extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is
shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy
Economy--overview: Norway is a prosperous bastion of welfare
capitalism. The economy consists of a combination of free market
activity and government intervention. The government controls key
areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state
enterprises), and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and
areas with sparse resources. Norway maintains an extensive welfare
system that helps propel public sector expenditures to more than 50%
of GDP and results in one of the highest average tax levels in the
world. A major shipping nation, with a high dependence on
international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw
materials and semiprocessed goods. The country is richly endowed
with natural resources--petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and
minerals--and is highly dependent on its oil production and
international oil prices. Only Saudi Arabia exports more oil than
Norway. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Oslo opted to
stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994. Economic
growth in 1999 should drop to about 1%. Despite their high per
capita income and generous welfare benefits, Norwegians worry about
that time in the 21st century when the oil and gas run out.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$109 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 2.4% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$24,700 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 30%
services: 68% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 21.2% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 2.3 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 2.6% (yearend 1997)
Budget:
revenues: $48.6 billion
expenditures: $53 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding,
pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining,
textiles, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 2.7% (1998 est.)
Electricity--production: 103.374 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.76%
hydro: 99.23%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.01% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 112.374 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 4.2 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 13.2 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: oats, other grains; beef, milk; fish
Exports: $39.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 55%,
machinery and equipment, metals, chemicals, ships, fish (1997)
Exports--partners: EU 76% (UK 19%, Germany 10%, Netherlands 11%,
Sweden 9%, France 8%), US 6% (1997)
Imports: $37.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals,
foodstuffs
Imports--partners: EU 68% (Sweden 16%, Germany 14%, UK 9%, Denmark
7%, Netherlands 4%), US 6%, Japan 4%(1997)
Debt--external: none?Norway is a net external creditor
Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1.4 billion (1998)
Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1--7.4524 (January
1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996), 6.3352 (1995),
7.0576 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2.39 million (1994 est.); 470,000 cellular telephone
subscribers (1994)
Telephone system: high-quality domestic and international
telephone, telegraph, and telex services
domestic: NA domestic satellite earth stations
international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine
cables; satellite earth stations--NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions);
note--Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic
countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143
government), shortwave 0
Radios: 3.3 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 209 (1997)
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,012 km
standard gauge: 4,012 km 1.435-m gauge (2,422 km electrified; 96 km
double track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 91,180 km
paved: 67,473 km (including 109 km of expressways)
unpaved: 23,707 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,577 km along west coast; navigable by 2.4 m draft
vessels maximum
Pipelines: refined petroleum products 53 km
Ports and harbors: Bergen, Drammen, Floro, Hammerfest, Harstad,
Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger,
Tromso, Trondheim
Merchant marine:
total: 788 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 21,200,416
GRT/33,642,888 DWT
ships by type: bulk 106, cargo 150, chemical tanker 99, combination
bulk 8, combination ore/oil 39, container 19, liquefied gas tanker
86, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 143, passenger
12, refrigerated cargo 15, roll-on/roll-off cargo 52, short-sea
passenger 22, vehicle carrier 36
note: the government has created an internal register, the Norwegian
International Ship register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian
register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of
convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians (1998 est.)
Airports: 103 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 66
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 29 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 37
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 32 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes
Coast Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home
Guard
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,103,738 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 917,244 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 27,448 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.2% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen
Maud Land); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in
the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia
Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for drugs shipped via
the CIS and Baltic states for the European market; increasing
domestic consumption of cannabis and amphetamines
======================================================================
@Oman
----
Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman,
and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 212,460 sq km
land: 212,460 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 1,374 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline: 2,092 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior;
strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and
south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal Shams 2,980 m
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble,
limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 95% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 580 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and
dust storms in interior; periodic droughts
Environment--current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution
from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: strategic location with small foothold on
Musandam Peninsula adjacent to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit
point for world crude oil
People
Population: 2,446,645 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 508,681; female 489,453)
15-64 years: 57% (male 856,062; female 535,123)
65 years and over: 2% (male 30,083; female 27,243) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.45% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 37.98 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.29 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.84 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: 1.6 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.33 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 24.71 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.3 years
male: 69.31 years
female: 73.39 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.11 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Omani(s)
adjective: Omani
Ethnic groups: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri
Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian
dialects
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: approaching 80%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form: Oman
local long form: Saltanat Uman
local short form: Uman
Data code: MU
Government type: monarchy
Capital: Muscat
Administrative divisions: 6 regions (mintaqat, singular--mintaqah)
and 2 governorates* (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah) Ad Dakhiliyah,
Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat, Musandam*,
Zufar*
Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
National holiday: National Day, 18 November (1940)
Constitution: none; note--on 6 November 1996, Sultan QABOOS issued
a royal decree promulgating a new basic law which, among other
things, clarifies the royal succession, provides for a prime
minister, bars ministers from holding interests in companies doing
business with the government, establishes a bicameral Omani council,
and guarantees basic civil liberties for Omani citizens
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law;
ultimate appeal to the monarch; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: limited to approximately 50,000 Omanis chosen by the
government to vote in elections for the Majlis ash-Shura
Executive branch:
chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said
(since 23 July 1970); note--the monarch is both the chief of state
and head of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al
Said (since 23 July 1970); note--the monarch is both the chief of
state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary
Legislative branch: bicameral Majlis Oman consists of an upper
chamber or Majlis ad-Dawla (41 seats; members appointed by the
monarch; has advisory powers only) and a lower chamber or Majlis
ash-Shura (82 seats; members elected by limited suffrage, however,
the monarch makes final selections and can negate election results;
body has some limited power to propose legislation, but otherwise
has only advisory powers)
elections: last held NA October 1997 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: NA
Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent
civil court system, administered by region
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF,
ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Aqil al-DHAHAB
chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John D. CRAIG
embassy: Jameat A'Duwal Al Arabiya Street, Al Khuwair area, Muscat
mailing address: international: P. O. Box 202, Code No. 115, Medinat
Qaboos, Muscat
Flag description: three horizontal bands of white, red, and green
of equal width with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side;
the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on
two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of
the vertical band
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the
fortunes of the oil industry. Petroleum accounts for 75% of export
earnings and government revenues and for roughly 40% of GDP. Oman
has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20
years' production at the current rate of extraction. Agriculture is
carried on at a subsistence level and the general population depends
on imported food. The government is encouraging private investment,
both domestic and foreign, as a prime force for further economic
development. In 1998-99 the economy is suffering from weak world oil
prices.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$18.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -8.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$7,900 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 50%
services: 48% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.2% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 850,000 (1997 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $4 billion
expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999 budget est.)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas
production, construction, cement, copper
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables;
camels, cattle; fish
Exports: $7.6 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: petroleum, reexports, fish, metals, textiles
Exports--partners: Japan 26%, China 19%, Thailand 19%, South Korea
14%, US 4% (1997)
Imports: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Imports--commodities: machinery, transportation equipment,
manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
Imports--partners: UAE 23% (largely reexports), Japan 16%, UK 14%,
US 8%, Germany 5% (1997)
Debt--external: $3 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $76.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1--0.3845 (fixed rate
since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 150,000 (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of open wire,
microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited
coaxial cable
domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a
domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1
Radios: 1.043 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13 (in addition, there are 25
low-power repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 1.195 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 32,800 km
paved: 9,840 km (including 550 km of expressways)
unpaved: 22,960 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports and harbors: Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,306 GRT/8,210 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 143 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 137
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 58
914 to 1,523 m: 36
under 914 m: 35 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes
Royal Oman Police)
Military manpower--military age: 14 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 752,637 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 420,361 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: NA
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.672 billion (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 11.1% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: southern boundary with the United Arab
Emirates has not been bilaterally defined; northern section in the
Musandam Peninsula is an administrative boundary
======================================================================
@Pacific Ocean
-------------
Geography
Location: body of water between Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and
the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W
Map references: World
Area:
total: 165.384 million sq km
note: includes Bali Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bering
Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf
of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Ross Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of
Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and
other tributary water bodies
Area--comparative: about 18 times the size of the US; the largest
ocean (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the
Arctic Ocean); covers about one-third of the global surface; larger
than the total land area of the world
Coastline: 135,663 km
Climate: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind
patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade
winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by
seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south
of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central
America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much
less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same
latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is
monsoonal--a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when
moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry
season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian
landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike
southeast and east Asia from May to December
Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated
by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents)
and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre;
in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana
Trench, which is the world's deepest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand
and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and
earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of
Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east
Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October);
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike
Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in
August and September); southern shipping lanes subject to icebergs
from Antarctica; cyclical El Nino phenomenon occurs off the coast of
Peru, when the trade winds slacken and the warm Equatorial
countercurrent moves south, killing the plankton that is the primary
food source for anchovies; consequently, the anchovies move to
better feeding grounds, causing resident marine birds to starve by
the thousands because of the loss of their food source; ships
subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May
and in extreme south from May to October; persistent fog in the
northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
Environment--current issues: endangered marine species include the
dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil
pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait,
Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator
divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic
islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
Government
Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard
for hydrographic codes--see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic
Codes appendix
Economy
Economy--overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the
world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly
touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and
West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields,
minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In
1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific
Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an
ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of Australia, NZ, China,
US, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas,
combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985,
has slowed but not stopped new drillings.
Communications
Telephone system:
international: several submarine cables with network nodal points on
Guam and Hawaii
Transportation
Ports and harbors: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Kao-hsiung
(Taiwan), Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South
Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China),
Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington
(NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
======================================================================
@Pakistan
--------
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India
on the east and Iran and Afghanistan on the west and China in the
north
Geographic coordinates: 30 00 N, 70 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 803,940 sq km
land: 778,720 sq km
water: 25,220 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 6,774 km
border countries: Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912
km, Iran 909 km
Coastline: 1,046 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic
in north
Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and
northwest; Balochistan plateau in west