Language: English (official)
Literacy: 80%
Labor force: 2,780 (1984)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: dependent territory of the UK
Capital: The Valley
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution: 1 April 1982
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May
Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief minister,
Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly
Judicial branch: High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
Governor Geoffrey O. WHITTAKER (since NA 1987);
Head of Government--Chief Minister Emile GUMBS (since NA March
1984, served previously from February 1977 to May 1980)
Political parties and leaders: Anguilla National Alliance (ANA), Emile
Gumbs; Anguilla United Party (AUP), Ronald Webster; Anguilla Democratic Party
(ADP), Victor Banks
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Assembly--last held 27 February 1989 (next to
be held February 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(11 total, 7 elected) ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP 1, independent 1
Communists: none
Member of: Commonwealth
Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag: two horizontal bands of white (top, almost triple width) and light
blue with three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design centered
in the white band
- Economy
Overview: Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy
depends heavily on lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and
remittances from emigrants. In recent years the economy has benefited
from a boom in tourism. Development is planned to improve the
infrastructure, particularly transport and tourist facilities, and
also light industry. Improvement in the economy has reduced
unemployment from 40% in 1984 to about 5% in 1988.
GDP: $23 million, per capita $3,350 (1988 est.); real growth rate
8.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $9.0 million; expenditures $8.8 million, including
capital expenditures of NA (1988 est.)
Exports: $NA; commodities--lobsters and salt; partners--NA
Imports: $NA; commodities--NA; partners --NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 3,000 kW capacity; 9 million kWh produced, 1,300 kWh per
capita (1988)
Industries: tourism, boat building, salt, fishing (including lobster)
Agriculture: pigeon peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sheep, goats, pigs,
cattle, poultry
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-87), $33 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate
since 1976)
Fiscal year: NA
- Communications
Highways: 60 km surfaced
Ports: Road Bay, Blowing Point
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways of 1,100 m
(Wallblake Airport)
Telecommunications: modern internal telephone system; 890 telephones;
stations--3 AM, 1 FM, no TV; radio relay link to island of St. Martin
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Antarctica
- Geography
Total area: about 14,000,000 km2; land area: about 14,000,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US;
second-smallest continent (after Australia)
Land boundaries: see entry on Disputes
Coastline: 17,968 km
Maritime claims: see entry on Disputes
Disputes: Antarctic Treaty suspends all claims; sections (some
overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France (Adelie Land),
New Zealand (Ross Dependency), Norway (Queen Maud Land), and UK; Brazil claims
a Zone of Interest; the US and USSR do not recognize the territorial claims of
other nations and have made no claims themselves (but reserve the right to do
so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90o west and
150o west
Climate: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and
distance from the ocean; East Antarctica colder than Antarctic Peninsula in
the west; warmest temperatures occur in January along the coast and average
slightly below freezing
Terrain: about 98% thick continental ice sheet, with average elevations
between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to 5,000 meters high;
ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land,
and the scientific research areas of Graham Land and Ross Island on McMurdo
Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of coastline
Natural resources: coal and iron ore; chromium, copper, gold, nickel,
platinum, and hydrocarbons have been found in small quantities along the coast;
offshore deposits of oil and gas
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other (98% ice, 2% barren rock)
Environment: mostly uninhabitable; katabatic (gravity) winds blow
coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the
plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise around the
coast; during summer more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South
Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; in October 1987
it was reported that the ozone shield, which protects the Earth's surface
from harmful ultraviolet radiation, has dwindled to its lowest level
ever over Antarctica; subject to active volcanism (Deception Island)
Note: the coldest continent
- People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants; staffing of research stations
varies seasonally;
Summer (January) population--3,330; Argentina 179, Australia 216,
Brazil 36, Chile 124, China 62, France 46, FRG 9, GDR 15, India 59,
Italy 121, Japan 52, NZ 251, Poland 19, South Africa 102, South
Korea 17, UK 72, Uruguay 47, US 1,250, USSR 653 (1986-87);
Winter (July) population--1,148 total; Argentina 149, Australia
82, Brazil 11, Chile 59, China 16, France 32, FRG 9, GDR 9, India 17,
Japan 37, NZ 11, Poland 19, South Africa 15, UK 61, Uruguay 10, US 242,
USSR 369 (1986-87);
Year-round stations--43 total; Argentina 7, Australia 3, Brazil 1,
Chile 3, China 1, France 1, FRG 1, GDR 1, India 1, Japan 2, NZ 1,
Poland 1, South Africa 1, South Korea 1, UK 6, Uruguay 1, US 3, USSR 8
(1986-87);
Summer only stations--26 total; Argentina 3, Australia 3, Chile 4,
Italy 1, Japan 1, NZ 2, South Africa 2, US 4, USSR 6 (1986-87)
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into
force on 23 June 1961, established, for at least 30 years, a legal framework for
peaceful use, scientific research, and suspension of territorial claims.
Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the 14th
and last meeting was held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) in October 1987.
Consultative (voting) members include claimant nations (they claim portions of
Antarctica as national territory and some claims overlap) and nonclaimant
nations (they have made no claims to Antarctic territory, although the US and
USSR have reserved the right to do so and do not recognize the claims of
others); the year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to
full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959
treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina, Australia, Chile, France,
New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant nations are--Belgium,
Brazil (1983), China (1985), FRG (1981), GDR (1987), India (1983), Italy (1987),
Japan, Poland (1977), South Africa, Uruguay (1985), US, and the USSR.
Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parenthesis,
are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962),
Denmark (1965), Finland (1984), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984),
Netherlands (1987), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Peru (1981),
Romania (1971), South Korea (1986), Spain (1982), and Sweden (1984).
Antarctic Treaty Summary: Article 1--area to be used for peaceful purposes only
and military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military
personnel and equipment may be used for scientific purposes; Article 2--freedom
of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue; Article 3--free
exchange of information and personnel; Article 4--does not recognize, dispute,
or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the
treaty is in force; Article 5--prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of
radioactive wastes; Article 6--includes under the treaty all land and ice
shelves south of 60o 00' south, but that the water areas be covered by
international law; Article 7--treaty-state observers have free access, including
aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and
equipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of
military personnel must be given; Article 8--allows for jurisdiction over
observers and scientists by their own states; Article 9--frequent consultative
meetings take place among member nations and acceding nations given consultative
status; Article 10--treaty states will discourage activities by any country in
Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty; Article 11--disputes to be settled
peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ; Articles 12, 13,
14--deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved
nations.
Other agreements: Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living
Resources; Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals; a mineral
resources agreement is currently undergoing ratification by the Antarctic Treaty
consultative parties
- Economy
Overview: No economic activity at present except for fishing off
the coast and small-scale tourism, both based abroad. Exploitation of
mineral resources will be held back by technical difficulties, high
costs, and objections by environmentalists.
- Communications
Airports: 39 total; 25 usable; none with permanent surface runways;
3 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: none; Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty states that advance notice
of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Antigua and Barbuda
- Geography
Total area: 440 km2; land area: 440 km2; includes Redonda
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 153 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher
volcanic areas
Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters
tourism
Land use: 18% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 7% meadows and
pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 59% other
Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October);
insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many
natural harbors
Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico
- People
Population: 63,726 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Antiguan(s); adjective--Antiguan
Ethnic divisions: almost entirely of black African origin; some of
British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin
Religion: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman
Catholic
Language: English (official), local dialects
Literacy: 90% (est.)
Labor force: 30,000; 82% commerce and services, 11% agriculture,
7% industry (1983)
Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association
(ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members;
Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Saint John's
Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*,
Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter,
Saint Philip
Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
Constitution: 1 November 1981
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or
Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November
1981, previously Governor since 1976);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA
1976); Deputy Prime Minister Lester BIRD (since NA 1976)
Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. Bird,
Sr., Lester Bird; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor Heath
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Representatives--last held 9 March 1989 (next to be
held 1994);
results--percentage of vote by party NA;
seats--(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement
(ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) Hector;
Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel Thomas
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ILO, IMF,
ISO, OAS, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE;
Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate
in Miami;
US--the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda,
and in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires
Roger R. GAMBLE; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's
(mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506
Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the
flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue,
and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band
- Economy
Overview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the
most important determinant of economic performance. During the period
1983-87, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of 8%. Tourism's
contribution to GDP, as measured by value added in hotels and restaurants, rose
from about 14% in 1983 to 17% in 1987, and stimulated growth in other
sectors--particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities.
During the same period the combined share of agriculture and manufacturing
declined from 12% to less than 10%. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas
in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy.
GDP: $353.5 million, per capita $5,550; real growth rate 6.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.1% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $77 million; expenditures $81 million,
including capital expenditures of $13 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $30.4 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--petroleum products 46%, manufactures 29%, food and live
animals 14%, machinery and transport equipment 11%; partners--Trinidad
and Tobago 40%, Barbados 8%, US 0.3%
Imports: $302.1 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--food and
live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals,
oil; partners--US 27%, UK 14%, CARICOM 7%, Canada 4%, other 48%
External debt: $245.4 million (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1987)
Electricity: 49,000 kW capacity; 90 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh
per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
alcohol, household appliances)
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton,
fruits, vegetables, and livestock sector; other crops--bananas, coconuts,
cucumbers, mangoes; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $40 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate
since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge
used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane
Highways: 240 km
Ports: St. John's
Merchant marine: 80 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 307,315
GRT/501,552 DWT; includes 50 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 8 container,
8 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
5 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 1 short-sea passenger; note--a flag of
convenience registry
Civil air: 10 major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 2,440 m
Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones;
tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; stations--4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV,
2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua
and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Arctic Ocean
- Geography
Total area: 14,056,000 km2; includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea,
Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay,
Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US;
smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean,
and Indian Ocean)
Coastline: 45,389 km
Climate: persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges;
winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather
conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight,
damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack
which averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be
three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream,
but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to
Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by
open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter
and extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a
central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen
Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales)
Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice
islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved
from western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in
March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about
10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June;
fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage
Note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern
access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to
superstructure icing from October to May; strategic location between North
America and the USSR; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and
western USSR; floating research stations operated by the US and USSR
- Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural
resources, including crude oil, natural gas, fishing, and sealing.
- Communications
Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (USSR), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Telecommunications: no submarine cables
Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest
Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Asia) are important waterways
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Argentina
- Geography
Total area: 2,766,890 km2; land area: 2,736,690 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km,
Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline: 4,989 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond
12 nm)
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short
section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered
Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and
the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica
Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling
plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc,
tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium
Land use: 9% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 52% meadows and pastures;
22% forest and woodland; 13% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes;
pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated
soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in
Buenos Aires
Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil);
strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and
South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
- People
Population: 32,290,966 (July 1990), growth rate 1.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 32 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Argentine(s); adjective--Argentine
Ethnic divisions: 85% white, 15% mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups
Religion: 90% nominally Roman Catholic (less than 20% practicing), 2%
Protestant, 2% Jewish, 6% other
Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy: 94%
Labor force: 10,900,000; 12% agriculture, 31% industry, 57% services
(1985 est.)
Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Argentine Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Buenos Aires (tentative plans to move to Viedma by
1990 indefinitely postponed)