Islands
______________________________________________________________________
WALLIS AND FUTUNA
(overseas territory of France)
@Wallis and Futuna:Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 13 18 S, 176 12 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 274 sq km
land: 274 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island),
Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 129 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone : 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry
season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity);
average temperature 26.6 degrees C
Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point : Mount Singavi 765 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land : 5%
permanent crops: 20%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 75% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: deforestation (only small portions of
the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use
of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the
forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to
erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the
lack of natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified : NA
Geography - note: both island groups have fringing reefs
@Wallis and Futuna:People
Population: 14,817 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over : NA
Population growth rate: 1.08% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 23.7 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 4.9 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -7.95 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : NA male(s)/female
under 15 years: NA male(s)/female
15-64 years: NA male(s)/female
65 years and over: NA male(s)/female
total population: NA male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: 22.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.29 years
male : 72.7 years
female: 73.9 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.89 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic groups: Polynesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 100%
Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50%
male: 50%
female: 50% (1969 est.)
@Wallis and Futuna:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna
local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna
local short form: Wallis et Futuna
Data code: WF
Dependency status: overseas territory of France
Government type: NA
National capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there
are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are three kingdoms named Wallis, Sigave, Alo
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May
1995), represented by High Administrator Claude PIERRET (since NA)
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Keleto
LAKALAKA (since NA)
cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three
members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the
Territorial Assembly
note : there are three traditional kings with limited powers
elections: high administrator appointed by the president of France on
the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of
the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by
the members of the assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections : last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA March 1997)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR
9, Taumu'a Lelei 11
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and
one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections
last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held by NA September 1998);
results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - (1 total) RPR 1;
French National Assembly - elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993
(next to be held by 25 May-1 June 1997 - special election); results -
percent of vote by party - NA; seats - (1 total) MRG 1
Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law
by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer
customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR; Union
Populaire Locale or UPL; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF;
Lua kae tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG;
Taumu'a Lelei
International organization participation: FZ, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
France)
Flag description: a large white modified Maltese cross centered on a
red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two sides is
in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for official
occasions
Economy
Economy - overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence
agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood
from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs),
and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government.
Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing
rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from
expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and Futuna imports food -
particularly sugar, rice, and beef - fuel, clothing, machinery, and
transport equipment, but its exports are negligible, consisting of
copra and handicrafts.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $28.7 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing 80%, government 4%
(est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $17 million
expenditures : $17 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1995 est.)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats
Exports:
total value: $370,000 (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: copra, handicrafts
partners: NA
Imports:
total value: $13.5 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment,
fuel, clothing
partners : France, Australia, New Zealand
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1
- 98.48 (January 1997), 93.00 (1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.94 (1994),
102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the
French franc
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Wallis and Futuna:Communications
Telephones: 340 (1985 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic : NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA
@Wallis and Futuna:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea)
unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Leava, Mata-Utu
Merchant marine:
total: 1 oil tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 25,060 GRT/40,406 DWT
(1996 est.)
Airports: 2 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
WEST BANK
Introduction
Current issues: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13
September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five
years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the
West Bank. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May 1996. Under
the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities
to the Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative
Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing
arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and
responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho has taken place
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza
Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement. The
DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the
transitional period for external security and for internal security
and public order of settlements and Israelis. Permanent status is to
be determined through direct negotiations which began on 5 May 1996.
@West Bank:Geography
Location: Middle East, west of Jordan
Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of
the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No
Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire
area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
total : 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude,
warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but
barren in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops : 0%
permanent pastures: 32%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for
Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 203 Israeli settlements and
civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 26 in East Jerusalem
(August 1996 est.)
@West Bank:People
Population: 1,495,683 (July 1997 est.)
note: in addition, there are 136,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank
and 156,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 347,152; female 329,906)
15-64 years : 51% (male 387,847; female 380,629)
65 years and over: 3% (male 21,223; female 28,926) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.32% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 37.71 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 4.5 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 27.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.11 years
male: 70.43 years
female: 73.88 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.06 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun : NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and
other 8%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: NA
@West Bank:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank
Data code: WE
Economy
Economy - overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been
hampered by tight Israeli security restrictions. Industries using
advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been
discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli
policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing,
not productive assets that would enable local Palestinian firms to
compete with Israeli industry. GDP has been substantially supplemented
by remittances of workers employed in Israel. Such transfers from the
Persian Gulf states dropped after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990.
In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have
returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export
revenues have dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and
the Gulf states. An estimated 147,000 people were in refugee camps in
1996.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.8 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -1% to -2% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,600 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (1995 est., includes Gaza Strip)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 11% (1995 est.)
Labor force: NA
by occupation: construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%,
commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991)
note: excluding Israeli settlers
Unemployment rate: 35% to 40% (1996 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $684 million
expenditures: $779 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996)
note : includes Gaza Strip
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;
the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in
the settlements and industrial centers
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: NA kW
note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric
Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East
Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric
Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and
military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian
municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own
electricity from small power plants
Electricity - production: NA kWh
note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric
Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East
Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric
Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and
military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian
municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own
electricity from small power plants
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables;
beef, dairy products
Exports:
total value: $235 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
commodities : olives, fruit, vegetables
partners: Jordan, Israel
Imports:
total value: $1.55 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)
commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners : Jordan, Israel
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian
dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.41 (May 1997),
3.2882 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591
(1992); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.7090 (January 1997), 0.7090
(1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
@West Bank:Communications
Telephones: NA
note: 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international : NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK is responsible for communication services
in the West Bank
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA; note - 82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992
est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0
note: 1 broadcast station is planned for Jericho
Televisions: NA; note - 54% of Palestinian households have televisions
(1992 est.)
@West Bank:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small road network; Israelis have developed many highways to
service Jewish settlements
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 2 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: NA
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males : NA
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli
occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian
Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further
negotiation
______________________________________________________________________
WESTERN SAHARA
@Western Sahara:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between
Mauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents
produce fog and heavy dew
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy
surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point : unnamed location 463 m
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use:
arable land : 19%
permanent crops: 24%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 47%
other: 10% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur
during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of
time, often severely restricting visibility
Environment - current issues: sparse water and arable land
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
@Western Sahara:People
Population: 228,138 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years : NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 2.43% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 46.14 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 17.53 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.28 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: NA male(s)/female
under 15 years: NA male(s)/female
15-64 years: NA male(s)/female
65 years and over: NA male(s)/female
total population: NA male(s)/female
Infant mortality rate: 142.75 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.71 years
male: 46.66 years
female: 49.09 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.8 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber
Religions: Muslim
Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: NA
@Western Sahara:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara
Data code: WI
Government type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty
unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front
(Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de
Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government-in-exile
of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); territory partitioned
between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring
northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario
guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979;
Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since
asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government-in-exile
was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued
sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6
September 1991
National capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Suffrage: none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has yet
to be completed
Executive branch: none
International organization participation: none
Diplomatic representation in the US: none
Diplomatic representation from the US: none
Economy
Economy - overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural
resources and having little rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism,
fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for
the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be
imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by
the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are
substantially below the Moroccan level.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $NA
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%-45% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
total: 12,000
by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 56,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 85 million kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few
oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by the nomads)
Exports: $NA
commodities: phosphates 62%
partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade
partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $NA
commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
partners : Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade
partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient : ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 9.018 (January 1997),
8.716 (1996), 8.540 (1995), 9.203 (1994), 9.299 (1993), 8.538 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Western Sahara:Communications
Telephones: 2,000