(Freisinnig-Demokratische Partei der Schweiz or FDP, Parti
Radical-Democratique Suisse or PRD, Partitio Liberal-Radicale
Party (Sozialdemokratische Partei der Schweiz or SPS, Parti
Socialist Suisse or PSS, Partito Socialista Svizzero or PSS, Partida
Christian Democratic People's Party (Christichdemokratische
Volkspartei der Schweiz or CVP, Parti Democrate-Chretien Suisse or
PDC, Partito Democratico-Cristiano Popolare Svizzero or PDC, Partida
president]; Swiss People's Party (Schweizerische Volkspartei or SVP,
Union Democratique du Centre or UDC, Unione Democratica de Centro or
Green Party (Grune Partei der Schweiz or Grune, Parti Ecologiste
Suisse or Les Verts, Partito Ecologista Svizzero or I Verdi, Partida
(Landesring der Unabhaengigen or LdU, Alliance des Independants or
Party (Schweizer Demokraten or SD, Democrates Suisses or DS,
Democratici Svizzeri or DS), Liberal Party (Liberale Partei der
Schweiz or LPS, Parti Liberal Suisse or PLS, Partito Liberale
Svizzero or PLS), Workers' Party (Parti Suisse du Travail or PST,
Partei der Arbeit der Schweiz or PdAdS, Partito Svizzero del Lavoro
or PSdL), Evangelical People's Party (Evangelische Volkspartei der
Schweiz or EVP, Parti Evangelique Suisse or PEV, Partito Evangelico
Svizzero or PEV), and the Union of Federal Democrats
(Eidgenossisch-Demokratische Union or EDU, Union Democratique
Federale or UDF, Unione Democratica Federale or UDF)
International organization participation: ACCT, AfDB, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA,
FAO, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alfred DEFAGO
chancery: 2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Madeleine May KUNIN
embassy: Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: red square with a bold, equilateral white cross
in the center that does not extend to the edges of the flag
Economy
Economy--overview: Switzerland, a fundamentally prosperous and
stable modern economy with a per capita GDP 15%-20% above that of
the big West European economies, experienced an export-driven upturn
in its economy in 1998. The downturn in the global economy, however,
will have a cooling effect on the 1998 boom in the Swiss export
sector, including financial services, biotechnology,
pharmaceuticals, and special-purpose machines. A major downturn in
the Swiss economy should still be avoided, as consumer and capital
spending have picked up and will keep the economy moving in 1999.
GDP growth in 1999 is expected to come in around 1.4%. The growing
political and economic union of Europe suggests that Switzerland's
time-honored neutral separation is becoming increasingly obsolete.
Thus, when the surrounding trade partners launched the euro on 1
January 1999, their firms began prodding Swiss exporters and
importers to keep their accounts in euros.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$191.8 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 2% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$26,400 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 31.1%
services: 66.1% (1995)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 28.6% (1982)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0% (1998)
Labor force: 3.8 million (850,000 foreign workers, mostly Italian)
Labor force--by occupation: services 67%, manufacturing and
construction 29%, agriculture and forestry 4% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $32.66 billion
expenditures: $34.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.3
billion (1998 est.)
Industries: machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision
instruments
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1998 est.)
Electricity--production: 54.815 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 3.99%
hydro: 52.73%
nuclear: 43.27%
other: 0.01% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 53.765 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 24.2 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 23.15 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grains, fruits, vegetables; meat, eggs
Exports: $94.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: machinery 29%, chemicals 28%, metals,
watches, agricultural products (1997)
Exports--partners: EU 61% (Germany 23%, France 9%, Italy 8%, UK
6%, Austria 3%), US 10%, Japan 4% (1997)
Imports: $95.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: machinery 22%, chemicals 16%, vehicles,
metals, agricultural products, textiles (1997)
Imports--partners: EU 79% (Germany 32%, France 12%, Italy 10%,
Netherlands 5%, UK 5%),, US 7%, Japan 3% (1997)
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1.1 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SFR) = 100 centimes,
rappen, or centesimi
Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SFR) per
US$1--1.3837 (January 1999), 1.4498 (1998), 1.4513 (1997), 1.2360
(1996), 1.1825 (1995), 1.3677 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 5.24 million (1996 est.); 307,000 cellular telephone
subscribers (1994 est.)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean
and Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 50, shortwave 1 (1997)
Radios: 2.8 million (1996)
Television broadcast stations: 108 (1997)
Televisions: 2.647 million licenses (1996)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,479 km (1,564 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,304 km 1.435-m gauge (3,288 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 1,165 km 1.000-m gauge (1,057 km electrified); 10 km
0.750-m or 0.800-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total: 71,048 km (including 1,613 km of expressways)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to
Bodensee); 12 navigable lakes
Pipelines: crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km
Ports and harbors: Basel
Merchant marine:
total: 20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 412,459 GRT/724,995 DWT
ships by type: bulk 13, cargo 1, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 1
(1998 est.)
Airports: 67 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 42
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 15 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 25
under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Air Force, Frontier Guards,
Fortification Guards
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,867,290 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,592,696 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 41,204 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $3.1 billion (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.2% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
Illicit drugs: because of more stringent government regulations,
used significantly less as a money-laundering center; transit
country for and consumer of South American cocaine and Southwest
Asian heroin
======================================================================
@Syria
-----
Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Lebanon and Turkey
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 38 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 185,180 sq km
land: 184,050 sq km
water: 1,130 sq km
note: includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Area--comparative: slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
total: 2,253 km
border countries: Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon
375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 41 nm
territorial sea: 35 nm
Climate: mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August)
and mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast; cold
weather with snow or sleet periodically hitting Damascus
Terrain: primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal
plain; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: unnamed location near Lake Tiberias -200 m
highest point: Mount Hermon 2,814 m
Natural resources: petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese
ores, asphalt, iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use:
arable land: 28%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 22% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 9,060 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms
Environment--current issues: deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification; water pollution from dumping of raw sewage
and wastes from petroleum refining; inadequate supplies of potable
water
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous
Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography--note: there are 42 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (August 1998
est.)
People
Population: 17,213,871 (July 1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are about 37,200 people living in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights--18,200 Arabs (16,500 Druze and 1,700
Alawites) and about 19,000 Israeli settlers (August 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 4,032,620; female 3,840,431)
15-64 years: 51% (male 4,515,274; female 4,322,415)
65 years and over: 3% (male 246,812; female 256,319) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.15% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 36.95 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.4 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.96 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 36.42 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.09 years
male: 66.75 years
female: 69.48 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.37 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Syrian(s)
adjective: Syrian
Ethnic groups: Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim
sects 16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities
in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Languages: Arabic (official); Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic,
Circassian widely understood; French, English somewhat understood
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 70.8%
male: 85.7%
female: 55.8% (1997 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form: Syria
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
local short form: Suriyah
former: United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Data code: SY
Government type: republic under military regime since March 1963
Capital: Damascus
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar
Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah,
Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
Independence: 17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration)
National holiday: National Day, 17 April (1946)
Constitution: 13 March 1973
Legal system: based on Islamic law and civil law system; special
religious courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971);
note--President ASAD seized power in the November 1970 coup, assumed
presidential powers 22 February 1971, and was confirmed as president
in the 12 March 1971 national elections; Vice Presidents 'Abd
al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM (since 11 March 1984) and Muhammad Zuhayr
MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984)
head of government: Prime Minister Mahmud ZUBI (since 1 November
1987), Deputy Prime Ministers Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March
1984), Dr. Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981), and Rashid
AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
referendum/election last held 8 February 1999 (next to be held NA
2006); vice presidents appointed by the president; prime minister
and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president
election results: Hafiz al-ASAD reelected president; percent of
vote--Hafiz al-ASAD 99%
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council or Majlis
al-shaab (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 30 November-1 December 1998 (next to be held NA
2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NPF 67%, non-NPF 33%;
seats by party--NPF 167, independents 83; note--the constitution
guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF alliance) receive
one-half of the seats
Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court, justices are
appointed for four-year terms by the president; High Judicial
Council; Court of Cassation; State Security Courts
Political parties and leaders:
National Progressive Front (NPF) includes: the ruling Arab Socialist
secretary general of the party, and chairman of the National
Political pressure groups and leaders: non-Ba'th parties have
little effective political influence; Communist party ineffective;
conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood (operates in
exile in Jordan and Yemen)
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF,
CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Walid MUALEM
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ryan CROCKER
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top),
white, and black with two small green five-pointed stars in a
horizontal line centered in the white band; similar to the flag of
Yemen, which has a plain white band and of Iraq, which has three
green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line
centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which
has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
Economy
Economy--overview: Syria's predominantly statist economy is on a
shaky footing because of Damascus's failure to implement extensive
economic reform. The dominant agricultural sector remains
underdeveloped, with roughly 80% of agricultural land still
dependent on rain-fed sources. Although Syria has sufficient water
supplies in the aggregate at normal levels of precipitation, the
great distance between major water supplies and population centers
poses serious distribution problems. The water problem is
exacerbated by rapid population growth, industrial expansion, and
increased water pollution. Private investment is critical to the
modernization of the agricultural, energy, and export sectors. Oil
production is leveling off, and the efforts of the nonoil sector to
penetrate international markets have fallen short. Syria's
inadequate infrastructure, outmoded technological base, and weak
educational system make it vulnerable to future shocks and hamper
competition with neighbors such as Jordan and Israel.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$41.7 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 2% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 21%
services: 53% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 15%-25%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15%-20% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 4.7 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 40%, agriculture 40%,
industry 20% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12%-15% (1998 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $3.5 billion
expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages,
tobacco, phosphate rock mining
Industrial production growth rate: 0.2% (1996 est.)
Electricity--production: 19.3 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 63.73%
hydro: 36.27%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 19.3 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas,
olives, sugar beets; beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Exports: $4.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: petroleum 65%, textiles 16%, food and live
animals 13%, manufactures 6% (1997 est.)
Exports--partners: Italy 18%, Germany 13%, France 12%, Turkey 10%,
Lebanon 7%, Spain 6% (1997 est.)
Imports: $5.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment 40%,
foodstuffs/animals 15%, metal and metal products 15%, textiles 10%,
chemicals 10%, consumer goods 5% (1997 est.)
Imports--partners: Ukraine 14%, Italy 7%, Germany 6%, Turkey 5%,
France 4%, South Korea 4%, Japan 4%, US 3% (1997 est.)
Debt--external: $22 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $327.3 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Syrian pound (LS) = 100 piastres
Exchange rates: Syrian pounds (LS) per US$1--46 (1998), 41.9
(January 1997); official fixed rate 11.225
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 541,465 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); 1 submarine cable;
coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon,
and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 3.392 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 54 (of which 36 are low-power
stations and repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 700,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,998 km
broad gauge: 1,766 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 232 km 1.050-m gauge
Highways:
total: 41,451 km
paved: 9,575 km (including 877 km of expressways)
unpaved: 31,876 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 870 km; minimal economic importance
Pipelines: crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km
Ports and harbors: Baniyas, Jablah, Latakia, Tartus
Merchant marine:
total: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 401,407 GRT/578,081 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 115, livestock carrier 4,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 104 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 80
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 63 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian
Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security
Force
Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 4,060,995 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,271,539 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 188,546 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $800 million-$1 billion
(1997 est.); note--based on official budget data that understate
actual spending
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 8% (1995 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Golan Heights is Israeli occupied;
dispute with upstream riparian Turkey over Turkish water development
plans for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers; Syrian troops in
northern, central, and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Illicit drugs: a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for
regional and Western markets
======================================================================
@Taiwan
------
Introduction
Background: In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan
to Japan, however it reverted to Chinese control after World War II.
Following the Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million
Nationalists fled to Taiwan and established a government that over
five decades has gradually democratized and incorporated native
Taiwanese within its structure. Throughout this period, the island
has prospered as one of East Asia's economic tigers. The dominant
political issue continues to be the relationship between Taiwan and
Mainland China and the question of eventual reunification.
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea,
Philippine Sea, South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the
Philippines, off the southeastern coast of China
Geographic coordinates: 23 30 N, 121 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware
combined
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon
(June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to
gently rolling plains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,997 m
Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas,
limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 55%
other: 15%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: earthquakes and typhoons
Environment--current issues: air pollution; water pollution from
industrial emissions, raw sewage; contamination of drinking water
supplies; trade in endangered species; low-level radioactive waste
disposal
Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population: 22,113,250 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 2,515,398; female 2,338,506)
15-64 years: 70% (male 7,825,953; female 7,574,836)
65 years and over: 8% (male 989,040; female 869,517) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.93% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 14.63 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.32 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)