Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic groups: Polynesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 100%
Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50%
male: 50%
female: 50% (1969 est.)
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna
local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna
local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Data code: WF
Dependency status: overseas territory of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France);
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the
US Government, but there are three kingdoms named Wallis, Sigave, Alo
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by High Administrator Claude PIERRET (since NA)
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Victor
BRIAL (since 1 June 1997)
cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three
members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the
Territorial Assembly
note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the
Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by
the members of the assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NA
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and
one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate--elections
last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2007);
results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats--RPR 1; French National
Assembly--elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held by
NA March 2002); results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats--RPR 1
Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under
French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional
kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR
International organization participation: FZ, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory
of France)
Flag description: a large white modified Maltese cross centered
on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two
sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for
official occasions
Economy
Economy--overview: The economy is limited to traditional
subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning
its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock
(mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed
in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies,
licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes,
and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and
Futuna imports food--particularly flour, sugar, rice, and beef--fuel,
clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are
negligible, consisting mostly of breadfruit, yams, and taro root.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$28.7 million (1995 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,000 (1995 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing
80%, government 4% (est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: NA kWh
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity--consumption: NA kWh
Electricity--exports: NA kWh
Electricity--imports: NA kWh
Agriculture--products: breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats
Exports: $370,000 (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Exports--commodities: copra, handicrafts
Exports--partners: NA
Imports: $13.5 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods,
transportation equipment, fuel, clothing
Imports--partners: France, Australia, New Zealand
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--recipient: $1 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (CFPF) = 100
centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
US$1--102.72 (January 1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00
(1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.94 (1994); note--linked at the rate of
18.18 to the French franc
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 340 (1985 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea)
unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Leava, Mata-Utu
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,160 GRT/41,656 DWT
ships by type: oil tanker 1, passenger 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
======================================================================
@West Bank
---------
Introduction
Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13
September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding
five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May
1996, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. Under the DOP,
Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the
Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative
Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing
arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers
and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza
Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the
Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in
Hebron, and the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum. The
DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the
transitional period for external security and for internal security
and public order of settlements and Israelis. Permanent status is to
be determined through direct negotiations.
Geography
Location: Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter
of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and
Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of
depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with
altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
but barren in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 32%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: adequacy of fresh water supply;
sewage treatment
Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for
Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 216 Israeli settlements and
civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem
(August 1998 est.)
People
Population: 1,611,109 (July 1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are some 166,000 Israeli settlers in the
West Bank and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 370,770; female 352,803)
15-64 years: 52% (male 422,209; female 411,597)
65 years and over: 3% (male 22,376; female 31,354) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.14% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 4.2 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: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.22 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.83 years
male: 70.96 years
female: 74.79 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.78 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%,
Christian and other 8%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank
Data code: WE
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic conditions in the West Bank?where
economic activity is governed by the Paris Economic Protocol of
April 1994 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority--have
deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real per capita GDP for the West
Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36.1% between 1992 and 1996
owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and robust
population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the
result of Israeli closure policies--the imposition of generalized
border closures in response to security incidents in Israel--which
disrupted previously established labor and commodity market
relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious negative
social effect of this downturn has been the emergence of chronic
unemployment; average unemployment rates in the WBGS during the
1980s were generally under 5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen
to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has
decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce
the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement
of Palestinian goods and labor. These positive changes to the
conduct of economic activity, combined with international donor
pledges of over $3 billion made to the Palestinian Authority in
November, may fuel a moderate economic recovery in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$3.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,000 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (1997 est.)
Labor force: NA
note: excluding Israeli settlers
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 13%,
commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12%, construction 8%, other
services 54% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 17.3% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $816 million
expenditures: $866 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
note: includes Gaza Strip
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce
cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl
souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern
industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: NA kWh
note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric
Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East
Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric
Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and
military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian
municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own
electricity from small power plants
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity--consumption: NA kWh
Electricity--exports: NA kWh
Electricity--imports: NA kWh
Agriculture--products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy
products
Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Exports--commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports--partners: Israel, Jordan
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
Imports--commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports--partners: Israel, Jordan
Debt--external: $108 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1
Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2260
(November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111
(1994); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.7090 (January 1999), 0.7090
(1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Communications
Telephones: NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are
responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA; note--82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992
est.)
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA; note--54% of Palestinian households have
televisions (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 4,500 km
paved: 2,700 km
unpaved: 1,800 km (1997 est.)
note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish
settlements
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement--permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation
======================================================================
@Western Sahara
--------------
Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Mauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air
currents produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 19%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 81%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur
during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of
time, often severely restricting visibility
Environment--current issues: sparse water and arable land
Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
People
Population: 239,333 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 2.34% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 45.42 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 16.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 136.67 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.1 years
male: 47.98 years
female: 50.57 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber
Religions: Muslim
Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
Data code: WI
Government type: legal status of territory and question of
sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario
Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and
Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a
government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR);
territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976,
with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under
pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its
portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly
thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the
Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984;
guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored
cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
Capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Suffrage: none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has
yet to be completed
Executive branch: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none
Diplomatic representation from the US: none
Economy
Economy--overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural
resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral
nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of
income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population
must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are
controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of
living are substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$NA
GDP--real growth rate: NA%
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$NA
GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%-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): NA%
Labor force: 12,000
Labor force--by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence
farming 50%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity--production: 85 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 85 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few
oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
Exports: $NA
Exports--commodities: phosphates 62%
Exports--partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara,
so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $NA
Imports--commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports--partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara,
so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Debt--external: $NA
Economic aid--recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1--9.320 (January
1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996), 8.540 (1995), 9.203
(1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2,000
Telephone system: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations--2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.)
Ports and harbors: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Airports: 12 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claimed and administered by Morocco, but
sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a
referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in
effect since September 1991
======================================================================
@World
-----
Geography
Map references: World, Time Zones
Area:
total: 510.072 million sq km
land: 148.94 million sq km
water: 361.132 million sq km
note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land
Area--comparative: land area about 15 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total
251,480.24 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline: 356,000 km