or ATLU [William ROBINSON]; People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Hugh
MARSHALL]
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU,
NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Lionel Alexander HURST
chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone: [1] (202) 362-5211, 5166, 5122
FAX : [1] (202) 362-5225
consulate(s) general: Miami
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Antigua and Barbuda (embassy closed 30 June 1994); the US
Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda
Flag description: 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
Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism continues to be by far the dominant
activity in the economy but the combined share in GDP of transport and
communications, trade, and public utilities has increased markedly in
recent years. Tourism's direct contribution to output in 1994 was
about 20%. In addition, increased tourist arrivals helped spur growth
in the construction and transport sectors. The dual island nation's
agricultural production is mainly directed to the domestic market; the
sector is constrained by the limited water supply and labor shortages
that reflect the pull of higher wages in tourism and construction.
Manufacturing comprises enclave-type assembly for export with major
products being bedding, handicrafts, and electronic components.
Prospects for economic growth in the medium term will continue to
depend on income growth in the industrialized world, especially in the
US, which accounts for about half of all tourist arrivals.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $446 million (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.7% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,800 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 3.5%
industry: 19.3%
services: 77.2% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 4% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 30,000
by occupation : commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry
7% (1983)
Unemployment rate: 5%-10%(1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues : $134 million
expenditures: $135.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995)
Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing,
alcohol, household appliances)
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - capacity: 54,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: cotton, fruits, vegetables, bananas, coconuts,
cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; livestock
Exports:
total value: $45 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
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:
total value: $350.8 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment,
manufactures, chemicals, oil
partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
Debt - external: $435 million (1996 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (February
1997; fixed rate since 1976)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Antigua and Barbuda:Communications
Telephones: 6,700
Telephone system:
domestic: good automatic telephone system
international: 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Saba (Netherlands
Antilles) and Guadeloupe
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 2, shortwave 2
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: 28,000 (1993 est.)
@Antigua and Barbuda:Transportation
Railways:
total: 77 km
narrow gauge: 64 km 0.760-m gauge; 13 km 0.610-m gauge (used almost
exclusively for handling sugarcane)
Highways:
total: 245 km (1995 est.)
paved : NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Saint John's
Merchant marine:
total: 419 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,965,180 GRT/2,637,644
DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 285, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk
1, container 83, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated
cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 19
note : a flag of convenience registry: Germany owns 13 ships, Slovenia
3, Croatia 1, Cyprus 1, and US 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 3 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m : 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal
Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: NA
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.4 million (FY90/91)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1% (FY90/91)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: considered a long-time but relatively minor
transshipment point for narcotics bound for the US and Europe and
recent transshipment point for heroin from Europe to the US;
potentially more significant as a drug money-laundering center
______________________________________________________________________
ARCTIC OCEAN
[Map of Arctic Ocean]
@Arctic Ocean:Geography
Location: body of water mostly north of the Arctic Circle
Geographic coordinates: 90 00 N, 0 00 E
Map references: Arctic Region
Area:
total: 14.056 million sq km
note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea,
East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea,
Laptev Sea, Northwest Passage, and other tributary water bodies
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US;
smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic
Ocean, and Indian Ocean)
Coastline: 45,389 km
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 icepack 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)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Fram Basin -4,665 m
highest point: sea level 0 m
Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits,
polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals
and whales)
Natural hazards: ice islands occasionally break away from northern
Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland
and extreme northeastern Canada; permafrost in islands; virtually
icelocked from October to June; ships subject to superstructure icing
from October to May
Environment - current issues: endangered marine species include
walruses and whales; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to
recover from disruptions or damage
Environment - international agreements:
party to : none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea
(northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait);
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; maximum snow cover in
March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean; snow
cover lasts about 10 months
@Arctic Ocean:Government
Data code: none; the US Government has not approved a standard for
hydrographic codes - see the Cross-Reference List of Hydrographic Data
Codes appendix
Economy
Economy - overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation
of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and
seals.
@Arctic Ocean:Communications
Telephone system:
international: no submarine cables
@Arctic Ocean:Transportation
Ports and harbors: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay
(US)
Transportation - note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land
routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route
(Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways
Military
:
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: some maritime disputes (see littoral
states); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between
Norway and Russia
______________________________________________________________________
ARGENTINA
@Argentina:Geography
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references: South America
Area:
total: 2,766,890 sq km
land: 2,736,690 sq km
water : 30,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 9,665 km
border countries: 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 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
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
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m
Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin,
copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 52%
forests and woodland: 19%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 17,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes
subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can
strike the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Environment - current issues: erosion results from inadequate flood
controls and improper land use practices; irrigated soil degradation;
desertification; air pollution in Buenos Aires and other major cities;
water pollution in urban areas; rivers becoming polluted due to
increased pesticide and fertilizer use
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Marine Life Conservation
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: 35,797,985 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 5,042,521; female 4,855,874)
15-64 years : 62% (male 11,133,884; female 11,155,104)
65 years and over: 10% (male 1,499,538; female 2,111,064) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: 1.3% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 20.01 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.68 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.67 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 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.31 years
male: 70.67 years
female: 78.12 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Argentine(s)
adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groups: white 85%, mestizo, Amerindian, 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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.2%
male : 96.2%
female: 96.2% (1995 est.)
@Argentina:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : Argentine Republic
conventional short form: Argentina
local long form: Republica Argentina
local short form: Argentina
Data code: AR
Government type: republic
National 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, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico
Sur; Tucuman
note: the US does not recognize any claims to Antarctica
Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice
President Carlos RUCKAUF (since 8 July 1995); note - the president is
both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989);
Vice President Carlos RUCKAUF (since 8 July 1995); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 14 May 1995 (next
to be held May 1999)
election results : Carlos Saul MENEM reelected president; percent of
vote - NA
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate (72 seats; three members appointed by each of
the provincial legislatures, one-third of the members appointed every
three years to a 9-year term) and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats;
one-half of the members elected every two years to four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held NA May 1995 (next to be held NA 1998);
Chamber of Deputies - last held 14 May 1995; (next to be held NA
October 1997)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PJ 38, others 34; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by
party - NA; seats by party - PJ 132, UCR 68, Frepaso 26, other 31
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), the nine Supreme Court
judges are appointed by the president with approval of the Senate
Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party or PJ [Carlos Saul
MENEM] (Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union
or UCR [Rodolfo TERRAGNO] (moderately left-of-center party); Union of
the Democratic Center or UCD (conservative party); Dignity and
Independence Political Party or MODIN [Aldo RICO] (right-wing party);
Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four party coalition)
[leader Carlos ALVAREZ]; several provincial parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Peronist-dominated labor
movement; General Confederation of Labor or 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
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer),
Australia Group, BCIE, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G- 6, G-11, G-15, G-19, G-24,
G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA,
RG, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Raul Enrique GRANILLO OCAMPO
chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6400 through 6403
FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171
consulate(s) general : Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,
New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. CHEEK has returned to
Washington; replacement not yet appointed
embassy: 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires
mailing address : Unit 4334, APO AA 34034
telephone: [54] (1) 777-4533, 4534
FAX : [54] (1) 777-0197
Flag description: 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
Economy
Economy - overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources, 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 50
years. Argentines have responded to price stability by repatriating
capital and investing in domestic industry. Growth averaged more than
8% between 1991 and 1994, then fell to 4.6% in 1995, largely in
reaction to the Mexican peso crisis. The economy grew at 4.4% in 1996,
with the strongest growth occurring in the second half of the year.
Unemployment increased slightly - to over 17% - and Buenos Aires was
forced to renegotiate fiscal targets with the IMF. Although the
economy is expected to grow by at least 5% in 1997, unemployment and
fiscal concerns will continue to challenge the MENEM administration.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $296.9 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.4% (1996)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,600 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 29%
services: 64% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 0.1% (yearend 1996)
Labor force:
total: 14.5 million (1995 est.)
by occupation : agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985
est.)
Unemployment rate: 17.3% (October 1996)
Budget:
revenues: $50.3 billion
expenditures : $51.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.2
billion (1995 est.)
Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables,
textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 20.207 million kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 67.369 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,606 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets;
livestock
Exports:
total value: $23.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities : meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, manufactures, fuels
partners: Brazil 26.1%, US 8.5%, Chile 7.0%, Netherlands 5.7%, Italy
3.5% (1995)
Imports:
total value: $23.7 billion (c.i.f., 1996)
commodities: machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, transport
equipment, agricultural products
partners: Brazil 20.8%, US 20.7%, Italy 6.3%, Germany 6.2%, France
5.2% (1995)
Debt - external: $95 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 nuevo peso argentino = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: pesos per US$1 - 0.99950 (January 1997), 0.99966
(1996), 0.99975 (1995), 0.99901 (1994), 0.99895 (1993), 0.99064 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Argentina:Communications
Telephones: 4.6 million (1990)
Telephone system: 12,000 public telephones; extensive modern system
but many families do not have telephones; despite extensive use of
microwave radio relay, the telephone system frequently grounds out
during rainstorms, even in Buenos Aires
domestic: microwave radio relay and a domestic satellite system with
40 earth stations serve the trunk network
international : satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 171, FM 0, shortwave 13
Radios: 22.3 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 231
Televisions: 7.165 million (1991 est.)
@Argentina:Transportation
Railways:
total: 37,910 km
broad gauge: 24,124 km 1.676-m gauge (142 km electrified)
standard gauge: 2,765 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 11,021 km 1.000-m gauge (26 km electrified)
Highways:
total : 216,100 km
paved: 61,589 km (including 600 km of expressways)
unpaved : 154,511 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 11,000 km navigable
Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural
gas 9,918 km
Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia,
Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio
Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia
Merchant marine:
total: 36 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 263,266 GRT/385,211 DWT
ships by type: cargo 11, chemical tanker 1, container 2, oil tanker
14, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
(1996 est.)
Airports: 1,202 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 598
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 55
914 to 1,523 m : 44
under 914 m: 469 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 604
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m : 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 59
914 to 1,523 m: 542 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic,
Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture
(Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,932,491 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : 7,244,682 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 321,345 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.6 billion (1996)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 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
Illicit drugs: increasing use as a transshipment country for cocaine
headed for Europe and the US
______________________________________________________________________
ARMENIA
Introduction