Communist Party) [Slobodan MILOSEVIC]; Serbian Radical Party or SRS
[Vojislav SESELJ]; Serbian Renewal Movement or SPO [Vuk DRASKOVIC,
president]; Democratic Party or DS [Zoran DJINDJIC]; Democratic Party
of Serbia or DSS [Vojislav KOSTUNICA]; Democratic Party of Socialists
of Montenegro or DPSCG [Momir BULATOVIC, president]; People's Party of
Montenegro or NS [Milan PAROSKI]; Liberal Alliance of Montenegro
[Slavko PEROVIC]; Democratic Community of Vojvodina Hungarians or DZVM
[Sandor PALL]; League of Communists-Movement for Yugoslavia or SK-PJ
[Dragan ATANASOVSKI]; Democratic Alliance of Kosovo or LDK [Dr.
Ibrahim RUGOVA, president]; Party of Democratic Action or SDA
[Sulejman UGLJANIN]; Civic Alliance of Serbia or GSS [Vesna PESIC,
chairman]; Socialist Party of Montenegro or SP [leader NA]; Yugoslav
United Left or JUL [Mirjana MARKOVIC (MILOSEVIC's wife)]; New
Democracy or ND [Dusan MIHAJLOVIC]; Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians
or SVM
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: the US and Serbia and Montenegro
do not maintain full diplomatic relations; the Embassy of the former
Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia continues to function in the
US
chief of mission : Ambassador (vacant); Counselor, Charge d'Affaires
ad interim Nebojsa VUJOVIC
chancery: 2410 California St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-6566
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Serbia and
Montenegro do not maintain full diplomatic relations
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission Richard M.
MILES
embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade
mailing address : American Embassy, Belgrade, United States Department
of State, Washington, DC 20521-5070
telephone: [381] (11) 645655
FAX: [381] (11) 645332
Economy
Economy - overview: The swift collapse of the Yugoslav federation in
1991 has been followed by highly destructive warfare, the
destabilization of republic boundaries, and the breakup of important
interrepublic trade flows. Output in Serbia and Montenegro dropped by
half in 1992-93. Like the other former Yugoslav republics, it had
depended on its sister republics for large amounts of energy and
manufactures. Wide differences in climate, mineral resources, and
levels of technology among the republics accentuated this
interdependence, as did the communist practice of concentrating much
industrial output in a small number of giant plants. The breakup of
many of the trade links, the sharp drop in output as industrial plants
lost suppliers and markets, and the destruction of physical assets in
the fighting all have contributed to the economic difficulties of the
republics. One singular factor in the economic situation of Serbia and
Montenegro is the continuation in office of a communist government
that is primarily interested in political and military mastery, not
economic reform. Hyperinflation ended with the establishment of a new
currency unit in June 1993; prices were relatively stable in 1995.
Reliable statistics are hard to come by; the GDP estimate is extremely
rough. The economic boom anticipated by the government after the
suspension of UN sanctions in December 1995 failed to materialize in
1996 and early 1997, exacerbating the regime's financial problems.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $21 billion (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,900 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry : 50%
services: 25% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 79% (1995 est.)
Labor force:
total : 2.178 million
by occupation: industry 41%, services 35%, trade and tourism 12%,
transportation and communication 7%, agriculture 5% (1994)
Unemployment rate: more than 35% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks
and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy
(steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth,
cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone);
consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances);
electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 11.78 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 33.77 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,798 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives;
cattle, sheep, goats
Exports:
total value : $1.4 billion (1995 est.)
commodities: manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials
partners: Russia, Italy, Germany
Imports:
total value: $2.4 billion (1995 est.)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants,
manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials
partners : Germany, Italy, Russia
Debt - external: $11.2 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient : ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Yugoslav New Dinar (YD) = 100 paras
Exchange rates: Yugoslav New Dinars (YD) per US $1 - official rate:
4.9 (September 1996) 1.5 (early 1995); black market rate: 2 to 3
(early 1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Serbia and Montenegro:Communications
Telephones: 700,000
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: 27 (public or state-owned 1, private 26)
Radios: 2.015 million
Television broadcast stations: 8 (state owned 1, privately owned 7)
plus 1 Satellite TV down link and 48 cable distribution systems
Televisions: 1 million
@Serbia and Montenegro:Transportation
Railways:
total: 3,960 km
standard gauge: 3,960 km 1.435-m gauge (1,341 km electrified) (1994)
Highways:
total: 47,000 km
paved : 28,059 km
unpaved: 18,941 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: NA km
Pipelines: crude oil 415 km; petroleum products 130 km; natural gas
2,110 km
Ports and harbors: Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Tivat
Merchant marine:
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 353,202 GRT/594,745 DWT
(Montenegro owns 21 ships totaling 326,133 GRT/544,600 DWT -
controlled by Montenegrin beneficial owners; Serbia owns 1 bulk
carrier totaling 17,069 GRT/50,145 DWT - controlled by Serbian
beneficial owners)
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 8, container 3, short-sea passenger ferry
1
note: Montenegrin ships operate under the flags of Malta, Panama, and
Cyprus; the Serbian ship operates under the flag of Saint Vincent and
the Grenadines; no ships remain under Yugoslav flag (1996 est.)
Airports: 44 (Serbia 39, Montenegro 5) (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 28
over 3,047 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0)
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 (Serbia 3, Montenegro 2)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (Serbia 4, Montenegro 1)
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0)
under 914 m : 14 (Serbia 14, Montenegro 0)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0)
914 to 1,523 m: 14 (Serbia 12, Montenegro 2) (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: People's Army (includes Ground Forces with internal
and border troops, Naval Forces, and Air and Air Defense Forces),
Civil Defense
Military manpower - military age: Montenegro - 19; Serbia - NA
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: Montenegro - 187,041; Serbia - 2,734,293 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: Montenegro - 150,933
(1997 est.); Serbia - 2,191,041 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: Montenegro -
5,518; Serbia - NA (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: 6.5 billion dinars (1995 est.);
note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the
current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 24% (1995 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: disputes with Bosnia and Herzegovina over
Serbian populated areas; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks
independence from Serbian republic; Eastern Slavonia, which was held
by ethnic Serbs during the ethnic conflict, is currently being
overseen by the UN Transitional Administration for Eastern Slavonia;
reintegration of Eastern Slavonia into Croatia will occur in 1997;
Serbia and Montenegro is disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka
Peninsula in southern Croatia because it controls the entrance to
Kotor Bay in Montenegro; Prevlaka is currently under observation by
the UN military observer mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP)
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin
moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route
______________________________________________________________________
SEYCHELLES
@Seychelles:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean,
northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 455 sq km
land: 455 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast
monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest
monsoon (March to May)
Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly;
others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point : Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 74% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are
rare; short droughts possible
Environment - current issues: water supply depends on catchments to
collect rain water
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Desertification
Geography - note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
@Seychelles:People
Population: 78,107 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 11,885; female 11,708)
15-64 years: 63.5% (male 24,336; female 25,293)
65 years and over: 6.3% (male 1,698; female 3,187) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.7% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 20.53 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 7.14 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.53 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 12.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 69.57 years
male: 64.81 years
female: 74.47 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Seychellois (singular and plural)
adjective: Seychelles
Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58%
male: 56%
female: 60% (1971 est.)
@Seychelles:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles
conventional short form: Seychelles
Data code: SE
Government type: republic
National capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins,
Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie
Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand'
Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand' Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, La
Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue,
Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of new
constitution)
Constitution: 18 June 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and
customary law
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note
- the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)
election results : President France Albert RENE reelected; percent of
vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 59.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 36.72%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (33 seats, 22 popularly elected by direct vote, 11 allocated
on a proportional basis to parties winning at least 9 percent of the
vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20-23 July 1993 (next to be held NA 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party - SPPF 82%, DP 15%, UO 3%;
seats by party (elected) - SPPF 21, DP 1; seats by party (awarded) -
SPPF 6, DP 4, UO 1
note: the 11 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of
each party in the total vote
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: ruling party - Seychelles People's
Progressive Front or SPPF [France Albert RENE]; Democratic Party or DP
[Sir James MANCHAM]; United Opposition or UO [Wavel RAMKALAWAN] - a
coalition of the following parties: Seychelles Party or PS [Wavel
RAMKALAWAN], Seychelles Democratic Movement or MSPD[Jacques HONDOUL],
and Seychelles Liberal Party or SLP [Ogilvie BERLOUIS]; New Democratic
Party [Christopher GILL (former member of DP)]
Political pressure groups and leaders: trade unions; Roman Catholic
Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim
Claude MOREL
chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of Seychelles to
the United Nations, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785
FAX : [1] (212) 972-1786
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the
Seychelles
Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow,
red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist
side
Economy
Economy - overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in
this Indian Ocean archipelago has grown to roughly seven times the old
near-subsistence level, led by the tourist sector, which employs about
30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency
earnings. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign
investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same
time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by
promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale
manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated
by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the
industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need
for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international
competition.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $450 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 3.6%
industry: 15%
services: 81.4% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: -0.3% (1995 est.)
Labor force:
total: 26,000 (1996)
by occupation: industry and commerce 31%, services 21%, government
20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $220 million
expenditures: $241 million, including capital expenditures of $36
million (1994 est.)
Industries: tourism; fishing; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir
(coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1992)
Electricity - capacity: 33,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 110 million kWh (1992)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,582 kWh (1992 est.)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes,
cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fishing (expansion
under way)
Exports:
total value: $56.1 million ( f.o.b. 1995)
commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products
(re-exports)
partners : France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)
Imports:
total value: $238 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco,
beverages, machinery and transportation equipment
partners: China, Singapore, South Africa, UK (1993)
Debt - external: $170 million (1994 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 4.9968 (January
1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994), 5.1815 (1993),
5.1220 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Seychelles:Communications
Telephones: 13,000 (1995 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic : radiotelephone communications between islands in the
archipelago
international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent
island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 35,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (in a government network)
Televisions: 6,000 (1993 est.)
@Seychelles:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 270 km
paved: 170 km
unpaved: 100 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Victoria
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 14 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 12
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 6 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total : 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard,
Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 21,860 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : 11,030 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.7 million (1995)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims Tromelin Island
______________________________________________________________________
SIERRA LEONE
@Sierra Leone:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 71,740 sq km
land: 71,620 sq km
water : 120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
total: 958 km
border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
continental shelf : 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December);
winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland
plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold,
chromite
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 31%
forests and woodland: 28%
other : 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara
(November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the
environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing,
and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil
exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Environmental Modification
@Sierra Leone:People
Population: 4,891,546 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,084,736; female 1,119,802)
15-64 years: 52% (male 1,216,111; female 1,320,847)
65 years and over: 3% (male 76,371; female 73,679) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.54% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 46.67 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 17.75 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female
total population : 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 132.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.02 years
male: 45.06 years
female: 51.07 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.29 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sierra Leonean(s)
adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups: 13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%,
other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%
Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate
minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal
vernacular in the north), Krio (the language of the re-settled
ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write in English, Mende,
Temne, or Arabic
total population: 31.4%
male: 45.4%
female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : Republic of Sierra Leone
conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Data code: SL
Government type: constitutional democracy
National capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern,
Southern, Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to
local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March
1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet : Ministers of State appointed by the president with the
approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible
to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); note -
president's tenure of office is limited to 2 five-year terms
election results : Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of
popular vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats, 68
elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections;
members serve NA-year terms)
elections : last held NA February 1996 (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SLPP
27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since
the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup
of 29 April 1992
Judicial branch: Supreme Court