1 national territory* (territorio nacional), and 1 district** (distrito);
Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes,
Distrito Federal**, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza,
Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz,
Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego and Antartida e Islas del
Atlantico Sur*, Tucuman
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
Constitution: 1 May 1853
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 25 May (1810)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or
Chamber of Deputies (Camera de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Saul MENEM
(since 8 July 1989); Vice President Eduardo DUHALDE (since 8 July 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Justicialist Party (JP), Antonio Cafiero, Peronist umbrella political
organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Raul Alfonsin, moderately
left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCEDE), Alvaro
Alsogaray, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar
Alende, leftist party; several provincial parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held May 1995);
results--Carlos Saul Menem was elected;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be
held May 1991); results--JP 47%, UCR 30%, UDC 7%, other 16%;
seats--(254 total); JP 122, UCR 93, UDC 11, other 28
Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including
a small nucleus of activists
Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement,
General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor
organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association),
Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business
organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces
Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission,
IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Guido Jose Maria DI TELLA;
Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone
202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in
Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto
Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles;
US--Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia,
1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034);
telephone [54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light
blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known
as the Sun of May
- Economy
Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources, and has a highly
literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a
diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, the economy has encountered
major problems in recent years, leading to a recession in 1988-89.
Economic growth slowed to 2.0% in 1987 and to - 1.8% in 1988; a sharp
decline of - 5.5% has been estimated for 1989. A widening public-sector
deficit and a multidigit inflation rate has dominated the
economy over the past three years, reaching about 5,000% in 1989.
Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $60
billion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting
the country's creditworthiness with international lenders.
GNP: $72.0 billion, per capita $2,217; real growth rate - 5.5%
(1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4,925% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 8.5% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $11.5 billion; expenditures $13.0 billion,
including capital expenditures of $0.93 billion (1988)
Exports: $9.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool;
partners--US 14%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands
Imports: $4.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and
lubricants, agricultural products;
partners--US 25%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands
External debt: $60 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate - 8% (1989)
Electricity: 16,449,000 kW capacity; 46,590 million kWh produced,
1,460 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing (especially meat packing), motor vehicles,
consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing,
metallurgy, steel
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces
abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's
top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops--wheat, corn, sorghum,
soybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.0 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.6 billion;
Communist countries (1970-88), $718 million
Currency: austral (plural--australes); 1 austral (A) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: australes (A) per US$1--1,930 (December
1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); includes a
mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter
gauge, and 0.750-meter gauge
Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel,
101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable
Pipelines: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km
natural gas
Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario,
Santa Fe
Merchant marine: 131 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,693,540
GRT/2,707,079 DWT; includes 45 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 6 container,
1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 18 bulk
Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft
Airports: 1,799 total, 1,617 usable; 132 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 30 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 335 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones
(12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations--171 AM, no FM,
231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic
satellite network has 40 stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air
Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture, National Aeronautical
Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 7,860,054; 6,372,189 fit for military
service; 277,144 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.4% of GNP (1987)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Aruba
(part of the Dutch realm)
- Geography
Total area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 68.5 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
Note: 28 km north of Venezuela
- People
Population: 62,656 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Aruban(s); adjective--Aruban
Ethnic divisions: 80% mixed European/Caribbean Indian
Religion: 82% Roman Catholic, 8% Protestant; also small Hindu, Muslim,
Confucian, and Jewish minority
Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch,
English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy: 95%
Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)
Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs obtained
in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Capital: Oranjestad
Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Independence: planned for 1996
Constitution: 1 January 1986
Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English
common law influence
National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March
Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of
Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Staten)
Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980),
represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party (MEP),
Nelson Oduber; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny Eman; National
Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro Kelly; New Patriotic Party (PPN),
Eddy Werlemen; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny Nisbet; Aruban Democratic
Party (PDA), Leo Berlinski; Democratic Action '86 (AD'86), Arturo
Oduber; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Parliament--last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by January
1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1
Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Flag: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower
portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side
corner
- Economy
Overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy. In 1985 the economy
suffered a severe blow when Exxon closed its refinery, a major source of
employment and foreign exchange earnings. Economic collapse was prevented
by soft loans from the Dutch Government and by a booming tourist industry.
Hotel capacity expanded by 20% between 1985 and 1987 and is projected to more
than double by 1990. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in
1986 to about 3% in 1988.
GDP: $620 million, per capita $10,000; real growth rate 16.7%
(1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including
capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Exports: $47.5 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--mostly petroleum products;
partners--US 64%, EC
Imports: $296.0 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.);
commodities--food, consumer goods, manufactures;
partners--US 8%, EC
External debt: $81 million (1987)
Industrial production: growth rate - 20% (1984)
Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,120
kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities
Agriculture: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural
activity to the cultivation of aloes
Aid: none
Currency: Aruban florin (plural--florins);
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1--1.7900 (fixed rate since
1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Ports: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Airfield: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad
Telecommunications: generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay
links; 72,168 telephones; stations--4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to St. Maarten
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands until 1996
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Ashmore and Cartier Islands
(territory of Australia)
- Geography
Total area: 5 km2; land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle,
and East Islets) and Cartier Island
Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 74.1 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploration;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical
Terrain: low with sand and coral
Natural resources: fish
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other--grass and sand
Environment: surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National
Nature Reserve established in August 1983
Note: located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia
and Indonesia 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia
- People
Population: no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers
- Government
Long-form name: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Type: territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry
for Territories and Local Government
Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)
Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia
Note: administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the
Environment, Tourism, and Territories Graham Richardson
Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic
visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Atlantic Ocean
- Geography
Total area: 82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea,
Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea,
North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Comparative area: slightly less than nine times the size of the US;
second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger
than Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)
Coastline: 111,866 km
Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa
near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur
from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark
Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad,
circular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water
gyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin;
maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and
whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules,
precious stones
Environment: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals,
sea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US,
southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea,
Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial
waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and
Mediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the
northwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been spotted as far
south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur
in the extreme southern Atlantic
Note: ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic
from October to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent
fog can be a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points
include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez
Canals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida,
Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic
shipping lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator
divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic
Ocean
- Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural
resources, especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and
crude oil and natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).
- Communications
Ports: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium),
Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco),
Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland),
Hamburg (FRG), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain),
Le Havre (France), Leningrad (USSR), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK),
Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy),
New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway),
Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands),
Stockholm (Sweden)
Telecommunications: numerous submarine cables with most between
continental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the
Mediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via INTELSAT
satellite network
Note: Kiel Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Australia
- Geography
Total area: 7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes
Macquarie Island
Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 25,760 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)
Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east;
tropical in north
Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium,
nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas,
crude oil
Land use: 6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 58% meadows and
pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast;
limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical,
invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer;
desertification
Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country
- People
Population: 16,923,478 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Australian(s); adjective--Australian
Ethnic divisions: 95% Caucasian, 4% Asian, 1% Aboriginal and other
Religion: 26.1% Anglican, 26.0% Roman Catholic, 24.3% other Christian
Language: English, native languages
Literacy: 98.5%
Labor force: 7,700,000; 33.8% finance and services, 22.3% public and
community services, 20.1% wholesale and retail trade, 16.2% manufacturing and
industry, 6.1% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 42% of labor force (1988)
- Government
Long-form name: Commonwealth of Australia
Type: federal parliamentary state
Capital: Canberra
Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island,
Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald
Islands, Norfolk Island
Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29 January 1990
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper
house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952),
represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since
11 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990)
Political parties and leaders: government--Australian Labor
Party, Robert Hawke; opposition--Liberal Party, Andrew Peacock;
National Party, Charles Blunt; Australian Democratic Party, Janine Haines
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
Senate--last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by 12 May 1990);
results--Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%,
independents 2%;
seats--(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian
Democrats 7, independents 3;
House of Representatives--last held 24 March 1990 (next to be
held by November 1993);
results--Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats
and independents 11.1%;
seats--(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1
Communists: 4,000 members (est.)
Other political or pressure groups: Australian Democratic Labor Party
(anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament
Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)
Member of: ADB, AIOEC, ANZUS, CCC, CIPEC (associate), Colombo Plan,
Commonwealth, DAC, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO,
ICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC,
IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission,
IWC--International Wheat Council, OECD, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at
1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000;
there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla,
Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San
Francisco 6404);
telephone [61] (62) 705000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth,
and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane
Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a
large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is
a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small
five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars