Chancery at 3502 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate General in
New York; US--Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Shaikh
Isa Road, Manama (mailing address is P. O. 26431, Manama, or FPO New York
09526); telephone [973] 714151 through 714153
Flag: red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
hoist side
- Economy
Overview: The oil price decline in recent years has had an adverse
impact on the economy. Petroleum production and processing account for about
85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP. In 1986
soft oil-market conditions led to a 5% drop in GDP, in sharp contrast
wit the 5% average annual growth rate during the early 1980s. The
slowdown in economic activity, however, has helped to check the
inflation of the 1970s. The government's past economic diversification
efforts have moderated the severity of the downturn but failed to
offset oil and gas revenue losses.
GDP: $3.5 billion, per capita $7,550 (1987); real growth rate 0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1988)
Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)
Budget: revenues $1,136 million; expenditures $1,210 million,
including capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners--US,
UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--nonoil 59%,
crude oil 41%; partners--UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan
External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1987)
Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced,
12,800 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
offshore banking, ship repairing
Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP;
not self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces
fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, and fish; fish catch 9,000
metric tons in 1987
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87),
$28 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar
(BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1--0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km
bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km
natural surface tracks
Ports: Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah
Merchant marine: 1 cargo and 1 bulk (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,621
GRT/44,137 DWT
Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km
Civil air: 24 major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with
runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications; adequate
domestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite
earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT;
tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia; submarine cable
to Qatar and UAE
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 183,580; 102,334 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $194 million (1990 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Baker Island
(territory of the US)
- Geography
Total area: 1.4 km2; land area: 1.4 km2
Comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 4.8 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow
fringing reef
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until 1891)
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: treeless, sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of
grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; lacks fresh water;
primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds,
shorebirds, and marine wildlife
Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific
Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
- People
Population: uninhabited
Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval
attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but
abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit only and
generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and cemetery ruins
located near the middle of the west coast
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish
and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
National Wildlife Refuge system
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the
the middle of the west coast
Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m
Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the
US Coast Guard
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Bangladesh
- Geography
Total area: 144,000 km2; land area: 133,910 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute;
water sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges
Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
(March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Natural resources: natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber
Land use: 67% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures;
16% forest and woodland; 11% other; includes 14% irrigated
Environment: vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded
during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation
Note: almost completely surrounded by India
- People
Population: 118,433,062 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 53 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Bangladeshi(s); adjective--Bangladesh
Ethnic divisions: 98% Bengali; 250,000 Biharis, and less than 1 million
tribals
Religion: 83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian,
and other
Language: Bangla (official), English widely used
Literacy: 29% (39% men, 18% women)
Labor force: 35,100,000; 74% agriculture, 15% services, 11% industry and
commerce; extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Kuwait
(FY86)
Organized labor: 3% of labor force belongs to 2,614 registered unions
(1986 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Type: republic
Capital: Dhaka
Administrative divisions: 64 districts (zillagulo,
singular--zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra,
Borguna, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj,
Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka,
Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj,
Habiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah,
Khagrachari, Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur,
Lalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur,
Moulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail,
Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona, Nilphamari,
Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram,
Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur,
Satkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet,
Tangail, Thakurgaon
Independence: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)
Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended
following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971)
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister,
three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD
(since 11 December 1983, elected 15 October 1986); Vice President
Moudad AHMED (since 12 August 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Qazi Zafar AHMED (since 12
August 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Jatiyo Party, Hussain Mohammad
Ershad; Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Ziaur Rahman; Awami League, Sheikh
Hasina Wazed; United People's Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed; Democratic League,
Khondakar Mushtaque Ahmed; Muslim League, Khan A. Sabur; Jatiyo Samajtantrik
Dal (National Socialist Party), M. A. Jalil; Bangladesh Communist Party
(pro-Soviet), Saifuddin Ahmed Manik; Jamaat-E-Islami, Ali Khan
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 15 October 1986 (next to be held October
1991);
results--President Hussain Mohammad Ershad received 83.5% of vote;
Parliament--last held 3 March 1988 (next to be held March
1993); results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women)
Jatiyo Party won 256 out of 300 seats
Communists: 5,000 members (1987 est.)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador A. H. S. Ataul KARIM; Chancery
at 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-8372
through 8376; there is a Bangladesh Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador-designate William B. MILAM; Embassy at Diplomatic
Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara Model Town, Dhaka (mailing address
is G. P. O. Box 323, Ramna, Dhaka); telephone [88] (2) 608170
Flag: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center;
green is the traditional color of Islam
- Economy
Overview: The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of
agricultural products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major
source of export earnings. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural
resources, a rapid population growth of 2.8% a year and a limited
infrastructure, and it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters.
Despite these constraints, real GDP averaged about 3.8% annually
during 1985-88. One of the poorest nations in the world, alleviation
of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development
strategy. The agricultural sector contributes over 50% to GDP and
75% to exports, and employs over 74% of the labor force. Industry
accounts for about 10% of GDP.
GDP: $20.6 billion, per capita $180; real growth rate 2.1% (FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8-10% (FY89 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (FY88 est.)
Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.7 billion (FY89)
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., FY89 est.);
commodities--jute, tea, leather, shrimp, manufacturing;
partners--US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%,
Eastern Europe 7%
Imports: $3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.);
commodities--food, petroleum and other energy, nonfood consumer goods,
semiprocessed goods, and capital equipment;
partners--Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%
External debt: $10.4 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (FY89 est.)
Electricity: 1,700,000 kW capacity; 4,900 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per
capita (1989)
Industries: jute manufacturing, food processing, cotton textiles,
petroleum, urea fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP and 74% of both employment
and exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest
exporter of jute; commercial products--jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane,
potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils
and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $3.2 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $9.5 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
$1.5 billion
Currency: taka (plural--taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise
Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1--32.270 (January 1990), 32.270 (1989),
31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: 2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km
1.676 meter broad gauge
Highways: 7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved
Inland waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes
2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)
Ports: Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 331,568 GRT/493,935
DWT; includes 38 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
3 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 3 bulk
Pipelines: 650 km natural gas
Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
Airports: 16 total, 13 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: adequate international radio communications and
landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast
service; 182,000 telephones; stations--9 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT satellite earth stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces--Bangladesh Rifles,
Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 28,110,802; 16,686,644 fit for military
service
Defense expenditures: 1.5% of GDP, or $309 million (FY90 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Barbados
- Geography
Total area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 97 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas
Land use: 77% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 14% other
Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
Note: easternmost Caribbean island
- People
Population: 262,688 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Barbadian(s); adjective--Barbadian
Ethnic divisions: 80% African, 16% mixed, 4% European
Religion: 70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other,
including Moravian
Language: English
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 112,300; 37% services and government; 22% commerce,
22% manufacturing and construction; 9% transportation, storage, communications,
and financial institutions; 8% agriculture; 2% utilities (1985 est.)
Organized labor: 32% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Bridgetown
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew,
Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael,
Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note--there may a new city of
Bridgetown
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
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 Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February
1984);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since
2 June 1987)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine
Sandiford; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry Forde; National Democratic
Party (NDP), Richie Haynes
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Assembly--last held 28 May 1986 (next to be held by May 1991);
results--DLP 59.4%, BLP 40.6%; seats--(27 total) DLP 24, BLP 3; note--a
split in the DLP in February 1989 resulted in the formation of the NDP,
changing the status of seats to DLP 20, NDP 4, BLP 3
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Industrial and General Workers Union,
Bobby Clarke; People's Progressive Movement, Eric Sealy; Workers' Party of
Barbados, Dr. George Belle
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Sir William DOUGLAS; Chancery at
2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-9200 through
9202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a Consulate
in Los Angeles;
US--Ambassador-nominee G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian
Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing
address is P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown or FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809)
436-4950 through 4957
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and blue
with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head
represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms
contained a complete trident)
- Economy
Overview: A per capita income of $5,250 gives Barbados
the highest standard of living of all the small island states of the
eastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation
of sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy
has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry
is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of
foreign exchange. A high unemployment rate of about 19% in 1988 remains
one of the most serious economic problems facing the country.
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $5,250 (1988 est.); real growth rate
3.7% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1988)
Unemployment: 18.6% (1988)
Budget: revenues $476 million; expenditures $543 million,
including capital expenditures of $94 million (FY86)
Exports: $173 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--sugar and molasses, electrical components, clothing, rum,
machinery and transport equipment;
partners: US 30%, CARICOM, UK, Puerto Rico, Canada
Imports: $582 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, crude oil;
partners--US 34%, CARICOM, Japan, UK, Canada
External debt: $635 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 5.4% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 132,000 kW capacity; 460 million kWh produced, 1,780
kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly
for export
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane;
other crops--vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $14 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $144 million
Currency: Barbadian dollars (plural--dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar
(Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1--2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: 1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth
Ports: Bridgetown
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200
GRT/7,338 DWT
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications: islandwide automatic telephone system with 89,000
telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; stations--3 AM,
2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force,
Coast Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, 67,677; 47,566 fit for military service,
no conscription
Defense expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (1986)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Bassas da India
(French possession)
- Geography
Total area: undetermined
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claimed by Madagascar
Climate: tropical
Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 m high
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other (rock)
Environment: surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Note: navigational hazard since it is usually under water during
high tide; located in southern Mozambique Channel about halfway between Africa
and Madagascar
- People
Population: uninhabited
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic
Daniel CONSTANTIN, resident in Reunion
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Belgium
- Geography
Total area: 30,510 km2; land area: 30,230 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 1,385 km total; France 620 km, Luxembourg
148 km, Netherlands 450 km, FRG 167 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: equidistant line with neighbors (extends
about 68 km from coast);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures;
21% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels;
crossroads of Western Europe; Brussels is the seat of the EC
- People
Population: 9,909,285 (July 1990), growth rate 0.1% (1990)