2700 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191;
there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA; Embassy at Serrano 75, Madrid 6
(mailing address is APO New York 09285); telephone [34] (1) 276-3400 or 3600;
there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in Bilbao
Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat
of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules which are the
two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the
Strait of Gibraltar
- Economy
Overview: This Western capitalistic economy has done well since
Spain joined the European Economic Community in 1986. With increases in
real GNP of 5.5% in 1987 and about 5% in 1988 and 1989, Spain has been
the fastest growing member of the EC. Increased investment--both
domestic and foreign--has been the most important factor pushing the
economic expansion. Inflation moderated to 4.8% in 1988, but an
overheated economy caused inflation to reach an estimated 7% in 1989.
Another economic problem facing Spain is an unemployment rate of 16.5%,
the highest in Europe.
GNP: $398.7 billion, per capita $10,100; real growth rate 4.8% (1989
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.0% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $57.8 billion; expenditures $66.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $10.4 billion (1987)
Exports: $40.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs,
live animals, wood, footwear, machinery, chemicals;
partners--EC 66%, US 8%, other developed countries 9%
Imports: $60.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum,
footwear, machinery, chemicals, grain, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, iron and
steel, timber, cotton, transport equipment;
partners--EC 57%, US 9%, other developed countries 13%, Middle
East 3%
External debt: $32.7 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1988)
Electricity: 46,589,000 kW capacity; 157,040 million kWh produced,
3,980 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages,
metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles,
machine tools
Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 14% of labor force; major
products--grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus
fruit, beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food;
fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons among top 20 nations
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million
Currency: peseta (plural--pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--109.69 (January 1990),
118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates
12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track;
FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly
1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified; privately owned railways operate
918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double
track
Highways: 150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km
limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km
intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or
local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)
Inland waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
Pipelines: 265 km crude oil; 1,794 km refined products; 1,666 km natural
gas
Ports: Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz,
Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo,
Puerto de Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands),
Mahon, Malaga, Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto,
Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and 175 minor ports
Merchant marine: 324 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,492,563
GRT/6,128,190 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo,
19 refrigerated cargo, 17 container, 23 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 51 petroleum,
oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 16 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas,
1 specialized tanker, 1 combination ore/oil, 49 bulk, 5 vehicle carrier
Civil air: 142 major transport aircraft
Airports: 110 total, 103 usable; 62 with permanent-surface runways;
4 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 29 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,310,000
telephones; stations--196 AM, 404 (134 relays) FM, 143 (1,297 relays) TV;
17 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating
in INTELSAT (5 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and ENTELSAT systems
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 10,032,649; 8,141,384 fit for military
service; 338,582 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP, or $8.4 billion (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Spratly Islands
- Geography
Total area: less than 5 km2; land area: less than 5 km2; includes
100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the
South China Sea
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 926 km
Maritime claims: undetermined
Disputes: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
claim all or part of the Spratly Islands
Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Natural resources: fish, guano; oil and natural gas potential
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls,
shoals, and coral reefs
Note: strategically located near several primary shipping
lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
- People
Population: no permanent inhabitants; garrisons
- Government
Long-form name: none
- Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing and
phosphate mining. Geological surveys carried out several years ago
suggest that substantial reserves of oil and natural gas may lie beneath
the islands; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Industries: some guano mining
- Communications
Airports: 3 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m;
1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces
Note: approximately 50 small islands or reefs are occupied
by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Sri Lanka
- Geography
Total area: 65,610 km2; land area: 64,740 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March);
southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in
south-central interior
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems,
phosphates, clay
Land use: 16% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures;
37% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 8% irrigated
Environment: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
Note: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian
Ocean sea lanes
- People
Population: 17,196,436 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 21 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: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Sri Lankan(s); adjective--Sri Lankan
Ethnic divisions: 74% Sinhalese; 18% Tamil; 7% Moor; 1% Burgher, Malay,
and Veddha
Religion: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Christian, 8% Muslim
Language: Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national
languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%;
English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
Literacy: 87%
Labor force: 6,600,000; 45.9% agriculture, 13.3% mining and manufacturing,
12.4% trade and transport, 28.4% services and other (1985 est.)
Organized labor: about 33% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed
on tea, rubber, and coconut estates
- Government
Long-form name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
Type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura,
Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna,
Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala,
Mullativu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee,
Vavuniya; note--the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces
(Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa,
Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to
the existing districts)
Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon)
Constitution: 31 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch,
Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March
1989)
Political parties and leaders:
United National Party (UNP), Ranasinghe Premadasa;
Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo Bandaranaike;
Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mhm. Ashraff;
All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar Ponnambalam;
Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP, or People's United Front),
Dinesh Gundawardene;
Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka People's Party),
Chandrika Baudaranaike Kumaranatunga;
Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP, Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite),
Colin R. de Silva;
Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP, or New Socialist Party),
Vasudeva Nanayakkara;
Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), leader NA;
Communist Party/Moscow (CP/M), K. P. Silva;
Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. Shanmugathasan
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held
December 1994);
results--Ranasinghe Premadasa (UNP) 50%,
Sirimavo Bandaranaike (SLFP) 45%, others 5%;
Parliament--last held 15 February 1989
(next to be held by February 1995);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, others 33
Other political or pressure groups: Liberation Tigers of Tamil
Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; Janatha Vimukthi
Peramuna (JVP or People's Liberation Front); Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese
Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
Member of: ADB, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at
2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025
through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York;
US--Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE; Embassy at 210 Galle Road,
Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo);
telephone [94] (1) 548007
Flag: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal
vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark
red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword and there is a yellow bo leaf
in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire
flag and extends between the two panels
- Economy
Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy,
employing about half of the labor force and accounting for about 25% of
GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 50%
of export earnings and almost 20% of budgetary revenues. The economy has
been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s.
GDP: $6.1 billion, per capita $370; real growth rate 2.7% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (1989)
Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--tea, textiles
and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems
and jewelry, marine products; partners--US 26%, Egypt, Iraq, UK, FRG,
Singapore, Japan
Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum,
machinery and equipment, textiles and textile materials, wheat, transportation
equipment, electrical machinery, sugar, rice; partners--Japan,
Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran
External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1988)
Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced,
250 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural
commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most
important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops--sugarcane, grains,
pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops--tea, rubber, coconuts; animal
products--milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $932 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $4.3 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
$369 million
Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural--rupees);
1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1--40.000 (January 1990),
36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Railroads: 1,868 km total (1985); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km
double track; no electrification; government owned
Highways: 66,176 km total (1985); 24,300 km paved (mostly bituminous
treated), 28,916 km crushed stone or gravel, 12,960 km improved earth or
unimproved earth; several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks
Inland waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
Pipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987)
Ports: Colombo, Trincomalee
Merchant marine: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,923
GRT/334,702 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 refrigerated cargo, 4 container,
1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker,
3 bulk
Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased)
Airports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: good international service; 109,900 telephones (1982);
stations--12 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV; submarine cables extend to Indonesia, Djibouti,
India; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Police Force, Special Police Task
Force, National Auxiliary Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,568,648; 3,574,637 fit for military
service; 177,610 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $300 million (1989 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Sudan
- Geography
Total area: 2,505,810 km2; land area: 2,376,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US
Land boundaries: 7,697 km total; Central African Republic 1,165 km,
Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km,
Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km
Coastline: 853 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Kenya;
international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Egypt
Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season
(April to October)
Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
Natural resources: modest reserves of crude oil, iron ore,
copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, crude oil
Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures;
20% forest and woodland; 51% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: dominated by the Nile and its tributaries; dust storms;
desertification
Note: largest country in Africa
- People
Population: 24,971,806 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990)
Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 55 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Sudanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Sudanese
Ethnic divisions: 52% black, 39% Arab, 6% Beja, 2% foreigners, 1% other
Religion: 70% Sunni Muslim (in north), 20% indigenous beliefs,
5% Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Language: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of
Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Sudanic languages, English; program of Arabization in
process
Literacy: 31% (1986)
Labor force: 6,500,000; 80% agriculture, 10% industry and commerce,
6% government; labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment
(1983 est.); 52% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: trade unions suspended following 30 June 1989
coup; now in process of being legalized anew
- Government
Long-form name: Republic of the Sudan
Type: military; civilian government suspended and martial law
imposed after 30 June 1989 coup
Capital: Khartoum
Administrative divisions: 9 regions (aqalim, singular--iqlim);
Aali an Nil, Al Awsat, Al Istiwai, Al Khartum,
Ash Shamali, Ash Sharqi, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan
Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK; formerly Anglo-Egyptian
Sudan)
Constitution: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985;
interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30
June 1989
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law;
in September 1983 then President Nimeiri declared the penal code would
conform to Islamic law; some separate religious courts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Executive branch: executive and legislative authority vested in a
15-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC); chairman of the RCC acts
as prime minister; in July 1989 RCC appointed a predominately civilian
22-member cabinet to function as advisers
Legislative branch: none
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--Revolutionary Command
Council Chairman and Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad
al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989);
Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister
Brig. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 9 July 1989)
Political parties and leaders: none; banned following
30 June 1989 coup
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC,
ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH;
Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
(202) 338-8565 through 8570; there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador James CHEEK; Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif,
Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668);
telephone 74700 or 75680, 74611
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with
a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
- Economy
Overview: Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted
by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, and
counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated
by governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new
investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture
and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. The
economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80% of the work force.
Industry mainly processes agricultural items. A high foreign debt and
arrearages of about $13 billion continue to cause difficulties. Since
1979 the International Monetary Fund has provided assistance and has
forced Sudan to make economic reforms aimed at improving the
performance of the economy.
GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $340 (FY87); real growth rate 7.0%
(FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 70% (FY89)
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $1.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.)
Exports: $550 million (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities--cotton 43%,
sesame, gum arabic, peanuts; partners--Western Europe 46%,
Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88)
Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities--petroleum
products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals;
partners--Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%,
Eastern Europe 3% (FY88)
External debt: $11.6 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1.7% (FY89 est.)
Electricity: 606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced,
37 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar,
soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining
Agriculture: accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force;
untapped potential for higher farm production; two-thirds of land area
suitable for raising crops and livestock; major products--cotton,
oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sheep; marginally
self-sufficient in most foods
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.4 billion; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88),
$588 million
Currency: Sudanese pound (plural--pounds);
1 Sudanese pound (LSd) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates: official rate--Sudanese pounds (LSd) per
US$1--4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987), 2.5000 (1986),
2.2883 (1985); note--commercial exchange rate is set daily, 12.2 (March 1990)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: 5,500 km total; 4,784 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km
1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line