Chief of State and Head of Government--Executive President Robert
Gabriel MUGABE (since 31 December 1987); Vice President Simon Vengai
MUZENDA (since 31 December 1987)
Political parties and leaders: Zimbabwe African National
Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF), Robert Mugabe; Zimbabwe African National
Union-Sithole (ZANU-S), Ndabaningi Sithole; Zimbabwe Unity Movement
(ZUM), Edgar Tekere
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections:
President--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held March 1995);
results--President Robert Mugabe 78.3%; Edgar Tekere 21.7%;
Parliament--last held 28-30 March 1990 (next to be held
March 1993);
results--percent of vote by party NA;
seats--(150 total, 120 elected) ZANU 116, ZUM 2, ZANU-S 1, to be
determined 1
Communists: no Communist party
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN,
UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Counselor (Political Affairs), Head of
Chancery, Ambassador Stanislaus Garikai CHIGWEDERE; Chancery at
2852 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-7100;
US--Ambassador-designate Steven RHODES; Embassy at 172 Rhodes
Avenue, Harare (mailing address is P. O. Box 3340, Harare);
telephone 263o (14) 794-521
Flag: seven equal horizontal bands of green, yellow, red, black, red,
yellow, and green with a white equilateral triangle edged in black based on the
hoist side; a yellow Zimbabwe bird is superimposed on a red five-pointed star in
the center of the triangle
- Economy
Overview: Agriculture employs a majority of the labor force and supplies
almost 40% of exports. The agro-based manufacturing sector produces a variety
of goods and contributes about 25% to GDP. Mining accounts for only 5% of both
GDP and employment, but supplies of minerals and metals account for about 40%
of exports. Wide year-to-year fluctuations in agricultural production
over the past six years resulted in not only an uneven growth rate, but
one that did not equal the 3% annual increase in population.
GDP: $4.6 billion, per capita $470; real growth rate 5.3% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.4% (1988)
Unemployment rate: at least 20% (1988 est.)
Budget: revenues $2.4 billion; expenditures $3.0 billion, including
capital expenditures of $290 million (FY90)
Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--agricultural 34%
(tobacco 21%, other 13%), manufactures 19%, gold 11%, ferrochrome 11%,
cotton 6%; partners--Europe 55% (EC 41%, Netherlands 6%, other 8%),
Africa 22% (South Africa 12%, other 10%), US 6%
Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--machinery and
transportation equipment 37%, other manufactures 22%, chemicals 16%, fuels 15%;
partners--EC 31%, Africa 29% (South Africa 21%, other 8%), US 8%, Japan 4%
External debt: $2.96 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.7% (1988 est.)
Electricity: 2,036,000 kW capacity; 5,460 million kWh produced,
540 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining, steel, clothing and footwear, chemicals,
foodstuffs, fertilizer, beverage, transportation equipment, wood products
Agriculture: accounts for about 15% of GDP and employs over 70% of
population; 40% of land area divided into 6,000 large commercial farms and
42% in communal lands; crops--corn (food staple), cotton, tobacco, wheat,
coffee, sugarcane, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats, pigs;
self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY80-88), $359 million; Western
(non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.0 billion;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $36 million; Communist countries (1970-88),
$134 million
Currency: Zimbabwean dollar (plural--dollars);
1 Zimbabwean dollar (Z$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Zimbabwean dollars (Z$) per US$1--2.2873 (January 1990),
2.1133 (1989), 1.8018 (1988), 1.6611 (1987), 1.6650 (1986), 1.6119 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: 2,745 km 1.067-meter gauge; 42 km double track; 355 km
electrified
Highways: 85,237 km total; 15,800 km paved, 39,090 km crushed stone,
gravel, stabilized soil: 23,097 km improved earth; 7,250 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: Lake Kariba is a potential line of communication
Pipelines: 8 km, refined products
Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft
Airports: 506 total, 420 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways;
2 with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: system was once one of the best in Africa, but now
suffers from poor maintenance; consists of radio relay links, open-wire lines,
and radio communications stations; 247,000 telephones; stations--8 AM, 18 FM,
8 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces
Branches: Zimbabwe National Army, Air Force of Zimbabwe, Police Support
Unit, People's Militia
Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,173,448; 1,342,920 fit for military
service
Defense expenditures: $446.7 million (FY89 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
Country: Taiwan
- Geography
Total area: 35,980 km2; land area: 32,260 km2; includes the Pescadores,
Matsu, and Quemoy
Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China,
Malaysia, Philippines, and Vietnam; Paracel Islands occupied by China, but
claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto
(Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
Climate: tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon
(June to August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain: eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently
rolling plains in west
Natural resources: small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone,
marble, and asbestos
Land use: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 5% meadows and pastures;
55% forest and woodland; 15% other; 14% irrigated
Environment: subject to earthquakes and typhoons
- People
Population: 20,546,664 (July 1990), growth rate 1.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 16 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 17 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Chinese (sing., pl.); adjective--Chinese
Ethnic divisions: 84% Taiwanese, 14% mainland Chinese, 2% aborigine
Religion: 93% mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist; 4.5% Christian;
2.5% other
Language: Mandarin Chinese (official); Taiwanese and Hakka dialects also
used
Literacy: 94%
Labor force: 7,880,000; 41% industry and commerce, 32% services,
20% agriculture, 7% civil administration (1986)
Organized labor: 1,300,000 or about 18.4% (government controlled) (1983)
- Administration
Long-form name: none
Type: one-party presidential regime; opposition political parties
legalized in March, 1989
Capital: Taipei
Administrative divisions: 16 counties (hsien, singular and plural),
5 municipalities* (shih, singular and plural), 2 special municipalities**
(chuan-shih, singular and plural); Chang-hua, Chia-i, Chia-i*, Chi-lung*,
Hsin-chu, Hsin-chu*, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung, Kao-hsiung**, Miao-li,
Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu, P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-chung*, T'ai-nan, T'ai-nan*,
T'ai-pei, T'ai-pei**, T'ai-tung, T'ao-yuan, Yun-lin; note--the Wade-Giles
system is used for romanization
Constitution: 25 December 1947
Legal system: based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: National Day (Anniversary of the Revolution),
10 October (1911)
Executive branch: president, vice president, premier of the Executive
Yuan, vice premier of the Executive Yuan, Executive Yuan
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Yuan
Judicial branch: Judicial Yuan
Leaders:
Chief of State--President LI Teng-hui (since 13 January 1988);
Vice President LI Yuan-tzu (will take office 20 May 1990);
Head of Government--Premier (President of the Executive Yuan)
HAO Po-ts'un (since 2 May 1990); Vice Premier (Vice President of the
Executive Yuan) SHIH Ch'i-yang (since NA July 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Kuomintang (Nationalist Party),
LI Teng-hui, chairman; Democratic Socialist Party and Young China
Party controlled by Kuomintang; Democratic Progressive Party (DPP);
Labor Party; 27 other minor parties
Suffrage: universal at age 20
Elections:
President--last held 21 March 1990 (next to be held March 1996);
results--President Li Teng-hui was elected by the National Assembly;
Vice President--last held 21 March 1990
(next to be held March 1996);
results--Li Yuan-tzu was elected by the National Assembly;
Legislative Yuan--last held 2 December 1989 (next to be held
December 1992);
results--KMT 65%, DPP 33%, independents 2%;
seats--(304 total, 102 elected) KMT 78, DPP 21, independents 3
Member of: expelled from UN General Assembly and Security Council on 25
October 1971 and withdrew on same date from other charter-designated subsidiary
organs; expelled from IMF/World Bank group April/May 1980; member of ADB and
PECC, seeking to join GATT and/or MFA; attempting to retain membership in ICAC,
ISO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IWC--International Wheat Council; suspended from
IAEA in 1972, but still allows IAEA controls over extensive atomic development
Diplomatic representation: none; unofficial commercial and cultural
relations with the people of the US are maintained through a private
instrumentality, the Coordination Council for North American Affairs (CCNAA)
with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 10 other US
cities with all addresses and telephone numbers NA;
US--unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people of Taiwan
are maintained through a private institution, the American Institute in
Taiwan (AIT), which has offices in Taipei at 7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3
with telephone 002 886o (2) 709-2000 and in Kao-hsiung at 88 Wu Fu 3rd Road
with telephone NA
Flag: red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
- Economy
Overview: Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with considerable
government guidance of investment and foreign trade and partial
government ownership of some large banks and industrial firms. Real
growth in GNP has averaged about 9% a year during the past three decades.
Export growth has been even faster and has provided the impetus for
industrialization. Agriculture contributes about 6% to GNP, down from 35%
in 1952. Taiwan currently ranks as number 13 among major trading
countries. Traditional labor-intensive industries are steadily being
replaced with more capital- and technology-intensive industries.
GNP: $121.4 billion, per capita $6,000; real growth rate 7.2% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1989)
Budget: revenues $25.9 billion; expenditures $33.2 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY89)
Exports: $66.2 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--textiles
9.7%, electrical machinery 19.0%, general machinery and equipment 14%,
telecommunications equipment 9%, basic metals and metal products 7.4%,
foodstuffs 0.9%, plywood and wood products 1.3%; partners--US 36.2%,
Japan 13.7%
Imports: $52.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--machinery
and equipment 15.9%, crude oil 5%, chemical and chemical products 11.1%,
basic metals 7.4%, foodstuffs 2.0%; partners--Japan 31%, US 23%,
Saudi Arabia 8.6%
External debt: $1.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.1% (1988)
Electricity: 17,000,000 kW capacity; 68,000 million kWh produced,
3,360 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: textiles, clothing, chemicals, electronics, food processing,
plywood, sugar milling, cement, shipbuilding, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GNP and 20% of labor force (includes
part-time farmers); heavily subsidized sector; major crops--rice, sugarcane,
sweet potatoes, fruits, vegetables; livestock--hogs, poultry, beef, milk,
cattle; not self-sufficient in wheat, soybeans, corn; fish catch expanding,
1.1 million metric tons in (1987)
Aid: US, including Ex-Im (FY46-82), $4.6 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $439 million
Currency: new Taiwan dollar (plural--dollars);
1 new Taiwan dollar (NT$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: new Taiwan dollars per US$1--26.3 (March 1990),
26.156 (December 1989), 28.589 (1988), 31.845 (1987), 37.838 (1986),
39.849 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications
Railroads: about 1,075 km common carrier lines and over 3,800 km
industrial lines; common carrier lines consist of the 1.067-meter gauge 708 km
West Line and the 367 km East Line; a 98.25 km South Link Line connection
is under construction; common carrier lines owned by the government and operated
by the Railway Administration under Ministry of Communications; industrial
lines owned and operated by government enterprises
Highways: 18,800 km total; 15,800 km bituminous or concrete,
2,500 km crushed stone or gravel, 500 km graded earth
Pipelines: 615 km refined products, 97 km natural gas
Ports: Kao-hsiung, Chi-lung, Hua-lien, Su-ao, T'ai-tung
Merchant marine: 218 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,061,960
GRT/7,634,074 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 61 cargo,
13 refrigerated cargo, 71 container, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants
(POL) tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 54 bulk
Airports: 38 total, 37 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with
runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 8 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: best developed system in Asia outside of Japan;
6,000,000 telephones; extensive microwave transmission links on east and west
coasts; stations--91 AM, 23 FM, 15 TV (13 relays); 8,000,000 radio receivers;
6,000,000 TV sets (5,300,000 color, 700,000 monochrome); satellite earth
stations--1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; submarine cable
links to Japan (Okinawa), the Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong,
Indonesia, Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe
- Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force, Garrison Command
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,809,354; 4,534,950 fit for military
service; about 185,235 currently reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 6.8% of GNP, or $8.2 billion (FY90 est.)
----------------------------------------------------
----------------------------------------------------
Appendix A: The United Nations System
The UN is composed of six principal organs and numerous subordinate
agencies and bodies as follows:
1) Secretariat:
UNDRO United Nations Disaster Relief Coordinator's Office
2) General Assembly:
INSTRAW International Research and Training Institute for the
Advancement of Women
UNCHS United Nations Center for Human Settlements (Habitat)
UNCTAD United Nations Conference on Trade and Development
UNDP United Nations Development Program
UNEP United Nations Environment Program
UNFPA United Nations Population Fund
UNHCR United Nations Office of High Commissioner for Refugees
UNICEF United Nations Children's Fund
UNIDIR United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research
UNITAR United Nations Institute for Training and Research
UNRISD United Nations Research Institute for Social Development
UNRWA United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine
Refugees in the Near East
UNSP United Nations Special Fund
UNU United Nations University
UP University for Peace
WFC World Food Council
WFP World Food Program
3) Security Council:
UNAVEM United Nations Angola Verification Mission
UNDOF United Nations Disengagement Observer Force
UNFICYP United Nations Force in Cyprus
UNGOMAP United Nations Good Offices Mission in Afghanistan and
Pakistan
UNIFIL United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon
UNIIMOG United Nations Iran-Iraq Military Observer Group
UNMOGIP United Nations Military Observer Group in India and
Pakistan
UNTAG United Nations Transition Assistance Group
UNTSO United Nations Truce Supervision Organization
4) Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC):
Specialized agencies
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization
IDA International Development Association
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development
IFC International Finance Corporation
ILO International Labor Organization
IMF International Monetary Fund
IMO International Maritime Organization
ITU International Telecommunication Union
MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
UNESCO United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural
Organization
UNIDO United Nations Industrial Development Organization
UPU Universal Postal Union
WHO World Health Organization
WIPO World Intellectual Property Organization
WMO World Meteorological Organization
Related organizations
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency
Regional commissions
ECA Economic Commission for Africa
ECE Economic Commission for Europe
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia
Functional commissions
Commission on Human Rights
Commission on Narcotic Drugs
Commission for Social Development
Commission on the Status of Women
Population Commission
Statistical Commission
5) Trusteeship Council
6) International Court of Justice (ICJ)
----------------------------------------------------
Appendix B: International Organizations
ACC Arab Cooperation Council
ACP African, Caribbean, and Pacific Countries (assoc. with EC)
ADB Asian Development Bank
AfDB African Development Bank
AFESD Arab Fund for Economic and Social Development
AIOEC Association of Iron Ore Exporting Countries
AL Arab League or League of Arab States
AMF Arab Monetary Fund
AMU Arab Maghreb Union
--- Andean Pact
ANRPC Association of Natural Rubber Producing Countries
ANZUS ANZUS Council
AP Andean Pact
APC African Peanut (Groundnut) Association
ASEAN Association of Southeast Asian Nations
ASPAC Asian and Pacific Council
ASSIMER International Mercury Producers Association
--- Association of Tin Producing Countries
BADEA Arab Bank for Economic Development in Africa
BCIE Central American Bank for Economic Integration
Benelux Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg Economic Union
BIS Bank for International Settlements
BLEU Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
BOAD West African Development Bank
C Commonwealth
CACM Central American Common Market
CAEU Council of Arab Economic Unity
CARICOM Caribbean Community and Common Market
CCC Customs Cooperation Council
CDB Caribbean Development Bank
CE Council of Europe
CEAO West African Economic Community
CEEAC Economic Community of Central African States
CEMA Council for Mutual Economic Assistance (sometimes CMEA or
Comecon)
CENTO Central Treaty Organization
CEPGL Economic Community of the Great Lakes Countries
CERN European Organization for Nuclear Research
CILSS Permanent Interstate Committee on Drought Control in the Sahel
CIPEC Intergovernmental Council of Copper Exporting Countries
CMEA see CEMA
Comecon see CEMA
--- Conference of East and Central African States
CP Colombo Plan
DAC Development Assistance Committee (OECD)
EADB East African Development Bank
EAMA African States associated with the EC
EC European Communities
ECA Economic Commission for Africa (UN)
ECE Economic Commission for Europe (UN)
ECLA Economic Commission for Latin America (UN)
ECLAC Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (UN)
ECOSOC Economic and Social Council (UN)
ECOWAS Economic Community of West African States
ECWA Economic Commission for Western Asia (UN)
EFTA European Free Trade Association
EIB European Investment Bank
EMS European Monetary System
Entente Council of the Entente
ESA European Space Agency
ESCAP Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UN)
ESCWA Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (UN)
FAO Food and Agriculture Organization (UN)
FZ Franc Zone
G-8 Group of Eight
G-10 Group of Ten
G-77 Group of 77
GA General Assembly (UN)
GATT General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (UN)
GCC Gulf Cooperation Council
IADB Inter-American Development Bank
IAEA International Atomic Energy Agency (UN)
IATP International Association of Tungsten Producers
IBA International Bauxite Association
IBEC International Bank for Economic Cooperation
IBRD International Bank for Reconstruction and Development or
World Bank (UN)
ICAC International Cotton Advisory Committee
ICAO International Civil Aviation Organization (UN)
ICC International Chamber of Commerce
ICCO International Cocoa Organization
ICEM Intergovernmental Committee for European Migration
ICES International Cooperation in Ocean Exploration
ICFTU International Confederation of Free Trade Unions
ICJ International Court of Justice (UN)
ICM Intergovernmental Committee for Migration
ICO International Coffee Organization
ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross
IDA International Development Association (IBRD affiliate, UN)
IDB Inter-American Development Bank
IDB Islamic Development Bank
IEA International Energy Agency (associated with OECD)
IFAD International Fund for Agricultural Development (UN)
IFC International Finance Corporation (IBRD affiliate, UN)
IHO International Hydrographic Organization
IIB International Investment Bank
ILO International Labor Organization (UN)
ILZSG International Lead and Zinc Study Group
IMF International Monetary Fund (UN)
IMO International Maritime Organization (UN)
INMARSAT International Maritime Satellite Organization
INRO International Natural Rubber Organization
INTELSAT International Telecommunications Satellite Organization
INTERPOL International Criminal Police Organization
IOC International Olympic Committee
IOOC International Olive Oil Council
IPU Inter-Parliamentary Union
IRC International Rice Council
ISO International Sugar Organization
ITC International Tin Council
ITU International Telecommunication Union (UN)
IWC International Whaling Commission
IWC International Wheat Council
LAES Latin American Economic System
LAIA Latin American Integration Association
--- Lake Chad Basin Commission
LORCS League of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies
--- Mano River Commission
--- Mekong Committee
MIGA Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency
NAM Nonaligned Movement
NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization
NC Nordic Council
NCC Nordic Council of Ministers
NEA Nuclear Energy Agency (OECD)
NIB Nordic Investment Bank
--- Niger River Commission
--- Nordic Council