domestic: NA
international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2
Televisions: NA
@Western Sahara:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 6,200 km
paved : 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.)
Ports and harbors: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, El Aaiun
Airports: 12 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 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: claimed and administered by Morocco, but
sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a
referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in
effect since September 1991
______________________________________________________________________
WESTERN SAMOA
@Western Samoa:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 13 35 S, 172 20 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 2,860 sq km
land: 2,850 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May to
October)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains
in interior
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mauga Silisili 1,857 m
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land : 19%
permanent crops: 24%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 47%
other: 10%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Environment - current issues: soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified : none of the selected agreements
@Western Samoa:People
Population: 219,509 (July 1997 est.)
note: other estimates range as low as 162,000
Age structure:
0-14 years: 40% (male 44,281; female 42,876)
15-64 years: 56% (male 64,433; female 59,006)
65 years and over : 4% (male 4,225; female 4,688) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.34% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 30.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 5.63 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 33 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 69.09 years
male: 66.7 years
female : 71.6 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.82 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Western Samoan(s)
adjective: Western Samoan
Ethnic groups: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and
Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Religions: Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated
with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman
Catholic, Methodist, Latter-Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population : 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1971 est.)
@Western Samoa:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoa
conventional short form: Western Samoa
Data code: WS
Government type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
National capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua,
Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea,
Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from New Zealand-administered UN
trusteeship)
National holiday: National Day, 1 June (1962)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial
review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the
citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II (cochief of state
from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole chief of state 5 April 1963)
head of government: Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April
1988); Deputy Prime Minister TUILA'EPA Sailele Malielegaoi (since NA
1992)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the chief of state with the prime
minister's advice
elections : upon the death of Chief Susuga MALIETOA Tanumafili II, a
new chief of state will be elected by the Legislative Assembly to
serve a five-year term; prime minister appointed by the chief of state
with the approval of the Legislative Assembly
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fono (49 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 April 1996 (next to be held 26 April 2001)
election results : percent of vote by party - HRPP 45.17%, SNDP 27.1%,
independents 23.7%; seats by party - HRPP 25, SNDP 13, independents 11
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),
TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party
(SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman; Samoan Progressive Conservative
Party, LEOTA Ituau Ale; Samoa All People's Party (SAPP), Matatumua
MAIMOAGA
International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADE
chancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800D, New York, NY 10017
telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197
FAX : [1] (212) 599-0797
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Josiah Horton BEEMAN (Ambassador to New
Zealand and Western Samoa, resides in Wellington, New Zealand)
embassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apia
mailing address: P.O. Box 3430, Apia
telephone : [685] 21631
FAX: [685] 22030
Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side
quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the
Southern Cross constellation
Economy
Economy - overview: The economy of Western Samoa has traditionally
been dependent on development aid, private family remittances from
overseas, and agricultural exports. Increasingly, tourism is becoming
a significant source of revenue, earning approximately $34 million in
1995. While registering an overall economic improvement in 1995,
however, the country continues to struggle with a series of natural
disasters from the early 1990s which wiped out the nation's
infrastructure as well as its then-major export crop, taro root.
Agriculture continues to be a key source of wealth for Apia, employing
more than one-half of the labor force, and furnishing 90% of exports.
The bulk of these export earnings comes from the sale of coconut
cream, coconut oil, and copra. Family remittances also play a key role
in economic viability for the island nation - in 1995, remittances
totaled $34.9 million, four times export earnings. The economy did
well in 1996, supported by a steady flow of foreign aid and
remittances.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $415 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.7% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,900 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 50%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1% (1995)
Labor force:
total: 45,635 (1986 est.)
by occupation : agriculture 65%, services 30%, industry 5% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $118 million
expenditures : $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 29,000 kW (1990)
Electricity - production: 60 million kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 287 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, bananas, taro, yams
Exports:
total value: $8.7 million (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities : coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoa
partners: New Zealand 44%, Australia 22%, American Samoa, Germany
Imports:
total value: $91 million (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities: intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%
partners : New Zealand 37%, Australia 21%, US/American Samoa 13%
Debt - external: $178.3 million (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA; $8.7 million bilateral aid from Australia (FY96/97
est.); $5 million bilateral aid from NZ (FY95/96)
Currency: 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.4570 (January 1997), 2.4618
(1996), 2.4722 (1995), 2.5349 (1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Western Samoa:Communications
Telephones: 7,500 (1988 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 76,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: 6,000 (1992 est.)
@Western Samoa:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total : 2,030 km
paved: 373 km
unpaved: 1,657 km (1988 est.)
Ports and harbors: Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Merchant marine:
total : 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT (1996 est.)
Airports: 3 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total : 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: no regular armed services; Western Samoa Police
Force
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: none
______________________________________________________________________
WORLD
[Map of World]
@World:Geography
Map references: World, Time Zones
Area:
total: 510.072 million sq km
land: 148.94 million sq km
water: 361.132 million sq km
note : 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land
Area - comparative: land area about 15 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 251,480.24 km
(not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline: 356,000 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm claimed by most but can vary
continental shelf: 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of
exploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive fishing zone : 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can vary
territorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most but can vary
note: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many
countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200
nm; 43 nations and other areas that are landlocked include
Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan,
Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,
Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary,
Kazakstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San
Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, West
Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rather
narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical to
subtropical climates
Terrain: the greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 m
in the Pacific Ocean
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral
resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction
of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water
quality (especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR) pose
serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only
beginning to address
Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 2,481,250 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical
cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions)
Environment - current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation,
industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic
substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation,
desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion,
erosion
Environment - international agreements: selected international
environmental agreements are included under the Environment -
international agreements entry for each country and in the Selected
International Environmental Agreements appendix
@World:People
Population: 5,849,699,041 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 922,447,462; female 877,221,909)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,856,697,495; female 1,808,219,116)
65 years and over: 6% (male 166,513,212; female 218,599,847)
Population growth rate: 1.4% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 23 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63 years
male: 61 years
female: 64 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1997 est.)
@World:Government
Data code: none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the World, so
the Factbook uses the "W" data code from DIAM 65-18 "Geopolitical Data
Elements and Related Features," Data Standard No. 3, March 1984,
published by the Defense Intelligence Agency; see the Cross-Reference
List of Country Data Codes appendix
Administrative divisions: 266 nations, dependent areas, other, and
miscellaneous entries
Legal system: varies by individual country; 186 (not including
Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice (ICJ
or World Court)
Economy
Economy - overview: Real global output - gross world product (GWP) -
rose an estimated 3.6% in 1996, with the newly industrializing Third
World countries again setting the pace. And once more, results varied
widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 2.3% in the GDP
of industrialized countries (55% of GWP in 1996) and average growth of
6.5% in the GDP of less developed countries (39% of GWP) were partly
offset by a 2% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area
(only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at 3%,
unemployment was typically 6%-12% in the industrial world. The US
accounted for 21% of GWP in 1996; Western Europe accounted for 20%;
and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic superpowers"
presumably destined to compete for mastery in international markets on
into the 21st century. As for the less developed countries: China,
India, and the Four Dragons - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and
Singapore - once again posted records of 5% growth or better; however,
many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from
drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife. Central
Europe and the 15 successor states to the USSR generally made progress
in moving toward "market-friendly" economies, but output in Russia and
Ukraine continued to fall. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock
economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over
international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology.
Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing
control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically
based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of
the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, and in
Canada. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political
problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to
increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The
addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already
overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution,
desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of
their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have
inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the
world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming
further marginalized. (For specific economic developments in each
country, see the individual country entries.)
GDP: GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $35.8
trillion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.6% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,200 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture : NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: all countries 25%; developed
countries 2% to 4% typically; developing countries 10% to 60%
typically (1996 est.)
note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from
stable prices in Japan to hyperinflation in a number of Third World
countries
Labor force:
total : 2.24 billion (1992)
by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in
many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically
6%-12% unemployment (1996 est.)
Industries: dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in
computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical
equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a
small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly
adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development
of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating
already grim environmental problems
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 4 billion kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 12.34268 trillion kWh (1994)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,996 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture - products: the whole gamut of crops, livestock, forest
products, and fish
Exports:
total value: $4.6 trillion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)
commodities : the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and
services
partners: in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports:
total value : $4.7 trillion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)
commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and
services
partners: in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
Debt - external: $2 trillion for less developed countries (1996 est.)
Economic aid: worldwide traditional foreign aid $50 billion (1995
est.)
@World:Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system:
domestic : NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA
@World:Transportation
Railways:
total : 1,201,337 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of
electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the
Far East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 km
in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr
attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer Francais
(SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line
broad gauge: 251,153 km
standard gauge: 710,754 km
narrow gauge: 239,430 km
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved : NA km
Ports and harbors: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al
Ahmadi (Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine:
total: 25,521 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 442,276,527
GRT/701,647,274 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 22, bulk 5,308, cargo 8,089, chemical
tanker 920, combination bulk 307, combination ore/oil 279, container
1,938, liquefied gas tanker 709, livestock carrier 52, multifunction
large-load carrier 62, oil tanker 4,320, passenger 298,
passenger-cargo 117, railcar carrier 21, refrigerated cargo 1,022,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,034, short-sea passenger 484, specialized
tanker 81, vehicle carrier 458 (1995 est.)
Military
Military branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of
technology
Military expenditures - dollar figure: aggregate real expenditure on
arms worldwide in 1996 remained at about the 1995 level, about
three-quarters of a trillion dollars in money terms (1996 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: roughly 2% of gross world
product (1996 est.)
______________________________________________________________________
YEMEN
@Yemen:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and
Red Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 48 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 527,970 sq km
land: 527,970 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR or
North Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen
(PDRY or South Yemen)
Area - comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
total: 1,746 km
border countries: Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm in the North; 24 nm in the South
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in
western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot,
dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into the
desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arabian Sea 0 m
highest point: Jabal an Nabi Shu'ayb 3,760 m
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small deposits
of coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west
Land use:
arable land : 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 30%
forests and woodland: 4%
other : 63% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 3,600 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summer
Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water
resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil
erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red
Sea and the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
@Yemen:People
Population: 13,972,477 (July 1997 est.)
note: other estimates range as high as 16.6 million