Croatia or ASH ; Alliance of Croatian Coast and
Mountains Department or PGS ; Croatian Christian
Democratic Union or HKDU ; Croatian
Democratic Independents or HND ; Croatian
Democratic Union or HDZ ; Croatian
Party of Rights or HSP ; Croatian Party of Rights 1861 or
HSP 1861 ; Croatian Peasant Party or HSS [Zlatko
TOMCIC]; Croatian People's Party or HNS ;
Croatian Social Liberal Party or HSLS ;
Independent Democratic Serb Party or SDSS ;
Istrian Democratic Assembly or IDS ; Liberal Party or
LP ; Party of Democratic Action or SDA
; Primorje Gorski Kotar Alliance ; Serbian
National Party or SNS ; Slanvonsko-Baranja Croatian
Party or SBHS ; Social Democratic Party of Croatia or SDP
note: the Social Democratic Party or SDP and the Croatian Social
Liberal Party or HSLS formed a coalition as did the HSS, HNS, LP, and
IDS, which together defeated the Croatian Democratic Union or HDZ in
the 2000 lower house parliamentary election
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD,
ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Miomir ZUZUL
chancery: 2343 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 588-5899
FAX: (202) 588-8936
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William D. MONTGOMERY
embassy: Andrije Hebranga 2, Zagreb
mailing address: use street address
telephone: (1) 455-55-00
FAX: (1) 455-85-85
Flag description: red, white, and blue horizontal bands with Croatian
coat of arms (red and white checkered)
@Croatia:Economy
Economy - overview: Before the dissolution of Yugoslavia, the Republic
of Croatia, after Slovenia, was the most prosperous and industrialized
area, with a per capita output perhaps one-third above the Yugoslav
average. Croatia faces considerable economic problems stemming from:
the legacy of longtime communist mismanagement of the economy; damage
during the internecine fighting to bridges, factories, power lines,
buildings, and houses; the large refugee and displaced population,
both Croatian and Bosnian; and the disruption of economic ties.
Western aid and investment, especially in the tourist and oil
industries, would help restore the economy. The government has been
successful in some reform efforts - partially macroeconomic
stabilization policies - and it has normalized relations with its
creditors. Yet it still is struggling with privatization of large
state enterprises and with bank reform. The recession that began at
the end of 1998 continued through most of 1999, and GDP growth for the
year was flat. Inflation remained in check and the kuna was stable.
The death of President TUDJMAN in December 1999, and the defeat of his
ruling Coatian Democratic Union or HDZ party in parliamentary and
presidential elections in January 2000 has ushered in a new government
committed to economic reform but faced with the challenge of halting
the economic decline.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $23.9 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 0% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,100 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 24%
services: 66% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.4% (1999)
Labor force: 1.65 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services
NA%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6 billion
expenditures: $4.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998)
Industries: chemicals and plastics, machine tools, fabricated metal,
electronics, pig iron and rolled steel products, aluminum, paper, wood
products, construction materials, textiles, shipbuilding, petroleum
and petroleum refining, food and beverages; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: -2% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 9.515 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 42.72%
hydro: 57.28%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 12.949 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 900 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 5 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed,
alfalfa, clover, olives, citrus, grapes, vegetables; livestock, dairy
products
Exports: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: textiles, chemicals, foodstuffs, fuels
Exports - partners: Italy 21%, Germany 18%, Bosnia and Herzegovina
15%, Slovenia 12% (1997)
Imports: $8.4 billion (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transport and electrical equipment,
chemicals, fuels and lubricants, foodstuffs
Imports - partners: Germany 20%, Italy 19%, Slovenia 8%, Austria 8%
(1997)
Debt - external: $8.1 billion (October 1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Croatian kuna (HRK) = 100 lipas
Exchange rates: Croatian kuna per US$1 - 7.591 (January 2000), 7.112
(1999), 6.362 (1998), 6.157 (1997), 5.434 (1996), 5.230 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Croatia:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1.477 million (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 187,000 (yearend 1998)
Telephone system:
domestic: reconstruction plan calls for replacement of all analog
circuits with digital and enlarging the network; a backup will be
included in the plan for the main trunk
international: digital international service is provided through the
main switch in Zagreb; Croatia participates in the TEL project which
consists of two fiber-optic trunk connections with Slovenia and a
fiber-optic trunk line from Rijeka to Split and Dubrovnik; Croatia is
also investing in ADRIA 1, a joint fiber-optic project with Germany,
Albania, and Greece (2000)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 98, shortwave 5 (1999)
Radios: 1.51 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 36 (plus 321 repeaters) (September
1995)
Televisions: 1.22 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (1999)
@Croatia:Transportation
Railways:
total: 2,296 km
standard gauge: 2,296 km 1.435-m gauge (983 km electrified)
note: some lines remain inoperative or not in use; disrupted by
territorial dispute (1997)
Highways:
total: 27,840 km
paved: 23,497 km (including 330 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,343 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 785 km perennially navigable; large sections of Sava
blocked by downed bridges, silt, and debris
Pipelines: crude oil 670 km; petroleum products 20 km; natural gas 310
km (1992); note - under repair following territorial dispute
Ports and harbors: Dubrovnik, Dugi Rat, Omisalj, Ploce, Pula, Rijeka,
Sibenik, Split, Vukovar (inland waterway port on Danube), Zadar
Merchant marine:
total: 65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 818,887 GRT/1,232,803 DWT
ships by type: bulk 15, cargo 25, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
5, container 5, liquified gas 1, multi-functional large load carrier
3, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1,
roll-on/roll-off 4, short-sea passenger 3 (1999 est.)
Airports: 67 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 8 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 36 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Croatia:Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air and Air Defense
Forces, Frontier Guard, Home Guard
Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,086,805 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 860,023 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 30,022 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $950 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5% (FY99)
@Croatia:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Eastern Slavonia, which was held by ethnic
Serbs during the ethnic conflict between the Croats and the Serbs, was
returned to Croatian control by the UN Transitional Administration for
Eastern Slavonia on 15 January 1998; Croatia and Italy made progress
toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over
property and ethnic minority rights; significant progress has been
made with Slovenia toward resolving a maritime border dispute over
direct access to the sea in the Adriatic; Serbia and Montenegro is
disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka Peninsula in southern
Croatia because it controls the entrance to Boka Kotorska in
Montenegro; Prevlaka is currently under observation by the UN Military
Observer Mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP)
Illicit drugs: transit point along the Balkan route for Southwest
Asian heroin to Western Europe; a minor transit point for maritime
shipments of South American cocaine bound for Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
CUBA
@Cuba:Introduction
Background: Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron
will has held the country together since. Cuba's communist revolution,
with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa
during the 1960s, 70s, and 80s. The country is now slowly recovering
from a severe economic recession following the withdrawal of former
Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually, in 1990.
Havana blames its difficulties on the US embargo in place since 1962.
@Cuba:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, south of Florida
Geographic coordinates: 21 30 N, 80 00 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 110,860 sq km
land: 110,860 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
total: 29 km
border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part
of Cuba
Coastline: 3,735 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to
April); rainy season (May to October)
Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and
mountains in the southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese, salt,
timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 27%
forests and woodland: 24%
other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 9,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August
to October (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every
other year); droughts are common
Environment - current issues: pollution of Havana Bay; overhunting
threatens wildlife populations; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: largest country in Caribbean
@Cuba:People
Population: 11,141,997 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 1,221,602; female 1,157,846)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,849,135; female 3,829,599)
65 years and over: 10% (male 503,711; female 580,104) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.39% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 12.68 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 7.31 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.52 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.51 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.21 years
male: 73.84 years
female: 78.73 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Cuban(s)
adjective: Cuban
Ethnic groups: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Religions: nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming
power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also
represented
Languages: Spanish
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.7%
male: 96.2%
female: 95.3% (1995 est.)
People - note: illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans
attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts,
alien smugglers, or falsified visas; some 3,800 Cubans took to the
Florida Straits in 1999; the US Coast Guard interdicted about 40% of
these migrants
@Cuba:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Cuba
conventional short form: Cuba
local long form: Republica de Cuba
local short form: Cuba
Data code: CU
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Havana
Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey,
Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo,
Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar
del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara
Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered
by the US from 1898 to 1902)
National holiday: Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953); Liberation Day, 1
January (1959)
Constitution: 24 February 1976, amended July 1992
Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large elements
of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the
Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February
1959 until 24 February 1976, when office was abolished; president
since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State
and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO
Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of
state and head of government
head of government: President of the Council of State and President of
the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from
February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished;
president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council
of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen.
Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council
of State, appointed by the National Assembly
note: there is also a Council of State whose members are elected by
the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
Assembly; election last held 24 February 1998 (next election
unscheduled)
election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz elected president; percent of
legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president;
percent of legislative vote - 100%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or
Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (601 seats, elected directly from
slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 11 January 1998 (next to be held in 2003)
election results: percent of vote - PCC 94.39%; seats - PCC 601
Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular;
president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the
National Assembly
Political parties and leaders: only party - Cuban Communist Party or
PCC
International organization participation: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES,
LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPCW,
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note - Cuba has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer
Fernando REMIREZ DE ESTENOZ; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss
Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone:
(202) 797-8518
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note - the US has an
Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer
Vicki HUDDLESTON; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and
M Streets, Vedado Seccion, Havana; telephone: 33-3551 through 3559 and
33-3543 through 3547 (operator assistance required); FAX: 33-3700;
protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom)
alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist
side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center
@Cuba:Economy
Economy - overview: The state under the durable dictatorship of Fidel
CASTRO plays the primary role in the domestic economy and controls
practically all foreign trade. The government has undertaken several
reforms in recent years to stem excess liquidity, increase labor
incentives, and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods,
and services. The liberalized agricultural markets introduced in
October 1994, at which state and private farmers sell above-quota
production at unrestricted prices, have broadened legal consumption
alternatives and reduced black market prices. Government efforts to
lower subsidies to unprofitable enterprises and to shrink the money
supply caused the semi-official exchange rate for the Cuban peso to
move from a peak of 120 to the dollar in the summer of 1994 to 21 to
the dollar by yearend 1999. New taxes introduced in 1996 have helped
drive down the number of self-employed workers from 208,000 in January
1996. Havana announced in 1995 that GDP declined by 35% during
1989-93, the result of lost Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies.
The drop in GDP apparently halted in 1994, when Cuba reported 0.7%
growth, followed by increases of 2.5% in 1995 and 7.8% in 1996. Growth
slowed again in 1997 and 1998 to 2.5% and 1.2% respectively. Growth
recovered again in 1999 with a 6.2% increase in GDP, due to the
continued growth of tourism. Central control is complicated by the
existence of the informal economy, much of which is denominated in
dollars. Living standards for the average (dollarless) Cuban remain at
a depressed level compared with 1990. The continuation of gradual
economic reforms and increase in tourism suggest growth of 4% to 5% in
2000.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $18.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.2% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,700 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 36.5%
services: 56.1% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 4.5 million economically active population
note: state sector 76%, non-state sector 24% (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 23%, industry 24%, services
53%
Unemployment rate: 6% (December 1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $13.5 billion
expenditures: $14.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)
Industries: sugar, petroleum, food, tobacco, textiles, chemicals,
paper and wood products, metals (particularly nickel), cement,
fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural machinery
Industrial production growth rate: 6% (1995 est.)
Electricity - production: 15.274 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 89.52%
hydro: 0.65%
nuclear: 0%
other: 9.83% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 14.205 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice,
potatoes, beans; livestock
Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1999 est.)
Exports - commodities: sugar, nickel, tobacco, shellfish, medical
products, citrus, coffee
Exports - partners: Russia 25%, Netherlands 23%, Canada 16% (1999
est.)
Imports: $3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1999 est.)
Imports - commodities: petroleum, food, machinery, chemicals
Imports - partners: Spain 16%, Venezuela 15%, Mexico 7% (1999 est.)
Debt - external: $11.2 billion (convertible currency, 1998); another
$20 billion owed to Russia (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $68.2 million (1997 est.)
Currency: 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (nonconvertible,
official rate, linked to the US dollar)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Cuba:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 353,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,939 (1995)
Telephone system:
domestic: principal trunk system, end to end of country, is coaxial
cable; fiber-optic distribution in Havana and on Isla de la Juventud;
2 microwave radio relay installations (one is old, US-built; the other
newer, Soviet-built); both analog and digital mobile cellular service
established
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic
Ocean region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 3.9 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 58 (1997)
Televisions: 2.64 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@Cuba:Transportation
Railways:
total: 4,807 km
standard gauge: 4,807 km 1.435-m gauge (147 km electrified)
note: a large amount of track is in private use by sugar plantations
Highways:
total: 60,858 km
paved: 29,820 km (including 638 km of expressway)
unpaved: 31,038 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 240 km
Ports and harbors: Cienfuegos, Havana, Manzanillo, Mariel, Matanzas,
Nuevitas, Santiago de Cuba
Merchant marine:
total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 63,269 GRT/90,228 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 7, liquified gas 1, petroleum tanker 1,
refrigerated cargo 5 (1999 est.)
Airports: 170 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 77
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 35 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 93
914 to 1,523 m: 32
under 914 m: 61 (1999 est.)
@Cuba:Military
Military branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) includes ground
forces, Revolutionary Navy (MGR), Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR),
Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), and Youth Labor Army (EJT); the
Border Guard (TGF) is controlled by the Interior Ministry
Military manpower - military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 3,079,352
females age 15-49: 3,022,063 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,906,172
females age 15-49: 1,865,369 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 80,771
females: 76,819 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: roughly 4% (FY95 est.)
Military - note: Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and
supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
@Cuba:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to
US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can
terminate the lease
Illicit drugs: territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment
zone for cocaine bound for the US and Europe; established the death
penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999
______________________________________________________________________
CYPRUS
@Cyprus:Introduction