chief of state: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy
Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994);
Deputy Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president and deputy executive presidents elected by the
National Assembly; election last held 9 May 1994 (next to be held in
April 1999)
election results: Nelson MANDELA elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation); Thabo MBEKI and
Frederik W. DE KLERK elected deputy executive presidents; percent of
National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)
note: the initial governing coalition, made up of the ANC, the IFP,
and the NP, which constituted a Government of National Unity or GNU,
no longer includes the NP which was withdrawn by DE KLERK on 30 June
1996 when he voluntarily gave up his position as deputy executive
president and distanced himself from the programs of the ANC
Legislative branch: bicameral parliament consisting of the National
Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a
system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and
the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, ten members elected by
each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has
special powers to protect regional interests, including the
safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic
minorities); note - following the implementation of the new
constitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded and
replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no
change in membership and party affiliations, although the new
institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new
constitution
elections: National Assembly and Senate - last held 26-29 April 1994
(next to be held NA April 1999); note - the Senate was disbanded and
replaced by the National Council of Provinces on 6 February 1997
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC
62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF 2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%,
other 0.9%; seats by party - ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC
5, ACDP 2; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High
Courts; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders: African National Congress or ANC
[Nelson MANDELA, president]; National Party or NP [Frederik W. DE
KLERK, president]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI,
president]; African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth
MESHOE, president]; Democratic Party or DP [Tony LEON, president];
Freedom Front or FF [Constand VILJOEN, president]; Pan-Africanist
Congress or PAC [Stanley MOGOBA, president]
note: in addition to these seven parties which received seats in the
National Assembly, 11 other parties won votes in the national
elections in April 1994
Political pressure groups and leaders: South African National Civics
Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president];
Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [John GOMONO,
president]; note - both SANCO and COSATU, as well as the South African
Communist Party, are in a formal alliance with the ANC
International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, MTCR, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Franklin SONN
chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400
FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607
consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New
York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador James A. JOSEPH
embassy: 877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083
mailing address: P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048
FAX : [27] (12) 342-2244
consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag description: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and
blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal
Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a
black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow
yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band
and its arms by narrow white stripes
note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one
- three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of
the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal
bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a
vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal
flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of
the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
Economy
Economy - overview: Despite the efforts of South Africa's first
majority-run government, income inequality remains among the world's
most extreme. Many of the white one-seventh of the South African
population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and
educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast,
most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of
the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and bleak
living conditions. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich
mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Economic
developments for the remainder of the 1990s will be driven largely by
the new government's attempts to improve black living standards, to
set the country on a steady export-led growth path, and to cut back
the enormous numbers of unemployed. The economy in recent years has
absorbed less than 5% of the more than 300,000 workers entering the
labor force annually. Local economists estimate that the economy must
grow at least 5% in real terms annually to absorb all of the new
entrants, much less reduce the accumulated total.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $227 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,400 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : 5%
industry: 37%
services : 58% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 9% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 14.2 million economically active (1996)
by occupation: services 35%, agriculture 30%, industry 20%, mining 9%,
other 6%
Unemployment rate: 34% (1996 est.); note - an additional 11% of the
workforce is underemployed
Budget:
revenues : $30.5 billion
expenditures: $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.6
billion (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold,
chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron
and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 34.57 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 158.78 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 3,305 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products
Exports:
total value: $29.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: gold 27%, other minerals and metals 20%-25%, food 5%,
chemicals 3% (1994)
partners: Italy, Japan, US, Germany, UK, other EU countries, Hong Kong
Imports:
total value : $26.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996)
commodities: machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%,
petroleum products, textiles, scientific instruments (1994)
partners: Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy
Debt - external: $30 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
note: current aid pledges include US $600 million over three years,
1994-96; UK $150 million over three years; Australia $21 million over
three years; Japan $1.3 billion over two years ending in 1996; EU $833
million over five years
Currency: 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1 - 4.6410 (January 1997), 4.2706
(1996), 3.6266 (1995), 3.5490 (1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@South Africa:Communications
Telephones: 5,206,235 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: the system is the best developed, most modern, and
has the highest capacity in Africa
domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial
cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, and
radiotelephone communication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein,
Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria
international : 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 14, FM 286, shortwave 0
Radios: 12.1 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 67 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 3.45 million (1990 est.)
@South Africa:Transportation
Railways:
total: 21,431 km
narrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km
0.610-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 182,329 km
paved : 55,428 km (including 2,040 km of expressways)
unpaved: 126,901 km (1991 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas
322 km
Ports and harbors: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai, Port
Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha
Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 270,848 GRT/266,029 DWT
ships by type: container 6, oil tanker 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 662 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 351
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m : 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 43
914 to 1,523 m: 74
under 914 m: 220 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 311
1,524 to 2,437 m : 33
914 to 1,523 m: 278 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: South African National Defense Force or SANDF
(includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African
Police Service or SAPS
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 10,972,813 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males: 6,672,760 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 435,972 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.9 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY95/96)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Swaziland has asked South Africa to open
negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories
that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the
Swazi Kingdom
Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin and cocaine; cocaine
consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit
methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various
east African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana
______________________________________________________________________
SOUTH GEORGIA AND THE
Sandwich Islands]
(dependent territory of the UK)
@South Georgia and the:Geography
Location: Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean,
east of the tip of South America
Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total : 4,066 sq km
land: 4,066 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: NA km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year,
interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as
snow
Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged
and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep,
glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic
origin with some active volcanoes
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget 2,915 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland : 0%
other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some
sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather
conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship;
they are also subject to active volcanism
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to : NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography - note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large
bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this
century, live on South Georgia
@South Georgia and the:People
Population: no indigenous population
note: there is a small military garrison on South Georgia, and the
British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird Island; the
South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
@South Georgia and the:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none
Data code: SX
Dependency status: dependent territory of the UK; administered by a
civil commissioner based in the Falkland Islands
National capital: none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison
town
Flag description: the flag of the UK is used
Economy
Economy - overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There
is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill.
The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
Budget:
revenues: $291,777
expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988
est.)
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
@South Georgia and the:Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA
@South Georgia and the:Transportation
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Grytviken
Airports: none
Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
______________________________________________________________________
SPAIN
@Spain:Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay,
Mediterranean Sea, and North Atlantic Ocean, southwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 504,750 sq km
land: 499,400 sq km
water: 5,350 sq km
note: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
Velez de la Gomera
Area - comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 1,919.1 km
border countries: Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and
cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy
and cool along coast
Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills;
Pyrenees in north
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point : Pico de Teide on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites,
fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash,
hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 30%
permanent crops : 9%
permanent pastures: 21%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 34,530 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from
raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas;
water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation;
desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands,
Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification,
Law of the Sea
Geography - note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of
Gibraltar
@Spain:People
Population: 39,107,912 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 3,121,625; female 2,942,492)
15-64 years: 69% (male 13,396,398; female 13,400,728)
65 years and over: 16% (male 2,592,692; female 3,653,977) (July 1997
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.06% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.94 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 9.54 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 77.39 years
male: 73.59 years
female: 81.46 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.18 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Spaniard(s)
adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96%
male: 98%
female: 94% (1986 est.)
@Spain:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form: Spain
local short form: Espana
Data code: SP
Government type: parliamentary monarchy
National capital: Madrid
Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades
autonomas, singular - comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon,
Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon,
Cataluna, Communidad Valencian, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares,
La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco
note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of
Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and
Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday: National Day, 12 October
Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not
accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
head of government : President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR
(since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Francisco ALVAREZ-CASCOS
FERNANDEZ (since 5 May 1996) and Second Vice President (and Minister
of Economy and Finance) Rodrigo RATO FIGAREDO (since 5 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president
note : there is also a Council of State that is the supreme
consultative organ of the government
elections: the king is a hereditary monarch; president proposed by the
king and elected by the National Assembly following legislative
elections; election last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NA
2000)
election results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote - NA
Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly
or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (256 seats;
208 members are directly elected by popular vote and the other 48 were
appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and
the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats;
members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional
representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by March
2000); Congress of Deputies - last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held
by March 2000)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9; Congress of
Deputies - percent of vote by party - PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%,
CiU 4.6%; seats by party - PP 156, PSOE 141, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party or PP
[Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez]; Spanish Socialist Workers Party or PSOE
[Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general]; Spanish Communist Party
or PCE [Julio ANGUITA Gonzalez]; United Left or IU (a coalition of
parties including the PCE and other small parties) [Julio ANGUITA
Gonzalez]
chief regional parties: Convergence and Union or CiU [Jordi PUJOL,
secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence of
Catalonia or CDC [Pere ESTEVE] and the Democratic Union of Catalonia
or UDC [Josep Antoni DURAN LLEIDA]); Basque Nationalist Party or PNV
[Xabier ARZALLUS Antia and Jose Antonio ARDANZA]; Canarian Coalition
or CC (a coalition of five parties)
Political pressure groups and leaders: on the extreme left, the Basque
Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist
Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the government; free
labor unions (authorized in April 1977); Workers Confederation or
CC.OO; the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller
independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; business and landowning
interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU,
FAO, G- 8, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO,
NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio de OYARZABAL MARCHESI
chancery : 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 452-0100, 728-2340
FAX: [1] (202) 833-5670
consulate(s) general: Boston, 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 Richard N. GARDNER
embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address : APO AE 09642
telephone: [34] (1) 587-2200
FAX: [34] (1) 587-2303
consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double
width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of
the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by
the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and
Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy