Executive branch: chief of state: President Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE
(since 2 January 2002); note - selected by National Congress in aftermath
of resignation of former President DE LA RUA on 20 December 2001 and
resignations of others who briefly held the office following DE LA RUA's
departure; Vice President Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October
2000 and the post remains vacant; note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government head of government: President
Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE (since 2 January 2002); note - selected by
National Congress in aftermath of resignation of former President
DE LA RUA on 20 December 2001 and resignations of others who briefly
held the office following DE LA RUA's departure; Vice President Carlos
"Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and the post remains vacant;
note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president election results: Fernando
DE LA RUA elected president; percent of vote - 48.5% ; Vice President
Carlos "Chacho" ALVAREZ resigned 6 October 2000 and a replacement was
not named; DE LA RUA resigned 20 December 2001; following a series of
interim presidents, Eduardo Alberto DUHALDE was selected president by
the National Congress on 1 January 2002 elections: for four-year terms;
election last held 24 October 1999 (next to be held NA October 2003)
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional
consists of the Senate (72 seats; formerly, three members appointed
by each of the provincial legislatures; presently transitioning to
one-third of the members being elected every two years to six-year terms)
and the Chamber of Deputies (257 seats; one-half of the members elected
every two years to four-year terms) election results: Senate - percent
of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc or party - Justicialist
(Peronist) 40, UCR 24, provincial parties 6, Frepaso 1, ARI 1; Chamber
of Deputies - percent of vote by bloc or party - NA%; seats by bloc
or party - Justicialist (Peronist) 113, UCR 74, provincial parties 27,
Frepaso 17, ARI 17, AR 9 elections: Senate - last held 14 October 2001
(next to be held NA October 2003); Chamber of Deputies - last held 14
October 2001 (next to be held NA October 2003)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (the nine Supreme Court
judges are appointed by the president with approval by the Senate)
Political parties and leaders: Action for the Republic or AR [Domingo
CAVALLO]; Alternative for a Republic of Equals or ARI [Elisa CARRIO];
Front for a Country in Solidarity or Frepaso (a four-party coalition)
[Dario Pedro ALESSANDRO]; Justicialist Party or PJ [Carlos Saul MENEM]
(Peronist umbrella political organization); Radical Civic Union or UCR
[Angel ROZAS]; several provincial parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Argentine Association of
Pharmaceutical Labs (CILFA); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers'
association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association);
business organizations; General Confederation of Labor or CGT
(Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Peronist-dominated labor
movement; Roman Catholic Church; students
International organization participation: AfDB, Australia Group, BCIE,
BIS, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur, MINURSO, MIPONUH, MTCR, NSG,
OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNMOVIC, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Diego Ramiro GUELAR chancery: 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20009 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles,
Miami, New York FAX: [1] (202) 332-3171 telephone: [1] (202) 238-6400
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James
D. WALSH embassy: Avenida Colombia 4300, C1425GMN Buenos Aires mailing
address: international mail: use street address; APO address: Unit 4334,
APO AA 34034 telephone: [54] (11) 5777-4533 FAX: [54] (11) 5511-4240
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top),
white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow
sun with a human face known as the Sun of May
Economy Argentina
Economy - overview: Argentina benefits from rich natural resources,
a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector,
and a diversified industrial base. However, when President Carlos MENEM
took office in 1989, the country had piled up huge external debts,
inflation had reached 200% per month, and output was plummeting. To
combat the economic crisis, the government embarked on a path of trade
liberalization, deregulation, and privatization. In 1991, it implemented
radical monetary reforms which pegged the peso to the US dollar and
limited the growth in the monetary base by law to the growth in reserves.
Inflation fell sharply in subsequent years. In 1995, the Mexican peso
crisis produced capital flight, the loss of banking system deposits,
and a severe, but short-lived, recession; a series of reforms to bolster
the domestic banking system followed. Real GDP growth recovered strongly,
reaching 8% in 1997. In 1998, international financial turmoil caused by
Russia's problems and increasing investor anxiety over Brazil produced
the highest domestic interest rates in more than three years, halving the
growth rate of the economy. Conditions worsened in 1999 with GDP falling
by 3%. President Fernando DE LA RUA, who took office in December 1999,
sponsored tax increases and spending cuts to reduce the deficit, which
had ballooned to 2.5% of GDP in 1999. Growth in 2000 was a negative
0.5%, as both domestic and foreign investors remained skeptical of the
government's ability to pay debts and maintain the peso's fixed exchange
rate with the US dollar. The economic situation worsened still further in
2001 with the widening of spreads on Argentine bonds, massive withdrawals
from the banks, and a further decline in consumer and investor confidence.
Government efforts to achieve a "zero deficit", to stabilize the banking
system, and to restore economic growth proved inadequate in the face
of the mounting economic problems. At the start of 2002, newly elected
president Eduardo DUHALDE met with IMF officials to secure an additional
$20 billion loan, but immediate action seemed unlikely. The peso's peg
to the dollar was abandoned in January 2002, and the peso was floated
from the dollar in February; inflation picked up rapidly.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $453 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -4.6% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 28% services: 66%
(2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 37% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 15 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Unemployment rate: 25% (yearend 2001)
Budget: revenues: $44 billion expenditures: $48 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles,
chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (2000 est.)
Electricity - production: 82.802 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 51.81% hydro: 40.67%
other: 0.29% (2000) nuclear: 7.23%
Electricity - consumption: 80.806 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 3.7 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 7.5 billion kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: sunflower seeds, lemons, soybeans, grapes,
corn, tobacco, peanuts, tea, wheat; livestock
Exports: $26.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: edible oils, fuels and energy, cereals, feed,
motor vehicles
Exports - partners: Brazil 26.5%, US 11.8%, Chile 10.6%, Spain 3.5%
(2000)
Imports: $23.8 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, motor vehicles,
chemicals, metal manufactures, plastics
Imports - partners: Brazil 25.1%, US 18.7%, Germany 5%, China 4.6% (2000)
Debt - external: $155 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $10 billion (2001 est.)
Currency: Argentine peso (ARS)
Currency code: ARS
Exchange rates: Argentine pesos per US dollar - 1.33325 (January 2002),
1.000 (1997-2001); note - fixed rate pegged to the US dollar was abandoned
in January 2002; peso now floats
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Argentina
Telephones - main lines in use: 7.5 million (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3 million (December 1999)
Telephone system: general assessment: by opening the telecommunications
market to competition and foreign investment with the "Telecommunications
Liberalization Plan of 1998", Argentina encouraged the growth of modern
telecommunication technology; fiber-optic cable trunk lines are being
installed between all major cities; the major networks are entirely
digital and the availability of telephone service is being improved;
however, telephone density is presently minimal, and making telephone
service universally available will take some time domestic: microwave
radio relay, fiber-optic cable, and a domestic satellite system with 40
earth stations serve the trunk network; more than 110,000 pay telephones
are installed and mobile telephone use is rapidly expanding international:
Unisur submarine cables; two international gateways near Buenos Aires
(1999)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 260 (including 10 inactive stations),
FM NA (probably more than 1,000, mostly unlicensed), shortwave 6 (1998)
Radios: 24.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 42 (plus 444 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 7.95 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ar
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 33 (2000)
Internet users: 3.88 million (2001)
Transportation Argentina
Railways: total: 33,744 km (167 km electrified) broad gauge: 20,594 km
1.676-m gauge (141 km electrified) standard gauge: 2,739 km 1.435-m gauge
(26 km electrified) narrow gauge: 10,154 km 1.000-m gauge; 257 km 0.750-m
gauge (2000 est.)
Highways: total: 215,434 km paved: 63,553 km (including 734 km of
expressways) unpaved: 151,881 km (1998 est.)
Waterways: 10,950 km
Pipelines: crude oil 4,090 km; petroleum products 2,900 km; natural
gas 9,918 km
Ports and harbors: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Comodoro Rivadavia,
Concepcion del Uruguay, La Plata, Mar del Plata, Necochea, Rio Gallegos,
Rosario, Santa Fe, Ushuaia
Merchant marine: total: 24 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 147,505
GRT/222,500 DWT ships by type: cargo 9, petroleum tanker 10, railcar
carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 2, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger
1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: United Arab Emirates 1, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 1,369 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 144 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to
3,047 m: 26 1,524 to 2,437 m: 60 914 to 1,523 m: 45 under 914 m: 9 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: Military Argentina
Military branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic
(includes naval aviation and Marines), Coast Guard, Argentine Air Force,
National Gendarmerie, National Aeronautical Police Force
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 9,521,633 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 7,721,219
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 335,085
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $4.3 billion (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.3% (FY00)
Transnational Issues Argentina
Disputes - international: claims UK-administered Falkland Islands
(Islas Malvinas); claims UK-administered South Georgia and the South
Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica partially overlaps
British and Chilean claims
Illicit drugs: used as a transshipment country for cocaine headed for
Europe and the US; increasing use as a money-laundering center; domestic
consumption of drugs in urban centers is increasing
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
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Australia
Introduction
Australia
Background: Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire
in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to
rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to
make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II.
Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone
layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the
Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a
commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic,
was defeated in 1999.
Geography Australia
Location: Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South
Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 7,686,850 sq km water: 68,920 sq km note: includes Lord
Howe Island and Macquarie Island land: 7,617,930 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 25,760 km
Maritime claims: 12 NM exclusive economic zone: Climate: generally
arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m highest point: Mount
Kosciuszko 2,229 m
Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver,
uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural
gas, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 0% other: 93% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 24,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Environment - current issues: soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial
development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity
rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for
agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal
and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the
largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and
its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental
Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic
Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
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: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country;
population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts;
regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs
along the west coast in the summer
People Australia
Population: 19,546,792 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20.4% (male 2,046,052; female 1,949,725)
15-64 years: 67% (male 6,610,840; female 6,480,354) 65 years and over:
12.6% (male 1,078,506; female 1,381,315) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.96% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 12.71 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.12 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: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.9 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80 years female: 83 years
(2002 est.) male: 77.15 years
Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.15% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 14,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 100 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Australian(s) adjective: Australian
Ethnic groups: Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Religions: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%,
non-Christian 11%, other 12.6%
Languages: English, native languages
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 100% male: 100% female: 100% (1980 est.)
Government Australia
Country name: conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia
conventional short form: Australia
Government type: democratic, federal-state system recognizing the
British monarch as sovereign
Capital: Canberra
Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian
Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland,
South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos
(Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands,
Norfolk Island
Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
National holiday: Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor General Rt. Rev. Dr. Peter HOLLINGWORTH
(since 29 June 2001) head of government: Prime Minister John Winston
HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON
(since 20 July 1999) cabinet: Cabinet Parliament nominates, from among
its members, a list of candidates to serve as government ministers;
from this list, the governor general makes the final selections for the
Cabinet elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader
of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually
appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term
note: government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate
(76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two
mainland territories; one-half of the members elected every three years
by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives
(150 seats - this is up from 148 seats in 2001 election; members elected
by popular vote on the basis of preferential representation to serve
three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)
elections: Senate - last held 10 November 2001 (next to be held by
November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 10 November 2001
(next to be held by November 2004) election results: Senate - percent
of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party
coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 28, Australian Democrats 8, Green
Party 2, One Nation Party 1, Country Labor Party 1, independent 1; House
of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
Liberal Party-National Party coalition 82, Australian Labor Party 65,
independent and other 3
Judicial branch: High Court (the chief justice and six other justices
are appointed by the governor general)
Political parties and leaders: Australian Democrats [Natasha
STOTT-DESPOJA]; Australian Labor Party [Simon CREAN]; Country Labor Party
[leader NA]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD];
National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [leader NA]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Australian Democratic Labor Party
(anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Australian Monarchist League
[leader NA]; Australian Republican Movement [leader NA]
International organization participation: ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue
partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC,
CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest),
NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Michael J. THAWLEY
consulate(s) general: FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168 telephone: [1] (202)
797-3000 chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
J. Thomas SCHIEFFER embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra,
Australian Capital Territory 2600 mailing address: consulate(s) general:
Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Flag description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant;
the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation
in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed
stars
Economy Australia
Economy - overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist
economy, with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European
economies. The Australian economy has been resilient in the face of
the global economic downturn in 2001 chalking up 2.3% GDP growth, as
the domestic economy is offsetting the external slump and business and
consumer confidence remains robust. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is
a key factor behind the economy's strength, and Australia is expected
to outperform its trading partners in 2002, with GDP growth projected
to be 3% or better. Australia probably will experience some weakness in
mid-2002 as its business cycle tends to lag the US by about six months,
and larger problems could emerge if Australia's trade position worsens.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $465.9 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $24,000 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 25% services: 72%
(2000 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2%
highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 35.2 (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (2001 est.)
Labor force: 9.2 million (December 2001)
Labor force - by occupation: services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 6.7% (2001)
Budget: revenues: $86.8 billion expenditures: $84.1 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 est.)
Industries: mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food
processing, chemicals, steel
Industrial production growth rate: 0.4% (2001 est.)
Electricity - production: 202.676 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 89.79% hydro: 8.47%
other: 1.74% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 188.489 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle,
sheep, poultry
Exports: $68.8 billion (2001 est.)