agriculture and fishing; labor shortages on plantations and of skilled workers;
56% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Sao Tome and Principe
Type: republic
Capital: Sao Tome
Administrative divisions: 2 districts (concelhos, singular--concelho);
Principe, Sao Tome
Independence: 12 July 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution: 5 November 1975, approved 15 December 1982
Legal system: based on Portuguese law system and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 July (1975)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers
(cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Assembly, sometimes
referred to as the National Popular Assembly (Assembleia Popular Nacional)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Dr. Manuel Pinto da COSTA (since 12 July 1975);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Celestino Rocha da COSTA (since
8 January 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party--Movement for the
Liberation of Sao Tome and Principe (MLSTP), Dr. Manuel Pinto da Costa
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 30 September 1985 (next to be held September
1990);
results--President Dr. Manuel Pinto da Costa was reelected without
opposition by the National People's Assembly;
National People's Assembly--last held 30 September 1985 (next to be
held September 1990);
results--MLSTP is the only party;
seats--(40 total) MLSTP 40 (indirectly elected)
Member of: ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Joaquim Rafael BRANCO; Chancery
(temporary) at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1504, New York, NY 10017;
telephone (212) 697-4211;
US--the US Ambassador in Gabon is accredited to Sao Tome and Principe
on a nonresident basis and makes periodic visits to the islands
Flag: three horizontal bands of green (top), yellow (double width), and
green with two black five-pointed stars placed side by side in the center of the
yellow band and a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; uses the
popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy
Overview: The economy has remained dependent on cocoa since the
gained independence nearly 15 years ago. Since then, however, cocoa
production has gradually deteriorated because of drought and
mismanagement, so that by 1987 output had fallen to less than 50% of
its former levels. As a result, a shortage of cocoa for export has
created a serious balance-of-payments problem. Production of less
important crops, such as coffee, copra, and palm kernels, has
also declined. The value of imports generally exceeds that of
exports by a ratio of 4 to 1. The emphasis on cocoa production at
the expense of other food crops has meant that Sao Tome has to import
90% of food needs. It also has to import all fuels and most manufactured
goods. Over the years, Sao Tome has been unable to service its external
debt, which amounts to roughly 80% of export earnings. Considerable
potential exists for development of a tourist industry, and the
government has taken steps to expand facilities in recent years. The
government also implemented a Five-Year Plan covering 1986-90 to
restructure the economy and reschedule external debt service payments in
cooperation with the International Development Association and Western
lenders.
GDP: $37.9 million, per capita $340; real growth rate 1.8% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.2% (1986)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $19.2 million; expenditures $25.1 million,
including capital expenditures of $19.9 million (1987)
Exports: $9.1 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--cocoa 90%,
copra, coffee, palm oil; partners--FRG, GDR, Netherlands, China
Imports: $17.3 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--machinery
and electrical equipment 59%, food products 32%, fuels 9%;
partners--Portugal, GDR, Angola, China
External debt: $95 million (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 7.1% (1986)
Electricity: 6,000 kW capacity; 12 million kWh produced,
100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: light construction, shirts, soap, beer, fisheries,
shrimp processing
Agriculture: dominant sector of economy, primary source of exports; cash
crops--cocoa (90%), coconuts, palm kernels, coffee; food products--bananas,
papaya, beans, poultry, fish; not self-sufficient in food grain and meat
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $7 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87),
41.9 million
Currency: dobra (plural--dobras); 1 dobra (Db) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: dobras (Db) per US$1--122.48 (December 1988),
72.827 (1987), 36.993 (1986), 41.195 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 300 km (two-thirds are paved); roads on Principe are mostly
unpaved and in need of repair
Ports: Sao Tome, Santo Antonio
Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: minimal system; 2,200 telephones; stations--1 AM,
2 FM, no TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy
Military manpower: males 15-49, 27,805; 14,662 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.6% of GDP (1980)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Saudi Arabia
- Geography
Total area: 2,149,690 km2; land area: 2,149,690 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than one-fourth the size of US
Land boundaries: 4,410 km total; Iraq 488 km, Iraq-Saudi Arabia Neutral
Zone 198 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km,
PDRY 830 km, YAR 628 km
Coastline: 2,510 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: no defined boundaries with PDRY, UAE, and YAR;
shares Neutral Zone with Iraq--in July 1975, Iraq and Saudi Arabia
signed an agreement to divide the zone between them, but the agreement
must be ratified, however, before it becomes effective; Kuwaiti
ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate: harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain: mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use: 1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 39% meadows and pastures;
1% forest and woodland; 59% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing
extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities; desertification
Note: extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great
leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
- People
Population: 17,115,728 (July 1990), growth rate 4.4% (1990); note--the
population figure is based on growth since the last official Saudi census of
1974 reported a total of 7 million persons and includes foreign workers, while
estimates from other sources may be 15-30% lower
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 13 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 71 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 67 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Saudi(s); adjective--Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions: 90% Arab, 10% Afro-Asian
Religion: 100% Muslim
Language: Arabic
Literacy: 52%
Labor force: 4,200,000; about 60% are foreign workers; 34% government,
28% industry and oil, 22% services, and 16% agriculture
Organized labor: trade unions are illegal
- Government
Long-form name: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Type: monarchy
Capital: Riyadh
Administrative divisions: 14 emirates (imarat, singular--imarah);
Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah,
Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, Asir,
Hail, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk
Independence: 23 September 1932 (unification)
Constitution: none; governed according to Sharia (Islamic law)
Legal system: based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Executive branch: monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy
prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--King and Prime Minister
FAHD bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 13 June 1982);
Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al
Saud (half-brother to the King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Communists: negligible
Member of: Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC,
UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan; Chancery at
601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-3800;
there are Saudi Arabian Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, and
New York;
US--Ambassador Charles W. FREEMAN; Embassy at Collector Road M,
Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is P. O. Box 9041, Riyadh 11143,
or APO New York 09038); telephone [966] (1) 488-3800; there are US Consulates
General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag: green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated
as There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God) above a
white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); green is the
traditional color of Islam
- Economy
Overview: By far the most important economic activity is the production of
petroleum and petroleum products. The petroleum sector accounts for about 85% of
budget revenues, 80% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi Arabia has
the largest reserves of petroleum in the world, is the largest exporter of
petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. Oil wealth has provided a per
capita GDP that is comparable to most industrialized countries. Saudi Arabia is
one of the few countries where consumer prices have been dropping or showing
little change in recent years.
GDP: $73 billion, per capita $4,720; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 0% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $31.5 billion; expenditures $38.1 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
Exports: $24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--petroleum
and petroleum products 89%; partners--Japan 26%, US 26%, France 6%,
Bahrain 6%
Imports: $21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction
materials, processed food products; partners--US 20%, Japan 18%, UK 16%,
Italy 11%
External debt: $18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 6.1% (1980-86)
Electricity: 25,066,000 kW capacity; 50,000 million kWh produced,
3,100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic
petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill, construction, fertilizer,
plastic
Agriculture: accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; fastest
growing economic sector; subsidized by government; products--wheat, barley,
tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit, mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching
self-sufficiency in food
Aid: donor--pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)
Currency: Saudi riyal (plural--riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100 halalas
Exchange rates: Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1--3.7450 (fixed rate since late
1986), 3.7033 (1986), 3.6221 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways: 74,000 km total; 35,000 km bituminous, 39,000 km gravel and
improved earth
Pipelines: 6,400 km crude oil; 150 km refined products; 2,200 km natural
gas, includes 1,600 km of natural gas liquids
Ports: Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al
Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine: 94 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,988,322
GRT/3,474,788 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 6 short-sea passenger,
1 passenger-cargo, 15 cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container,
6 refrigerated cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 32 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil,
1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk
Civil air: 182 major transport aircraft available
Airports: 204 total, 179 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 13
with runways over 3,659 m; 33 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 98 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good system with extensive microwave and coaxial
cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; stations--21 AM, 16 FM, 97 TV;
radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, YAR, and Sudan;
coaxial cable to Kuwait; submarine cable to Djibouti and Egypt; satellite
earth stations--3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT,
1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Saudi Arabian Land Forces, Royal Saudi Naval Forces, Royal Saudi
Air Force, Royal Saudi Air Defense Force, Saudi Arabian National Guard,
Coast Guard and Frontier Forces, Special Security Force, Public Security Force,
Special Emergency Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 6,437,039; 3,606,344 fit for military
service; 159,186 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 16.9% of GDP, or $12.3 billion (1990 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Senegal
- Geography
Total area: 196,190 km2; land area: 192,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: 2,640 km total; The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km,
Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline: 531 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: short section of the boundary with The Gambia is
indefinite; the International Court of Justice (ICJ) rendered its
decision on the Guinea-Bissau/Senegal maritime boundary in favor
of Senegal--that decision has been rejected by Guinea-Bissau;
boundary with Mauritania
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (December to April) has
strong southeast winds; dry season (May to November) dominated by hot, dry
harmattan wind
Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use: 27% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 30% meadows and pastures;
31% forest and woodland; 12% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: lowlands seasonally flooded; deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification
Note: The Gambia is almost an enclave
- People
Population: 7,713,851 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 87 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Senegalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Senegalese
Ethnic divisions: 36% Wolof, 17% Fulani, 17% Serer, 9% Toucouleur, 9%
Diola, 9% Mandingo, 1% European and Lebanese, 2% other
Religion: 92% Muslim, 6% indigenous beliefs, 2% Christian (mostly Roman
Catholic)
Language: French (official); Wolof, Pulaar, Diola, Mandingo
Literacy: 28.1%
Labor force: 2,509,000; 77% subsistence agricultural workers; 175,000 wage
earners--40% private sector, 60% government and parapublic; 52% of population of
working age (1985)
Organized labor: majority of wage-labor force represented by unions;
however, dues-paying membership very limited; major confederation is
National Confederation of Senegalese Labor (CNTS), an affiliate of governing
party
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of Senegal
Type: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Dakar
Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular--region);
Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis, Tambacounda,
Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence: 4 April 1960 (from France); The Gambia and Senegal signed
an agreement on 12 December 1981 (effective 1 February 1982) that called for
the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the
agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989
Constitution: 3 March 1963, last revised in 1984
Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts in Supreme Court, which also audits the government's accounting
office; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Abdou
DIOUF (since 1 January 1981)
Political parties and leaders: Socialist Party (PS), Abdou Diouf;
Senegalese Democratic Party (PDS), Abdoulaye Wade; 13 other small uninfluential
parties
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
President--last held 28 February 1988 (next to be held February
1993);
results--Abdou Diouf (PS) 73%, Abdoulaye Wade (PDS) 26%, others 1%;
National Assembly--last held 28 February 1988 (next to be
held February 1993);
results--PS 71%, PDS 25%, others 4%;
seats--(120 total) PS 103, PDS 17
Communists: small number of Communists and sympathizers
Other political or pressure groups: students, teachers, labor, Muslim
Brotherhoods
Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, CCC, CEAO, EAMA, ECA, ECOWAS, EIB (associate),
FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD,
IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OCAM, OIC, OMVS
(Organization for the Development of the Senegal River Valley), UN, UNESCO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ibra Deguene KA; Chancery at
2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-0540 or 0541;
US--Ambassador George E. MOOSE; Embassy on Avenue Jean XXIII at the
corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar (mailing address is B. P. 49, Dakar);
telephone [221] 21-42-96
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red
with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the
popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
- Economy
Overview: The agricultural sector accounts for about 20% of GDP and
provides employment for about 75% of the labor force. About 40% of the total
cultivated land is used to grow peanuts, an important export crop. The principal
economic resource is fishing, which brought in about $200 million or about 25%
of total foreign exchange earnings in 1987. Mining is dominated by the
extraction of phosphate, but production has faltered because of reduced
worldwide demand for fertilizers in recent years. Over the past 10 years tourism
has become increasingly more important to the economy.
GDP: $5.0 billion, per capita $680; real growth rate 5.1% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 1.8% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 3.5% (1987)
Budget: revenues $921 million; expenditures $1,024 million; including
capital expenditures of $14 million (FY89 est.)
Exports: $761 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--manufactures 30%, fish products 27%, peanuts 11%,
petroleum products 11%, phosphates 10%;
partners--US, France, other EC, Ivory Coast, India
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--semimanufactures 30%, food 27%, durable consumer
goods 17%, petroleum 12%, capital goods 14%;
partners--US, France, other EC, Nigeria, Algeria, China, Japan
External debt: $3.8 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (1986)
Electricity: 210,000 kW capacity; 760 million kWh produced,
100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: fishing, agricultural processing, phosphate mining,
petroleum refining, building materials
Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for 20% of GDP and 75% of
labor force; major products--peanuts (cash crop), millet, corn, sorghum,
rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; estimated two-thirds
self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 299,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $492 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $589 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
$295 million
Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs);
1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987),
346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: 1,034 km 1.000-meter gauge; all single track except 70 km
double track Dakar to Thies
Highways: 14,000 km total; 3,770 km paved, 10,230 km laterite or
improved earth
Inland waterways: 900 km total; 785 km on the Senegal, 115 km
on the Saloum
Ports: Dakar, Kaolack
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 9,263 GRT/15,167
DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 bulk
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 25 total, 20 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: above-average urban system, using radio relay and
cable; 40,200 telephones; stations--8 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 3 submarine cables;
1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,682,786; 878,812 fit for military
service; 88,940 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2% of GDP, or $100 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Seychelles
- Geography
Total area: 455 km2; land area: 455 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims Tromelin Island
Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon
(late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly;
others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use: 4% arable land; 18% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
18% forest and woodland; 60% other
Environment: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare;
short droughts possible; no fresh water, catchements collect rain; 40 granitic
and about 50 coralline islands
Note: located north-northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean
- People
Population: 68,336 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 8 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 75 years female (1990)