chief of state: President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since 26 November
1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and
confirmed by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term;
election last held 11 October 1998 (next to be held October 2003);
prime minister and first deputy prime ministers appointed by the
president and confirmed by the National Assembly
election results: Heydar ALIYEV elected president; percent of
vote--Heydar ALIYEV 76%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis
(125 seats; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 12 and 26 November 1995 (next to be held NA
2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NAP
and allies 115, APF 4, PNIA 3, Musavat Party 1, vacant 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: New Azerbaijan Party or NAP
ELCHIBEY, chairman]; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan
Political pressure groups and leaders: self-proclaimed Armenian
Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Sadval,
Lezgin movement
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest),
CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM
(observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hafiz Mir Jalal PASHAYEV
chancery: (temporary) Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC
20005 or P. O. Box 28790, Washington, DC 20038-8790
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley T. ESCUDERO
embassy: Azadliq Prospekt 83, Baku 370007
mailing address: American Embassy Baku, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7050
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top),
red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are
centered in red band
Economy
Economy--overview: Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than
either Armenia or Georgia, the other Caucasian states. It resembles
the Central Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high
structural unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's
most prominent products are oil, cotton, and natural gas. Production
from the Caspian oil field declined through 1997 but registered an
increase in 1998. Negotiation of more than a dozen
production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which
have thus far committed $30 billion to oil field development, should
generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil
production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan
International Operating Company, began in November 1997. Azerbaijan
shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in
making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its
considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku
has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old
economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. A major
short-term obstacle to economic progress, including stepped up
foreign investment, is the continuing conflict with Armenia over the
Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the other former
Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building
up with Turkey, Iran, the UAE, and the nations of Europe. A serious
long-term challenge is the maintenance of the competitiveness of
non-oil exports in world markets.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$12.9 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 10% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,640 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 22%
industry: 18%
services: 60% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -7.6% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 2.9 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry
and construction 15%, services 53% (1997)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $565 million
expenditures: $682 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products,
oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and
petrochemicals; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 16.035 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 90.55%
hydro: 9.45%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 16.8 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity--exports: 600 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 745 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit,
vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats
Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports--commodities: oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment,
textiles, cotton
Exports--partners: CIS, European countries, Turkey
Imports: $794 million (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and parts, consumer durables,
foodstuffs, textiles
Imports--partners: CIS, European countries, Turkey
Debt--external: $100 million (of which $75 million to Russia)
Economic aid--recipient: ODA, $113 million (1996)
Currency: manat=100 gopiks
Exchange rates: manats per US$1--3,865.00 (November 1998),
3,985.38 (1997), 4,301.26 (1996), 4,413.54 (1995), 1,570.23 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.414 million (1998)
Telephone system: Azerbaijani telecommunications fall under the
Ministry of Communications; Azerbaijan's telephone system is a
combination of old Soviet era technology used by Azerbaijani
citizens and small- to medium-size commercial establishments, and
modern cellular phones used by an increasing middle class, large
commercial ventures, international companies, and most government
officials; the average citizen waits on a 200,000-person list for
telephone service; Internet and E-mail service are available in Baku
domestic: local--the majority of telephones are in Baku or other
industrial centers; intercity--about 700 villages still do not have
public phone service; all long distance service must use Azertel's
(Ministry of Communications) lines; satellite service connects Baku
to a modern switch in its separated enclave to Nakhichevan
international: the old Soviet system of cable and microwave is still
serviceable; satellite service between Baku and Turkey provides
access to 200 countries; additional satellite providers supply
services between Baku and specific countries; Azerbaijan is a
signator of the Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line (TAE); their
lines are not laid but the Turkish satellite and a microwave between
Azerbaijan and Iran can provide Azerbaijan worldwide access through
this system
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (Azerbaijan's
single shortwave station transmits its programs to the Middle East
in eight languages)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2; note--the Ministry of
Communications is the monopoly broadcaster and rebroadcaster of
television in Azerbaijan; Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian, Iranian,
British broadcasting companies, Voice of America, and other European
channels are available via satellite; television is broadcast to
Nakhichevan by satellite
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways:
total: 2,125 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 2,125 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (1993)
Highways:
total: 57,770 km
paved: 54,188 km
unpaved: 3,582 km (1995 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural
gas 1,240 km
Ports and harbors: Baku (Baki)
Merchant marine:
total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 251,404 GRT/ 306,264 DWT
ships by type: cargo 12, oil tanker 42, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2,
short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 69 (1996 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 29
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 40
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 33 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border
Guards
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 2,041,863 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,639,144 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 73,486 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $121 million (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.6% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the
Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding,
separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; Caspian Sea
boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran,
Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan
Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium
poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication
program; transshipment point for opiates via Iran, Central Asia, and
Russia to Western Europe
======================================================================
@Bahamas, The
------------
Geography
Location: Caribbean, chain of islands in the North Atlantic
Ocean, southeast of Florida
Geographic coordinates: 24 15 N, 76 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 13,940 sq km
land: 10,070 sq km
water: 3,870 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3,542 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain: long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Alvernia, on Cat Island 63 m
Natural resources: salt, aragonite, timber
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 67% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause
extensive flood and wind damage
Environment--current issues: coral reef decay; solid waste disposal
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba;
extensive island chain
People
Population: 283,705 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 39,271; female 38,740)
15-64 years: 67% (male 92,830; female 96,814)
65 years and over: 6% (male 6,696; female 9,354) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.36% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 20.58 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.43 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.55 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 18.38 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.25 years
male: 70.94 years
female: 77.64 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.31 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bahamian(s)
adjective: Bahamian
Ethnic groups: black 85%, white 15%
Religions: Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%,
Methodist 6%, Church of God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or
unknown 3%, other 2%
Languages: English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.2%
male: 98.5%
female: 98% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form: The Bahamas
Data code: BF
Government type: commonwealth
Capital: Nassau
Administrative divisions: 21 districts; Acklins and Crooked
Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma, Freeport, Fresh Creek,
Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour Island, High Rock,
Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour, Mayaguana, New
Providence, Nicholls Town and Berry Islands, Ragged Island, Rock
Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Independence: 10 July 1973 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 10 July (1973)
Constitution: 10 July 1973
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Orville TURNQUEST (since 2
January 1995)
head of government: Prime Minister Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM (since
19 August 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Frank WATSON (since
December 1994)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the prime
minister's recommendation
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister
appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(16-member body appointed by the governor general upon the advice of
the prime minister and the opposition leader for a five-year term)
and the House of Assembly (40 seats; members elected by direct
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 March 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--FNM
35, PLP 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Progressive Liberal Party or PLP
INGRAHAM]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Arlington Griffith BUTLER
chancery: 2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Arthur SCHECHTER
embassy: Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address: local or express mail address: P.O. Box N-8197,
Nassau; stateside address: American Embassy Nassau, P.O. Box 599009,
Miami, FL 33159-9009; pouch address: Nassau, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-3370
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine
(top), gold, and aquamarine, with a black equilateral triangle based
on the hoist side
Economy
Economy--overview: The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation with
an economy heavily dependent on tourism and offshore banking.
Tourism alone accounts for more than 60% of GDP and directly or
indirectly employs 40% of the archipelago's labor force. Moderate
growth in tourism receipts and a boom in construction of new hotels,
resorts, and residences led to an increase of the country's GDP by
an estimated 4% in 1998. Manufacturing and agriculture together
contribute less than 10% of GDP and show little growth, despite
government incentives aimed at those sectors. Overall growth
prospects in the short run will depend heavily on the fortunes of
the tourism sector and continued income growth in the US, which
accounts for the majority of tourist visitors.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.63 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$20,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 5%
services: 92% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.4% (1997)
Labor force: 148,000 (1996)
Labor force--by occupation: government 30%, tourism 40%, business
services 10%, agriculture 5% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $766 million
expenditures: $845 million, including capital expenditures of $97
million (FY97/98)
Industries: tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and
transshipment, salt production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals,
spiral-welded steel pipe
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 1 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 1 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: citrus, vegetables; poultry
Exports: $300 million (1998)
Exports--commodities: pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish,
refined petroleum products
Exports--partners: US 24.5%, EU (excluding UK) 23.9%, UK 12.6%,
Singapore 5.6% (1997)
Imports: $1.37 billion (1998)
Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, crude oil,
vehicles, electronics
Imports--partners: US 34.9%, EU 24.3%, Japan 15.5%, Russia 6.3%
(1997)
Debt--external: $381.7 million (1997)
Economic aid--recipient: $9.8 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate
pegged to the dollar)
Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June
Communications
Telephones: 200,000 (1997 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: 91,183 telephone subscribers; totally automatic system;
highly developed
international: tropospheric scatter and submarine cable to Florida;
3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 200,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 60,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 2,693 km
paved: 1,546 km
unpaved: 1,147 km (1997 est.)
Ports and harbors: Freeport, Matthew Town, Nassau
Merchant marine:
total: 1,079 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,631,924
GRT/41,196,326 DWT
ships by type: bulk 209, cargo 241, chemical tanker 43, combination
bulk 13, combination ore/oil 22, container 61, liquefied gas tanker
34, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 170, passenger 62,
passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 140,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 12, specialized
tanker 2, vehicle carrier 19
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 49
countries among which are Norway 177, Greece 141, UK 113, US 61,
Denmark 39, Finland 27, Japan 25, Sweden 24, France 22, and Italy 22
(1998 est.)
Airports: 62 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard
only), Royal Bahamas Police Force
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $20 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana
bound for US and Europe; banking industry vulnerable to money
laundering
======================================================================
@Bahrain
-------
Geography
Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of
Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 26 00 N, 50 33 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 620 sq km
land: 620 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 161 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: extending to boundaries to be determined
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain: mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal ad Dukhan 122 m
Natural resources: oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas,
fish
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 92% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms
Environment--current issues: desertification resulting from the
degradation of limited arable land, periods of drought, and dust
storms; coastal degradation (damage to coastlines, coral reefs, and
sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills and other discharges from
large tankers, oil refineries, and distribution stations; no natural
fresh water resources so that groundwater and sea water are the only
sources for all water needs
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum
sources; strategic location in Persian Gulf which much of Western
world's petroleum must transit to reach open ocean
People
Population: 629,090 (July 1999 est.)
note: includes 227,801 non-nationals (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 97,316; female 94,708)
15-64 years: 67% (male 249,594; female 169,337)
65 years and over: 2% (male 9,241; female 8,894) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 21.86 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 3.24 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.47 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female
total population: 1.3 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.32 years
male: 72.75 years
female: 77.96 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.97 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Bahraini(s)
adjective: Bahraini
Ethnic groups: Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%, Iranian
8%, other 6%
Religions: Shi'a Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim 25%
Languages: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 85.2%
male: 89.1%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Bahrain
conventional short form: Bahrain
local long form: Dawlat al Bahrayn
local short form: Al Bahrayn
Data code: BA
Government type: traditional monarchy
Capital: Manama
Administrative divisions: 12 municipalities (manatiq,
singular--mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah,
Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar
Rifa' wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat
'Isa, Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
note: all municipalities administered from Manama
Independence: 15 August 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 16 December (1971)
Constitution: 26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Isa Al Khalifa (since 6 March 1999);
Heir Apparent Crown Prince SALMAN bin Hamad (son of the monarch,
born NA 1969)
head of government: Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa
(since 19 January 1970)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch