chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. KRUEGER
embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in the center
Economy
Economy--overview: Agriculture still provides a livelihood for
more than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food
needs and accounts for only 4% of GDP. Subsistence farming and
cattle raising predominate. Diamond mining and tourism also are
important to the economy. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall
and poor soils. Substantial mineral deposits were found in the 1970s
and the mining sector grew from 25% of GDP in 1980 to 35% in 1997.
Unemployment officially is 21% but unofficial estimates place it
closer to 40%.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.25 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,600 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 45% (including 35% mining)
services: 51% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 235,000 formal sector employees (1995)
Labor force--by occupation: 100,000 public sector; 135,000 private
sector, including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South
Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence
agriculture (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20-40% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560
million (FY96/97)
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash,
potash; livestock processing
Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (FY92/93)
Electricity--production: 990 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 1.675 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 685 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: sorghum, maize, millet, pulses, groundnuts
(peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock
Exports: $2.25 billion (f.o.b. 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: diamonds 76%, copper, nickel 4%, meat (1997)
Exports--partners: EU 74%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU)
21%, Zimbabwe 3% (1996)
Imports: $2.43 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, vehicles and transport
equipment, textiles, petroleum products
Imports--partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 78%,
Europe 8%, Zimbabwe 6% (1996)
Debt--external: $610 million (1997)
Economic aid--recipient: $73 million (1995)
Currency: 1 pula (P) = 100 thebe
Exchange rates: pulas (P) per US$1--4.5725 (January 1999), 4.2258
(1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996), 2.7722 (1995), 2.6846 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March
Communications
Telephones: 19,109 (1985 est.)
Telephone system: sparse system
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
international: microwave radio relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and
South Africa; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 13,800 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 971 km
narrow gauge: 971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 18,482 km
paved: 4,343 km
unpaved: 14,139 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 92 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 12
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 80
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 57
under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air
Wing), Botswana National Police
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 344,587 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 182,279 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 18,654 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $61 million (FY99/00)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99/00)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: quadripoint with Namibia, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Namibia over uninhabited
Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River is presently at
the ICJ; at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested
======================================================================
@Bouvet Island
-------------
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the South Atlantic Ocean,
south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Geographic coordinates: 54 26 S, 3 24 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 58 sq km
land: 58 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29.6 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 m; coast is mostly
inaccessible
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 780 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all ice)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: covered by glacial ice
People
Population: uninhabited
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Data code: BV
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Norway)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Norway)
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
Economy
Economy--overview: no economic activity; declared a nature reserve
Communications
Communications--note: automatic meteorological station
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@Brazil
------
Geography
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W
Map references: South America
Area:
total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas,
Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao
Paulo
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries:
total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia
1,643 km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km,
Peru 1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km
Coastline: 7,491 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains,
hills, mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 58%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 28,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and
occasional frost in south
Environment--current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin
destroys the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of
plant and animal species indigenous to the area; air and water
pollution in Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large
cities; land degradation and water pollution caused by improper
mining activities
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: largest country in South America; shares common
boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
People
Population: 171,853,126 (July 1999 est.)
note: Brazil took a census in August 1996 which reported a
population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower than
projections by the US Census Bureau, and is close to the implied
underenumeration of 4.6% for 1991; the Factbook's demographic
statistics for Brazil do not take into consideration the results of
the1996 census since the full results have not been released for
analysis
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 26,059,687; female 25,095,236)
15-64 years: 65% (male 55,037,161; female 56,727,196)
65 years and over: 5% (male 3,626,893; female 5,306,953) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.16% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 20.42 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.79 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 35.37 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.06 years
male: 59.35 years
female: 69.01 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.28 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Brazilian(s)
adjective: Brazilian
Ethnic groups: white (includes Portuguese, German, Italian,
Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and black 38%, black 6%, other
(includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.3%
male: 83.3%
female: 83.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Federative Republic of Brazil
conventional short form: Brazil
local long form: Republica Federativa do Brasil
local short form: Brasil
Data code: BR
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Brasilia
Administrative divisions: 26 states (estados, singular--estado)
and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Acre, Alagoas, Amapa,
Amazonas, Bahia, Ceara, Distrito Federal*, Espirito Santo, Goias,
Maranhao, Mato Grosso, Mato Grosso do Sul, Minas Gerais, Para,
Paraiba, Parana, Pernambuco, Piaui, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande do
Norte, Rio Grande do Sul, Rondonia, Roraima, Santa Catarina, Sao
Paulo, Sergipe, Tocantins
Independence: 7 September 1822 (from Portugal)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 September (1822)
Constitution: 5 October 1988
Legal system: based on Roman codes; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: voluntary between 16 and 18 years of age and over 70;
compulsory over 18 and under 70 years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1 January
1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995); note--the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Fernando Henrique CARDOSO (since 1
January 1995); Vice President Marco MACIEL (since 1 January 1995);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 4 October
1998 (next to be held NA October 2002)
election results: Fernando Henrique CARDOSO reelected president;
percent of vote--53%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congresso
Nacional consists of the Federal Senate or Senado Federal (81 seats;
three members from each state or federal district elected according
to the principle of majority to serve eight-year terms; one-third
elected after a four year period, two-thirds elected after the next
four-year period) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara dos
Deputados (513 seats; members are elected by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Federal Senate--last held 4 October 1998 for one-third of
Senate (next to be held NA October 2002 for two-thirds of the
Senate); Chamber of Deputies--last held 4 October 1998 (next to be
held NA October 2002)
election results: Federal Senate--percent of vote by party--NA%; seats
by party--PMDB 27, PFL 20, PSDB 16, PT 7, PPB 5; Chamber of
Deputies--percent of vote by party--NA%; seats by party--PFL 106, PSDB
99, PMDB 82, PPB 60, PT 58
Judicial branch: Supreme Federal Tribunal, 11 judges are
appointed for life by the president and confirmed by the Senate
Political parties and leaders: Brazilian Democratic Movement
Political pressure groups and leaders: left wing of the Catholic
Church, Landless Worker's Movement, and labor unions allied to
leftist Workers' Party are critical of government's social and
economic policies
International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, CCC, ECLAC,
FAO, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
Mercosur, MONUA, MTCR, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA,
RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rubens Antonio BARBOSA
chancery: 3006 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate J. Brian ATWOOD
embassy: Avenida das Nacoes, Quadra 801, Lote 3, Brasilia, Distrito
Federal Cep 70403-900 Brazil
mailing address: Unit 3500, APO AA 34030
consulate(s) general: Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo
consulate(s): Recife
Flag description: green with a large yellow diamond in the center
bearing a blue celestial globe with 27 white five-pointed stars (one
for each state and the Federal District) arranged in the same
pattern as the night sky over Brazil; the globe has a white
equatorial band with the motto ORDEM E PROGRESSO (Order and Progress)
Economy
Economy--overview: Possessing large and well-developed
agricultural, mining, manufacturing, and service sectors, Brazil's
economy outweighs that of all other South American countries and is
expanding its presence in world markets. Prior to the institution of
a stabilization plan--the Plano Real (Real Plan) in mid-1994,
stratospheric inflation rates had disrupted economic activity and
discouraged foreign investment. Since then, tight monetary policy
has brought inflation under control--consumer prices increased by 2%
in 1998 compared to more than 1,000% in 1994. At the same time, GDP
growth slowed from 5.7% in 1994 to about 3.0% in 1997 due to tighter
credit. The Real Plan faced its strongest challenge in 1998, as the
world financial crisis caused investors to more closely examine the
country's structural weaknesses. The most severe spillover for
Brazil--after Russia's debt default in August 1998--created
unrelenting pressure on the currency which forced the country to
hike annual interest rates to 50%. Approximately $30 billion in
capital left the country in August and September. After crafting a
fiscal adjustment program and pledging progress on structural
reform, Brazil received a $41.5 billion IMF-led international
support program in November 1998. Capital continued to leach out of
the country, and investors, concerned about the rising mountain of
debt and currency widely-viewed as overvalued, stayed on the
sidelines. In January 1999, Brazil made an abrupt shift of course in
exchange rate policy, abandoning the strong currency anti-inflation
anchor of the Real Plan. On 13 January 1999, Central Bank officials
announced a one-time 8% devaluation of the real, and on 15 January
1999, the currency was declared to be freely floating. President
CARDOSO remains committed to limiting inflation and weathering the
financial crisis through austerity and sacrifice as the country
rides out a deep recession. He hopes the country will resume
economic growth in the second half of 1999, so that he can once
again focus on his longer-term goal of reducing poverty and income
inequality. CARDOSO still hopes to address mandated revenue sharing
with the states and cumbersome procedures to amend the constitution
before the end of his second term.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.0352 trillion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 0.5% (1998)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 36%
services: 50% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 17.4% (1990 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 0.8%
highest 10%: 47.9% (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998)
Labor force: 57 million (1989 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 42%, agriculture 31%,
industry 27%
Unemployment rate: 8.5% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $151 billion
expenditures: $149 billion, including capital expenditures of $36
billion (1998)
Industries: textiles, shoes, chemicals, cement, lumber, iron ore,
tin, steel, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, other machinery and
equipment
Industrial production growth rate: 4.5% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 291.63 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 4.38%
hydro: 92.09%
nuclear: 0.8%
other: 2.73% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 323.215 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 8 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 37.5 billion kWh (1996)
note: imported electricity from Paraguay
Agriculture--products: coffee, soybeans, wheat, rice, corn,
sugarcane, cocoa, citrus; beef
Exports: $51 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: iron ore, soybean bran, orange juice,
footwear, coffee, motor vehicle parts
Exports--partners: EU 28%, Latin America (excluding Argentina)
23%, US 20%, Argentina 12% (1996)
Imports: $57.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: crude oil, capital goods, chemical products,
foodstuffs, coal
Imports--partners: EU 26%, US 22%, Argentina 13%, Japan 5% (1996)
Debt--external: $258.1 billion (December 1998)
Economic aid--recipient: $1.012 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 real (R$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: reals (R$) per US$1--1.501 (January 1999), 1.161
(1998), 1.078 (1997), 1.005 (1996), 0.918 (1995), 0.639 (1994); CR$
per US$1--390.845 (January 1994)
note: the real (R$) was introduced on 1 July 1994, equal to 2,750
cruzeiro reais; from October 1994 through 14 January 1999, the
official rate was determined by a managed float; since 15 January
1999, the official rate floats independently with respect to the US$
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 14,426,673 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: good working system
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay system and a domestic
satellite system with 64 earth stations
international: 3 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth
stations--3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean
Region East)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1,627, FM 251, shortwave 114 (of
which 91 are associated with AM stations) (1998)
Radios: 60 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 138 (1997)
Televisions: 30 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 28,862 km (1,187 km electrified)
broad gauge: 4,123 km 1.600-m gauge
narrow gauge: 24,390 km 1.000-m gauge; 13 km 0.760-m gauge
dual gauge: 336 km 1.000-m and 1.600-m gauges (three rails)
Highways:
total: 1.98 million km
paved: 184,140 km
unpaved: 1,795,860 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 50,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 2,980 km; petroleum products 4,762 km;
natural gas 4,246 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Belem, Fortaleza, Ilheus, Imbituba, Manaus,
Paranagua, Porto Alegre, Recife, Rio de Janeiro, Rio Grande,
Salvador, Santos, Vitoria
Merchant marine:
total: 179 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,132,037
GRT/6,642,442 DWT
ships by type: bulk 35, cargo 28, chemical tanker 6, combination
ore/oil 10, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 10, multifunction
large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 61, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 11, short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 3,265 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 514
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 134
914 to 1,523 m: 325
under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 2,751
1,524 to 2,437 m: 73
914 to 1,523 m: 1,312
under 914 m: 1,366 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Brazilian Army, Brazilian Navy (includes naval
air and marines), Brazilian Air Force, Federal Police (paramilitary)
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 47,230,426 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 31,723,597 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 1,841,858 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $14.7 billion (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.9% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: two short sections of boundary with
Uruguay are in dispute--Arroio Invernada (Arroyo de la Invernada)
area of the Rio Quarai (Rio Cuareim) and the islands at the
confluence of the Rio Quarai and the Uruguay River
Illicit drugs: limited illicit producer of cannabis, minor coca
cultivation in the Amazon region, mostly used for domestic
consumption; government has a large-scale eradication program to
control cannabis; important transshipment country for Bolivian,
Colombian, and Peruvian cocaine headed for the US and Europe;
increasingly used by traffickers as a way station for narcotics air
transshipments between Peru and Colombia
======================================================================
@British Indian Ocean Territory
------------------------------
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about
one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 71 30 E
Map references: World
Area:
total: 60 sq km
land: 60 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area--comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 698 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain: flat and low (up to four meters in elevation)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Natural resources: coconuts, fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA