chief of state: President Petru LUCINSCHI (since 15 January 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Ion CIUBUC (since 15 January
1997) and four deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 17 November 1996; runoff election 1 December 1996
(next to be held NA November 2000); following legislative elections,
the leader of the majority party or leader of the majority coalition
is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; names of deputy
prime ministers are submitted by the prime minister for acceptance
by the president
election results: Petru LUCINSCHI ran against Mircea SNEGUR and was
elected president; percent of vote--LUCINSCHI 54%, SNEGUR 46%; Prime
Minister Ion CIUBUC was appointed by the president 15 January 1997
and was elected by a parliamentary vote of 75-15 on 24 January 1997
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Parlamentul (101
seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held spring 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--PCM 30%, CDM 19%, PMDP
18%, PFD 9%; seats by party--PCM 40, CDM 26, PMDP 24, PFD 11
note: the comparative breakdown of seats by faction is approximate
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party or PCM [Vladimir
VORONIN, first chairman]; The Democratic Convention or CDM (includes
the Christian Democratic Popular Front or FPCD and the Party of
chairman]; Bloc for a Democratic and Prosperous Moldova or PMDP
Political pressure groups and leaders: The Ecology Movement of
president]; Liberal Convention of Moldova (now the Liberal Party);
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC,
CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ceslav CIOBANU
chancery: 2101 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Rudolf Villem PERINA
embassy: Strada Alexei Mateevicie, #103, Chisinau 2009
mailing address: use embassy street address; pouch address--American
Embassy Chisinau, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7080
Flag description: same color scheme as Romania--three equal
vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; emblem in
center of flag is of a Roman eagle of gold outlined in black with a
red beak and talons carrying a yellow cross in its beak and a green
olive branch in its right talons and a yellow scepter in its left
talons; on its breast is a shield divided horizontally red over blue
with a stylized ox head, star, rose, and crescent all in
black-outlined yellow
Economy
Economy--overview: Moldova enjoys a favorable climate and good
farmland but has no major mineral deposits. As a result, the economy
depends heavily on agriculture, featuring fruits, vegetables, wine,
and tobacco. Moldova must import all of its supplies of oil, coal,
and natural gas, largely from Russia. Energy shortages contributed
to sharp production declines after the breakup of the Soviet Union
in 1991. The Moldovan Government has recently been making progress
on an ambitious economic reform agenda. As part of its reform
efforts, Moldova introduced a stable convertible currency, freed all
prices, stopped issuing preferential credits to state enterprises
and backed steady land privatization, removed export controls, and
freed interest rates. In 1998, the economic troubles of Russia, with
whom Moldova conducts 55% of its trade, was a major cause of the
8.6% drop in GDP. In 1999, the IMF resumed payment on Moldova's
Extended Fund Facility, which had been suspended since 1997. The IMF
intends to grant $135 million in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$10 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -8.6% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,200 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 30%
industry: 29%
services: 41% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.7%
highest 10%: 25.8% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 18.3% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 1.7 million (1998)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 40.2%, industry 14.3%,
other 45.5% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 2% (includes only officially registered
unemployed; large numbers of underemployed workers) (September 1998)
Budget:
revenues: $536 million
expenditures: $594 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: food processing, agricultural machinery, foundry
equipment, refrigerators and freezers, washing machines, hosiery,
sugar, vegetable oil, shoes, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: -5% (1998 est.)
Electricity--production: 8.325 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 96.1%
hydro: 3.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 6.825 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 3.1 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 1.6 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: vegetables, fruits, wine, grain, sugar
beets, sunflower seed, tobacco; beef, milk
Exports: $633 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: foodstuffs, wine, tobacco, textiles and
footwear, machinery
Exports--partners: Russia 58%, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Belarus,
Romania, US, Germany, Italy (1997)
Imports: $1.02 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: oil, gas, coal, steel, machinery, chemical
products, metals, metal products, foodstuffs, automobiles, other
consumer durables
Imports--partners: Russia 26%, Ukraine 20%, Belarus, Romania,
Germany, Italy (1997)
Debt--external: more than $1.2 billion (February 1999)
Economic aid--recipient: $100.8 million (1995); note?$547 million
from the IMF and World Bank (1992-99)
Currency: the Moldovan leu (MLD) (plural lei) was introduced in
late 1993
Exchange rates: lei (MLD) per US$1 (end of period)--8.3226
(December 1998), 8.3395 (1998), 4.6605 (1997), 4.6500 (1996), 4.4990
(1995), 4.2700 (1994); period average--4.6758 (January 1998), 4.6236
(1997), 4.6045 (1996), 4.4958 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 600,000 (1998 est.)
Telephone system: the Ministry of Information, Computers, and
Telecommunications controls telecommunications; the carrier is
Modtelecom
domestic: local--Chisinau has a fiber-optic loop and one cellular GSM
provider; the waiting list for telephones is long; local service
outside Chisinau is poor; intercity--Moldova's two fiber-optic
segments form a synchronous digital hierarchy ring through Romania's
system; an analog backbone system runs from south to north in Moldova
international: two fiber-optic segments provide connectivity to
Romania; worldwide service can be available to Moldova through this
infrastructure; additional analog lines are to Russia; Intelsat,
Eutelsat, and Intersputnik earth stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave NA (1999)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 national station, 3 private
stations, 15 small local stations outside Chisinau (1998)
Televisions: 93 televisions/100 people (1996)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,328 km
broad gauge: 1,328 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)
Highways:
total: 12,300 km
paved: 10,738 km
unpaved: 1,562 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 424 km (1994)
Pipelines: natural gas 310 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 26 (1994 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (1994 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 8 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,151,674 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 908,347 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 38,666 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $6.3 million (FY99)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: separatist Transdniester region,
comprising the area between the Nistru (Dniester) River and Ukraine,
has its own de facto government, dominated by Moldovan Slavs
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis,
mostly for CIS consumption; transshipment point for illicit drugs
from Southwest Asia via Central Asia to Russia, Western Europe and
possibly the United States
======================================================================
@Monaco
------
Geography
Location: Western Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, on the
southern coast of France, near the border with Italy
Geographic coordinates: 43 44 N, 7 24 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 1.95 sq km
land: 1.95 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about three times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 4.4 km
border countries: France 4.4 km
Coastline: 4.1 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: Mediterranean with mild, wet winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain: hilly, rugged, rocky
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Agel 140 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (urban area)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: second smallest independent state in world (after
Holy See); almost entirely urban
People
Population: 32,149 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (male 2,723; female 2,645)
15-64 years: 64% (male 10,014; female 10,530)
65 years and over: 19% (male 2,302; female 3,935) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.31% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 10.7 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 11.79 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.58 years
male: 75 years
female: 82.35 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Monegasque(s) or Monacan(s)
adjective: Monegasque or Monacan
Ethnic groups: French 47%, Monegasque 16%, Italian 16%, other 21%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: French (official), English, Italian, Monegasque
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Principality of Monaco
conventional short form: Monaco
local long form: Principaute de Monaco
local short form: Monaco
Data code: MN
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Monaco
Administrative divisions: none; there are no first-order
administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
are four quarters (quartiers, singular--quartier); Fontvieille, La
Condamine, Monaco-Ville, Monte-Carlo
Independence: 1419 (beginning of the rule by the House of
Grimaldi)
National holiday: National Day, 19 November
Constitution: 17 December 1962
Legal system: based on French law; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Prince RAINIER III (since 9 May 1949); Heir Apparent
Prince ALBERT Alexandre Louis Pierre, son of the monarch (born 14
March 1958)
head of government: Minister of State Michel LEVEQUE (since 3
February 1997)
cabinet: Council of Government is under the authority of the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; minister of state
appointed by the monarch from a list of three French national
candidates presented by the French Government
Legislative branch: unicameral National Council or Conseil
National (18 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 1 and 8 February 1998 (next to be held NA
January 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--National and Democratic Union 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supreme, judges named
by the monarch on the basis of nominations by the National Council
Political parties and leaders: National and Democratic Union or
International organization participation: ACCT, ECE, IAEA, ICAO,
ICRM, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW,
OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Monaco does not have an
embassy in the US
consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Monaco; the US Consul General in Marseille (France) is
accredited to Monaco
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and
white; similar to the flag of Indonesia which is longer and the flag
of Poland which is white (top) and red
Economy
Economy--overview: Monaco, situated on the French Mediterranean
coast, is a popular resort, attracting tourists to its casino and
pleasant climate. The Principality has successfully sought to
diversify into services and small, high-value-added, nonpolluting
industries. The state has no income tax and low business taxes and
thrives as a tax haven both for individuals who have established
residence and for foreign companies that have set up businesses and
offices. The state retains monopolies in a number of sectors,
including tobacco, the telephone network, and the postal service.
About 55% of Monaco's annual revenue comes from value-added taxes on
hotels, banks, and the industrial sector. Living standards are high,
roughly comparable to those in prosperous French metropolitan areas.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$800 million (1996 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$25,000 (1996 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 30,540 (January 1994)
Unemployment rate: 3.1% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $518 million
expenditures: $531 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: NA kWh
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity--consumption: NA kWh
Electricity--exports: NA kWh
Electricity--imports: NA kWh
Agriculture--products: none
Exports: $NA; full customs integration with France, which
collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in
EU market system through customs union with France
Imports: $NA; full customs integration with France, which
collects and rebates Monegasque trade duties; also participates in
EU market system through customs union with France
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.65 (January 1999),
5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520
(1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 53,180 (1994 est.)
Telephone system: automatic telephone system
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations; connected by cable into
the French communications system
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0
Radios: 33,000 (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 5 (1997)
Televisions: 24,000 (1994 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 1.7 km
standard gauge: 1.7 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 50 km
paved: 50 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Monaco
Merchant marine: none
Airports: linked to airport in Nice, France, by helicopter service
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@Mongolia
--------
Geography
Location: Northern Asia, between China and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 1.565 million sq km
land: 1.565 million sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries:
total: 8,114 km
border countries: China 4,673 km, Russia 3,441 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: desert; continental (large daily and seasonal
temperature ranges)
Terrain: vast semidesert and desert plains; mountains in west and
southwest; Gobi Desert in southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hoh Nuur 518 m
highest point: Tavan Bogd Uul 4,374 m
Natural resources: oil, coal, copper, molybdenum, tungsten,
phosphates, tin, nickel, zinc, wolfram, fluorspar, gold
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 80%
forests and woodland: 9%
other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms can occur in the spring; grassland
fires
Environment--current issues: limited natural fresh water
resources; policies of the former communist regime promoting rapid
urbanization and industrial growth have raised concerns about their
negative effects on the environment; the burning of soft coal and
the concentration of factories in Ulaanbaatar have severely polluted
the air; deforestation, overgrazing, the converting of virgin land
to agricultural production have increased soil erosion from wind and
rain; desertification; mining activities have also had a deleterious
effect on the environment
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
Russia
People
Population: 2,617,379 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 480,087; female 464,609)
15-64 years: 60% (male 787,222; female 787,405)
65 years and over: 4% (male 42,219; female 55,837) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.45% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 22.51 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 7.97 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 64.63 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.81 years
male: 59.71 years
female: 64.02 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Mongolian(s)
adjective: Mongolian
Ethnic groups: Mongol 90%, Kazakh 4%, Chinese 2%, Russian 2%,
other 2%
Religions: predominantly Tibetan Buddhist, Muslim 4%
note: previously limited religious activity because of communist
regime
Languages: Khalkha Mongol 90%, Turkic, Russian, Chinese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 82.9%
male: 88.6%
female: 77.2% (1988 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Mongolia
local long form: none
local short form: Mongol Uls
former: Outer Mongolia
Data code: MG
Government type: republic
Capital: Ulaanbaatar
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (aymguud, singular--aymag)
and 3 municipalities* (hotuud, singular--hot); Arhangay, Bayanhongor,
Bayan-Olgiy, Bulgan, Darhan*, Dornod, Dornogovi, Dundgovi, Dzavhan,
Erdenet*, Govi-Altay, Hentiy, Hovd, Hovsgol, Omnogovi, Ovorhangay,
Selenge, Suhbaatar, Tov, Ulaanbaatar*, Uvs
Independence: 13 March 1921 (from China)
National holiday: National Day, 11 July (1921)
Constitution: 12 February 1992
Legal system: blend of Russian, Chinese, and Turkish systems of
law; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (since 20 June 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Janlavyn NARANTSATSRALT (since 9
December 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the State Great Hural in consultation
with the president
elections: president nominated by parties in the State Great Hural
and elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held
18 May 1997 (next to be held summer 2001); following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is
usually elected prime minister by the State Great Hural
election results: Natsagiyn BAGABANDI elected president; percent of
vote--Natsagiyn BAGABANDI (MPRP) 60.8%, Punsalmaagiyn OCHIRBAT (MNDP
and MSDP) 29.8%, Jambyn GOMBOJAV (MUTP) 6.6%; following five months
of political deadlock which left Mongolia without a working
government, Janlavyn NARANTSATSRALT was elected prime minister on 9
December 1998 by a vote in the State Great Hural of 36 to 21, with
nine abstentions and 10 absentees
Legislative branch: unicameral State Great Hural (76 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 June 1996 (next to be held NA June 2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--DUC 66%, MPRP 33%, MCP
1%; seats by party--DUC 50 (MNDP 34, MSDP 13, independents 3), MPRP
25, MCP 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, serves as appeals court for
people's and provincial courts, but to date rarely overturns
verdicts of lower courts, judges are nominated by the General
Council of Courts for approval by the State Great Hural
Political parties and leaders: Mongolian People's Revolutionary
chairman], Mongolian Social Democratic Party or MSDP
International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN (observer),
CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jalbuugiyn CHOINHOR
chancery: 2833 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alphonse F. LA PORTA
embassy: inner north side of the Big Ring, just west of the Selbe
Gol, Ulaanbaatar
mailing address: c/o American Embassy Beijing, Micro Region 11, Big
Ring Road, C.P.O. 1021, Ulaanbaatar 13; PSC 461, Box 300, FPO AP
96521-0002
Flag description: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist
side), blue, and red; centered on the hoist-side red band in yellow
is the national emblem ("soyombo"--a columnar arrangement of abstract
and geometric representation for fire, sun, moon, earth, water, and
the yin-yang symbol)
Economy