Romanian Social Democratic Party or PSDR [Sergiu CUNESCU]; Party of
Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Adrian NASTASE]; Democratic Union
of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party
or PNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; National Peasants' Christian and
Democratic Party or PNTCD [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romanian National Unity
Party or PUNR [Valeriu TABARA]; Socialist Labor Party or PSM [Ilie
VERDET]; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania or PDAR [Victor SURDU];
The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romania Mare Party
(Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Civic Alliance
Party or PAC [Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman]; Liberal Party '93 or PL-93
[Dinu PATRICIU]; National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention or
PNL-CD [Nicolae CERVENI]; Socialist Party or PS [Tudor MOHORA]
note: to increase their voting strength several of the above-mentioned
parties united under umbrella organizations: PNTCD, PNL, and PNL-CD
form the bulk of the Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; PD
and PSDR form the Union of Social Democrats or USD [Petre ROMAN]; and
PAC and PL-93 form the National Liberal Alliance or ANL [Nicolae
MANOLESCU]; PSM, PS, ANL, and numerous other small parties failed to
gain representation in the most recent election
Political pressure groups and leaders: various human rights and
professional associations
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,
CEI, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS
(observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA
chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851
FAX : [1] (202) 232-4748
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Alfred H. MOSES
embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest
mailing address: American Consulate General (Bucharest), Unit 1315,
APO AE 09213-1315
telephone: [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42
FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95
branch office: Cluj-Napoca
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in
the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra
and Chad
Economy
Economy - overview: Romania, one of the poorer countries in Central
and Eastern Europe, began the transition from Communism with a largely
obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the
country's needs. Over the past seven years, economic restructuring has
lagged behind most other countries in the region. Consequently,
economic performance is declining, with slowing GDP growth, ballooning
budget deficits, accelerating inflation, a plunging exchange rate, and
anemic foreign investment. Unemployment was low at about 6% at the end
of 1996, but the rate will rise when restructuring gets underway. A
new government elected in November 1996 promises to accelerate
economic reform, restructuring, and privatization, introduce fiscal
and monetary austerity, reduce the state's role in the economy, and
open Romania to foreign investment. The government will tackle its
formidable economic problems in two stages, with an emergency plan
over the winter of 1996/97 to ensure social and political stability,
followed by a radical structural reform program over its remaining
three-and-one-half years aimed eventually at EU accession. At the same
time, it wants to keep campaign promises to increase benefits to
disadvantaged groups. Bucharest hopes to receive financial and
technical assistance from international financial institutions and
western governments and negotiations over a new IMF standby agreement
are underway. If reform stalls, however, Romania's bond rating - just
below investment grade - could fall and needed capital from both
public and private sources could quickly dry up. Rich agricultural and
oil resources are strengths for the future.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $113.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,200 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 20%
industry: 33.4%
services: 46.6% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 56.9% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total : 10.1 million (1996 est.)
by occupation: industry 28.8%, agriculture 36.4%, other 34.8% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 6.1% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6 billion
expenditures: $7.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy,
chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and
refining
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 22.06 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 52.48 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,245 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed,
potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat
Exports:
total value: $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: textiles and footwear 25.2%, metals and metal products
19.4%, fuels and mineral products 10.0%, chemicals 9.4%, other 36.0%
(1995)
partners : Germany 17.8%, Italy 15.6%, France 5.7%, Turkey 4.5%,
Netherlands 3.0%, China 3.0% (1995)
Imports:
total value : $93.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities: fuels and minerals 25.1%, machinery and transport
equipment 19.4%, food and agricultural goods 6.1%, chemicals 9.0%,
other 40.4% (1995)
partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 13.2%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.2%, US
4.2%, Egypt 4.1% (1995)
Debt - external: $7.8 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $81 million (1993)
Currency: 1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1 - 5,970 (January 1997), 3,085.39
(1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Romania:Communications
Telephones: 2.6 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk
network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no
service (February 1990 est.)
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital
international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0
note: in 1995, 135 local radio stations were registered
Radios: 4.64 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 436 cable TV stations, 66 local TV
stations
Televisions: 4.58 million (1992 est.)
@Romania:Transportation
Railways:
total : 11,365 km
broad gauge: 45 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060
km double track)
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)
Highways:
total : 153,170 km
paved: 78,117 km (including 113 km of expressways)
unpaved: 75,053 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural
gas 6,400 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea
Merchant marine:
total: 234 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,445,810 GRT/3,654,660
DWT
ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 167, container 2, oil tanker 13,
passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 9
note : Romania owns an additional 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 1,025,108 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas,
Bermuda, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, and Syria (1996 est.)
Airports: 156 (1994 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 (1994 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 129
2,438 to 3,047 m : 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 108 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,
Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 5,884,704 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 4,955,267 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 201,752 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (1996)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf
of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may
exist; agreed to two-year negotiating period, after which either party
can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice
Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian
heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American
cocaine bound for Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
RUSSIA
@Russia:Geography
Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes
included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and
the North Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 17,075,200 sq km
land: 16,995,800 sq km
water: 79,400 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total : 19,917 km
border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast)
3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km,
Georgia 723 km, Kazakstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km,
Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 167
km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km
Coastline: 37,653 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf : 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in
much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the
polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in
Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic
coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous
forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern
border regions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Mount El'brus 5,633 m
Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits
of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber
note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder
exploitation of natural resources
Land use:
arable land : 8%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 42% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment
to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and
earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry,
emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major
cities; industrial and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and
sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from
improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of
sometimes intense radioactive contamination
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,
Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but
unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world;
despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates
(either too cold or too dry) for agriculture
@Russia:People
Population: 147,305,569 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years : 20% (male 15,258,810; female 14,683,485)
15-64 years: 67% (male 47,945,470; female 51,067,792)
65 years and over: 13% (male 5,645,915; female 12,704,097) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: -0.29% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.52 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 14.84 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.38 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female
total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.81 years
male: 58.39 years
female: 71.56 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%,
Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%
Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages: Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male : 100%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Russia:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : Russian Federation
conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya
local short form: Rossiya
former: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Data code: RS
Government type: federation
National capital: Moscow
Administrative divisions: 49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast'),
21 autonomous republics* (avtonomnyk respublik, singular - avtonomnaya
respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular -
avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal
cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomous
oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy
Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy
(Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya,
Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya,
Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya,
Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*,
Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*,
Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*,
Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzkskaya, Kamchatskaya
(Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*,
Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya
(Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi
(Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***,
Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya,
Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*,
Moskovskaya, Moskva****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**,
Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya,
Orenburgskaya, Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**,
Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya,
Sakha (Yakutiya)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya,
Sankt-Peterburg****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya
(Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***, Sverdlovskaya
(Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*, Taymyrskiy
(Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva
(Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy
Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya,
Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**,
Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name with
an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy', the word Oblast' or Avonomnyy
Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name
note : the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia were
formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary
between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); the cities
of Moscow and St. Petersburg are federal cities; administrative
divisions have the same names as their administrative centers
(exceptions have the administrative center name following in
parentheses)
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (1990)
Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of
legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN (since 12 June
1991)
head of government: Premier and Chairman of the Russian Federation
Government Viktor Stepanovich CHERNOMYRDIN (since 14 December 1992),
First Deputy Premiers and First Deputy Chairmen of the Government
Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS (since NA March 1997), Boris Y. NEMTSOV
(since NA March 1997)
cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" appointed by the
president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration that drafts
presidential edicts and provides staff and policy support to the
entire executive branch; a Security Council that was originally
established as a presidential advisory body in June 1991 with
responsibility for managing individual and state security; a Defense
Council and a Foreign Policy Council formed in July 1996 and October
1996 respectively
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 16 June 1996 with runoff election on 3 July 1996
(next to be held NA June 2000); note - no vice president; if the
president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill
health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the
premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election
is held, which must be within three months; premier and deputy
premiers appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma
election results: Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN elected president;
percent of vote in runoff - YEL'TSIN 54%, Gennadiy ZYUGANOV 40%
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoe Sobranie
consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats,
filled ex-officio by the top executive and legislative officials in
each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays,
republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the cities of Moscow and
St. Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or
Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats, half elected in single-member
districts and half elected from national party lists; members are
elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections : State Duma - last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held
NA December 1999)
election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties
clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of
the 225 party list seats - Communist Party of the Russian Federation
22.3%, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 11.2%, Our Home Is Russia
10.1%, Yabloko Bloc 6.9%; seats by party - Communist Party of the
Russian Federation 157, independents 78, Our Home Is Russia 55,
Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 51, Yabloko Bloc 45, Agrarian Party
of Russia 20, Russia's Democratic Choice 9, Power To the People 9,
Congress of Russian Communities 5, Forward, Russia! 3, Women of Russia
3, other parties 15
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed by the
Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Supreme Court,
judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of
the president; Superior Court of Arbitration, judges are appointed by
the Federation Council on recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:
pro-market democrats : Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy YAVLINSKIY]; Russia's
Democratic Choice Party [Yegor GAYDAR]; Forward, Russia! [Boris
FEDOROV]
centrists/special interest parties: Our Home Is Russia [Viktor
CHERNOMYRDIN]; Russian People's Republican Party [Aleksandr LEBED];
Congress of Russian Communities [Dmitriy ROGOZIN]; Women of Russia
[Alevtina FEDULOVA and Yekaterina LAKHOVA]
anti-market and/or ultranationalist : Communist Party of the Russian
Federation [Gennadiy ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia
[Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Agrarian Party [Mikhail LAPSHIN]; Power To
the People [Nikolay RYZHKOV and Sergey BABURIN]; Russian Communist
Workers' Party [Viktor ANPILOV and Viktor TYULKIN]
note: some 269 political parties, blocs, and associations tried to
gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 17
December 1995 Duma elections; 43 succeeded
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS (pending member), BSEC,
CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NSG, OAS
(observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNAVEM III,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIH, UNMOP,
UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
(applicant), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Yuliy Mikhaylovich VORONTSOV
chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone : [1] (202) 298-5700 through 5704
FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John F. TEFFT
embassy : Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, Moscow
mailing address: APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 252-24-51 through 59
FAX: [7] (095) 956-42-61
consulate(s) general: St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue,
and red
Economy