vessels with drafts ranging up to 7 m can navigate many of the
principal waterways
Ports and harbors: Albina, Moengo, New Nickerie, Paramaribo, Paranam,
Wageningen
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,432 GRT/4,525 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, container 1, petroleum tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 46 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 41
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 35 (1999 est.)
@Suriname:Military
Military branches: National Army (includes small Navy and Air Force
elements), Civil Police
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 120,152 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 70,580 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $8.5 million (FY97 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.6% (FY97 est.)
@Suriname:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims area in French Guiana between Litani
Rivier and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area
in Guyana between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Koetari
Rivers (all headwaters of the Courantyne)
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American drugs destined
mostly for Europe
______________________________________________________________________
SVALBARD
@Svalbard:Introduction
Background: First discovered by the Norwegians in the 12th century,
the islands served as an international whaling base during the 17th
and 18th centuries. Norway's sovereignty was recognized in 1920; five
years later it officially took over the territory.
@Svalbard:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, islands between the Arctic Ocean, Barents
Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea, north of Norway
Geographic coordinates: 78 00 N, 20 00 E
Map references: Arctic Region
Area:
total: 62,049 sq km
land: 62,049 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3,587 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not
recognized by Russia
territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool
summers, cold winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and
north coasts of Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of
the year
Terrain: wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west
coast clear of ice about one-half of the year; fjords along west and
north coasts
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Arctic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Newtontoppen 1,717 m
Natural resources: coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife,
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and
cloudberry)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: ice floes often block up the entrance to Bellsund (a
transit point for coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make
parts of the northeastern coast inaccessible to maritime traffic
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists
of nine main islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total
area
@Svalbard:People
Population: 2,416 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: -3.55% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
Ethnic groups: Russian and Ukrainian 62%, Norwegian 38%, other NEGL%
(1994)
Languages: Russian, Norwegian
@Svalbard:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Svalbard (sometimes referred to as
Spitzbergen)
Data code: SV
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Ministry
of Industry, Oslo, through a governor (sysselmann) residing in
Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen; by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was
given to Norway
Government type: NA
Capital: Longyearbyen
Independence: none (territory of Norway)
National holiday: NA
Legal system: NA
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HARALD V of Norway (since 17 January 1991)
head of government: Governor Morten RUUD (since NA November 1998) and
Assistant Governor Rune Baard HANSEN (since NA 1996)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor and assistant
governor responsible to the Polar Department of the Ministry of
Justice
International organization participation: none
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
@Svalbard:Economy
Economy - overview: Coal mining is the major economic activity on
Svalbard. The treaty of 9 February 1920 gives the 41 signatories equal
rights to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation.
Although US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the
past, the only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The
settlements on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian
state-owned coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian
population on the island, runs many of the local services, and
provides most of the local infrastructure. There is also some trapping
of seal, polar bear, fox, and walrus.
GDP: $NA
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: $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: NA
Budget:
revenues: $11.7 million
expenditures: $11.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
Exports: $NA
Imports: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: $8.7 million from Norway (1997)
Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 8.0129 (January
2000), 7.7992 (1999), 7.5451 (1998), 7.0734 (1997), 6.4498 (1996),
6.3352 (1995)
@Svalbard:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: NA
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system:
domestic: local telephone service
international: satellite earth station - 1 of NA type (for
communication with Norwegian mainland only)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1 (plus 2 repeaters), shortwave 0
(1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Svalbard:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Barentsburg, Longyearbyen, Ny-Alesund, Pyramiden
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 4 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
under 914 m: 3 (1999 est.)
@Svalbard:Military
Military - note: demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)
______________________________________________________________________
SWAZILAND
@Swaziland:Introduction
Background: Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed
by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted
1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s have pressured the
monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow
political reform and greater democracy.
@Swaziland:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Geographic coordinates: 26 30 S, 31 30 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 17,363 sq km
land: 17,203 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 535 km
border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: varies from tropical to near temperate
Terrain: mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m
highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
Natural resources: asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower,
forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 62%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 20% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 670 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: limited supplies of potable water;
wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting;
overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Nuclear
Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South
Africa
@Swaziland:People
Population: 1,083,289
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: 46% (male 245,626; female 247,825)
15-64 years: 52% (male 270,308; female 291,884)
65 years and over: 2% (male 11,357; female 16,289) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.02% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 40.64 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 20.4 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: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 108.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 40.44 years
male: 39.54 years
female: 41.37 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.87 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swazi(s)
adjective: Swazi
Ethnic groups: African 97%, European 3%
Religions: Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%
Languages: English (official, government business conducted in
English), siSwati (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 76.7%
male: 78%
female: 75.6% (1995 est.)
@Swaziland:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland
conventional short form: Swaziland
Data code: WZ
Government type: monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
Capital: Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital
Administrative divisions: 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini,
Shiselweni
Independence: 6 September 1968 (from UK)
National holiday: Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September (1968)
Constitution: none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12
April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but
was not formally presented to the people; since then a few more
outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the
Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been
accepted
Legal system: based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory
courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: NA years of age
Executive branch:
chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
head of government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9
August 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by
the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory
body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of
Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year
terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the
monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998 (next
to be held NA 2003)
election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty
basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of
each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with
the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single
winner by a second round
Judicial branch: High Court, judges are appointed by the monarch;
Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the monarch
Political parties and leaders: Convention for Full Democracy in
Swaziland or COFUDESWA ; Ngwane Socialist
Revolutionary Party or NGWASOREP ; People's United
Democratic Movement or PUDEMO ; Swaziland Communist
Party or SWACOPA ; Swaziland Democratic Alliance
(represents key opposition parties) ; Swaziland
Federation of Trade Unions or SFTU ; Swaziland Liberation
Front or FROLISA ; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO
; Swaziland Youth Congress or SWAYOCO (included in PUDEMO)
note: political parties are banned by the constitution promulgated on
13 October 1978; illegal parties are prohibited from holding large
public gatherings
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO,
G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA
chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 362-6683
FAX: (202) 244-8059
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory L. JOHNSON
embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
telephone: 404-6441 through 404-6445
FAX: 404-5959
Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple
width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red
band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff
decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally
@Swaziland:Economy
Economy - overview: In this small landlocked economy, subsistence
agriculture occupies more than 60% of the population. Manufacturing
features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in
importance in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted
by 1978, and health concerns have cut world demand for asbestos.
Exports of soft drink concentrate, sugar, and wood pulp are the main
earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a
short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South
Africa from which it receives four-fifths of its imports and to which
it sends three-fourths of its exports. Remittances from Swazi workers
in South African mines supplement domestically earned income by as
much as 20%. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for
foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, and drought persist
as problems for the future.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.2 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.1% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,200 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10%
industry: 48%
services: 42% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1999 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: private sector about 70%, public sector
about 30%
Unemployment rate: 22% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $400 million
expenditures: $450 million, including capital expenditures of $115
million (FY96/97)
Industries: mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink
concentrates
Industrial production growth rate: 3.7% (FY95/96)
Electricity - production: 420 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 48.81%
hydro: 51.19%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 1.078 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 687 million kWh
note: imports about 60% of its electricity from South Africa (1998)
Agriculture - products: sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice,
citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep
Exports: $825 million (f.o.b., 1999)
Exports - commodities: soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp,
cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit
Exports - partners: South Africa 74%, EU 12%, Mozambique 5%, US, North
Korea (1997)
Imports: $1.05 billion (f.o.b., 1999)
Imports - commodities: motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment,
foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals
Imports - partners: South Africa 83%, EU 6%, Japan, UK, Singapore
(1997)
Debt - external: $180 million (1999)
Economic aid - recipient: $55 million (1995)
Currency: 1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: emalangeni (E) per US$1 - 6.1237 (January 2000),
6.1087 (1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997), 4.2706 (1996), 3.6266
(1995); note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African
rand
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Swaziland:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 20,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1996)
Telephone system:
domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and
low-capacity, microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios: 155,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus seven repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 21,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (1999)
@Swaziland:Transportation
Railways:
total: 297 km; note - includes 71 km which are not in use
narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways:
total: 2,896 km (1997 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 18 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 10 (1999 est.)
@Swaziland:Military
Military branches: Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army), Royal
Swaziland Police Force
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 242,398 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 140,299 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $23 million (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (FY95/96)
@Swaziland:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Swaziland has asked South Africa to open
negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories
that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the
Swazi Kingdom
______________________________________________________________________
SWEDEN
@Sweden:Introduction
Background: A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not
participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality
was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic
formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare
elements has recently been undermined by high unemployment, rising
maintenance costs, and a declining position in world markets.
Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic
integration of Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and
to forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999.
@Sweden:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia,
Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway
Geographic coordinates: 62 00 N, 15 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 449,964 sq km
land: 410,934 sq km
water: 39,030 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total: 2,205 km
border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline: 3,218 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines
territorial sea: 12 nm (adjustments made to return a portion of
straits to high seas)
Climate: temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly
cloudy summers; subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m
Natural resources: zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber,
uranium, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 68%
other: 24% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,150 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in
the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic
Environment - current issues: acid rain damaging soils and lakes;
pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile
Organic Compounds, 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: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants,
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: strategic location along Danish Straits linking
Baltic and North Seas
@Sweden:People
Population: 8,873,052 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 837,358; female 794,774)
15-64 years: 64% (male 2,901,809; female 2,805,138)
65 years and over: 18% (male 648,865; female 885,108) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.02% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 10.01 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 10.62 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.49 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.58 years
male: 76.95 years
female: 82.37 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Swede(s)
adjective: Swedish
Ethnic groups: indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Lapp
(Sami) minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns,
Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks
Religions: Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim,
Jewish, Buddhist
Languages: Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1979 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Sweden:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form: Sweden
local long form: Konungariket Sverige
local short form: Sverige
Data code: SW
Government type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Stockholm