system:
based on Spanish civil code
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but
do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state:
President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice
President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
head of government:
Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since NA January 1993); election last held 3
November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results - Pedro
ROSSELLO (PND) 50%, Victoria MUNOZ (PPD) 46%, Fernando MARTIN (PIP) 4%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Legislative Assembly
Senate:
elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November
1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (27 total) seats
by party NA
House of Representatives:
elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November
1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (53 total) seats
by party NA
US House of Representatives:
elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November
1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) seats
by party NA; note - Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US
House of Representatives, Carlos Romero BARCELO
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
National Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Freddy VALENTIN; Popular
Democratic Party (PPD), Rafael HERNANDEZ Colon; New Progressive Party
(PNP), Carlos ROMERO Barcelo; Puerto Rican Socialist Party (PSP), Juan
MARI Bras and Carlos GALLISA; Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP),
Ruben BERRIOS Martinez; Puerto Rican Communist Party (PCP), leader(s)
unknown
Other political or pressure groups:
all have engaged in terrorist activities - Armed Forces for National
Liberation (FALN); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution; Boricua
Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Armed Forces of Popular
Resistance
Member of:
CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU,
INTERPOL (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)
US diplomatic representation:
none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Flag:
five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with
white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large
white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag
@Puerto Rico, Economy