----------------------------------------------------
Country: Gaza Strip
Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with
Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan
Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President
Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace
treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned
parties. Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the
respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy
that the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be
determined. In the view of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area
west of the Jordan under Jordanian administration before the 1967 Arab-Israeli
war. With respect to negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, however,
it is US policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and the rest
of the West Bank because of the city's special status and circumstances.
Therefore, a negotiated solution for the final status of Jerusalem could be
different in character from that of the rest of the West Bank.
- Geography
Total area: 380km2; land area: 380 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 62 km total; Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain: flat to rolling, sand and dune covered coastal plain
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 13% arable land, 32% permanent crops, 0% meadows and pastures,
0% forest and woodland, 55% other
Environment: desertification
Note: there are 18 Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip
- People
Population: 615,575 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990); in addition,
there are 2,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 55 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: NA
Ethnic divisions: 99.8% Palestinian Arab and other, 0.2% Jewish
Religion: 99% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 0.7% Christian, 0.3% Jewish
Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely
understood
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: (excluding Israeli Jewish settlers) 32.0% small industry,
commerce and business, 24.4% construction, 25.5% service and other, and
18.1% agriculture (1984)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Note: The Gaza Strip is currently governed by Israeli military authorities
and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the
Gaza Strip will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties. These
negotiations will determine how this area is to be governed.
- Economy
Overview: Nearly half of the labor force of the Gaza Strip is employed
across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural
enterprises, with worker transfer funds accounting for 40% of GNP in 1989. The
once dominant agricultural sector now contributes only 13% to GNP, about the
same as that of the construction sector, and industry accounts for 7%. Gaza
depends upon Israel for 90% of its imports and as a market for 80% of its
exports. Unrest in the territory in 1988-89 (intifadah) has raised
unemployment and substantially lowered the incomes of the population.
GNP: $380 million, per capita $650; real growth rate NA% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $36.6 million; expenditures $32.0 million, including
capital expenditures of NA (1986)
Exports: $88 million;
commodities--citrus;
partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
Imports: $260 million;
commodities--food, consumer goods, construction materials;
partners--Israel, Egypt (1989 est.)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: power supplied by Israel
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis
have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy
products
Aid: none
Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels);
1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--1.9450 (January
1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-March 31
- Communications
Railroads: one line, abandoned and in disrepair, but trackage remains
Highways: small, poorly developed indigenous road network
Ports: facilities for small boats to service Gaza
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications: stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: German Democratic Republic
(East Germany)
- Geography
Total area: 108,330 km2; land area: 105,980 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Tennessee
Land boundaries: 2,296 km total; Czechoslovakia 459 km, Poland 456 km,
FRG 1,381 km
Coastline: 901 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: it is US policy that the final borders of Germany have not been
established; the US is seeking to settle the property claims of US nationals
against the GDR
Climate: temperate; cloudy, cold winters with frequent rain and snow;
cool, wet summers
Terrain: mostly flat plain with hills and mountains in south
Natural resources: lignite, potash, uranium, copper, natural gas, salt,
nickel
Land use: 45% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 12% meadows and pastures;
28% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: significant deforestation in mountains caused by air
pollution and acid rain
Note: strategic location on North European Plain and near the entrance to
the Baltic Sea; West Berlin is an enclave (about 116 km by air or 176 km
by road from FRG)
- People
Population: 16,307,170 (July 1990), growth rate - 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--German(s); adjective--German
Ethnic divisions: 99.7% German, 0.3% Slavic and other
Religion: 47% Protestant, 7% Roman Catholic, 46% unaffiliated or other;
less than 5% of Protestants and about 25% of Roman Catholics active participants
Language: German
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 8,960,000; 37.5% industry, 21.1% services, 10.8% agriculture
and forestry, 10.3% commerce, 7.4% transport and communications,
6.6% construction, 3.1% handicrafts, 3.2% other (1987)
Organized labor: 87.7% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: German Democratic Republic; abbreviated GDR
Type: Communist state
Capital: East Berlin (not officially recognized by France, UK, and US,
which together with the USSR have special rights and responsibilities in Berlin)
Administrative divisions: 14 districts (bezirke, singular--bezirk);
Cottbus, Dresden, Erfurt, Frankfurt, Gera, Halle, Karl-Marx-Stadt, Leipzig,
Magdeburg, Neubrandenburg, Potsdam, Rostock, Schwerin, Suhl
Independence: self-government proclaimed 7 October 1949, with permission
of the Soviet authorities
Constitution: 9 April 1968, amended 7 October 1974
Legal system: civil law system modified by Communist legal theory;
no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday: Foundation of the German Democratic Republic,
7 October (1949)
Executive branch: Council of State abolished on 5 April 1990,
post of president to be created; chairman of the Council of
Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Chamber (Volkskammer)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State--Acting President of the People's
Chamber Sabine BERGMANN-POHL (since 5 April 1990);
Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers
Lothar DE MAIZIERE (since 12 April 1990); Deputy Chairman Peter-Michael
DIESTEL (since 16 April 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
Alliance for Germany--Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Lothar de
Maiziere, chairman; German Social Union (DSU), Hans-Wilhelm Ebeling,
chairman; and Democratic Awakening (DA), Rainer Eppelmann, chairman;
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Markus Meckel, acting chairman;
Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS, former Communist), Gregor Gysi,
chairman;
League of Free Democrats (BFD)--Liberals, Rainer Ortleb,
chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Menzel, chairman; and
German Forum Party (DFP), Juergen Schmieder, chairman;
Alliance '90--New Forum, Baerbel Bohley, Jens Reich, Sebastian
Pflugbeil, spokespersons; Democracy Now, Konrad Weiss, spokesperson;
and United Left, Herbert Misslitz, spokesperson;
Greens Party (GP), Vera Wollenberger, spokesperson;
Democratic Peasants' Party (DBD), Guenther Maleuda, chairman
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
People's Chamber--last held on 18 March 1990 (next to be held
March NA);
results--Alliance for Germany--CDU 40.9%, DSU 6.3%, DA 0.9%;
SPD 21.8; BFD 5.3%; SPD 21.8%; PDS 16.3%;
Alliance '90 2.9%; DBD 2.2%; GP 2.0%; NDPD 0.4%; others 1.0%;
seats--(400 total, including 66 from East Berlin) Alliance for
Germany--CDU 164, DSU 25, DA 4; SPD 87; BFD 21; PDS 65; Alliance '90
12, DBD 9; GP 8; NDPD 2; others 3
Communists: 500,000 to 700,000 party members (1990)
Member of: CEMA, IAEA, IBEC, ICES, ILO, IMO, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO,
UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Gerhard HERDER; Chancery at
1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 232-3134;
US--Ambassador Richard C. BARKLEY; Embassy at 1080 Berlin, Neustaedtische
Kirchstrasse 4-5, East Berlin (mailing address is Box E, APO New York 09742);
telephone [37] (2) 220-2741
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow with
the coat of arms centered; the coat of arms contains, in yellow, a hammer and
compass encircled by a wreath of grain with a black, red, and gold ribbon at the
bottom; similar to the flag of the FRG which does not have a coat of arms
- Economy
Overview: The GDR is moving rapidly away from its centrally planned
economy. As the 1990s begin, economic integration with West Germany
appears inevitable, beginning with the establishment of a common
currency. The opening of the border with the FRG in late 1989 and the
continuing emigration of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers had
brought growth to a standstill by yearend 1989. Features of the old
economic regime that will quickly change: (a) the collectivization
of 95% of East German farms; (b) state ownership of nearly all
transportation facilities, industrial plants, foreign trade
organizations, and financial institutions; (c) the 65% share in trade
of the USSR and other CEMA countries; and (d) the detailed control over
economic details exercised by Party and state. Once integrated into
the thriving West German economy, the area will have to stem the
outflow of workers and renovate the obsolescent industrial base. After an
initial readjustment period, living standards and quality of output will
steadily rise toward West German levels.
GNP: $159.5 billion, per capita $9,679; real growth rate 1.2%
(1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $123.5 billion; expenditures $123.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $33 billion (1986)
Exports: $30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--machinery and transport equipment 47%, fuels and metals
16%, consumer goods 16%, chemical products and building materials 13%,
semimanufactured goods and processed foodstuffs 8%;
partners--USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, FRG, Hungary, Bulgaria,
Switzerland, Romania
Imports: $31.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--fuels and metals 40%, machinery and transport equipment
29%, chemical products and building materials 9%;
partners--CEMA countries 65%, non-Communist 33%, other 2%
External debt: $20.6 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.7% (1989 est.)
Electricity: (including East Berlin) 24,585,000 kW capacity;
122,500 million kWh produced, 7,390 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding,
machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for about 10% of GNP (including fishing and
forestry); principal crops--wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit;
livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net
importer of food; fish catch of 193,600 metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor--$4.0 billion extended bilaterally to non-Communist less
developed countries (1956-88)
Currency: GDR mark (plural--marks); 1 GDR mark (M) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: GDR marks (M) per US$1--3.01 (1988), 3.00 (1987),
3.30 (1986), 3.70 (1985), 3.64 (1984)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 14,005 km total; 13,730 km 1.435-meter standard gauge,
275 km 1.000-meter or other narrow gauge, 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter
double-track standard gauge; 2,754 km overhead electrified (1986)
Highways: 124,615 km total; 47,214 km concrete, asphalt, stone block,
of which 1,913 km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,261 are trunk
roads, and 34,040 are regional roads; 77,401 municipal roads (1985)
Inland waterways: 2,319 km (1986)
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,301 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas,
2,150 km (1988)
Ports: Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz; river ports are East Berlin,
Riesa, Magdeburg, and Eisenhuttenstadt on the Elbe or Oder Rivers and connecting
canals
Merchant marine: 145 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,349,537
GRT/1,733,089 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 89 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo,
6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier,
2 railcar carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
2 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas tanker, 16 bulk
Civil air: 45 major transport aircraft
Airports: 190 total, 190 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runway over 3,659 m; 45 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 40 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations--23 AM, 17 FM, 21 TV; 15 Soviet TV relays;
6,181,860 TV sets; 6,700,000 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth
station
- Defense Forces
Branches: National People's Army, Border Troops, Air and Air Defense
Command, People's Navy
Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 7,944,305; of the 4,045,396 males
15-49, 3,243,970 are fit for military service; 91,579 reach military age (18)
annually; of the 3,898,909 females 15-49, 3,117,847 are fit for military
service; 85,892 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 16.2 billion marks, 5.4% of total budget (1989);
note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official
administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Germany, Federal Republic of
(West Germany)
- Geography
Total area: 248,580 km2; land area: 244,280 km2; includes West Berlin
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 4,256 km total; Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km,
Czechoslovakia 356 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, GDR 1,381 km;
Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 1,488 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm (extends, at one point, to 16 nm in the
Helgolander Bucht)
Disputes: it is US policy that the final borders of Germany have
not been established
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber
Land use: 30% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures;
30% forest and woodland; 20% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: West Berlin is an exclave (about 116 km by air or 176 km by
road from FRG)
- People
Population: 62,168,200 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--German(s); adjective--German
Ethnic divisions: primarily German; Danish minority
Religion: 45% Roman Catholic, 44% Protestant, 11% other
Language: German
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 27,790,000; 41.6% industry, 35.4% services and other,
18.2% trade and transport, 4.8% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 9,300,000 total; 7,760,000 in German Trade Union
Federation (DGB); union membership constitutes about 40% of union-eligible labor
force, 34% of total labor force, and 35% of wage and salary earners (1986)
- Government
Long-form name: Federal Republic of Germany; abbreviated FRG
Type: federal republic
Capital: Bonn
Administrative divisions: 10 states (lander, singular--land);
Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Niedersachsen,
Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein
Constitution: 23 May 1949, provisional constitution known as Basic Law
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: NA
Executive branch: president, chancellor, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consists of
an upper chamber or Federal Assembly (Bundesrat) and a lower chamber or
National Assembly (Bundestag)
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1
July 1984);
Head of Government--Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut
Kohl; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo Waigel; Free Democratic Party (FDP),
Otto Lambsdorff; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Hans-Jochen Vogel; National
Democratic Party (NPD), Martin Mussgnug; Republikaner, Franz Schoerhuber;
Communist Party (DKP), Herbert Mies; Green Party--Realos faction,
Joschka Fischer; Green Party--Fundis faction, Jutta Ditfurth
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
National Assembly--last held 25 January 1987 (next to be held by
18 January 1991); results--SPD 37.0%, CDU 34.5%, CSU 9.8%, FDP 9.1%,
Green Party 8.2%, others 1.4%;
seats--(497 total, 22 are elected by the West Berlin House of
Representatives and have limited voting rights) SPD 186, CDU 174,
CSU 49, FDP 46, Green Party 42
Communists: about 40,000 members and supporters
Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans
groups
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMS, ESA,
FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American
Development Bank, IFAD, IEA, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jeurgen RUHFUS; Chancery at
4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 298-4000;
there are FRG Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston,
Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, and Consulates in Miami
and New Orleans;
US--Ambassador Vernon WALTERS; Embassy at Deichmanns Avenue, 5300 Bonn 2
(mailing address is APO New York 09080); telephone 49 (228) 3391; there are
US Consulates General in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow;
similar to the flag of the GDR which has a coat of arms in the center
- Economy
Overview: West Germany, a major economic power and a leading exporter,
has a highly urbanized and skilled population that enjoys excellent
living standards and comprehensive social welfare benefits. The FRG is
poor in natural resources, coal being the most important
mineral. The FRG's comparative advantage lies in the technologically
advanced production stages. Thus manufacturing and services dominate
economic activity, and raw materials and semimanufactures constitute
a large proportion of imports. In 1988 manufacturing accounted for
35% of GDP, with other sectors contributing lesser amounts. The major
economic problem in 1989 is persistent unemployment of over 8%. The FRG is well
poised to take advantage of the increasing economic integration of the European
Community. The dramatic opening of the boundary with East Germany in late 1989
poses new economic challenges that could tax even this powerful economy.
GDP: $945.7 billion, per capita $15,300; real growth rate 4.3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (1989)
Budget: revenues $539 billion; expenditures $563 billion, including
capital expenditures of $11.5 billion (1988)
Exports: $323.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--manufactures 86.6% (including machines and machine tools,
chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 4.9%,
raw materials 2.3%, fuels 1.3%;
partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 9%, Italy 9%, UK 9%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 18%, US 10%, Eastern Europe 4%,
OPEC 3% (1987)
Imports: $250.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--manufactures 68.5%, agricultural products 12.0%, fuels 9.7%,
raw materials 7.1%;
partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 11%, Italy 10%, UK 7%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 15%, US 6%, Japan 6%,
Eastern Europe 5%, OPEC 3% (1987)
External debt: $500 million (June 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.3% (1988)
Electricity: (including West Berlin) 110,075,000 kW capacity; 452,390
million kWh produced, 7,420 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement,
chemicals, machinery, ships, vehicles, and machine tools; electronics, food and
beverages
Agriculture: accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and
forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock
include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs,
poultry; net importer of food; fish catch of 202,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $60.0 billion
Currency: deutsche mark (plural--marks);
1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1--1.6918 (January 1990),
1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988), 1.7974 (1987), 2.1715 (1986), 2.9440 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 31,443 km total; 27,421 km government owned, 1.435-meter
standard gauge (12,491 km double track, 11,501 km electrified); 4,022 km
nongovernment owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (214 km
electrified) and 424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km electrified)