People's Alliance Party (PAP), Solomon Mamaloni;
United Party (UP), Sir Peter Kenilorea;
Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew Ulufa'alu;
Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew Nori;
Labor Party (LP), Joses Tuhanuku
Suffrage: universal at age 21
Elections:
National Parliament--last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held
February 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4, LP 2, independents 9
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, SPF, UN, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant) resides in Honiara
(Solomon Islands);
US--the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to the
Solomon Islands; Embassy at Mud Alley, Honiara (mailing address is
American Embassy, P. O. Box 561, Honiara); telephone (677) 23488
Flag: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side
corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed
stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green
- Economy
Overview: About 90% of the population depend on subsistence
agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood.
Agriculture, fishing, and forestry contribute about 75% to GDP, with the
fishing and forestry sectors being important export earners. The service
sector contributes about 25% to GDP. Manufacturing activity is
negligible. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be
imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as
lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. The economy suffered from a severe cyclone
in mid-1986 which caused widespread damage to the infrastructure.
GDP: $156 million, per capita $500; real growth rate 4.3% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.2% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $139.0 million; expenditures $154.4 million, including
capital expenditures of $113.4 million (1987)
Exports: $80.1 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--fish 46%,
timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%; partners--Japan 51%, UK 12%,
Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
Imports: $101.7 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--plant and
machinery 30%, fuel 19%, food 16%; partners--Japan 36%, US 23%,
Singapore 9%, UK 9%, NZ 9%, Australia 4%, Hong Kong 4%, China 3% (1985)
External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1987)
Electricity: 15,000 kW capacity; 30 million kWh produced,
90 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for about
75% of GDP; mostly subsistence farming; cash crops--cocoa, beans,
coconuts, palm kernels, timber; other products--rice, potatoes,
vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient in food grains;
90% of the total fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported (1988)
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1985), $16.1 million
Currency: Solomon Islands dollar (plural--dollars);
1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1--2.4067
(January 1990), 2.3090 (1989), 2.0825 (1988), 2.0033 (1987), 1.7415 (1986),
1.4808 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: about 2,100 km total (1982); 30 km sealed, 290 km gravel,
980 km earth, 800 private logging and plantation roads of varied
construction
Ports: Honiara, Ringi Cove
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 29 total, 27 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 3,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, no FM, no TV;
1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Somalia
- Geography
Total area: 637,660 km2; land area: 627,340 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: 2,340 km total; Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km,
Kenya 682 km
Coastline: 3,025 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional
Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden;
possible claims to Djibouti, Ethiopia, and Kenya based on unification of
ethnic Somalis
Climate: desert; northeast monsoon (December to February),
cooler southwest monsoon (May to October); irregular rainfall; hot, humid
periods (tangambili) between monsoons
Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Natural resources: uranium, and largely unexploited reserves
of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt
Land use: 2% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 46% meadows and pastures;
14% forest and woodland; 38% other; includes 3% irrigated
Environment: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern
plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern
approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
- People
Population: 8,424,269 (July 1990), growth rate 0.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 24 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 125 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Somali(s); adjective--Somali
Ethnic divisions: 85% Somali, rest mainly Bantu; 30,000 Arabs, 3,000
Europeans, 800 Asians
Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim
Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy: 11.6% (government est.)
Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; 70% pastoral nomad,
30% agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and other; 53% of
population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions is controlled
by the government
- Government
Long-form name: Somali Democratic Republic
Type: republic
Capital: Mogadishu
Administrative divisions: 16 regions (plural--NA, singular--gobolka);
Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe,
Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose,
Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland,
which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian
Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN
trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 21 October (1969)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister,
Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President and Commander in Chief of the Army
Maj. Gen. Mohamed SIAD Barre (since 21 October 1969);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali SAMANTAR
(since 1 February 1987)
Political parties and leaders: only party--Somali Revolutionary
Socialist Party (SRSP), Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre, general secretary
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held
December 1993);
results--President Siad was reelected without opposition;
People's Assembly--last held 31 December 1984 (next scheduled for
December 1989 was postponed);
results--SRSP is the only party;
seats--(177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171
Communists: probably some Communist sympathizers in the government
hierarchy
Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, EAMA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ABDIKARIM Ali Omar; Chancery at
Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037;
telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador T. Frank CRIGLER; Embassy at Corso Primo Luglio, Mogadishu
(mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone [252] (01) 20811
Flag: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center;
design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN trust territory)
- Economy
Overview: One of the world's least developed countries, Somalia
has few resources. In 1988 per capita GDP was $210. Agriculture is the
most important sector of the economy, with the livestock sector
accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads
and seminomads who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihoods
make up about 50% of the population. Crop production generates only 10%
of GDP and employs about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is
bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The
small industrial sector is based on the processing of agricultural
products and accounts for less than 10% of GDP. At the end of 1988
serious economic problems facing the nation were the external debt of
$2.8 billion and double-digit inflation.
GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate - 1.4% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 81.7% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $273 million; expenditures $405 million, including
capital expenditures of $219 million (1987)
Exports: $58.0 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--livestock,
hides, skins, bananas, fish;
partners--US 0.5%, Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986)
Imports: $354.0 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--textiles,
petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials;
partners--US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
External debt: $2.8 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 71,000 kW capacity; 65 million kWh produced,
8 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining,
textiles, petroleum refining
Agriculture: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep,
goats); crops--bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient
in food; fishing potential largely unexploited
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $618 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.8 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88),
$336 million
Currency: Somali shilling (plural--shillings);
1 Somali shilling (So.Sh.) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1--643.92
(December 1989), 170.45 (1988), 105.18 (1987), 72.00 (1986), 39.49 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface, 2,880 km
gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983)
Pipelines: 15 km crude oil
Ports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu
Merchant marine: 3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,563
GRT/9,512 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 60 total, 45 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with
runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: minimal telephone and telegraph service; radio relay
and troposcatter system centered on Mogadishu connects a few towns; 6,000
telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station;
scheduled to receive an ARABSAT station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Somali National Army (including Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense
Force), National Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,878,939; 1,052,644 fit for military
service
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: South Africa
- Geography
Total area: 1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes
Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries: 4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km,
Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline: 2,881 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: South Africa administered Namibia until independence was
achieved on 21 March 1990; possible future claim to Walvis Bay by Namibia
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal
plain
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore,
manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum,
copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and
pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires
extensive water conservation and control measures
Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely
surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland
- People
Population: 39,549,941 (July 1990), growth rate 2.67%; includes the 10
so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US
four independent homelands--Bophuthatswana 2,352,296, growth rate 2.80%;
Ciskei 1,025,873, growth rate 2.93%; Transkei 4,367,648, growth rate 4.19%;
Venda 665,197, growth rate 3.86%
six other homelands--Gazankulu 742,361, growth rate 3.99%; Kangwane 556,009,
growth rate 3.64%; KwaNdebele 348,655, growth rate 3.35%; KwaZulu 5,349,247,
growth rate 3.62%; Lebowa 2,704,641, growth rate 3.92%; Qwagwa 268,138, growth
rate 3.59%
Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 52 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 67 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--South African(s); adjective--South African
Ethnic divisions: 73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian
Religion: most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are
Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim
Language: Afrikaans, English (official); many vernacular languages,
including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana
Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50%
of blacks literate
Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active; 34% services,
30% agriculture, 29% industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985)
Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized;
African unions represent 15% of black labor force
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA
Type: republic
Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial,
Bloemfontein
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State,
Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US--4 independent
(Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane,
KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, Qwaqwa)
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
Constitution: 3 September 1984
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
Executive branch: state president, cabinet, Executive Council (cabinet)
Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)
Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament consists of the House of
Assembly (whites), House of Representatives (Coloreds), and House of Delegates
(Indians)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--State President
Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
white political parties and leaders--National Party (NP),
Frederik W. de Klerk (majority party); Conservative Party (CP),
Dr. Andries P. Treurnicht (official opposition party);
Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap Marais;
Democratic Party (DP), Zach De Beer, Wynand Malan, and Denis Worrall;
Colored political parties and leaders--Labor Party (LP), Allan
Hendrickse (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter
Ebrahim; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac Rabie; Freedom Party;
Indian political parties and leaders--Solidarity, J. N. Reddy
(majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand Rajbansi;
Merit People's Party
Suffrage: universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based
Elections:
House of Assembly (whites)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to
be held by September 1994);
results--NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%;
seats--(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34;
House of Representatives (Coloreds)--last held 6 September 1989
(next to be held by September 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1,
independents 2;
House of Delegates (Indians)--last held 6 September 1989
(next to be held by September 1994);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's
Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1,
National Federal Party 1, independents 6
Communists: small Communist party illegal since 1950; party in exile
maintains headquarters in London, Daniel Tloome (Chairman) and Joe Slovo
(General Secretary)
Other political groups:
insurgent groups in exile--African National Congress (ANC),
Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Zephania Mothopeng;
internal antiapartheid groups--Pan-Africanist Movement (PAM),
Clarence Makwetu; United Democratic Front (UDF), Albertina Sisulu and
Archibald Gumede
Member of: CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILZSG, IMF,
INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International
Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO, WIPO, and WMO suspended or
restricted)
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at
3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400;
there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California),
Chicago, Houston, and New York;
US--Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House,
225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266; there are
US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg
Flag: actually four flags in one--three miniature flags reproduced in the
center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three
equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are
a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of
the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal
Republic adjoining on the other side
- Economy
Overview: Many of the white one-seventh of the South African
population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational
standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the
remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third
World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to
movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move
smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness
of the market is further lowered by international constraints on
dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in
its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports.
Average growth of 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the
level needed to cut into the high unemployment level.
GDP: $83.5 billion, per capita $2,380; real growth rate 3.2% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.67% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 22% (1988); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in
homelands (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $24.3 billion; expenditures $27.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY91)
Exports: $21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--gold 40%,
minerals and metals 23%, food 6%, chemicals 3%;
partners--FRG, Japan, UK, US, other EC, Hong Kong
Imports: $18.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery
27%, chemicals 11%, vehicles and aircraft 11%, textiles, scientific
instruments, base metals;
partners--US, FRG, Japan, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland
External debt: $21.2 billion (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (1988)
Electricity: 34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced,
4,100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of diamonds, gold, chrome),
automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical,
fertilizer, foodstuffs
Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified
agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products--cattle, poultry, sheep, wool,
milk, beef, corn, wheat; sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food
Aid: NA
Currency: rand (plural--rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: 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: 20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge
trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track);
314 km of 610 mm gauge
Highways: 188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone,
gravel, or improved earth
Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas
Ports: Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha,
Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay
Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 275,684 GRT/273,973
DWT; includes 7 container, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker
Civil air: 81 major transport aircraft
Airports: 931 total, 793 usable; 124 with permanent-surface runways; 4
with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 213 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has
the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines,
coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication
stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port
Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 4,500,000 telephones; stations--14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV;
1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services
Military manpower: males 15-49, 9,544,357; 5,828,167 fit for military
service; 419,815 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in
Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent
force must be 17; national service obligation is two years; figures include
the so-called homelands not recognized by the US
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $4 billion (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
(dependent territory of the UK)
- Geography
Total area: 4,066 km2; land area: 4,066 km2; includes Shag and
Clerke Rocks
Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: undetermined
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina