Islanders; adjective--Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Polynesian
Religion: largely Roman Catholic
Language: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
Type: overseas territory of France
Capital: Mata-Utu
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France)
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French
National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Executive branch: French president, high administrator; note--there are
three traditional kings with limited powers
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly
(Assemblee Territoriale)
Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French
law by the chief administrator, but the three traditional kings
administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Leaders:
Chief of State--President Francois MITTERRAND
(since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government--Chief Administrator Roger DUMEC
(since 15 July 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR);
Union Populaire Locale (UPL); Union Pour la Democratie Francaise
(UDF)
Suffrage: universal adult at age NA
Elections:
Territorial Assembly--last held 15 March 1987
(next to be held March 1992);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(20 total) RPR 7, UDF coalition 7, UPL 6;
French Senate--last held NA (next to be held NA);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(1 total) party of the representative is NA;
French National Assembly--last held NA (next to be held NA);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(1 total) RPR 1
Diplomatic representation: as an overseas territory of France, local
interests are represented in the US by France
Flag: the flag of France is used
- Economy
Overview: The economy is limited to subsistence agriculture.
The majority of the labor force earns its livelihood from agriculture,
raising livestock, and fishing, with the rest employed by the government sector.
Exports are negligible. The Territory has to import food, fuel, and construction
materials, and is dependent on budgetary support from France to meet recurring
expenses. The economy also benefits from cash remittances from expatriate
workers.
GDP: $6.7 million, per capita $484; real growth rate NA% (est. 1985)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Exports: $NA; commodities--copra; partners--NA
Imports: $3.4 million (c.i.f., 1977); commodities--largely
foodstuffs and some equipment associated with development programs;
partners--France, Australia, New Zealand
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 1,200 kW capacity; 1 million kWh produced,
70 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Agriculture: dominated by coconut production, with subsistence crops of
yams, taro, bananas
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-87), $118 million
Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural--francs);
1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
US$1--104.71 (January 1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988), 109.27 (1987),
125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note--linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French
franc
Fiscal year: NA
- Communications
Highways: 100 km on Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), 16 km sealed;
20 km earth surface on Ile Futuna (Futuna Island)
Inland waterways: none
Ports: Mata-Utu, Leava
Airports: 2 total; 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 225 telephones; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
----------------------------------------------------
Country: West Bank
Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with
Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan
Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President
Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace
treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned
parties. Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the
respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy
that the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be
determined. In the view of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the
area west of the Jordan River under Jordanian administration before the 1967
Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to negotiations envisaged in the
framework agreement, it is US policy that a distinction must be made between
Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank because of the city's special status
and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for the final status of
Jerusalem could be different in character from that of the rest of the West
Bank.
- Geography
Total area: 5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank,
East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest
quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware
Land boundaries: 404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude,
warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but
barren in east
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 27% arable land, 0% permanent crops, 32% meadows and pastures,
1% forest and woodland, 40% other
Environment: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal
aquifers
Note: landlocked; there are 173 Jewish settlements in the West Bank
and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
- People
Population: 1,058,122 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990);
in addition, there are 70,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and
110,000 in East Jerusalem (1989 est.)
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: NA
Ethnic divisions: 88% Palestinian Arab and other, 12% Jewish
Religion: 80% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 12% Jewish, 8% Christian
and other
Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers--29.8% small industry,
commerce, and business, 24.2% construction, 22.4% agriculture, 23.6% service
and other (1984)
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Note: The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authorities
and Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of the
West Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties.
These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed.
- Economy
Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli
military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries
using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been
discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital
investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets
that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from
remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli
reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed
unemployment up and lowered living standards.
GNP: $1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million,
including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
partners--Jordan, Israel
Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--NA;
partners--Jordan, Israel
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: power supplied by Israel
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis
have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and
industrial centers
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef,
and dairy products
Aid: none
Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural--shekels) and Jordanian dinar
(plural--dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian
dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--1.9450 (January
1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788
(1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989),
0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications
Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west
axial highways
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded;
stations--no AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Western Sahara
- Geography
Total area: 266,000 km2; land area: 266,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: 2,046 km total; Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,
Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Disputes: claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is
unresolved and guerrilla fighting continues in the area
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents
produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures;
0% forest and woodland; 81% other
Environment: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during
winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely
restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land
- People
Population: 191,707 (July 1990), growth rate 2.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 23 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 177 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 39 years male, 41 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Saharan(s), Moroccan(s); adjective--Saharan, Moroccan
Ethnic divisions: Arab and Berber
Religion: Muslim
Language: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: 20% among Moroccans, 5% among Saharans (est.)
Labor force: 12,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming
Organized labor: NA
- Government
Long-form name: none
Type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved;
territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the
Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro); territory partitioned between
Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern
two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all
claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector
shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the
Polisario's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla
activities continue to the present
Capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Leaders: none
Diplomatic representation: none
- Economy
Overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources
and having little rainfall, has a per capita GDP of just a few hundred
dollars. Fishing and phosphate mining are the principal industries and
sources of income. Most of the food for the urban population must be
imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the
Moroccan Government.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of
$NA
Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.);
commodities--phosphates 62%; partners--Morocco claims and
administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall
Moroccan accounts
Imports: $30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.); commodities--fuel for
fishing fleet, foodstuffs; partners--Morocco claims and administers
Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 60,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced,
425 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: phosphate, fishing, handicrafts
Agriculture: practically none; some barley is grown in nondrought years;
fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential;
camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists
largely for the garrison forces
Aid: NA
Currency: Moroccan dirham (plural--dirhams);
1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1--8.093 (January 1990),
8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359 (1987), 9.104 (1986), 10.062 (1985)
Fiscal year: NA
- Communications
Highways: 6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and
unimproved earth roads and tracks
Ports: El Aaiun, Ad Dakhla
Airports: 16 total, 14 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: sparse and limited system; tied into Morocco's system
by radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
stations linked to Rabat, Morocco; 2,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 2 TV
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Western Samoa
- Geography
Total area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season
(May to October)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged
mountains in interior
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use: 19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and
pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South Pacific
Ocean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
- People
Population: 186,031 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Western Samoan(s); adjective--Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan; about 7% Euronesians (persons of European
and Polynesian blood), 0.4% Europeans
Religion: 99.7% Christian (about half of population associated with the
London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist,
Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: 90%
Labor force: 37,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1983 est.)
Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA)
- Government
Long-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua,
Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga,
Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered
by New Zealand)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial
review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 1 June
Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State--Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State
from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963);
Head of Government--Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April
1988)
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),
Tofilau Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), Tupua
Tamasese Efi, chairman
Suffrage: there are two electoral rolls--the matai (head of family)
roll and the individuals roll; about 12,000 persons are on the matai roll,
hold matai titles, and elect 45 members of the Legislative Assembly; about
1,600 persons are on the individuals roll, lack traditional matai ties, and
elect two members of the Legislative Assembly by universal adult suffrage
at the age of NA
Elections:
Legislative Assembly--last held 26 February 1988
(next to be held by February 1991);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(47 total) HRPP 25, SNDP 22
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IMF, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) Tuaopepe
WENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN,
820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196;
US--the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing
five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
- Economy
Overview: Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, contributes
50% to GDP, and is the source of 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings
comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends
on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports about
five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important
growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way.
GDP: $112 million, per capita $615; real growth rate 0.2%
(1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Budget: revenues $54 million; expenditures $54 million,
including capital expenditures of $28 million (1988)
Exports: $9.9 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--coconut oil
and cream 42%, taro 19%, cocoa 14%, copra, timber;
partners--NZ 30%, EC 24%, Australia 21%, American Samoa 7%,
US 9% (1987)
Imports: $51.8 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--intermediate
goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%; partners--New Zealand 31%,
Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987)
External debt: $75 million (December 1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.0% (1987)
Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 35 million kWh produced,
190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $16 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $261
million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: tala (plural--tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1--2.2857 (January 1990), 2.2686
(1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications
Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel,
crushed stone, or earth
Ports: Apia
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135
DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radio receivers;
stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
- Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA
----------------------------------------------------
Country: World
- Geography
Total area: 510,072,000 km2; 361,132,000 km2 (70.8%) is water and
148,940,000 km2 (29.2%) is land
Comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: 442,000 km
Coastline: 359,000 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: generally 24 nm, but varies from 4 nm to 24 nm;
Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters
in depth;
Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from
12 nm to 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm, only Madagascar claims 150 nm;
Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm
Disputes: 13 international land boundary disputes--Argentina-Uruguay,
Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam,
China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, El Salvador-Honduras,
French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Qatar-UAE
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather narrow
temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to subtropical climates
Terrain: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest
elevation is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth
is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
Natural resources: the oceans represent the last major frontier for the
discovery and development of natural resources
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and
pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 1.6% irrigated
Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones),
natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions),
industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances),
loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of
wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
- People
Population: 5,316,644,000 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 70 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
Literacy: 77% men; 66% women (1980)
Labor force: 1,939,000,000 (1984)
Organized labor: NA