note: a disaggregation of the two ethnic communities inhabiting the
island began after the outbreak of communal strife in 1963; this
separation was further solidified following the Turkish invasion of
the island in July 1974, which gave the Turkish Cypriots de facto
control in the north; Greek Cypriots control the only internationally
recognized government; on 15 November 1983 Turkish Cypriot "President"
Rauf DENKTASH declared independence and the formation of a "Turkish
Republic of Northern Cyprus" (TRNC), which has been recognized only by
Turkey; both sides publicly call for the resolution of intercommunal
differences and creation of a new federal system of government
National capital: Nicosia
note: the Turkish area's capital is Lefkosa (Nicosia)
Administrative divisions: 6 districts; Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca,
Limassol, Nicosia, Paphos; note - Turkish area administrative
divisions include Kyrenia, all but a small part of Famagusta, and
small parts of Nicosia and Larnaca
Independence: 16 August 1960 (from UK)
note: Turkish area proclaimed self-rule on 13 February 1975 from
Republic of Cyprus
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October
note: Turkish area celebrates 15 November as Independence Day
Constitution: 16 August 1960; negotiations to create the basis for a
new or revised constitution to govern the island and to better
relations between Greek and Turkish Cypriots have been held
intermittently; in 1975 Turkish Cypriots created their own
constitution and governing bodies within the "Turkish Federated State
of Cyprus," which was renamed the "Turkish Republic of Northern
Cyprus" in 1983; a new constitution for the Turkish area passed by
referendum on 5 May 1985
Legal system: based on common law, with civil law modifications
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Glafcos CLERIDES (since 28 February 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960
constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot
head of government: President Glafcos CLERIDES (since 28 February
1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government; post of vice president is currently vacant; under the 1960
constitution, the post is reserved for a Turkish Cypriot
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed jointly by the president and
vice president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 14 February 1993 (next to be held NA February 1998)
election results : Glafcos CLERIDES elected president; percent of vote
- Glafcos CLERIDES 50.3%, Yeoryios VASSILIOU 49.7%
note: Rauf R. DENKTASH has been "president" of the Turkish area since
13 February 1975 (president elected by popular vote for a five-year
term); elections last held 15 and 22 April 1995 (next to be held NA
April 2000); results - Rauf R. DENKTASH 62.5%, Dervis EROGLU 37.5%;
Dervis EROGLU has been "prime minister" of the Turkish area since 16
August 1996; there is a Council of Ministers (cabinet) in the Turkish
area
Legislative branch: unicameral - Greek area: House of Representatives
or Vouli Antiprosopon (80 seats of which only 56 assigned to the Greek
Cypriots are filled; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms); Turkish area: Assembly of the Republic or Cumhuriyet
Meclisi (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: Greek area: last held 26 May 1996 (next to be held May
2001); Turkish area: last held 12 December 1993 (next to be held
December 1998)
election results : Greek area: House of Representatives - percent of
vote by party - DISY 34.5%, AKEL (Communist) 33.0%, DIKO 16.4%, EDEK
8.1%, KED 3.7%, others 4.1%; seats by party - DISY 20, AKEL
(Communist) 19, DIKO 10, EDEK 5, KED 2; Turkish area: Assembly of the
Republic - percent of vote by party - UBP 29.9%, DP 29.2%, CTP 24.2%
TKP 13.3%, others 3.4%; seats by party - UBP (conservative) 17, DP 15,
CTP 13, TKP 5
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Supreme
Council of Judicature
note : there is also a Supreme Court in the Turkish area
Political parties and leaders: Greek area: Progressive Party of the
Working People or AKEL (Communist Party) [Dimitrios CHRISTOFIAS];
Democratic Rally or DISY [Ioannis MATSIS]; Democratic Party or DIKO
[Spyros KYPRIANOU]; United Democratic Union of Cyprus or EDEK [Vassos
LYSSARIDIS]; Liberal Party or KP [Nikolaos ROLANDIS]; Free Democrats
Movement or KED [Yeoryios VASSILIOU]; New Horizons [Nikolaos KOUTSOU,
secretary general]; Ecologists [Yeoryios PERDHIKIS]; Turkish area:
National Unity Party or UBP [Dervis EROGLU]; Communal Liberation Party
or TKP [Mustafa AKINCI]; Republican Turkish Party or CTP [Mehmet ALI
TALAT]; Free Democratic Party or HDP [Ismet KOTAK]; Nationalist
Justice Party or MAP [Zorlu TORE]; Unity and Sovereignty Party or BEP
[Arif Salih KIRDAG]; Democratic Party or DP [Serdar DENKTASH]; the
HDP, MAP, and VP merged under the label National Struggle Unity Party
(MMBP) to compete in the 12 December 1993 legislative election
Political pressure groups and leaders: Pan-Cyprian Labor Federation or
PEO (Communist controlled); Confederation of Cypriot Workers or SEK
(pro-West); Federation of Turkish Cypriot Labor Unions or Turk-Sen;
Confederation of Revolutionary Labor Unions or Dev-Is
International organization participation: C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU
(applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
NAM, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Andreas NIKOLAIDES
chancery: 2211 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone : [1] (202) 462-5772
FAX: [1] (202) 483-6710
consulate(s) general: New York
note: representative of the Turkish area in the US is Namik KORHAN,
office at 1667 K Street NW, Washington, DC, telephone [1] (202)
887-6198
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Kenneth C. BRILL (26 June 1996)
embassy: corner of Metochiou and Ploutarchou Streets, Engomi, Nicosia
mailing address : P. O. Box 4536, Nicosia, Cyprus
telephone: [357] (2) 476100
FAX: [357] (2) 465944
Flag description: white with a copper-colored silhouette of the island
(the name Cyprus is derived from the Greek word for copper) above two
green crossed olive branches in the center of the flag; the branches
symbolize the hope for peace and reconciliation between the Greek and
Turkish communities
note : the Turkish Cypriot flag has a horizontal red stripe at the top
and bottom between which is a red crescent and red star on a white
field
Economy
Economy - overview: The Greek Cypriot economy is small and prosperous,
but highly susceptible to external shocks. Industry contributes 23% to
GDP and employs 25% of the labor force, while the service sector
contributes 72% to GDP and employs 62% of the labor force. Erratic
growth rates in the 1990s reflect the economy's vulnerability to
swings in tourist arrivals (caused by fluctuations in political and
economic conditions in Western Europe and the Middle East) and the
need for structural changes in the economy. One bright spot has been
the low rate of inflation. In 1996 Cyprus fully satisfied all the
Maastricht convergence criteria. The Turkish Cypriot economy has less
than one-third the per capita GDP of the south. Because it is
recognized only by Turkey, it has had much difficulty arranging
foreign financing, and foreign firms have hesitated to invest there.
The economy remains heavily dependent on agriculture and government
service, which together employ about half of the work force. Moreover,
the small, vulnerable economy has suffered because the Turkish lira is
legal tender. To compensate for the economy's weakness, Turkey
provides direct and indirect aid to nearly every sector. In January
1997, Turkey signed a $250 million economic cooperation accord with
the Turkish Cypriot area to support tourism, education, and industry.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $8.8 billion (Greek area: purchasing
power parity - $8,300,000,000; Turkish area: purchasing power parity -
$536,000,000) (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.4% (Greek area: 4%; Turkish area: 0.5%)
(1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $11,800 (Greek area:
purchasing power parity - $13,700; Turkish area: purchasing power
parity - $3,950) (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: Greek area: agriculture 5.3%; industry
22.7%; services 72% (1996 est.); Turkish area: agriculture 11.4%;
industry 22.9%; services 65.7% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: Greek area: 3.3% (1996 est.);
Turkish area: 86% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total : Greek area: 299,700
by occupation: services 62%, industry 25%, agriculture 13% (1995)
total: Turkish area: 76,500
by occupation: services 66%, industry 11%, agriculture 23% (1995)
Unemployment rate: Greek area: 2.3% (1996 est.); Turkish area: 3.6%
(1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: Greek area - $2.9 billion, Turkish area - $149 million
expenditures: Greek area - $3.3 billion, including capital
expenditures of $453 million, Turkish area - $304 million, including
capital expenditures of $20 million (1996)
Industries: food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products,
tourism, wood products
Industrial production growth rate: Greek area: -4% (1996); Turkish
area: 2.6% (1992)
Electricity - capacity: 690,000 kW 000 kW
Electricity - production: 2.5 billion kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: 3,380 kWh (1995)
Agriculture - products: potatoes, citrus, vegetables, barley, grapes,
olives, vegetables
Exports:
total value: Greek area: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996);
commodities: citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine, cement, clothing and
shoes
partners: Russia 17%, UK 11%, Greece 6%, Germany 5%
total value: Turkish area: $71 million (f.o.b., 1996);
commodities: citrus, potatoes, textiles
partners : UK 35%, Turkey 30%
Imports:
total value: Greek area: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1996);
commodities: consumer goods, petroleum and lubricants, food and feed
grains, machinery
partners: US 16%, UK 11%, Italy 9%, Germany 7%, Greece 7%, Japan 6%
total value : Turkish area: $330 million (f.o.b., 1996);
commodities: food, minerals, chemicals, machinery
partners: Turkey 53%, UK 13%
Debt - external: Greek area: $1.8 billion (1996)
Economic aid: Greek area: recipient - $700 million with amount
declining in recent years (1974-96 est.); Turkish area: recipient -
$400 million from Turkey (1977-96 est.)
Currency: 1 Cypriot pound (£C) = 100 cents; 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100
kurus
Exchange rates: Cypriot pounds per US1$ - 0.4816 (January 1997),
0.4663 (1996), 0.4522 (1995), 0.4915 (1994), 0.4970 (1993), 0.4502
(1992); Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 112,019 (January 1997), 81,405
(1996), 45,845.1 (1995), 29,608.7 (1994), 10,984.6 (1993), 6,872.4
(1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Cyprus:Communications
Telephones: Greek area: 367,000 (1996 est.); Turkish area: 80,000
(1996 est.)
Telephone system: excellent in both the Greek and Turkish areas
domestic: open wire, fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay
international: tropospheric scatter; 3 coaxial and 5 fiber-optic
submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 2 Eutelsat, 2 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: Greek area: AM 4, FM 36, shortwave 1,
Turkish area: AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0
Radios: Greek area: 500,000 (1996 est.); Turkish area: 130,000 (1996
est.)
Television broadcast stations: Greek area: 8 (repeaters 34); Turkish
area: 2
Televisions: Greek area: 300,000 (1996 est.); Turkish area: 90,000
(1996 est.)
@Cyprus:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: Greek area: 10,150 km; Turkish area: 2,350 km
paved : Greek area: 5,781 km; Turkish area: 1,370 km
unpaved: Greek area: 4,369 km; Turkish area: 980 km
Ports and harbors: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Vasilikos
Bay
Merchant marine:
total : 1,520 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,234,821
GRT/40,170,562 DWT
ships by type: bulk 486, cargo 562, chemical tanker 26, combination
bulk 50, combination ore/oil 19, container 119, liquefied gas tanker
3, oil tanker 142, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo
50, roll-on/roll-off cargo 32, short-sea passenger 17, specialized
tanker 4, vehicle carrier 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 49 countries
among which are Greece 723, Germany 172, Russia 45, Netherlands 32,
Japan 30, Belgium 26, Cuba 26, Latvia 17, UK 15, and US 14; Cyprus
owns 71 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,491,740 DWT
that operate under the registries of Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas,
Hong Kong, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Syria, and UK (1996 est.)
Airports: 15 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m : 1 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 4 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Greek area: Greek Cypriot National Guard (GCNG;
includes air and naval elements); Hellenic Forces Regiment on Cyprus
(ELDYK); Greek Cypriot Police;, Turkish area: Turkish Cypriot Security
Force (TCSF), Turkish Forces Regiment on Cyprus (KTKA), Turkish
mainland army units
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49 : 192,593 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 132,412 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 6,038 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $405 million (1996)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.4% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: 1974 hostilities divided the island into two
de facto autonomous areas, a Greek area controlled by the Cypriot
Government (59% of the island's land area) and a Turkish-Cypriot area
(37% of the island), that are separated by a UN buffer zone (4% of the
island); there are two UK sovereign base areas within the Greek
Cypriot portion of the island
Illicit drugs: transit point for heroin and hashish via air routes and
container traffic to Europe, especially from Lebanon and Turkey; some
cocaine transits as well
______________________________________________________________________
CZECH REPUBLIC
@Czech Republic:Geography
Location: Central Europe, southeast of Germany
Geographic coordinates: 49 45 N, 15 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 78,703 sq km
land: 78,645 sq km
water: 58 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 1,881 km
border countries: Austria 362 km, Germany 646 km, Poland 658 km,
Slovakia 215 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; cool summers; cold, cloudy, humid winters
Terrain: Bohemia in the west consists of rolling plains, hills, and
plateaus surrounded by low mountains; Moravia in the east consists of
very hilly country
Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Elbe River 115 m
highest point: Snezka 1,602 m
Natural resources: hard coal, soft coal, kaolin, clay, graphite
Land use:
arable land: 41%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 11%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 240 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: air and water pollution in areas of
northwest Bohemia and in northern Moravia around Ostrava present
health risks; acid rain damaging forests
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography - note: landlocked; strategically located astride some of
oldest and most significant land routes in Europe; Moravian Gate is a
traditional military corridor between the North European Plain and the
Danube in central Europe
@Czech Republic:People
Population: 10,298,324 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 930,874; female 886,444)
15-64 years : 69% (male 3,542,900; female 3,539,351)
65 years and over: 13% (male 535,049; female 863,706) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.13% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 8.84 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 11.02 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years : 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.86 years
male: 70.49 years
female: 77.42 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Czech(s)
adjective: Czech
note: 300,000 Slovaks declared themselves Czech citizens in 1994
Ethnic groups: Czech 94.4%, Slovak 3%, Polish 0.6%, German 0.5%, Gypsy
0.3%, Hungarian 0.2%, other 1%
Religions: atheist 39.8%, Roman Catholic 39.2%, Protestant 4.6%,
Orthodox 3%, other 13.4%
Languages: Czech, Slovak
Literacy:
definition: age NA and over can read and write
total population: 99% (est.)
male: NA%
female : NA%
@Czech Republic:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Czech Republic
conventional short form: Czech Republic
local long form: Ceska Republika
local short form: Ceska Republika
Data code: EZ
Government type: parliamentary democracy
National capital: Prague
Administrative divisions: 8 regions (kraje, kraj - singular);
Jihocesky, Jihomoravsky, Praha, Severocesky, Severomoravsky,
Stredocesky, Vychodocesky, Zapadocesky
Independence: 1 January 1993 (from Czechoslovakia)
National holiday: National Liberation Day, 8 May; Founding of the
Republic, 28 October
Constitution: ratified 16 December 1992; effective 1 January 1993
Legal system: civil law system based on Austro-Hungarian codes; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; legal code modified to bring
it in line with Organization on Security and Cooperation in Europe
(OSCE) obligations and to expunge Marxist-Leninist legal theory
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Vaclav HAVEL (since 26 January 1993)
head of government : Prime Minister Vaclav KLAUS (since NA June 1992);
Deputy Prime Ministers Ivan KOCARNIK (since NA June 1992), Josef LUX
(since NA June 1992), Josef ZIELENIEC (since NA June 1992)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the recommendation of
the prime minister
elections : president elected by Parliament for a five-year term;
election last held 26 January 1993 (next to be held NA January 1998);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Vaclav HAVEL elected president; percent of
parliamentary vote - NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the
Senate (81 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
staggered two-, four-, and six-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies
or Snemovna Poslancu (200 seats; members are elected by popular vote
to serve four-year terms)
elections : Senate - last held 15-16 and 22-23 November 1996 (next to
be held NA November 1998 - to replace/re-elect 20 senators serving
two-year terms); Chamber of Deputies - last held 31 May-1 June 1996
(next to be held NA May 2000)
election results : Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - governing coalition (ODS 32, KDU-CSL 13, ODA 7), opposition
(CSSD 25, KCSM 2, DEU 1, independent 1); Chamber of Deputies - percent
of vote by party - NA; seats by party - governing coalition (ODS 68,
KDU-CSL 18, ODA 13), opposition (CSSD 61, KCSM 22, SPR-RSC 18)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman and deputy chairmen are
appointed by the president; Constitutional Court, chairman and deputy
chairmen are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders:
governing coalition : Civic Democratic Party or ODS [Vaclav KLAUS,
chairman]; Civic Democratic Alliance or ODA [Michael ZANTOVSKY,
chairman]; Christian Democratic Union-Czech People's Party or KDU-CSL
[Josef LUX, chairman]
opposition: Czech Social Democrats or CSSD - left opposition [Milos
ZEMAN, chairman]; Communist Party or KSCM - left opposition [Miroslav
GREBENICEK, chairman]; Assembly for the Republic or SPR-RSC - extreme
right radical [Miroslav SLADEK, chairman]; Democratic Union or DEU
[Ratibor MAJZLIK, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Czech-Moravian Chamber of Trade
Unions; Civic Movement
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC,
CE (guest), CEI, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NACC, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UPU, WEU (associate
partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Alexander VONDRA
chancery: 3900 Spring of Freedom Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 274-9101, 9102
FAX: [1] (202) 966-8540
consulate(s) general : Los Angeles
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Jenonne R. WALKER
embassy : Trziste 15, 11801 Prague 1
mailing address: Unit 1330, APO AE 09213
telephone: [420] (2) 5732-0663
FAX: [420] (2) 5732-0920
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red
with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side (almost
identical to the flag of the former Czechoslovakia)
Economy