*Afghanistan, Geography
Location:
South Asia, between Iran and Pakistan
Map references:
Asia, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
647,500 km2
land area:
647,500 km2
comparative area:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total 5,529 km, China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan
1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand water rights; Iran supports clients
in country, private Pakistani and Saudi sources may also be active; power
struggles among various groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries
among emerging warlords, traditional tribal disputes continue; support to
Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; border dispute with Pakistan
(Durand Line)
Climate:
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Natural resources:
natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, talc, barites, sulphur, lead, zinc,
iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Land use:
arable land:
12%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
46%
forest and woodland:
3%
other:
39%
Irrigated land:
26,600 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil degradation,
desertification, overgrazing, deforestation, pollution, flooding
Note:
landlocked
*Afghanistan, People
Population:
16,494,145 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.45% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
43.83 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
19.33 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
158.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
44.41 years
male:
45.09 years
female:
43.71 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.34 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Afghan(s)
adjective:
Afghan
Ethnic divisions:
Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor ethnic groups (Chahar
Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Languages:
Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and
Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much
bilingualism
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
29%
male:
44%
female:
14%
Labor force:
4.98 million
by occupation:
agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry 10.2%, construction 6.3%,
commerce 5.0%, services and other 10.7% (1980 est.)
*Afghanistan, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Islamic State of Afghanistan
conventional short form:
Afghanistan
former:
Republic of Afghanistan
Digraph:
AF
Type:
transitional government
Capital:
Kabul
Administrative divisions:
30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan,
Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol,
Kandahar, Kapisa, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz,
Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, Zabol
note:
there may be a new province of Nurestan (Nuristan)
Independence:
19 August 1919 (from UK)
Constitution:
the old Communist-era constitution has been suspended; a new Islamic
constitution has yet to be ratified
Legal system:
a new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional government has
declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari'a)
National holiday:
Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance Day for Martyrs and
Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August
Political parties and leaders:
current political organizations include Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society),
Burhanuddin RABBANI, Ahmad Shah MASOOD; Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin (Islamic
Party), Gulbuddin HIKMATYAR faction; Hizbi Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party)
Yunis KHALIS faction; Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic
Union for the Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF;
Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement), Mohammad Nabi
MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan (Afghanistan National
Liberation Front), Sibghatullah MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National
Islamic Front), Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Hizbi Wahdat (Islamic Unity Party),
Abdul Ali MAZARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic Movement), Mohammed Asif
MOHSENI; a new northern organization consisting of resistance and former
regional figures is Jonbesh-i-Milli Islami (National Islamic Movement),
Rashid DOSTUM
note:
the former ruling Watan Party has been disbanded
Other political or pressure groups:
the former resistance commanders are the major power brokers in the
countryside; shuras (councils) of commanders are now administering most
cities outside Kabul; ulema (religious scholars); tribal elders
Suffrage:
undetermined; previously universal, male ages 15-50
Elections:
President: last held NA December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1994); results -
Burhanuddin RABBANI was elected to a two-year term by a national shura
*Afghanistan, Government
Executive branch:
president, prime minister; Afghan leaders are still in the process of
choosing a cabinet (May 1993)
Legislative branch:
a unicameral parliament consisting of 205 members was chosen by the shura in
January 1993; non-functioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch:
an interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been appointed, but a new
court system has not yet been organized
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Burhanuddin RABBANI (since 2 January 1993); First Vice President
Mohammad NABI Mohammadi (since NA); First Vice President Mohammad SHAH Fazli
(since NA)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister-designate Gulbaddin HIKMATYAR (since NA); Deputy Prime
Minister Sulayman GAILANI (since NA); Deputy Prime Minister Din MOHAMMAD
(since NA); Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad SHAH Ahmadzai (since NA)
Member of:
AsDB (has previously been a member of), CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
(vacant); Charge d'Affaires Abdul RAHIM
chancery:
2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 234-3770 or 3771
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
(vacant)
embassy:
Ansari Wat, Wazir Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
62230 through 62235 or 62436
note:
US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989
Flag:
a new flag of unknown description reportedly has been adopted; previous flag
consisted of three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green,
with the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black
and red bands; similar to the flag of Malawi, which is shorter and bears a
radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band
*Afghanistan, Economy
Overview:
Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly
dependent on farming (wheat especially) and livestock raising (sheep and
goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and
military upheavals during more than 13 years of war, including the nearly
10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the
past decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan
sheltering more than 3 million refugees and Iran about 1.3 million. Another
1 million probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan.
Although reliable data are unavailable, gross domestic product is lower than
12 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of
trade and transport.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $3 billion (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
NA%
National product per capita:
$200 (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
over 90% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$236 million (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
commodities:
natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton,
hides, and pelts
partners:
former USSR, Pakistan
Imports:
$874 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
commodities:
food and petroleum products
partners:
former USSR, Pakistan
External debt:
$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3% (FY91 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
480,000 kW capacity; 1,000 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and
cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper
Agriculture:
largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry; cash products -
wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool, mutton
Illicit drugs:
an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug
trade; world's second-largest opium producer (after Burma) and a major
source of hashish
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $510 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1
billion; net official Western disbursements (1985-89), $270 million
*Afghanistan, Economy
Currency:
1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls
Exchange rates:
afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 1,019 (March 1993), 900 (November 1991), 850
(1991), 700 (1989-90), 220 (1988-89); note - these rates reflect the free
market exchange rates rather than the official exchange rates
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
*Afghanistan, Communications
Railroads:
9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka (Turkmenistan) to
Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment
point on south bank of Amu Darya
Highways:
21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km bituminous-treated
gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km unimproved earth and tracks
Inland waterways:
total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to
about 500 metric tons
Pipelines:
petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan to Shindand;
natural gas 180 km
Ports:
Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)
Airports:
total:
41
usable:
36
with permanent-surface runways:
9
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
11
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
16
Telecommunications:
limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast services; television
introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM, no FM, 1
TV; 1 satellite earth station
*Afghanistan, Defense Forces
Branches:
the military still does not yet exist on a national scale; some elements of
the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Border Guard
Forces, National Police Force (Sarandoi), and tribal militias remain intact
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 4,094,481; fit for military service 2,196,136; reach
military age (22) annually 153,333 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
the new government has not yet adopted a defense budget
*Albania, Geography
Location:
Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula between Serbia and Montenegro
and Greece
Map references:
Africa, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the
World
Area:
total area:
28,750 km2
land area:
27,400 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total 720 km, Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
(114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro)
Coastline:
362 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
not specified
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
Kosovo question with Serbia and Montenegro; Northern Epirus question with
Greece
Climate:
mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior
is cooler and wetter
Terrain:
mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
21%
permanent crops:
4%
meadows and pastures: 15%
forest and woodland:
38%
other:
22%
Irrigated land:
4,230 km2 (1989)
Environment:
subject to destructive earthquakes; tsunami occur along southwestern coast
Note:
strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea
and Mediterranean Sea)
*Albania, People
Population:
3,333,839 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.21% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
23.24 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-5.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
31.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73 years
male:
70.01 years
female:
76.21 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.85 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Albanian(s)
adjective:
Albanian
Ethnic divisions:
Albanian 90%, Greeks 8%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies, Serbs, and Bulgarians)
(1989 est.)
Religions:
Muslim 70%, Greek Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note:
all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances
prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious
practice
Languages:
Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek
Literacy:
age 9 and over can read and write (1955)
total population:
72%
male:
80%
female:
63%
Labor force:
1.5 million (1987)
by occupation:
agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 40% (1986)
*Albania, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Albania
conventional short form:
Albania
local long form:
Republika e Shqiperise
local short form:
Shqiperia
former:
People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Digraph:
AL
Type:
nascent democracy
Capital:
Tirane
Administrative divisions:
26 districts (rrethe, singular - rreth); Berat, Dibre, Durres, Elbasan,
Fier, Gjirokaster, Gramsh, Kolonje, Korce, Kruje, Kukes, Lezhe, Librazhd,
Lushnje, Mat, Mirdite, Permet, Pogradec, Puke, Sarande, Shkoder, Skrapar,
Tepelene, Tirane, Tropoje, Vlore
Independence:
28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
Constitution:
an interim basic law was approved by the People's Assembly on 29 April 1991;
a new constitution was to be drafted for adoption in 1992, but is still in
process
Legal system:
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Liberation Day, 29 November (1944)
Political parties and leaders:
there are at least 18 political parties; most prominent are the Albanian
Socialist Party (ASP; formerly the Albania Workers Party), Fatos NANO, first
secretary; Democratic Party (DP), Eduard SELAMI, chairman; Albanian
Republican Party (RP), Sabri GODO; Omonia (Greek minority party), leader NA
(ran in 1992 election as Unity for Human Rights Party (UHP)); Social
Democratic Party (SDP), Skender GJINUSHI; Democratic Alliance Party (DAP),
Spartak NGJELA, chairman
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Elections:
People's Assembly:
last held 22 March 1992; results - DP 62.29%, ASP 25.57%, SDP 4.33%, RP
3.15%, UHP 2.92%, other 1.74%; seats - (140 total) DP 92, ASP 38, SDP 7, RP
1, UHP 2
Executive branch:
president, prime minister of the Council of Ministers, two deputy prime
ministers of the Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Assembly (Kuvendi Popullor)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April 1992)
*Albania, Government
Head of Government:
Prime Minister of the Council of Ministers Aleksander Gabriel MEKSI (since
10 April 1992)
Member of:
BSEC, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, INTERPOL,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Roland BIMO
chancery:
1511 K Street, NW, Washington, DC
telephone:
(202) 223-4942
FAX:
(202) 223-4950
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador William E. RYERSON
embassy:
Rruga Labinoti 103, room 2921, Tirane
mailing address:
PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone:
355-42-32875, 33520
FAX:
355-42-32222
Flag:
red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
*Albania, Economy
Overview:
The Albanian economy, already providing the lowest standard of living in
Europe, contracted sharply in 1991, with most industries producing at only a
fraction of past levels and an unemployment rate estimated at 40%. For over
40 years, the Stalinist-type economy operated on the principle of central
planning and state ownership of the means of production. Fitful economic
reforms begun during 1991, including the liberalization of prices and trade,
the privatization of shops and transport, and land reform, were crippled by
widespread civil disorder. Following its overwhelming victory in the 22
March 1992 elections, the new Democratic government announced a program of
shock therapy to stabilize the economy and establish a market economy. In an
effort to expand international ties, Tirane has reestablished diplomatic
relations with the major republics of the former Soviet Union and the US and
has joined the IMF and the World Bank. The Albanians have also passed
legislation allowing foreign investment, but not foreign ownership of real
estate. Albania possesses considerable mineral resources and, until 1990,
was largely self-sufficient in food; however, the breakup of cooperative
farms in 1991 and general economic decline forced Albania to rely on foreign
aid to maintain adequate supplies. In 1992 the government tightened
budgetary contols leading to another drop in domestic output. The
agricultural sector is steadily gaining from the privatization process. Low
domestic output is supplemented by remittances from the 200,000 Albanians
working abroad.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.5 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
-10% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$760 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
210% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues $1.1 billion; expenditures $1.4 billion, including capital
expenditures of $70 million (1991 est.)
Exports:
$45 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude oil, vegetables,
fruits, tobacco
partners:
Italy, Macedonia, Germany, Greece, Czechoslovakia, Poland, Romania,
Bulgaria, Hungary
Imports:
$120 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
machinery, consumer goods, grains
partners:
Italy, Macedonia, Germany, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Poland, Hungary,
Bulgaria, Greece
External debt:
$500 million (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -55% (1991 est.)
Electricity: 1,690,000 kW capacity; 5,000 million kWh produced, 1,520 kWh per capita
(1992)
*Albania, Economy
Industries:
food processing, textiles and clothing, lumber, oil, cement, chemicals,
mining, basic metals, hydropower
Agriculture:
arable land per capita among lowest in Europe; over 60% of arable land now
in private hands; one-half of work force engaged in farming; wide range of
temperate-zone crops and livestock
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route
Economic aid:
recipient - $190 million humanitarian aid, $94 million in
loans/guarantees/credits
Currency:
1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Exchange rates:
leke (L) per US$1 - 97 (January 1993), 50 (January 1992), 25 (September
1991)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Albania, Communications
Railroads:
543 km total; 509 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, single track and 34 km
narrow gauge, single track (1990); line connecting Titograd (Serbia and
Montenegro) and Shkoder (Albania) completed August 1986
Highways:
16,700 km total; 6,700 km highways, 10,000 km forest and agricultural cart
roads (1990)
Inland waterways:
43 km plus Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa
(1990)
Pipelines:
crude oil 145 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1991)
Ports:
Durres, Sarande, Vlore
Merchant marine:
11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,967 GRT/76,887 DWT
Airports:
total:
12
usable:
10
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
4
Telecommunications:
inadequate service; 15,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 13 AM, 1 TV;
514,000 radios, 255,000 TVs (1987 est.)
*Albania, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 896,613; fit for military service 739,359; reach military
age (19) annually 32,740 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
215 million leke, NA% of GNP (1993 est.); note - conversion of defense
expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce
misleading results
*Algeria, Geography
Location:
Northern Africa, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
Map references:
Africa, Europe
Area:
total area:
2,381,740 km2
land area:
2,381,740 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total 6,343 km, Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco
1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km
Coastline:
998 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
Libya claims part of southeastern Algeria; land boundary disputes with
Tunisia under discussion
Climate:
arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier
with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot,
dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
Terrain:
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous
coastal plain
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land:
3%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
13%
forest and woodland:
2%
other:
82%
Irrigated land:
3,360 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; desertification
Note:
second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
*Algeria, People
Population:
27,256,252 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.34% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
30.38 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.41 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.53 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
54 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
67.35 years
male:
66.32 years
female:
68.41 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.96 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Algerian(s)
adjective:
Algerian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population: 57%
male:
70%
female:
46%
Labor force:
6.2 million (1992 est.)
by occupation:
government 29.5%, agriculture 22%, construction and public works 16.2%,
industry 13.6%, commerce and services 13.5%, transportation and
communication 5.2% (1989)
*Algeria, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
conventional short form:
Algeria
local long form:
Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Shabiyah
local short form:
Al Jaza'ir
Digraph:
AG
Type:
republic
Capital:
Algiers
Administrative divisions:
48 provinces (wilayast, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain
Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou
Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued,
El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara,
Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi,
Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset,
Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Independence:
5 July 1962 (from France)
Constitution:
19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised February 1989
Legal system:
socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative
acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials,
including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)
Political parties and leaders:
Islamic Salvation Front (FIS), Ali BELHADJ, Dr. Abassi MADANI, Abdelkader
HACHANI (all under arrest), Rabeh KEBIR; National Liberation Front (FLN),
Abdelhamid MEHRI, Secretary General; Socialist Forces Front (FFS), Hocine
Ait AHMED, Secretary General
note: the government established a multiparty system in September 1989 and, as of
31 December 1990, over 30 legal parties existed
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
National People's Assembly:
first round held on 26 December 1991 (second round canceled by the military
after President BENDJEDID resigned 11 January 1992); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (281 total); the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the
231 seats contested in the first round; note - elections (municipal and
wilaya) were held in June 1990, the first in Algerian history; results - FIS
55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65% of the voters participating
President of the High State Committee:
next election to be held December 1993
Executive branch:
President of the High State Committee, prime minister, Council of Ministers
(cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani)
*Algeria, Government
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
High State Committee President Ali KAFI (since 2 July 1992)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Belaid ABDESSELAM (since 8 July 1992)
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC,
UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Mohamed ZARHOUNI
chancery:
2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 265-2800
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY
embassy:
4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers
mailing address:
B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers
telephone:
[213] (2) 601-425 or 255, 186
FAX:
[213] (2) 603979
consulate: Oran
Flag:
two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white with a red
five-pointed star within a red crescent; the crescent, star, and color green
are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion)
*Algeria, Economy
Overview:
The oil and natural gas sector forms the backbone of the economy,
hydrocarbons accounting for nearly all export receipts, about 30% of
government revenues, and nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in
oil prices led to a booming economy and helped to finance an ambitious
program of industrialization. Plunging oil and gas prices, combined with the
mismanagement of Algeria's highly centralized economy, has brought the
nation to its most serious social and economic crisis since full
independence in 1988. The current government has put reform, including
privatization of some public sector companies and an overhaul of the banking
and financial system, on hold, but has continued efforts to admit private
enterprise to the hydrocarbon industry.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $42 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
2.8% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$1,570 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
55% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
35% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues $14.4 billion; expenditures $14.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $3.5 billion (1992 est.)
Exports:
$11.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:
Italy, France, US, Germany, Spain
Imports:
$8.2 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
capital goods 39.7%, food and beverages 21.7%, consumer goods 11.8% (1990)
partners:
France, Italy, Germany, US, Spain
External debt:
$26 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
6,380,000 kW capacity; 16,834 million kWh produced, 630 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining, electrical, petrochemical,
food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 10.8% of GDP (1991) and employs 22% of labor force; products-
wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits, sheep, cattle; net
importer of food - grain, vegetable oil, sugar
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $925 million; OPEC
bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.7
billion; net official disbursements (1985-89), -$375 million
Currency:
1 Algerian dinar (DA) = 100 centimes
*Algeria, Economy
Exchange rates:
Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 22.787 (January 1993), 21.836 (1992), 18.473
(1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Algeria, Communications
Railroads:
4,060 km total; 2,616 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,188 km 1.055-meter
gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km electrified; 215 km double track
Highways:
90,031 km total; 58,868 km concrete or bituminous, 31,163 km gravel, crushed
stone, unimproved earth (1990)
Pipelines:
crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km
Ports:
Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mers el Kebir,
Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda
Merchant marine:
75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,064,211 DWT; includes 5
short-sea passenger, 27 cargo, 12 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 oil tanker, 9
liquefied gas, 7 chemical tanker, 9 bulk, 1 specialized tanker
Airports:
total:
141
usable:
124
with permanent-surface runways:
53
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
32
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
65
Telecommunications: excellent domestic and international service in the north, sparse in the
south; 822,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 26 AM, no FM, 18 TV;
1,600,000 TV sets; 5,200,000 radios; 5 submarine cables; microwave radio
relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to
Morocco and Tunisia; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, l ARABSAT, and 12 domestic; 20
additional satellite earth stations are planned
*Algeria, Defense Forces
Branches:
National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air Defense
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 6,610,342; fit for military service 4,063,261; reach
military age (19) annually 291,685 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.36 billion, 2.5% of GDP (1993 est.)
*American Samoa, Header
Affiliation:
(territory of the US)
*American Samoa, Geography
Location:
in the South Pacific Ocean, 3,700 km south-southwest of Honolulu, about
halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total area:
199 km2
land area:
199 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
note:
includes Rose Island and Swains Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
116 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 m or depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall
averages 124 inches; rainy season from November to April, dry season from
May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two
coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Natural resources:
pumice, pumicite
Land use:
arable land:
10%
permanent crops:
5%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
75%
other:
10%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
typhoons common from December to March
Note:
Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific
Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral
mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean
*American Samoa, People
Population:
53,139 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.9% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
37 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
4 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
19 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73 years
male:
71 years
female:
75 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.41 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
American Samoan(s)
adjective:
American Samoan
Ethnic divisions:
Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%, other 5%
Religions:
Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant
denominations and other 30%
Languages:
Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages),
English; most people are bilingual
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
97%
male:
97%
female:
97%
Labor force:
14,400 (1990)
by occupation:
government 33%, tuna canneries 34%, other 33% (1990)
*American Samoa, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form:
American Samoa
Abbreviation:
AS
Digraph:
AQ
Type:
unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the US
Department of Interior, Office of Territorial and International Affairs
Capital:
Pago Pago
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of the US)
Independence:
none (territory of the US)
Constitution:
ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Legal system:
NA
National holiday:
Territorial Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Political parties and leaders:
NA
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
Governor:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results - A.
P. LUTALI was elected (percent of vote NA)
House of Representatives:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1994); results -
representatives popularly elected from 17 house districts; seats - (21
total, 20 elected, and 1 nonvoting delegate from Swains Island)
Senate:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results -
senators elected by village chiefs from 12 senate districts; seats - (18
total) number of seats by party NA
US House of Representatives:
last held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1994); results - Eni
R. F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA reelected as delegate
Executive branch:
popularly elected governor and lieutenant governor
Legislative branch:
bicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono) consists of an upper house or Senate
(appointed by county village chiefs) and a lower house or House of
Representatives (elected)
Judicial branch:
High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President
Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
Head of Government:
Governor A. P. LUTALI (since 3 January 1993); Lieutenant Governor Tauese P.
SUNIA (since 3 January 1993)
*American Samoa, Government
Member of:
ESCAP (associate), INTERPOL (subbureau), IOC, SPC
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (territory of the US)
Flag:
blue with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the fly side and
extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying
toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of
authority, a staff and a war club
*American Samoa, Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa
does 80-90% of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants
are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export.
The tuna canneries and the government are by far the two largest employers.
Other economic activities include a slowly developing tourist industry.
Transfers from the US government add substantially to American Samoa's
economic well-being.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $128 million (1991)
National product real growth rate:
NA%
National product per capita:
$2,600 (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
12% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $97,000,000 (includes $43,000,000 in local revenue and $54,000,000
in grant revenue); including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91)
Exports:
$306 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
canned tuna 93%
partners:
US 99.6%
Imports:
$360.3 million (c.i.f., 1989)
commodities:
materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and
parts 6%
partners:
US 62%, Japan 9%, NZ 7%, Australia 11%, Fiji 4%, other 7%
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
42,000 kW capacity; 100 million kWh produced, 2,020 kWh per capita (1990)
Industries:
tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign fishing vessels), meat canning,
handicrafts
Agriculture:
bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples,
papayas, dairy farming
Economic aid:
$21,042,650 in operational funds and $1,227,000 in construction funds for
capital improvement projects from the US Department of Interior (1991)
Currency:
US currency is used
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
*American Samoa, Communications
Railroads: none
Highways:
350 km total; 150 km paved, 200 km unpaved
Ports:
Pago Pago, Ta'u, Ofu, Auasi, Aanu'u (new construction), Faleosao
Airports:
total:
3
usable:
3
with permanent-surface runways:
3
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m :
1 (international airport at Tafuna)
with runways 1,200 to 2,439 m:
0
note:
small airstrips on Fituita and Ofu
Telecommunications:
8,399 telephones; broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; good telex,
telegraph, and facsimile services; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station, 1
COMSAT earth station
*American Samoa, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the US
*Andorra, Geography
Location:
Western Europe, between France and Spain
Map references:
Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
450 km2
land area:
450 km2
comparative area:
slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total 125 km, France 60 km, Spain 65 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
none
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and cool, dry summers
Terrain:
rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Natural resources:
hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Land use:
arable land:
2%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
56%
forest and woodland:
22%
other:
20%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
deforestation, overgrazing
Note:
landlocked
*Andorra, People
Population:
61,962 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.27% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
13.78 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.99 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
25.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
78.22 years
male:
75.35 years
female:
81.34 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.73 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Andorran(s)
adjective:
Andorran
Ethnic divisions:
Spanish 61%, Andorran 30%, French 6%, other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)
Languages:
Catalan (official), French, Castilian
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
NA
*Andorra, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Principality of Andorra
conventional short form:
Andorra
local long form:
Principat d'Andorra
local short form:
Andorra
Digraph:
AN
Type:
parliamentary coprincipality under formal sovereignty of president of France
and Spanish bishop of Seo de Urgel, who are represented locally by officials
called veguers; to be changed to a parliamentary form of government
Capital:
Andorra la Vella
Administrative divisions:
7 parishes (parroquies, singular - parroquia); Andorra, Canillo, Encamp, La
Massana, Les Escaldes, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria
Independence:
1278
Constitution:
Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in 1991; adopted 14 March
1993; to take effect within 15 days
Legal system:
based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative
acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September
Political parties and leaders:
political parties not yet legally recognized; traditionally no political
parties but partisans for particular independent candidates for the General
Council on the basis of competence, personality, and orientation toward
Spain or France; various small pressure groups developed in 1972; first
formal political party, Andorran Democratic Association, was formed in 1976
and reorganized in 1979 as Andorran Democratic Party
Suffrage:
18 years of age, universal
Elections:
General Council of the Valleys:
last held 12 April 1992 (next to be held April 1996); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) number of seats by party NA
Executive branch:
two co-princes (president of France, bishop of Seo de Urgel in Spain), two
designated representatives (French veguer, Episcopal veguer), two permanent
delegates (French prefect for the department of Pyrenees-Orientales, Spanish
vicar general for the Seo de Urgel diocese), president of government,
Executive Council
Legislative branch:
unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell General de las Valls)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) for civil cases, the
Ecclesiastical Court of the bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain) for civil cases,
Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes) for criminal cases
*Andorra, Government
Leaders:
Chiefs of State:
French Co-Prince Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981), represented by
Veguer de Franca Jean Pierre COURTOIS (since NA); Spanish Episcopal
Co-Prince Mgr. Juan MARTI Alanis (since 31 January 1971), represented by
Veguer Episcopal Francesc BADIA Bata
Head of Government:
Executive Council President Oscar RIBAS Reig (since 10 Decmber 1989)
Member of:
INTERPOL, IOC
Diplomatic representation in US:
Andorra has no mission in the US
US diplomatic representation:
Andorra is included within the Barcelona (Spain) Consular District, and the
US Consul General visits Andorra periodically
Flag:
three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the
national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features
a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania that do not
have a national coat of arms in the center
*Andorra, Economy
Overview:
The mainstay of Andorra's economy is tourism. An estimated 13 million
tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its
summer and winter resorts. The banking sector, with its "tax haven" status,
also contributes significantly to the economy. Agricultural production is
limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The
principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing consists mainly
of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. Although it is a member of the EC
customs union, it is unclear what effect the European Single Market will
have on the advantages Andorra obtains from its duty-free status.
National product:
GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $760 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
NA% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$14,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Unemployment rate:
0%
Budget:
revenues $119.4 million; expenditures $190 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1990)
Exports:
$23 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
electricity, tobacco products, furniture
partners:
France, Spain
Imports:
$888.7 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
consumer goods, food
partners:
France, Spain
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
35,000 kW capacity; 140 million kWh produced, 2,570 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
tourism (particularly skiing), sheep, timber, tobacco, banking
Agriculture:
sheep raising; small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and
some vegetables
Economic aid:
none
Currency:
the French and Spanish currencies are used
Exchange rates:
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4812 (January 1993), 5.2938 (1992), 5.6421
(1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988); Spanish pesetas (Ptas)
per US$1 - 114.59 (January 1993), 102.38 (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93
(1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Andorra, Communications
Highways:
96 km
Telecommunications:
international digital microwave network; international landline circuits to
France and Spain; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 17,700 telephones
*Andorra, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
*Angola, Geography
Location:
Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Namibia and
Zaire
Map references:
Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
1,246,700 km2
land area:
1,246,700 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total 5,198 km, Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zaire 2,511 km, Zambia 1,110
km
Coastline:
1,600 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
20 nm
International disputes:
civil war since independence on 11 November 1975; a ceasefire held from 31
May 1991 until October 1992, when the insurgent National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola refused to accept its defeat in internationally
monitored elections; fighting has since resumed across the countryside
Climate:
semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May
to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau
Natural resources:
petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite,
uranium
Land use:
arable land:
2%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
23%
forest and woodland: 43%
other:
32%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on plateau; desertification
Note:
Cabinda is separated from rest of country by Zaire
*Angola, People
Population:
9,545,235 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.67% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
45.8 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
18.96 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
148.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
45.26 years
male:
43.26 years
female:
47.35 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.54 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Angolan(s)
adjective:
Angolan
Ethnic divisions:
Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, Mestico 2%, European 1%, other 22%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (est.)
Languages:
Portuguese (official), Bantu dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
42%
male:
56%
female:
28%
Labor force:
2.783 million economically active
by occupation:
agriculture 85%, industry 15% (1985 est.)
*Angola, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Angola
conventional short form:
Angola
local long form:
Republic de Angola
local short form:
Angola
former:
People's Republic of Angola
Digraph:
AO
Type:
transitional government nominally a multiparty democracy with a strong
presidential system
Capital:
Luanda
Administrative divisions:
18 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie,
Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila,
Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire
Independence:
11 November 1975 (from Portugal)
Constitution:
11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, and 6 March 1991
Legal system:
based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; recently modified to
accommodate political pluralism and increased use of free markets
National holiday:
Independence Day, 11 November (1975)
Political parties and leaders:
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), led by Jose EDUARDO
DOS SANTOS, is the ruling party and has been in power since 1975; National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), led by Jonas SAVIMBI,
remains a legal party despite its returned to armed resistance to the
government; five minor parties have small numbers of seats in the National
Assembly
Other political or pressure groups:
Cabindan State Liberation Front (FLEC), NZZIA Tiago, leader
note:
FLEC is waging a small-scale, highly factionalized, armed struggle for the
independence of Cabinda Province
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
first nationwide, multiparty elections were held in late September 1992 with
disputed results; further elections are being discussed
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Assembleia Nacional)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Tribunal da Relacrao)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Jose Eduardo dos SANTOS (since 21 September 1979)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Marcolino Jose Carlos MOCO (since 2 December 1992)
*Angola, Government
Member of:
ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC (observer), ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OAU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
none
representation:
Jose PATRICIO, Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States
address:
Permanent Observer to the Organization of American States, 1899 L Street,
NW, 5th floor, Washington, DC 20038
telephone:
(202) 785-1156
FAX:
(202) 785-1258
US diplomatic representation:
director:
Edmund DE JARNETTE
liaison office:
Rua Major Kanhangolo, Nes 132/138, Luanda
mailing address:
CP6484, Luanda, Angola (mail international); USLO Luanda, Department of
State, Washington, D.C. 20521-2550 (pouch)
telephone:
[244] (2) 34-54-81
FAX:
[244] (2) 39-05-15
note:
the US maintains a liaison office in Luanda accredited to the Joint
Political Military Commission that oversees implementation of the Angola
Peace Accords; this office does not perform any commercial or consular
services; the US does not maintain diplomatic relations with the Government
of the Republic of Angola
Flag:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow
emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a
machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)
*Angola, Economy
Overview:
Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 80-90% of the
population, but accounts for less than 15% of GDP. Oil production is vital
to the economy, contributing about 60% to GDP. Bitter internal fighting
continues to severely affect the nonoil economy, and food needs to be
imported. For the long run, Angola has the advantage of rich natural
resources in addition to oil, notably gold, diamonds, and arable land. To
realize its economic potential Angola not only must secure domestic peace
but also must reform government policies that have led to distortions and
imbalances throughout the economy.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $5.1 billion (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.7% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$950 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1,000% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $2.1 billion; expenditures $3.6 billion, including capital
expenditures of $963 million (1991 est.)
Exports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
oil, liquefied petroleum gas, diamonds, coffee, sisal, fish and fish
products, timber, cotton
partners:
US, France, Germany, Netherlands, Brazil
Imports:
$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
capital equipment (machinery and electrical equipment), food, vehicles and
spare parts, textiles and clothing, medicines; substantial military
deliveries
partners:
Portugal, Brazil, US, France, Spain
External debt:
$8 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%; accounts for about 60% of GDP, including petroleum output
Electricity:
510,000 kW capacity; 800 million kWh produced, 84 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum; mining diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite,
uranium, and gold;, fish processing; food processing; brewing; tobacco;
sugar; textiles; cement; basic metal products
Agriculture:
cash crops - coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, sugar cane, manioc, tobacco; food
crops - cassava, corn, vegetables, plantains, bananas; livestock production
accounts for 20%, fishing 4%, forestry 2% of total agricultural output;
disruptions caused by civil war and marketing deficiencies require food
imports
Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $265 million; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1,105 million;
Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion; net official disbursements
(1985-89), $750 million
*Angola, Economy
Currency:
1 kwanza (Kz) = 100 kwei
Exchange rates:
kwanza (Kz) per US$1 -4,000 (black market rate was 17,000 on 30 April 1993)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Angola, Communications
Railroads:
3,189 km total; 2,879 km 1.067-meter gauge, 310 km 0.600-meter gauge;
limited trackage in use because of landmines still in place from the civil
war; majority of the Benguela Railroad also closed because of civil war
Highways:
73,828 km total; 8,577 km bituminous-surface treatment, 29,350 km crushed
stone, gravel, or improved earth, remainder unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
1,295 km navigable
Pipelines:
crude oil 179 km
Ports:
Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, Cabinda
Merchant marine:
12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 66,348 GRT/102,825 DWT; includes 11
cargo, 1 oil tanker
Airports:
total:
302
usable:
173
with permanent-surface runways:
32
with runways over 3,659 m:
2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
17
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
57
Telecommunications:
limited system of wire, microwave radio relay, and troposcatter routes; high
frequency radio used extensively for military links; 40,300 telephones;
broadcast stations - 17 AM, 13 FM, 6 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
stations
*Angola, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force/Air Defense, People's Defense Organization and
Territorial Troops, Frontier Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 2,204,155; fit for military service 1,109,292; reach
military age (18) annually 94,919 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
*Anguilla, Header
Affiliation:
(dependent territory of the UK)
*Anguilla, Geography
Location:
in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 270 km east of Puerto Rico
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area:
91 km2
land area:
91 km2
comparative area:
about half the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
61 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone
Natural resources:
negligible; salt, fish, lobster
Land use:
arable land:
NA%
permanent crops:
NA%
meadows and pastures:
NA%
forest and woodland:
NA%
other:
NA% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt
ponds)
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
frequent hurricanes, other tropical storms (July to October)
*Anguilla, People
Population:
7,006 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.64% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
24.26 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
8.28 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-9.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
17.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
73.89 years
male:
71.1 years
female:
76.7 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.09 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Anguillan(s)
adjective:
Anguillan
Ethnic divisions:
black African
Religions:
Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, Baptist 5%, Roman
Catholic 3%, other 12%
Languages:
English (official)
Literacy:
age 12 and over can read and write (1984)
total population:
95%
male:
95%
female: 95%
Labor force:
2,780 (1984)
by occupation:
NA
*Anguilla, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Anguilla
Digraph:
AV
Type:
dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
The Valley
Administrative divisions:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Constitution:
1 April 1982
Legal system:
based on English common law
National holiday:
Anguilla Day, 30 May
Political parties and leaders:
Anguilla National Alliance (ANA), Emile GUMBS; Anguilla United Party (AUP),
Hubert HUGHES; Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP), Victor BANKS
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
House of Assembly:
last held 27 February 1989 (next to be held February 1994); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (11 total, 7 elected) ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP
1, independent 1
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor, chief minister, Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Assembly
Judicial branch:
High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Alan W.
SHARE (since August 1992)
Head of Government:
Chief Minister Emile GUMBS (since NA March 1984, served previously from
February 1977 to May 1980)
Member of:
CARICOM (observer), CDB
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag:
two horizontal bands of white (top, almost triple width) and light blue with
three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design centered in the
white band; a new flag may have been in use since 30 May 1990
*Anguilla, Economy
Overview:
Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on
lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and remittances from emigrants.
In recent years the economy has benefited from a boom in tourism.
Development plans center around the improvement of the infrastructure,
particularly transport and tourist facilities, and also light industry.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $47.4 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6.5% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$6,800 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.6% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5% (1988 est.)
Budget:
revenues $13.8 million; expenditures $15.2 million, including capital
expenditures of $2.4 million (1992 est.)
Exports:
$1.4 million (f.o.b., 1987)
commodities:
lobster and salt
partners:
NA
Imports:
$10.3 million (f.o.b., 1987)
commodities:
NA
partners:
NA
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
2,000 kW capacity; 6 million kWh produced, 862 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
tourism, boat building, salt
Agriculture:
pigeon peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry,
fishing (including lobster)
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $38
million
Currency:
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
NA
*Anguilla, Communications
Highways:
60 km surfaced
Ports:
Road Bay, Blowing Point
Airports:
total:
3
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
1 (1,000 m at Wallblake Airport)
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
modern internal telephone system; 890 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM,
1 FM, no TV; radio relay microwave link to island of Saint Martin
*Anguilla, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
*Antarctica, Geography
Location:
continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle
Map references:
Antarctic Region
Area:
total area:
14 million km2 (est.)
land area:
14 million km2 (est.)
comparative area:
slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US
note:
second-smallest continent (after Australia)
Land boundaries:
none, but see entry on International disputes
Coastline:
17,968 km
Maritime claims:
none, but see entry on International Disputes
International disputes:
Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary below);
sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France
(Adelie Land), New Zealand (Ross Dependency), Norway (Queen Maud Land), and
UK; the US and most other nations do not recognize the territorial claims of
other nations and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia reserve
the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between
90 degrees west and 150 degrees west, where, because of floating ice,
Antarctica is unapproachable from the sea
Climate:
severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the
ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher
elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher
temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below
freezing
Terrain:
about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average
elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to 4,897
meters high; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land,
Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on
McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline,
and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent
Natural resources:
none presently exploited; iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum
and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small,
uncommercial quantities
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%)
Irrigated land:
0 km2
*Antarctica, Geography
Environment:
mostly uninhabitable; katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from
the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; a
circumpolar ocean current flows clockwise along the coast as do cyclonic
storms that form over the ocean; during summer more solar radiation reaches
the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an
equivalent period; in October 1991 it was reported that the ozone shield,
which protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation, had
dwindled to the lowest level ever recorded over Antarctica; active volcanism
on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic
activity rare and weak
Note:
the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent
*Antarctica, People
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are seasonally staffed research
stations
Summer (January) population:
over 4,115 total; Argentina 207, Australia 268, Belgium 13, Brazil 80, Chile
256, China NA, Ecuador NA, Finland 11, France 78, Germany 32, Greenpeace 12,
India 60, Italy 210, Japan 59, South Korea 14, Netherlands 10, NZ 264,
Norway 23, Peru 39, Poland NA, South Africa 79, Spain 43, Sweden 10, UK 116,
Uruguay NA, US 1,666, former USSR 565 (1989-90)
Winter (July) population:
over 1,046 total; Argentina 150, Australia 71, Brazil 12, Chile 73, China
NA, France 33, Germany 19, Greenpeace 5, India 1, Japan 38, South Korea 14,
NZ 11, Poland NA, South Africa 12, UK 69, Uruguay NA, US 225, former USSR
313 (1989-90)
Year-round stations:
42 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, Finland 1,
France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 2, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Poland 1, South
Africa 3, UK 5, Uruguay 1, US 3, former USSR 6 (1990-91)
Summer only stations:
over 38 total; Argentina 7, Australia 3, Chile 5, Germany 3, India 1,
Italy 1, Japan 4, NZ 2, Norway 1, Peru 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 2,
UK 1, US numerous, former USSR 5 (1989-90); note - the disintegration of the
former USSR has placed the status and future of its Antarctic facilities in
doubt; stations may be subject to closings at any time because of ongoing
economic difficulties
*Antarctica, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Antarctica
Digraph:
AY
Type:
Antarctic Treaty Summary:
The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23
June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica.
Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the 17th
Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was in Venice in November 1992.
Currently, there are 41 treaty member nations: 26 consultative and 15
acceding. Consultative (voting) members include the seven nations that claim
portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 19
nonclaimant nations. The US and some other nations that have made no claims
have reserved the right to do so. The US does not recognize the claims of
others. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted
to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates the country
was an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina,
Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant
consultative nations are--Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), Ecuador
(1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan,
South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), South
Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), the US, and Russia.
Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parentheses,
are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988), Cuba
(1984), Czechoslovakia (1962), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987), Guatemala
(1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania
(1971), Switzerland (1990), and Ukraine (1992).
Article 1:
area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as
weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be
used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose
Article 2:
freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue
Article 3:
free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and
other international agencies
Article 4:
does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new
claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force
Article 5:
prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes
Article 6:
includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00
minutes south
Article 7:
treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to
any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance
notice of all activities and of the introduction of military personnel must
be given
Article 8:
allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states
Article 9:
frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations
*Antarctica, Government
Article 10:
treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that
are contrary to the treaty
Article 11:
disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately,
by the ICJ
Article 12, 13, 14:
deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved
nations
Other agreements:
more than 170 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and
ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for the Conservation of
Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of
Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine
Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988
but was subsequently rejected; in 1991 the Protocol on Environmental
Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed and awaits ratification; this
agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through
five specific annexes on marine pollution, fauna, and flora, environmental
impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas; it also prohibits
all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research;
four parties have ratified Protocol as of June 1993
Legal system:
US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such
as murder, may apply to areas not under jurisdiction of other countries.
Some US laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic
Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and
criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by
regulation of statute: The taking of native mammals or birds; the
introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially
protected or scientific areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and
the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of
the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines
and 1 year in prison. The Departments of Treasury, Commerce, Transportation,
and Interior share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law 95-541, the US
Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, requires expeditions from the US to
Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs,
Room 5801, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such
plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For more
information contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National
Science Foundation, Washington, DC 20550.
*Antarctica, Economy
Overview:
No economic activity at present except for fishing off the coast and
small-scale tourism, both based abroad.
*Antarctica, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only at most coastal stations
Airports:
42 landing facilities at different locations operated by 15 national
governments party to the Treaty; one additional air facility operated by
commercial (nongovernmental) tourist organization; helicopter pads at 28 of
these locations; runways at 10 locations are gravel, sea ice, glacier ice,
or compacted snow surface suitable for wheeled fixed-wing aircraft; no paved
runways; 16 locations have snow-surface skiways limited to use by
ski-equipped planes--11 runways/skiways 1,000 to 3,000 m, 3 runways/skiways
less than 1,000 m, 5 runways/skiways greater than 3,000 m, and 7 of
unspecified or variable length; airports generally subject to severe
restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic
conditions; airports do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from
governments required for landing
*Antarctica, Defense Forces
Note:
the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as
the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of
military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use
of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other
peaceful purposes
*Antigua and Barbuda, Geography
Location:
in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
440 km2
land area:
440 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note:
includes Redonda
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
153 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas
Natural resources:
negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism
Land use:
arable land:
18% permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
7%
forest and woodland:
16%
other:
59%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); insufficient
freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural
harbors
*Antigua and Barbuda, People
Population:
64,406 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.51% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
17.51 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
72.83 years
male:
70.81 years
female:
74.95 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.67 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s)
adjective:
Antiguan, Barbudan
Ethnic divisions:
black African, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian
Religions:
Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic
Languages:
English (official), local dialects
Literacy:
age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)
total population:
89%
male: 90%
female:
88%
Labor force:
30,000
by occupation:
commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
*Antigua and Barbuda, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Antigua and Barbuda
Digraph:
AC
Type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
Saint John's
Administrative divisions:
6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint, John, Saint Mary, Saint
Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
Independence:
1 November 1981 (from UK)
Constitution:
1 November 1981
Legal system:
based on English common law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
Political parties and leaders:
Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD; United
Progressive Party (UPP), Baldwin SPENCER
Other political or pressure groups:
United Progressive Party (UPP), headed by Baldwin SPENCER, a coalition of
three opposition political parties - the United National Democratic Party
(UNDP); the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM); and the
Progressive Labor Movement (PLM); Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU),
headed by Noel THOMAS
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held 9 March 1989 (next to be held NA 1994); results - percent of vote
by party NA; seats - (17 total) ALP 15, UPP 1, independent 1
Executive branch:
British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house
or House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General
Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November 1981, previously Governor
since 1976)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976); Deputy Prime
Minister Lester BIRD (since NA)
Member of:
ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS
*Antigua and Barbuda, Government
chancery:
Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
(202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225
consulate:
Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and, in
his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant J. SALTER
embassy:
Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's
mailing address:
FPO AA 34054-0001
telephone:
(809) 462-3505 or 3506
FAX:
(809) 462-3516
Flag:
red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag;
the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and
white with a yellow rising sun in the black band
*Antigua and Barbuda, Economy
Overview:
The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important
determinant of economic performance. During the period 1987-90, real GDP
expanded at an annual average rate of about 6%. Tourism makes a direct
contribution to GDP of about 13% and also affects growth in other sectors -
particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities. Although
Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a
labor shortage in some sectors of the economy, it has been hurt in 1991-92
by a downturn in tourism caused by the Persian Gulf war and the US
recession.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $424 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
1.4% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$6,600 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.5% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
5% (1988 est.)
Budget:
revenues $105 million; expenditures $161 million, including capital
expenditures of $56 million (1992)
Exports:
$32 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%,
machinery and transport equipment 17%
partners:
OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
Imports:
$317.5 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures,
chemicals, oil
partners:
US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
External debt:
$250 million (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP
Electricity:
52,100 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,482 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household
appliances)
Agriculture:
accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and
livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane;
not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
US commitments, $10 million (1985-88); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and
OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $50 million
Currency:
1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
*Antigua and Barbuda, Communications
Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane
Highways:
240 km
Ports:
Saint John's
Merchant marine:
149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 529,202 GRT/778,506 DWT; includes 96
cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 21 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1
multifunction large-load carrier, 2 oil tanker, 19 chemical tanker, 2 bulk;
note - a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
3
usable:
3
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
Telecommunications:
good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric scatter
links with Saba and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2
shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
station
*Antigua and Barbuda, Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police
Force (including the Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
NA
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY90/91)
*Arctic Ocean, Geography
Location:
body of water mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Map references:
Arctic Region, Asia, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
14.056 million km2
comparative area:
slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the world's
four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean)
note:
includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian
Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and
other tributary water bodies
Coastline:
45,389 km
International disputes:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states); Svalbard is the focus of a
maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia
Climate:
polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual
temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and
stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by
continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or
snow
Terrain:
central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages
about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times
that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly
straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark
Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open
seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and
extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50%
continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a
central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera,
Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the
Fram Basin
Natural resources:
sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and
gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales)
Environment:
endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands
occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from
glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow
cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and
lasts about 10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from
October to June; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from
disruptions or damage
Note:
major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific
Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure icing from
October to May; strategic location between North America and Russia;
shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia,
floating research stations operated by the US and Russia
*Arctic Ocean, Government
Digraph:
XQ
*Arctic Ocean, Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources,
including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.
*Arctic Ocean, Communications
Ports:
Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US)
Telecommunications:
no submarine cables
Note:
sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage
(North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal
waterways
*Argentina, Geography
Location:
Eastern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Chile and
Uruguay
Map references:
South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
2,766,890 km2
land area:
2,736,690 km2
comparative area:
slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total 9,665 km, Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay
1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline:
4,989 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
24 nm
continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
not specified
territorial sea:
200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm
International disputes:
short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of
the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland
Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the
South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica
Climate:
mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain:
rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of
Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Natural resources:
fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese,
petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land:
9%
permanent crops:
4%
meadows and pastures:
52%
forest and woodland:
22%
other:
13%
Irrigated land:
17,600 km2 (1989 est.)
Environment:
Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are
violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil
degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires
*Argentina, Geography
Note:
second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location
relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans
(Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
*Argentina, People
Population:
33,533,256 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.13% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
19.75 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
8.64 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
30 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.19 years
male:
67.91 years
female:
74.65 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.72 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Argentine(s)
adjective:
Argentine
Ethnic divisions:
white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%
Religions:
nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%,
Jewish 2%, other 6%
Languages:
Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy:
age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
95%
male:
96%
female:
95%
Labor force:
10.9 million
by occupation:
agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)
*Argentina, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Argentine Republic
conventional short form:
Argentina
local long form:
Republica Argentina
local short form:
Argentina
Digraph:
AR
Type:
republic
Capital:
Buenos Aires
Administrative divisions:
23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 federal district*, (distrito federal);
Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba,
Corrientes, Distrito Federal*, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La, Rioja, Mendoza,
Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis,
Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego (Territorio
Nacional de la Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur),
Tucuman
note:
the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does
not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
Constitution:
1 May 1853
Legal system:
mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Political parties and leaders:
Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political
organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Mario LOSADA, moderately
left-of-center party; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Jorge AGUADO,
conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist
party; Dignity and Independence Political Party (MODIN), Aldo RICO,
right-wing party; several provincial parties
Other political or pressure groups:
Peronist-dominated labor movement; General Confederation of Labor (CGT;
Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Argentine Industrial Union
(manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners'
association); business organizations; students; the Roman Catholic Church;
the Armed Forces
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
Chamber of Deputies:
last held in three phases during late 1991 for half of 254 seats; seats (254
total) - JP 122, UCR 85, UCD 10, other 37 (1993)
President:
last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held NA May 1995); results - Carlos Saul
MENEM was elected
*Argentina, Government
Senate:
last held May 1989, but provincial elections in late 1991 set the stage for
indirect elections by provincial senators for one-third of 46 seats in the
national senate in May 1992; seats (46 total) - JP 27, UCR 14, others 5
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber
or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de
Diputados)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President (position
vacant)
Member of:
AG (observer), Australian Group, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-15, G-19,
G-24, AfDB, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
LORCS, MERCOSUR, MINURSO, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Carlos ORTIZ DE ROZAS
chancery:
1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
(202) 939-6400 through 6403
consulates general:
Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto
Rico)
consulates:
Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador James CHEEK (since 28 May 1993)
embassy:
4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires
mailing address:
APO AA 34034
telephone:
[54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911
FAX:
[54] (1) 775-4205
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue;
centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known
as the Sun of May
*Argentina, Economy
Overview:
Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population,
an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base.
Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the
economy in the late 1980s was plagued with huge external debts and recurring
bouts of hyperinflation. Elected in 1989, in the depths of recession,
President MENEM has implemented a comprehensive economic restructuring
program that shows signs of putting Argentina on a path of stable,
sustainable growth. Argentina's currency has traded at par with the US
dollar since April 1991, and inflation has fallen to its lowest level in 20
years. Argentines have responded to the relative price stability by
repatriating flight capital and investing in domestic industry. Much remains
to be done in the 1990s in dismantling the old statist barriers to growth
and in solidifying the recent economic gains.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $112 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
7% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$3,400 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17.7% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
6.9% (1992)
Budget:
revenues $33.1 billion; expenditures $35.8 billion, including capital
expenditures of $3.5 billion (1992)
Exports:
$12.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool
partners:
US 12%, Brazil, Italy, Japan, Netherlands
Imports:
$14.0 billion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants,
agricultural products
partners:
US 22%, Brazil, Germany, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands
External debt:
$54 billion (June 1992)
Industrial production:
growth rate 10% (1992 est.); accounts for 26% of GDP
Electricity:
17,911,000 kW capacity; 51,305 million kWh produced, 1,559 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and
petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Agriculture:
accounts for 8% of GDP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both
domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain
and beef; principal crops - wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets
Illicit drugs:
increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for the US and
Europe
*Argentina, Economy
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US)
countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion;
Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million
Currency:
1 peso = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
pesos per US$1 - 0.99000 (January1993), 0.99064 (1992), 0.95355 (1991),
0.48759 (1990), 0.04233 (1989), 0.00088 (1988)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Argentina, Communications
Railroads:
34,172 km total (includes 209 km electrified); includes a mixture of
1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter narrow
gauge, and 0.750-meter narrow gauge
Highways:
208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved
earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
11,000 km navigable
Pipelines:
crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural gas 9,918 km
Ports:
Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia, La Plata, Rosario, Santa Fe
Merchant marine:
60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,695,420 GRT/1,073,904 DWT; includes
30 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 1 railcar carrier, 14 oil
tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 4 bulk, 1 roll-on/roll-off
Airports:
total:
1,700
usable:
1,451
with permanet-surface runways:
137
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
31
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
326
Telecommunications:
extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones);
microwave widely used; broadcast stations - 171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13
shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite
network has 40 earth stations
*Argentina, Defense Forces
Branches:
Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force,
National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only),
National Aeronautical Police Force
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 8,267,316; fit for military service 6,702,303; reach
military age (20) annually 284,641 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
*Armenia, Geography
Location:
Southeastern Europe, between Turkey and Azerbaijan
Map references:
Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle
East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
29,800 km2
land area:
28,400 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total 1,254 km, Azerbaijan (east) 566 km, Azerbaijan (south) 221 km, Georgia
164 km, Iran 35 km, Turkey 268 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none; landlocked
International disputes:
violent and longstanding dispute with Azerbaijan over ethnically Armenian
exclave of Nagorno-Karabakh; some irredentism by Armenians living in
southern Georgia; traditional demands on former Armenian lands in Turkey
have greatly subsided
Climate:
continental, hot, and subject to drought
Terrain:
high Armenian Plateau with mountains; little forest land; fast flowing
rivers; good soil in Aras River valley
Natural resources:
small deposits of gold, copper, molybdenum, zinc, alumina
Land use:
arable land:
29%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
15%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
56%
Irrigated land:
3,050 km2 (1990)
Environment:
pollution of Razdan and Aras Rivers; air pollution in Yerevan; energy
blockade has led to deforestation as citizens scavenge for firewood, use of
Lake Sevan water for hydropower has lowered lake level, threatened fish
population
Note:
landlocked
*Armenia, People
Population:
3,481,207 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.23% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
25.79 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.77 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-6.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
28.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
71.77 years
male:
68.36 years
female:
75.36 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.31 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Armenian(s)
adjective:
Armenian
Ethnic divisions:
Armenian 93%, Azeri 3%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Religions:
Armenian Orthodox 94%
Languages:
Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%
Literacy:
age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
100%
male:
100%
female:
100%
Labor force:
1.63 million
by occupation:
industry and construction 42%, agriculture and forestry 18%, other 40%
(1990)
*Armenia, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Republic of Armenia
conventional short form:
Armenia
local long form:
Hayastani Hanrapetut'yun
local short form: Hayastan
former:
Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic; Armenian Republic
Digraph:
AM
Type:
republic
Capital:
Yerevan
Administrative divisions:
none (all rayons are under direct republic jurisdiction)
Independence:
23 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
Constitution:
adopted NA April 1978; post-Soviet constitution not yet adopted
Legal system:
based on civil law system
National holiday:
NA
Political parties and leaders:
Armenian National Movement, Husik LAZARYAN, chairman; National Democratic
Union; National Self-Determination Association; Armenian Democratic Liberal
Organization, Ramkavar AZATAKAN, chairman; Dashnatktsutyan Party (Armenian
Revolutionary Federation, ARF), Rouben MIRZAKHANIN; Chairman of
Parliamentary opposition - Mekhak GABRIYELYAN; Christian Democratic Union;
Constitutional Rights Union; Republican Party
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
President:
last held 16 October 1991 (next to be held NA); results - Levon Akopovich
TER-PETROSYAN 86%; radical nationalists about 7%; note - Levon TER-PETROSYAN
was elected Chairman of the Armenian Supreme Soviet 4 August 1990
Supreme Soviet:
last held 20 May 1990 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by
party NA; seats - (240 total) non-aligned 149, Armenian National Movement
52, Armenian Democratic Liberal Organization 14, Dashnatktsutyan 12,
National Democratic Union 9, Christian Democratic Union 1, Constitutional
Rights Union 1, National Self-Determination Association 1, Republican Party
1
Executive branch:
president, council of ministers, prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Soviet
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Levon Akopovich TER-PETROSYAN (since 16 October 1991), Vice
President Gagik ARUTYUNYAN (since 16 October 1991)
*Armenia, Government
Head of Government: Prime Minister Hrant BAGRATYAN (since NA February 1993); Supreme Soviet
Chairman Babken ARARKTSYAN (since NA 1990)
Member of:
BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, IBRD, ICAO, IMF, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Rouben SHUGARIAN
chancery:
122 C Street NW, Suite 360, Washington, DC 20001
telephone:
(202) 628-5766
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
Ambassador Designate Harry GILMORE
embassy:
18 Gen Bagramian, Yerevan
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
(7) (885) 215-1122, 215-1144
FAX:
(7) (885) 215-1122
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue, and gold
*Armenia, Economy
Overview:
Armenia under the old centrally planned Soviet system had built up textile,
machine-building, and other industries and had become a key supplier to
sister republics. In turn, Armenia had depended on supplies of raw materials
and energy from the other republics. Most of these supplies enter the
republic by rail through Azerbaijan (85%) and Georgia (15%). The economy has
been severely hurt by ethnic strife with Azerbaijan over control of the
Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, a mostly Armenian-populated enclave
within the national boundaries of Azerbaijan. In addition to outright
warfare, the strife has included interdiction of Armenian imports on the
Azerbaijani railroads and expensive airlifts of supplies to beleaguered
Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh. An earthquake in December 1988 destroyed
about one-tenth of industrial capacity and housing, the repair of which has
not been possible because the supply of funds and real resources has been
disrupted by the reorganization and subsequent dismantling of the central
USSR administrative apparatus. Among facilities made unserviceable by the
earthquake are the Yerevan nuclear power plant, which had supplied 40% of
Armenia's needs for electric power and a plant that produced one-quarter of
the output of elevators in the former USSR. Armenia has some deposits of
nonferrous metal ores (bauxite, copper, zinc, and molybdenum) that are
largely unexploited. For the mid-term, Armenia's economic prospects seem
particularly bleak because of ethnic strife and the unusually high
dependence on outside areas, themselves in a chaotic state of
transformation. The dramatic drop in output in 1992 is attributable largely
to the cumulative impact of the blockade; of particular importance was the
shutting off in the summer of 1992 of rail and road links to Russia through
Georgia due to civil strife in the latter republic.
National product:
GDP $NA
National product real growth rate:
-34% (1992)
National product per capita:
$NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
20% per month (first quarter 1993)
Unemployment rate:
2% of officially registered unemployed but large numbers of underemployed
Budget:
revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
$30 million to outside the successor states of the former USSR (f.o.b.,
1992)
commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, light industrial products, processed food
items (1991)
partners:
NA
Imports:
$300 million from outside the successor statees of the former USSR (c.i.f.,
1992)
commodities:
machinery, energy, consumer goods (1991)
partners:
NA
External debt:
$650 million (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -50% (1992 est.)
*Armenia, Economy
Electricity:
2,875,000 kW capacity; 9,000 million kWh produced, 2,585 kWh per capita
(1992)
Industries:
diverse, including (in percent of output of former USSR) metalcutting
machine tools (5.5%), forging-pressing machines (1.9%), electric motors
(9%), tires (1.5%), knitted wear (4.4%), hosiery (3.0%), shoes (2.2%), silk
fabric (0.8%), washing machines (2.0%), chemicals, trucks, watches,
instruments, and microelectronics (1990)
Agriculture:
accounts for about 20% of GDP; only 29% of land area is arable; employs 18%
of labor force; citrus, cotton, and dairy farming; vineyards near Yerevan
are famous for brandy and other liqueurs
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of cannabis mostly for domestic consumption; used as a
transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
wheat from US, Turkey
Currency: retaining Russian ruble as currency (January 1993)
Exchange rates:
rubles per US$1 - 415 (24 December 1992) but subject to wide fluctuations
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Armenia, Communications
Railroads:
840 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
11,300 km total; 10,500 km hard surfaced, 800 km earth (1990)
Inland waterways:
NA km
Pipelines:
natural gas 900 km (1991)
Ports:
none; landlocked
Airports:
total:
12
useable:
10
with permanent-surface runways:
6
with runways over 3,659 m:
1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
3
Telecommunications:
progress on installation of fiber optic cable and construction of facilities
for mobile cellular phone service remains in the negotiation phase for joint
venture agreement; Armenia has about 260,000 telephones, of which about
110,000 are in Yerevan; average telephone density is 8 per 100 persons;
international connections to other former republics of the USSR are by
landline or microwave and to other countries by satellite and by leased
connection through the Moscow international gateway switch; broadcast
stations - 100% of population receives Armenian and Russian TV programs;
satellite earth station - INTELSAT
*Armenia, Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Air Force, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border
troops)
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49 848,223; fit for military service 681,058; reach military
age (18) annually 28,101 (1993 est.)
Defense expenditures:
250 million rubles, NA% of GDP (1992 est.); note - conversion of the
military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
produce misleading results
*Aruba, Header
Affiliation:
(part of the Dutch realm)
*Aruba, Geography
Location:
in the southern Caribbean Sea, 28 km north of Venezuela and 125 km east of
Colombia
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area:
193 km2
land area:
193 km2
comparative area:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
68.5 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
12 nm
territorial sea:
12 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
Natural resources:
negligible; white sandy beaches
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100%
Irrigated land:
NA km2
Environment:
lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
*Aruba, People
Population:
65,117 (July 1993 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.66% (1993 est.)
Birth rate:
15.33 births/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Death rate:
6.05 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
76.3 years
male:
72.65 years
female:
80.13 years (1993 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.83 children born/woman (1993 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
Aruban(s)
adjective:
Aruban
Ethnic divisions:
mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish
Languages:
Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English
dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
Literacy:
total population:
NA%
male:
NA%
female:
NA%
Labor force:
NA
by occupation:
most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)
*Aruba, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
none
conventional short form:
Aruba
Digraph:
AA
Type:
part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986
upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
Capital:
Oranjestad
Administrative divisions:
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Independence:
none (part of the Dutch realm; in 1990, Aruba requested and received from
the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give
independence to the island in 1996)
Constitution:
1 January 1986
Legal system:
based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
National holiday:
Flag Day, 18 March
Political parties and leaders:
Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP),
Henny EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New
Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Benny
NISBET; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86
(AD '86), Arturo ODUBER; Organization for Aruban Liberty (OLA), Glenbert
CROES
note:
governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Elections:
Legislature:
last held 8 January 1993 (next to be held by NA January 1997); results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (21 total) MEP 9, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPA 1,
OLA 1, other 1
Executive branch:
Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral legislature (Staten)
Judicial branch:
Joint High Court of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by
Governor General Olindo KOOLMAN (since NA)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)
Member of:
ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
Flag:
blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and
a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner
*Aruba, Economy
Overview:
Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil
refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly
between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has
steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 3% in 1991. The reopening
of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign
exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.
National product:
GDP - exchange rate conversion - $900 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
6% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
$14,000 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.6% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
3% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital
expenditures of $42 million (1988)
Exports:
$902.4 million, including oil re-exports (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
mostly petroleum products
partners:
US 64%, EC
Imports:
$1,311.3 million, including oil for processing and re-export (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
food, consumer goods, manufactures, petroleum products
partners:
US 8%, EC
External debt:
$81 million (1987)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 14,610 kWh per capita (1992)
Industries:
tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining
Agriculture:
poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the
cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing
Illicit drugs:
drug money laundering center
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $220
million
Currency:
1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1 - 1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
*Aruba, Communications
Highways:
NA km all-weather highways
Ports:
Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas
Airports:
total:
2
usable:
2
with permanent-surface runways:
2
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
0
note:
government-owned airport east of Oranjestad accepts transatlantic flights
Telecommunications:
generally adequate; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links;
72,168 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 submarine cable
to Sint Maarten
*Aruba, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Header
Affiliation:
(territory of Australia)
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Geography
Location:
in the Indian Ocean, 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia, between
Australia and Indonesia
Map references:
Oceania, Southeast Asia
Area:
total area:
5 km2
land area:
5 km2
comparative area:
about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
note:
includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
74.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
12 nm
continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploration
exclusive fishing zone:
200 nm
territorial sea:
3 nm
International disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical
Terrain:
low with sand and coral
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land:
0%
permanent crops:
0%
meadows and pastures:
0%
forest and woodland:
0%
other:
100% (all grass and sand)
Irrigated land:
0 km2
Environment:
surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve
established in August 1983
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, People
Population:
no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are only seasonal caretakers
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Government
Names:
conventional long form:
Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands
conventional short form:
Ashmore and Cartier Islands
Digraph:
AT
Type:
territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry for Arts,
Sports, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories
Capital:
none; administered from Canberra, Australia
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of Australia)
Independence:
none (territory of Australia)
Legal system:
relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia
Diplomatic representation in US:
none (territory of Australia)
US diplomatic representation:
none (territory of Australia)
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Economy
Overview:
no economic activity
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Communications
Ports:
none; offshore anchorage only
*Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Defense Forces
Note:
defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal
Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force
*Atlantic Ocean, Geography
Location:
body of water between the Western Hemisphere and Europe/Africa
Map references: Africa, Antarctic Region, Arctic Region, Central America and the Caribbean,
Europe, North America, South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
82.217 million km2
comparative area:
slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of the
world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean
or Arctic Ocean)
note:
includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait,
Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea,
Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Coastline:
111,866 km
International disputes:
some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Climate:
tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape
Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from
May to December, but are most frequent from August to November
Terrain:
surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and
Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular
system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre
in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic
Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin;
maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench
Natural resources:
oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel
aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones
Environment:
endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles,
and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and
eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake
Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal
sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs
common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from
February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the
Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern
Atlantic
Note:
ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic from October
to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can be
a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the
Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals;
strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona
Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic shipping
lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the
Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean
*Atlantic Ocean, Government