stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama
Canal
Pipelines: crude oil, 130 km
Ports: Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas
Merchant marine: 3,187 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
46,502,092 GRT/72,961,250 DWT; includes 34 passenger, 22 short-sea
passenger, 3 passenger-cargo, 1,087 cargo, 179 refrigerated cargo,
186 container, 71 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 136 vehicle carrier,
7 livestock carrier, 9 multifunction large-load carrier,
315 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 184 chemical tanker,
30 combination ore/oil, 91 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 767 bulk,
58 combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated;
the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 41%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the
US 7% (China owns at least 144 ships, Yugoslavia 12, Cuba 6, and
Vietnam 9)
Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft
Airports: 123 total, 112 usable; 42 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: domestic and international facilities well developed;
connection into Central American Microwave System; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite
antennas; 220,000 telephones; stations--91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine
cable
- Defense Forces
Branches: the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) ceased to exist as a
military institution shortly after the United States invaded Panama on
20 December 1989; President Endara is attempting to restructure the
forces, with more civilian control, under the new name of Panamanian
Public Forces (PPF)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 628,327; 433,352 fit for military service;
no conscription
Defense expenditures: 2.0% of GDP (1987)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Papua New Guinea
- Geography
Total area: 461,690 km2; land area: 451,710 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundary: 820 km with Indonesia
Coastline: 5,152 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast
monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills
Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber,
oil potential
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 1% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and
pastures; 71% forest and woodland; 28% other
Environment: one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast;
some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes
Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia
- People
Population: 3,822,875 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Papua New Guinean(s); adjective--Papua New Guinean
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito,
Micronesian, and Polynesian
Religion: over half of population nominally Christian (490,000
Roman Catholic, 320,000 Lutheran, other Protestant sects); remainder indigenous
beliefs
Language: 715 indigenous languages; English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin
English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region
Literacy: 32%
Labor force: 1,660,000; 732,806 in salaried employment; 54% agriculture,
25% government, 9% industry and commerce, 8% services (1980)
Organized labor: more than 50 trade unions, some with fewer than 20
members
- Government
Long-form name: Independent State of Papua New Guinea
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Port Moresby
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Central, Chimbu,
Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus,
Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North Solomons,
Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain
Independence: 16 September 1975 (from UN trusteeship under Australian
administration)
Constitution: 16 September 1975
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister,
deputy prime minister, National Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (sometimes referred to
as the House of Assembly)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Vincent ERI (since 18 January 1990);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Rabbie NAMALIU (since 4 July 1988);
Deputy Prime Minister Akoko DOI (since 7 July 1988)
Political parties: Pangu Party, People's Progress Party, United Party,
Papua Besena, National Party, Melanesian Alliance
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
National Parliament--last held 13 June-4 July 1987 (next to be held
4 July 1992);
results--PP 14.7%, PDM 10.8%, PPP 6.1%, MA 5.6%, NP 5.1%, PAP 3.2%,
independents 42.9%, others 11.6%;
seats--(109 total) PP 26, PDM 17, NP 12, MA 7, PAP 6, PPP 5, independents 22,
others 14
Communists: no significant strength
Member of: ACP, ADB, ANRPC, CIPEC (associate), Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret TAYLOR; Chancery at
Suite 350, 1330 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036;
telephone (202) 659-0856;
US--Ambassador-designate William FERRAND; Embassy at Armit
Street, Port
Moresby (mailing address is P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby); telephone
[675] 211-455 or 594, 654
Flag: divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle
is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is
black with five white five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation
centered
- Economy
Overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural
resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and
the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a
subsistence livelihood for more than half of the population. Mining of
numerous deposits, including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of
export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid
under World Bank auspices help sustain the economy.
GDP: $3.26 billion, per capita $890; real growth rate 1.2% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 5% (1988)
Budget: revenues $962 million; expenditures $998 million,
including capital expenditures of $169 million (1988)
Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--gold, copper
ore, coffee, copra, palm oil, timber, lobster; partners--FRG, Japan,
Australia, UK, Spain, US
Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--machinery and
transport equipment, fuels, food, chemicals, consumer goods;
partners--Australia, Singapore, Japan, US, New Zealand, UK
External debt: $2.5 billion (December 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 397,000 kW capacity; 1,510 million kWh produced,
400 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra crushing, oil palm processing, plywood processing,
wood chip production, gold, silver, copper, construction, tourism
Agriculture: one-third of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population; fertile
soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of crops; cash
crops--coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other products--tea, rubber, sweet
potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork; net importer of food for urban
centers
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $38.8 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $5.8
billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million
Currency: kina (plural--kina); 1 kina (K) = 100 toea
Exchange rates: kina (K) per US$1--1.1592 (December 1989), 1.1685 (1989),
1.1538 (1988), 1.1012 (1987), 1.0296 (1986), 1.0000 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed stone,
or stabilized-soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 10,940 km
Ports: Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul
Merchant marine: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,675 GRT/27,954
DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 combination ore/oil, 2 bulk
Civil air: about 15 major transport aircraft
Airports: 575 total, 455 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: services are adequate and being improved; facilities
provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio,
aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services; submarine
cables extend to Australia and Guam; 51,700 telephones (1985); stations--31 AM,
2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 952,454; 529,570 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.3% of GDP, or $42 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Paracel Islands
- Geography
Total area: undetermined
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 518 km
Maritime claims: undetermined
Disputes: occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam
Climate: tropical
Terrain: undetermined
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: subject to typhoons
Note: located 400 km east of Vietnam in the South China Sea
about one-third of the way between Vietnam and the Philippines
- People
Population: no permanent inhabitants
- Government
Long-form name: none
- Economy
Overview: no economic activity
- Communications
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: occupied by China
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Paraguay
- Geography
Total area: 406,750 km2; land area: 397,300 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 3,920 km total; Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km,
Brazil 1,290 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Brazil (just west of
Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana) is in dispute
Climate: varies from temperate in east to semiarid in far west
Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay;
Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the
river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, limestone, hydropower, timber
Land use: 20% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 39% meadows and
pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 5% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: local flooding in southeast (early September to June);
poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Note: landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil
- People
Population: 4,660,270 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Paraguayan(s); adjective--Paraguayan
Ethnic divisions: 95% mestizo (Spanish and Indian), 5% white and Indian
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic; Mennonite and other Protestant denominations
Language: Spanish (official) and Guarani
Literacy: 81%
Labor force: 1,300,000; 44% agriculture, 34% industry and commerce,
18% services, 4% government (1986)
Organized labor: about 2% of labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Paraguay
Type: republic
Capital: Asuncion
Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos,
singular--departamento); Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Boqueron,
Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canendiyu, Central, Chaco, Concepcion, Cordillera,
Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Nueva Asuncion, Paraguari,
Presidente Hayes, San Pedro
Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Constitution 25 August 1967
Legal system: based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes;
judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; does not
accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Days, 14-15 May (1811)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet),
Council of State
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
consists of an upper chamber or Senate and a lower chamber or Chamber of
Deputies
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Andres
RODRIGUEZ Pedotti (since 15 May 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Colorado Party, Juan Ramon Chaves;
Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Domingo Laino; Christian Democratic
Party (PDC), Jorge Dario Cristaldo; Febrerista Revolutionary Party (PRF),
Euclides Acevedo; Liberal Party (PL), Reinaldo Odone; Popular Colorado
Movement (MOPOCO), Miguel Angel Gonzalez Casabianca; Radical Liberal Party
(PLR), Emilio Forestieri; Popular Democratic Movement (MDP)
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 and up to age 60
Elections:
President--last held 1 May 1989 (next to be held February 1993);
results--Gen. Rodriguez 75.8%, Domingo Laino 19.4%;
Senate--last held 1 May 1989 (next to be held by May 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(36 total) Colorado Party 24, PLRA 10, PLR 1, PRF 1;
Chamber of Deputies--last held on 1 May 1989 (next to be held by
May 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(72 total) Colorado Party 48, PLRA 19, PRF 2, PDC 1, PL 1, PLR 1
Communists: Oscar Creydt faction and Miguel Angel Soler faction (both
illegal); 3,000 to 4,000 (est.) party members and sympathizers in Paraguay,
very few are hard core; party beginning to return from exile is small and
deeply divided
Other political or pressure groups: Febrerista; Authentic Radical
Liberal; Christian Democratic Parties; Confederation of Workers (CUT);
Roman Catholic Church
Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA,
IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, IRC, ITU, LAIA, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Marcos MARTINEZ MENDIETA; Chancery
at 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-6960
through 6962; there are Paraguayan Consulates General in New Orleans and
New York, and a Consulate in Houston; US--Ambassador Timothy L. TOWELL;
Embassy at 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Asuncion (mailing address is
C. P. 402, Asuncion, or APO Miami 34036-0001); telephone [595] (21) 201-041
or 049
Flag: three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an
emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different
on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of
arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words
REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side
at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of
Liberty and the words Paz y Justica (Peace and Justice) capped
by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)
- Economy
Overview: The economy is predominantly agricultural. Agriculture,
including forestry, accounts for about 25% of GNP, employs about 45% of
the labor force, and provides the bulk of exports. Paraguay has no known
significant mineral or petroleum resources, but does have a large
hydropower potential. Since 1981 economic performance has declined
compared with the boom period of 1976-81, when real GDP grew at an
average annual rate of nearly 11%. During 1982-86 real GDP fell three
out of five years, inflation jumped to an annual rate of 32%, and
foreign debt rose. Factors responsible for the erratic behavior of the
economy were the completion of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, bad weather
for crops, and weak international commodity prices for agricultural exports.
In 1987 the economy experienced a modest recovery because of improved weather
conditions and stronger international prices for key agricultural exports. The
recovery continued through 1988, with a bumper soybean crop and record cotton
production. The government, however, must follow through on promises of reforms
needed to deal with large fiscal deficits, growing debt arrearages,
and falling reserves.
GDP: $8.9 billion, per capita $1,970; real growth rate 5.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $609 million; expenditures $909 million,
including capital expenditures of $401 million (1988)
Exports: $1,020 million (registered f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--cotton, soybean, timber, vegetable oils, coffee, tung oil,
meat products; partners--EC 37%, Brazil 25%, Argentina 10%, Chile 6%,
US 6%
Imports: $1,010 million (registered c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities--capital goods 35%, consumer goods 20%, fuels and lubricants
19%, raw materials 16%, foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco 10%;
partners--Brazil 30%, EC 20%, US 18%, Argentina 8%, Japan 7%
External debt: $2.9 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 2% (1987)
Electricity: 5,169,000 kW capacity; 15,140 million kWh produced,
3,350 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: meat packing, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing,
textiles, other light consumer goods, cement, construction
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and 50% of labor force; cash
crops--cotton, sugarcane; other crops--corn, wheat, tobacco, soybeans, cassava,
fruits, and vegetables; animal products--beef, pork, eggs, milk; surplus
producer of timber; self-sufficient in most foods
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international
drug trade with an estimated 300 hectares cultivated in 1988; important
transshipment point for Bolivian cocaine headed for the US and Europe
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $168 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $994 million
Currency: guarani (plural--guaranies);
1 guarani (G) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: guaranies (G) per US$1--1,200.20 (November 1989;
floated in February 1989), 550.00 (fixed rate 1986-February 1989),
339.17 (1986), 306.67 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 970 km total; 440 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 60 km
1.000-meter gauge, 470 km various narrow gauge (privately owned)
Highways: 21,960 km total; 1,788 km paved, 474 km gravel, and 19,698 km
earth
Inland waterways: 3,100 km
Ports: Asuncion
Merchant marine: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,735 GRT/26,043
DWT; includes 13 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker;
note--1 naval cargo ship is sometimes used commercially
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 873 total, 753 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways;
1 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 52 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: principal center in Asuncion; fair intercity
microwave net; 78,300 telephones; stations--40 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 7 shortwave;
1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Paraguayan Army, Paraguayan Navy, Paraguayan Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,096,227; 798,750 fit for military
service; 49,791 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Peru
- Geography
Total area: 1,285,220 km2; land area: 1,280,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries: 6,940 km total; Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km,
Chile 160 km, Colombia 2,900 km, Ecuador 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,414 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute
Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west
Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center
(sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber,
fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 21% meadows and
pastures; 55% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mild volcanic
activity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; air
pollution in Lima
Note: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable
lake, with Bolivia
- People
Population: 21,905,605 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 67 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Peruvian(s); adjective--Peruvian
Ethnic divisions: 45% Indian; 37% mestizo (mixed Indian and European
ancestry); 15% white; 3% black, Japanese, Chinese, and other
Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish and Quechua (official), Aymara
Literacy: 80% (est.)
Labor force: 6,800,000 (1986); 44% government and other services,
37% agriculture, 19% industry (1988 est.)
Organized labor: about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Peru
Type: republic
Capital: Lima
Administrative divisions: 24 departments (departamentos,
singular--departamento) and 1 constitutional province*
(provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho,
Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad,
Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno,
San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Independence: 28 July 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution: 28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution
because constituent assembly met in 1979, but Constitution actually took effect
the following year); reestablished civilian government with a popularly elected
president and bicameral legislature
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of an upper
chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies
(Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)