Electricity--imports: 6.6 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed,
vegetables, fruits; beef, milk
Exports: $71.8 billion (1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural
gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety
of civilian and military manufactures
Exports--partners: Ukraine, Germany, US, Belarus, other Western
and less developed countries
Imports: $58.5 billion (1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods,
medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products
Imports--partners: Europe, North America, Japan, and less
developed countries
Debt--external: $164 billion (yearend 1998)
Economic aid--recipient: $8.523 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
Exchange rates: rubles per US$1--22.2876 (January 1999), 9.7051
(1998), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996), 4,559 (1995), 2,191 (1994)
note: the post-1 January 1998 ruble is equal to 1,000 of the pre-1
January 1998 rubles
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 23.8 million (1997 est.)
Telephone system: the telephone system has undergone significant
changes in the 1990's; there are more than 1,000 companies licensed
to offer communication services; access to digital lines has
improved, particularly in urban centers; Internet and e-mail
services are improving; Russia has made progress toward building the
telecommunications infrastructure necessary for a market economy
domestic: cross country digital trunk lines run from St. Petersburg
to Khabarovsk, and from Moscow to Novorossiysk; the telephone
systems in 60 regional capitals have modern digital infrastructures;
cellular services, both analog and digital, are available in many
areas; in rural areas, the telephone services are still outdated,
inadequate, and low density
international: Russia is connected internationally by three undersea
fiber-optic cables; digital switches in several cities provide more
than 50,000 lines for international calls; satellite earth stations
provide access to Intelsat, Intersputnik, Eutelsat, Inmarsat, and
Orbita
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note--there
are about 1,050 (including AM, FM, and shortwave) radio broadcast
stations throughout the country
Radios: 50 million (1993 est.) (74.3 million radio receivers with
multiple speaker systems for program diffusion)
Television broadcast stations: 11,000 (1996 est.)
Televisions: 54.85 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 150,000 km; note--87,000 km in common carrier service; 63,000
km serve specific industries and are not available for common
carrier use
broad gauge: 150,000 km 1.520-m gauge (January 1997 est.)
Highways:
total: 948,000 km (including 416,000 km which serve specific
industries or farms and are not maintained by governmental highway
maintenance departments)
paved: 336,000 km
unpaved: 612,000 km (including 411,000 km of graveled or some other
form of surfacing and 201,000 km of unstabilized earth) (1995 est.)
Waterways: total navigable routes in general use 101,000 km;
routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet 95,900
km; routes with night navigational aids 60,400 km; man-made
navigable routes 16,900 km (January 1994 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km;
natural gas 140,000 km (June 1993 est.)
Ports and harbors: Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan',
Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,
Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy, St. Petersburg,
Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine:
total: 617 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,146,329
GRT/5,278,909 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 19, cargo 309, combination bulk
21, combination ore/oil 6, container 25, multifunction large-load
carrier 1, oil tanker 149, passenger 35, passenger-cargo 3,
refrigerated cargo 16, roll-on/roll-off cargo 25, short-sea
passenger 7 (1998 est.)
Airports: 2,517 (1994 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 630
over 3,047 m: 54
2,438 to 3,047 m: 202
1,524 to 2,437 m: 108
914 to 1,523 m: 115
under 914 m: 151 (1994 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1,887
over 3,047 m: 25
2,438 to 3,047 m: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 134
914 to 1,523 m: 291
under 914 m: 1,392 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Strategic
Rocket Forces
note: the Air Defense Force merged into the Air Force in March 1998
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 38,665,138 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 30,173,495 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 1,149,536 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
note: the Intelligence Community estimates that defense spending in
Russia fell by about 10% in real terms in 1996, reducing Russian
defense outlays to about one-sixth of peak Soviet levels in the late
1980s (1997 est.)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: dispute over at least two small sections
of the boundary with China remain to be settled, despite 1997
boundary agreement; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and
the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now
administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are
not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical
border agreement in December 1996 which has not been ratified; draft
treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; has
made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right
to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation;
1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; Svalbard is
the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between
Norway and Russia
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of illicit cannabis and opium
poppy and producer of amphetamines, mostly for domestic consumption;
government has active eradication program; increasingly used as
transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and
cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, possibly to
the US, and growing domestic market
======================================================================
@Rwanda
------
Introduction
Background: Throughout their colonial rule, first Germany and
then Belgium favored Rwanda's minority Tutsi ethnic group in
education and employment. In 1959, the majority ethnic group, the
Hutus, overthrew the ruling Tutsi monarch. The Hutus killed hundreds
of Tutsis and drove tens of thousands into exile in neighboring
countries. The children of these exiles later formed a rebel group,
the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), and began a civil war in October
1990. The war, along with several political and economic upheavals,
exasperated ethnic tensions culminating in April 1994 in a genocide
in which roughly 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed. The
Tutsi rebels defeated the Hutu regime and ended the genocide in July
1994, but approximately 2 million Hutu refugees--many fearing Tutsi
retribution--fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and
Zaire, now called the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DROC).
According to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees, in
1996 and early 1997 nearly 1.3 million Hutus returned to Rwanda.
Even with substantial international aid, these civil dislocations
have hindered efforts to foster reconciliation and to boost
investment and agricultural output. Although much of the country is
now at peace, members of the former regime continue to destabilize
the northwest area of the country through a low-intensity
insurgency. Rwandan troops are currently involved in a crisis
engulfing neighboring DROC.
Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 26,340 sq km
land: 24,950 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April,
November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous
with altitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite
(tungsten ore), methane, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 35%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Birunga
mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic
Republic of the Congo
Environment--current issues: deforestation results from
uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil
exhaustion; soil erosion; widespread poaching
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography--note: landlocked; predominantly rural population
People
Population: 8,154,933 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,807,695; female 1,793,590)
15-64 years: 53% (male 2,148,477; female 2,179,119)
65 years and over: 3% (male 92,490; female 133,562) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.43% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 38.97 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 19.53 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
note: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April
1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees
fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Democratic
Republic of the Congo (formerly Zaire); according to the UN High
Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1.3 million
Hutus returned to Rwanda--of these 720,000 returned from Democratic
Republic of the Congo, 480,000 from Tanzania, 88,000 from Burundi,
and 10,000 from Uganda; probably fewer than 100,000 Rwandans
remained outside of Rwanda by the end of 1997
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 112.86 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 41.31 years
male: 40.84 years
female: 41.8 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.8 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Rwandan(s)
adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups: Hutu 80%, Tutsi 19%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%,
indigenous beliefs and other 25%
Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular,
French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in
commercial centers
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.5%
male: 69.8%
female: 51.6% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Rwandese Republic
conventional short form: Rwanda
local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda
local short form: Rwanda
Data code: RW
Government type: republic; presidential, multiparty system
Capital: Kigali
Administrative divisions: 12 prefectures (in French--prefectures,
singular--prefecture; in Kinyarwanda--plural--NA,
singular--prefegitura); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi,
Gitarama, Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Kigaliville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly
adopted a new constitution which included elements of the
constitution of 18 June 1991 as well as provisions of the 1993
Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multi-party protocol of
understanding
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and
customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme
Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU (since 19 July 1994);
Vice President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Celestin RWIGEMA (since 1
September 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: normally the president is elected by popular vote for a
five-year term; election last held in December 1988 (next to be held
NA); prime minister is appointed by the president
election results: Juvenal HABYARIMANA elected president; percent of
vote--99.98% (HABYARIMANA was the sole candidate)
note: President HABYARIMANA was killed in a plane crash on 6 April
1994 which ignited the genocide and was replaced by President
BIZIMUNGU who was installed by the military forces of the ruling
Rwandan Patriotic Front on 19 July 1994
Legislative branch: unicameral Transitional National Assembly or
Assemblee Nationale de Transition (a power-sharing body with 70
seats established on 12 December 1994 following a multi-party
protocol understanding; members were predetermined by the Arusha
peace accord)
elections: the last national legislative elections were held 16
December 1988 for the National Development Council (the legislature
prior to the advent of the Transitional National Assembly); no
elections have been held for the Transitional National Assembly as
the distribution of seats was predetermined by the Arusha peace
accord
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--RPF
19, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, other 2; note--the
distribution of seats was predetermined
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, consists of the Court of
Cassation and the Council of State in joint session
Political parties and leaders: significant parties include:
Political pressure groups and leaders: Rwanda Patriotic Army or
Return (RDR)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
CEEAC, CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU,
NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Theogene N. RUDASINGWA
chancery: 1714 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador George M. STAPLES
embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali
mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side),
yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow
band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to
the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band
Economy
Economy--overview: Rwanda is a rural country with about 90% of the
population engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture. It is the
most densely populated country in Africa; is landlocked, and has few
natural resources and minimal industry. Primary exports are coffee
and tea. The 1994 genocide decimated Rwanda's fragile economic base,
severely impoverished the population, particularly women, and eroded
the country's ability to attract private and external investment.
However, Rwanda has made significant progress in stabilizing and
rehabilitating its economy. GDP has rebounded, and inflation has
been curbed. In June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural
Adjustment Facility (ESAF) with the IMF. Rwanda has also embarked
upon an ambitious privatization program with the World Bank.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 10.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$690 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 36%
industry: 24%
services: 40% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 51.2% (1993 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.2%
highest 10%: 24.2% (1983-85)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1998)
Labor force: 3.6 million
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 90%, government and
services, industry and commerce
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $231 million
expenditures: $319 million, including capital expenditures of $13
million (1996 est.)
Industries: production of cement, processing of agricultural
products, small-scale beverage production, manufacture of soap,
furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate: 4.9% (1995 est.)
Electricity--production: 164 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 2.44%
hydro: 97.56%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 177 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 2 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 15 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made
from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Exports: $82.1 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: coffee 55%, tea 21%, hides, tin ore (1997)
Exports--partners: Brazil 49%, Germany 16%, US, Netherlands, UK
(1996)
Imports: $326 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, steel,
petroleum products, cement and construction material (1997)
Imports--partners: Italy, Kenya, Tanzania, US, Belgium-Luxembourg
(1997)
Debt--external: $1.2 billion (1998)
Economic aid--recipient: $711.2 million (1995); note?since 1994,
World Bank financing to Rwanda has totaled more than $120 million;
in June 1998, Rwanda signed an Enhanced Structural Adjustment
Facility (ESAF) with the IMF; in summer 1998, Rwanda presented its
policy objectives and development priorities to donor governments
resulting in multi-year pledges in the amount of $250 million
Currency: 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1--320.63 (February
1999), 312.31 (1998), 301.53 (1997), 306.82 (1996), 262.20 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 6,400 (1983 est.)
Telephone system: telephone system primarily serves business and
government
domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the
prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network
depends on wire and HF radiotelephone
international: international connections employ microwave radio
relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more
distant countries; satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat (Indian
Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 630,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 12,000 km
paved: 1,000 km
unpaved: 11,000 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native
craft
Ports and harbors: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports: 7 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 4
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Gendarmerie
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,964,118 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,000,204 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $92 million (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 3.8% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Rwandan military forces are supporting
the rebel forces in the civil war in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo
======================================================================
@Saint Helena
------------
Geography
Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way
between South America and Africa
Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 410 sq km
land: 410 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island,
Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha Island
Area--comparative: slightly more than two times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 60 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: Saint Helena--tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade
winds; Tristan da Cunha--temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade
winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Terrain: Saint Helena--rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus
and plains
note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 82% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography--note: Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial
(his remains were taken to Paris in 1840); harbors at least 40
species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a
breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
People
Population: 7,145 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 713; female 690)
15-64 years: 72% (male 2,664; female 2,449)
65 years and over: 8% (male 259; female 370) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.74% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 13.86 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.98 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.88 years
male: 72.78 years
female: 79.13 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Saint Helenian(s)
adjective: Saint Helenian
Ethnic groups: African descent, white
Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist,
Roman Catholic
Languages: English
Literacy:
definition: age 20 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 98% (1987 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Saint Helena
Data code: SH
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Jamestown
Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2
dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen
(second Saturday in June)
Constitution: 1 January 1989
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: NA years of age