Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry
to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost 35%
of GDP, agriculture and fisheries 10-15%, and manufacturing about 5%.
Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and
the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Alluvial diamond deposits are
among the richest in the world, making Namibia a primary source for
gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin,
silver, and tungsten, and it has substantial resources of coal.
GNP: $1.54 billion, per capita $1,245; real growth rate 2.9%
(1987)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (1989)
Unemployment rate: over 30% (1988)
Budget: revenues $781 million; expenditures $932 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports: $935 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--diamonds,
uranium, zinc, copper, meat, processed fish, karakul skins;
partners--South Africa
Imports: $856 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs,
manufactured consumer goods, machinery and equipment;
partners--South Africa, FRG, UK, US
External debt: about $27 million at independence; under a 1971
International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Namibia may not be
liable for debt incurred during its colonial period
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 486,000 kW capacity; 1,280 million kWh produced,
930 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining (copper,
lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP (including fishing); mostly
subsistence farming; livestock raising major source of cash income;
crops--millet, sorghum, peanuts; fish catch potential of over 1 million
metric tons not being fulfilled, 1987 catch reaching only 520,000 metric
tons; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $47.2 million
Currency: South African rand (plural--rand);
1 South African rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: South African rand (R) per US$1--2.5555 (January 1990),
2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Railroads: 2,341 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track
Highways: 54,500 km; 4,079 km paved, 2,540 km gravel, 47,881 km earth
roads and tracks
Ports: Luderitz; primary maritime outlet is Walvis Bay (South Africa)
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 143 total, 123 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 63 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good urban, fair rural services; radio relay connects
major towns, wires extend to other population centers; 62,800 telephones;
stations--2 AM, 40 FM, 3 TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: males 15-49, 298,249; 176,660 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 4.9% of GNP (1986)
Note: the South-West Africa Territorial Force, established in
1980, was demobilized in June 1989; a new national defense force will
probably be formed by the new government
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Nauru
- Geography
Total area: 21 km2; land area: 21 km2
Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 30 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs
with phosphate plateau in center
Natural resources: phosphates
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and
pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: only 53 km south of Equator
Note: one of three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific
(others are Banaba or Ocean Island in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia)
- People
Population: 9,202 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 41 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Nauruan(s); adjective--Nauruan
Ethnic divisions: 58% Nauruan, 26% other Pacific Islander, 8% Chinese, 8%
European
Religion: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
Language: Nauruan, a distinct Pacific Island language (official); English
widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Nauru
Type: republic
Capital: no capital city as such; government offices in Yaren District
Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare,
Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
Independence: 31 January 1968 (from UN trusteeship under Australia,
New Zealand, and UK); formerly Pleasant Island
Constitution: 29 January 1968
Legal system: own Acts of Parliament and British common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
Executive branch: president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Bernard DOWIYOGO
(since 12 December 1989)
Political parties and leaders: none
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
Elections:
President--last held 9 December 1989 (next to be held December
1992);
results--Bernard Dowiyogo elected by Parliament;
Parliament--last held on 9 December 1989 (next to be held
December 1992);
results--percent of vote NA;
seats--(18 total) independents 18
Member of: Commonwealth (special member), ESCAP, ICAO, INTERPOL,
ITU, SPC, SPF, UPU
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador T. W. STAR resides in Melbourne
(Australia); there is a Nauruan Consulate in Agana (Guam);
US--the US Ambassador to Australia is accredited to Nauru
Flag: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and
a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the
star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the
yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of
Nauru
- Economy
Overview: Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves
of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given
Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third
World--$10,000 annually. Few other resources exist so
most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from
Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income
from phosphates constitute serious long-term problems. Substantial
investment in trust funds, out of phosphate income, will help cushion the
transition.
GNP: over $90 million, per capita $10,000; real growth rate NA% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget: revenues $69.7 million; expenditures $51.5 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY86 est.)
Exports: $93 million (f.o.b., 1984); commodities--phosphates;
partners--Australia, NZ
Imports: $73 million (c.i.f., 1984); commodities--food, fuel,
manufactures, building materials, machinery; partners--Australia, UK, NZ,
Japan
External debt: $33.3 million
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 13,250 kW capacity; 48 million kWh produced,
5,300 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconuts
Agriculture: negligible; almost completely dependent on imports for food
and water
Aid: none
Currency: Australian dollar (plural--dollars);
1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.2784 (January 1990),
1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: 3.9 km; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island
to processing facilities on the southwest coast
Highways: about 27 km total; 21 km paved, 6 km improved earth
Ports: Nauru
Merchant marine: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 39,597
GRT/50,729 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 1 cargo, 2 bulk
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft, one on order
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: adequate intraisland and international radio
communications provided via Australian facilities; 1,600 telephones;
4,000 radio receivers; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: no regular armed forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 298,249; 176,660 fit for military
service; 100 reach age 18 annually
Defense expenditures: no formal defense structure
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Navassa Island
(territory of the US)
- Geography
Total area: 5.2 km2; land area: 5.2 km2
Comparative area: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claimed by Haiti
Climate: marine, tropical
Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by
vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)
Natural resources: guano
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 10% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 90% other
Environment: mostly exposed rock, but enough grassland to support goat
herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus
Note: strategic location between Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica in the
Caribbean Sea; 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, Cuba
- People
Population: uninhabited; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on
the island
- Government
Long-form name: none (territory of the US)
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Coast
Guard
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Nepal
- Geography
Total area: 140,800 km2; land area: 136,800 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Arkansas
Land boundaries: 2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to
subtropical summers and mild winter in south
Terrain: Tarai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill
region, rugged Himalayas in north
Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic
beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
Land use: 17% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 13% meadows and
pastures; 33% forest and woodland; 37% other; includes 2% irrigated
Environment: contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks;
deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India
- People
Population: 19,145,800 (July 1990), growth rate 2.4% (1990)
Birth rate: 39 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: 99 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 50 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Nepalese
Ethnic divisions: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs,
Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
Religion: only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp
distinction between many Hindu (about 88% of population) and Buddhist groups;
small groups of Muslims and Christians
Language: Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous dialects
Literacy: 20%
Labor force: 4,100,000; 93% agriculture, 5% services, 2% industry;
severe lack of skilled labor
Organized labor: Teachers' Union, not officially recognized
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Nepal
Type: constitutional monarchy, but King Birendra exercises
control over multitiered system of government
Capital: Kathmandu
Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural);
Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali,
Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani,
Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
Independence: 1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah
Constitution: 16 December 1962
Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
Executive branch: monarch, chairman of the Council of State, Council
of State, prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Rashtriya Panchayat)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
Leaders:
Chief of State--King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January
1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA
Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Marich Man Singh SHRESTHA (since
15 July 1986)
Political parties and leaders: all political parties outlawed but operate
more or less openly; Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Ganesh Man Singh, K. P.
Bhattarai, G. P. Koirala
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
National Assembly--last held on 12 May 1986 (next to be held May 1991);
results--all independents since political parties are officially banned;
seats--(140 total, 112 elected) independents 112
Communists: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN); factions include V. B.
Manandhar, Man Mohan Adhikari/Sahana Pradhan, Bharat Raj Joshi, Rai Majhi,
Tulsi Lal, Krishna Raj Burma
Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning student
groups in the capital; Indian merchants in Tarai and capital; several small,
radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups operating from north India
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohan Man SAINJU; Chancery at 2131
Leroy Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 667-4550; there is a
Nepalese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Julia Chang BLOCH; Embassy at Pani Pokhari, Kathmandu;
telephone [977] 411179 or 412718, 411601
Flag: red with a blue border around the unique shape of two overlapping
right triangles; the smaller, upper triangle bears a white stylized moon and the
larger, lower triangle bears a white 12-pointed sun
- Economy
Overview: Nepal is among the poorest and least developed countries in the
world with a per capita income of only $158. Real growth averaged 4% in the
1980s until FY89, when it plunged to 1.5% because of the ongoing
trade/transit dispute with India. Agriculture is the mainstay of the
economy, providing a livelihood for over 90% of the population and
accounting for 60% of GDP and about 75% of exports. Industrial activity is
limited, and what there is involves the processing of agricultural
produce (jute, sugarcane, tobacco, and grain).
Apart from agricultural land and forests, the only other exploitable natural
resources are mica, hydropower, and tourism. Despite considerable investment in
the agricultural sector, production in the 1980s has not kept pace with the
population growth of 2.7%, which has led to a reduction in exportable surpluses
and balance-of-payments difficulties. Economic prospects for the 1990s
remain grim.
GDP: $2.9 billion, per capita $158; real growth rate 1.5% (FY89)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.1% (FY89 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5%; underemployment estimated at 25-40% (1987)
Budget: revenues $296 million; expenditures $635 million, including
capital expenditures of $394 million (FY89 est.)
Exports: $374 million (f.o.b., FY89 est.), but does not include
unrecorded border trade with India; commodities--clothing, carpets,
leather goods, grain; partners--India 38%, US 23%, UK 6%, other
Europe 9% (FY88)
Imports: $724 million (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities--petroleum
products 20%, fertilizer 11%, machinery 10%; partners--India 36%,
Japan 13%, Europe 4%, US 1% (FY88)
External debt: $1.3 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.5% (FY89 est.)
Electricity: 205,000 kW capacity; 535 million kWh produced,
30 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: small rice, jute, sugar, and oilseed mills; cigarette,
textiles, cement, brick; tourism
Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP and 90% of work force; farm
products--rice, corn, wheat, sugarcane, root crops, milk, buffalo meat; not
self-sufficient in food, particularly in drought years
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic and
international drug markets
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $285 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $1.8 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $30 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $273
million
Currency: Nepalese rupee (plural--rupees);
1 Nepalese rupee (NR) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Nepalese rupees (NRs) per US$1--28.559 (January 1990),
27.189 (1989), 23.289 (1988), 21.819 (1987), 21.230 (1986), 18.246 (1985)
Fiscal year: 16 July-15 July
- Communications
Railroads: 52 km (1985), all 0.762-meter narrow gauge; all in Tarai close
to Indian border; 10 km from Raxaul to Birganj is government owned
Highways: 5,958 km total (1986); 2,645 km paved, 815 km gravel or crushed
stone, 2,257 km improved and unimproved earth; also 241 km of seasonally
motorable tracks
Civil air: 5 major and 11 minor transport aircraft
Airports: 38 total, 38 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with
runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: poor telephone and telegraph service; fair radio
communication and broadcast service; international radio communication service
is poor; 30,000 telephones (1987); stations--4 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Nepalese Army, Royal Nepalese Army Air Service, Nepalese
Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,531,660; 2,347,412 fit for military
service; 225,349 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 2% of GDP, or $58 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Netherlands
- Geography
Total area: 37,290 km2; land area: 33,940 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries: 1,027 km total; Belgium 450 km, FRG 577 km
Coastline: 451 km
Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; marine; cool summers and mild winters
Terrain: mostly coastal lowland and reclaimed land (polders); some
hills in southeast
Natural resources: natural gas, crude oil, fertile soil
Land use: 25% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 34% meadows and
pastures; 9% forest and woodland; 31% other; includes 15% irrigated
Environment: 27% of the land area is below sea level and protected from
the North Sea by dikes
Note: located at mouths of three major European rivers (Rhine,
Maas or Meuse, Schelde)
- People
Population: 14,936,032 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 13 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Dutchman(men), Dutchwoman(women); adjective--Dutch
Ethnic divisions: 96% Dutch, 4% Moroccans, Turks, and others (1988)
Religion: 36% Roman Catholic, 27% Protestant, 4% other, 33%
unaffiliated (1986)
Language: Dutch
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 5,300,000; 50.1% services, 28.2% manufacturing and
construction, 15.9% government, 5.8% agriculture (1986)
Organized labor: 29% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of the Netherlands
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amsterdam, but government resides at The Hague
Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (provincien,
singular--provincie); Drenthe, Flevoland, Friesland, Gelderland, Groningen,
Limburg, Noord-Brabant, Noord-Holland, Overijssel, Utrecht, Zeeland,
Zuid-Holland
Dependent areas: Aruba, Netherlands Antilles
Independence: 1579 (from Spain)
Constitution: 17 February 1983
Legal system: civil law system incorporating French penal theory;
judicial review in the Supreme Court of legislation of lower order rather
than Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet,
Cabinet of Ministers
Legislative branch: bicameral States General (Staten Generaal) consists of
an upper chamber or First Chamber (Eerste Kamer) and a lower chamber or Second
Chamber (Tweede Kamer)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (De Hoge Raad)
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980);
Heir Apparent WILLEM-ALEXANDER, Prince of Orange, son of Queen Beatrix (born
27 April 1967);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Ruud (Rudolph) F. M. LUBBERS (since
4 November 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Wim KOK (since 2 November 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), Willem
van Velzen; Labor (PvdA), Wim Kok; Liberal (VVD), Joris Voorhoeve; Democrats '66
(D'66), Hans van Mierio; Communist (CPN), Henk Hoekstra; a host of minor parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
First Chamber--last held on 9 June l987 (next to be held 9 June 1991);
results--elected by the country's 12 provincial councils;
seats--(75 total) percent of seats by party NA;
Second Chamber--last held on 6 September 1989 (next to be held by
September 1993);
results--CDA 35.3%, PvdA 31.9%, VVD 14.6%, D'66 7.9%, others 10.3%;
seats--(150 total) CDA 54, PvdA 49, VVD 22, D'66 12, others 13
Communists: about 6,000
Other political or pressure groups: large multinational firms; Federation
of Netherlands Trade Union Movement (comprising Socialist and Catholic trade
unions) and a Protestant trade union; Federation of Catholic and Protestant
Employers Associations; the nondenominational Federation of Netherlands
Enterprises; and IKV--Interchurch Peace Council
Member of: ADB, Benelux, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, ECE, EIB,
EMS, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,
INRO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council
(with respect to interests of the Netherlands Antilles and Suriname), NATO, OAS
(observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO,
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Richard H. FEIN; Chancery at
4200 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-5300;
there are Dutch Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New
York, and San Francisco;
US--Ambassador C. Howard WILKINS; Embassy at Lange Voorhout 102,
2514 EJ The Hague (mailing address APO New York 09159);
telephone [31] (70) 62-49-11; there is a US Consulate General in Amsterdam
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue; similar
to the flag of Luxembourg which uses a lighter blue and is longer