by occupation: agriculture (mostly pastoral nomadism) 71%, industry
and services 29%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining,
textiles, petroleum refining (mostly shut down)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 75,000 kW prior to the civil war, but now largely shut
down due to war damage; some localities operate their own generating
plants, providing limited municipal power; note - UN and relief
organizations use their own portable power systems
production: NA kWh
consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture: bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; cattle,
sheep, goats; fishing potential largely unexploited
Exports: $100 million (1995 est.)
commodities: bananas, live animals, fish, hides
partners: Saudi Arabia, other Gulf states, Italy, US (bananas)
Imports: $249 million (1990 est.)
commodities: petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials
partners: US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
External debt: $1.9 billion (1989)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Somali shilling (So. Sh.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1 -
approximately 7,000 (January 1996), 5,000 (1 January 1995), 2,616 (1
July 1993), 4,200 (December 1992), 3,800.00 (December 1990), 490.7
(1989),
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 22,500 km
paved: 2,700 km
unpaved: 19,800 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 15 km
Ports: Bender Cassim (Boosaaso), Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo),
Merca, Mogadishu
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,529 GRT/6,892 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 52
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 3
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 1
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with paved runways under 914 m: 6
with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 4
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 15
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 20 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 9,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: the public telecommunications system was
completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; all
relief organizations depend on their own private systems
domestic: recently, local cellular telephone systems have been
established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers
international: international connections are available from
Mogadishu by satellite
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA (there are at
least five radio broadcast stations of NA type)
Radios: 350,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (Somalia's only TV station was
demolished during the civil strife, sometime in 1991)
Televisions: 113,000 (1992 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: NA; note - no functioning central government military
forces; clan militias continue to battle for control of key economic
or political prizes
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 2,333,994
males fit for military service: 1,301,954 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
======================================================================
@South Africa
------------
Map
---
Location: 29 00 S, 24 00 E -- Southern Africa, at the southern tip
of the continent of Africa
Flag
----
Description: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and
blue separated by a central green band which splits into a
horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist
side, embracing a black isoceles triangle from which the arms are
separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are
separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes
Geography
---------
Location: Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of
Africa
Geographic coordinates: 29 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 1,219,912 sq km
land area: 1,219,912 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince
Edward Island)
Land boundaries:
total: 4,750 km
border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491
km, Namibia 855 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline: 2,798 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Swaziland has asked South Africa to open
negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African
territories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long
ago part of the Swazi Kingdom
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny
days, cool nights
Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow
coastal plain
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum,
copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 65%
forest and woodland: 3%
other: 21%
Irrigated land: 11,280 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires
extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water
usage threatens to outpace supply; pollution of rivers from
agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in
acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards: prolonged droughts
international agreements: party to - Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling;
signed, but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification, Law of
the Sea
Geographic note: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and
almost completely surrounds Swaziland
People
------
Population: 41,743,459 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 7,578,639; female 7,428,123)
15-64 years: 60% (male 12,356,753; female 12,516,467)
65 years and over: 4% (male 744,806; female 1,118,671) (July 1996
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.76% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 27.91 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 10.32 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 48.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.47 years
male: 57.21 years
female: 61.8 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.43 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: South African(s)
adjective: South African
Ethnic divisions: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian
2.6%
Religions: Christian (most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of
blacks), Hindu (60% of Indians), Muslim 2%
Languages: 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English,
Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1995 est.)
total population: 81.8%
male: 81.9%
female: 81.7%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: Republic of South Africa
conventional short form: South Africa
abbreviation: RSA
Data code: SF
Type of government: republic
Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative);
Bloemfontein (judicial)
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State,
Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape,
Northern Province, Western Cape
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution: 27 April 1994 (interim constitution, replacing the
constitution of 3 September 1984); note - on 8 May 1996, the
Constitutional Assembly voted 421 to two to pass a new constitution
which, after certification by the Constitutional Court, will
gradually go into effect over a three-year period and come into full
force with the next national elections in April 1999
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Nelson MANDELA
(since 10 May 1994); Deputy Executive Presidents Thabo MBEKI (since
10 May 1994) and Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 10 May 1994) were
elected by the National Assembly
note: any political party that wins 20% or more of the National
Assembly votes in a general election is entitled to name a deputy
executive president; moreover, any party that wins 20 or more seats
in the National Assembly is entitled to become a member of the
governing coalition; currently, the ANC, the IFP, and the NP
constitute a Government of National Unity (GNU)
cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: bicameral
National Assembly: elections last held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be
held NA April 1999); results - ANC 62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF
2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%, other 0.9%; seats - (400 total)
ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC 5, ACDP 2
Senate: the Senate is composed of members who are nominated by the
nine provincial parliaments (which are elected in parallel with the
National Assembly) and has special powers to protect regional
interests, including the right to limited self-determination for
ethnic minorities; seats - (90 total) ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP
3
note: when the National Assembly meets in joint session with the
Senate to consider the provisions of the constitution, the combined
group is referred to as the Constitutional Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: African National Congress (ANC),
Nelson MANDELA, president; National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE
KLERK, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP), Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI,
president; Freedom Front (FF), Constand VILJOEN, president;
Democratic Party (DP), Tony LEON, president; Pan-Africanist Congress
(PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president; African Christian Democratic
Party (ACDP), Kenneth MESHOE, president
note: in addition to these seven parties which received seats in the
National Assembly, 11 other parties won votes in the national
elections in April 1994
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM, OAU, SACU,
SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Franklin SONN
chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400
consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New
York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador James A. JOSEPH
embassy: 877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083
mailing address: P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048
FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue
separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y,
the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a
black isoceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow
yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green
band and its arms by narrow white stripes
note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in
one - three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white
band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal
horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature
flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State
with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a
horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other
side
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Many of the white one-seventh of the South
African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and
educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast,
most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns
of the Third World, including unemployment and lack of job skills.
The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources,
which provide two-thirds of exports. Economic developments for the
remainder of the 1990s will be driven largely by the new
government's attempts to improve black living conditions, to set the
country on a steady export-led growth path, and to cut back the
enormous numbers of unemployed. The economy in recent years has
absorbed less than 5% of the more than 300,000 workers entering the
labor force annually. Local economists estimate that the economy
must grow between 5% and 6% in real terms annually to absorb all of
the new entrants, much less reduce the accumulated total.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $215 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $4,800 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.7% (1995)
Labor force: 14.2 million economically active (1996)
by occupation: services 35%, agriculture 30%, industry 20%, mining
9%, other 6%
Unemployment rate: 32.6% (1996 est.); an additional 11%
underemployment
Budget:
revenues: $30.5 billion
expenditures: $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.6
billion (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold,
chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile,
iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 39,750,000 kW
production: 163 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,482 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; cattle,
poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef
Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin and cocaine;
cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit
methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various
east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana
Exports: $27.9 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: gold 27%, other minerals and metals 20%-25%, food 5%,
chemicals 3% (1994)
partners: Italy, Japan, US, Germany, UK, other EU countries, Hong
Kong
Imports: $27 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities: machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%,
oil, textiles, scientific instruments (1994)
partners: Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy
External debt: $22 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
note: current aid pledges include US $600 million over three years
ending in 1996; UK $150 million over three years; Australia $21
million over three years; Japan $1.3 billion over two years ending
in 1996; EU $833 million over five years
Currency: 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1 - 3.6417 (January 1996), 3.6266
(1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992), 2.7563 (1991)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 21,431 km
narrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km
0.610-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 182,329 km
paved: 55,428 km (including 2,040 km of expressways)
unpaved: 126,901 km (1991 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural
gas 322 km
Ports: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port Elizabeth,
Richards Bay, Saldanha
Merchant marine:
total: 4 container ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 211,276
GRT/198,602 DWT (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 667
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 10
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 4
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 44
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 75
with paved runways under 914 m: 221
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 33
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 280 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 5,206,235 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: the system is the best developed, most modern,
and has the highest capacity in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial
cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, and
radiotelephone communication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein,
Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 286, shortwave 0
Radios: 12.1 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 67 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 3.45 million (1990 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: South African National Defense Force (SANDF; includes
Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police
Service (SAPS)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 10,686,976
males fit for military service: 6,502,265
males reach military age (18) annually: 424,854 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion,
2.2% of GDP (FY95/96)
======================================================================
@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
--------------------------------------------
(dependent territory of the UK)
Map
---
Location: 54 30 S, 37 00 W -- Southern South America, islands in
the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Flag
----
Description: the flag of the UK is used
Geography
---------
Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic
Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total area: 4,066 sq km
land area: 4,066 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
note: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: NA km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by
Argentina
Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year,
interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as
snow
Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are
rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has
steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of
volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget 2,915 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather
conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship;
they are also subject to active volcanism
international agreements: NA
Geographic note: the north coast of South Georgia has several
large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early
in this century, live on South Georgia
People
------
Population: no indigenous population; there is a small military
garrison on South Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a
biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are
uninhabited
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none
Data code: SX
Type of government: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution: 3 October 1985
Legal system: English common law
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (of the United Kingdom since 6
February 1952), a hereditary monarch, is represented by Commissioner
David Everard TATHAM (since August 1992; resident at Stanley,
Falkland Islands)
Legislative branch: no elections
Judicial branch: none
Flag: the flag of the UK is used
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters.
There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and
krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in
the UK.
Budget:
revenues: $291,777
expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988
est.)
Electricity:
capacity: 900 kW
production: 2 million kWh
consumption per capita: NA kWh (1992)
Transportation
--------------
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports: Grytviken
Airports: none
Communications
--------------
Telephones: NA
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA
Defense
-------
Defense note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
======================================================================
@Spain
-----
Map
---
Location: 40 00 N, 4 00 W -- Southwestern Europe, bordering the
Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean,
southwest of France
Flag
----
Description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double
width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of
the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by
the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar
and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of
Gibraltar
Geography
---------
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,
Mediterranean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean, southwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 504,750 sq km
land area: 499,400 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera
Land boundaries:
total: 1,903.2 km
border countries: Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km
note: excludes the length of the boundary between the places of
sovereignty and Morocco
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls
five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the
coast of Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which
Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas,
Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate
and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly
cloudy and cool along coast
Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged
hills; Pyrenees in north
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico de Teide on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury,
pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin,
potash, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 10%
meadows and pastures: 21%
forest and woodland: 31%
other: 7%
Irrigated land: 33,600 sq km (1989 est.)