earth stations
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Norway
- Geography
Total area: 324,220 km2; land area: 307,860 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: 2,582 km total; Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,657,
USSR 196 km
Coastline: 21,925 km (3,419 km mainland; 2,413 km large islands;
16,093 km long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations)
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 10 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with USSR; territorial claim in
Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); Denmark has challenged Norway's maritime
claims beween Greenland and Jan Mayen
Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder
interior; rainy year-round on west coast
Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken
by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented
by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Natural resources: crude oil, copper, natural gas, pyrites,
nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use: 3% arable land; 0% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and
pastures; 27% forest and woodland; 70% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution; acid rain
Note: strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in
North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway and
Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with the USSR
- People
Population: 4,252,806 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 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: 73 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Norwegian(s); adjective--Norwegian
Ethnic divisions: Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic) and racial-cultural
minority of 20,000 Lapps
Religion: 94% Evangelical Lutheran (state church), 4% other Protestant and
Roman Catholic, 2% other
Language: Norwegian (official); small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking
minorities
Literacy: 100%
Labor force: 2,164,000; 33.6% services, 17.4% commerce, 16.6% mining and
manufacturing, 8.4% transportation, 7.8% construction,
6.8% banking and financial services, 6.5% agriculture, forestry, and
fishing (1986)
Organized labor: 66% of labor force (1985)
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Norway
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Oslo
Administrative divisions: 19 provinces (fylker, singular--fylke);
Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal,
Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland,
Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Independence: 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)
Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884
Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law
traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, State Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Storting or Stortinget)
with an Upper Chamber (Lagting) and a Lower Chamber (Odelsting)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hoiesterett)
Leaders:
Chief of State--King OLAV V (since 21 September 1957); Heir Apparent
Crown Prince HARALD (born 21 February 1937);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Jan P. SYSE (since 16 October
1989)
Political parties and leaders: Labor, Gro Harlem Brundtland;
Conservative, Jan P. Syse; Center, Johan J. Jakobsen; Christian
People's, Kjell Magne Bondevik; Socialist Left, Eric Solheim; Norwegian
Communist, Hans I. Kleven; Progress, Carl I. Hagen; Liberal, Arne
Fjortoft; Finnmark List, leader NA
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
Parliament--last held on 11 September 1989 (next to be held
6 September 1993);
results--Labor 34.3%, Conservative 22.2%, Progress 13.0%, Socialist Left
10.1%, Christian People's 8.5%, Center 6.6%, Finnmark List 0.3%, others
5%;
seats--(165 total) Labor 63, Conservative 37, Progress 22, Socialist
Left 17, Christian People's 14, Center 11, Finnmark List 1
Communists: 15,500 est.; 5,500 Norwegian Communist Party (NKP); 10,000
Workers Communist Party Marxist-Leninist (AKP-ML, pro-Chinese)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EFTA, ESA, FAO,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IEA (associate member),
IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU,
IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International
Wheat Council, NATO, Nordic Council, OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE; Chancery at
2720 34th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-6000;
there are Norwegian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles,
Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco, and Consulates in Miami and New
Orleans;
US--Ambassador Loret Miller RUPPE; Embassy at Drammensveien 18,
Oslo 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09085); telephone [47]
(2) 44-85-50
Flag: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of
the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the
style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
- Economy
Overview: Norway is a prosperous capitalist nation with the resources
to finance extensive welfare measures. Since 1975 exploitation of large
crude oil and natural gas reserves has helped achieve an average annual
growth of roughly 4%, the third-highest among OECD countries. Growth
slackened in 1987-88 because of the sharp drop in world oil prices and a
slowdown in consumer spending, but picked up again in 1989. Future
economic issues involve the aging of the population, the increased
economic integration of Europe, and the balance between private and
public influence in economic decisions.
GDP: $75.8 billion, per capita $17,900; real growth rate 5.7% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 3.9% (1989 est., excluding people in
job-training programs)
Budget: revenues $40.6 billion; expenditures $41.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports: $22.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--petroleum and petroleum products 25%, natural gas
11%, fish 7%, aluminum 6%, ships 3.5%, pulp and paper;
partners--UK 26%, EFTA 16.3%, less developed countries 14%,
Sweden 12%, FRG 12%, US 6%, Denmark 5% (1988)
Imports: $18.7 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--machinery,
fuels and lubricants, transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, clothing,
ships; partners--Sweden 18%, less developed countries 18%,
FRG 14%, Denmark 8%, UK 7%, US 7%, Japan 5% (1988)
External debt: $18.3 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 15.8% (1989)
Electricity: 26,735,000 kW capacity; 121,685 million kWh produced,
28,950 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and
paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for 3.1% of GNP and 6.5% of labor force;
among world's top 10 fishing nations; livestock output exceeds value
of crops; over half of food needs imported; fish catch of 1.9 million
metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $3.7 billion
Currency: Norwegian krone (plural--kroner);
1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 ore
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1--6.5405 (January 1990),
6.9045 (1989), 6.5170 (1988), 6.7375 (1987), 7.3947 (1986), 8.5972 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 4,223 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; Norwegian State Railways
(NSB) operates 4,219 km (2,450 km electrified and 96 km double track); 4
km other
Highways: 79,540 km total; 18,600 km concrete, bituminous, stone block;
19,980 km bituminous treated; 40,960 km gravel, crushed stone, and earth
Inland waterways: 1,577 km along west coast; 1.5-2.4 m draft vessels
maximum
Pipelines: refined products, 53 km
Ports: Oslo, Bergen, Fredrikstad, Kristiansand, Stavanger,
Trondheim
Merchant marine: 660 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,702,254
GRT/28,722,304 DWT; includes 11 passenger, 19 short-sea passenger, 104 cargo,
3 passenger-cargo, 19 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 40 roll-on/roll-off
cargo, 6 vehicle carrier, 1 railcar carrier, 128 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 86 chemical tanker, 62 liquefied gas, 26 combination ore/oil,
142 bulk, 7 combination bulk; note--the government has created a captive
register, the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of
the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of
convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians; the majority of
ships under the Norwegian flag are now registered with the NIS
Civil air: 76 major transport aircraft
Airports: 104 total, 104 usable; 64 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
16 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: high-quality domestic and international telephone,
telegraph, and telex services; 3,102,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 46 (1,400
relays) FM, 55 (2,100 relays) TV; 4 coaxial submarine cables; communications
satellite earth stations operating in the EUTELSAT, INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean),
MARISAT, and domestic systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Royal Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air
Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,115,620; 937,555 fit for military
service; 32,748 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 3.3% of GDP, or $2.5 billion (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Oman
- Geography
Total area: 212,460 km2; land area: 212,460 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries: 1,374 km total; Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km,
PDRY 288 km
Coastline: 2,092 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: to be defined;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Administrative Line with PDRY; no defined boundary with
most of UAE, Administrative Line in far north
Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong
southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Natural resources: crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone,
chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 5% meadows and
pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms
in interior; sparse natural freshwater resources
Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam
Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production
transits this point going from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea)
- People
Population: 1,457,064 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 43 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: 105 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 58 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Omani(s); adjective--Omani
Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Arab, with small Balochi, Zanzibari, and
Indian groups
Religion: 75% Ibadhi Muslim; remainder Sunni Muslim, Shia Muslim, some
Hindu
Language: Arabic (official); English, Balochi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Literacy: 20%
Labor force: 430,000; 60% agriculture (est.); 58% are non-Omani
Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
- Government
Long-form name: Sultanate of Oman
Type: absolute monarchy; independent, with residual UK influence
Capital: Muscat
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 1650, expulsion of the Portuguese
Constitution: none
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate
appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Executive branch: sultan, Cabinet, State Consultative Assembly
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent
civil court system
National holiday: National Day, 18 November
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS
bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970)
Political parties: none
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Other political or pressure groups: outlawed Popular Front for the
Liberation of Oman (PFLO), based in South Yemen; small, clandestine Shia
fundamentalist groups are active
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic
Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Awadh Bader AL-SHANFARI; Chancery at
2342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 387-1980
through 1982;
US--Ambassador Richard BOEHM; Embassy at address NA, Muscat
(mailing address is P. O. Box 966, Muscat); telephone 738-231 or 738-006
Flag: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green
(double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national
emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords
in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the vertical band
- Economy
Overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil
industry. Petroleum accounts for nearly all export earnings, about 70% of
government revenues, and more than 50% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of
4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current
rate of extraction. Although agriculture employs a majority of the population,
urban centers depend on imported food.
GDP: $7.8 billion, per capita $6,006; real growth rate - 3.0% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.0% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $3.1 billion; expenditures $4.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of $1.0 billion (1989 est.)
Exports: $3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.);
commodities--petroleum, reexports, processed copper, dates, nuts, fish;
partners--Japan, South Korea, Thailand
Imports: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities
--machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food,
livestock, lubricants; partners--Japan, UAE, UK, FRG, US
External debt: $3.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.0% (1986)
Electricity: 1,130,000 kW capacity; 3,600 million kWh produced,
2,760 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas production,
construction, cement, copper
Agriculture: accounts for 3.4% of GDP and 60% of the labor force
(including fishing); less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence
farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not
self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $122 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $92 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million
Currency: Omani rial (plural--rials); 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1--0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 22,800 km total; 3,800 km bituminous surface, 19,000 km
motorable track
Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports: Mina Qabus, Mina Raysut
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 128 total, 119 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 63 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire, radio relay, and radio
communications stations; 50,000 telephones; stations--3 AM, 3 FM, 11 TV;
satellite earth stations--2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT and 8 domestic
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 350,173; 198,149 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 16.5% of GDP, or $1.3 billion (1990 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Pacific Islands, Trust Territory of the
(Palau)
- Geography
Total area: 458 km2; land area: 458 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,519 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid
Terrain: islands vary geologically from the high mountainous main island
of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Natural resources: forests, minerals (especially gold), marine
products; deep-seabed minerals
Land use: NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures;
NA% forest and woodland; NA% other
Environment: subject to typhoons from June to December; archipelago of
six island groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain
Note: important location 850 km southeast of the Philippines;
includes World War II battleground of Peleliu and world-famous rock
islands
- People
Population: 14,310 (July 1990), growth rate 0.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 25 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 12 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Palauan(s); adjective--Palauan
Ethnic divisions: Palauans are a composite of Polynesian, Malayan,
and Melanesian races
Religion: predominantly Christian, mainly Roman Catholic
Language: Palauan is the official language, though English is
commonplace; inhabitants of the isolated southwestern islands speak a
dialect of Trukese
Literacy: NA%, but education compulsory through eight grades
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
(no short-form name); may change to Republic of Palau after independence;
note--Belau, the native form of Palau, is sometimes used
Type: UN trusteeship administered by the US; constitutional
government signed a Compact of Free Association with the US on
10 January 1986, after approval in a series of UN-observed plebiscites;
until the UN trusteeship is terminated with entry into force of the
Compact, Palau remains under US administration as the Palau District of
the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Capital: Koror; a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast
in eastern Babelthuap
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: still part of the US-administered UN trusteeship
(the last polity remaining under the trusteeship; the Republic of the
Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, and Commonwealth of the
Northern Marianas have left); administered by the Office of Territorial
and International Affairs, US Department of Interior
Constitution: 11 January 1981
Legal system: based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the
legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
National holiday: Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Executive branch: US president, US vice president, national president,
national vice president
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Olbiil Era Kelulau or OEK)
consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Delegates
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President George Walker BUSH (since 20 January
1989), represented by High Commissioner Janet MCCOY (since NA);
Head of Government--President Ngiratkel ETPISON (since 2 November 1988)
Political parties: no formal parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held on 2 November 1988 (next to be held November
1992); Ngiratkel Etpison 26.3%, Roman Tmetuchl 25.9%,
Thomas Remengesau 19.5%, others 28.3%;
Senate--last held 2 November 1988 (next to be held November 1992);
results--percent of vote NA;
seats--(18 total);
House of Delegates--last held 2 November 1988 (next to be held
November 1992);
results--percent of vote NA;
seats--(16 total)
Diplomatic representation: none;
US--US Liaison Officer Steven R. PRUETT; US Liaison Office at Top Side,
Neeriyas, Koror (mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Koror, Republic of Palau
96940); telephone 160-680-920 or 990
Flag: light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted
slightly to the hoist side
- Economy
Overview: The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture
and fishing. Tourism provides some foreign exchange, although the remote
location of Palau and a shortage of suitable facilities has hindered
development. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying
heavily on financial assistance from the US.
GDP: $31.6 million, per capita $2,260; real growth rate NA% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1986)
Budget: revenues $6.0 million; expenditures NA, including capital
expenditures of NA (1986)
Exports: $0.5 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--NA;
partners--US, Japan
Imports: $27.2 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities--NA;
partners--US
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 16,000 kW capacity; 22 million kWh produced,
1,550 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, craft items (shell, wood, pearl), some commercial
fishing and agriculture
Agriculture: subsistence-level production of coconut, copra, cassava,
sweet potatoes
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $2 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87),
$62.6 million
Currency: US currency is used
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
- Communications
Highways: 25.7 km paved macadam and concrete roads, otherwise
stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads (1986)
Ports: Koror
Airports: 2 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
earth station
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US and that will not
change when the UN trusteeship terminates
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Pacific Ocean
- Geography
Total area: 165,384,000 km2; includes Arafura Sea, Banda Sea,
Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea,
Gulf of Alaska, Makassar Strait, Philippine Sea, Ross Sea, Sea of Japan,
Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Comparative area: slightly less than 18 times the size of the US;
the largest ocean (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, and Arctic
Ocean); covers about one-third of the global surface; larger than the total
land area of the world
Coastline: 135,663 km