saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red
cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) and which is
superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint
of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and
colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number
of other flags including other Commonwealth countries and their
constituent states or provinces, as well as British overseas
territories
@United Kingdom:Economy
Economy - overview: The UK, a leading trading power and financial
center, deploys an essentially capitalistic economy, one of the
quartet of trillion dollar economies of Western Europe. Over the past
two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and
contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is
intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards,
producing about 60% of food needs with only 1% of the labor force. The
UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy
production accounts for 10% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any
industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and
business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP
while industry continues to decline in importance. Economic growth has
been slowed in 1999; recovery to 3% is in prospect for 2000, based on
a rise in exports and domestic demand. The BLAIR government has put
off the question of participation in the euro system until after the
next election, not expected until 2001; Chancellor of the Exchequer
BROWN has identified some key economic tests to determine whether the
UK should join the common currency system.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $1.29 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.9% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 25.3%
services: 73% (1998)
Population below poverty line: 17%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 24.7% (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.3% (1999)
Labor force: 29.2 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 68.9%, manufacturing and
construction 17.5%, government 11.3%, energy 1.2%, agriculture 1.1%
(1996)
Unemployment rate: 6% (1999)
Budget:
revenues: $541 billion
expenditures: $507.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $35.1
billion (FY98/99)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric
power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment,
shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and
communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper
and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other
consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1999)
Electricity - production: 343.099 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 68.24%
hydro: 1.49%
nuclear: 28.48%
other: 1.79% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 331.482 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 200 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 12.6 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables;
cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports: $271 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals; food,
beverages, tobacco
Exports - partners: EU 58% (Germany 12%, France 10%, Netherlands 8%),
US 13% (1998)
Imports: $305.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels;
foodstuffs
Imports - partners: EU 53% (Germany 13%, France 9%, Netherlands 7%,
Italy 5%), US 14% (1998)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $3.4 billion (1997)
Currency: 1 British pound = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds per US$1 - 0.6092 (January 2000),
0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335
(1995)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@United Kingdom:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 29.41 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 13 million (yearend 1998)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international
system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and
fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations -
10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large
international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 219, FM 431, shortwave 3 (1998)
Radios: 84.5 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 78 (plus 869 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 30.5 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 364 (1999)
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railways:
total: 16,878 km
broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note - all
1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, and is
in Northern Ireland
standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591
km double or multiple track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 371,603 km
paved: 371,603 km (including 3,303 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 3,200 km
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum
products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover,
Falmouth, Felixstowe, Glasgow, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool,
London, Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Portsmouth, Scapa Flow,
Southampton, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine:
total: 173 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,917,708 GRT/3,063,113
DWT
ships by type: bulk 4, cargo 33, chemical tanker 5, combination
ore/oil 1, container 39, liquified gas 2, passenger 8, passenger/cargo
1, petroleum tanker 50, roll-on/roll-off 18, short-sea passenger 10,
specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 498 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 357
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 166
914 to 1,523 m: 93
under 914 m: 55 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 141
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 117 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1999 est.)
@United Kingdom:Military
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal
Air Force
Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 14,574,955 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,134,272 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $36.884 billion (FY97/98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY97/98)
@United Kingdom:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: Northern Ireland issue with Ireland
(historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Gibraltar issue with
Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina
claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims
island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall
continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland
(Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall
area); territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory);
Seychelles claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian Ocean Territory
Illicit drugs: gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the
European market; producer and major consumer of synthetic drugs,
synthetic precursor chemicals; major consumer of Southwest Asian
heroin; money-laundering center
______________________________________________________________________
UNITED STATES
@United States:Introduction
Background: The United States became the world's first modern
democracy after its break with Great Britain (1776) and the adoption
of a constitution (1789). During the 19th century, many new states
were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North
American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The
two major traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil
War (1861-65) and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Buoyed by
victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991,
the US remains the world's most powerful nation-state. The economy is
marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid
advances in technology.
@United States:Geography
Location: North America, bordering both the North Atlantic Ocean and
the North Pacific Ocean, between Canada and Mexico
Geographic coordinates: 38 00 N, 97 00 W
Map references: North America
Area:
total: 9,629,091 sq km
land: 9,158,960 sq km
water: 470,131 sq km
note: includes only the 50 states and District of Columbia
Area - comparative: about one-half the size of Russia; about
three-tenths the size of Africa; about one-half the size of South
America (or slightly larger than Brazil); slightly larger than China;
about two and one-half times the size of Western Europe
Land boundaries:
total: 12,248 km
border countries: Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska),
Cuba 29 km (US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay), Mexico 3,326 km
note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and thus remains part
of Cuba
Coastline: 19,924 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly temperate, but tropical in Hawaii and Florida, arctic
in Alaska, semiarid in the great plains west of the Mississippi River,
and arid in the Great Basin of the southwest; low winter temperatures
in the northwest are ameliorated occasionally in January and February
by warm chinook winds from the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains
Terrain: vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low
mountains in east; rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska;
rugged, volcanic topography in Hawaii
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Death Valley -86 m
highest point: Mount McKinley 6,194 m
Natural resources: coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates,
uranium, bauxite, gold, iron, mercury, nickel, potash, silver,
tungsten, zinc, petroleum, natural gas, timber
Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 207,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: tsunamis, volcanoes, and earthquake activity around
Pacific Basin; hurricanes along the Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico
coasts; tornadoes in the midwest and southeast; mud slides in
California; forest fires in the west; flooding; permafrost in northern
Alaska, a major impediment to development
Environment - current issues: air pollution resulting in acid rain in
both the US and Canada; the US is the largest single emitter of carbon
dioxide from the burning of fossil fuels; water pollution from runoff
of pesticides and fertilizers; very limited natural fresh water
resources in much of the western part of the country require careful
management; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change,
Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine
Life Conservation, 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,
Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate
Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes
Geography - note: world's third-largest country (after Russia and
Canada)
@United States:People
Population: 275,562,673 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.25% (male 29,956,875; female 28,597,880)
15-64 years: 66.11% (male 90,345,154; female 91,827,471)
65 years and over: 12.64% (male 14,472,865; female 20,362,428) (2000
est.)
Population growth rate: 0.91% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 14.2 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 8.7 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.5 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: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.12 years
male: 74.24 years
female: 79.9 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality:
noun: American(s)
adjective: American
Ethnic groups: white 83.5%, black 12.4%, Asian 3.3%, Amerindian 0.8%
(1992)
note: a separate listing for Hispanic is not included because the US
Census Bureau considers Hispanic to mean a person of Latin American
descent (especially of Cuban, Mexican, or Puerto Rican origin) living
in the US who may be of any race or ethnic group (white, black, Asian,
etc.)
Religions: Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%,
none 10% (1989)
Languages: English, Spanish (spoken by a sizable minority)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 97% (1979 est.)
@United States:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: United States of America
conventional short form: United States
abbreviation: US or USA
Data code: US
Government type: federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital: Washington, DC
Administrative divisions: 50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska,
Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware,
District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois,
Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland,
Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana,
Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania,
Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah,
Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Dependent areas: American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island,
Jarvis Island, Johnston Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa
Island, Northern Mariana Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin
Islands, Wake Island
note: from 18 July 1947 until 1 October 1994, the US administered the
Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a
new political relationship with all four political units: the Northern
Mariana Islands is a commonwealth in political union with the US
(effective 3 November 1986); Palau concluded a Compact of Free
Association with the US (effective 1 October 1994); the Federated
States of Micronesia signed a Compact of Free Association with the US
(effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of the Marshall Islands
signed a Compact of Free Association with the US (effective 21 October
1986)
Independence: 4 July 1776 (from Great Britain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: 17 September 1787, effective 4 March 1789
Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January
1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993);
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20
January 1993) and Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January
1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with Senate approval
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by
a college of representatives who are elected directly from each state;
president and vice president serve four-year terms; election last held
5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: William Jefferson CLINTON reelected president;
percent of popular vote - William Jefferson CLINTON (Democratic Party)
49.2%, Robert DOLE (Republican Party) 40.7%, Ross PEROT (Reform Party)
8.4%, other 1.7%
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of Senate (100 seats,
one-third are renewed every two years; two members are elected from
each state by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and House of
Representatives (435 seats; members are directly elected by popular
vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 1998 (next to be held 7
November 2000); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 1998
(next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - Republican Party 55, Democratic Party 45; House of
Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
Republican Party 223, Democratic Party 211, independent 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (the nine justices are appointed for
life by the president with confirmation by the Senate)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [Steve GROSSMAN,
national committee chairman]; Republican Party [Jim NICHOLSON,
national committee chairman]; several other groups or parties of minor
political significance
International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EAPC, EBRD, ECE,
ECLAC, ESCAP, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM (guest),
NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SPC, UN, UN Security
Council, UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA,
UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Flag description: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and
bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper
hoist-side corner bearing 50 small, white, five-pointed stars arranged
in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom)
alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50
states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as
Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of
other flags, including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
@United States:Economy
Economy - overview: The US has the most technologically powerful,
diverse, advanced, and largest economy in the world, with a per capita
GDP of $33,900. In this market-oriented economy, private individuals
and business firms make most of the decisions, and government buys
needed goods and services predominantly in the private marketplace. US
business firms enjoy considerably greater flexibility than their
counterparts in Western Europe and Japan in decisions to expand
capital plant, lay off surplus workers, and develop new products. At
the same time, they face higher barriers to entry in their rivals'
home markets than the barriers to entry of foreign firms in US
markets. US firms are at or near the forefront in technological
advances, especially in computers and in medical, aerospace, and
military equipment, although their advantage has narrowed since the
end of World War II. The onrush of technology largely explains the
gradual development of a "two-tier labor market" in which those at the
bottom lack the education and the professional/technical skills of
those at the top and, more and more, fail to get pay raises, health
insurance coverage, and other benefits. Since 1975, practically all
the gains in household income have gone to the top 20% of households.
The years 1994-99 witnessed solid increases in real output, low
inflation rates, and a drop in unemployment to below 5%. Long-term
problems include inadequate investment in economic infrastructure,
rapidly rising medical costs of an aging population, sizable trade
deficits, and stagnation of family income in the lower economic
groups. The outlook for 2000 is clouded by the continued economic
problems of Japan, Russia, Indonesia, Brazil, and many other
countries. Domestically, the potentially most serious problem is the
exuberant level of stock prices in relation to corporate earnings.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $9.255 trillion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $33,900 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 18%
services: 80% (1999)
Population below poverty line: 12.7% (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.5%
highest 10%: 28.5% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.2% (1999)
Labor force: 139.4 million (includes unemployed) (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: managerial and professional 30.3%,
technical, sales and administrative support 29.2%, services 13.4%,
manufacturing, mining, transportation, and crafts 24.5%, farming,
forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1999)
note: figures exclude the unemployed
Unemployment rate: 4.2% (1999)
Budget:
revenues: $1.828 trillion
expenditures: $1.703 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1999)
Industries: leading industrial power in the world, highly diversified
and technologically advanced; petroleum, steel, motor vehicles,
aerospace, telecommunications, chemicals, electronics, food
processing, consumer goods, lumber, mining
Industrial production growth rate: 2.4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 3.62 trillion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 70.34%
hydro: 8.96%
nuclear: 18.61%
other: 2.09% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 3.365 trillion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 12.772 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 39.513 billion kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: wheat, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables,
cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish
Exports: $663 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports - commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies
and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products
Exports - partners: Canada 23%, Mexico 12%, Japan 8%, UK 6%, Germany
4%, France 3%, Netherlands 3% (1998)
Imports: $912 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.)
Imports - commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum products,
machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food
and beverages
Imports - partners: Canada 19%, Japan 13%, Mexico 10%, China 8%,
Germany 5%, UK 4%, Taiwan 4% (1998)
Debt - external: $862 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: British pounds per US$ - 0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180
(1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995);
Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$ - 1.4489 (January 2000), 1.4857
(1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724 (1995);
French francs (F) per US$ - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367
(1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994); Italian lire
(Lit) per US$ - 1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1
(1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994); Japanese yen
per US$ - 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99
(1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995); German deutsche marks (DM) per
US$ - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048
(1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994); Euro per US$ - 0.98673 (January
1999), 0.93863 (1999)
note: France, Italy, and Germany have adopted the euro since 1998
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
@United States:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 178 million (1999)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.312 million (1997)