Diego Garcia in UK-administered British Indian Ocean Territory; claims
French-administered Tromelin Island
Climate: tropical modified by southeast trade winds; warm, dry winter
(May to November); hot, wet, humid summer (November to May)
Terrain: small coastal plain rising to discontinuous mountains
encircling central plateau
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Land use: 54% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and
pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 9% irrigated
Environment: subject to cyclones (November to April); almost completely
surrounded by reefs
Note: located 900 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
- People
Population: 1,070,005 (July 1990), growth rate 1.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 20 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 73 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Mauritian(s); adjective--Mauritian
Ethnic divisions: 68% Indo-Mauritian, 27% Creole, 3% Sino-Mauritian, 2%
Franco-Mauritian
Religion: 51% Hindu, 30% Christian (mostly Roman Catholic with a few
Anglicans), 17% Muslim, 2% other
Language: English (official), Creole, French, Hindi, Urdu, Hakka,
Bojpoori
Literacy: 82.8%
Labor force: 335,000; 29% government services, 27% agriculture and
fishing, 22% manufacturing, 22% other; 43% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: 35% of labor force in more than 270 unions
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Louis
Administrative divisions: 5 urban councils and 3 district councils*;
Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Curepipe, Moka-Flacq*, North*, Port Louis, Quatre
Bornes, South*, Vacoas-Phoenix; note--there may now be 4 urban councils
and 9 district councils* named Beau Bassin-Rose Hill, Black River*,
Curepipe, Flacq*, Grand Port*, Moka*, Pamplemousses*, Plaine Wilhems*,
Port Louis*, Quartre Bornes, Riviere du Rempart*, Savanne*, and
Vacoas-Phoenix
Independence: 12 March 1968 (from UK)
Constitution: 12 March 1968
Legal system: based on French civil law system with elements of English
common law in certain areas
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 March (1968)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Veerasamy RINGADOO (since 17 January
1986);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Anerood JUGNAUTH (since 12 June
1982); Deputy Prime Minister Sir Satcam BOOLELL (since 15 August 1988)
Political parties and leaders: the government is currently controlled by a
coalition composed of the Militant Socialist Movement (MSM), A. Jugnauth,
and the Mauritian Labor Party (MLP), S. Boolell; the main opposition union
consists of the Mauritian Militant Movement (MMM), Prem Nababsing; Socialist
Workers Front, Sylvio Michel; Democratic Labor Movement, Anil Baichoo;
Mauritian Social Democratic Party (PMSD), G. Duval
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Legislative Assembly--last held on 30 August 1987 (next to be held 30
August 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(70 total, 62 elected) MSM 24, MMM 21, MLP 10, PMSD 5, others 10
Communists: may be 2,000 sympathizers; several Communist organizations;
Mauritius Lenin Youth Organization, Mauritius Women's Committee, Mauritius
Communist Party, Mauritius People's Progressive Party, Mauritius Young Communist
League, Mauritius Liberation Front, Chinese Middle School Friendly Association,
Mauritius/USSR Friendship Society
Other political or pressure groups: various labor unions
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU,
IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAU, OCAM, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Chitmansing JESSERAMSING; Chancery
at Suite 134, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 244-1491 or 1492;
US--Ambassador Penne KORTH; Embassy at 4th Floor, Rogers Building,
John Kennedy Street, Port Louis; telephone 082347
Flag: four equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, yellow, and green
- Economy
Overview: The economy is based on sugar, manufacturing (mainly textiles),
and tourism. Despite significant expansion in other sectors over the past
decade, sugarcane remains dominant and is grown on about 90% of the cultivated
land area, accounting for 40% of export earnings. The government's
development strategy is centered on industrialization (with a view to exports),
agricultural diversification, and tourism. Economic performance in 1988 was
impressive, with 6.3% real growth rate and low unemployment.
GDP: $1.9 billion, per capita $1,910; real growth rate 6.3% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.2% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 3.6% (1988)
Budget: revenues $351 million; expenditures $414 million, including
capital expenditures of $76 million (FY87 est.)
Exports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--textiles 44%,
sugar 40%, light manufactures 10%; partners--EC and US have preferential
treatment, EC 77%, US 15%
Imports: $1.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--manufactured
goods 50%, capital equipment 17%, foodstuffs 13%, petroleum products 8%,
chemicals 7%; partners--EC, US, South Africa, Japan
External debt: $670 million (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 12.9% (FY87)
Electricity: 233,000 kW capacity; 420 million kWh produced,
375 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing (largely sugar milling), textiles, wearing
apparel, chemical and chemical products, metal products, transport equipment,
nonelectrical machinery, tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 14% of GDP; about 90% of cultivated land in
sugarcane; other products--tea, corn, potatoes, bananas, pulses, cattle, goats,
fish; net food importer, especially rice and fish
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international
drug trade
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $72 million; Western
(non-US) countries (1970-87), $538 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $54
million
Currency: Mauritian rupee (plural--rupees);
1 Mauritian rupee (MauR) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Mauritian rupees (MauRs) per US$1--15.033 (January 1990),
15.250 (1989), 13.438 (1988), 12.878 (1987), 13.466 (1986), 15.442 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Highways: 1,800 km total; 1,640 km paved, 160 km earth
Ports: Port Louis
Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 143,029 GRT/
248,754 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 3 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and
lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 3 bulk
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 5 total, 4 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications: small system with good service; new microwave link to
Reunion; high-frequency radio links to several countries; 48,000 telephones;
stations--2 AM, no FM, 4 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: paramilitary Special Mobile Force, Special Support Units,
regular Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 297,975; 153,130 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Mayotte
(territorial collectivity of France)
- Geography
Total area: 375 km2; land area: 375 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 185.2 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claimed by Comoros
Climate: tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern
monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November)
Terrain: generally undulating with ancient volcanic peaks, deep ravines
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and
pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other
Environment: subject to cyclones during rainy season
Note: part of Comoro Archipelago; located in the Mozambique Channel about
halfway between Africa and Madagascar
- People
Population: 72,186 (July 1990), growth rate 3.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 51 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 12 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 89 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 58 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Mahorais (sing., pl.); adjective--Mahoran
Religion: 99% Muslim; remainder Christian, mostly Roman Catholic
Language: Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French
Literacy: NA%, but probably high
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
Type: territorial collectivity of France
Capital: Dzaoudzi
Administrative divisions: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Independence: none (territorial collectivity of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch: government commissioner
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council (Conseil General)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Superieur d'Appel)
Leaders:
Chief of State President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government Government Commissioner Akli KHIDER (since 1983);
President of the General Council Youssouf BAMANA (since 1976)
Political parties and leaders: Mahoran Popular Movement (MPM), Zna
M'Oere; Party for the Mahoran Democratic Rally (PRDM), Daroueche Maoulida;
Mahoran Rally for the Republic (RMPR), Abdoul Anizizi; Union of the
Center (UDC)
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
General Council--last held NA June 1988 (next to be held June
1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(17 total) MPM 9, RPR 6, others 2;
French Senate--last held on 24 September 1989 (next to be held
September 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(1 total) MPM 1;
French National Assembly--last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to
be held June 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(1 total) UDC 1
Communists: probably none
Diplomatic representation: as a territorial collectivity of France,
Mahoran interests are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used
- Economy
Overview: Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural
sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient
and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly
from France. The economy and future development of the island is heavily
dependent on French financial assistance.
GDP: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues NA; expenditures $37.3 million, including capital
expenditures of NA (1985)
Exports: $4.0 million (f.o.b., 1984); commodities--ylang-ylang,
vanilla; partners--France 79%, Comoros 10%, Reunion 9%
Imports: $21.8 million (f.o.b., 1984); commodities--building
materials, transportation equipment, rice, clothing, flour;
partners--France 57%, Kenya 16%, South Africa 11%, Pakistan 8%
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: NA kW capacity; NA million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita
Industries: newly created lobster and shrimp industry
Agriculture: most important sector; provides all export earnings;
crops--vanilla, ylang-ylang, coffee, copra; imports major share of food
needs
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $287.8 million
Currency: French franc (plural--francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.7598 (January 1990),
6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 42 km total; 18 km bituminous
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Ports: Dzaoudzi
Telecommunications: small system administered by French Department of
Posts and Telecommunications; includes radio relay and high-frequency radio
communications for links with Comoros and international communications;
450 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Mexico
- Geography
Total area: 1,972,550 km2; land area: 1,923,040 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 4,538 km total; Belize 250 km, Guatemala 962 km,
US 3,326 km
Coastline: 9,330 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: natural prolongation of continental margin or
200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: varies from tropical to desert
Terrain: high, rugged mountains, low coastal plains, high plateaus,
and desert
Natural resources: crude oil, silver, copper, gold, lead, zinc,
natural gas, timber
Land use: 12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 39% meadows and
pastures; 24% forest and woodland; 24% other; includes 3% irrigated
Environment: subject to tsunamis along the Pacific coast and destructive
earthquakes in the center and south; natural water resources scarce and polluted
in north, inaccessible and poor quality in center and extreme southeast;
deforestation; erosion widespread; desertification; serious air pollution in
Mexico City and urban centers along US-Mexico border
Note: strategic location on southern border of US
- People
Population: 87,870,154 (July 1990), growth rate 2.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 33 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Mexican(s); adjective--Mexican
Ethnic divisions: 60% mestizo (Indian-Spanish), 30% Amerindian or
predominantly Amerindian, 9% white or predominantly white, 1% other
Religion: 97% nominally Roman Catholic, 3% Protestant
Language: Spanish
Literacy: 88%
Labor force: 26,100,000 (1988); 31.4% services; 26% agriculture, forestry,
hunting, and fishing, 13.9% commerce, 12.8% manufacturing, 9.5% construction,
4.8% transportation, 1.3% mining and quarrying, 0.3% electricity, (1986)
Organized labor: 35% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: United Mexican States
Type: federal republic operating under a centralized government
Capital: Mexico
Administrative divisions: 31 states (estados, singular--estado) and
1 federal district* (distrito federal); Aguascalientes, Baja California Norte,
Baja California Sur, Campeche, Chiapas, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Colima,
Distrito Federal*, Durango, Guanajuato, Guerrero, Hidalgo, Jalisco, Mexico,
Michoacan, Morelos, Nayarit, Nuevo Leon, Oaxaca, Puebla, Queretaro,
Quintana Roo, San Luis Potosi, Sinaloa, Sonora, Tabasco, Tamaulipas, Tlaxcala,
Veracruz, Yucatan, Zacatecas
Independence: 16 September 1810 (from Spain)
Constitution: 5 February 1917
Legal system: mixture of US constitutional theory and civil law system;
judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1810)
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso de la Union)
consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Camara de Senadores)
and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Suprema Corte de Justicia)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos SALINAS de
Gortari (since 1 December 1988)
Political parties and leaders: (recognized parties) Institutional
Revolutionary Party (PRI), Luis Donaldo Colosio Murrieta; National Action
Party (PAN), Luis Alvarez; Popular Socialist Party (PPS), Indalecio Sayago
Herrera; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Cuauhtemoc Cardenas;
Cardenist Front for the National Reconstruction Party (PFCRN), Rafael
Aguilar Talamantes; Authentic Party of the Mexican Revolution (PARM),
Carlos Enrique Cantu Rosas
Suffrage: universal and compulsory (but not enforced) at age 18
Elections:
President--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September 1994);
results--Carlos Salinas de Gortari (PRI) 50.74%,
Cuauhtemoc Cardemas Solorzano (FDN) 31.06%,
Manuel Clouthier (PAN) 16.81%; others 1.39%; note--several of the smaller
parties ran a common candidate under a coalition called the National
Democratic Front (FDN)
Senate--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September
1991); results--PRI 94%, FDN (now PRD) 6%;
seats--(64 total) number of seats by party NA;
Chamber of Deputies--last held on 6 July 1988 (next to be held September
1991);
results--PRI 53%, PAN 20%, PFCRN 10%, PPS 6%, PARM 7%, PMS (now part of PRD) 4%;
seats--(500 total) number of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups: Roman Catholic Church, Confederation
of Mexican Workers (CTM), Confederation of Industrial Chambers (CONCAMIN),
Confederation of National Chambers of Commerce (CONCANACO), National Peasant
Confederation (CNC), National Confederation of Popular Organizations (CNOP),
Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT), Mexican Democratic Party (PDM),
Revolutionary Confederation of Workers and Peasants (CROC), Regional
Confederation of Mexican Workers (CROM), Confederation of Employers of
the Mexican Republic (COPARMEX), National Chamber of Transformation
Industries (CANACINTRA), Business Coordination Council (CCE)
Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO,
ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, LAIA,
OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Gustavo PETRICIOLI Iturbide;
Chancery at 1911 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington DC 20006; telephone
(202) 728-1600;
there are Mexican Consulates General in Chicago, Dallas, Denver, El Paso,
Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San Antonio,
San Diego, and Consulates in Albuquerque, Atlanta, Austin, Boston, Brownsville
(Texas), Calexico (California), Corpus Christi, Del Rio (Texas), Detroit,
Douglas (Arizona), Eagle Pass (Texas), Fresno (California), Kansas City
(Missouri), Laredo, McAllen (Texas), Miami, Nogales (Arizona), Oxnard
(California), Philadelphia, Phoenix, Presidio (Texas), Sacramento, St. Louis,
St. Paul (Minneapolis), Salt Lake City, San Bernardino, San Jose, San Juan
(Puerto Rico), and Seattle;
US--Ambassador John D. NEGROPONTE, Jr.; Embassy at Paseo de la
Reforma 305, Mexico 5, D.F. (mailing address is P. O. Box 3087, Laredo, TX
78044); telephone [52] (5) 211-0042; there are US Consulates General in
Ciudad Juarez, Guadalajara, Monterrey, and Tijuana, and Consulates in
Hermosillo, Matamoros, Mazatlan, Merida, and Nuevo Laredo
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red;
the coat of arms (an eagle perched on a cactus with a snake is its beak) is
centered in the white band
- Economy
Overview: Mexico's economy is a mixture of state-owned industrial plants
(notably oil), private manufacturing and services, and both large-scale and
traditional agriculture. In the 1980s Mexico experienced severe economic
difficulties: the nation accumulated large external debts as world
petroleum prices fell; rapid population growth outstripped the domestic
food supply; and inflation, unemployment, and pressures to emigrate
became more acute. Growth in national output dropped from 8% in
1980 to 1.1% in 1988 and 2.5% in 1989. The US is Mexico's major
trading partner, accounting for two-thirds of its exports and
imports. After petroleum, border assembly plants and tourism are the largest
earners of foreign exchange. The government, in consultation with international
economic agencies, is implementing programs to stabilize the economy
and foster growth.
GDP: $187.0 billion, per capita $2,165; real growth rate 2.5% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 20% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $36.1 billion; expenditures $56.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $7.7 biilion (1988)
Exports: $23.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--crude oil,
oil products, coffee, shrimp, engines, cotton; partners--US 66%,
EC 16%, Japan 11%
Imports: $23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--grain,
metal manufactures, agricultural machinery, electrical equipment;
partners--US 62%, EC 18%, Japan 10%
External debt: $95.1 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 1.3% (1988)
Electricity: 26,900,000 kW capacity; 103,670 million kWh produced,
1,200 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food and beverages, tobacco, chemicals, iron and steel,
petroleum, mining, textiles, clothing, transportation equipment, tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 9% of GDP and over 25% of work force; large
number of small farms at subsistence level; major food crops--corn,
wheat, rice, beans; cash crops--cotton, coffee, fruit, tomatoes; fish
catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations (1987)
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivation of opium poppy and cannabis
continues in spite of government eradication efforts; major link in
chain of countries used to smuggle cocaine from South American
dealers to US markets
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $3.0 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $6.8
billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $110 million
Currency: Mexican peso (plural--pesos);
1 Mexican peso (Mex$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: market rate of Mexican pesos (Mex$) per US$1--2,660.3
(January 1990), 2,461.3 (1989), 2,273.1 (1988), 1,378.2 (1987), 611.8 (1986),
256.9 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 20,680 km total; 19,950 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 730 km
0.914-meter narrow gauge
Highways: 210,000 km total; 65,000 km paved, 30,000 km semipaved or
cobblestone, 60,000 km rural roads (improved earth) or roads under construction,
55,000 km unimproved earth roads
Inland waterways: 2,900 km navigable rivers and coastal canals
Pipelines: crude oil, 4,381 km; refined products, 8,345 km; natural gas,
13,254 km
Ports: Acapulco, Coatzacoalcos, Ensenada, Guaymas, Manzanillo,
Mazatlan, Progreso, Puerto Vallarta, Salina Cruz, Tampico, Veracruz
Merchant marine: 68 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,041,229
GRT/1,552,478 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 10 cargo, 2 refrigerated
cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL)
tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 4 bulk, 4 combination bulk
Civil air: 174 major transport aircraft