Justicia (magistrates are elected by the National Assembly for a single
12-year term)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Action or AD [Claudio FERMIN];
Fifth Republic Movement or MVR [Garcia PONCE]; Homeland for All or PPT
[Jose ALBORNIZ]; Justice First [Julio BORGES]; Movement Toward Socialism
or MAS [Hector MUJICA]; National Convergence or Convergencia [Juan
Jose CALDERA]; Radical Cause or La Causa R [Antonio HERRERA]; Social
Christian Party or COPEI [Oswaldo ALVAREZ Paz]; Venezuela Project or PV
[Henrique SALAS Romer]
Political pressure groups and leaders: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative
business group; VECINOS groups; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers or
CTV (labor organization dominated by the Democratic Action)
International organization participation: CAN, Caricom (observer), CCC,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Ambassador Designate Roy CHADERTON
Matos chancery: Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San
Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico) FAX: [1] (202) 342-6820 telephone:
[1] (202) 342-2214
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador
Charles SHAPIRO embassy: Calle F con Calle Suapure, Urbanizacion Colinas
de Valle Arriba, Caracas 1080 mailing address: P. O. Box 62291, Caracas
1060-A; APO AA 34037 telephone: [58] (0212) 975-9234, 975-6411 FAX: [58]
(0212) 975-8991
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue,
and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and
an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
Economy Venezuela
Economy - overview: The petroleum sector dominates the economy,
accounting for roughly a third of GDP, around 80% of export earnings,
and more than half of government operating revenues. Venezuelan
officials estimate that GDP grew by 2.7% in 2001. A strong rebound in
international oil prices fueled the recovery from the steep recession
in 1999. Nevertheless, a weak nonoil sector and capital flight - and
a temporary fall in oil prices - undercut the recovery. In early 2002,
President CHAVEZ changed the exchange rate regime from a crawling peg
to a free floating exchange rate, causing the bolivar to depreciate
significantly.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $146.2 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,100 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 40% services: 55%
(2001 est.)
Population below poverty line: 67% (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.6%
highest 10%: 37.6% (1997)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 48.8 (1997)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12.3% (2001)
Labor force: 9.9 million (1999)
Labor force - by occupation: services 64%, industry 23%, agriculture 13%
(1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14.1% (2001 est.)
Budget: revenues: $21.5 billion expenditures: $27 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Industries: petroleum, iron ore mining, construction materials, food
processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 80.754 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 22.87% hydro: 77.13%
other: 0% (2000) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 75.101 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2000)
Agriculture - products: corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas,
vegetables, coffee; beef, pork, milk, eggs; fish
Exports: $29.5 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Exports - commodities: petroleum, bauxite and aluminum, steel, chemicals,
agricultural products, basic manufactures
Exports - partners: US 60%, Brazil 5.5%, Colombia 3.5%, Italy 3.5%,
Spain 3.4% (2000)
Imports: $18.4 billion (f.o.b., 2001)
Imports - commodities: raw materials, machinery and equipment, transport
equipment, construction materials
Imports - partners: US 35.8%, Colombia 6.8%, Brazil 4.5%, Germany 3.9%,
Italy 3.9% (2000)
Debt - external: $34.5 billion (2000)
Economic aid - recipient: $35 million with more assistance likely as
a result of flooding (1999)
Currency: bolivar (VEB)
Currency code: VEB
Exchange rates: bolivares per US dollar - 761.225 (January 2002), 723.666
(2001), 679.960 (2000), 605.717 (1999), 547.556 (1998), 488.635 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Venezuela
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.6 million (however, 3,500,000 have
been installed) (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2 million (1998)
Telephone system: general assessment: modern and expanding domestic:
domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations; recent substantial
improvement in telephone service in rural areas; substantial increase
in digitalization of exchanges and trunk lines; installation of a
national interurban fiber-optic network capable of digital multimedia
services international: (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 PanAmSat; participating
with Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia in the construction of an
international fiber-optic network
Radio broadcast stations: AM 201, FM NA (20 in Caracas), shortwave 11
(1998)
Radios: 10.75 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 66 (plus 45 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 4.1 million (1997)
Internet country code: .ve
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: 950,000 (2001)
Transportation Venezuela
Railways: total: 682 km standard gauge: 682 km 1.435-m gauge note:
248 km of the existing system are privately owned; passenger services
are nonexistent; however, a National Railways Plan, intended to provide
a significant railway system, has been initiated (2001)
Highways: total: 96,155 km paved: 32,308 km unpaved: 63,847 km
(1997 est.)
Waterways: 7,100 km note: Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept
oceangoing vessels
Pipelines: crude oil 6,370 km; petroleum products 480 km; natural gas
4,010 km
Ports and harbors: Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La Salina,
Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz, Puerto Ordaz,
Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon
Merchant marine: total: 45 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 716,361
GRT/1,267,095 DWT note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here
as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 1, Italy 1, United Kingdom 1,
United States 2 (2002 est.) ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 9, liquefied
gas 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 14, roll on/roll off 10,
short-sea passenger 1
Airports: 372 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 124 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to
3,047 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 59 under 914 m: 17 (2001) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 248 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914
to 1,523 m: 97 under 914 m: 140 (2001)
Heliports: 1 (2001)
Military Venezuela
Military branches: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas Nacionales or
FAN) includes Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas Terrestres or Ejercito),
Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada - including marines and
Coast Guard), Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces
of Cooperation or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or
Guardia Nacional)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 6,647,718 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 4,786,849
(2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 246,185
(2002 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $934 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Venezuela
Disputes - international: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo
(river); maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela;
several Caribbean states protest Venezuela's claim to Islas des Aves
(Bird Islands), 565 km from Venezuelan mainland
Illicit drugs: small-scale illicit producer of opium and coca for the
processing of opiates and coca derivatives; however, large quantities of
cocaine, heroin, and marijuana transit the country from Colombia bound
for US and Europe; important money-laundering center; active eradication
program primarily targeting opium; increasing signs of drug-related
activities by Colombian insurgents on border
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
British Virgin Islands
Introduction
British Virgin Islands
Background: First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed
in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and
more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal
currency.
Geography British Virgin Islands
Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 153 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20
0 sq km land:
Area - comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 80 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point:
Mount Sage 521 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use: arable land: 20% permanent crops: 7% other: 73% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources
(except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the
islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
Geography - note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
People British Virgin Islands
Population: 21,272 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351) 15-64 years:
72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565;
female 484) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.16% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 76.84 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 1.72 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: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British
Virgin Islander
Ethnic groups: black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%,
Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%),
Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Languages: English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Government British Virgin Islands
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form:
British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Government type: NA
Capital: Road Town
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July
Constitution: 1 June 1977
Legal system: English law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February
1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA) elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch;
chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL
(since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor
from members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members
are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral
districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election
results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1,
NDP 5
Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the
High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme
Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court);
Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Political parties and leaders: Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn
SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party
or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: Caricom (associate), CDB,
ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO
(associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)
Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half
of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by
a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word
VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
Economy British Virgin Islands
Economy - overview: The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in
the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45%
of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the
US, visited the islands in 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government began
offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the
islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly
400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The
adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides
a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for
investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin
Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising
is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands'
ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally
close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has
used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.4% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services:
92% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (2000)
Labor force: 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)
Budget: revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block,
offshore financial center
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1985)
Electricity - production: 42 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% other: 0%
(1999) nuclear: 0%
Electricity - consumption: 39.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1999)
Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Exports: $6.2 million (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities: rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Imports: $230 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs,
machinery
Imports - partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Debt - external: $36.1 million (1997)
Economic aid - recipient: NA
Currency: US dollar (USD)
Currency code: USD
Exchange rates: the US dollar is used
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications British Virgin Islands
Telephones - main lines in use: 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 9,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Televisions: 4,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .vg
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 16 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation British Virgin Islands
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Road Town
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285
GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Airports: 3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m:
1 (2001)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2001)
Military British Virgin Islands
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues British Virgin Islands
Disputes - international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined
for the US and Europe
This page was last updated on 1 January 2002
========================================================================
Vietnam
Introduction
Vietnam
Background: France occupied all of Vietnam by 1884. Independence was
declared after World War II, but the French continued to rule until
1954 when they were defeated by Communist forces under Ho Chi MINH,
who took control of the north. US economic and military aid to South
Vietnam grew through the 1960s in an attempt to bolster the government,
but US armed forces were withdrawn following a cease-fire agreement in
1973. Two years later North Vietnamese forces overran the south. Economic
reconstruction of the reunited country has proven difficult as aging
Communist Party leaders have only grudgingly initiated reforms necessary
for a free market.
Geography Vietnam
Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf of
Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 329,560 sq km land: 325,360 sq km water: 4,200 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total: 4,639 km border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km,
China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km
Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season
(mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)
Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly,
mountainous in far north and northwest
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point:
Ngoc Linh 3,143 m
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate,
offshore oil and gas deposits, forests, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 5% other: 78% (1998 est.)
Irrigated land: 30,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive
flooding, especially in the Mekong River delta
Environment - current issues: logging and slash-and-burn agricultural
practices contribute to deforestation and soil degradation; water
pollution and overfishing threaten marine life populations; groundwater
contamination limits potable water supply; growing urban industrialization
and population migration are rapidly degrading environment in Hanoi and
Ho Chi Minh City
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Geography - note: extending 1,650
km north to south, the country is only 50 km across at its narrowest point
People Vietnam
Population: 81,098,416 (July 2002 est.)
Age structure: 31.6% (male 13,259,152; female 12,392,089) 15-64 years:
(male 1,749,531; female 2,675,865) (2002 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.43% (2002 est.)
Birth rate: 20.89 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Death rate: 6.14 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.47 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07
male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over:
0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 29.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: 72.5 years (2002 est.) male: Total fertility
rate: 2.44 children born/woman (2002 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: 0.24% (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: 100,000 (1999 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths: 2,500 (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Vietnamese (singular and plural) adjective: Vietnamese
Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese, Hmong, Thai, Khmer, Cham,
mountain groups
Religions: Buddhist, Hoa Hao, Cao Dai, Christian (predominantly Roman
Catholic, some Protestant), indigenous beliefs, Muslim
Languages: Vietnamese (official), English (increasingly favored as a
second language), some French, Chinese, and Khmer; mountain area languages
(Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total
population: 93.7% male: 96.5% female: 91.2% (1995 est.)
Government Vietnam
Country name: conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam local short form: Viet Nam abbreviation:
SRV local long form: Cong Hoa Xa Hoi Chu Nghia Viet Nam
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Hanoi
Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), and
3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Giang,
Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Binh
Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Cao Bang, Dac Lak, Da
Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai Duong, Hai Phong*,
Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho Chi Minh*, Hung Yen,
Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai,
Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen,
Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang,
Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue,
Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai
Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Constitution: 15 April 1992
Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal