total population: 77.53 years
male: 74.63 years
female: 80.61 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.63 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Norwegian(s)
adjective: Norwegian
Ethnic divisions: Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami)
20,000
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other
Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)
Languages: Norwegian (official)
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)
total population: 99%
male: NA%
female: NA%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge
local short form: Norge
Data code: NO
Type of government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Oslo
Administrative divisions: 19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke);
Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More
og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold,
Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms,
Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence: 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884
Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and
common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to
legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991) is a
hereditary monarch; Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born
20 July 1973)
head of government: Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3
November 1990) was appointed by the king with the approval of the
Storting
cabinet: State Council was appointed by the king with the approval
of the Storting
Legislative branch: modified unicameral Parliament (Storting)
which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers
Storting: elections last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held NA
September 1997); results - Labor 37.1%, Center Party 18.5%,
Conservatives 15.6%, Christian People's 8.4%, Socialist Left 7.9%,
Progress 6%, Left Party 3.6%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%; seats -
(165 total) Labor 67, Center Party 32, Conservatives 18, Christian
People's 13, Socialist Left 13, Progress 10, Left Party 1, Red
Electoral Alliance 1, unawarded 10
note: for certain purposes, the Storting divides itself into two
chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house
or Lagting
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hoyesterett), justices appointed
by the king
Political parties and leaders: Labor Party, Thorbjorn JAGLAND;
Conservative Party, Jan PETERSEN; Center Party, Anne ENGER
LAHNSTEIN; Christian People's Party, Valgerd HAUGLAND; Socialist
Left, Erik SOLHEIM; Norwegian Communist, Kare Andre NILSEN; Progress
Party, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Odd Einar DORUM; Left Party; Red
Electoral Alliance, Erling FOLKVORD
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, IADB,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO,
MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNAVEM III, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNITAR,
UNPREDEP, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE
chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York,
and San Francisco
consulate(s): Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas A. LOFTUS
embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo
mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone: [47] 22 44 85 50
FAX: [47] 22 44 33 63
Flag: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the
edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the
hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Norway has a mixed economy involving a
combination of free market activity and government intervention. The
government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector
(through large-scale state enterprises), and extensively subsidizes
agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources. Norway also
maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public
sector expenditures to more than 50% of GDP and results in one of
the highest average tax burdens in the world (46%). A small country
with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically
an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an
abundance of small- and medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the
major shipping nations. The country is richly endowed with natural
resources - petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and
is highly dependent on its oil sector. Norway imports more than half
its food needs. Economic growth, only 1.6% in 1993, moved up to 5.5%
in 1994 and remained strong in 1995. Oslo opted to stay out of the
EU during a referendum in November 1994.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $106.2 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 4.5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $24,500 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.9%
industry: 34.7%
services: 62.4% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1995 est.)
Labor force: 2.13 million
by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 6% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 8% (including people in job-training programs;
November 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $48.6 billion
expenditures: $53 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1994 est.)
Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp
and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles,
fishing
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1994)
Electricity:
capacity: 27,280,000 kW
production: 118 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 23,735 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: oats, other grains; beef, milk; livestock output
exceeds value of crops; among world's top 10 fishing nations; fish
catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS
and Baltic states for the European market
Exports: $34.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 43%, metals and
products 11%, foodstuffs (mostly fish) 9%, chemicals and raw
materials 25%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4%
partners: EU 77.8% (UK 20.8%, Germany 12.4%, France 8.12%), Sweden
9.4%, US 6.7%, Japan 1.9% (1994)
Imports: $27.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: machinery and equipment and manufactured consumer goods
54%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 39%, foodstuffs 6%
partners: EU 68.9% (Germany 13.9%, UK 10.4%, Denmark 7.4%), Sweden
15%, US 7.4%, Japan 6.0% (1994)
External debt: $NA
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $1.014 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 6.4160 (January
1996), 6.3352 (1995), 7.0576 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992),
6.4829 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 4,027 km
standard gauge: 4,027 km 1.435-m gauge (2422 km electrified; 96 km
double track) (1995)
Highways:
total: 88,922 km
paved: 61,356 km (including 75 km of expressways)
unpaved: 27,566 km (1990 est.)
Waterways: 1,577 km along west coast; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum
Pipelines: refined products 53 km
Ports: Bergen, Drammen, Flora, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund,
Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso,
Trondheim
Merchant marine:
total: 712 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,278,205
GRT/32,209,679 DWT
ships by type: bulk 114, cargo 98, chemical tanker 83, combination
bulk 10, combination ore/oil 31, container 15, liquefied gas tanker
87, oil tanker 148, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier
1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 49, short-sea
passenger 21, vehicle carrier 30
note: the government has created an internal register, the Norwegian
International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian
register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of
convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 102
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 12
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 13
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 11
with paved runways under 914 m: 60
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 5 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 2.39 million (1986 est.)
Telephone system: high-quality domestic and international
telephone, telegraph, and telex services
domestic: NA domestic satellite earth stations
international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine
cables; satellite earth stations - NA Eutelsat, NA Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean), and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean
Regions); note - Norway shares the Inmarsat earth station with the
other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Sweden)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143
government), shortwave 0
Radios: 3.3 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 54 (repeaters 2,100)
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy (includes Coast
Artillery and Coast Guard), Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,125,302
males fit for military service: 937,309
males reach military age (20) annually: 28,328 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $3.7 billion,
2.9% of GDP (1995)
======================================================================
@Oman
----
Map
---
Location: 21 00 N, 57 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Arabian
Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Flag
----
Description: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width),
red, and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on
the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath
superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is
centered at the top of the vertical band
Geography
---------
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman,
and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and UAE
Geographic coordinates: 21 00 N, 57 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 212,460 sq km
land area: 212,460 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
total: 1,374 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline: 2,092 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: no defined boundary with most of UAE, but
Administrative Line in far north
Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior;
strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and
south
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal ash Sham 2,980 m
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble,
limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 5%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 93%
Irrigated land: 410 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil
spills; very limited natural fresh water resources
natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust
storms in interior; periodic droughts
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution; signed, but not
ratified - Hazardous Wastes
Geographic note: strategic location with small foothold on
Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit
point for world crude oil
People
------
Population: 2,186,548 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 511,664; female 493,369)
15-64 years: 51% (male 609,423; female 513,042)
65 years and over: 3% (male 26,623; female 32,427) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.53% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 37.86 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 4.44 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.84 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: 1.19 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.53 years
male: 68.59 years
female: 72.57 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.09 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Omani(s)
adjective: Omani
Ethnic divisions: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani,
Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi), African
Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian
dialects
Literacy: NA
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form: Oman
local long form: Saltanat Uman
local short form: Uman
Data code: MU
Type of government: monarchy
Capital: Muscat
Administrative divisions: 6 regions (mintaqah, singular -
mintaqat) and 2 governorates* (muhafazah, singular - muhafazat) Ad
Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat,
Musandam*, Zufar*
Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
National holiday: National Day, 18 November (1940)
Constitution: none
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law;
ultimate appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister
QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970) is a hereditary monarch;
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the sultan
Legislative branch: unicameral
Consultative Council (Majlis ash Shura): a 60-member body with
advisory powers only
Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent
civil court system, administered by region
Political parties and leaders: none
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF,
ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
NAM, OIC, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Aqil al-DHAHAB
chancery: 2535 Belmont Road, NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1982
FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Frances D. COOK
embassy: address NA, Muscat
mailing address: P. O. Box 202, Code No. 115, Medinat Qaboos, Muscat
telephone: [968] 698989
FAX: [968] 699779
Flag: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red,
and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the
hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath
superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is
centered at the top of the vertical band
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the
fortunes of the oil industry. Petroleum accounts for nearly 90% of
export earnings, about 75% of government revenues, and roughly 40%
of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels,
equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate of
extraction. Agriculture is carried on at a subsistence level and the
general population depends on imported food. The government is
encouraging private investment, both domestic and foreign, as a
prime force for further economic development.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $19.1 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $10,800 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 3%
industry: 60%
services: 37%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.7% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 454,000
by occupation: agriculture 37% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $4.7 billion
expenditures: $5.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas
production, construction, cement, copper
Industrial production growth rate: 3% (1994 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 1,540,000 kW
production: 6 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,407 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables; camels,
cattle; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
Exports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)
commodities: petroleum 87%, reexports, fish, processed copper,
textiles
partners: Japan 35%, South Korea 15.8%, US 9%, China 8%, Thailand 5%
(1994)
Imports: $4 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)
commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured
goods, food, livestock, lubricants
partners: UAE 27% (largely reexports), Japan 20%, UK 15%, US 5%,
Germany 4% (1993)
External debt: $3 billion (1993)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $82 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate
since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 25,948 km
paved: 4,930 km (including 413 km of expressways)
unpaved: 21,018 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports: Matrah, Mina' al Fahl, Mina' Raysut
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,306 GRT/8,210 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 129
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 4
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 34
with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 3
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 3
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 57
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 26 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 150,000 (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of open wire,
microwave, and radiotelephone communication stations; limited
coaxial cable
domestic: open wire, microwave, radiotelephone communications, and a
domestic satellite system with 8 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
and 1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 4, shortwave 1
Radios: 1.043 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 9
Televisions: 1.195 million (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Royal Oman
Police)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 532,113
males fit for military service: 301,747 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.82 billion,
13.7% of GDP (1996)
======================================================================
@Pacific Ocean
-------------
Map
---
Location: 0 00 N, 160 00 W -- body of water between Antarctica,
Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere
Geography
---------
Location: body of water between Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and
the Western Hemisphere
Geographic coordinates: 0 00 N, 160 00 W
Map references: World
Area:
total area: 165.384 million sq km
comparative area: about 18 times the size of the US; the largest
ocean (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the
Arctic Ocean); covers about one-third of the global surface; larger
than the total land area of the world
note: includes Bali Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bering
Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf
of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Ross Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of
Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and
other tributary water bodies
Coastline: 135,663 km
International disputes: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states)
Climate: planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind
patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade
winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by
seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south
of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central
America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much
less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same
latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is
monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when
moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry
season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian
land mass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike
southeast and East Asia from May to December
Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by
a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and
in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in
the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of
Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica
reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the
eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the
western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the
Marianas Trench, which is the world's deepest
lowest point: Marianas Trench -10,924 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand
and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Environment:
current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea
lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in
Philippine Sea and South China Sea
natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and
earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of
Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east
Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October);
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike
Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in
August and September); southern shipping lanes subject to icebergs
from Antarctica; occasional El Nino phenomenon occurs off the coast
of Peru, when the trade winds slacken and the warm Equatorial
Countercurrent moves south, killing the plankton that is the primary
food source for anchovies; consequently, the anchovies move to
better feeding grounds, causing resident marine birds to starve by
the thousands because of the loss of their food source; ships
subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May
and in extreme south from May to October; persistent fog in the
northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
international agreements: NA
Geographic note: the major choke points are the Bering Strait,
Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator
divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic
islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
Government
----------
Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard for
hydrographic codes - see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic
Codes appendix
Economy
-------