UNIDO, UNICEF, UPU, WIPO; considering UN membership; has consultative status in
the EC
Diplomatic representation: in routine diplomatic matters, Liechtenstein
is represented in the US by the Swiss Embassy;
US--the US has no diplomatic or consular mission in Liechtenstein, but the
US Consul General at Zurich (Switzerland) has consular accreditation at Vaduz
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown
on the hoist side of the blue band
- Economy
Overview: The prosperous economy is based primarily on small-scale light
industry and some farming. Industry accounts for 54% of total employment,
the service sector 42% (mostly based on tourism), and agriculture and
forestry 4%. The sale of postage stamps to collectors is estimated at $10
million annually and accounts for 10% of revenues. Low business taxes (the
maximum tax rate is 20%) and easy incorporation rules have induced about 25,000
holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in
Liechtenstein. Such companies, incorporated solely for tax purposes, provide an
additional 30% of state revenues. The economy is tied closely to that of
Switzerland in a customs union, and incomes and living standards parallel those
of the more prosperous Swiss groups.
GNP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1987 est.)
Unemployment rate: 0.1% (December 1986)
Budget: revenues $171 million; expenditures $189 million, including
capital expenditures of NA (1986)
Exports: $807 million;
commodities--small specialty machinery, dental products, stamps,
hardware, pottery;
partners--EC 40%, EFTA 26% (Switzerland 19%) (1986)
Imports: $NA; commodities--machinery, metal goods, textiles,
foodstuffs, motor vehicles;
partners--NA
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 150 million kWh produced,
5,340 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics,
pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism
Agriculture: livestock, vegetables, corn, wheat, potatoes, grapes
Aid: none
Currency: Swiss franc, franken, or franco (plural--francs, franken,
or franchi); 1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen,
or centesimi
Exchange rates: Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1--1.5150
(January 1990), 1.6359 (1989), 1.4633 (1988), 1.4912 (1987), 1.7989 (1986),
2.4571 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 18.5 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, electrified; owned,
operated, and included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways
Highways: 130.66 km main roads, 192.27 km byroads
Civil air: no transport aircraft
Airports: none
Telecommunications: automatic telephone system; 25,400 telephones;
stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is responsibility of Switzerland
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Luxembourg
- Geography
Total area: 2,586 km2; land area: 2,586 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 359 km total; Belgium 148 km, France 73 km, FRG 138 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Climate: modified continental with mild winters, cool summers
Terrain: mostly gently rolling uplands with broad, shallow valleys;
uplands to slightly mountainous in the north; steep slope down to Moselle
floodplain in the southeast
Natural resources: iron ore (no longer exploited)
Land use: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and
pastures; 21% forest and woodland; 34% other
Environment: deforestation
Note: landlocked
- People
Population: 383,813 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1989)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 9 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Luxembourger(s); adjective--Luxembourg
Ethnic divisions: Celtic base, with French and German blend; also guest
and worker residents from Portugal, Italy, and European countries
Religion: 97% Roman Catholic, 3% Protestant and Jewish
Language: Luxembourgish, German, French; many also speak English
Literacy: 100%
Labor force: 161,000; one-third of labor force is foreign workers, mostly
from Portugal, Italy, France, Belgium, and FRG; 48.9% services, 24.7% industry,
13.2% government, 8.8% construction, 4.4% agriculture (1984)
Organized labor: 100,000 (est.) members of four confederated trade unions
- Government
Long-form name: Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Luxembourg
Administrative divisions: 3 districts; Diekirch, Grevenmacher, Luxembourg
Independence: 1839
Constitution: 17 October 1868, occasional revisions
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day (public celebration of the Grand Duke's
birthday), 23 June (1921)
Executive branch: grand duke, prime minister, vice prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Chambre des
Deputes); note--the Council of State (Conseil d'Etat) is an advisory
body whose views are considered by the Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch: Superior Court of Justice (Cour Superieure de
de Justice)
Leaders:
Chief of State--Grand Duke JEAN (since 12 November 1964);
Heir Apparent Prince HENRI (son of Grand Duke Jean, born 16 April 1955);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Jacques SANTER (since 21 July 1984);
Deputy Prime Minister Jacques F. POOS (since 21 July 1984)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Social Party (CSV),
Jacques Santer; Socialist Workers Party (LSAP), Jacques Poos; Liberal (DP),
Colette Flesch; Communist (KPL), Rene Urbany; Green Alternative (GAP),
Jean Huss
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
Chamber of Deputies--last held on 18 June 1989 (next to be held
by June 1994);
results--CSV 31.7%, LSAP 27.2%, DP 16.2%, Greens 8.4%, PAC 7.3%, KPL 5.1%,
others 4%;
seats--(60 total) CSV 22, LSAP 18, DP 11, Greens 4, PAC 4, KPL 1, others 4
Communists: 500 party members (1982)
Other political or pressure groups: group of steel industries representing
iron and steel industry, Centrale Paysanne representing agricultural producers;
Christian and Socialist labor unions; Federation of Industrialists; Artisans and
Shopkeepers Federation
Member of: Benelux, BLEU, CCC, Council of Europe, EC, EIB, EMS, FAO, GATT,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU,
ITU, NATO, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Andre PHILIPPE; Chancery at
2200 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-4171;
there are Luxembourg Consulates General in New York and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador Jean B. S. GERARD; Embassy at 22 Boulevard
Emmanuel-Servais, 2535 Luxembourg City (mailing address is APO New York 09132);
telephone [352] 460123
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and light blue;
similar to the flag of the Netherlands which uses a darker blue and is shorter;
design was based on the flag of France
- Economy
Overview: The stable economy features moderate growth, low
inflation, and negligible unemployment. Agriculture is based on small but
highly productive family-owned farms. The industrial sector, until
recently dominated by steel, has become increasingly more diversified,
particularly toward high-technology firms. During the past decade growth
in the financial sector has more than compensated for the decline in
steel. Services, especially banking, account for a growing proportion
of the economy. Luxembourg participates in an economic union with
Belgium on trade and most financial matters and is also closely connected
economically with the Netherlands.
GDP: $6.3 billion, per capita $17,200; real growth rate 4% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $2.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of NA (1988)
Exports: $4.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--finished
steel products, chemicals, rubber products, glass, aluminum, other industrial
products; partners--EC 75%, US 6%
Imports: $5.9 billion (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--minerals,
metals, foodstuffs, quality consumer goods; partners--FRG 40%,
Belgium 35%, France 15%, US 3%
External debt: $131.6 million (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 1,500,000 kW capacity; 1,163 million kWh produced,
3,170 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: banking, iron and steel, food processing, chemicals,
metal products, engineering, tires, glass, aluminum
Agriculture: accounts for less than 3% of GDP (including forestry);
principal products--barley, oats, potatoes, wheat, fruits, wine grapes;
cattle raising widespread
Aid: none
Currency: Luxembourg franc (plural--francs);
1 Luxembourg franc (LuxF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Luxembourg francs (LuxF) per US$1--35.468 (January 1990),
39.404 (1989), 36.768 (1988), 37.334 (1987), 44.672 (1986), 59.378 (1985);
note--the Luxembourg franc is at par with the Belgian franc, which circulates
freely in Luxembourg
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: Luxembourg National Railways (CFL) operates 270 km 1.435-meter
standard gauge; 162 km double track; 162 km electrified
Highways: 5,108 km total; 4,995 km paved, 57 km gravel, 56 km earth; about
80 km limited access divided highway
Inland waterways: 37 km; Moselle River
Pipelines: refined products, 48 km
Ports: Mertert (river port)
Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,138 GRT/9,373 DWT;
includes 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker
Civil air: 13 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways less than 1,220 m; 1 with runways over 3,659 m
Telecommunications: adequate and efficient system, mainly buried cables;
230,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 4 FM, 6 TV; 2 communication satellite
earth stations operating in EUTELSAT and domestic systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army
Military manpower: males 15-49, 99,734; 83,237 fit for military service;
2,368 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.2% of GDP, or $76 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Macau
(overseas territory of Portugal)
- Geography
Total area: 16 km2; land area: 16 km2
Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundary: 0.34 km with China
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 6 nm
Disputes: scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China
in 1999
Climate: subtropical; marine with cool winters, warm summers
Terrain: generally flat
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: essentially urban; one causeway and one bridge connect
the two islands to the peninsula on mainland
Note: 27 km west southwest of Hong Kong on the southeast coast of
China
- People
Population: 441,691 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Macanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Macau
Ethnic divisions: 95% Chinese, 3% Portuguese, 2% other
Religion: mainly Buddhist; 17,000 Roman Catholics, of whom about half are
Chinese
Language: Portuguese (official); Cantonese is the language of
commerce
Literacy: almost 100% among Portuguese and Macanese; no data on Chinese
population
Labor force: 180,000 (1986)
Organized labor: none
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: overseas territory of Portugal; scheduled to revert to China
in 1999
Capital: Macau
Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho);
Ilhas, Macau
Independence: none (territory of Portugal); Portugal signed an agreement
with China on 13 April 1987 to return Macau to China on 20 December 1999; in the
joint declaration, China promises to respect Macau's existing social and
economic systems and lifestyle for 50 years after transition
Constitution: 17 February 1976, Organic Law of Macau
Legal system: Portuguese civil law system
National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June
Executive branch: president of Portugal, governor, Consultative Council,
(cabinet)
Legislative branch: Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President (of Portugal) Mario Alberto SOARES (since
9 March 1986);
Head of Government--Governor Carlos MELANCIA (since 3 July 1987)
Political parties and leaders: Association to Defend the Interests of
Macau; Macau Democratic Center; Group to Study the Development of Macau; Macau
Independent Group
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Assembly--last held on 9 November 1988 (next to be
held November 1991);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(17 total; 6 elected by universal suffrage, 6 by indirect
suffrage) number of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups: wealthy Macanese and Chinese
representing local interests, wealthy pro-Communist merchants representing
China's interests; in January 1967 the Macau Government acceded to Chinese
demands that gave China veto power over administration
Member of: Multifiber Agreement
Diplomatic representation: as Chinese territory under Portuguese
administration, Macanese interests in the US are represented by Portugal;
US--the US has no offices in Macau and US interests are monitored
by the US Consulate General in Hong Kong
Flag: the flag of Portugal is used
- Economy
Overview: The economy is based largely on tourism (including
gambling), and textile and fireworks manufacturing. Efforts to diversify have
spawned other small industries--toys, artificial flowers, and electronics.
The tourist sector has accounted for roughly 25% of GDP, and the clothing
industry has provided about two-thirds of export earnings. Macau depends on
China for most of its food, fresh water, and energy imports. Japan and Hong Kong
are the main suppliers of raw materials and capital goods.
GDP: $2.7 billion, per capita $6,300; real growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 2% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $305 million; expenditures $298 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $1.7 billion (1989 est.); commodities--textiles, clothing,
toys;
partners--US 33%, Hong Kong 15%, FRG 12%, France 10% (1987)
Imports: $1.6 billion (1989 est.); commodities--raw materials,
foodstuffs, capital goods;
partners--Hong Kong 39%, China 21%, Japan 10% (1987)
External debt: $91 million (1985)
Industrial production: NA
Electricity: 179,000 kW capacity; 485 million kWh produced,
1,110 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: clothing, textiles, toys, plastic products, furniture, tourism
Agriculture: rice, vegetables; food shortages--rice, vegetables, meat;
depends mostly on imports for food requirements
Aid: none
Currency: pataca (plural--patacas); 1 pataca (P) = 100 avos
Exchange rates: patacas (P) per US$1--8.03 (1989), 8.044 (1988),
7.993 (1987), 8.029 (1986), 8.045 (1985); note--linked to the Hong Kong dollar
at the rate of 1.03 patacas per Hong Kong dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 42 km paved
Ports: Macau
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: none; 1 seaplane station
Telecommunications: fairly modern communication facilities maintained for
domestic and international services; 52,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, 3 FM,
no TV; 75,000 radio receivers (est.); international high-frequency radio
communication facility; access to international communications carriers provided
via Hong Kong and China; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 166,956; 93,221 fit for military service
Note: defense is responsibility of Portugal
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Madagascar
- Geography
Total area: 587,040 km2; land area: 581,540 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Arizona
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 4,828 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 150 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,
Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island (all administered by France)
Climate: tropical along coast, temperate inland, arid in south
Terrain: narrow coastal plain, high plateau and mountains in center
Natural resources: graphite, chromite, coal, bauxite, salt,
quartz, tar sands, semiprecious stones, mica, fish
Land use: 4% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 58% meadows and
pastures; 26% forest and woodland; 11% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: subject to periodic cyclones; deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification
Note: world's fourth-largest island; strategic location
along Mozambique Channel
- People
Population: 11,800,524 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 97 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Malagasy (sing. and pl.); adjective--Malagasy
Ethnic divisions: basic split between highlanders of predominantly
Malayo-Indonesian origin (Merina 1,643,000 and related Betsileo 760,000) on the
one hand and coastal tribes, collectively termed the Cotiers, with mixed
African, Malayo-Indonesian, and Arab ancestry (Betsimisaraka 941,000, Tsimihety
442,000, Antaisaka 415,000, Sakalava 375,000), on the other; there are also
11,000 European French, 5,000 Indians of French nationality, and 5,000 Creoles
Religion: 52% indigenous beliefs; about 41% Christian, 7% Muslim
Language: French and Malagasy (official)
Literacy: 67.5%
Labor force: 4,900,000; 90% nonsalaried family workers engaged in
subsistence agriculture; 175,000 wage earners--26% agriculture, 17% domestic
service, 15% industry, 14% commerce, 11% construction, 9% services,
6% transportation, 2% other; 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 4% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Madagascar
Type: republic
Capital: Antananarivo
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (plural--NA, singular--faritanin);
Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara
Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France; formerly Malagasy Republic)
Constitution: 21 December 1975
Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy
law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)
Executive branch: president, Supreme Council of the Revolution,
prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral Popular National Assembly (Assemblee
Nationale Populaire)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), High Constitutional
Court (Haute Cour Constitutionnelle)
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA (since 15 June 1975);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Lt. Col. Victor RAMAHATRA (since
12 February 1988)
Political parties and leaders: seven parties are now allowed limited
political activity under the national front and are represented on the Supreme
Revolutionary Council: Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier
Ratsiraka; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM);
Congress Party for Malagasy Independence-Revival (AKFM-R), Pastor Richard
Andriamanjato; Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama Razanabahiny;
Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert Andriamorasata; Militants
for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy Rakotonirina;
National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja Jaona;
Socialist Organization Monima (VSM, an offshoot of MONIMA), Tsihozony
Maharanga
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held on 12 March 1989 (next to be held March 1996);
results--Didier Ratsiraka (AREMA) 62%, Manandafy Rakotonirina (MFM/MFT)
20%, Dr. Jerome Marojama Razanabahiny (VONJY) 15%, Monja Jaona
(MONIMA) 3%;
People's National Assembly--last held on 28 May 1989 (next to
be held May 1994);
results--AREMA 88.2%, MFM 5.1%, AKFM 3.7%, VONJY 2.2%, others 0.8%;
seats--(137 total) AREMA 120, MFM 7, AKFM 5, VONJY 4, MONIMA 1,
independent 1
Communists: Communist party of virtually no importance; small and vocal
group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of AKFM, the rank
and file of which is non-Communist
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, EAMA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU,
OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Pierrot Jocelyn RAJAONARIVELO;
Chancery at 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202)
265-5525 or 5526; there is a Malagasy Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Howard K. WALKER; Embassy at 14 and 16 Rue Rainitovo,
Antsahavola, Antananarivo (mailing address is B. P. 620, Antananarivo);
telephone 212-57, 209-56, 200-89, 207-18
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical
white band of the same width on hoist side
- Economy
Overview: Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world.
During the period 1980-85 it had a population growth of 3% a year and
a - 0.4% GDP growth rate. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is
the mainstay of the economy, accounting for over 40% of GDP, employing about
85% of the labor force, and contributing more than 70% to export earnings.
Industry is confined to the processing of agricultural products and textile
manufacturing; in 1988 it contributed only 16% to GDP and employed 3% of the
labor force. Industrial development has been hampered by government policies
that have restricted imports of equipment and spare parts and put strict
controls on foreign-owned enterprises. In 1986 the government introduced a
five-year development plan that stresses self-sufficiency in food (mainly rice)
by 1990, increased production for exports, and reduced energy imports.
GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $155; real growth rate 2.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 17.0% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $337 million; expenditures $245 million, including
capital expenditures of $163 million (1988)
Exports: $284 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--coffee 45%, vanilla 15%, cloves 11%, sugar, petroleum
products; partners--France, Japan, Italy, FRG, US