noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic divisions: black, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some
Roman Catholic
Languages: English (official), local dialects
Literacy: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of
schooling (1960 est.)
total population: 89%
male: 90%
female: 88%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda
Data code: AC
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Saint John's
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*;
Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint
Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Constitution: 1 November 1981
Legal system: based on English common law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) is a
hereditary monarch, represented by Governor General James B.
CARLISLE (since NA 1993) who was chosen by the queen on advice from
the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Lester Bryant BIRD (since 8 March
1994) was appointed by the governor general
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the governor general
on the advice of the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament
Senate: 17- member body appointed by the governor general
House of Representatives: elections last held 8 March 1994 (next to
be held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17
total) ALP 11, UPP 5, independent 1
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based in Saint
Lucia), one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands
and presides over the Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Lester
Bryant BIRD; United Progressive Party (UPP), headed by Baldwin
SPENCER, a coalition of three opposition political parties-the
United National Democratic Party (UNDP); the Antigua Caribbean
Liberation Movement (ACLM); and the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM)
Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Trades and Labor Union
(ATLU), William ROBINSON; People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Hugh
MARSHALL
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB,
ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211, 5166, 5122
FAX: [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an embassy in
Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US Ambassador
to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda
Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top
edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of
black (top), light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the
black band
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Tourism continues to be by far the dominant
activity in the economy but the combined share in GDP of transport
and communications, trade, and public utilities has increased
markedly in recent years. Tourism's direct contribution to output in
1994 was about 20%. In addition, increased tourist arrivals helped
spur growth in the construction and transport sectors. The dual
island nation's agricultural production is mainly directed to the
domestic market; the sector is constrained by the limited water
supply and labor shortages that reflect the pull of higher wages in
tourism and construction. Manufacturing - which accounts for 3.5% of
GDP - comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major products
being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components. Prospects for
economic growth in the medium term will continue to depend on income
growth in the industrialized world, especially in the US, which
accounts for about half of all tourist arrivals.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $425 million (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 4.2% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita: $6,600 (1994 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.5%
industry: 19.3%
services: 77.2% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.5% (1994)
Labor force: 30,000
by occupation: commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry
7% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 5%-10%(1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $134 million
expenditures: $135.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995)
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
alcohol, household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate: -4.9% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 52,100 kW
production: 95 million kWh
consumption per capita: 1,242 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts,
cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Illicit drugs: a long-time but relatively minor transshipment
point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe and recent
transshipment point for heroin from Europe to the US; more
significant as a drug money laundering center
Exports: $40.9 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live
animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17%
partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%,
US 0.3%
Imports: $443.8 million (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport
equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil
partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
External debt: $377 million (1995 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70
(fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 77 km
narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane)
Highways:
total: 240 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports: Saint John's
Merchant marine:
total: 367 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,573,063
GRT/2,147,243 DWT
ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 247, chemical tanker 6, combination
bulk 1, container 72, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 3,
refrigerated cargo 14, roll-on/roll-off cargo 16
note: a flag of convenience registry: Germany owns 12 ships,
Slovenia 3, Croatia 2, Cyprus 1, and US 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 3
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 6,700
Telephone system:
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba
(Netherlands Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 2
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: 28,000 (1993 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua
and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: NA
males fit for military service: NA
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1%
of GDP (FY90/91)
======================================================================
@Arctic Ocean
------------
Map
---
Location: 90 00 N, 0 00 E -- body of water mostly north of the
Arctic Circle
Geography
---------
Location: body of water mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Geographic coordinates: 90 00 N, 0 00 E
Map references: Arctic Region
Area:
total area: 14.056 million sq km
comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US;
smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic
Ocean, and Indian Ocean)
note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea,
East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara
Sea, Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Coastline: 45,389 km
International disputes: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute
between Norway and Russia
Climate: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and
relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized
by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and
clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and
foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar
icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure
ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the
Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the
New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland
and Iceland); the icepack is surrounded by open seas during the
summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends
to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the
remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges
(Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge)
lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals
(seals and whales)
Environment:
current issues: endangered marine species include walruses and
whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from
disruptions or damage
natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern
Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland
and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually
icelocked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure
icing from October to May
international agreements: NA
Geographic note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea
(northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait);
strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine
link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia, floating
research stations operated by the US and Russia; maximum snow cover
in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean;
snow cover lasts about 10 months
Government
----------
Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard for
hydrographic codes - see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic
Data Codes appendix
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Economic activity is limited to the
exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas,
fish, and seals.
Transportation
--------------
Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Transportation note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land
routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route
(Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways
Communications
--------------
Telephone system:
international: no submarine cables
======================================================================
@Argentina
---------
Map
---
Location: 34 00 S, 64 00 W -- Southern South America, bordering
the South Atlantic Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Flag
----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top),
white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant
yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May
Geography
---------
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic
Ocean, between Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references: South America
Area:
total area: 2,766,890 sq km
land area: 2,736,690 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 9,665 km
border countries: Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km,
Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline: 4,989 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
International disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay
is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is
indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas
Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica
Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in
southwest
Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to
rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western
border
lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m
Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin,
copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
meadows and pastures: 52%
forest and woodland: 22%
other: 13%
Irrigated land: 17,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: erosion results from inadequate flood controls and
improper land use practices; irrigated soil degradation;
desertification; air pollution in Buenos Aires and other major
cities; water pollution in urban areas; rivers becoming polluted due
to increased pesticide and fertilizer use
natural hazards: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes subject to
earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike the
Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Desertification,
Marine Life Conservation
Geographic note: second-largest country in South America (after
Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South
Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle
Channel, Drake Passage)
People
------
Population: 34,672,997 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 4,904,380; female 4,707,293)
15-64 years: 63% (male 10,851,004; female 10,834,593)
65 years and over: 9% (male 1,414,412; female 1,961,315) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.1% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 19.41 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 8.62 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.66 years
male: 68.37 years
female: 75.12 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.62 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine
Ethnic divisions: white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite
groups 15%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20%
practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 96.2%
male: 96.2%
female: 96.2%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Data code: AR
Type of government: republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia), and 1 federal district* (distrito federal); Buenos
Aires; Catamarca; Chaco; Chubut; Cordoba; Corrientes; Distrito
Federal*; Entre Rios; Formosa; Jujuy; La Pampa; La Rioja; Mendoza;
Misiones; Neuquen; Rio Negro; Salta; San Juan; San Luis; Santa Cruz;
Santa Fe; Santiago del Estero; Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas
del Atlantico Sur; Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica or
Argentina's claims to the Falkland Islands
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Carlos Saul MENEM
(since 8 July 1989) was elected for a four-year term by universal
suffrage; election last held 14 May 1995 (next to be held May 1999);
results - Carlos Saul MENEM was reelected; Vice President Carlos
RUCKAUF
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Senate: elections last held NA May 1995 (next to be held NA);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (72 total) PJ 38,
others 34
Chamber of Deputies: one-half of the members elected every two years
to four-year terms; elections last held 14 May 1995; (next to be
held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (257
total) PJ 132, UCR 68, Frepaso 26, other 31
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), the nine Supreme
Court judges are appointed by the president with approval of the
Senate
Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (PJ), Carlos
Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic
Union (UCR), Rodolfo TERRAGNO, moderately left-of-center party;
Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), conservative party; Dignity
and Independence Political Party (MODIN), Aldo RICO, right-wing
party; Grand Front (Frente Grande), Carlos ALVAREZ, center-left
coalition; Front for a Country in Solidarity (Frepaso, a four party
coalition), leader Jose Octavio BORDON; several provincial parties
Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor
movement; General Confederation of Labor (CGT), Peronist-leaning
umbrella labor organization; Argentine Industrial Union
(manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large
landowners' association); business organizations; students; the
Roman Catholic Church; the Armed Forces
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer),
Australia Group, BCIE, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G- 6, G-11, G-15, G-19,
G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG (observer), OAS,
OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAMIR, UNAVEM
III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,
UNMIH, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Raul Enrique GRANILLO OCAMPO
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6400 through 6403
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. CHEEK
embassy: 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires
mailing address: Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone: [54] (1) 777-4533, 4534
FAX: [54] (1) 777-0197
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and
light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with
a human face known as the Sun of May
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Argentina, rich in natural resources, benefits
also from a highly literate population, an export-oriented
agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base.
Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist
policies, the economy in the late 1980s was plagued with huge
external debts and recurring bouts of hyperinflation. Elected in
1989, in the depths of recession, President MENEM has implemented a
comprehensive economic restructuring program that shows signs of
putting Argentina on a path of stable, sustainable growth.
Argentina's currency has traded at par with the US dollar since
April 1991, and inflation has fallen to its lowest level in 20
years. Argentines have responded to the relative price stability by
repatriating flight capital and investing in domestic industry.
After registering impressive 7.4% growth in 1994, based largely on
inflows of foreign capital and strong domestic consumption, the
Argentine economy stumbled in 1995 as financial pressures fueled by
the Mexican peso crisis and political squabbling within the MENEM
administration undermined investor confidence and triggered capital
outflows. By yearend, GDP had contracted 4.4%, unemployment reached
16%, and Buenos Aires struggled to meet fiscal targets. On the trade
front, exports soared during the first half of 1995 - largely
because of strong demand in Brazil and high commodity prices - while
anemic domestic consumption lowered imports; the resulting yearend
trade surplus was about $1.2 billion. However, because exports
contribute only 7.5% to GDP, increased foreign sales had little
impact on aggregate growth. High unemployment will continue to
plague the MENEM administration for the next several years as
provincial entities are readied for privatization and more public
sector employees are laid off.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $278.5 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -4.4%
GDP per capita: $8,100 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 31%
services: 63% (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.7% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 10.9 million
by occupation: agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985
est.)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $48.46 billion
expenditures: $46.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.5
billion (1994 est.)
Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Industrial production growth rate: -4.6% (1995 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 17,330,000 kW
production: 54.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,610 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; livestock
Illicit drugs: increasing use as a transshipment country for
cocaine headed for Europe and the US
Exports: $20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, manufactures
partners: US 9%, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Netherlands
Imports: $19.5 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and
lubricants, agricultural products
partners: US 21%, Brazil, Germany, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands
External debt: $90 billion (December 1995)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 nuevo peso argentino = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: pesos per US$1 - 1.00000 (January 1996), 0.99975
(1995), 0.99901 (1994), 0.99895 (1993), 0.99064 (1992), 0.95355
(1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 37,910 km
broad gauge: 24,124 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,765 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 11,021 km 1.000-m gauge (26 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 215,578 km
paved: 61,440 km
unpaved: 154,138 km
Waterways: 11,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km;
natural gas 9,918 km
Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, Concepcion
del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos,
Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia