standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more
open-market economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe
depression accompanying the collapse of the previous centrally
planned system in 1990 and 1991. However, a weakening of government
resolve to maintain stabilization policies in the election year of
1996 contributed to renewal of inflationary pressures, spurred by
the budget deficit which exceeded 12%. The collapse of financial
pyramid schemes in early 1997--which had attracted deposits from a
substantial portion of Albania's population--triggered severe social
unrest which led to more than 1,500 deaths, widespread destruction
of property, and an 8% drop in GDP. The new government installed in
July 1997 has taken strong measures to restore public order and to
revive economic activity and trade. The economy continues to be
bolstered by remittances of some 20% of the labor force which works
abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These remittances supplement GDP
and help offset the large foreign trade deficit. Most agricultural
land was privatized in 1992, substantially improving peasant
incomes. In 1998, Albania probably recovered most if not all of the
7% drop in GDP of 1997.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,490 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 56%
industry: 21%
services: 23% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 19.6% (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 1.692 million (1994 est.) (including 352,000
emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture (nearly all private; but
some state employed) 49.5%, private business sector 22.2%, state
business sector 28.3% (including state-owned industry 7.8%);
note--includes only those domestically employed
Unemployment rate: 14% (October 1997) officially, but likely to
be as high as 28%
Budget:
revenues: $624 million
expenditures: $996 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil,
cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
Electricity--production: 5.12 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 4.3%
hydro: 95.7%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 5.27 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996) (1996)
Electricity--imports: 150 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: wide range of temperate-zone crops and
livestock
Exports: $212 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: asphalt, metals and metallic ores,
electricity, crude oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports--partners: Italy, Greece, Germany, Belgium, US
Imports: $791 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery, consumer goods, grains
Imports--partners: Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Debt--external: $645 million (1996)
Economic aid--recipient: $630 million (1997 pledged)
Currency: 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Exchange rates: leke (L) per US$1--139.93 (January 1999), 150.63
(1998), 148.93 (1997), 104.50 (1996), 92.70 (1995), 94.62 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 55,000
Telephone system:
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for
every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist
government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used
it to build fences
international: inadequate; international traffic carried by
microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 3, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios: 577,000 (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13 (1997)
Televisions: 300,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 447 km (none electrified)
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 18,000 km
paved: 5,400 km
unpaved: 12,600 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake
Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural
gas 64 km (1991)
Ports and harbors: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Merchant marine:
total: 8 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,394 GRT/41,429
DWT (1998 est.)
Airports: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 763,949 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 622,013 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 32,954 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $60 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: the Albanian Government supports
protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders
but has downplayed them to further its primary foreign policy goal
of regional cooperation; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks
independence from Serbian Republic; Albanians in The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia claim discrimination in education, access to
public-sector jobs, and representation in government
Illicit drugs: increasingly active transshipment point for
Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan
route and--to a far lesser extent--cocaine from South America destined
for Western Europe; limited opium and cannabis production; ethnic
Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and rapidly expanding
in Europe
======================================================================
@Algeria
-------
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Morocco and Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 3 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km,
Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Coastline: 998 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry
summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high
plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in
summer
Terrain: mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
uranium, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 13%
forests and woodland: 2%
other: 82% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,550 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;
mud slides
Environment--current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing and
other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw
sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is
leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean
Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion,
and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography--note: second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
People
Population: 31,133,486 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37% (male 5,911,910; female 5,696,538)
15-64 years: 59% (male 9,255,702; female 9,063,954)
65 years and over: 4% (male 559,570; female 645,812) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.52 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 43.82 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.24 years
male: 68.07 years
female: 70.46 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.27 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian
Ethnic groups: Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and
Jewish 1%
Languages: Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.6%
male: 73.9%
female: 49% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash
Shabiyah
local short form: Al Jaza'ir
Data code: AG
Government type: republic
Capital: Algiers
Administrative divisions: 48 provinces (wilayas,
singular--wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba,
Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira,
Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf,
Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara,
Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el
Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras,
Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi
Ouzou, Tlemcen
Independence: 5 July 1962 (from France)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)
Constitution: 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976;
revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996;
note--referendum approving the revisions of 28 November 1996 was
signed into law 7 December 1996
Legal system: socialist, based on French and Islamic law;
judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council
composed of various public officials, including several Supreme
Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Liamine ZEROUAL (appointed president 31
January 1994, elected president 16 November 1995)
head of government: Interim Prime Minister Smail HAMDANI (since 15
December 1998); note--appointed as interim prime minister until April
1999 presidential elections
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 16 November 1995 (next to be held NA April 1999;
note--ZEROUAL announced in September 1998 his intention to step down
after early presidential elections); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Liamine ZEROUAL elected president; percent of
vote--Liamine ZEROUAL 61.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National
People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (380 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the
Council of Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by
the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve
six-year terms; created as a result of the constitutional revision
of November 1996)
elections: National People's Assembly--last held 5 June 1997 (next to
be held NA 2001); elections for two-thirds of the Council of
Nations--last held 25 December 1997 (next to be held NA 2003)
election results: National People's Assembly--percent of vote by
party--NA%; seats by party--RND 156, MSP 69, FLN 62, Nahda Movement
34, FFS 20, RCD 19, PT 4, Republican Progressive Party 3, Union for
Democracy and Freedoms 1, Liberal Social Party 1, independents 11;
Council of Nations--percent of vote by party--NA%; seats by party--RND
80, FLN 10, FFS 4, MSP 2 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the
president, party breakdown NA)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders: Islamic Salvation Front or FIS
BENHAMOUDA, secretary general]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS
note: the government established a multiparty system in September
1989 and, as of 31 December 1990, over 50 legal parties existed; a
new party law was enacted in March 1997
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OAS
(observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ramtane LAMAMRA
chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Cameron R. HUME
embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers
Flag description: two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side)
and white with a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent; the
crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
(the state religion)
Economy
Economy--overview: The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the
economy, accounting for roughly 52% of budget revenues, 25% of GDP,
and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the fifth-largest
reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas
exporter; it ranks fourteenth for oil reserves. Algiers' efforts to
reform one of the most centrally planned economies in the Arab world
began after the 1986 collapse of world oil prices plunged the
country into a severe recession. In 1989, the government launched a
comprehensive, IMF-supported program to achieve economic
stabilization and to introduce market mechanisms into the economy.
Despite substantial progress toward economic adjustment, in 1992 the
reform drive stalled as Algiers became embroiled in political
turmoil. In September 1993, a new government was formed, and one
priority was the resumption and acceleration of the structural
adjustment process. Burdened with a heavy foreign debt, Algiers
concluded a one-year standby arrangement with the IMF in April 1994
and the following year signed onto a three-year extended fund
facility which ended 30 April 1998. Progress on economic reform, a
Paris Club debt rescheduling in 1995, and oil and gas sector
expansion have contributed to a recovery since 1995. Investments in
developing hydrocarbon resources have spurred growth, but the
economy remains heavily dependent on volatile oil and gas revenues.
The government has continued efforts to diversify the economy by
attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector
in order to reduce high unemployment and improve living standards.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$140.2 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.2% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$4,600 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 51%
services: 37% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 22.6% (1995 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.8% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 7.8 million (1996 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: government 29.5%, agriculture 22%,
construction and public works 16.2%, industry 13.6%, commerce and
services 13.5%, transportation and communication 5.2% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $14.4 billion
expenditures: $15.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.4
million (1998 est.)
Industries: petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining,
electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: -4% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 18.4 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 98.91%
hydro: 1.09%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 18.13 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 490 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 220 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives,
citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle
Exports: $14 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports--commodities: petroleum and natural gas 97%
Exports--partners: Italy 18.8%, US 14.8%, France 11.8%, Spain 8%,
Germany 7.9% (1995 est.)
Imports: $8.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Imports--commodities: capital goods, food and beverages, consumer
goods
Imports--partners: France 29%, Spain 10.5%, Italy 8.2%, US 8%,
Germany 5.6% (1995 est.)
Debt--external: $31.4 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $897.5 million (1994)
Currency: 1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1--61.264 (January
1999), 58.739 (1998), 57.707 (1997), 54.749 (1996), 47.663 (1995),
35.059 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1,381,342 (5,200 cellular telephone subscribers)
(1997)
Telephone system:
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic
earth stations are planned)
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy,
France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and
Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations--2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and
1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 23, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1998 est.)
Radios: 3.5 million (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 18 (not including low-power
stations) (1997)
Televisions: 2 million (1998 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,772 km
standard gauge: 3,616 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge
Highways:
total: 102,424 km
paved: 70,570 km (including 608 km of expressways)
unpaved: 31,854 km (1995 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural
gas 2,948 km
Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf,
Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes
Merchant marine:
total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 933,672 GRT/1,094,104
DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas
tanker 11, oil tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea
passenger 5, specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 137 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 51
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 24
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 86
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 40
under 914 m: 19 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force,
Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 8,237,682 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,046,931 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 359,592 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.3 billion (1994)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.7% (1994)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: part of southeastern region claimed by
Libya
======================================================================
@American Samoa
--------------
Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 14 20 S, 170 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 199 sq km
land: 199 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island
Area--comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 116 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds;
annual rainfall averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to
April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature
variation
Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited
coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Lata 966 m
Natural resources: pumice, pumicite
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 70%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons common from December to March
Environment--current issues: limited natural fresh water
resources; the water division of the government has spent
substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments
and pipelines
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater
harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough
seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds;
strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean
People
Population: 63,786 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39% (male 12,840; female 12,074)
15-64 years: 56% (male 17,933; female 18,035)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,494; female 1,410) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.64% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 26.53 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.04 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.19 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.46 years
male: 71.23 years
female: 79.95 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.66 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: American Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan
Ethnic groups: Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%,
other 5%
Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant denominations and other 30%
Languages: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other
Polynesian languages), English
note: most people are bilingual
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 97% (1980 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS
Data code: AQ
Dependency status: unincorporated and unorganized territory of
the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department
of the Interior
Government type: NA
Capital: Pago Pago
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the
second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western
Independence: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Territorial Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal