Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old
Yugoslav federation. Although agriculture has been almost all in
private hands, farms have been small and inefficient, and the republic
traditionally has been a net importer of food. Industry has been
greatly overstaffed, one reflection of the socialist economic
structure of Yugoslavia. TITO had pushed the development of military
industries in the republic with the result that Bosnia hosted a large
share of Yugoslavia's defense plants. The bitter interethnic warfare
in Bosnia caused production to plummet by 80% from 1990 to 1995,
unemployment to soar, and human misery to multiply. With an uneasy
peace in place, output recovered in 1996-98 at high percentage rates
on a low base; but output growth slowed appreciably in 1999, and GDP
remains far below the 1990 level. Economic data are of limited use
because, although both entities issue figures, national-level
statistics are not available. Moreover, official data do not capture
the large share of activity that occurs on the black market. In 1999,
the convertible mark - the national currency introduced in 1998 -
gained wider acceptance, and the Central Bank of Bosnia and
Herzegovina dramatically increased its reserve holdings.
Implementation of privatization, however, faltered in both areas.
Banking reform is also lagging. The country receives substantial
amounts of reconstruction assistance and humanitarian aid from the
international community but will have to prepare for an era of
declining assistance.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $6.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,770 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19%
industry: 23%
services: 58% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 1.026 million
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 35%-40% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: steel, coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, bauxite,
vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products, wooden furniture, tank
and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances, oil refining (much of
capacity damaged or shut down) (1995)
Industrial production growth rate: 5%-10% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 2.22 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 32.43%
hydro: 67.57%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 2.065 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, fruits, vegetables; livestock
Exports: $450 million (1997 est.)
Exports - commodities: NA
Exports - partners: NA
Imports: $2.95 billion (1997 est.)
Imports - commodities: NA
Imports - partners: NA
Debt - external: $4.1 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $1.2 billion (1997 pledged)
Currency: 1 convertible marka (KM) = 100 convertible pfenniga
Exchange rates: convertible marks per US$1 - 1.9 (1999)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Bosnia and Herzegovina:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 238,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 4,000 (1999)
Telephone system: telephone and telegraph network is in need of
modernization and expansion; many urban areas are below average when
compared with services in other former Yugoslav republics
domestic: NA
international: no satellite earth stations
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 16, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 33 (plus 292 repeaters) (September
1995)
Televisions: NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (1999)
@Bosnia and Herzegovina:Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,021 km (electrified 795 km; operating as diesel or steam
until grids are repaired)
standard gauge: 1,021 km 1.435-m gauge (1995); note - some segments
still need repair and/or reconstruction
Highways:
total: 21,846 km
paved: 11,425 km
unpaved: 10,421 km (1996 est.)
note: roads need maintenance and repair
Waterways: NA km; large sections of the Sava blocked by downed
bridges, silt, and debris
Pipelines: crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992); note -
pipelines now disrupted
Ports and harbors: Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Samac,
and Brcko (all inland waterway ports on the Sava none of which are
fully operational), Orasje
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 27 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 18
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 4 (1999 est.)
@Bosnia and Herzegovina:Military
Military branches: Federation Army or VF (composed of both Croatian
and Bosniak elements), Army of the Serb Republic (composed of Bosnian
Serb elements); note - within both of these forces air and air defense
are subordinate commands
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,114,180 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 886,464 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 29,325 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
@Bosnia and Herzegovina:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: disputes with Serbia over Serbian populated
areas of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Illicit drugs: minor transit point for marijuana and opiate
trafficking routes to Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
BOTSWANA
@Botswana:Introduction
Background: Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland,
Botswana adopted its new name upon independence in 1966. The economy,
closely tied to South Africa's, is dominated by cattle raising and
mining.
@Botswana:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 22 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 600,370 sq km
land: 585,370 sq km
water: 15,000 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,013 km
border countries: Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe
813 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Terrain: predominantly flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari
Desert in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: junction of the Limpopo and Shashe Rivers 513 m
highest point: Tsodilo Hills 1,489 m
Natural resources: diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash,
coal, iron ore, silver
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland: 47%
other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; seasonal August winds blow from
the west, carrying sand and dust across the country, which can obscure
visibility
Environment - current issues: overgrazing; desertification; limited
fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part
of the country
@Botswana:People
Population: 1,576,470
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life
expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population
and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age
and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 41% (male 321,766; female 318,304)
15-64 years: 55% (male 417,734; female 453,947)
65 years and over: 4% (male 26,436; female 38,283) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.76% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 29.63 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 22.08 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 61.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 39.27 years
male: 38.63 years
female: 39.93 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective: Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Ethnic groups: Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi 4%, white
1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
Languages: English (official), Setswana
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.8%
male: 80.5%
female: 59.9% (1995 est.)
@Botswana:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Botswana
conventional short form: Botswana
former: Bechuanaland
Data code: BC
Government type: parliamentary republic
Capital: Gaborone
Administrative divisions: 10 districts and four town councils*;
Central, Chobe, Francistown*, Gaborone*, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng,
Kweneng, Lobatse*, Ngamiland, North-East, Selebi-Pikwe*, South-East,
Southern
Independence: 30 September 1966 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 September (1966)
Constitution: March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law;
judicial review limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and Vice
President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government; vice
president KHAMA is on a one-year leave of absence, effective 1 January
2000, but retains the title of vice president
head of government: President Festus MOGAE (since 1 April 1998) and
Vice President Seretse Ian KHAMA (since NA April 1998); note - the
president is both the chief of state and head of government; vice
president KHAMA is on a one-year leave of absence, effective 1 January
2000, but retains the title of vice president
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year
term; election last held 16 October 1999 (next to be held NA October
2004); vice president appointed by the president
election results: Festus MOGAE elected president; percent of National
Assembly vote - 61.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the House of
Chiefs (a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of the chiefs of
the eight principal tribes, four elected subchiefs, and three members
selected by the other 12) and the National Assembly (44 seats, 40
members are directly elected by popular vote and 4 appointed by the
majority party; members serve five-year terms)
elections: National Assembly - elections last held 16 October 1999
(next to be held NA October 2004)
election results: percent of vote by party - BDP 61.3%, other 38.7%;
seats by party - BDP 33, other 7
Judicial branch: High Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Botswana Democratic Party or BDP
; Botswana National Front or BNF ;
Botswana Congress Party or BCP ; Botswana People's
Party or BPP
note: main parties are: BDP, BNF, BCP; other minor parties joined
forces in 1999 to form the Botswana Alliance Movement or BAM [Kenneth
KOMA, chairman] but did not capture any parliamentary seats; the BAM
parties are: the United Action Party , the
Social Democratic Union, the Independence Freedom Party [Motsamai
MPHO], and the Botswana Progressive Union
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kgosi SEEPAPITSO IV
chancery: 1531-1533 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: (202) 244-4990
FAX: (202) 244-4164
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John E. LANGE
embassy: address NA, Gaborone
mailing address: P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone: 353982
FAX: 356947
Flag description: light blue with a horizontal white-edged black
stripe in the center
@Botswana:Economy
Economy - overview: Agriculture still provides a livelihood for more
than 80% of the population but supplies only about 50% of food needs
and accounts for only 3% of GDP. Subsistence farming and cattle
raising predominate. The sector is plagued by erratic rainfall and
poor soils. Diamond mining and tourism also are important to the
economy. Substantial mineral deposits were found in the 1970s and the
mining sector grew from 25% of GDP in 1980 to 38% in 1998.
Unemployment officially is 21% but unofficial estimates place it
closer to 40%. The Orapa 2000 project, which will double the capacity
of the country's main diamond mine, will be finished in early 2000.
This will be the main force behind continued economic expansion.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $5.7 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,900 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 4%
industry: 46% (including 36% mining)
services: 50% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: 47% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.7% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 235,000 formal sector employees (1995)
Labor force - by occupation: 100,000 public sector; 135,000 private
sector, including 14,300 who are employed in various mines in South
Africa; most others engaged in cattle raising and subsistence
agriculture (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20%-40% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.6 billion
expenditures: $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $560
million (FY96/97)
Industries: diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash;
livestock processing
Industrial production growth rate: 4.6% (FY92/93)
Electricity - production: 1 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 1.619 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 689 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: sorghum, corn, millet, pulses, groundnuts
(peanuts), beans, cowpeas, sunflower seed; livestock
Exports: $2.36 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: diamonds 72%, vehicles, copper, nickel, meat
(1998)
Exports - partners: EU 74%, Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 21%,
Zimbabwe 3% (1996)
Imports: $2.05 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment,
textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners: Southern African Customs Union (SACU) 78%, Europe
8%, Zimbabwe 6% (1996)
Debt - external: $651 million (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $73 million (1995)
Currency: 1 pula (P) = 100 thebe
Exchange rates: pulas (P) per US$1 - 4.6168 (January 2000), 4.6244
(1999), 4.2259 (1998), 3.6508 (1997), 3.3242 (1996), 2.7722 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Botswana:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 78,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: sparse system
domestic: small system of open-wire lines, microwave radio relay
links, and a few radiotelephone communication stations
international: two international exchanges; digital microwave radio
relay links to Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa; satellite earth
station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 7, FM 15, shortwave 5 (1998)
Radios: 237,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)
Televisions: 31,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (1999)
@Botswana:Transportation
Railways:
total: 971 km
narrow gauge: 971 km 1.067-m gauge (1995)
Highways:
total: 18,482 km
paved: 4,343 km
unpaved: 14,139 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 92 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 82
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 57
under 914 m: 21 (1999 est.)
@Botswana:Military
Military branches: Botswana Defense Force (includes Army and Air
Wing), Botswana National Police
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 373,990 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 196,572 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 19,132 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $61 million (FY99/00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.2% (FY99/00)
@Botswana:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: dispute with Namibia over uninhabited
Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe) River resolved by the ICJ
in favor of Botswana (13 December 1999); at least one other island in
Linyanti River is contested
______________________________________________________________________
BOUVET ISLAND
@Bouvet Island:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the South Atlantic Ocean,
south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Geographic coordinates: 54 26 S, 3 24 E
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:
total: 58.5 sq km
land: 58.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29.6 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: antarctic
Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 m; coast is mostly
inaccessible
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Southern Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 780 m
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (93% ice)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve
@Bouvet Island:People
Population: uninhabited (July 2000 est.)
@Bouvet Island:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island
Data code: BV
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar
Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
@Bouvet Island:Economy
Economy - overview: no economic activity; declared a nature reserve
@Bouvet Island:Communications
Communications - note: automatic meteorological station
@Bouvet Island:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
@Bouvet Island:Military
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
@Bouvet Island:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none
______________________________________________________________________
BRAZIL
@Brazil:Introduction
Background: Following three centuries under the rule of Portugal,
Brazil became an independent nation in 1822. By far the largest and
most populous country in South America, Brazil has overcome more than
half a century of military intervention in the governance of the
country to pursue industrial and agricultural growth and development
of the interior. Exploiting vast natural resources and a large labor
pool, Brazil became Latin America's leading economic power by the
1970s. Highly unequal income distribution remains a pressing problem.
@Brazil:Geography
Location: Eastern South America, bordering the Atlantic Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 10 00 S, 55 00 W
Map references: South America
Area:
total: 8,511,965 sq km
land: 8,456,510 sq km
water: 55,455 sq km
note: includes Arquipelago de Fernando de Noronha, Atol das Rocas,
Ilha da Trindade, Ilhas Martin Vaz, and Penedos de Sao Pedro e Sao
Paulo
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries:
total: 14,691 km
border countries: Argentina 1,224 km, Bolivia 3,400 km, Colombia 1,643
km, French Guiana 673 km, Guyana 1,119 km, Paraguay 1,290 km, Peru
1,560 km, Suriname 597 km, Uruguay 985 km, Venezuela 2,200 km
Coastline: 7,491 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly tropical, but temperate in south
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling lowlands in north; some plains, hills,
mountains, and narrow coastal belt
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pico da Neblina 3,014 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gold, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
phosphates, platinum, tin, uranium, petroleum, hydropower, timber
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 58%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 28,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recurring droughts in northeast; floods and
occasional frost in south
Environment - current issues: deforestation in Amazon Basin destroys
the habitat and endangers the existence of a multitude of plant and
animal species indigenous to the area; air and water pollution in Rio
de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and several other large cities; land
degradation and water pollution caused by improper mining activities
note: President CARDOSO in September 1999 signed into force an
environmental crime bill which for the first time defines pollution
and deforestation as crimes punishable by stiff fines and jail
sentences
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: largest country in South America; shares common
boundaries with every South American country except Chile and Ecuador
@Brazil:People
Population: 172,860,370
note: Brazil took an intercensal count in August 1996 which reported a
population of 157,079,573; that figure was about 5% lower than
projections by the US Census Bureau, which is close to the implied
underenumeration of 4.6% for the 1991 census; estimates for this
country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality
due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant
mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and
changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would
otherwise be expected (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29% (male 25,607,074; female 24,670,960)
15-64 years: 66% (male 55,793,005; female 57,598,489)
65 years and over: 5% (male 3,727,912; female 5,462,930) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.94% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 18.84 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 9.37 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)