Chamber of Deputies
Legal system: based on French civil law system, traditional practices,
and Islamic law
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 June (1977)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des Deputes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Hassan GOULED Aptidon (since 24 June 1977);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Barkat GOURAD Hamadou (since 30
September 1978)
Political parties and leaders: only party--People's Progress
Assembly (RPP), Hassan Gouled Aptidon
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections:
President--last held 24 April 1987 (next to be held April 1993);
results--President Hassan Gouled Aptidon was reelected without
opposition;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 24 April 1987 (next to be
held April 1992); results--RPP is the only party; seats--(65 total) RPP 65
Communists: NA
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU,
NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE; Chancery
(temporary) at the Djiboutian Permanent Mission to the UN; 866 United Nations
Plaza, Suite 4011, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 753-3163;
US--Ambassador Robert S. BARRETT IV; Embassy at Villa Plateau du
Serpent Boulevard, Marechal Joffre, Djibouti (mailing address is B. P. 185,
Djibouti); telephone [253] 35-38-49 or 35-39-95, 35-29-16, 35-29-17
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with
a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed
star in the center
- Economy
Overview: The economy is based on service activities connected with the
country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone. Djibouti
provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international
transshipment and refueling center. It has few natural resources and little
industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance
to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects.
An unemployment rate of over 50% continues to be a major problem.
GNP: $333 million, $1,070 per capita; real growth rate - 0.7% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1987)
Unemployment rate: over 50% (1987)
Budget: revenues $117 million; expenditures $163 billion, including
capital expenditures of $52 million (1987 est.)
Exports: $128 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--hides and skins,
coffee (in transit); partners--Middle East 50%, Africa 43%, Western Europe
7%
Imports: $198 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--foods, beverages,
transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products; partners--EC 36%,
Africa 21%, Bahrain 14%, Asia 12%, US 2%
External debt: $250 million (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.6% (1986)
Electricity: 110,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced,
580 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as
dairy products and mineral-water bottling
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; scanty rainfall limits crop
production to mostly fruit and vegetables; half of population pastoral nomads
herding goats, sheep, and camels; imports bulk of food needs
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-88), $36 million;
Western (non-US) countries, including ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $962 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $149 million; Communist
countries (1970-88), $35 million
Currency: Djiboutian franc (plural--francs); 1 Djiboutian franc
(DF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs (DF) per US$1--177.721 (fixed rate since
1973)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: the Ethiopian-Djibouti railroad extends for 97 km through
Djibouti
Highways: 2,900 km total; 280 km bituminous surface, 2,620 km
improved or unimproved earth (1982)
Ports: Djibouti
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 12 total, 9 usable; none with runways over 3,659 m;
1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
4 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of urban facilities in Djibouti and radio
relay stations at outlying places; 7,300 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV;
1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 ARABSAT; 1 submarine cable to Saudi
Arabia
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary National Security Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 88,132; 51,260 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: $29.9 million, 23% of central government budget
(1986)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Dominica
- Geography
Total area: 750 km2; land area: 750 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 148 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall
Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources: timber
Land use: 9% arable land; 13% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures;
41% forest and woodland; 34% other
Environment: flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes
Note: located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea
- People
Population: 84,854 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican
Ethnic divisions: mostly black; some Carib indians
Religion: 80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist
Language: English (official); French patois widely spoken
Literacy: 80% (est.)
Labor force: 25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28%
services (1984)
Organized labor: 25% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Commonwealth of Dominica
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Roseau
Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David,
Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick,
Saint Paul, Saint Peter
Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)
Constitution: 3 November 1978
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (includes 9 appointed
senators and 21 elected representatives)
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since
19 December 1983);
Head of Government--Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21
July 1980)
Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party (DFP),
(Mary) Eugenia Charles; Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist-dominated
coalition), Michael Douglas; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December
1993); the president is elected by the House of Assembly;
House of Assembly--last held 1 July 1985 (next to be held July
1990); results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(21 total) DFP 17, LPD 4
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a
small leftist group
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: there is no Chancery in the US;
US--no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown
(Barbados), but travels frequently to Dominica
Flag: green with a centered cross of three equal bands--the vertical part
is yellow (hoist side), black, and white--the horizontal part is yellow (top),
black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing
a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the
10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)
- Economy
Overview: The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly
vulnerable to climatic conditions. Agriculture accounts for about 30%
of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Principal products include
bananas, coconuts, citrus, and root crops. In 1988 the economy achieved a
5.6% growth in real GDP on the strength of a boost in construction,
higher agricultural production, and growth of the small manufacturing
sector based on soap and garment industries. The tourist industry
remains undeveloped because of a rugged coastline and the lack of an
international-class airport.
GDP: $137 million, per capita $1,408; real growth rate 5.6% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (1987)
Unemployment rate: 10% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $60 million; expenditures $52 million,
including capital expenditures of $18 million (FY88)
Exports: $46 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--bananas,
coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets;
partners--UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%
Imports: $66.0 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--food, oils and
fats, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, machinery and
equipment;
partners--US 23%, UK 18%, CARICOM 15%, OECS 15%, Japan 5%,
Canada 3%, other 21%
External debt: $63.6 million (December 1987)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.9% in manufacturing (1987)
Electricity: 7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced,
190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other
coconut-based products, cigars, pumice mining
Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops--bananas, citrus
fruit, coconuts, root crops; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings;
forestry and fisheries potential not exploited
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $109 million
Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar
(EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate
since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Highways: 750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth
Ports: Roseau, Portsmouth
Civil air: NA
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and
UHF link to St. Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe;
stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Dominican Republic
- Geography
Total area: 48,730 km2; land area: 48,380 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire
Land boundary 275 km with Haiti
Coastline: 1,288 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 6 nm
Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys
interspersed
Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver
Land use: 23% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures;
13% forest and woodland; 14% other; includes 4% irrigated
Environment: subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October);
deforestation
Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (western one-third is
Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)
- People
Population: 7,240,793 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican
Ethnic divisions: 73% mixed, 16% white, 11% black
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 74%
Labor force: 2,300,000-2,600,000; 49% agriculture, 33% services,
18% industry (1986)
Organized labor: 12% of labor force (1989 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Dominican Republic (no short-form name)
Type: republic
Capital: Santo Domingo
Administrative divisions: 29 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia)
and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon,
Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor,
Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez,
Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata,
Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan,
San Pedro De Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde
Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)
Constitution: 28 November 1966
Legal system: based on French civil codes
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and lower chamber or
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Joaquin BALAGUER
Ricardo (since 16 August 1986); Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso
(since 16 August 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Major parties--Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC),
Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo; Dominican Revolutionary
Party (PRD), which fractured in May 1989 with the understanding that
leading rivals Jacobo Majluta and Jose Francisco
Pena Gomez would run separately for president at the head of the
Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Social Democratic
Institutional Bloc (BIS), respectively, and try to reconstitute the
PRD after the election; Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch
Gavino;
Minor parties--National Veterans and Civilian Party (PNVC),
Juan Rene Beauchanps Javier; The Structure (LE), Andres Van Der Horst;
Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias Wessin Chavez;
Constitutional Action Party (PAC), Luis Arzeno
Rodriguez; National Progressive Force (FNP), Marino Vinicio Castillo;
Popular Christian Party (PPC), Rogelio Delgado Bogaert; Dominican
Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic
Union (UPA), Ivan Rodriguez; in 1983 several leftist parties,
including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID);
however, they still retain individual party structures
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 or if married; members of
the armed forces and police cannot vote
Elections:
President--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990);
results--Joaquin Balaguer (PRSC) 41.8%, Jacobo Majluta (PRD) 39.7%,
Juan Bosch Gavino (PLD) 18.5%;
Senate--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(30 total) PRSC 21, PRD 7, PLD 2;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be
held May 1990);
results--PRSC 40.6%, PRD 33.5%, PLD 18.3%, LE 5.3%, other 2.3%;
seats--(120 total) PRSC 56, PRD 48, PLD 16
Communists: an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and
illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and
organizational inadequacies
Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso
(serves concurrently as Vice President); Chancery at
1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6280;
there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles,
Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan
(Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands), Detroit,
Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and
San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Paul D. TAYLOR; Embassy at the corner of
Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo
(mailing address is APO Miami 34041-0008); telephone [809] 541-2171
Flag: a centered white cross that extends to the edges, divides the flag
into four rectangles--the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, the bottom
ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of
the cross
- Economy
Overview: The economy is largely dependent on the agricultural sector,
which employs 50% of the labor force and provides about half of export revenues.
The principal commercial crop is sugarcane, followed by coffee, cocoa, and
tobacco. Industry is based on the processing of agricultural products, durable
consumer goods, minerals, and chemicals. Rapid growth of free trade zones has
established a significant expansion of manufacturing for export, especially
wearing apparel. Over the past decade tourism has also increased in importance
and is a significant earner of foreign exchange and a source of new jobs.
Unemployment is officially reported at about 25%, but underemployment may
be much higher.
GDP: $5.1 billion, per capita $790; real growth rate 0.5% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 57.6% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)
Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million,
including capital expenditures of $218 million (1988)
Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--sugar, coffee, cocoa, gold, ferronickel;
partners--US, including Puerto Rico, 74%
Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and
pharmaceuticals;
partners--US, including Puerto Rico, 37% (1985)
External debt: $3.6 billion (1989) est.
Industrial production: growth rate 30% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 1,376,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced,
560 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining,
textiles, cement, tobacco
Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 49% of labor
force; sugarcane most important commercial crop, followed by coffee,
cotton, and cocoa; food crops--rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas;
animal output--cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not
self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.1 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $529 million
Currency: Dominican peso (plural--pesos); 1 Dominican peso
(RD$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US$1--6.3400 (January 1990),
6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986), 3.1126 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges
from 0.558 m to 1.435 m
Highways: 12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved
earth, 600 km unimproved
Pipelines: crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km
Ports: Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata
Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,335
GRT/40,297 DWT
Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft
Airports: 44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: relatively efficient domestic system based on
islandwide radio relay network; 190,000 telephones; stations--120 AM, no
FM, 18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,912,101; 1,210,172 fit for military
service; 80,290 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.2% of GDP, or $61 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Ecuador
- Geography
Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes
Galapagos Islands
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada
Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,237 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute
Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland
Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra),
and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber
Land use: 6% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures;
51% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic
activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts
Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world
- People
Population: 10,506,668 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 61 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Ecuadorian(s); adjective--Ecuadorian
Ethnic divisions: 55% mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish), 25% Indian, 10%
Spanish, 10% black
Religion: 95% Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua
Literacy: 85% (1981)
Labor force: 2,800,000; 35% agriculture, 21% manufacturing,
16% commerce, 28% services and other activities (1982)
Organized labor: less than 15% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Ecuador
Type: republic
Capital: Quito
Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia);
Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas,
Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago,
Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe
Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha)
Constitution: 10 August 1979
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence
of Quito)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Representatives
(Camara de Representantes)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos
(since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde (since
10 August 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Right to center
parties--Social Christian Party (PSC), Camilio Ponce, president;
Conservative Party (PC), Jose Teran Varea, director;
Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Penaherrera, director;
Centrist parties--Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes
Bucaram Saxida, director; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia
Calderon de Castro, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles
Rigail Santistevan, director; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR),
Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy, leader;