Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 380,528 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 228,225 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $90 million (FY97/98)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY97/98)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and
Zimbabwe is in disagreement; dispute with Botswana over uninhabited
Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River is presently at
the ICJ; at least one other island in Linyanti River is contested
======================================================================
@Nauru
-----
Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, south of
the Marshall Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 32 S, 166 55 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 21 sq km
land: 21 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral
reefs with phosphate plateau in center
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location along plateau rim 61 m
Natural resources: phosphates
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment--current issues: limited natural fresh water
resources, roof storage tanks collect rainwater; intensive phosphate
mining during the past 90 years--mainly by a UK, Australia, and New
Zealand consortium--has left the central 90% of Nauru a wasteland and
threatens limited remaining land resources
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock
islands in the Pacific Ocean--the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in
Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia; only 53 km south of Equator
People
Population: 10,605 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 0% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: NA
Death rate: 0 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Nauruan(s)
adjective: Nauruan
Ethnic groups: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese
8%, European 8%
Religions: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman
Catholic)
Languages: Nauruan (official, a distinct Pacific Island
language), English widely understood, spoken, and used for most
government and commercial purposes
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Nauru
conventional short form: Nauru
former: Pleasant Island
Data code: NR
Government type: republic
Capital: no official capital; government offices in Yaren District
Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan,
Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok,
Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from the Australia-, New Zealand-,
and UK-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Constitution: 29 January 1968
Legal system: acts of the Nauru Parliament and British common law
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 17 June 1998);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 17 June 1998);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of Parliament
elections: president elected by Parliament for a three-year term;
election last held 17 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Bernard DOWIYOGO elected president; percent of
Parliament vote--NA
note: former President Kinza CLODUMAR was deposed in a no-confidence
vote
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (18 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 8 February 1997 (next to be held NA February
2000)
election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--independents 18
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: loose multi-party system; Nauru
International organization participation: AsDB, C (special),
ESCAP, ICAO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW,
Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Nauru does not have an
embassy in the US
consulate(s): Hagatna (Guam)
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an
embassy in Nauru; the US Ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Nauru
Flag description: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe
across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe
on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in
relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points
symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
Economy
Economy--overview: Revenues come from exports of phosphates, but
reserves are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates
have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the
Third World. Few other resources exist, thus most necessities must
be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The
rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from
phosphates are serious long-term problems. Substantial amounts of
phosphate income are invested in trust funds to help cushion the
transition. The government also has been borrowing heavily from the
trusts to finance fiscal deficits. To cut costs the government has
called a freezing of wages, a reduction of over-staffed public
service departments, privatization of numerous government agencies,
and closure of some overseas consulates.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$100 million (1993 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$10,000 (1993 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): -3.6% (1993)
Labor force--by occupation: employed in mining phosphates, public
administration, education, and transportation
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget:
revenues: $23.4 million
expenditures: $64.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY95/96)
Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconut products
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 32 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 32 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: coconuts
Exports: $25.3 million (f.o.b., 1991)
Exports--commodities: phosphates
Exports--partners: Australia, NZ
Imports: $21.1 million (c.i.f., 1991)
Imports--commodities: food, fuel, manufactures, building
materials, machinery
Imports--partners: Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
Debt--external: $33.3 million
Economic aid--recipient: $2.5 million (1995); note?$2.25 million
from Australia (FY96/97 est.)
Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.5853 (January
1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995),
1.3667 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June
Communications
Telephones: 2,000 (1989 est.)
Telephone system: adequate local and international radiotelephone
communications provided via Australian facilities
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 4,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways:
total: 3.9 km; note--used to haul phosphates from the center of the
island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
Highways:
total: 30 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 6 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Nauru
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: no regular armed forces; Directorate of the
Nauru Police Force
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Military--note: Nauru maintains no defense forces; under an
informal agreement, Australia is responsible for defense of the
island
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@Navassa Island
--------------
Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, about
one-fourth of the way from Haiti to Jamaica
Geographic coordinates: 18 25 N, 75 02 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5.2 sq km
land: 5.2 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about nine times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: marine, tropical
Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating;
ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on southwest side 77 m
Natural resources: guano
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 10%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 90%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: strategic location 160 km south of the US Naval
Base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba; mostly exposed rock, but enough
grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees,
scattered cactus
People
Population: uninhabited
note: transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Navassa Island
Data code: BQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US;
administered from Washington, DC, by the Office of Insular Affairs,
US Department of the Interior; in September 1996, the Coast Guard
ceased operations and maintenance of Navassa Island Light, a
46-meter-tall lighthouse located on the southern side of the island;
there has also been a private claim advanced against the island
Capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
Legal system: NA
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
Economy
Economy--overview: no economic activity
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claimed by Haiti
======================================================================
@Nepal
-----
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, between China and India
Geographic coordinates: 28 00 N, 84 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 140,800 sq km
land: 136,800 sq km
water: 4,000 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,926 km
border countries: China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to
subtropical summers and mild winters in south
Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south,
central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Kanchan Kalan 70 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydropower potential,
scenic beauty, small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 42%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 8,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: severe thunderstorms, flooding, landslides,
drought, and famine depending on the timing, intensity, and duration
of the summer monsoons
Environment--current issues: the almost total dependence on wood
for fuel and cutting down trees to expand agricultural land without
replanting has resulted in widespread deforestation; soil erosion;
water pollution (use of contaminated water presents human health
risks)
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Geography--note: landlocked; strategic location between China and
India; contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks
People
Population: 24,302,653 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 5,182,829; female 4,869,895)
15-64 years: 55% (male 6,856,905; female 6,571,916)
65 years and over: 4% (male 407,797; female 413,311) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.51% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 35.32 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.18 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: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 73.58 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 58.42 years
male: 58.47 years
female: 58.36 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.78 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Nepalese (singular and plural)
adjective: Nepalese
Ethnic groups: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars,
Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas
Religions: Hindu 90%, Buddhist 5%, Muslim 3%, other 2% (1981)
note: only official Hindu state in the world, although no sharp
distinction between many Hindu and Buddhist groups
Languages: Nepali (official), 20 other languages divided into
numerous dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 27.5%
male: 40.9%
female: 14% (1995 est.)
People--note: refugee issue over the presence in Nepal of
approximately 91,000 Bhutanese refugees, 90% of whom are in seven
United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)
camps
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Nepal
conventional short form: Nepal
Data code: NP
Government type: parliamentary democracy as of 12 May 1991
Capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural);
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi,
Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence: 1768 (unified by Prithvi Narayan Shah)
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December
(1945)
Constitution: 9 November 1990
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (succeeded to the
throne 31 January 1972 following the death of his father King
MAHENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, crowned king 24 February 1975); Heir
Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram
head of government: Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 15
April 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative
elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority
coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the National
Council (60 seats; 35 appointed by the House of Representatives, 10
by the king, and 15 elected by an electoral college; one-third of
the members elected every two years to serve six-year terms) and the
House of Representatives (205 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives--last held 15 November 1994 (next
to be held 3 May 1999)
election results: House of Representatives--percent of vote by
party--NCP 33%, CPN/UML 31%, NDP 18%, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill)
Party 3%, NWPP 1%; seats by party-- CPN/UML 88, NCP 83, NDP 20, NWPP
4, Nepal Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party 3, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat), chief justice
is appointed by the monarch on recommendation of the Constitutional
Council, the other judges are appointed by the monarch on the
recommendation of the Judicial Council
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Nepal/United
Madhar KUMAR, general secretary]; Nepali Congress Party or NCP
general secretary]; National Democratic Party or NDP (also called
party chair]
Political pressure groups and leaders: numerous small,
left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical
Nepalese antimonarchist groups
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OPCW,
SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador THAPA Bekh Bahadur
chancery: 2131 Leroy Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph FRANK
embassy: Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu
mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: red with a blue border around the unique shape
of two overlapping right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle
bears a white stylized moon and the larger, lower triangle bears a
white 12-pointed sun
Economy
Economy--overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed
countries in the world with nearly half of its population living
below the poverty line. Agriculture is the mainstay of the economy,
providing a livelihood for over 80% of the population and accounting
for 41% of GDP. Industrial activity mainly involves the processing
of agricultural produce including jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and
grain. Production of textiles and carpets has expanded recently and
accounted for about 80% of foreign exchange earnings in the past
three years. Apart from agricultural land and forests, exploitable
natural resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Agricultural
production is growing by about 5% on average as compared with annual
population growth of 2.5%. Since May 1991, the government has been
moving forward with economic reforms particularly those that
encourage trade and foreign investment, e.g., by eliminating
business licenses and registration requirements in order to simplify
investment procedures. The government has also been cutting
expenditures by reducing subsidies, privatizing state industries,
and laying off civil servants. More recently, however, political
instability--five different governments over the past few years--has
hampered Kathmandu's ability to forge consensus to implement key
economic reforms. Nepal has considerable scope for accelerating
economic growth by exploiting its potential in hydropower and
tourism, areas of recent foreign investment interest. Prospects for
foreign trade or investment in other sectors will remain poor,
however, because of the small size of the economy, its technological
backwardness, its remoteness, its landlocked geographic location,
and its susceptibility to natural disaster. The international
community's role of funding more than 60% of Nepal's development
budget and more than 28% of total budgetary expenditures will likely
continue as a major ingredient of growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$26.2 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 4.9% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,100 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 41%
industry: 22%
services: 37% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 42% (1995-96 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1995-96)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.8% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 10 million (1996 est.)
note: severe lack of skilled labor
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 81%, services 16%,
industry 3%
Unemployment rate: NA%; substantial underemployment (1996)
Budget:
revenues: $536 million
expenditures: $818 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97 est.)
Industries: tourism, carpet, textile; small rice, jute, sugar,
and oilseed mills; cigarette; cement and brick production
Industrial production growth rate: 14.7% (FY94/95 est.)
Electricity--production: 1.032 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 3.1%
hydro: 96.9%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 1.013 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 89 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 70 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops;
milk, water buffalo meat
Exports: $394 million (f.o.b., 1997), but does not include
unrecorded border trade with India
Exports--commodities: carpets, clothing, leather goods, jute
goods, grain
Exports--partners: India, US, Germany, UK
Imports: $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: petroleum products 20%, fertilizer 11%,
machinery 10%
Imports--partners: India, Singapore, Japan, Germany
Debt--external: $2.4 billion (1997)
Economic aid--recipient: $411 million (FY97/98)
Currency: 1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1--67.675 (January
1999), 65.976 (1998), 58.010 (1997), 56.692 (1996), 51.890 (1995),
49.398 (1994)
Fiscal year: 16 July--15 July
Communications
Telephones: 115,911 (1996 est.)
Telephone system: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair
radiotelephone communication service
domestic: NA
international: radiotelephone communications; satellite earth
station--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 88, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 690,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 6 (1998 est.)
Televisions: 45,000 (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 101 km; note--all in Kosi close to Indian border
narrow gauge: 101 km 0.762-m gauge
Highways:
total: 7,700 km
paved: 3,196 km
unpaved: 4,504 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 45 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 40
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 29 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air
Service, Nepalese Police Force
Military manpower--military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 5,924,732 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,079,569 (1999 est.)