(since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of state
and head of government head of government: President Jose Eduardo DOS
SANTOS (since 21 September 1979); note - the president is both chief of
state and head of government
Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: DOS SANTOS
originally elected (in 1979) without opposition under a
one-party system and stood for reelection in Angola's first multiparty
elections 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA) election results: DOS
SANTOS 49.6%, Jonas SAVIMBI 40.1%, making a run-off election necessary;
the run-off was not held and SAVIMBI's National Union for the Total
Independence of Angola (UNITA) repudiated the results of the first
election; the civil war resumed
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assembleia Nacional
(220 seats; members elected by proportional vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29-30 September 1992 (next to be held NA) election
results: percent of vote by party - MPLA 54%, UNITA 34%, others 12%;
seats by party - MPLA 129, UNITA 70, PRS 6, FNLA 5, PLD 3, others 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal da Relacao (judges are
appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Analia
de Victoria PEREIRA]; National Front for the Liberation of Angola or
FNLA [disputed leadership: Lucas NGONDA, Holden ROBERTO]; National
Union for the Total Independence of Angola or UNITA [Jonas SAVIMBI],
largest opposition party has engaged in years of armed resistance;
Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola or MPLA [Jose Eduardo
DOS SANTOS], ruling party in power since 1975; Social Renewal Party
or PRS [disputed leadership: Eduardo KUANGANA, Antonio MUACHICUNGO];
UNITA-Renovada [Eugenio NGOLO "Manuvakola"] note: won a few seats and
have little influence in the National Assembly
Political pressure groups and leaders: Front for the Liberation of the
Enclave of Cabinda or FLEC [N'zita Henriques TIAGO; Antonio Bento BEMBE]
note: FLEC is waging a small-scale, highly factionalized, armed struggle
for the independence of Cabinda Province
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC, ECA,
FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, SADC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Josefina Perpetua Pitra DIAKIDI FAX: [1] (202) 785-1258 consulate(s)
general: New York telephone: [1] (202) 785-1156 chancery: 2100 16th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Christopher William DELL embassy: number
international mail: State, Washington, DC 20521-2550 telephone: [244]
(2) 445-481, 447-028,
446-224, 445-727 FAX: [244] (2) 446-924
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black
with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within
half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)
Economy Angola
Economy - overview: Angola is an economy in disarray because of a quarter
century of nearly continuous warfare. Subsistence agriculture provides
the main livelihood for 85% of the population. Oil production and the
supporting activities are vital to the economy, contributing about 45%
to GDP and 90% of exports. Violence continues, millions of land mines
remain, and many farmers are reluctant to return to their fields. As
a result, much of the country's food must still be imported. To fully
take advantage of its rich natural resources - gold, diamonds, extensive
forests, Atlantic fisheries, and large oil deposits - Angola will need
to end its conflict and continue reforming government policies. Internal
strife discourages investment outside of the petroleum sector, which
is producing roughly 800,000 barrels of oil per day. While Angola made
progress in bringing inflation down further, from over 300% in 2000 to
about 110% in 2001, the government has failed to make sufficient progress
on reforms recommended by the IMF, such as increasing foreign exchange
reserves and promoting greater transparency in government spending.
Angola's GDP could be among the world's fastest growing in 2002 if oil
production from the Girassol field, which began production in December
2001, reaches 200,000 barrels per day as expected.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $13.3 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.4% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,330 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 70% services: 24%
(2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 110% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 5 million (1997 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry and services 15%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: extensive unemployment and underemployment affecting
more than half the population (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $928 million expenditures: $2.5 billion, including
capital expenditures of $963 million (1992 est.)
Industries: petroleum; diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, feldspar, bauxite,
uranium, and gold; cement; basic metal products; fish processing; food
processing; brewing; tobacco products; sugar; textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 1.19 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 40.34% hydro: 59.66%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 1.107 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: bananas, sugarcane, coffee, sisal, corn,
cotton, manioc (tapioca), tobacco, vegetables, plantains; livestock;
forest products; fish
Exports: $7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Exports - commodities: crude oil 90%, diamonds, refined petroleum
products, gas, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton
Exports - partners: US 44.5%, EU 17.3%, China 22.7%, South Korea 8.1%
(2000)
Imports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 2001 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and electrical equipment, vehicles
and spare parts; medicines, food, textiles, military goods
Imports - partners: EU 47.4%, South Korea 16%, South Africa 15.9%,
US 11.3%, Brazil 5.5% (2000)
Debt - external: $10.4 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $383.5 million (1999)
Currency: kwanza (AOA)
Currency code: AOA
Exchange rates: kwanza per US dollar - 32.8716 (January 2002), 22.058
(2001), 10.041 (2000), 2.791 (1999), 0.393 (1998), 0.229 (1997); note -
in December 1999 the kwanza was revalued with six zeroes dropped off
the old value
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Angola
Telephones - main lines in use: 69,700 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 25,800 (2000)
Telephone system: general assessment: telephone service limited mostly
to government and business use; HF radiotelephone used extensively for
military links domestic: limited system of wire, microwave radio relay,
and tropospheric scatter international: satellite earth stations -
2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 36, FM 7, shortwave 9 (2000)
Radios: 815,000 (2000)
Television broadcast stations: 7 (2000)
Televisions: 196,000 (2000)
Internet country code: .ao
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 30,000 (2001)
Transportation Angola
Railways: total: 2,771 km (inland, much of the track is unusable because
of land mines still in place from the civil war) narrow gauge: 2,648 km
1.067-m gauge; 123 km 0.600-m gauge (2000 est.)
Highways: total: 76,626 km paved: 19,156 km unpaved: 57,470 km (1997)
Waterways: 1,295 km
Pipelines: crude oil 179 km
Ports and harbors: Ambriz, Cabinda, Lobito, Luanda, Malongo, Mocamedes,
Namibe, Porto Amboim, Soyo
Merchant marine: total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 39,305
GRT/63,528 DWT ships by type: cargo 8, petroleum tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 244 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 32 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047
m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 6 under 914 m: 1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 212 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to
3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 95 under 914 m: 80 (2001)
Military Angola
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, National
Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,532,469 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,272,509
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 103,807
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $1.2 billion (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 22% (1999)
Transnational Issues Angola
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment point for cocaine destined for
Western Europe and other African states
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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American Samoa
Introduction
American Samoa
Background: Settled as early as 1000 B. C., Samoa was "discovered"
by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in
the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in
which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally
occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the
excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year.
Geography American Samoa
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
half way between Hawaii and New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 14 20 S, 170 00 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: includes Rose Island and Swains Island water: Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 116 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Climate: tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual
rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry
season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal
plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island)
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point:
Lata 966 m
Natural resources: pumice, pumicite
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 10% other: 85% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: typhoons common from December to March
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources;
the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the
past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines
Geography - note: Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater
harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas
and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location
in the South Pacific Ocean
People American Samoa
Population: 68,688 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38.1% (male 13,445; female 12,688) 15-64
years: 56.7% (male 19,228; female 19,741) 65 years and over: 5.2%
(male 1,931; female 1,655) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.31% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 24.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 4.34 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 80.21 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 3.4 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: NA%
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths: NA
Nationality: noun: American Samoan(s) adjective: American Samoan
Ethnic groups: Samoan (Polynesian) 89%, Caucasian 2%, Tongan 4%, other 5%
Religions: Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%,
Protestant and other 30%
Languages: Samoan (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian
languages), English note: most people are bilingual
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 97% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.)
Government American Samoa
Country name: conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS
Dependency status: unincorporated and unorganized territory of the
US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of
the Interior
Government type: NA
Capital: Pago Pago
Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are no
first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government,
but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order;
Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western
Independence: none (territory of the US)
National holiday: Flag Day, 17 April (1900)
Constitution: ratified 1966, in effect 1967
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US
(since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since
20 January 2001) election results: Tauese P. SUNIA reelected governor;
percent of vote - Tauese P. SUNIA (Democrat) 50.7%, Lealaifuaneva Peter
REID (independent) 47.8% elections: US president and vice president
elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant
governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms;
election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2004)
head of government: Togiola TULAFONO (since 3 January 1997) cabinet: NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists
of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected
by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains
Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members
are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms) elections:
House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA
November 2002); Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA
November 2004) note: Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000
(next to be held NA November 2002); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA
(Democrat) reelected as delegate for a sixth term election results: House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA;
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 18
Judicial branch: High Court (chief justice and associate justices are
appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [leader NA]; Republican
Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ESCAP (associate), Interpol
(subbureau), IOC, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of the US)
Flag description: blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is
based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and
white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two
traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club
Economy American Samoa
Economy - overview: This is a traditional Polynesian economy in which
more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity
is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa conducts
most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants
are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary
export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American
Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to develop a
larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location,
its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism,
a developing sector, has been held back by the recurring financial
difficulties in East Asia.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $500 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: 14,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: government 33%, tuna canneries 34%, other
33% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 6% (2000)
Budget: revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US
grants) expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97)
Industries: tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels),
handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 130 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 120.9 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit,
yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock
Exports: $345 million (1999)
Exports - commodities: canned tuna 93%
Exports - partners: US 99.6%
Imports: $452 million (1999)
Imports - commodities: materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum
products 7%, machinery and parts 6%
Imports - partners: US 62%, Australia 11%, Japan 9%, NZ 7%, Fiji 4%,
other 7%
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: important financial support from the US,
more than $40 million in 1994
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications American Samoa
Telephones - main lines in use: 13,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,550 (1997)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: good telex, telegraph,
facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system
with 1 Comsat earth station international: satellite earth station -
1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 57,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 14,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .as
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation American Samoa
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 350 km paved: 150 km unpaved: 200 km
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Aunu'u (new construction), Auasi, Faleosao, Ofu,
Pago Pago, Ta'u
Merchant marine: none (2002 est.)
Airports: 4 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m:
1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2001)
Military American Samoa
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US
Transnational Issues American Samoa
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Argentina
Introduction
Argentina
Background: Following independence from Spain in 1816, Argentina
experienced periods of internal political conflict between conservatives
and liberals and between civilian and military factions. After World
War II, a long period of Peronist authoritarian rule and interference in
subsequent governments was followed by a military junta that took power
in 1976. Democracy returned in 1983, and numerous elections since then
have underscored Argentina's progress in democratic consolidation.
Geography Argentina
Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean,
between Chile and Uruguay
Geographic coordinates: 34 00 S, 64 00 W
Map references: South America
Area: total: 2,766,890 sq km land: 2,736,690 sq km water: 30,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 9,665 km border countries: Bolivia 832 km,
Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
Coastline: 4,989 km
Maritime claims: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: mostly
temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling
plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Salinas Chicas -40 m (located on
Peninsula Valdes) highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,960 m
Natural resources: fertile plains of the Pampas, lead, zinc, tin,
copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium
Land use: arable land: 9% permanent crops: 1% other: 90% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 15,610 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: San Miguel de Tucuman and Mendoza areas in the Andes
subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike
the Pampas and northeast; heavy flooding
Environment - current issues: environmental problems (urban and rural)
typical of an industrializing economy such as deforestation, soil
degradation, desertification, air pollution, and water pollution note:
Argentina is a world leader in setting voluntary greenhouse gas targets
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol,
Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil);
strategic location relative to sea lanes between the South Atlantic
and the South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel,
Drake Passage); Cerro Aconcagua is South America's tallest mountain,
while the Valdes Peninsula is the lowest point on the continent
People Argentina
Population: 37,812,817 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.3% (male 5,090,046; female 4,854,761) 15-64
years: 63.2% (male 11,968,135; female 11,937,709) 65 years and over: 10.5%
(male 1,636,332; female 2,325,834) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 18.23 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.57 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.63 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7
male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 79.03 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.41 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.69% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 130,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 1,800 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine
Ethnic groups: white (mostly Spanish and Italian) 97%, mestizo,
Amerindian, or other nonwhite groups 3%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 92% (less than 20% practicing),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 4%
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 96.2% male: 96.2% female: 96.2% (1995 est.)
Government Argentina
Country name: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Government
type: republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular -
provincia), and 1 autonomous city* (distrito federal); Buenos Aires,
Buenos Aires Capital Federal*, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba,
Corrientes, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza,
Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz,
Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego - Antartida e Islas del
Atlantico Sur, Tucuman note: Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
Constitution: 1 May 1853; revised August 1994
Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction