conventional long form:
United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
conventional short form:
United Kingdom
Abbreviation:
UK
Digraph:
UK
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
London
Administrative divisions:
47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3
islands areas
England:
39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire,
Buckingham, Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby,
Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater
London*, Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester,
Hertford, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester,
Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North
Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*,
Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*,
West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire
Northern Ireland:
26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge,
Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon,
Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry,
Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh,
Strabane
Scotland:
9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway,
Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde,
Tayside, Western Isles*
Wales:
8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South
Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
Dependent areas:
Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin
Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong
Kong (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on
1 July 1997), Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint
Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos
Islands
Independence:
1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)
National holiday:
Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)
Constitution:
unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system:
common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental
influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince
CHARLES (son of the Queen, born 14 November 1948)
head of government:
Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990)
cabinet:
Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament
House of Lords:
consists of a 1,200-member body, four-fifths are hereditary peers, 2
archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of
Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers
House of Commons:
elections last held 9 April 1992 (next to be held by NA April 1997);
results - Conservative 41.9%, Labor 34.5%, Liberal Democratic 17.9%,
other 5.7%; seats - (651 total) Conservative 336, Labor 271, Liberal
Democratic 20, other 24
Judicial branch:
House of Lords
Political parties and leaders:
Conservative and Unionist Party, John MAJOR; Labor Party; Liberal
Democrats (LD), Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN; Scottish National Party, Alex
SALMOND; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru), Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY;
Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), James MOLYNEAUX; Democratic
Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), Rev. Ian PAISLEY; Ulster Popular
Unionist Party (Northern Ireland), Sir James KILFEDDER; Social
Democratic and Labor Party (SDLP, Northern Ireland), John HUME; Sinn
Fein (Northern Ireland), Gerry ADAMS
Other political or pressure groups:
Trades Union Congress; Confederation of British Industry; National
Farmers' Union; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB
(non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE,
ECLAC, EIB, ESCAP, 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 (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
MTRC, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNFICYP,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UNTAC, UN
Trusteeship Council, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Sir Robin RENWICK
chancery:
3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 462-1340
FAX:
(202) 898-4255
consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York,
and San Francisco,
consulate(s):
Dallas, Miami, Nuku'alofa, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador-designate Adm. William CROWE
embassy:
24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W.1A1AE
mailing address:
PSC 801, Box 40, FPO AE 09498-4040
telephone:
[44] (71) 499-9000
FAX:
[44] (71) 409-1637
consulate(s) general:
Belfast and Edinburgh
Flag:
blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England)
edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick
(patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white
cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union
Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign)
have been the basis for a number of other flags including
dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
@United Kingdom, Economy
Overview:
The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial
centers, and its economy ranks among the four largest in Western
Europe. The economy is essentially capitalistic; over the past
thirteen years the ruling Tories have greatly reduced public ownership
and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is
intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,
producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The
UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves, and primary energy
production accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any
industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and
business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance, now employing only
25% of the work force and generating only 21% of GDP. The economy is
emerging out of its 3-year recession with only weak recovery in 1993;
even so, the economy fared better in 1993 than the economies of most
other European countries. Unemployment is hovering around 10% of the
labor force. The government in 1992 adopted a pro-growth strategy,
cutting interest rates sharply and removing the pound from the
European exchange rate mechanism. Excess industrial capacity probably
will moderate inflation which for the first time in a decade is below
the EC average. The major economic policy question for Britain in the
1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and
economic integration of Europe.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $980.2 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
2.1% (1993)
National product per capita:
$16,900 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.6% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
10.3% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
$325.5 billion
expenditures:
$400.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $33 billion (1993
est.)
Exports:
$190.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods,
transport equipment
partners:
EC countries 56.7% (Germany 14.0%, France 11.1%, Netherlands 7.9%), US
10.9%
Imports:
$221.6 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs,
consumer goods
partners:
EC countries 51.7% (Germany 14.9%, France 9.3%, Netherlands 8.4%), US
11.6%
External debt:
$16.2 billion (June 1992)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.2% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
99,000,000 kW
production:
317 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
5,480 kWh (1992)
Industries:
production machinery including machine tools, electric power
equipment, equipment for the automation of production, railroad
equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts,
electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal,
petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles,
clothing, and other consumer goods
Agriculture:
accounts for only 1.5% of GDP and 1% of labor force; highly mechanized
and efficient farms; wide variety of crops and livestock products
produced; about 60% self-sufficient in food and feed needs
Illicit drugs:
gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European
market; producer of synthetic drugs; money-laundering center
Economic aid:
donor:
ODA and OOF commitments (1992-93), $3.2 billion
Currency:
1 British pound (#) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
British pounds (#) per US$1 - 0.6699 (January 1994), 0.6033 (1993),
0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 April-31 March
@United Kingdom, Communications
Railroads:
UK, 16,914 km total; Great Britain's British Railways (BR) operates
16,584 km 1,435-mm (standard) gauge (including 4,545 km electrified
and 12,591 km double or multiple track), several additional small
standard-gauge and narrow-gauge lines are privately owned and
operated; Northern Ireland Railways (NIR) operates 330 km 1,600-mm
gauge (including 190 km double track)
Highways:
total:
362,982 km (Great Britian 339,483 km; Northern Ireland 23,499 km)
paved:
362,390 km (Great Britian 339,483 km, including 2,573 km limited
access divided highway; Northern Ireland 22,907 km)
unpaved:
gravel 592 km (in Northern Ireland)
Inland waterways:
2,291 total; British Waterways Board, 606 km; Port Authorities, 706
km; other, 979 km
Pipelines:
crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993
km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports:
London, Liverpool, Felixstowe, Tees and Hartlepool, Dover, Sullom Voe,
Southampton
Merchant marine:
180 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,428,571 GRT/4,297,489 DWT,
bulk 17, cargo 35, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container
24, liquefied gas 5, oil tanker 59, passenger 7, passenger cargo 1,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger
14, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
497
usable:
388
with permanent-surface runways:
251
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
37
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
133
Telecommunications:
technologically advanced domestic and international system; 30,200,000
telephones; equal mix of buried cables, microwave and optical-fiber
systems; excellent countrywide broadcast systems; broadcast stations -
225 AM, 525 (mostly repeaters) FM, 207 (3,210 repeaters) TV; 40
coaxial submarine cables; 5 satellite ground stations operating in
INTELSAT (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), INMARSAT, and EUTELSAT
systems; at least 8 large international switching centers
@United Kingdom, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 14,432,081; fit for military service 12,056,828
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $34.8 billion, 3.7% of GDP (FY93/94)
@United States, Geography
Location:
North America, between Canada and Mexico
Map references:
North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
9,372,610 sq km
land area:
9,166,600 sq km
comparative area:
about half the size of Russia; about three-tenths the size of Africa;
about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than
Brazil); slightly smaller than China; about two and one-half times the
size of Western Europe
note:
includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Land boundaries:
total 12,248 km, Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska),
Cuba 29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km
Coastline:
19,924 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm depth
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea,
Strait of Juan de Fuca); US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased
from Cuba and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can
terminate the lease; Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no
territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so)
and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Republic of
Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
Climate:
mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida and arctic in
Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River and
arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures in
the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February by
warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain:
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in
east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged,
volcanic topography in Hawaii
Natural resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold,
iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, petroleum,
natural gas, timber
Land use:
arable land:
20%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
26%
forest and woodland:
29%
other:
25%
Irrigated land:
181,020 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
air pollution resulting in acid rain in both the US and Canada; the US
is the largest single emitter of carbon dioxide from the burning of
fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff of pesticides and
fertilizers; sparse water resources in much of the western part of the
country requires careful management; desertification
natural hazards:
tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around Pacific Basin;
hurricanes along the Atlantic coast; tornadoes in the midwest;
mudslides in California; forest fires in the west; flooding;
permafrost in northern Alaska is a major impediment to development
international agreements:
party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Antarctic
Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, 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, Biodiversity,
Hazardous Wastes
Note:
world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)
@United States, People
Population:
260,713,585 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.99% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
15.2 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
8.68 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
3.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.11 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
75.9 years
male:
72.58 years
female:
79.39 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.06 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
American(s)
adjective:
American
Ethnic divisions:
white 83.4%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Native American 0.8% (1992)
Religions:
Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10%
(1989)
Languages:
English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy:
age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1991)
total population:
97%
male:
97%
female:
97%
Labor force:
129.525 million (includes armed forces and unemployed); civilian labor
force 128.040 million) (1993)
by occupation:
managerial and professional 27.1%; technical, sales and administrative
support 30.9%; services 13.8%; manufacturing, mining, transportation,
and crafts 25.5%; farming, forestry, and fishing 2.8%
@United States, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
United States of America
conventional short form:
United States
Abbreviation:
US or USA
Digraph:
US
Type:
federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
Washington, DC
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas,
California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*,
Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas,
Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan,
Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New
Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North
Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South
Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia,
Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas:
American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island, Jarvis Island,
Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern
Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake
Island
note:
since 18 July 1947, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political
relationship with three of the four political units; the Northern
Mariana Islands is a Commonwealth in political union with the US
(effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free
Association with the US that was approved by the US Congress but to
date the Compact process has not been completed in Palau, which
continues to be administered by the US as the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands; the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact
of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the
Republic of the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association
with the US (effective 21 October 1986)
Independence:
4 July 1776 (from England)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice
President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993); election last held
3 November 1992 (next to be held 5 November 1996); results - William
Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic Party) 43.2%, George BUSH (Republican
Party) 37.7%, Ross PEROT (Independent) 19.0%, other 0.1%
cabinet:
Cabinet; appointed by the president with Senate approval
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress
Senate:
elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994);
results - Democratic Party 53%, Republican Party 47%, other NEGL%;
seats - (100 total) Democratic Party 57, Republican Party 43
House of Representatives:
elections last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held 8 November 1994);
results - Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 46%, other 2%; seats
- (435 total) Democratic Party 258, Republican Party 176, Independent
1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
Republican Party, Haley BARBOUR, national committee chairman; Jeanie
AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, David C. WILHELM, national
committee chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political
significance
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC,
COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, FAO, ESCAP, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8,
G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNRWA, UN Security Council,
UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO,
ZC
Flag:
thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating
with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset
horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of
five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes
represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and
colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including
Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
@United States, Economy
Overview:
The US has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced
economy in the world, with a per capita GDP of $24,700, the largest
among major industrial nations. The economy is market oriented with
most decisions made by private individuals and business firms and with
government purchases of goods and services made predominantly in the
marketplace. In 1989 the economy enjoyed its seventh successive year
of substantial growth, the longest in peacetime history. The expansion
featured moderation in wage and consumer price increases and a steady
reduction in unemployment to 5.2% of the labor force. In 1990,
however, growth slowed to 1% because of a combination of factors, such
as the worldwide increase in interest rates, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait
in August, the subsequent spurt in oil prices, and a general decline
in business and consumer confidence. In 1991 output fell by 1%,
unemployment grew, and signs of recovery proved premature. Growth
picked up to 2.6% in 1992 and to 3.0% in 1993. Unemployment, however,
declined only gradually, the increase in GDP being mainly attributable
to gains in output per worker. Ongoing economic problems for the
remainder of the 1990s include inadequate investment in economic
infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and
trade deficits.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.379 trillion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
3% (1993)
National product per capita:
$24,700 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
6% (May 1994)
Budget:
revenues:
$1.1535 trillion
expenditures:
$1.4082 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
$449 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials,
consumer goods, agricultural products
partners:
Western Europe 24.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 10.5% (1993 est.)
Imports:
$582 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
crude oil and refined petroleum products, machinery, automobiles,
consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food and beverages
partners:
Canada, 19.3%, Western Europe 18.1%, Japan 18.1% (1993 est.)
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate 4.6% (1993); accounts for 23% of GDP (1991)
Electricity:
capacity:
780,000,000 kW
production:
3.23 trillion kWh
consumption per capita:
12,690 kWh (1992)
Industries:
leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified and
technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles, aerospace,
telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food processing, consumer
goods, lumber, mining
Agriculture:
accounts for 2% of GDP and 2.8% of labor force; favorable climate and
soils support a wide variety of crops and livestock production;
world's second largest producer and number one exporter of grain;
surplus food producer; fish catch of 4.4 million metric tons (1990)
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis for domestic consumption with 1987
production estimated at 3,500 metric tons or about 25% of the
available marijuana; ongoing eradication program aimed at small plots
and greenhouses has not reduced production
Economic aid:
donor:
commitments, including ODA and OOF, (FY80-89), $115.7 billion
Currency:
1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
British pounds:
(#) per US$ - 0.6699 (January 1994), 0.6033 (1993), 0.5664 (1992),
0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989)
Canadian dollars:
(Can$) per US$ - 1.3174 (January 1994), 1.2901 (1993), 1.2087 (1992),
1.1457 (1991), 1.1668 (1990), 1.1840 (1989)
French francs:
(F) per US$ - 5.9205 (January 1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992),
5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989)
Italian lire:
(Lit) per US$ - 1,700.2 (January 1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4
(1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1.372.1 (1989)
Japanese yen:
(Y) per US$ - 111.51 (January 1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992),
134.71 (1991), 144.79 (1990), 137.96 (1989)
German deutsche marks:
(DM) per US$ - 1.7431 (January 1994), 1.6533 (1993), 1.5617 (1992),
1.6595 (1991), 1.6157 (1990), 1.8800 (1989)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
@United States, Communications
Railroads:
240,000 km of mainline routes, all standard 1.435 meter track, no
government ownership (1989)
Highways:
total:
6,243,163 km
paved:
3,633,520 km (including 84,865 km of expressways)
unpaved:
2,609,643 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
41,009 km of navigable inland channels, exclusive of the Great Lakes
(est.)
Pipelines:
petroleum 276,000 km; natural gas 331,000 km (1991)
Ports:
Anchorage, Baltimore, Beaumont, Boston, Charleston, Chicago,
Cleveland, Duluth, Freeport, Galveston, Hampton Roads, Honolulu,
Houston, Jacksonville, Long Beach, Los Angeles, Milwaukee, Mobile, New
Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, Portland (Oregon), Richmond
(California), San Francisco, Savannah, Seattle, Tampa, Wilmington
Merchant marine:
385 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,567,000 GRT/19,511,000 DWT,
bulk 23, cargo 36, intermodal 128, liquefied gas 13, passenger-cargo
3, tanker 169, tanker tug-barge 13
note:
in addition, there are 219 government-owned vessels
Airports:
total:
14,177
usable:
12,417
with permanent-surface runways:
4,820
with runways over 3,659 m:
63
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
325
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
2,524
Telecommunications:
126,000,000 telephone access lines; 7,557,000 cellular phone
subscribers; broadcast stations - 4,987 AM, 4,932 FM, 1,092 TV; about
9,000 TV cable systems; 530,000,000 radio sets and 193,000,000 TV sets
in use; 16 satellites and 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite
ground stations - 45 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 16 Pacific Ocean
INTELSAT (1990)
@United States, Defense Forces
Branches:
Department of the Army, Department of the Navy (including Marine
Corps), Department of the Air Force
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $315.5 billion, 5.3% of GDP (1992)
@Uruguay, Geography