deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for
fuel and building materials); desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: landlocked
@Afghanistan:People
Population: 23,738,085 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 5,201,585; female 5,003,503)
15-64 years: 54% (male 6,680,687; female 6,208,463)
65 years and over : 3% (male 341,301; female 302,546) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.48% (1997 est.)
note: this rate reflects the continued return of refugees
Birth rate: 42.72 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 17.78 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 19.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years : 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 146.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 46.34 years
male: 46.89 years
female: 45.76 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.07 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Afghan(s)
adjective: Afghan
Ethnic groups: Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%, minor
ethnic groups (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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 31.5%
male : 47.2%
female: 15% (1995 est.)
@Afghanistan:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Islamic State of Afghanistan
conventional short form: Afghanistan
local long form : Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan
local short form: Afghanestan
former: Republic of Afghanistan
Data code: AF
Government type: transitional government
National 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 two new provinces of Nurestan (Nuristan) and
Khowst
Independence: 19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign
affairs)
National holiday: Victory of the Muslim Nation, 28 April; Remembrance
Day for Martyrs and Disabled, 4 May; Independence Day, 19 August
Constitution: none
Legal system: a new legal system has not been adopted but all factions
tacitly agree they will follow Islamic law (Shari'a)
Suffrage: undetermined; previously males 15-50 years of age
Executive branch: on 27 September 1996, the ruling members of the
Afghan Government were displaced by members of the Islamic Taliban
movement; the Islamic State of Afghanistan has no functioning
government at this time, and the country remains divided among
fighting factions
note: the Taliban have declared themselves the legitimate government
of Afghanistan; the UN has deferred a decision on credentials and the
Organization of the Islamic Conference has left the Afghan seat vacant
until the question of legitimacy can be resolved through negotiations
among the warring factions; the country is essentially divided along
ethnic lines; the Taliban controls the capital of Kabul and
approximately two-thirds of the country including the predominately
ethnic Pashtun areas in southern Afghanistan; opposing factions have
their stonghold in the ethnically diverse north - General DOSTAM's
National Islamic Movement controls several northcentral provinces and
Commander MASOOD controls the ethnic Tajik majority areas of the
northeast
Legislative branch: non-functioning as of June 1993
Judicial branch: non-functioning as of March 1995, although there are
local Shari'a (Islamic law) courts throughout the country
Political parties and leaders: Taliban (Religious Students Movement),
Mohammad OMAR; Supreme Defense Council of Afghanistan [comprised of
Jumbesh-i-Melli Islami (National Islamic Movement), Abdul Rashid
DOSTAM; Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI and
Ahmad Shah MASOOD; and Hizbi Wahdat-Khalili faction (Islamic Unity
Party), Abdul Karim KHALILI]; other smaller parties are 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-Akbari faction (Islamic
Unity Party), Mohammad Akbar AKBARI; Harakat-i-Islami (Islamic
Movement), Mohammed Asif MOHSENI
Political pressure groups and leaders: tribal elders represent
traditional Pashtun leadership; Afghan refugees in Pakistan,
Australia, US, and elsewhere have organized politically; Peshawar,
Pakistan-based groups such as the Coordination Council for National
Unity and Understanding in Afghanistan (CUNUA), Ishaq GAILANI; Writers
Union of Free Afghanistan (WUFA), A. Rasul AMIN; Mellat (Social
Democratic Party), leader NA
International organization participation: AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Yar Mohammed
MOHABBAT
chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 234-3770, 3771
FAX: [1] (202) 328-3516
consulate(s) general : New York
consulate(s): Washington, DC
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US embassy in Kabul has
been closed since January 1989 due to security concerns
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white,
and black with a gold emblem centered on the three bands; the emblem
features a temple-like structure with Islamic inscriptions above and
below, encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bolder
Islamic inscription above, all of which are encircled by two crossed
scimitars
Economy
Economy - overview: Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming and livestock raising (sheep and
goats). Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political
and military upheavals during more than 17 years of war, including the
nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February
1989). During the war one-third of the population fled the country,
with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of more than 6
million refugees. Now, only 750,000 registered Afghan refugees remain
in Pakistan and about 1.2 million in Iran. Another 1 million have
probably moved into and around urban areas within Afghanistan. Gross
domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 17 years
because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade
and transport. Millions of people continue to suffer from insufficient
food, clothing, housing, and medical care. Inflation remains a serious
problem throughout the country, with one estimate putting the rate at
240% in Kabul in 1996. Numerical data are likely to be either
unavailable or unreliable.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $18.1 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 56%
industry: 15%
services: 29%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 240% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 7.1 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.)
Unemployment rate: 8% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture,
shoes, fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil,
coal, copper
Electricity - capacity: 371,000 kW (1993)
Electricity - production: 670 million kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 35 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts; wool,
mutton
Exports:
total value: $80 million (1996 est.)
commodities: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides
and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
partners : FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Germany, India, UK, Belgium,
Luxembourg, Czechoslovakia
Imports:
total value : $150 million (1996 est.)
commodities: food and petroleum products; most consumer goods
partners: FSU, Pakistan, Iran, Japan, Singapore, India, South Korea,
Germany
Debt - external: $2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA; about $56 million in UN aid plus additional bilateral
aid and aid in kind (1996)
note: US provided $450 million in bilateral assistance (1985-93); US
continues to contribute to multilateral assistance through the UN
programs of food aid, immunization, land mine removal, and a wide
range of aid to refugees and displaced persons
Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls
Exchange rates: afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 17,000 (December 1996), 7,000
(January 1995), 1,900 (January 1994), 1,019 (March 1993), 850 (1991);
note - these rates reflect the free market exchange rates rather than
the official exchange rate, which is a fixed rate of 50.600 afghanis
to the dollar
Fiscal year: 21 March - 20 March
@Afghanistan:Communications
Telephones: 31,200 (1983 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic : very limited telephone and telegraph service
international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean Region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 0, shortwave 2
Radios: 1.8 million (1996 est.); note - about 60% of families own a
radio
Television broadcast stations: NA
note: one television station run by Jumbesh faction provides
intermittent service
Televisions: 100,000 (1993 est.)
@Afghanistan:Transportation
Railways:
total: 24.6 km
broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to
Towraghondi; 15 km 1,524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad
transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya
Highways:
total: 21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to
about 500 DWT
Pipelines: petroleum products - Uzbekistan to Bagram and Turkmenistan
to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports and harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Airports: 33 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m : 2
under 914 m: 7 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 17
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA; note - the military does not exist on a
national basis; some elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense
Forces, National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force
(Sarandoi), and tribal militias still exist but are factionalized
among the various groups
Military manpower - military age: 22 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49 : 5,813,298 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : 3,118,004 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 231,250 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: some support from RABBANI and MASOOD to
anti-government Islamic fighters in Tajikistan's civil war; support to
Islamic militants worldwide by some factions; question over which
group should hold Afghanistan's seat at the UN
Illicit drugs: world's second-largest illicit opium producer after
Burma (1,230 metric tons in 1996 - down 2% from 1995) and a major
source of hashish
______________________________________________________________________
ALBANIA
@Albania:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian
Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 28,750 sq km
land: 27,400 sq km
water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km (114 km with Serbia,
173 km with Montenegro)
Coastline: 362 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea : 12 nm
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point : Maja e Korabit 2,753 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper,
timber, nickel
Land use:
arable land: 21%
permanent crops: 5%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,410 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along
southwestern coast
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water
pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links
Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
@Albania:People
Population: 3,299,757 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 575,087; female 534,618)
15-64 years: 60% (male 927,791; female 1,068,922)
65 years and over: 6% (male 80,135; female 113,204) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.9% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 21.96 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.54 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -5.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.87 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.92 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 47.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 68.28 years
male: 65.24 years
female: 71.55 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.64 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian
Ethnic groups: Albanian 95%, Greeks 3%, other 2% (Vlachs, Gypsies,
Serbs, and Bulgarians) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1%
(official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Religions: Muslim 70%, Albanian 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:
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 72%
male: 80%
female: 63% (1955 est.)
@Albania:Government
Country name:
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
Data code: AL
Government type: emerging democracy
National 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
note: some new administrative units may have been created
Independence: 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Constitution: an interim basic law was approved by the People's
Assembly on 29 April 1991; a draft constitution was rejected by
popular referendum in the fall of 1994 and a new draft is pending
Legal system: has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state : President of the Republic Sali BERISHA (since 9 April
1992)
head of government: Prime Minister of the interim National
Reconciliation Government Bashkim FINO (since 12 March 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year
term; election last held NA 1992 (next to be held NA March 1997);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results : Sali BERISHA elected president; percent of People's
Assembly vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor
(140 seats; most members are elected by direct popular vote and some
by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 26 May 1996 (next tentatively scheduled for 29
June 1997)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - DP
122, PS 10, RP 3, UHP 3, Balli Kombetar 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman of the Supreme Court is
elected by the People's Assembly
Political parties and leaders: Albanian Socialist Party or PS
(formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman];
Democratic Party or PD [Tritan SHEHU]; Albanian Republican Party or PR
[Sabri GODO]; Social Democratic Party or SDP [Skender GJINUSHI];
Democratic Alliance Party or DAP [Neritan CEKA, chairman]; Unity for
Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman]; Movement for
Democracy Party or LDP [ruled by committee of Genc RULI, Alfred
SERREQI, Dashimir SHEHI, Maksim KONOMI]; Balli Kombetar [Hysen SELFO]
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD,
ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Lublin DILJA
chancery: Suite 1000, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942, 8187
FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Marisa R. LINO (15 July 1996)
embassy: Rruga E. Labinoti 103, Tirane
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100 (A), APO AE 09624
telephone: [355] (42) 328-75, 335-20
FAX: [355] (42) 322-22
Flag description: red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
Economy
Economy - overview: An extremely poor country by European standards,
Albania is making the difficult transition to a more open-market
economy. The economy rebounded in 1993-95 after a severe depression
accompanying the collapse of the previous centrally planned system in
1990 and 1991. However, a weakening of government resolve to maintain
stabilization policies in the election year of 1996 contributed to
renewal of inflationary pressures, spurred by the budget deficit which
exceeded 12%. The collapse of financial pyramid schemes in early 1997
- which had attracted deposits from a substantial portion of Albania's
adult population - triggered unrest in much of the south in early
1997. The economy continues to be buoyed by remittances of some 20% of
the labor force which works abroad, mostly in Greece and Italy. These
remittances supplement GDP and help offset the large foreign trade
deficit. Most agricultural land was privatized in 1992, substantially
improving peasant incomes. Overall economic performance is likely to
be substantially worse in 1997; inflation will easily top 50% and GDP
may drop by 5% or more.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.4 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,290 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 56%
industry: 21%
services: 23% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 17.4% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 1.692 million (1994 est.) (including 352,000 emigrant workers
and 261,000 domestically unemployed)
by occupation : agriculture (nearly all private) 49.5%, private sector
22.2%, state (nonfarm) sector 28.3% (including state-owned industry
7.8%); note - includes only those domestically employed
Unemployment rate: 13% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $624 million
expenditures : $996 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil,
cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 1.533 million kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 3.86 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,221 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: wide range of temperate-zone crops and
livestock
Exports:
total value: $205 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities : asphalt, metals and metallic ores, electricity, crude
oil, vegetables, fruits, tobacco
partners: Italy, US, Greece, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Imports:
total value: $680 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities : machinery, consumer goods, grains
partners: Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, The Former Yugoslav
Republic of Macedonia
Debt - external: $500 million (1994 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient : ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 lek (L) = 100 qintars
Exchange rates: leke (L) per US$1 - 150.00 (May 1997), 104.50 (1996),
92.70 (1995), 94.62 (1994), 102.06 (1993), 75.03 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Albania:Communications
Telephones: 55,000
Telephone system:
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for
every village; in 1992, following the fall of the communist
government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it
to build fences
international : inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave
radio relay from the Tirane exchange to Italy and Greece
Radio broadcast stations: AM 17, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 577,000 (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 9
Televisions: 300,000 (1993 est.)
@Albania:Transportation
Railways:
total : 670 km
standard gauge: 670 km 1.435-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 15,500 km
paved: 4,650 km
unpaved: 10,850 km (1995 est.)
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 and harbors: Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Merchant marine:
total: 8 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 39,201 GRT/57,938
DWT (1996 est.)
Airports: 11 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m : 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior
Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 738,082 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 600,403 (1997 est.)