autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities
(mista, singular--misto) with oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy),
Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi),
Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka (Donets'k),
Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv),
Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy),
Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka
(Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka
(Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym*
(Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy),
Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka
(Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya),
Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr)
note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in
parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO (since 16
July 1997), First Deputy Prime Minister Volodymyr KURATCHENKO (since
14 January 1999), and three deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and
approved by the Supreme Council
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but
significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions
that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in
September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kyyiv (Kiev) and
Sevastopol' municipalities and chairmen of the Oblasti
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA
October 1999); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed
by the president and approved by the People's Council
election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of
vote--Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada
(450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, half of the Rada's
seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that
gain 4% of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are
elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies; all serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2002);
note--repeat elections continuing to fill vacant seats
election results: percent of vote by party (for parties clearing 4%
hurdle on 29 March 1998)--Communist 24.7%, Rukh 9.4%,
Socialist/Peasant 8.6%, Green 5.3%, People's Democratic Party 5.0%,
Hromada 4.7%, Progressive Socialist 4.0%, United Social Democratic
Party 4.0%; seats by party (as of 8 July 1998)--Communist 120,
People's Democratic Party 88, Rukh 47, Hromada 45, Socialist/Peasant
33, United Social Democratic 25, Green 24, Progressive Socialist 14,
independents 26, vacant 28
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Ukraine [Petro
VITRENKO]
note: and numerous smaller parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Ukraine (Nova
Ukrayina); Congress of National Democratic Forces
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI,
CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO
(pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory
user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MONUA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH,
UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Anton Denysovych BUTEYKO
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Steven Karl PIFER
embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254053 Kiev 53
mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and
golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
Economy
Economy--overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far
and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet
Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking
republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of
Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial
quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics.
Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied equipment and raw
materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the
former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially
natural gas. Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December
1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a
legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to
reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform
efforts and led to some backtracking. Output in 1992-98 fell to less
than half the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation
to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July
1994, President KUCHMA has pushed economic reforms, maintained
financial discipline, and tried to remove almost all remaining
controls over prices and foreign trade. The onset of the financial
crisis in Russia dashed Ukraine's hopes for its first year of
economic growth in 1998 due to a sharp fall in export revenue and
reduced domestic demand. Although administrative currency controls
will be lifted in early 1999, they are likely to be reimposed when
the hryvnia next comes under pressure. The currency is only likely
to collapse further if Ukraine abandons tight monetary policies or
threatens default. Despite increasing pressure from the IMF to
accelerate reform, significant economic restructuring remains
unlikely in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$108.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -1.7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,200 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 14%
industry: 30%
services: 56% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: 50% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 20.8% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (yearend 1998 est.)
Labor force: 22.8 million (yearend 1997)
Labor force--by occupation: industry and construction 32%,
agriculture and forestry 24%, health, education, and culture 17%,
trade and distribution 8%, transport and communication 7%, other 12%
(1996)
Unemployment rate: 3.7% officially registered; large number of
unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1998)
Budget:
revenues: $18 billion
expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing
(especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: -1.5% (1998 est.)
Electricity--production: 171.8 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 47%
hydro: 9.2%
nuclear: 43.8%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity--consumption: 174 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity--exports: 5 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity--imports: 7 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture--products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds,
vegetables; beef, milk
Exports: $11.3 billion (1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals,
machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports--partners: Russia, China,, Turkey, Germany, Belarus (1998)
Imports: $13.1 billion (1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation
equipment, chemicals, plastics and rubber
Imports--partners: Russia, Germany, US, Poland, Italy (1998)
Debt--external: $10.9 billion (October 1998)
Economic aid--recipient: $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds
Facility $2.2 billion (1998)
Currency: 1 hryvna=100 kopiykas
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1--3.4270 (February 1999), 2.4495
(1998), 1.8617 (1997), 1.8295 (1996), 1.4731 (1995), 0.3275 (1994)
note: in August 1998, Ukraine introduced currency controls in an
attempt to fend off the impact of the Russian financial crisis; it
created an exchange rate corridor for the hryvnia of 2.5-3.5 hryvnia
per US$1
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 12,531,277 (1998)
Telephone system: Ukraine's phone systems are administered
through the State Committee for Communications; Ukraine has a
telecommunication development plan through 2005; Internet service is
available in large cities
domestic: local--Kiev has a digital loop connected to the national
digital backbone; Kiev has several cellular phone companies
providing service in the different standards; some companies offer
intercity roaming and even limited international roaming; cellular
phone service is offered in at least 100 cities nationwide
international: foreign investment in the form of joint business
ventures greatly improved the Ukrainian telephone system; Ukraine's
two main fiber-optic lines are part of the Trans-Asia-Europe
Fiber-Optic Line (TAE); these lines connect Ukraine to worldwide
service through Belarus, Hungary, and Poland; Odesa is a landing
point for the Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia Undersea Fiber-Optic Cable
(ITUR) giving Ukraine an additional fiber-optic link to worldwide
service; Ukraine has Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik earth
stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note--at
least 25 local broadcast stations of NA type (1998)
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 33 (in addition 21
repeater stations that relay ORT broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 23,350 km
broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 172,565 km
paved: 163,937 km (including 1,875 km of expressways); note--these
roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and
some are all-weather gravel surfaced
unpaved: 8,628 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were
on the Pryp''yat' and Dnistr (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 4,000 km (1995); petroleum products 4,500 km
(1995); natural gas 34,400 km (1998)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch,
Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni
Merchant marine:
total: 181 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,022,047
GRT/1,101,278 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 117, liquefied gas tanker 1, container
4, multifunction large-load carrier 2, oil tanker 16, passenger 12,
passenger-cargo 3, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 2,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 10, short-sea passenger 3 (1998 est.)
Airports: 706 (1994 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 163
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 55
1,524 to 2,437 m: 34
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 57 (1994 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 543
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force,
Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 12,434,486 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 9,740,684 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 365,762 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $414 million (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.4% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: dispute with Romania over continental
shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits
may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after
which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of
Justice (ICJ); 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
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy,
mostly for CIS consumption; some synthetic drug production for
export to West; limited government eradication program; used as
transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa,
Latin America, and Turkey, and to Europe and Russia; drug-related
money laundering a minor, but growing, problem
======================================================================
@United Arab Emirates
--------------------
Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian
Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 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: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand
dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment--current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources
being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach
pollution from oil spills
Environment--international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geography--note: strategic location along southern approaches to
Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People
Population: 2,344,402 (July 1999 est.)
note: includes 1,576,589 non-nationals (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 368,844; female 353,183)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,015,690; female 558,902)
65 years and over: 2% (male 32,935; female 14,848) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.78% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 18.86 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 3.13 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.03 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: 1.82 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.22 male(s)/female
total population: 1.53 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.24 years
male: 73.83 years
female: 76.72 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Emirian(s)
adjective: Emirian
Ethnic groups: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian
50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8%
(1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 79.2%
male: 78.9%
female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Data code: TC
Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to
the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member
emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular--imarah);
Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah),
Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all
emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the
federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil,
criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2
December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966)
and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October
1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum
(since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime
Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) which is
composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest
constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies
and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy
(Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year
elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group
of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA
October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister and deputy
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president;
percent of FSC vote--NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin
Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote--NA, but
believed to be unanimous
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis
al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of
the constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the
president
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI
chancery: Suite 700, 1255 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Theodore H. KATTOUF
embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu
Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch);
note--work week is Saturday through Wednesday
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Economy
Economy--overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the
world's highest per capita incomes and with a sizable annual trade
surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of
GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of
those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound
transformation from an impoverished region of small desert
principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At
present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for
over 100 years. The UAE Government is encouraging increased
privatization within the economy. Industrial development has picked
up in 1997-98, but lower world oil prices caused GDP to drop 5% in
1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$40 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: -5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$17,400 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 52%
services: 45% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 1.3 million (1997 est.)
note: 75% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(July 1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 60%, industry 32%,
agriculture 8% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $5.4 billion
expenditures: $5.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $350
million (1998 budget est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction
materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate: 0% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 18 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 18 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry,
eggs, dairy products; fish
Exports: $38 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports--commodities: crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried
fish, dates
Exports--partners: Japan 36%, South Korea 9%, Singapore 5%, India
5%, Oman 3% (1997)
Imports: $29.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Imports--commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport
equipment, chemicals, food
Imports--partners: US 9%, Japan 9%, UK 9%, Germany 6%, India 6%
(1997)
Debt--external: $14 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1--central bank
mid-point rate: 3.6725 (January 1999), 3.6725 (1998); fixed rate:
3.6710 (1994-1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 677,793 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of microwave radio
relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable
international: satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar,
Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 545,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1997)
Televisions: 170,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 4,835 km
paved: 4,835 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas
liquids, 870 km
Ports and harbors: 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan,
Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina'
Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
Merchant marine:
total: 74 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,093,795 GRT/1,757,189
DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 20, chemical tanker 4, container 8,
liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 28,
refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7 (1998 est.)
Airports: 41 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)