Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.24 years
male: 64.23 years
female: 74.39 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychelles
Ethnic divisions: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans,
Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1971 est.)
total population: 58%
male: 56%
female: 60%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles
Data code: SE
Type of government: republic
Capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux
Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie
Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade,
Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin
Island), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri,
Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of new
constitution)
Constitution: 18 June 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President France Albert RENE
(since 5 June 1977) was elected for a five-year term by popular
vote; election last held 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998);
results - President France Albert RENE (SPPF) reelected with 59.5%
of the vote, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 36.72%
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral
People's Assembly (Assemblee du Peuple): elections last held 20-23
July 1993 (next to be held NA); results - SPPF 82%, DP 15%, UO 3%;
seats - (33 total, 22 elected, 11 awarded) seats elected - SPPF 21,
DP 1; seats awarded - SPPF 6, DP 4, UO 1
note: the 11 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of
each party in the total vote
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: ruling party - Seychelles People's
Progressive Front (SPPF), France Albert RENE; Democratic Party (DP),
Sir James MANCHAM; United Opposition (UO), Wavel RAMKALAWAN - a
coalition of the following parties: Seychelles Party (PS), Wavel
RAMKALAWAN; Seychelles Democratic Movement (MSPD), Jacques HONDOUL;
Seychelles Liberal Party (SLP), Ogilvie BERLOUIS; New Democratic
Party , Christopher GILL (former member of DP)
Other political or pressure groups: trade unions; Roman Catholic
Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marc Michael R. MARENGO
chancery: (temporary) 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY
10017
telephone: [1] (212) 687-9766, 9767
FAX: [1] (212) 922-9177
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Carl Burton STOKES
embassy: 4th Floor, Victoria House, Box 251, Victoria, Mahe
mailing address: Box 148, Victoria; Unit 62501, APO AE 09815-2501
telephone: [248] 225256
FAX: [248] 225189
Flag: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white,
and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output
has grown to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level, led
by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force
and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings. In recent
years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to
upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government
has moved to reduce the high dependence on tourism by promoting the
development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. The
vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated by the sharp
drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the industry
has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for
upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $430 million (1993 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -2% (1993 est.)
GDP per capita: $6,000 (1993 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1993 est.)
Labor force: 27,700 (1985)
by occupation: industry and commerce 31%, services 21%, government
20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985)
Unemployment rate: 9% (1987)
Budget:
revenues: $227.4 million
expenditures: $263 million, including capital expenditures of $54
million (1993 est.)
Industries: tourism, processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing,
coir (coconut fiber) rope factory, boat building, printing,
furniture, beverage
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1992)
Electricity:
capacity: 30,000 kW
production: 110 million kWh
consumption per capita: 1,399 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava
(tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; expansion of tuna fishing
under way
Exports: $50 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(re-exports)
partners: France 43%, UK 22%, Reunion 11%, (1992)
Imports: $261 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco,
beverages, machinery and transportation equipment
partners: Singapore 16%, Bahrain 16%, South Africa, 14%, UK 13%
(1992)
External debt: $181 million (1993 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 4.9257 (January
1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994), 5.1815 (1993), 5.1220 (1992),
5.2893 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 269 km
paved: 187 km
unpaved: 82 km (1988 est.)
Ports: Victoria
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 14
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 5
with paved runways under 914 m: 6
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 8,300 (1982 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent
island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 34,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: 8,200 (1991 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, Presidential
Protection Unit, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 21,547
males fit for military service: 10,883 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
======================================================================
@Sierra Leone
------------
Map
---
Location: 8 30 N, 11 30 W -- Western Africa, bordering the North
Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Flag
----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top),
white, and light blue
Geography
---------
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 71,740 sq km
land area: 71,620 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to
December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country,
upland plateau, mountains in east
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore,
gold, chromite
Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 31%
forest and woodland: 29%
other: 13%
Irrigated land: 340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment;
overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and
slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil
exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the
Sahara (November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation,
Nuclear Test Ban, Whaling; signed, but not ratified -
Desertification, Environmental Modification
People
------
Population: 4,793,121 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,057,824; female 1,092,291)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,197,547; female 1,298,834)
65 years and over: 3% (male 75,066; female 71,559) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.14% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 47.13 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 18.24 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 12.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.05 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 135.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.47 years
male: 44.56 years
female: 50.47 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.36 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic divisions: 13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende
30%, other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%
Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne
(principal vernacular in the north), Krio (the language of the
re-settled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua
franca)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write in English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic (1995 est.)
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Data code: SL
Type of government: constitutional democracy
Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern,
Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous
to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH
(inaugurated 29 March 1996); election held 26-27 February 1996 (next
to be held NA 2000)
cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
Legislative branch: unicameral
House of Representatives: elections last held NA February 1996 (next
to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats (80
total, 68 elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate
elections) SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note -
first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut
down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: 15 parties registered for the
February 1996 elections; National Peoples Party (NPP), Andrew TURAY;
Democratic Center Party (DCP), Abu KOROMA; Peoples Progressive Party
(PPP), Edward KAMARA, chairman; Coalition for Progress Party (CPP),
Geredine WILLIAMS-SARHO; National Unity Movement (NUM); United
National Peoples Party (UNPP); Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),
Thaimu BANGURA, chairman; All Peoples Congress (APC), S. A. T.
KOROMA, chairman; National Republican Party (NRP); Social Democratic
Party (SDP); Peoples National Convention (PNC), I. B. KARGBO,
chairman; National Unity Party (NUP), A. O. D. GEORGE, chairman;
Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP), Paul DUNBAR, chairman; National
Democratic Alliance (NDA); National Alliance for Democracy Party
(NADP)
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol,
IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: (vacant)
chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador John L. HIRSCH
embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485
FAX: [232] (22) 225471
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white,
and light blue
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Sierra Leone has substantial mineral,
agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and
social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social
disorders continue to push down production, exports, and the value
of the leone. Agriculture employs about two-thirds of the working
population, with subsistence agriculture dominating the sector.
Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and
of light manufacturing for the domestic market. The mining of
diamonds, bauxite, and rutile is the major source of hard currency.
The government has worked hard to meet its IMF- and World
Bank-mandated stabilization targets, holding down fiscal deficits,
and retiring much of its domestic debt - but at a steep cost in
terms of forgone capital investments and social spending. Moreover,
the economic infrastructure has nearly collapsed due to neglect and
war-related disruptions in the mining and agricultural export
sectors. The continuing civil war in Liberia has led to a large
influx of refugees, who place additional burdens on Sierra Leone's
fragile economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion (1994 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -4% (1994 est.)
GDP per capita: $960 (1994 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 40%
industry: 17%
services: 43% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 24% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981
est.)
note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $75 million
expenditures: $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY94/95 est.)
Industries: mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile); small-scale
manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum
refining
Industrial production growth rate: $NA
Electricity:
capacity: 130,000 kW
production: 220 million kWh
consumption per capita: 44 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts;
poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish catch was 65,000 metric tons in
1994
Exports: $115 million (f.o.b., 1994)
commodities: rutile 51%, bauxite 20%, diamonds 16%, coffee 6%, cocoa
7%, fish (1989)
partners: US, UK, Belgium, Germany, other Western Europe
Imports: $150 million (c.i.f., 1994)
commodities: foodstuffs 38%, machinery and equipment 44%, fuels and
lubricants 18% (1989)
partners: US, EU countries, Japan, China, Nigeria
External debt: $1.4 billion (yearend 1993)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: leones (Le) per US$1 - 951.63 (January 1996),
755.22 (1995), 586.74 (1994), 567.46 (1993), 499.44 (1992), 295.34
(1991)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is
closed
narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 11,674 km
paved: 1,284 km
unpaved: 10,390 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports: Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 5
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 17,526 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service
domestic: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable
by military activities
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 980,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 45,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,019,093
males fit for military service: 494,451 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $14 million, 2.6%
of GDP (FY92/93)
======================================================================
@Singapore
---------
Map
---
Location: 1 22 N, 103 48 E -- Southeastern Asia, islands between
Malaysia and Indonesia
Flag
----
Description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white;
near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white
crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially
enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
Geography
---------
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:
total area: 632.6 sq km
land area: 622.6 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of
Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: within and beyond territorial sea, as
defined in treaties and practice
territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: two islands in dispute with Malaysia
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry
seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in
April)
Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water
catchment area and nature preserve
lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m
highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 7%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 5%
other: 84%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water
resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Climate Change
Geographic note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
People
------
Population: 3,396,924 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 379,076; female 358,739)
15-64 years: 72% (male 1,220,131; female 1,219,412)
65 years and over: 6% (male 97,882; female 121,684) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.9% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 16.28 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 4.56 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female
all ages: 1 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.13 years
male: 75.07 years
female: 81.39 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Singaporean(s)
adjective: Singapore
Ethnic divisions: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other
2.3%
Religions: Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu,
Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national),
Tamil (official), English (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 91.1%
male: 95.9%
female: 86.3%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of Singapore
conventional short form: Singapore
Data code: SN
Type of government: republic within Commonwealth
Capital: Singapore
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence
State of Singapore Constitution)
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: President ONG Teng Cheong (since 1 September 1993)
was elected for a six-year term by popular vote; election last held
28 August 1993 (next to be held NA August 1999); results - ONG Teng
Cheong was elected with 59% of the vote in the country's first
popular election for president
head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November
1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November
1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995) were appointed by
the president
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president, responsible to
Parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral
Parliament: elections last held 31 August 1991 (next to be held by
31 August 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (81
total) PAP 77, SDP 3, WP 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the
president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are
appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice
Political parties and leaders:
government: People's Action Party (PAP), GOH Chok Tong, secretary
general
opposition: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHEE Soon Juan;
Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM; National Solidarity Party
(NSP), leader NA; Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front), leader NA;
Singapore People's Party (SPP), SIN Kek Tong
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C,
CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU,
Mekong Group, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sellapan Rama NATHAN
chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100
FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy A. CHORBA
embassy: 30 Hill Street, Singapore 0617
mailing address: FPO AP 96534
telephone: [65] 3380251
FAX: [65] 3384550
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the
hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent
(closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five
white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
Economy
-------