domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic
satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth
stations are planned)
international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy,
France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and
Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1
Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999)
Radios: 7.1 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 18 (not including low-power stations)
(1999)
Televisions: 3.1 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@Algeria:Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,820 km (301 km electrified; 215 km double track)
standard gauge: 3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total: 104,000 km
paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways)
unpaved: 32,344 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas
2,948 km
Ports and harbors: Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys,
Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes
Merchant marine:
total: 78 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 940,196 GRT/1,094,104 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 27, chemical tanker 7, liquified gas 11,
petroleum tanker 5, roll-on/roll-off 13, short-sea passenger 5,
specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 137 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 51
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 25
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 86
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 41
under 914 m: 19 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Algeria:Military
Military branches: National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial
Air Defense, National Gendarmerie
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,523,257 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,220,318 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 373,547 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.3 billion (FY94)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY94)
@Algeria:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: part of southeastern region claimed by Libya
______________________________________________________________________
AMERICAN SAMOA
@American Samoa:Introduction
Background: Settled as early as 1000 B. C., Samoa was "discovered" by
European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the
latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in
which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US
formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands
with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
@American 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: 14 20 S, 170 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 199 sq km
land: 199 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 116 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual
rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry
season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal
plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Lata 966 m
Natural resources: pumice, pumicite
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 70%
other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons common from December to March
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in
the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines
Geography - note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater
harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas
and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic
location in the South Pacific Ocean
@American Samoa:People
Population: 65,446 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39% (male 13,071; female 12,304)
15-64 years: 56% (male 18,358; female 18,597)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,631; female 1,485) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.53% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 25.81 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.12 years
male: 70.66 years
female: 79.84 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: American Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan
Ethnic groups: Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%, other
5%
Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant and other 30%
Languages: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian
languages), English
note: most people are bilingual
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 97% (1980 est.)
@American Samoa:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa
abbreviation: AS
Data code: AQ
Dependency status: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US;
administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the
Interior
Government type: NA
Capital: Pago Pago
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no
first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government,
but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order;
Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western
Independence: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Territorial Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON of the US (since
20 January 1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January
1993)
head of government: Governor Tauese P. SUNIA (since 3 January 1997)
and Lieutenant Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 3 January 1997)
cabinet: NA
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket
for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the
same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3
November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: Tauese P. SUNIA elected governor; percent of vote -
Tauese P. SUNIA (Democrat) 51%, Peter REID (independent) 49%
Legislative branch: bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of
the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by
popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains
Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats;
members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held NA November 1998 (next
to be held NA November 2000); Senate - last held 3 November 1996 (next
to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party
- NA; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA;
seats by party - NA
note: American Samoa elects one delegate to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held 7
November 2000); results - Eni R. F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat)
reelected as delegate for a sixth term
Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice and associate justices are
appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party ;
Republican Party
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), Interpol
(subbureau), IOC, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US)
Flag description: blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is
based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and
white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two
traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club
@American Samoa:Economy
Economy - overview: This is a traditional Polynesian economy in which
more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is
strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa conducts the
great bulk of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing
plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the
primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to
American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to
develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote
location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes.
Tourism, a developing sector, may be held back by the current
financial difficulties in East Asia.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $150 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,600 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 13,949 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: government 33%, tuna canneries 34%, other
33% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 12% (1991)
Budget:
revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants)
expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97)
Industries: tuna canneries (largely dependent on foreign fishing
vessels), handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 125 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 116 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro,
breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products,
livestock
Exports: $313 million (1996)
Exports - commodities: canned tuna 93%
Exports - partners: US 99.6%
Imports: $471 million (1996)
Imports - commodities: materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum
products 7%, machinery and parts 6%
Imports - partners: US 62%, Japan 9%, NZ 7%, Australia 11%, Fiji 4%,
other 7%
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $NA; note - important financial support from
the US
Currency: 1 US dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
@American Samoa:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (1994)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,200 (1994)
Telephone system:
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone
services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 57,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 14,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@American Samoa:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 350 km
paved: 150 km
unpaved: 200 km
Ports and harbors: Aunu'u (new construction), Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu,
Pago Pago, Ta'u
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
@American Samoa:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
@American Samoa:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
ANDORRA
@Andorra:Introduction
Background: Long isolated and impoverished, mountainous Andorra has
achieved considerable prosperity since World War II through its
tourist industry. Many immigrants (legal and illegal) are attracted to
the thriving economy with its lack of income taxes.
@Andorra:Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, between France and Spain
Geographic coordinates: 42 30 N, 1 30 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 468 sq km
land: 468 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
total: 120.3 km
border countries: France 56.6 km, Spain 63.7 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; snowy, cold winters and warm, dry summers
Terrain: rugged mountains dissected by narrow valleys
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Riu Runer 840 m
highest point: Coma Pedrosa 2,946 m
Natural resources: hydropower, mineral water, timber, iron ore, lead
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 45%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 16% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: snowslides, avalanches
Environment - current issues: deforestation; overgrazing of mountain
meadows contributes to soil erosion; air pollution; waste water
treatment and solid waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Hazardous Wastes
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked
@Andorra:People
Population: 66,824 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 5,382; female 4,883)
15-64 years: 72% (male 25,463; female 22,837)
65 years and over: 13% (male 4,160; female 4,099) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.22% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 10.58 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 5.27 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.9 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 83.46 years
male: 80.56 years
female: 86.56 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.25 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Andorran(s)
adjective: Andorran
Ethnic groups: Spanish 43%, Andorran 33%, Portuguese 11%, French 7%,
other 6% (1998)
Religions: Roman Catholic (predominant)
Languages: Catalan (official), French, Castilian
Literacy:
definition: NA
total population: 100%
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Andorra:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Principality of Andorra
conventional short form: Andorra
local long form: Principat d'Andorra
local short form: Andorra
Data code: AN
Government type: parliamentary democracy (since March 1993) that
retains as its heads of state a coprincipality; the two princes are
the president of France and bishop of Seo de Urgel, Spain, who are
represented locally by coprinces' representatives
Capital: Andorra la Vella
Administrative divisions: 7 parishes (parroquies, singular -
parroquia); Andorra la Vella, Canillo, Encamp, La Massana,
Escaldes-Engordany, Ordino, Sant Julia de Loria
Independence: 1278 (was formed under the joint suzerainty of France
and Spain)
National holiday: Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September (1278)
Constitution: Andorra's first written constitution was drafted in
1991; approved by referendum 14 March 1993; came into force 4 May 1993
Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: French Coprince Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995),
represented by Mr. Frederic de SAINT-SERNIN (since NA); Spanish
Coprince Episcopal Monseigneur Joan MARTI Alanis (since 31 January
1971), represented by Mr. Nemesi MARQUES OSTE (since NA)
head of government: Executive Council President Marc FORNE Molne
(since 21 December 1994)
cabinet: Executive Council or Govern designated by the Executive
Council president
elections: Executive Council president elected by the General Council
and formally appointed by the coprinces for a four-year term; election
last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Marc FORNE Molne elected executive council
president; percent of General Council vote - 64%
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys or
Consell General de las Valls (28 seats; members are elected by direct
popular vote, 14 from a single national constituency and 14 to
represent each of the 7 parishes; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 16 February 1997 (next to be held NA February
2001)
election results: percent of vote by party - UL 57%, AND 21%, IDN 7%,
ND 7%, other 8%; seats by party - UL 16, AND 6, ND 2, IDN 2, UPO 2
Judicial branch: Tribunal of Judges or Tribunal de Batlles; Tribunal
of the Courts or Tribunal de Corts; Supreme Court of Justice of
Andorra or Tribunal Superior de Justicia d'Andorra; Supreme Council of
Justice or Consell Superior de la Justicia; Fiscal Ministry or
Ministeri Fiscal; Constitutional Tribunal or Tribunal Constitucional
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party of Andorra (Partit
Liberal d'Andorra) or PLA ; Liberal Union or UL [Francesc
CERQUEDA]; National Democratic Group or AND ;
National Democratic Initiative or IDN ; New
Democracy or ND ; Unio Parroquial d'Ordino or
UPO
note: there are two other small parties
International organization participation: CCC, CE, ECE, ICRM, IFRCS,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, OSCE, UN, UNESCO, WHO, WIPO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juli MINOVES-TRIQUELL (also Permanent
Representative to the UN)
chancery: 2 United Nations Plaza, 25th Floor, New York, NY 10017
telephone: (212) 750-8064
FAX: (212) 750-6630
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy
in Andorra; the US Ambassador to Spain is accredited to Andorra; US
interests in Andorra are represented by the Consulate General's office
in Barcelona (Spain); mailing address: Paseo Reina Elisenda, 23, 08034
Barcelona, Spain; telephone: (3493) 280-2227; FAX: (3493) 205-7705
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side),
yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow
band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the
flags of Chad and Romania, which do not have a national coat of arms
in the center, and the flag of Moldova, which does bear a national
emblem
@Andorra:Economy
Economy - overview: Tourism, the mainstay of Andorra's tiny,
well-to-do economy, accounts for roughly 80% of GDP. An estimated 9
million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free
status and by its summer and winter resorts. Andorra's comparative
advantage has recently eroded as the economies of neighboring France
and Spain have been opened up, providing broader availability of goods
and lower tariffs. The banking sector, with its "tax haven" status,
also contributes substantially to the economy. Agricultural production
is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be
imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising.
Manufacturing consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture.
Andorra is a member of the EU Customs Union and is treated as an EU
member for trade in manufactured goods (no tariffs) and as a non-EU
member for agricultural products.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $18,000 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.62% (1998)
Labor force: 30,787 salaried employees (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 21%, services
72%, other 6% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 0%
Budget:
revenues: $385 million
expenditures: $342 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)
Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), cattle raising, timber,
tobacco, banking
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 116 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh (1998 est.)
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh; note - imports electricity from Spain
and France
Agriculture - products: small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat,
barley, oats, vegetables; sheep
Exports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: tobacco products, furniture
Exports - partners: France 34%, Spain 58% (1998)
Imports: $1.077 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: consumer goods, food, electricity
Imports - partners: Spain 48%, France 35%, US 2.3% (1998)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: none
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes; 1 peseta (Pta) = 100
centimos; the French and Spanish currencies are used
Exchange rates: euros per US$1 - 0.9867 (January 2000), 0.9386 (1999);
French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998),
5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995); Spanish pesetas (Ptas)
per US$1 - 143.39 (January 1999), 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66
(1996), 124.69 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Andorra:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 31,980 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 8,618 (1997)
Telephone system:
domestic: modern system with microwave radio relay connections between
exchanges
international: landline circuits to France and Spain
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 15, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 16,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 27,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Andorra:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 269 km
paved: 198 km
unpaved: 71 km (1994 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: none
@Andorra:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain
@Andorra:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
ANGOLA
@Angola:Introduction
Background: Civil war has been the norm in Angola since independence
from Portugal in 1975. A 1994 peace accord between the government and
the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA)
provided for the integration of former UNITA insurgents into the
government and armed forces. A national unity government was installed
in April of 1997, but serious fighting resumed in late 1998, rendering
hundreds of thousands of people homeless. Up to 1.5 million lives may
have been lost in fighting over the past quarter century.
@Angola:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between
Namibia and Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 18 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 1,246,700 sq km
land: 1,246,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 5,198 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 2,511 km (of which
220 km is the boundary of discontiguous Cabinda Province), Republic of
the Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zambia 1,110 km
Coastline: 1,600 km