Nacional (121 seats; 79 members are popularly elected at-large
nationally to serve four-year terms; 42 members are popularly
elected by province--two per province--for four-year terms)
elections: last held 31 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--DP 32,
PSC 27, PRE 24, ID 18, P-NP 9, FRA 5, PCE 3, MPD 2, CFP 1;
note--defections by members of National Congress are commonplace,
resulting in frequent changes in the numbers of seats held by the
various parties
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), new justices are
elected by the full Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
BRAVO]
director]
EHLERS]
Gonzalez]
International organization participation: CAN, ECLAC, FAO, G-11,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ivonne A-BAKI
chancery: 2535 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
Orleans, New York, Newark, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Leslie M. ALEXANDER
embassy: Avenida 12 de Octubre y Avenida Patria, Quito
mailing address: APO AA 34039
consulate(s) general: Guayaquil
Flag description: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double
width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the
center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia that is shorter
and does not bear a coat of arms
Economy
Economy--overview: Ecuador has substantial oil resources and rich
agricultural areas. Because the country exports primary products
such as oil, bananas, and shrimp, fluctuations in world market
prices can have a substantial domestic impact. Ecuador joined the
World Trade Organization in 1996, but has failed to comply with many
of its accession commitments. In recent years, growth has been
uneven due to ill-conceived fiscal stabilization measures. The
populist government of Abdala BUCARAM Ortiz proposed a major
currency reform in 1996, but popular discontent with BUCARAM'S
austerity measures and rampant official corruption led to his
replacement by National Congress with Fabian ALARCON in February
1997. ALARCON adopted a minimalist economic program that put off
necessary reforms until August 1998 when President Jamil MAHUAD was
elected. MAHAUD inherited an economy in crisis due to mismanagement,
El Nino damage to key export sectors such as agriculture, and low
world commodity prices in the wake of the Asian financial crisis.
MAHAUD announced a fiscal austerity package and expressed interest
in an IMF agreement but faces major difficulties in promoting
economic growth, including possible political objections to further
reform.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$58.7 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 1% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$4,800 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 37%
services: 51% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: 35% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 37.6% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 43% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 4.2 million
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 29%, manufacturing 18%,
commerce 15%, services and other activities 38% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 12% with widespread underemployment (November
1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: planned $5.1 billion not including revenue from potential
privatizations
expenditures: $5.1 billion (1999)
Industries: petroleum, food processing, textiles, metal work,
paper products, wood products, chemicals, plastics, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 8.45 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 17.16%
hydro: 82.84%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 8.45 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: bananas, coffee, cocoa, rice, potatoes,
manioc (tapioca), plantains, sugarcane; cattle, sheep, pigs, beef,
pork, dairy products; balsa wood; fish, shrimp
Exports: $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: petroleum 30%, bananas 26%, shrimp 16%, cut
flowers 2%, fish 1.9%
Exports--partners: US 39%, Latin America 25%, EU countries 22%,
Asia 12%
Imports: $2.9 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: transport equipment, consumer goods,
vehicles, machinery, chemicals
Imports--partners: US 32%, EU 19%, Latin America 35%, Asia 11%
Debt--external: $12.5 billion (1997)
Economic aid--recipient: $695.7 million (1995)
Currency: 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: sucres (S/) per US$1--7,133.1 (January 1999),
5,446.6 (1998), 3,988.3 (1997), 3,189.5 (1996), 2,564.5 (1995),
2,196.7 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 586,300 (1994 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: facilities generally inadequate and unreliable
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 272, FM 0, shortwave 39
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 15 (including one station on the
Galapagos Islands) (1997)
Televisions: 940,000 (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 965 km (single track)
narrow gauge: 965 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 42,874 km
paved: 5,752 km
unpaved: 37,122 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 1,500 km
Pipelines: crude oil 800 km; petroleum products 1,358 km
Ports and harbors: Esmeraldas, Guayaquil, La Libertad, Manta,
Puerto Bolivar, San Lorenzo
Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 99,078 GRT/162,423 DWT
ships by type: chemical tanker 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker
17, passenger 3 (1998 est.)
Airports: 183 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 56
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 19 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 127
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 90 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Navy (Armada
Ecuatoriana, includes Marines), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea
Ecuatoriana), National Police
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 3,259,534 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,199,704 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 130,208 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $720 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 3.4% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: on October 26, 1998, Peru and Ecuador
concluded treaties on commerce and navigation and on boundary
integration, to complete a package of agreements settling the
long-standing boundary dispute between them; demarcation of the
agreed-upon boundary was scheduled to begin in mid-January 1999
Illicit drugs: significant transit country for derivatives of
coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru; importer of
precursor chemicals used in production of illicit narcotics;
important money-laundering hub
======================================================================
@Egypt
-----
Introduction
Background: One of the four great ancient civilizations, Egypt,
ruled by powerful pharaohs, bequeathed to Western civilization
numerous advances in technology, science, and the arts. For the last
two millennia, however, Egypt has served a series of foreign
masters--Persians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Turks, and the
British. Formal independence came in 1922, and the remnants of
British control ended after World War II. The completion of the
Aswan High Dam in 1981 altered the time-honored place of the Nile
River in the agriculture and ecology of Egypt. A rapidly growing
population will stress Egyptian society and resources as it enters
the new millenium.
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea,
between Libya and the Gaza Strip
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 N, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1,001,450 sq km
land: 995,450 sq km
water: 6,000 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly more than three times the size of New
Mexico
Land boundaries:
total: 2,689 km
border countries: Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km,
Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline: 2,450 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Qattara Depression -133 m
highest point: Mount Catherine 2,629 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates,
manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 32,460 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; frequent earthquakes, flash
floods, landslides, volcanic activity; hot, driving windstorm called
khamsin occurs in spring; dust storms, sandstorms
Environment--current issues: agricultural land being lost to
urbanization and windblown sands; increasing soil salination below
Aswan High Dam; desertification; oil pollution threatening coral
reefs, beaches, and marine habitats; other water pollution from
agricultural pesticides, raw sewage, and industrial effluents; very
limited natural fresh water resources away from the Nile which is
the only perennial water source; rapid growth in population
overstraining natural resources
Environment--international agreements:
party to: 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: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge
between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez
Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean Sea;
size, and juxtaposition to Israel, establish its major role in
Middle Eastern geopolitics
People
Population: 67,273,906 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 12,260,845; female 11,712,752)
15-64 years: 61% (male 20,604,620; female 20,211,012)
65 years and over: 3% (male 1,099,517; female 1,385,160) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.82% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 26.8 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.27 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 67.46 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 62.39 years
male: 60.39 years
female: 64.49 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.33 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Egyptian(s)
adjective: Egyptian
Ethnic groups: Eastern Hamitic stock (Egyptians, Bedouins, and
Berbers) 99%, Greek, Nubian, Armenian, other European (primarily
Italian and French) 1%
Religions: Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94% (official estimate), Coptic
Christian and other 6% (official estimate)
Languages: Arabic (official), English and French widely
understood by educated classes
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.4%
male: 63.6%
female: 38.8% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Arab Republic of Egypt
conventional short form: Egypt
local long form: Jumhuriyat Misr al-Arabiyah
local short form: Misr
former: United Arab Republic (with Syria)
Data code: EG
Government type: republic
Capital: Cairo
Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah,
Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma'iliyah, Al Jizah,
Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid,
Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Sa'id,
Dumyat, Janub Sina', Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina',
Suhaj
Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
Constitution: 11 September 1971
Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and
Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of
State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (since 14 October
1981)
head of government: Prime Minister Kamal Ahmed El-GANZOURI (since 4
January 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president nominated by the People's Assembly for a
six-year term, the nomination must then be validated by a national,
popular referendum; national referendum last held 4 October 1993
(next to be held NA October 1999); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: national referendum validated President MUBARAK's
nomination by the People's Assembly to a third term
Legislative branch: bicameral system consists of the People's
Assembly or Majlis al-Sha'b (454 seats; 444 elected by popular vote,
10 appointed by the president; members serve five-year terms) and
the Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura--which functions only in a
consultative role (264 seats; 176 elected by popular vote, 88
appointed by the president; members serve NA-year terms)
elections: People's Assembly--last held 29 November 1995 (next to be
held NA 2000); Advisory Council--last held 7 June 1995 (next to be
held NA)
election results: People's Assembly--percent of vote by party--NDP
72%, independents 25%, opposition 3%; seats by party--NDP 317,
independents 114, NWP 6, NPUG 5, Nasserist Arab Democratic Party 1,
Liberals 1; Advisory Council--percent of vote by party--NDP 99%,
independents 1%; seats by party--NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Party or NDP
legal opposition parties are as follows: New Wafd Party or NWP
note: formation of political parties must be approved by government
Political pressure groups and leaders: despite a constitutional
ban against religious-based parties, the technically illegal Muslim
Brotherhood constitutes MUBARAK's potentially most significant
political opposition; MUBARAK tolerated limited political activity
by the Brotherhood for his first two terms, but has moved more
aggressively in the past two years to block its influence; trade
unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, ACCT
(associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BSEC (observer), CAEU, CCC, EBRD,
ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURCA, MINURSO, MONUA,
NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNOMIL,
UNOMSIL, UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ahmed MAHER al-Sayed
chancery: 3521 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Daniel C. KURTZER
embassy: (North Gate) 8, Kamel El-Din Salah Street, Garden City,
Cairo
mailing address: Unit 64900, APO AE 09839-4900
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top),
white, and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on
a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name
of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the
flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band; also similar to the
flag of Syria that has two green stars and to the flag of Iraq,
which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a
horizontal line centered in the white band
Economy
Economy--overview: At the end of the 1980s, Egypt faced problems
of low productivity and poor economic management, compounded by the
adverse social effects of excessive population growth, high
inflation, and massive urban overcrowding. In the face of these
pressures, in 1991 Egypt undertook wide-ranging macroeconomic
stabilization and structural reform measures. This reform effort has
been supported by three IMF arrangements, the last of which expired
in September 1998. Egypt's reform efforts--and its participation in
the Gulf war coalition--also led to massive debt relief under the
Paris Club arrangements. Substantial progress has been made in
improving macroeconomic performance. Cairo tamed inflation, slashed
budget deficits, and built up foreign reserves to an all-time high.
Although the pace of structural reforms--such as privatization and
new business legislation--has been slower than envisioned under the
IMF program, Egypt's steps toward a more market-oriented economy
have prompted increased foreign investment. The November 1997
massacre of foreign tourists in Luxor affected tourism enough to
slow the GDP growth rate for 1998 compared to earlier projections.
Tourism's slow recovery, coupled with low world oil prices, caused a
downturn in foreign exchange earnings in 1998, but external payments
are not in crisis.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$188 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,850 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 16%
industry: 31%
services: 53% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.9%
highest 10%: 26.7% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1998)
Labor force: 17.4 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 40%, services, including
government 38%, industry 22% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $20 billion
expenditures: $20.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.4
billion (FY97/98)
Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals,
petroleum, construction, cement, metals
Industrial production growth rate: 9.4% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 46 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 76.09%
hydro: 23.91%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 46 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: cotton, rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruits,
vegetables; cattle, water buffalo, sheep, goats; fish
Exports: $5.5 billion (f.o.b., FY97/98 est.)
Exports--commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, cotton
yarn, raw cotton, textiles, metal products, chemicals
Exports--partners: EU, US, Japan
Imports: $16.7 billion (c.i.f., FY97/98 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, foods, fertilizers,
wood products, durable consumer goods, capital goods
Imports--partners: US, EU, Japan
Debt--external: $28 billion (FY97/98 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: ODA, $2.4 billion (1996)
Currency: 1 Egyptian pound (LE) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds (LE) per US$1--3.4 (November
1994); market rate--3.3880 (January 1999), 3.3880 (1998), 3.3880
(1997), 3.3880 (1996), 3.3900 (1995), 3.3910 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June
Communications
Telephones: 3.168 million (1996); 70,000 digital cellular
telephone subscribers (1998); 7,400 analog cellular telephone
subscribers (1997)
Telephone system: large system by Third World standards but
inadequate for present requirements and undergoing extensive
upgrading
domestic: principal centers at Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah,
Ismailia, Suez, and Tanta are connected by coaxial cable and
microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean
and Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat; 5 coaxial submarine
cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; microwave radio relay to
Israel; participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations: AM 57, FM 14, shortwave 3 (1998 est.)
Radios: 16.45 million (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 42 (in addition, there are nine
channels received from Europe by satellite) (1997)
Televisions: 5 million (1998 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,751 km
standard gauge: 4,751 km 1,435-m gauge (42 km electrified; 951 km
double track)
Highways:
total: 64,000 km
paved: 49,984 km
unpaved: 14,016 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser,
Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the
delta); Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by
oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 m of water
Pipelines: crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural
gas 460 km
Ports and harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur
Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez
Merchant marine:
total: 180 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,334,406
GRT/2,022,785 DWT
ships by type: bulk 25, cargo 63, container 1, liquefied gas tanker
1, oil tanker 14, passenger 56, refrigerated cargo 1,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 16, short-sea passenger 3 (1998 est.)
Airports: 89 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 70
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 37
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 19
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 17,756,706 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 11,507,058 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 694,468 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $3.28 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 8.2% (FY95/96)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Egypt asserts its claim to the "Hala'ib
Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km under partial Sudanese
administration that is defined by an administrative boundary which
supersedes the treaty boundary of 1899
Illicit drugs: a transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast
Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe and the US; popular transit
stop for Nigerian couriers
======================================================================
@El Salvador
-----------
Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean,
between Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 21,040 sq km
land: 20,720 sq km
water: 320 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts