total: 38.7 million
by occupation: industry 41%, agriculture 3%, services 56% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 10.8% (western 9.6%, eastern 15.9%) (December 1996)
Budget:
revenues: $755 billion
expenditures: $832.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995)
Industries: western: among world's largest and technologically
advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery,
vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; eastern:
metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine
building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: 1.3% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 109.73 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 529.1 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 5,727 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: western: potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets,
fruit, cabbage; cattle, pigs, poultry; eastern: wheat, rye, barley,
potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides
Exports:
total value: $501.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: manufactures 88.2% (including machines and machine tools,
chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural
products 5.0%, raw materials 2.3%, fuels 1.0%, other 3.5% (1995)
partners: EU 57.7% (France 11.7%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7.6%, Netherlands
7.5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6.5%, Austria 5.5%), Eastern Europe 8.0%,
other West European countries 7.5%, US 7.3%, NICs 5.6%, Japan 2.5%,
OPEC 2.2%, China 1.4% (1996 est. for first 10 months)
Imports:
total value: $430.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: manufactures 74.2%, agricultural products 9.9%, fuels
6.4%, raw materials 5.9%, other 3.6% (1995)
partners : EU 55.5% (France 10.8%, Netherlands 8.6%, Italy 8.4%,
Belgium-Luxembourg 6.6%, UK 6.4%, Austria 3.9%), Eastern Europe 8.7%,
other West European countries 7.2%, US 6.8%, Japan 5.3%, NICs 5.3%,
China 2.4%, OPEC 1.7%, other 7.1% (1995)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $9 billion (1996 est.)
Currency: 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1 - 1.6043 (January 1997),
1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994), 1.6533 (1993), 1.5617
(1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Germany:Communications
Telephones: 44 million
Telephone system: Germany has one of the world's most technologically
advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital
expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the
eastern part of the country is being rapidly modernized and integrated
with that of the western part
domestic: the region which was formerly West Germany is served by an
extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern
networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay,
and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely
available and includes roaming service to many foreign countries;
since the reunification of Germany, the telephone system of the
eastern region has been upgraded and enjoys many of the advantages of
the national system
international: satellite earth stations - 14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean
region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean
region); 6 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone
communication centers; tropospheric scatter links
Radio broadcast stations: western - AM 80, FM 470, shortwave 0;
eastern - AM 23, FM 17, shortwave 0
Radios: 70 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 246 (repeaters 6,000); note - there are
15 Russian repeaters in eastern Germany
Televisions: 44.8 million (1992 est.)
@Germany:Transportation
Railways:
total: 43,966 km
standard gauge : 43,531 km 1.435-m; 40,355 km are owned by Deutsche
Bahn AG (DB); 17,015 km of the DB system are electrified and 16,941 km
are double- or more-tracked
narrow gauge: 389 km 1.000-m gauge (DB operates 146 km of 1.000-m
gauge); 7 km 0.900-m gauge; 39 km 0.750-m gauge
note : in addition to the DB system there are 54 privately-owned
industrial or excursion railways, ranging in route length from 2 km to
632 km, with a total length of 3,465 km (1995)
Highways:
total: 639,800 km
paved: 504,800 km (including 11,013 km of expressways)
unpaved : 135,000 km all-weather, graveled (1993 est.)
Waterways: western - 5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft
of 1,000-metric-ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine
and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea
and North Sea; eastern - 2,319 km (1988)
Pipelines: crude oil 3,644 km; petroleum products 3,946 km; natural
gas 97,564 km (1988)
Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven, Cologne,
Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lubeck, Magdeburg,
Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Merchant marine:
total : 450 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,402,437 GRT/6,649,382
DWT
ships by type: cargo 184, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 3,
combination ore/oil 1, container 195, liquefied gas tanker 8,
multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 12, passenger 4,
railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 8,
short-sea passenger 8 (1996 est.)
note : includes ships from the former East Germany and West Germany
Airports: 613 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 544
over 3,047 m: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 63
1,524 to 2,437 m: 69
914 to 1,523 m: 51
under 914 m: 348 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total : 69
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m : 55 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 65 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air Force,
Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 20,918,653 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 17,939,494 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 450,147 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $42.8 billion (1995)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.5% (1995)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest
Asian heroin and hashish, Latin American cocaine, and
European-produced synthetic drugs
______________________________________________________________________
GHANA
@Ghana:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between Cote
d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 238,540 sq km
land : 230,020 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,093 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877
km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf : 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast;
hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central
area
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,
manganese, fish, rubber
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops : 7%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 24% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to
March; droughts
Environment - current issues: recent drought in north severely
affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber
94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake;
northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
@Ghana:People
Population: 18,100,703 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 3,928,741; female 3,891,591)
15-64 years: 54% (male 4,775,610; female 4,939,664)
65 years and over : 3% (male 268,579; female 296,518) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.21% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 33.88 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 10.89 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.92 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 78.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 56.49 years
male : 54.47 years
female: 58.57 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.43 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian
Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%,
Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 75.9%
female : 53.5% (1995 est.)
@Ghana:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast
Data code: GH
Government type: constitutional democracy
National capital: Accra
Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central,
Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta,
Western
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Constitution: new constitution approved 28 April 1992
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November 1992);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November
1992); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet : Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject to
approval by the Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected by popular vote for
four-year terms; election last held 7 December 1996 (next to be held
NA 2000)
election results: Jerry John RAWLINGS elected president; percent of
vote - Rawlings 58.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members are
elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections : last held 7 December 1996 (next to be held NA December
2000)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDC
126, NPP 65, PCP 5, PNC 1, to be determined 3
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Congress or NDC
[Dr. Huudu YAHAYA]; New Patriotic Party or NPP [Peter Ala ADJETY];
People's Heritage Party or PHP [Alex ERSKINE]; National Convention
Party or NCP [Sarpong Kuman Kuman]; Every Ghanian Living Everywhere or
EGLE [Ashang OKINE]; Peoples Convention Party or PCP [P. K.
DONKOS-AYIFL, acting chairman]; Peoples National Convention or PNC
[Edward MAHAMA]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Designate Harry SAWYERS
chancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 686-4520
FAX : [1] (202) 686-4527
consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward BRYNN
embassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra
mailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone: [233] (21) 775348
FAX: [233] (21) 775747
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow,
and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow
band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the
flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
Economy
Economy - overview: Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has
twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa.
Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial
and technical assistance. Ghana has made steady progress in
liberalizing its economy since 1983. Overall growth continued at a
rate of approximately 5% in 1995 and 1996, due largely to increased
gold, timber, and cocoa production - major sources of foreign
exchange. The economy, however, continues to revolve around
subsistence agriculture, which accounts for almost half of GDP and
employs 55% of the work force, mainly small landholders. In 1995-96,
Ghana has made mixed progress under a three-year structural adjustment
program in cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side, public sector
wage increases, regional peacekeeping commitments, and the containment
of internal unrest in the underdeveloped north have led to continued
inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the cedi, and rising
public discontent with Ghana's austerity program.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $27 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,530 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 46%
industry: 16%
services: 38% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 36% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 3.7 million
by occupation: agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales
and clerical 15.2%, professional 3.7%, services, transportation, and
communications 7.7%
Unemployment rate: 10% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.05 billion
expenditures: $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $178
million (1993)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food
processing
Industrial production growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 1.19 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 6.1 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 304 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, rice, coffee, cassava (tapioca),
peanuts, corn, shea nuts, bananas; timber
Exports:
total value: $1.43 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: gold 39%, cocoa 31%, timber 6%, tuna, bauxite, aluminum,
manganese ore, and diamonds (1994 est.)
partners: UK, Germany, US, Togo, Netherlands, Japan
Imports:
total value: $1.84 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: capital equipment, petroleum, consumer goods, foods,
intermediate goods
partners : UK, Nigeria, US, Germany, Japan, Netherlands
Debt - external: $5.2 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $472 million (1993)
Currency: 1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
Exchange rates: new cedis per US$1 - 1,718.31 (October 1996), 1,200.43
(1995), 956.71 (1994), 649.06 (1993), 437.09 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Ghana:Communications
Telephones: 70,000 (1988 est.)
Telephone system: poor to fair system
domestic: primarily microwave radio relay
international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 4 (repeaters 8)
Televisions: 250,000 (1993 est.)
@Ghana:Transportation
Railways:
total: 953 km (undergoing major renovation)
narrow gauge : 953 km 1.067-m gauge (32 km double track) (1995 est.)
Highways:
total: 37,561 km
paved: 9,353 km (including 21 km of expressways)
unpaved: 28,208 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial
navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of
arterial and feeder waterways
Pipelines: 0 km
Ports and harbors: Takoradi, Tema
Merchant marine:
total : 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,900 GRT/37,240 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 2 (1996 est.)
Airports: 12 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Palace Guard,
Civil Defense
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 4,254,386 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 2,365,286 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males : 178,560 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $30 million (1994)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.8% (1994)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug
trade; transit hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin and South
American cocaine destined for Europe and the US
______________________________________________________________________
GIBRALTAR
(dependent territory of the UK)
@Gibraltar:Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar,
which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the
southern coast of Spain
Geographic coordinates: 36 11 N, 5 22 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington,
DC
Land boundaries:
total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km
Coastline: 12 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland : NA%
other: 100% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: limited natural freshwater resources, so
large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rain water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links
the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
@Gibraltar:People
Population: 28,913 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 3,121; female 2,725)
15-64 years: 66% (male 10,771; female 8,278)
65 years and over : 14% (male 1,629; female 2,389) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.48% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 13.45 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.14 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.3 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female
total population: 1.16 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.01 years
male : 74.7 years
female: 81.47 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.23 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar
Ethnic groups: Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, Spanish
Religions: Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%,
other 3%), Muslim 8%, Jewish 2%, none or other 5% (1981)
Languages: English (used in schools and for official purposes),
Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Russian
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: above 95%
male: NA%
female : NA%
@Gibraltar:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar
Data code: GI
Dependency status: dependent territory of the UK
Government type: NA
National capital: Gibraltar
Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday: Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March)
Constitution: 30 May 1969
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects resident
six months or more
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Admiral Sir Richard LUCE (NA February 1997)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the elected members
of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the
chief minister
note: there is also a Gibraltar Council that advises the governor
elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor appointed
by the queen; chief minister appointed by the governor
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats, 15
elected; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results : percent of vote by party - SD 53%, SL 42%, NP 3%;
seats by party - SD 8, SL 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or SL
[Joe BOSSANO]; Gibraltar Labor Party/Association for the Advancement
of Civil Rights or GCL/AACR [Adolfo CANEPA]; Gibraltar Social
Democrats or SD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar National Party or NP [Joe
GARCIA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Housewives Association; Chamber
of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization
International organization participation: Interpol (subbureau)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (dependent territory of the
UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (dependent territory of
the UK)
Flag description: two horizontal bands of white (top, double width)
and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white
band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red
band
Economy
Economy - overview: Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping
trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international
conference center. The British military presence has been sharply
reduced and now contributes about 11% to the local economy. The
financial sector accounts for 15% of GDP; tourism, shipping services
fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. Because more
than 70% of the economy is in the public sector, changes in government
spending have a major impact on the level of employment.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $205 million (1993 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,600 (1993 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services : NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
total: 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
by occupation : services 60%, industry 40%, agriculture NEGL
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $111.6 million
expenditures: $115.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995-96)