chief of mission: Ambassador Ernest PETRIC
chancery: 1525 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 667-5363
FAX: [1] (202) 667-4563
consulate(s) general: New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Victor JACKOVICH
embassy: address NA, Ljubljana
mailing address: P.O. Box 254, Prazakova 4, 61000 Ljubljana;
American Embassy, Ljubljana, Department of State, Washington, DC
20521-7140
telephone: [386] (61) 301-427, 472, 485
FAX: [386] (61) 301-401
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
with the Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav in white
against a blue background at the center, beneath it are two wavy
blue lines depicting seas and rivers, and around it, there are three
six-sided stars arranged in an inverted triangle); the seal is
located in the upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white
and blue bands
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Slovenia appears to be making a solid economic
recovery, fulfilling the promise it showed at the time of
Yugoslavia's breakup. Its per capita GDP is now the highest in
Central and Eastern Europe and not far below the levels in the
poorer West European countries. Slovenia has benefited from strong
ties to Western Europe and suffered comparatively small physical
damage during Yugoslavia's breakup. The beginning was difficult,
however. Real GDP fell 15% in 1991-92, while inflation soared to
200% in 1992 and unemployment reached 9%. The turning point came in
1993, when real GDP grew 1%, unemployment leveled off, and inflation
slowed dramatically. In 1994, real GDP rose 5.5%, tapering off to an
estimated 4.8% in 1995, while inflation and unemployment both were
down to about 8% by late 1995. The government gets good marks from
foreign observers for fiscal policy - the budget deficit has not
exceeded 1% of GDP in any year since 1991, and the current account
balance has remained in surplus throughout the transition period,
with the exception of 1995. The Slovene privatization program, which
began in 1994, involves about 1,400 firms, but only 412 have been
privatized. The rest are expected to reach private hands by
end-1996, but that does not include firms in so-called strategic
industries, such as telecommunications and energy. Foreign
investment jumped to an estimated $150 million in 1995 from $83.7
million in 1994. With inflation and unemployment expected to
continue edging down, the outlook for 1996 is generally good. A
slowdown in Western Europe - which buys 70% of Slovenia's exports -
could hurt exports, however, lowering GDP growth to about 4% and
perhaps pushing the current account into a small deficit.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $22.6 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 4.8% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $11,000 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 5.3%
industry: 39.9%
services: 54.8% (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (December 1995 est.)
Labor force: 786,036
by occupation: agriculture 2%, manufacturing and mining 46%
Unemployment rate: 8% (December 1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6.6 billion
expenditures: $6.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1993)
Industries: ferrous metallurgy and rolling mill products, aluminum
reduction and rolled products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics
(including military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment,
wood products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1995 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 2,700,000 kW
production: 8.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,470 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: potatoes, hops, wheat, sugar beets, corn, grapes;
cattle, sheep, poultry
Illicit drugs: transit point for Southwest Asian heroin bound for
Western Europe
Exports: $8.3 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment 27%, intermediate
manufactured goods 26%, chemicals 9%, food 4.8%, raw materials 3%,
consumer goods 26% (1993)
partners: Germany 30.9%, former Yugoslavia 14.0%, Italy 14.1%,
France 8.9%, Austria 6.4%, CEFTA (Central European Free Trade
Agreement) countries 5% (January-August 1995 est.)
Imports: $9.1 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment 30%, intermediate
manufactured goods 17.6%, chemicals 11.5%, raw materials 5.3%, fuels
and lubricants 10.8%, food 8.4% (1993)
partners: Germany 23.3%, Italy 16.8%, former Yugoslavia 7.0%, France
8.5%, Austria 9.7% (January-August 1995 est.)
External debt: $2.9 billion (1995)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $5 million (1993)
Currency: 1 tolar (SlT) = 100 stotins
Exchange rates: tolars (SlT) per US$1 - 121.27 (November 1995),
118.9 (1995), 128.81 (1994), 113.24 (1993), 81.29 (1992), 27.57
(1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 1,201 km
standard gauge: 1,201 km 1.435-m gauge (electrified 499 km) (1994)
Highways:
total: 14,794 km
paved: 13,314 km (including 187 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,480 km (1994 est.)
Waterways: NA
Pipelines: crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km
Ports: Izola, Koper, Piran
Merchant marine:
total: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 229,727 GRT/290,456 DWT
(controlled by Slovenian owners)
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 1, container 4
note: ships operate under the flags of Saint Vincent and the
Grenadines, Singapore, Liberia, and Antigua and Barbuda; no ships
remain under the Slovenian flag (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 14
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2
with paved runways under 914 m: 5
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 527,800 (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 5, shortwave 0
note: there are more than 20 regional and local radio broadcast
stations
Radios: 596,100 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 7
note: there are more than 20 local cable television broadcast
stations
Televisions: 454,400 (1993 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Slovene Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 525,925
males fit for military service: 419,456
males reach military age (19) annually: 15,350 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: 13.5 billion tolars, 3.6% of GDP (1995
est.); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars
using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
======================================================================
@Solomon Islands
---------------
Map
---
Location: 8 00 S, 159 00 E -- Oceania, group of islands in the
South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea
Flag
----
Description: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the
lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue
with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the
lower triangle is green
Geography
---------
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean,
east of Papua New Guinea
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 159 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 28,450 sq km
land area: 27,540 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 5,313 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 m
Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead,
zinc, nickel
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 93%
other: 4%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; much of the surrounding
coral reefs are dead or dying
natural hazards: typhoons, but they are rarely destructive;
geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic
activity
international agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Law of the Sea
People
------
Population: 412,902 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 96,241; female 92,722)
15-64 years: 51% (male 107,482; female 104,293)
65 years and over: 3% (male 6,129; female 6,035) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.35% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 37.91 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 4.41 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 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: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.03 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.14 years
male: 68.67 years
female: 73.74 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.43 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Solomon Islander(s)
adjective: Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions: Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%,
European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions: Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United
(Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other
Protestant 5%, traditional beliefs 4%
Languages: Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua
franca, English spoken by 1%-2% of population
note: 120 indigenous languages
Literacy: NA
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Solomon Islands
former: British Solomon Islands
Data code: BP
Type of government: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Honiara
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central,
Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western
note: there may be two new provinces of Choiseul (Lauru) and
Rennell/Bellona and the administrative unit of Honiara may have been
abolished
Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution: 7 July 1978
Legal system: common law
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) is a
hereditary monarch, represented by Governor General Moses PITAKAKA
(since 10 June 1994) who was appointed for up to five years by the
queen on the advice of Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 7
November 1994) was elected by and from Parliament; Deputy Prime
Minister Danny PHILIP (since NA October 1995) was appointed by the
governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the
members of Parliament
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the governor general on the advice
of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
Legislative branch: unicameral
National Parliament: elections last held 26 May 1993 (next to be
held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47
total) GNUR 21, PAP 7, NAPSI 5, SILP 4, UP 4, independents 6
Judicial branch: High Court
Political parties and leaders: National Unity and Reconciliation
Group (GNUR), Solomon MAMALONI; People's Alliance Party (PAP);
National Action Party (NAPSI), leader NA; Solomon Islands Labor
Party (SILP), leader NA; United Party (UP), leader NA; Nationalist
Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses
TUHANUKU; Christian Fellowship, leader NA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US: Solomon Islands do not have an
embassy in the US; the ambassador to the US traditionally resides in
Honiara (Solomon Islands)
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an embassy in
Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua
New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands
Flag: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower
hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five
white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower
triangle is green
Economy
-------
Economic overview: The bulk of the population depend on
subsistence agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of
their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products
must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral
resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. The government of
the Solomon Islands is nearing financial insolvency. In mid-1995 the
central bank suspended interest and principal payments on government
bonds and treasury bills held by financial institutions and the
general public. The government has taken no steps to restrain
expenditure or address the deficit, which is expected to be
considerably higher than the $20 million forecasted in the 1996
budget.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1 billion (1992 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 8% (1992 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,590 (1992 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13% (1994)
Labor force: 26,842
by occupation: services 41.5%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing
23.7%, commerce, transport, and finance 21.7%, construction,
manufacturing, and mining 13.1% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $81.3 million
expenditures: $101.9 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Industrial production growth rate: -3.8% (1991 est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 21,000 kW
production: 30 million kWh
consumption per capita: 80 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes,
vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish
Exports: $94 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: fish 46%, timber 31%, palm oil 5%, cocoa, copra
partners: Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)
Imports: $101 million (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: plant and machinery, manufactured goods, food and live
animals, fuel
partners: Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%
External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.3713
(2d quarter 1995), 3.2914 (1994), 3.1877 (1993), 2.9281 (1992),
2.7148 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,300 km
paved: 30 km
unpaved: 1,270 km
note: in addition, there are 800 km of private logging and
plantation roads of varied surface (1982 est.)
Ports: Aola Bay, Honiara, Lofung, Noro, Viru Harbor, Yandina
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 30
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: 18
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 9 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 5,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 38,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 2,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: no regular military forces; Solomon Islands National
Reconnaissance and Surveillance Force; Royal Solomon Islands Police
(RSIP)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: NA
males fit for military service: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
======================================================================
@Somalia
-------
Map
---
Location: 10 00 N, 49 00 E -- Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf
of Aden and the Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Flag
----
Description: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in
the center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland
was a UN trust territory)
Geography
---------
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Gulf of Aden and the
Indian Ocean, east of Ethiopia
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 N, 49 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 637,660 sq km
land area: 627,340 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,366 km
border countries: Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,626 km, Kenya 682 km
Coastline: 3,025 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes: southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is
a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia
over the Ogaden
Climate: principally desert; December to February - northeast
monsoon, moderate temperatures in north and very hot in south; May
to October - southwest monsoon, torrid in the north and hot in the
south, irregular rainfall, hot and humid periods (tangambili)
between monsoons
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Shimbiris 2,450 m
Natural resources: uranium and largely unexploited reserves of
iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 46%
forest and woodland: 14%
other: 38%
Irrigated land: 1,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: famine; use of contaminated water contributes to
human health problems; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification
natural hazards: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over
eastern plains in summer
international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea; signed, but not ratified - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
Geographic note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along
southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and
Suez Canal
People
------
Population: 9,639,151 (July 1996 est.)
note: this estimate was derived from an official census taken in
1987 by the Somali Government with the cooperation of the UN and the
US Bureau of the Census; population estimates are updated year by
year between census years by factoring growth rates into them, and
by taking account of refugee movements, and of losses due to famine;
lower estimates of Somalia's population in mid-1996 (on the order of
6.0 to 6.5 million) have been made by aid and relief agencies, based
on the number of persons being fed; population counting in Somalia
is complicated by the large numbers of nomads and by refugee
movements in response to famine and clan warfare
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 2,143,775; female 2,139,104)
15-64 years: 52% (male 2,609,911; female 2,387,620)
65 years and over: 4% (male 182,991; female 175,750) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.1% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 44.17 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 13.22 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female
all ages: 1.05 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 121.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 55.49 years
male: 55.18 years
female: 55.8 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.01 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Somali(s)
adjective: Somali
Ethnic divisions: Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000
Religions: Sunni Muslim
Languages: Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population: 24%
male: 36%
female: 14%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Somalia
former: Somali Republic
Data code: SO
Type of government: none
Capital: Mogadishu
Administrative divisions: 18 regions (plural - NA, singular -
gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo,
Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag,
Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland,
which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian
Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered
UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
National holiday: NA
Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September
1979
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: Somalia has no functioning government; the
United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Major General
Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the present political
situation is one of anarchy, marked by interclan fighting and random
banditry
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly
People's Assembly (Golaha Shacbiga): not functioning
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (not functioning)
Political parties and leaders: the United Somali Congress (USC)
ousted the former regime on 27 January 1991; formerly the only party
was the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), headed by
former President and Commander in Chief of the Army Major General
Mohamed SIAD Barre
Other political or pressure groups: numerous clan and subclan
factions are currently vying for power
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in US: Somalia does not have an embassy
in the US (ceased operations on 8 May 1991)
US diplomatic representation: the US does not have an embassy in
Somalia; US interests are represented by the US Embassy in Nairobi
at Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue; mail address: P. O. Box
30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi; APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (2)
334141; FAX [254] (2) 340838
Flag: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the
center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a
UN trust territory)
Economy
-------
Economic overview: One of the world's poorest and least developed
countries, Somalia has few resources. Moreover, much of the economy
has been devastated by the civil war. Agriculture is the most
important sector, with livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and
about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads, who are
dependent upon livestock for their livelihood, make up a large
portion of the population. Crop production generates only 10% of GDP
and employs about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is
bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market.
The small industrial sector is based on the processing of
agricultural products and accounts for less than 10% of GDP; most
facilities have been shut down because of the civil strife. The
greatly increased political turmoil of 1991-93 resulted in a
substantial drop in agricultural output, with widespread famine. In
1994 economic conditions stabilized in the countryside, followed in
1995 by slight improvements. However, ongoing civil strife in
Mogadishu and outlying areas is interfering with any substantial
recovery.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $3.6 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $500 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA