Languages Around the World/LanguageWorld.iso/wrldfact/neth_pan.txt

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 151KB | 4,840 lines

@Netherlands Antilles

Header
Affiliation:
  (part of the Dutch realm)

@Netherlands Antilles, Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, two island groups - Curacao and Bonaire in the southern
  Caribbean Sea are about 70 km north of Venezuela near Aruba and the
  rest of the country is about 800 km to the northeast about one-third
  of the way between Antigua and Barbuda and Puerto Rico
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area:
  960 sq km
land area:
  960 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than 5.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note:
  includes Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint Eustatius, and Sint Maarten
  (Dutch part of the island of Saint Martin)
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  364 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
  12 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; ameliorated by northeast trade winds
Terrain:
  generally hilly, volcanic interiors
Natural resources:
  phosphates (Curacao only), salt (Bonaire only)
Land use:
arable land:
  8%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  92%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  Curacao and Bonaire are south of Caribbean hurricane belt, so rarely
  threatened; Sint Maarten, Saba, and Sint Eustatius are subject to
  hurricanes from July to October
international agreements:
  party to - Whaling

@Netherlands Antilles, People

Population:
  185,790 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.47% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  16.62 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -6.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  9.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  76.32 years
male:
  74.1 years
female:
  78.66 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.96 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Netherlands Antillean(s)
adjective:
  Netherlands Antillean
Ethnic divisions:
  mixed African 85%, Carib Indian, European, Latin, Oriental
Religions:
  Roman Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Seventh-Day Adventist
Languages:
  Dutch (official), Papiamento a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English
  dialect predominates, English widely spoken, Spanish
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
total population:
  94%
male:
  94%
female:
  93%
Labor force:
  89,000
by occupation:
  government 65%, industry and commerce 28% (1983)

@Netherlands Antilles, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Netherlands Antilles
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  Nederlandse Antillen
Digraph:
  NA
Type:
  part of the Dutch realm; full autonomy in internal affairs granted in
  1954
Capital:
  Willemstad
Administrative divisions:
  none (part of the Dutch realm)
Independence:
  none (part of the Dutch realm)
National holiday:
  Queen's Day, 30 April (1938)
Constitution:
  29 December 1954, Statute of the Realm of the Netherlands, as amended
Legal system:
  based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law
  influence
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by
  Governor General Jaime SALEH (since NA October 1989)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Miguel POURIER (since 25 February 1994)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed with the advice and approval of the
  unicameral legislature
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Staten:
  elections last held on 25 February 1994 (next to be held March 1998);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (23 total) PAR 8, PNP
  3, SPA 2, PDB 2, UPB 1, MAN 2, DP 1, WIPM 1, DP-St. E 1, DP-St. M 1,
  Nos Patria 1
note:
  the government of Miguel POURIER is a coalition of several parties
Judicial branch:
  Joint High Court of Justice
Political parties and leaders:
  political parties are indigenous to each island
Bonaire:
  Patriotic Union of Bonaire (UPB), Rudy ELLIS; Democratic Party of
  Bonaire (PDB), Franklin CRESTIAN
Curacao:
  Antillean Restructuring Party (PAR), Miguel POURIER; National People's
  Party (PNP), Maria LIBERIA-PETERS; New Antilles Movement (MAN),
  Domenico Felip Don MARTINA; Workers' Liberation Front (FOL), Wilson
  (Papa) GODETT; Socialist Independent (SI), George HUECK and Nelson
  MONTE; Democratic Party of Curacao (DP), Augustin DIAZ; Nos Patria,
  Chin BEHILIA
Saba:
  Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM Saba), Will JOHNSON; Saba
  Democratic Labor Movement, Vernon HASSELL; Saba Unity Party, Carmen
  SIMMONDS
Sint Eustatius:
  Democratic Party of Sint Eustatius (DP-St.E), K. Van PUTTEN; Windward
  Islands People's Movement (WIPM); St. Eustatius Alliance (SEA), Ralph
  BERKEL
Sint Maarten:
  Democratic Party of Sint Maarten (DP-St.M), Claude WATHEY; Patriotic
  Movement of Sint Maarten (SPA), Vance JAMES
Member of:
  CARICOM (observer), ECLAC (associate), ICFTU, INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO
  (associate), UPU, WMO, WTO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Consul General Bernard J. WOERZ
consulate general:
  Saint Anna Boulevard 19, Willemstad, Curacao
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 158, Willemstad, Curacao
telephone:
  [599] (9) 613066
FAX:
  [599] (9) 616489
Flag:
  white with a horizontal blue stripe in the center superimposed on a
  vertical red band also centered; five white five-pointed stars are
  arranged in an oval pattern in the center of the blue band; the five
  stars represent the five main islands of Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, Sint
  Eustatius, and Sint Maarten

@Netherlands Antilles, Economy

Overview:
  Tourism, petroleum refining, and offshore finance are the mainstays of
  the economy. The islands enjoy a high per capita income and a
  well-developed infrastructure as compared with other countries in the
  region. Unlike many Latin American countries, the Netherlands Antilles
  has avoided large international debt. Almost all consumer and capital
  goods are imported, with Venezuela and the US being the major
  suppliers.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $9,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  16.4% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $209 million
expenditures:
  $232 million, including capital expenditures of $8 million (1992 est.)
Exports:
  $240 million (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  petroleum products 98%
partners:
  US 39%, Brazil 9%, Colombia 6%
Imports:
  $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  crude petroleum 64%, food, manufactures
partners:
  Venezuela 26%, US 18%, Colombia 6%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5%
External debt:
  $701 million (December 1987)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  125,000 kW
production:
  365 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,980 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism (Curacao and Sint Maarten), petroleum refining (Curacao),
  petroleum transshipment facilities (Curacao and Bonaire), light
  manufacturing (Curacao)
Agriculture:
  hampered by poor soils and scarcity of water; chief products - aloes,
  sorghum, peanuts, fresh vegetables, tropical fruit; not
  self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
  money-laundering center; transshipment point for South American
  cocaine and marijuana bound for the US and Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $513 million
Currency:
  1 Netherlands Antillean guilder, gulden, or florin (NAf.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Netherlands Antillean guilders, gulden, or florins (NAf.) per US$1 -
  1.79 (fixed rate since 1989; 1.80 fixed rate 1971-88)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Netherlands Antilles, Communications

Highways:
total:
  950 km
paved:
  300 km
unpaved:
  gravel, earth 650 km
Ports:
  Willemstad, Philipsburg, Kralendijk
Merchant marine:
  113 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 966,797 GRT/1,251,871 DWT, bulk
  1, cargo 43, chemical tanker 7, combination ore/oil 1, container 3,
  liquefied gas 5, multifunction large-load carrier 18, oil tanker 1,
  passenger 4, refrigerated cargo 23, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7
note:
  all but a few are foreign owned, mostly in the Netherlands
Airports:
total:
  5
usable:
  4
with permanent-surface runways:
  4
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  generally adequate facilities; extensive interisland microwave radio
  relay links; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 2 submarine
  cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

@Netherlands Antilles, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Netherlands Navy, Marine Corps, Royal Netherlands Air Force,
  National Guard, Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 48,866; fit for military service 27,421; reach
  military age (20) annually 1,595 (1994 est.)
Note:
  defense is responsibility of the Netherlands


@New Caledonia

Header
Affiliation:
  (overseas territory of France)

@New Caledonia, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Melanesia, in the South Pacific Ocean, 1,750 km east of
  Australia
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  19,060 sq km
land area:
  18,760 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  2,254 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; modified by southeast trade winds; hot, humid
Terrain:
  coastal plains with interior mountains
Natural resources:
  nickel, chrome, iron, cobalt, manganese, silver, gold, lead, copper
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  14%
forest and woodland:
  51%
other:
  35%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  typhoons most frequent from November to March
international agreements:
  NA

@New Caledonia, People

Population:
  181,309 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.79% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  22.39 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  4.96 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  15.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  73.62 years
male:
  70.32 years
female:
  77.09 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.62 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  New Caledonian(s)
adjective:
  New Caledonian
Ethnic divisions:
  Melanesian 42.5%, European 37.1%, Wallisian 8.4%, Polynesian 3.8%,
  Indonesian 3.6%, Vietnamese 1.6%, other 3%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 60%, Protestant 30%, other 10%
Languages:
  French, 28 Melanesian-Polynesian dialects
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1976)
total population:
  91%
male:
  91%
female:
  90%
Labor force:
  50,469 foreign workers for plantations and mines from Wallis and
  Futuna, Vanuatu, and French Polynesia (1980 est.)
by occupation:
  NA

@New Caledonia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Territory of New Caledonia and Dependencies
conventional short form:
  New Caledonia
local long form:
  Territoire des Nouvelle-Caledonie et Dependances
local short form:
  Nouvelle-Caledonie
Digraph:
  NC
Type:
  overseas territory of France since 1956
Capital:
  Noumea
Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order
  administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
  are 3 provinces named Iles Loyaute, Nord, and Sud
Independence:
  none (overseas territory of France; a referendum on independence will
  be held in 1998)
National holiday:
  National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
  28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
  the 1988 Matignon Accords grant substantial autonomy to the islands;
  formerly under French law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
head of government:
  High Commissioner and President of the Council of Government Alain
  CHRISTNACHT (since 15 January 1991; appointed by the French Ministry
  of the Interior); President of the Territorial Congress Simon
  LOUECKHOTE (since 26 June 1989)
cabinet:
  Consultative Committee
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Territorial Assembly:
  elections last held 11 June 1989 (next to be held 1993); results -
  RPCR 44.5%, FLNKS 28.5%, FN 7%, CD 5%, UO 4%, other 11%; seats - (54
  total) RPCR 27, FLNKS 19, FN 3, other 5; note - election boycotted by
  FULK
French Senate:
  elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September
  2001); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) RPCR 1
French National Assembly:
  elections last held 21 March 1993 (next to be held 21 and 28 March
  1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) RPCR 2
Judicial branch:
  Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  white-dominated Rassemblement pour la Caledonie dans la Republique
  (RPCR), conservative, Jacques LAFLEUR - affiliated to France's
  Rassemblement pour la Republique (RPR); Melanesian proindependence
  Kanaka Socialist National Liberation Front (FLNKS), Paul NEAOUTYINE;
  Melanesian moderate Kanak Socialist Liberation (LKS), Nidoish
  NAISSELINE; National Front (FN), extreme right, Guy GEORGE; Caledonie
  Demain (CD), right-wing, Bernard MARANT; Union Oceanienne (UO),
  conservative, Michel HEMA; Front Uni de Liberation Kanak (FULK),
  proindependence, Clarence UREGEI; Union Caledonian (UC), Francois
  BURCK
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WFTU, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (overseas territory of France)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (overseas territory of France)
Flag:
  the flag of France is used

@New Caledonia, Economy

Overview:
  New Caledonia has more than 25% of the world's known nickel resources.
  In recent years the economy has suffered because of depressed
  international demand for nickel, the principal source of export
  earnings. Only a negligible amount of the land is suitable for
  cultivation, and food accounts for about 25% of imports.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $1 billion (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2.4% (1988)
National product per capita:
  $6,000 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
  16% (1989)
Budget:
revenues:
  $224 million
expenditures:
  $211 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)
Exports:
  $671 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
  nickel metal 87%, nickel ore
partners:
  France 32%, Japan 23.5%, US 3.6%
Imports:
  $764 million (c.i.f., 1989)
commodities:
  foods, fuels, minerals, machines, electrical equipment
partners:
  France 44.0%, US 10%, Australia 9%
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  400,000 kW
production:
  2.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  12,790 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  nickel mining and smelting
Agriculture:
  large areas devoted to cattle grazing; coffee, corn, wheat,
  vegetables; 60% self-sufficient in beef
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cannabis cultivation is becoming a principal source of income
  for some families
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $4.185 billion
Currency:
  1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  Comptoirs Francais duPacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 107.63
  (January 1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00
  (1990), 115.99 (1989); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the
  French franc
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@New Caledonia, Communications

Highways:
total:
  6,340 km
paved:
  634 km
unpaved:
  5,706 km (1987)
Ports:
  Noumea, Nepoui, Poro, Thio
Airports:
total:
  30
usable:
  28
with permanent-surface runways:
  4
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  32,578 telephones (1987); broadcast stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; 1
  Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@New Caledonia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Gendarmerie, Police Force
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@New Zealand, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Oceania, southeast of Australia in the South Pacific
  Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  268,680 sq km
land area:
  268,670 sq km
comparative area:
  about the size of Colorado
note:
  includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell
  Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  15,134 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)
Climate:
  temperate with sharp regional contrasts
Terrain:
  predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains
Natural resources:
  natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  53%
forest and woodland:
  38%
other:
  7%
Irrigated land:
  2,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; native flora and fauna hard-hit by
  species introduced from outside
natural hazards:
  earthquakes are common, though usually not severe
international agreements:
  party to - Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
  Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,
  Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed,
  but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Hazardous Wastes,
  Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
  about 80% of the population lives in cities

@New Zealand, People

Population:
  3,388,737 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.57% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.52 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.06 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  8.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  76.38 years
male:
  72.76 years
female:
  80.18 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.03 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  New Zealander(s)
adjective:
  New Zealand
Ethnic divisions:
  European 88%, Maori 8.9%, Pacific Islander 2.9%, other 0.2%
Religions:
  Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%,
  Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 9% (1986)
Languages:
  English (official), Maori
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1,603,500 (June 1991)
by occupation:
  services 67.4%, manufacturing 19.8%, primary production 9.3% (1987)

@New Zealand, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  New Zealand
Abbreviation:
  NZ
Digraph:
  NZ
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Wellington
Administrative divisions:
  93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri,
  Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot,
  Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere,
  Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island,
  Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay, Heathcote, Hikurangi**,
  Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood,
  Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie, Malvern, Manaia**,
  Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata, Mount
  Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*, Oxford,
  Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*,
  Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks,
  Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki,
  Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent,
  Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino,
  Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa
  South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace,
  Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa,
  Woodville
Dependent areas:
  Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau
Independence:
  26 September 1907 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established
  British sovereignty)
Constitution:
  no formal, written constitution; consists of various documents,
  including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments;
  Constitution Act 1986 was to have come into force 1 January 1987, but
  has not been enacted
Legal system:
  based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts
  for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  General Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990)
head of government:
  Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990); Deputy Prime
  Minister Donald McKINNON (since 2 November 1990)
cabinet:
  Executive Council; appointed by the governor general on recommendation
  of the prime minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
House of Representatives:
  (commonly called Parliament) elections last held on 6 November 1993
  (next to be held NA November 1996); results - NP 35.2%, NZLP 34.7%,
  Alliance 18.3%, New Zealand First 8.3%; seats - (99 total) NP 50, NZLP
  45, Alliance 2, New Zealand First Party 2
Judicial branch:
  High Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  National Party (NP; government), James BOLGER; New Zealand Labor Party
  (NZLP; opposition), Helen CLARK; Alliance, Jim ANDERTON; Democratic
  Party, Dick RYAN; New Zealand Liberal Party, Hanmish MACINTYRE and
  Gilbert MYLES; Green Party, no official leader; Mana Motuhake, Martin
  RATA; Socialist Unity Party (SUP; pro-Soviet), Kenneth DOUGLAS; New
  Zealand First, Winston PETERS
note:
  the New Labor, Democratic, and Mana Motuhake parties formed a
  coalition called the Alliance Party, Jim ANDERTON, president, in
  September 1991; the Green Party joined the coalition in May 1992
Member of:
  ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986),
  APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, C, CCC, CP, COCOM (cooperating), EBRD,
  ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU,
  LORCS, MTCR, NAM (guest), OECD, PCA, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNAVEM
  II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WHO,
  WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Lionel John WOOD
chancery:
  37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Josiah BEEMAN
embassy:
  29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 1190, Wellington; PSC 467, Box 1, FPO AP 96531-1001
telephone:
  [64] (4) 472-2068
FAX:
  [64] (4) 472-3537
consulate(s) general:
  Auckland
Flag:
  blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with
  four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half
  of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation

@New Zealand, Economy

Overview:
  Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy
  dependent on a guaranteed British market to a more industrialized,
  open free market economy that can compete on the global scene. The
  government has hoped that dynamic growth would boost real incomes,
  broaden and deepen the technological capabilities of the industrial
  sector, reduce inflationary pressures, and permit the expansion of
  welfare benefits. The results have been mixed: inflation is down from
  double-digit levels, but growth was sluggish in 1988-91. In 1992-93,
  growth picked up to 3% annually, a sign that the new economic approach
  is beginning to pay off. Business confidence has strengthened, and the
  inflation remains among the lowest in the industrial world.
  Unemployment, down from 11% in 1991, remains unacceptably high at 9%.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $53 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $15,700 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  9.1% (September 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
note:
  deficit $345 million (October 1993)
Exports:
  $10.3 billion (FY93)
commodities:
  wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fruit, fish, cheese, manufactures,
  chemicals, forestry products
partners:
  Australia 18.9%, Japan 15.1%, US 12.5%, South Korea 4.1%
Imports:
  $9.4 billion (FY93)
commodities:
  petroleum, consumer goods, motor vehicles, industrial equipment
partners:
  Australia 21.1%, US 19.6%, Japan 14.7%, UK 6.3%, Germany 4.2%
External debt:
  $35.3 billion (March 1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 1.9% (1990); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  8,000,000 kW
production:
  31 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  9,250 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery,
  transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 9% of GDP and about 10% of the work force;
  livestock predominates - wool, meat, dairy products all export
  earners; crops - wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, vegetables;
  surplus producer of farm products; fish catch reached a record 503,000
  metric tons in 1988
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million
Currency:
  1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.7771 (January 1994), 1.8495
  (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@New Zealand, Communications

Railroads:
  4,716 km total; all 1.067-meter gauge; 274 km double track; 113 km
  electrified; over 99% government owned
Highways:
total:
  92,648 km
paved:
  49,547 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone 43,101 km
Inland waterways:
  1,609 km; of little importance to transportation
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; condensate (liquified
  petroleum gas - LPG) 150 km
Ports:
  Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Tauranga
Merchant marine:
  18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 165,514 GRT/218,699 DWT, bulk 6,
  cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, oil tanker 3, railcar carrier 1,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 5
Airports:
total:
  108
usable:
  108
with permanent-surface runways:
  39
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  39
Telecommunications:
  excellent international and domestic systems; 2,110,000 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 64 AM, 2 FM, 14 TV; submarine cables extend to
  Australia and Fiji; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

@New Zealand, Defense Forces

Branches:
  New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 880,576; fit for military service 741,629; reach
  military age (20) annually 28,242 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $792 million, 2% of GDP (FY90/91)


@Nicaragua, Geography

Location:
  Middle America, between Costa Rica and Honduras
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, South America
Area:
total area:
  129,494 sq km
land area:
  120,254 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than New York State
Land boundaries:
  total 1,231 km, Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km
Coastline:
  910 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  25-nm security zone (status of claim uncertain)
continental shelf:
  not specified
territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres
  y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; International Court of Justice
  (ICJ) referred the maritime boundary question in the Golfo de Fonseca
  to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some
  tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua
  likely would be required
Climate:
  tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands
Terrain:
  extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior
  mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes
Natural resources:
  gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  9%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  43%
forest and woodland:
  35%
other:
  12%
Irrigated land:
  850 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
natural hazards:
  subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and
  occasionally severe hurricanes
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
  Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change,
  Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea

@Nicaragua, People

Population:
  4,096,689 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.68% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  34.66 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.69 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  52.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  64.02 years
male:
  61.18 years
female:
  66.96 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Nicaraguan(s)
adjective:
  Nicaraguan
Ethnic divisions:
  mestizo 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Indian 5%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%
Languages:
  Spanish (official)
note:
  English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1971)
total population:
  57%
male:
  57%
female:
  57%
Labor force:
  1.086 million
by occupation:
  services 43%, agriculture 44%, industry 13% (1986)

@Nicaragua, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Nicaragua
conventional short form:
  Nicaragua
local long form:
  Republica de Nicaragua
local short form:
  Nicaragua
Digraph:
  NU
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Managua
Administrative divisions:
  17 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Boaco,
  Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon,
  Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, North Atlantic Coast Autonomous
  Zone (RAAN), Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, South Atlantic Coast
  Autonomous Zone (RAAS)
Independence:
  15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution:
  9 January 1987
Legal system:
  civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts
Suffrage:
  16 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (since 25 April 1990); Vice
  President Virgilio GODOY Reyes (since 25 April 1990); election last
  held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held November 1996); results -
  Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (UNO) 54.7%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN)
  40.8%, other 4.5%
cabinet:
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional):
  elections last held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held November
  1996); results - UNO 53.9%, FSLN 40.8%, PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats -
  (92 total) UNO 41, FSLN 39, "Centrist" (Dissident UNO) 12
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling coalition:
  National Opposition Union (UNO) is a 10-party alliance - moderate
  parties: National Conservative Party (PNC), Silviano MATAMOROS Lacayo,
  president; Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Jose Ernesto
  SOMARRIBA, Arnold ALEMAN; Christian Democratic Union (UDC), Luis
  Humberto GUZMAN, Agustin JARQUIN, Azucena FERREY, Roger MIRANDA,
  Francisco MAYORGA; National Democratic Movement (MDN), Roberto URROZ;
  National Action Party (PAN), Duilio BALTODANO; UNO - hardline parties:
  Independent Liberal Party (PLI), Wilfredo NAVARRO,Virgilio GODOY
  Reyes; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Guillermo POTOY, Alfredo CESAR
  Aguirre, secretary general; Conservative Popular Alliance Party
  (PAPC), Myriam ARGUELLO; Communist Party of Nicaragua (PCdeN), Eli
  ALTIMIRANO Perez; Neo-Liberal Party (PALI), Adolfo GARCIA Esquivel
opposition parties:
  Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA; Central
  American Unionist Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS; Democratic Conservative
  Party of Nicaragua (PCDN), Jose BRENES; Liberal Party of National
  Unity (PLUIN), Eduardo CORONADO; Movement of Revolutionary Unity
  (MUR), Francisco SAMPER; Social Christian Party (PSC), Erick RAMIREZ;
  Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT), Bonifacio MIRANDA; Social
  Conservative Party (PSOC), Fernando AGUERRO; Popular Action Movement -
  Marxist-Leninist (MAP-ML), Isidro TELLEZ; Popular Social Christian
  Party (PPSC), Mauricio DIAZ
Other political or pressure groups:
  National Workers Front (FNT) is a Sandinista umbrella group of eight
  labor unions: Sandinista Workers' Central (CST); Farm Workers
  Association (ATC); Health Workers Federation (FETASALUD); National
  Union of Employees (UNE); National Association of Educators of
  Nicaragua (ANDEN); Union of Journalists of Nicaragua (UPN); Heroes and
  Martyrs Confederation of Professional Associations (CONAPRO); and the
  National Union of Farmers and Ranchers (UNAG); Permanent Congress of
  Workers (CPT) is an umbrella group of four non-Sandinista labor
  unions: Confederation of Labor Unification (CUS); Autonomous
  Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN-A); Independent General Confederation
  of Labor (CGT-I); and Labor Action and Unity Central (CAUS);
  Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN) is an independent labor union;
  Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) is a confederation of
  business groups
Member of:
  BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU,
  LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Roberto MAYORGA Cortes
chancery:
  1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador John MAISTO
embassy:
  Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur., Managua
mailing address:
  APO AA 34021
telephone:
  [505] (2) 666010 or 666013, 666015 through 18, 666026, 666027, 666032
  through 34
FAX:
  [505] (2) 666046
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the
  national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms
  features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on
  the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El
  Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words
  REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white
  band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars
  arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

@Nicaragua, Economy

Overview:
  Since March 1991, when President CHAMORRO began an ambitious economic
  stabilization program, Nicaragua has had considerable success in
  reducing inflation and obtaining substantial economic aid from abroad.
  Annual inflation fell from more than 750% in 1991 to less than 5% in
  1992. Inflation rose again to an estimated 20% in 1993, although this
  increase was due almost entirely to a large currency devaluation in
  January. As of early 1994, the government was close to finalizing an
  enhanced structural adjustment facility with the IMF, after the
  previous standby facility expired in early 1993. Despite these
  successes, achieving overall economic growth in an economy scarred by
  misguided economic values and civil war during the 1980s has proved
  elusive. Economic growth was flat in 1992 and slightly negative in
  1993. Nicaragua's per capita foreign debt is one of the highest in the
  world; nonetheless, as of late 1993, Nicaragua was current on its
  post-1988 debt as well as on payments to the international financial
  institutions. Definition of property rights remains a problem;
  ownership disputes over large tracts of land, businesses, and homes
  confiscated by the previous government have yet to be resolved.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent  - $6.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -0.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  20% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  13%; underemployment 50% (1991)
Budget:
revenues:
  $375 million (1992)
expenditures:
  $410 million (1992), including capital expenditures of $115 million
  (1991 est.)
Exports:
  $228 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, cotton, coffee, chemicals
partners:
  EC 26%, US 26%, Japan, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Mexico (1992)
Imports:
  $907 million (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  petroleum, food, chemicals, machinery, clothing
partners:
  US 26%, Venezuela, Costa Rica, EC, Guatemala (1992)
External debt:
  $10.5 billion ( 1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for 20-25% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  434,000 kW
production:
  1.118 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  290 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing,
  petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear
Agriculture:
  crops account for about 15% of GDP; export crops - coffee, bananas,
  sugarcane, cotton; food crops - rice, corn, cassava, citrus fruit,
  beans; also produces a variety of animal products - beef, veal, pork,
  poultry, dairy products; normally self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for cocaine destined for the US
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-92), $620 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
  $1.381 billion
Currency:
  1 gold cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
  gold cordobas (C$) per US$1 - 6 (10 January 1993), 5 (1992); note -
  gold cordoba replaced cordoba as Nicaragua's currency in 1991
  (exchange rate of old cordoba had reached per US$1 - 25,000,000 by
  March 1992)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Nicaragua, Communications

Railroads:
  373 km 1.067-meter narrow gauge, government owned; majority of system
  not operating; 3 km 1.435-meter gauge line at Puerto Cabezas (does not
  connect with mainline)
Highways:
total:
  25,930 km
paved:
  4,000 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone 2,170 km; graded earth 5,425 km; unimproved
  earth 14,335 km
Pan-American highway:
  368.5 km (not in total)
Inland waterways:
  2,220 km, including 2 large lakes
Pipelines:
  crude oil 56 km
Ports:
  Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama
Merchant marine:
  2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,161 GRT/2,500 DWT
Airports:
total:
  208
usable:
  149
with permanent-surface runways:
  11
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  13
Telecommunications:
  low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection
  into Central American Microwave System; 60,000 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 45 AM, no FM, 7 TV, 3 shortwave; earth stations - 1
  Intersputnik and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

@Nicaragua, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 946,177; fit for military service 582,669; reach
  military age (18) annually 45,555 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $43.0 million, 1.6% of GDP (1992)


@Niger, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, between Algeria and Nigeria
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  1.267 million sq km
land area:
  1,266,700 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
  total 5,697 km, Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 628 km, Chad
  1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  Libya claims about 19,400 sq km in northern Niger; demarcation of
  international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to
  border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification
  by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Burkina and Mali are proceeding
  with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
Climate:
  desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south
Terrain:
  predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in
  south; hills in north
Natural resources:
  uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates
Land use:
arable land:
  3%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  7%
forest and woodland:
  2%
other:
  88%
Irrigated land:
  320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  overgrazing; soil erosion; deforestation; desertification; wildlife
  populations (such as elephant, hippopotamus, and lion) threatened
  because of poaching and habitat destruction
natural hazards:
  recurrent droughts
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked

@Niger, People

Population:
  8,971,605 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.36% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  54.95 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  21.32 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  111 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  44.61 years
male:
  43.01 years
female:
  46.26 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  7.35 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Nigerien(s)
adjective:
  Nigerien
Ethnic divisions:
  Hausa 56%, Djerma 22%, Fula 8.5%, Tuareg 8%, Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%,
  Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%, about 4,000 French expatriates
Religions:
  Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians
Languages:
  French (official), Hausa, Djerma
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  28%
male:
  40%
female:
  17%
Labor force:
  2.5 million wage earners (1982)
by occupation:
  agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%
note:
  51% of population of working age (1985)

@Niger, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Niger
conventional short form:
  Niger
local long form:
  Republique du Niger
local short form:
  Niger
Digraph:
  NG
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Niamey
Administrative divisions:
  7 departments (departements, singular - departement); Agadez, Diffa,
  Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder
Independence:
  3 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
  Republic Day, 18 December (1958)
Constitution:
  approved by national referendum 16 December 1992; promulgated January
  1993
Legal system:
  based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Mahamane OUSMANE (since 16 April  1993)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Mahamadou ISSOUFOU (since 17 April 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime
  minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly:
  elected by proportional representation for 5 year terms; elections
  last held 14 February 1993 (next election NA 1998); seats - (83 total)
  MNSD 29, CDS 22, PNDS 13, ANDP-Z 11, UPDP 2, PPN/RDA 2, UDFP 2, PSDN
  1, UDPS 1
Judicial branch:
  State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)
Political parties and leaders:
  National Movement of the Development Society (MNSD-NASSARA), Kada
  LABO, General Secretary; Democratic and Social Convention - Rahama
  (CDS- Rahama), Mahamane OUSMANE; Nigerien Party for Democracy and
  Socialism (PNDS), Mahamadou ISSOUFOU; Nigerien Alliance for Democracy
  and Progress - Zamanlahia (ANDP-Z), Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Union
  of Patriots, Democrats, and Progressives (UPDP), Andre SALIFOU; Niger
  Progressive Party - African Democratic Rally (PPN-RDA), Harou KOUKA;
  Niger Social Democrat Party (PADN), Malam Adji WAZIRI; Union for
  Democracy and Social Progress (UDPS), Akoli DAOUEL
Member of:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
  IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB,
  WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Adamou SEYDOU
chancery:
  2204 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 4227
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador John DAVISON
embassy:
  Rue Des Ambassades, Niamey
mailing address:
  B. P. 11201, Niamey
telephone:
  [227] 72-26-61 through 64
FAX:
  [227] 73-31-67
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a
  small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band;
  similar to the flag of India, which has a blue spoked wheel centered
  in the white band

@Niger, Economy

Overview:
  Niger's economy is centered on subsistence agriculture, animal
  husbandry, and re-export trade, and increasingly less on uranium, its
  major export throughout the 1970s and 1980s. Uranium revenues dropped
  by almost 50% between 1983 and 1990. Terms of trade with Nigeria,
  Niger's largest regional trade partner, have improved dramatically
  since the 50% devaluation of the African franc in January 1994; this
  devaluation boosted exports of livestock, peas, onions, and the
  products of Niger's small cotton industry. The government relies on
  bilateral and multilateral aid for operating expenses and public
  investment, and is strongly induced to adhere to structural adjustment
  programs designed by the IMF and the World Bank.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.9% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
  $650 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.3% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $193 million
expenditures:
  $355 million, including capital expenditures of $106 million (1991
  est.)
Exports:
  $294 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
  uranium ore 60%, livestock products 20%, cowpeas, onions
partners:
  France 77%, Nigeria 8%, Cote d'Ivoire, Italy
Imports:
  $346 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
  primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, electronic
  equipment, cereals, petroleum products, pharmaceuticals, chemical
  products, foodstuffs
partners:
  Germany 26%, Cote d'Ivoire 11%, France 5%, Italy 4%, Nigeria 2%
External debt:
  $1.2 billion (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -2.7% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  105,000 kW
production:
  230 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  30 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses,
  and a few other small light industries; uranium mining began in 1971
Agriculture:
  accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor force; cash crops -
  cowpeas, cotton, peanuts; food crops - millet, sorghum, cassava, rice;
  livestock - cattle, sheep, goats; self-sufficient in food except in
  drought years
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
  $3.165 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $61 million
Currency:
  1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 592.05
  (January 1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992), 282.11 (1991), 272.26
  (1990), 319.01 (1989)
note:
  the official rate is pegged to the French franc, and beginning 12
  January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc
  from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

@Niger, Communications

Highways:
total:
  39,970 km
paved:
  bituminous 3,170 km
unpaved:
  gravel, laterite 10,330 km; earth 3,470 km; tracks 23,000 km
Inland waterways:
  Niger River is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin
  frontier from mid-December through March
Airports:
total:
  30
usable:
  28
with permanent-surface runways:
  9
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  14
Telecommunications:
  small system of wire, radiocommunications, and radio relay links
  concentrated in southwestern area; 14,260 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 15 AM, 5 FM, 18 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
  Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 3 domestic, with 1
  planned

@Niger, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, National Police, Republican Guard
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,845,374; fit for military service 994,683; reach
  military age (18) annually 91,595 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $27 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989)


@Nigeria, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Benin and
  Cameroon
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  923,770 sq km
land area:
  910,770 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
  total 4,047 km, Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger
  1,497 km
Coastline:
  853 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  30 nm
International disputes:
  demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of
  which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and
  awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; boundary
  commission, created with Cameroon to discuss unresolved land and
  maritime boundaries, has not yet convened, but a commission was formed
  January 1994 to study a flare-up of the dispute
Climate:
  varies; equatorial in south, tropical in center, arid in north
Terrain:
  southern lowlands merge into central hills and plateaus; mountains in
  southeast, plains in north
Natural resources:
  petroleum, tin, columbite, iron ore, coal, limestone, lead, zinc,
  natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  31%
permanent crops:
  3%
meadows and pastures:
  23%
forest and woodland:
  15%
other:
  28%
Irrigated land:
  8,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  soil degradation; rapid deforestation; desertification; recent
  droughts in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities
natural hazards:
  periodic droughts
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
  Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
  Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
  Change

@Nigeria, People

Population:
  98,091,097 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.15% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.52 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.43 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  75 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  55.33 years
male:
  54.11 years
female:
  56.59 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Nigerian(s)
adjective:
  Nigerian
Ethnic divisions:
north:
  Hausa and Fulani
southwest:
  Yoruba
southeast:
  Ibos
  non-Africans 27,000
note:
  Hausa and Fulani, Yoruba, and Ibos together make up 65% of population
Religions:
  Muslim 50%, Christian 40%, indigenous beliefs 10%
Languages:
  English (official), Hausa, Yoruba, Ibo, Fulani
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  51%
male:
  62%
female:
  40%
Labor force:
  42.844 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 54%, industry, commerce, and services 19%, government 15%
note:
  49% of population of working age (1985)

@Nigeria, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Federal Republic of Nigeria
conventional short form:
  Nigeria
Digraph:
  NI
Type:
  military government since 31 December 1983; plans to institute a
  constitutional conference to prepare for a new transition to civilian
  rule after plans for a transition in 1993 were negated by General
  BABANGIDA
Capital:
  Abuja
note:
  on 12 December 1991 the capital was officially moved from Lagos to
  Abuja; many government offices remain in Lagos pending completion of
  facilities in Abuja
Administrative divisions:
  30 states and 1 territory*; Abia, Abuja Capital Territory*, Adamawa,
  Akwa Ibom, Anambra, Bauchi, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta, Edo,
  Enugu, Imo, Jigawa, Kaduna, Kano, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos,
  Niger, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto, Taraba, Yobe
Independence:
  1 October 1960 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 1 October (1960)
Constitution:
  1979 constitution still in force; plan for 1989 constitution to take
  effect in 1993 was not implemented
Legal system:
  based on English common law, Islamic law, and tribal law
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council and Commander in Chief of
  Armed Forces and Defense Minister Gen. Sani ABACHA (since 17 November
  1993); Vice-Chairman of the Provisional Ruling Council Oladipo DIYA
  (since 17 November 1993)
cabinet:
  Federal Executive Council
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly
Senate:
  suspended after coup of 17 November 1993
House of Representatives:
  suspended after coup of 17 November 1993
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Federal Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
note:
  two political party system suspended after the coup of 17 November
  1993
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMO, IMF, INMARSAT,
  INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OIC
  (observer), OPEC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
  UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Zubair Mahmud KAZAURE
chancery:
  1333 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Walter CARRINGTON
embassy:
  2 Eleke Crescent, Lagos
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 554, Lagos
telephone:
  [234] (1) 610050
FAX:
  [234] (1) 610257
consulate(s) general:
  Kaduna
Flag:
  three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green

@Nigeria, Economy

Overview:
  The oil-rich Nigerian economy continues to be hobbled by poor
  macroeconomic management that has resulted in an average annual
  inflation rate of 60%, a growing foreign debt, and a worsening balance
  of payments. A deepening political crisis in 1993 has compounded the
  government's failure to reign in deficit spending, which prevents it
  from reaching an agreement with the IMF and its bilateral creditors on
  debt relief. Investment in both oil and non-oil sector industry has
  been undermined by corruption and squandered on white elephant
  projects that have failed to generate diversification or new
  employment.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $95.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4.1% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $1,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  60% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  28% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $9 billion
expenditures:
  $10.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
  $11.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  oil 95%, cocoa, rubber
partners:
  US 54%, EC 23%
Imports:
  $8.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  machinery and equipment, manufactured goods, food and animals
partners:
  EC 64%, US 10%, Japan 7%
External debt:
  $29.5 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7.7% (1991); accounts for 43% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
  4,740,000 kW
production:
  8.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  70 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  crude oil and mining - coal, tin, columbite; primary processing
  industries - palm oil, peanut, cotton, rubber, wood, hides and skins;
  manufacturing industries - textiles, cement, building materials, food
  products, footwear, chemical, printing, ceramics, steel
Agriculture:
  accounts for 35% of GDP and half of labor force; inefficient
  small-scale farming dominates; once a large net exporter of food and
  now an importer; cash crops - cocoa, peanuts, palm oil, rubber; food
  crops - corn, rice, sorghum, millet, cassava, yams; livestock -
  cattle, sheep, goats, pigs; fishing and forestry resources extensively
  exploited
Illicit drugs:
  passenger and cargo air hub for West Africa; facilitates movement of
  heroin en route from Southeast and Southwest Asia to Western Europe
  and North America; increasingly a transit route for cocaine from South
  America intended for West European, East Asian, and North American
  markets
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $705 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3
  billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.2 billion
Currency:
  1 naira (N) = 100 kobo
Exchange rates:
  naira (N) per US$1 - 21.886 (November 1993), 17.298 (1992), 9.909
  (1991), 8.038 (1990), 7.3647 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Nigeria, Communications

Railroads:
  3,505 km 1.067-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
  107,990 km
paved:
  mostly bituminous-surface treatment 30,019 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 25,411 km; unimproved earth
  52,560 km
Inland waterways:
  8,575 km consisting of Niger and Benue Rivers and smaller rivers and
  creeks
Pipelines:
  crude oil 2,042 km; petroleum products 3,000 km; natural gas 500 km
Ports:
  Lagos, Port Harcourt, Calabar, Warri, Onne, Sapele
Merchant marine:
  33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 432,704 GRT/686,718 DWT, bulk 1,
  cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, liquified gas 1, oil tanker 9,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports:
total:
  80
usable:
  67
with permanent-surface runways:
  34
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  15
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  21
Telecommunications:
  above-average system limited by poor maintenance; major expansion in
  progress; radio relay microwave and cable routes; broadcast stations -
  35 AM, 17 FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 20 domestic stations; 1 coaxial
  submarine cable

@Nigeria, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 22,468,803; fit for military service 12,840,029; reach
  military age (18) annually 986,518 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $172 million, about 1% of GDP (1992)


@Niue

Header
Affiliation:
  (free association with New Zealand)

@Niue, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Polynesia, 460 km east of Tonga in the South Pacific Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  260 sq km
land area:
  260 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  64 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; modified by southeast trade winds
Terrain:
  steep limestone cliffs along coast, central plateau
Natural resources:
  fish, arable land
Land use:
arable land:
  61%
permanent crops:
  4%
meadows and pastures:
  4%
forest and woodland:
  19%
other:
  12%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to typhoons
international agreements:
  signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note:
  one of world's largest coral islands

@Niue, People

Population:
  1,906 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.66% (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Niuean(s)
adjective:
  Niuean
Ethnic divisions:
  Polynesian (with some 200 Europeans, Samoans, and Tongans)
Religions:
  Ekalesia Nieue (Niuean Church) 75% - a Protestant church closely
  related to the London Missionary Society, Morman 10%, other  15%
  (mostly Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witnesses, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages:
  Polynesian closely related to Tongan and Samoan, English
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1,000 (1981 est.)
by occupation:
  most work on family plantations; paid work exists only in government
  service, small industry, and the Niue Development Board

@Niue, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Niue
Digraph:
  NE
Type:
  self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand; Niue
  fully responsible for internal affairs; New Zealand retains
  responsibility for external affairs
Capital:
  Alofi
Administrative divisions:
  none
Independence:
  19 October 1974 (became a self-governing territory in free association
  with New Zealand on 19 October 1974)
National holiday:
  Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of Waitangi established
  British sovereignty)
Constitution:
  19 October 1974 (Niue Constitution Act)
Legal system:
  English common law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by New Zealand
  Representative Kurt MEYER (since NA)
head of government:
  Premier Frank F. LUI (since 12 March 1993; Acting Premier since
  December 1992)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; consists of the premier and three other ministers
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Legislative Assembly:
  elections last held on 6 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1996); results
  - percent of vote NA; seats - (20 total, 6 elected)
Judicial branch:
  Appeal Court of New Zealand, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Niue Island Party (NIP), Young VIVIAN
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), INTELSAT (signatory user), SPARTECA, SPC, SPF
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (self-governing territory in free association with New Zealand)
Flag:
  yellow with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the
  flag of the UK bears five yellow five-pointed stars - a large one on a
  blue disk in the center and a smaller one on each arm of the bold red
  cross

@Niue, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is heavily dependent on aid from New Zealand. Government
  expenditures regularly exceed revenues, with the shortfall made up by
  grants from New Zealand - the grants are used to pay wages to public
  employees. The agricultural sector consists mainly of subsistence
  gardening, although some cash crops are grown for export. Industry
  consists primarily of small factories to process passion fruit, lime
  oil, honey, and coconut cream. The sale of postage stamps to foreign
  collectors is an important source of revenue. The island in recent
  years has suffered a serious loss of population because of migration
  of Niueans to New Zealand.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $2.1 million (1989 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $1,000 (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.6% (1984)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $5.5 million
expenditures:
  $6.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985 est.)
Exports:
  $175,274 (f.o.b., 1985)
commodities:
  canned coconut cream, copra, honey, passion fruit products, pawpaw,
  root crops, limes, footballs, stamps, handicrafts
partners:
  NZ 89%, Fiji, Cook Islands, Australia
Imports:
  $3.8 million (c.i.f., 1985)
commodities:
  food, live animals, manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, lubricants,
  chemicals, drugs
partners:
  NZ 59%, Fiji 20%, Japan 13%, Western Samoa, Australia, US
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,500 kW
production:
  3 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,490 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  tourist, handicrafts, coconut products
Agriculture:
  coconuts, passion fruit, honey, limes; subsistence crops - taro, yams,
  cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes; pigs, poultry, beef cattle
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $62 million
Currency:
  1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1 - 1.7771 (January 1994), 1.8495
  (1993), 1.8584 (1992), 1.7265 (1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Niue, Communications

Highways:
total:
  229 km
unpaved:
  all-weather 123 km; plantation access 106 km
Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  single-line telephone system connects all villages on island; 383
  telephones; 1,000 radio receivers (1987 est.); broadcast stations - 1
  AM, 1 FM, no TV

@Niue, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Police Force
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of New Zealand


@Norfolk Island

Header
Affiliation:
  (territory of Australia)

@Norfolk Island, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Oceania, 1,575 km east of Australia in the South Pacific
  Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  34.6 sq km
land area:
  34.6 sq km
comparative area:
  about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  32 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  3 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  subtropical, mild, little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
  volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains
Natural resources:
  fish
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  25%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  75%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to typhoons (especially May to July)
international agreements:
  NA

@Norfolk Island, People

Population:
  2,710 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.7% (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective:
  Norfolk Islander(s)
Ethnic divisions:
  descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander
Religions:
  Anglican 39%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 16.4%,
  Seventh-Day Adventist 4.4%, none 9.2%, unknown 16.9%, other 2.4%
  (1986)
Languages:
  English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and
  ancient Tahitian
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA

@Norfolk Island, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form:
  Norfolk Island
Digraph:
  NF
Type:
  territory of Australia
Capital:
  Kingston (administrative center);  Burnt Pine (commercial center)
Administrative divisions:
  none (territory of Australia)
Independence:
  none (territory of Australia)
National holiday:
  Pitcairners Arrival Day Anniversary, 8 June (1856)
Constitution:
  Norfolk Island Act of 1979
Legal system:
  wide legislative and executive responsibility under the Norfolk Island
  Act of 1979; Supreme Court
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
  Administrator A. G. KERR (since NA April 1992), who is appointed by
  the Governor General of Australia
head of government:
  Assembly President David Ernest BUFFETT (since NA May 1992)
cabinet:
  Executive Council
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Legislative Assembly:
  elections last held 1989 (held every three years); results - percent
  of vote by party NA; seats - (9 total) percent of seats by party NA
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  NA
Member of:
  none
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (territory of Australia)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (territory of Australia)
Flag:
  three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a
  large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider
  white band

@Norfolk Island, Economy

Overview:
  The primary economic activity is tourism, which has brought a level of
  prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific Islands. The
  number of visitors has increased steadily over the years and reached
  29,000 in FY89. Revenues from tourism have given the island a
  favorable balance of trade and helped the agricultural sector to
  become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs.
National product:
  GDP $NA
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $4.2 million, including capital expenditures of $400,000 (1989 est.)
Exports:
  $1.7 million (f.o.b., FY86)
commodities:
  postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm,
  small quantities of avocados
partners:
  Australia, Pacific Islands, NZ, Asia, Europe
Imports:
  $15.6 million (c.i.f., FY86)
commodities:
  NA
partners:
  Australia, Pacific Islands, NZ, Asia, Europe
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  7,000 kW
production:
  8 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  3,160 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  tourism
Agriculture:
  Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables,
  fruit, cattle, poultry
Economic aid:
  none
Currency:
  1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704
  (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Norfolk Island, Communications

Highways:
total:
  80 km
paved:
  53 km
unpaved:
  earth, coral 27 km
Ports:
  none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  1,500 radio receivers (1982); radio link service with Sydney; 987
  telephones (1983); broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV

@Norfolk Island, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of Australia


@Northern Mariana Islands

Header
Affiliation:
  (commonwealth in political union with the US)

@Northern Mariana Islands, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 5,635 km
  west-southwest of Honolulu, about three-quarters of the way between
  Hawaii and the Philippines
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  477 sq km
land area:
  477 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note:
  includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,482 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal
  temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July
  to October
Terrain:
  southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral
  reefs; northern islands are volcanic; highest elevation is 471 meters
  (Mt. Okso' Takpochao on Saipan)
Natural resources:
  arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  5% on Saipan
permanent crops:
  NA%
meadows and pastures:
  19%
forest and woodland:
  NA%
other:
  NA%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  contamination of groundwater on Saipan by raw sewage contributes to
  disease
natural hazards:
  active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; subject to typhoons (especially
  August to November)
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean

@Northern Mariana Islands, People

Population:
  49,799 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.04% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  35.05 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  4.61 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  37.96 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  67.43 years
male:
  65.53 years
female:
  69.48 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.69 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  NA
adjective:
  NA
Ethnic divisions:
  Chamorro, Carolinians and other Micronesians, Caucasian, Japanese,
  Chinese, Korean
Religions:
  Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and
  taboos may still be found)
Languages:
  English, Chamorro, Carolinian
note:
  86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
  97%
male:
  97%
female:
  96%
Labor force:
  7,476 total indigenous labor force, 2,699 unemployed; 21,188 foreign
  workers (1990)
by occupation:
  NA

@Northern Mariana Islands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
conventional short form:
  Northern Mariana Islands
Digraph:
  CQ
Type:
  commonwealth in political union with the US; self-governing with
  locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature;
  federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of
  the Interior, Office of Territorial and International Affairs
Capital:
  Saipan
Administrative divisions:
  none
Independence:
  none (commonwealth in political union with the US)
National holiday:
  Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)
Constitution:
  Covenant Agreement effective 3 November 1986 and the Constitution of
  the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Legal system:
  based on US system except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and
  taxation
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but
  do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice
  President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
head of government:
  Governor Lorenzo I. DeLeon GUERRERO (since 9 January 1990); Lieutenant
  Governor Benjamin T. MANGLONA (since 9 January 1990); election last
  held in NA November 1989 (next to be held NA November 1993); results -
  Lorenzo I. DeLeon GUERRERO, Republican Party, was elected governor
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Legislature
Senate:
  elections last held NA November 1991 (next to be held NA November
  1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (9 total)
  Republicans 6, Democrats 3
House of Representatives:
  elections last held NA November 1991 (next to be held NA November
  1993); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (18 total)
  Republicans 10, Democrats 6, Independent 2
US House of Representatives:
  the Commonwealth does not have a nonvoting delegate in Congress;
  instead, it has an elected official "resident representative" located
  in Washington, DC; seats - (1 total) Republican (Juan N. BABAUTA)
Judicial branch:
  Commonwealth Supreme Court, Superior Court, Federal District Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Republican Party, Governor Lorenzo GUERRERO; Democratic Party, Carlos
  SHODA, chairman
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), SPC
Flag:
  blue with a white five-pointed star superimposed on the gray
  silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in
  building) in the center

@Northern Mariana Islands, Economy

Overview:
  The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the
  US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government
  revenues have grown. An agreement for the years 1986 to 1992 entitled
  the islands to $228 million for capital development, government
  operations, and special programs. A rapidly growing major source of
  income is the tourist industry, which now employs about 50% of the
  work force. Japanese tourists predominate. The agricultural sector is
  made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts,
  breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Industry is small scale, mostly
  handicrafts and light manufacturing.
National product:
  GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $541 million (1992)
note:
  GNP numbers reflect US spending
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $11,500 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6.5-7.5% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $147 million
expenditures:
  $127.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports:
  $263.4 million (f.o.b. 1991 est.)
commodities:
  manufactured goods, garments, bread, pastries, concrete blocks, light
  iron work
partners:
  NA
Imports:
  $392.4 million (c.i.f. 1991 est.)
commodities:
  food, construction, equipment, materials
partners:
  NA
External debt:
  $0
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  25,000 kW
production:
  35 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  740 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  tourism, construction, light industry, handicrafts
Agriculture:
  coconuts, fruits, cattle, vegetables
Economic aid:
  none
Currency:
  1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  US currency is used
Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

@Northern Mariana Islands, Communications

Railroads:
  none
Highways:
total:
  381.5 km
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
undifferentiated:
  primary 134.5 km; secondary 55 km; local 192 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
  none
Ports:
  Saipan, Tinian
Airports:
total:
  6
usable:
  5
with permanent-surface runways:
  3
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  2
Telecommunications:
  broadcast stations - 2 AM, 1 FM (1984), 1 TV, 2 cable TV stations; 2
  Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

@Northern Mariana Islands, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US


@Norway, Geography

Location:
  Nordic State, Northern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
  west of Sweden
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  324,220 sq km
land area:
  307,860 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries:
  total 2,515 km, Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km
Coastline:
  21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long
  fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  10 nm
continental shelf:
  to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  4 nm
International disputes:
  territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); dispute between
  Denmark and Norway over maritime boundary in Arctic Ocean between
  Greenland and Jan Mayen has been settled by the International Court of
  Justice; maritime boundary dispute with Russia over portion of Barents
  Sea
Climate:
  temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder
  interior; rainy year-round on west coast
Terrain:
  glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile
  valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords;
  arctic tundra in north
Natural resources:
  petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead,
  fish, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
  3%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  27%
other:
  70%
Irrigated land:
  950 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting
  lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
  Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
  Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
  Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
  signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note:
  about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented
  coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in
  North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world;
  Norway and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with Russia

@Norway, People

Population:
  4,314,604 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.39% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.32 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  10.44 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  1.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  77.38 years
male:
  74.02 years
female:
  80.94 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Norwegian(s)
adjective:
  Norwegian
Ethnic divisions:
  Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000
Religions:
  Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman
  Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)
Languages:
  Norwegian (official)
note:
  small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  2.004 million (1992)
by occupation:
  services 39.1%, commerce 17.6%, mining, oil, and manufacturing 16.0%,
  banking and financial services 7.6%, transportation and communications
  7.8%, construction 6.1%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%
  (1989)

@Norway, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Norway
conventional short form:
  Norway
local long form:
  Kongeriket Norge
local short form:
  Norge
Digraph:
  NO
Type:
  constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Oslo
Administrative divisions:
  19 provinces (fylker, singular - fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder,
  Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland,
  Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane,
  Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Dependent areas:
  Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence:
  26 October 1905 (from Sweden)
National holiday:
  Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Constitution:
  17 May 1814, modified in 1884
Legal system:
  mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions;
  Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked;
  accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince
  HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990)
cabinet:
  State Council; appointed by the king in accordance with the will of
  the Storting
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Parliament (Storting)
Storting:
  elections last held on 13 September 1993 (next to be held September
  1997); results - Labor 37.1%, Center Party 18.5%, Conservatives 15.6%,
  Christian Peoples' 8.4%, Socialist Left 7.9%, Progress 6%, Left Party
  3.6%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%; seats - (165 total) Labor 67,
  Center Party 32, Consevatives 18, Christian Peoples' 13, Socialist
  Left 13, Progress 10, Left Party 1, Red Electoral Alliance 1,
  unawarded 10
Lagting:
  Storting elects one-fourth of its member to upper house
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Hoyesterett)
Political parties and leaders:
  Labor Party, Thorbjorn JAGLUND; Conservative Party, Jan PETERSEN;
  Center Party, Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN; Christian People's Party, Kjell
  Magne BONDEVIK; Socialist Left, Eric SOLHEIM; Norwegian Communist,
  Ingre IVERSEN; Progress Party, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Odd Einar
  DORUM; Finnmark List, leader NA; Left Party; Red Electoral Alliance
Member of:
  AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE,
  EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
  IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
  IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB,
  NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
  UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WEU
  (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Kjeld VIBE
chancery:
  2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s):
  Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Thomas A. LOFTUS
embassy:
  Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo 2
mailing address:
  PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707
telephone:
  [47] 22-44-85-50
FAX:
  [47] 22-43-07-77
Flag:
  red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of
  the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side
  in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

@Norway, Economy

Overview:
  Norway has a mixed economy involving a combination of free market
  activity and government intervention. The government controls key
  areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state
  enterprises) and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and
  areas with sparse resources. Norway also maintains an extensive
  welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to
  slightly more than 50% of the GDP and results in one of the highest
  average tax burdens in the world (54%). A small country with a high
  dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of
  raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an abundance of small- and
  medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the major shipping nations.
  The country is richly endowed with natural resources - petroleum,
  hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals - and is highly dependent on
  its oil sector to keep its economy afloat. Although one of the
  government's main priorities is to reduce this dependency, this
  situation is not likely to improve for years to come. The government
  also hopes to reduce unemployment and strengthen and diversify the
  economy through tax reform and a series of expansionary budgets. The
  budget deficit is expected to hit a record 8% of GDP because of
  welfare spending and bail-outs of the banking system. Unemployment
  continues at record levels of over 10% - including those in job
  programs - because of the weakness of the economy outside the oil
  sector. Economic growth was only 1.6% in 1993, while inflation was a
  moderate 2.3%. Oslo, a member of the European Free Trade Area, has
  applied for membership in the European Union and continues to
  deregulate and harmonize with EU regulations. Membership is expected
  in early 1995.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $89.5 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  1.6% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $20,800 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  5.5% (excluding people in job-training programs; 1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $45.3 billion
expenditures:
  $51.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993)
Exports:
  $32.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  petroleum and petroleum products 40%, metals and products 10.6%, fish
  and fish products 6.9%, chemicals 6.4%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4%
partners:
  EC 66.3%, Nordic countries 16.3%, developing countries 8.4%, US 6.0%,
  Japan 1.8% (1993)
Imports:
  $24.8 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and equipment 38.9%, chemicals and other industrial inputs
  26.6%, manufactured consumer goods 17.8%, foodstuffs 6.4%
partners:
  EC 48.6%, Nordic countries 25.1%, developing countries 9.6%, US 8.1%,
  Japan 8.0% (1993)
External debt:
  $6.5 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.2% (1992); accounts for 14% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  26,900,000 kW
production:
  111 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  25,850 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper
  products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 3% of GDP and about 6% of labor force; among world's top
  10 fishing nations; livestock output exceeds value of crops; over half
  of food needs imported; fish catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states
  for the European market
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion
Currency:
  1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates:
  Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 7.4840 (January 1994), 7.0941
  (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991), 6.2597 (1990), 6.9045 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Norway, Communications

Railroads:
  4,223 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; Norwegian State Railways (NSB)
  operates 4,219 km (2,450 km electrified and 96 km double track); 4 km
  other
Highways:
total:
  88,800 km
paved:
  38,580 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, earth 50,220 km
Inland waterways:
  1,577 km along west coast; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum
Pipelines:
  refined products 53 km
Ports:
  Oslo, Bergen, Fredrikstad, Kristiansand, Stavanger, Trondheim
Merchant marine:
  764 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,793,968 GRT/35,409,472 DWT,
  bulk 159, cargo 92, chemical tanker 85, combination bulk 8,
  combination ore/oil 28, container 17, liquefied gas 81, oil tanker
  162, passenger 13, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated
  cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 54, short-sea passenger 21, vehicle
  carrier 28
note:
  the government has created a captive register, the Norwegian
  International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian
  register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience
  and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians; the majority of ships
  (761) under the Norwegian flag are now registered with the NIS
Airports:
total:
  103
usable:
  102
with permanent-surface runways:
  65
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  13
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  15
Telecommunications:
  high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and
  telex services; 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 3,102,000 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 46 AM, 350 private and 143 government FM, 54
  (2,100 repeaters) TV; 4 coaxial submarine cables; 3 communications
  satellite earth stations operating in the EUTELSAT, INTELSAT (1
  Atlantic Ocean), MARISAT, and domestic systems


@Norway, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home
  Guard
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,119,405; fit for military service 932,438; reach
  military age (20) annually 30,557 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $3.1 billion, 3.2% of GDP (1993)


@Oman, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, along the Arabian Sea, between Yemen and the United Arab
  Emirates
Map references:
  Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  212,460 sq km
land area:
  212,460 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
  total 1,374 km, Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline:
  2,092 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  to be defined
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  no defined boundary with most of UAE; Administrative Line with UAE in
  far north; a treaty with Yemen defining the Omani-Yemeni boundary was
  ratified in December 1992
Climate:
  dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong
  southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain:
  vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Natural resources:
  petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum,
  natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  less than 2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  5%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  93%
Irrigated land:
  410 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; sparse natural
  freshwater resources
natural hazards:
  summer winds often raise large sandstorms and dust storms in interior
international agreements:
  party to - Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Whaling;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
  strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula
  controlling Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude
  oil

@Oman, People

Population:
  1,701,470 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  Oman's first census was concluded in December 1993; preliminary
  figures give a population of 2,000,000, of whom about 500,000 are
  expatriate workers; final evaluative figures are not yet available
Population growth rate:
  3.46% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  40.38 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.77 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  36.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  67.79 years
male:
  65.9 years
female:
  69.77 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.53 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Omani(s)
adjective:
  Omani
Ethnic divisions:
  Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan,
  Bangladeshi)
Religions:
  Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi'a Muslim, Hindu
Languages:
  Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  430,000 (est.)
by occupation:
  agriculture 40% (est.)

@Oman, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Sultanate of Oman
conventional short form:
  Oman
local long form:
  Saltanat Uman
local short form:
  Uman
Digraph:
  MU
Type:
  monarchy
Capital:
  Muscat
Administrative divisions:
  there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
  Government, but there are 3 governorates (muhafazah, singular -
  muhafazat); Masqat, Musandam, Zufar
Independence:
  1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
National holiday:
  National Day, 18 November (1940)
Constitution:
  none
Legal system:
  based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the
  sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  none
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970)
cabinet:
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Consultative Council
Judicial branch:
  none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court system
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Other political or pressure groups:
  NA
Member of:
  ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
  (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
  WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador-designate Ahmad bin Muhammad al-RASBI
chancery:
  2342 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 1982
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador David J. DUNFORD
embassy:
  address NA, Muscat
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 202 Code No. 115, Muscat
telephone:
  [968] 698-989
FAX:
  [968] 604-316
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green
  (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the
  national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two
  crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the
  vertical band

@Oman, Economy

Overview:
  Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil
  industry, including trends in international oil prices and the ability
  of OPEC producers to agree on output quotas. Petroleum accounts for
  more than 85% of export earnings, about 80% of government revenues,
  and roughly 40% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion
  barrels, equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate of
  extraction. Agriculture is carried on at a subsistence level and the
  general population depends on imported food. The government is
  encouraging private investment, both domestic and foreign, as a prime
  force for further economic development.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent -  $16.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  6.1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $10,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $4.4 billion
expenditures:
  $5.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1994 est.)
Exports:
  $5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  petroleum 87%, re-exports, fish, processed copper, textiles
partners:
  UAE 30%, Japan 27%, South Korea 10%, Singapore 5% (1991)
Imports:
  $3.7 billion (f.o.b, 1993 est.)
commodities:
  machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food,
  livestock, lubricants
partners:
  Japan 20%, UAE 14%, UK 19%, US 7% (1991)
External debt:
  $3 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 8.6% (1991); accounts for almost 60% of GDP, including
  petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,142,400 kW
production:
  5.1 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  3,200 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  crude oil production and refining, natural gas production,
  construction, cement, copper
Agriculture:
  accounts for 4% of GDP and 40% of the labor force (including fishing);
  less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence farming (dates,
  limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not
  self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric
  tons
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $137 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $148
  million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million
Currency:
  1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates:
  Omani rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Oman, Communications

Highways:
total:
  26,000 km
paved:
  6,000 km
unpaved:
  motorable track 20,000 km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports:
  Mina' Qabus, Mina' Raysut, Mina' al Fahl
Merchant marine:
  1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,442 GRT/1,320 DWT
Airports:
total:
  138
usable:
  130
with permanent-surface runways:
  6
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  9
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  74
Telecommunications:
  modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radio
  communications stations; limited coaxial cable; 50,000 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; satellite earth stations - 2
  Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, and 8 domestic

@Oman, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 382,793; fit for military service 217,755; reach
  military age (14) annually 22,118 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, 16% of GDP (1993 est.)


@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the

Header
Affiliation:
  (UN trusteeship administered by the US)

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 850 km southeast of
  the Philippines
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  458 sq km
land area:
  458 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,519 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  wet season May to November; hot and humid
Terrain:
  about 200 islands varying geologically from the high, mountainous main
  island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large
  barrier reefs
Natural resources:
  forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed
  minerals
Land use:
arable land:
  NA%
permanent crops:
  NA%
meadows and pastures:
  NA%
forest and woodland:
  NA%
other:
  NA%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to typhoons (June to December)
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  includes World War II battleground of Peleliu and world-famous rock
  islands; archipelago of six island groups totaling over 200 islands in
  the Caroline chain

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, People

Population:
  16,366 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.81% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  22.54 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  25.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  71.01 years
male:
  69.14 years
female:
  73.02 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.91 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Palauan(s)
adjective:
  Palauan
Ethnic divisions:
  Palauans are a composite of Polynesian, Malayan, and Melanesian races
Religions:
  Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah's Witnesses, the
  Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints),
  Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion
  which is indigenous to Palau)
Languages:
  English (official in all of Palau's 16 states), Sonsorolese (official
  in the state of Sonsoral), Angaur and Japanese (in the state of
  Anguar), Tobi (in the state of Tobi), Palauan (in the other 13 states)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
  92%
male:
  93%
female:
  91%
Labor force:
  NA
by occupation:
  NA

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
conventional short form:
  none
note:
  may change to Republic of Palau after independence; the native form of
  Palau is Belau and is sometimes used incorrectly in English and other
  languages
Digraph:
  PS
Type:
  UN trusteeship administered by the US
note:
  constitutional government signed a Compact of Free Association with
  the US on 10 January 1986, which was never approved in a series of
  UN-observed plebiscites; until the UN trusteeship is terminated with
  entry into force of the Compact, Palau remains under US administration
  as the Palau District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands;
  administrative authority resides in the Department of the Interior and
  is exercised by the Assistant Secretary for Territorial and
  International Affairs through the Palau Office, Trust Territory of the
  Pacific Islands, J. Victor HOBSON Jr., Director (since 16 December
  1990)
Capital:
  Koror
note:
  a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast in eastern
  Babelthuap
Administrative divisions:
  there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
  Government, but there are 16 states: Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur,
  Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngardmau, Ngaremlengui, Ngatpang,
  Ngchesar, Ngerchelong, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol, Tobi
Independence:
  the last polity remaining under the US-administered UN trusteeship
  following the departure of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, the
  Federated States of Micronesia, and the Commonwealth of the Northern
  Marianas from the trusteeship; administered by the Office of
  Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of Interior
National holiday:
  Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Constitution:
  1 January 1981
Legal system:
  based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal,
  common, and customary laws
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Kuniwo NAKAMURA (since 1 January 1993), Vice-President Tommy
  E. REMENGESAU Jr. (since 1 January 1993); election last held on 4
  November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results - Kuniwo
  NAKAMURA 50.7%, Johnson TORIBIONG 49.3%
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament (Olbiil Era Kelulau or OEK)
Senate:
  elections last held 4 November 1992 (next to be held NA November
  1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (14 total);
  number of seats by party NA
House of Delegates:
  elections last held 4 November 1992 (next to be held NA November
  1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (16 total);
  number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, National Court, Court of Common Pleas
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), SPC, SPF (observer)
Diplomatic representation in US:
  trust territory of the UN administered by the US: Administrative
  Officer Charles UONG, Palau Liaison Office, 444 North Capitol Street
  NW, Suite 308, Washington, DC 20001
US diplomatic representation:
director:
  US Liaison Officer Lloyd W. MOSS
liaison office:
  US Liaison Office at Top Side, Neeriyas, Koror
mailing address:
  P.O. Box 6028, Koror, PW 96940
telephone:
  [phone]; [phone]
Flag:
  light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted
  slightly to the hoist side

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, Economy

Overview:
  The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture and fishing.
  Tourism provides some foreign exchange, although the remote location
  of Palau and a shortage of suitable facilities has hindered
  development. The government is the major employer of the work force,
  relying heavily on financial assistance from the US.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $31.6 million (1986)
note:
  GDP numbers reflect US spending
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $2,260 (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
  20% (1986)
Budget:
revenues:
  $6 million
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986 est.)
Exports:
  $500,000 (f.o.b., 1986)
commodities:
  trochus (type of shellfish), tuna, copra, handicrafts
partners:
  US, Japan
Imports:
  $27.2 million (c.i.f., 1986)
commodities:
  NA
partners:
  US
External debt:
  about $100 million (1989)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  16,000 kW
production:
  22 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,540 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  tourism, craft items (shell, wood, pearl), some commercial fishing and
  agriculture
Agriculture:
  subsistence-level production of coconut, copra, cassava, sweet
  potatoes
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.56 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $92
  million
Currency:
  1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  US currency is used
Fiscal year:
  1 October - 30 September

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, Communications

Highways:
total:
  61 km
paved:
  36 km
unpaved:
  gravel 25 km
Ports:
  Koror
Airports:
total:
  3
usable:
  3
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  broadcast stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station

@Pacific Islands (Palau), Trust Territory of the, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US and that will not change when
  the UN trusteeship terminates if the Compact of Free Association with
  the US goes into effect


@Pacific Ocean, Geography

Location:
  body of water between the Western Hemisphere, Asia, and Australia
Map references:
  Asia, North America, Oceania, South America, Standard Time Zones of
  the World
Area:
total area:
  165.384 million sq km
comparative area:
  about 18 times the size of the US; the largest ocean (followed by the
  Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean); covers about
  one-third of the global surface; larger than the total land area of
  the world
note:
  includes Bali Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait,
  Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea,
  Philippine Sea, Ross Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk,
  South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water
  bodies
Coastline:
  135,663 km
International disputes:
  some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Climate:
  the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the
  summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the
  land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow
  from the Asian land mass back to the ocean
Terrain:
  surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise,
  warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the
  southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the
  northern Pacific sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in
  winter; in the southern Pacific sea ice from Antarctica reaches its
  northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific
  is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is
  dissected by deep trenches, including the world's deepest, the 10,924
  meter Marianas Trench
Natural resources:
  oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates,
  placer deposits, fish
Environment:
current issues:
  endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter,
  seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South
  China Sea
natural hazards:
  surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity
  sometimes referred to as the Pacific Ring of Fire; subject to tropical
  cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December
  (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes)
  may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from
  June to October (most common in August and September); southern
  shipping lanes subject to icebergs from Antarctica; occasional El Nino
  phenomenon occurs off the coast of Peru when the trade winds slacken
  and the warm Equatorial Countercurrent moves south, killing the
  plankton that is the primary food source for anchovies; consequently,
  the anchovies move to better feeding grounds, causing resident marine
  birds to starve by the thousands because of their lost food source
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  the major choke points are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon
  Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific
  Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; ships
  subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May
  and in extreme south from May to October; persistent fog in the
  northern Pacific from June to December is a hazard to shipping; dotted
  with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern
  Pacific Ocean

@Pacific Ocean, Government

Digraph:
  ZN

@Pacific Ocean, Economy

Overview:
  The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and
  particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides
  low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing
  grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel
  for the construction industry. In 1985 over half (54%) of the world's
  fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean, which is the only ocean where
  the fish catch has increased every year since 1978. Exploitation of
  offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in
  the energy supplies of Australia, NZ, China, US, and Peru. The high
  cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings
  in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new
  drillings.
Industries:
  fishing, oil and gas production

@Pacific Ocean, Communications

Ports:
  Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines),
  Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai
  (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia),
  Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
Telecommunications:
  several submarine cables with network nodal points on Guam and Hawaii


@Pakistan, Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, along the Arabian Sea, between India and Afghanistan
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  803,940 sq km
land area:
  778,720 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
  total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km,
  Iran 909 km
Coastline:
  1,046 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  status of Kashmir with India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand
  Line); water-sharing problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with
  upstream riparian India
Climate:
  mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain:
  flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest;
  Balochistan plateau in west
Natural resources:
  land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality
  coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land:
  26%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  6%
forest and woodland:
  4%
other:
  64%
Irrigated land:
  162,200 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  water pollution from untreated sewage, industrial wastes, and
  agricultural runoff; water scarcity; a majority of the population does
  not have access to safe drinking water; deforestation; soil erosion;
  desertification
natural hazards:
  frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and
  west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
  Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
  controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes
  between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent

@Pakistan, People

Population:
  128,855,965 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.86% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  42.22 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  101.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  57.41 years
male:
  56.79 years
female:
  58.06 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.43 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Pakistani(s)
adjective:
  Pakistani
Ethnic divisions:
  Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from
  India and their descendents)
Religions:
  Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi'a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages:
  Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite
  and most government ministries), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%,
  Urdu 7%, Balochi and other 9%
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  35%
male:
  47%
female:
  21%
Labor force:
  28.9 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 54%, mining and manufacturing 13%, services 33%, extensive
  export of labor (1987 est.)

@Pakistan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Islamic Republic of Pakistan
conventional short form:
  Pakistan
former:
  West Pakistan
Digraph:
  PK
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Islamabad
Administrative divisions:
  4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan,
  Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**,
  North-West Frontier, Punjab, Sindh
note:
  the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir
  region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas
Independence:
  14 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Pakistan Day, 23 March (1956) (proclamation of the republic)
Constitution:
  10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977 restored with amendments, 30
  December 1985
Legal system:
  based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's
  stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal; separate electorates and reserved
  parliamentary seats for non-Muslims
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Sardar Farooq LEGHARI election last held on 13 November 1993
  (next to be held no later than 14 October 1998); results - LEGHARI was
  elected by Parliament and the four provincial assemblies
head of government:
  Prime Minister Benazir BHUTTO
cabinet:
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora)
Senate:
  elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1997);
  results - seats (87 total) Pakistan People's Party (PPP) 22, Pakistan
  Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction (PML/N) 17; Tribal Area
  Representatives (nonparty) 8, Awami National Party (ANP) 6, Pakistan
  Muslim League, Junejo faction (PML/J) 5, Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) 5,
  Mohajir Quami Movement, Altaf faction (MQM/A) 5, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam,
  Fazlur Rehman group (JUI/F) 2, Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP)
  2, Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) 2, National People's Party (NPP) 2,
  Balochistan National Movement, Hayee Group (BNM/H) 1, Balochistan
  National Movement, Mengal Group (BNM/M) 1, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan,
  Niazi faction (JUP/NI) 1, Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Noorani faction
  (JUP/NO) 1, Jamiat-al-Hadith (JAH) 1, Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam,
  Sami-ul-Haq faction (JUI/S) 1, Pakistan Muslim League, Functional
  Group (PML/F) 1, Pakistan National Party (PNP) 1, independents 2,
  vacant 1
National Assembly:
  elections last held 6 October 1993 (next to be held by October 1998);
  results - seats (217 total); Pakistan People's Party (PPP) 92;
  Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction (PML/N) 75; Pakistan
  Muslim League, Junejo faction (PML/J) 6; Islami-Jamhoori-Mahaz
  (IJM-Islamic Democratic Front) 4; Awami National Party (ANP) 3;
  Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP) 4; Pakistan Islamic Front (PIF)
  3; Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP) 2; Mutaheda Deeni Mahaz (MDM) 2;
  Balochistan National Movement, Hayee Group (BNM/H) 1; Balochistan
  National Movement, Mengal Group (BNM/M) 1; National Democratic
  Alliance (NDA) 1; National People's Party (NPP) 1; Pakhtun Quami Party
  (PKQP) 1; Religious minorities 10 reserved seats; independents, 9;
  results pending, 2
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shari'at) Court
Political parties and leaders:
government:
  Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Benazir BHUTTO; Pakistan Muslim League,
  Junejo faction (PML/J), Hamid Nasir CHATTHA; National People's Party
  (NPP), Ghulam Mustapha JATOI; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP),
  Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI; Balochistan National Movement, Hayee Group
  (BNM/H), Dr. HAYEE Baluch; National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Maulana
  Kausar NIAZI; Pakhtun Quami Party (PKQP), Mohammed AFZAL Khan;
  Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Akbar Khan BUGTI
opposition:
  Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction (PML/N), Nawaz SHARIF;
  Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul WALI KHAN; Pakistan Islamic
  Front (PIF), Qazi Hussain AHMED; Balochistan National Movement, Mengal
  Group (BNM/M), Sardar Akhtar MENGAL; Mohajir Quami Movement, Altaf
  faction (MQM/A); Jamaat-i-Islami (JI); Jamiat-al-Hadith (JAH)
frequently shifting:
  Mutaheda Deeni Mahaz (MDM), Maulana Sami-ul-HAQ, the MDM includes
  Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Niazi faction (JUP/NI) and Anjuman
  Sepah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (ASSP); Islami-Jamhoori-Mahaz (IJM-Islamic
  Democratic Party), the IJM includes Jamiat Ulema-i-Islami, Fazlur
  Rehman group (JUI/F); Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Noorani faction
  (JUP/NO); Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami-ul-Haq faction (JUI/S); Pakistan
  Muslim League, Functional Group (PML/F); Pakistan National Party (PNP)
note:
  most Pakistani political groups are motivated primarily by opportunism
  and political alliances can shift frequently
Other political or pressure groups:
  military remains important political force; ulema (clergy),
  landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential
Member of:
  AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
  INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAS
  (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
  UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Maleeha LODHI
chancery:
  2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador John MONJO
embassy:
  Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 1048, PSC 1212, Box 2000, Unit 6220,Islamabad or APO AE
  09812-2000
telephone:
  [92] (51) 826161 through 79
FAX:
  [92] (51) 214222
consulate(s) general:
  Karachi, Lahore
consulate(s):
  Peshawar
Flag:
  green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious
  minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are
  centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are
  traditional symbols of Islam

@Pakistan, Economy

Overview:
  Pakistan is a poor Third World country faced with the usual problems
  of rapidly increasing population, sizable government deficits, and
  heavy dependence on foreign aid. In addition, the economy must support
  a large military establishment. Rapid economic growth, averaging 5%-6%
  over the past decade has helped Pakistan cope with these problems.
  However, growth slumped to 3% in FY93 because of severe flooding,
  which damaged the key export crop, cotton. Almost all agriculture and
  small-scale industry is in private hands. In 1990, Pakistan embarked
  on a sweeping economic liberalization program to boost foreign and
  domestic private investment and lower foreign aid dependence. The
  SHARIF government denationalized several state-owned firms and
  attracted some foreign investment. Pakistan likely will have
  difficulty raising living standards because of its rapidly expanding
  population. At the current rate of growth, population would double in
  25 years.
National product:
  GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $239 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (FY93 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,900 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  12.7% (FY91)
Unemployment rate:
  10% (FY91 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $9.4 billion
expenditures:
  $10.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1993
  est.)
Exports:
  $6.8 billion (f.o.b., FY92)
commodities:
  cotton, textiles, clothing, rice, leather, carpets
partners:
  US, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, UK
Imports:
  $9.1 billion (f.o.b., FY92)
commodities:
  petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation equipment,
  vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals
partners:
  Japan, US, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia
External debt:
  $24 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7.3% (FY92); accounts for 23% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  10,000,000 kW
production:
  43 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  350 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  textiles, food processing, beverages, construction materials,
  clothing, paper products, shrimp
Agriculture:
  22% of GDP, over 50% of labor force; world's largest contiguous
  irrigation system; major crops - cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane,
  fruits, vegetables; livestock products - milk, beef, mutton, eggs;
  self-sufficient in food grain
Illicit drugs:
  major illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international drug
  trade; despite some success in reducing cultivation, remains world's
  fourth largest opium producer (140 metric tons in 1993)
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.5 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $91
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.3 billion; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $3.2 billion
note:
  including Bangladesh prior to 1972
Currency:
  1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates:
  Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1 - 30.214 (January 1994), 28.107
  (1993), 25.083 (1992), 23.801 (1991), 21.707 (1990), 20.541 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Pakistan, Communications

Railroads:
  8,773 km total; 7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km 1-meter gauge, and 610 km
  less than 1-meter gauge; 1,037 km broad-gauge double track; 286 km
  electrified; all government owned (1985)
Highways:
total:
  110,677 km
paved:
  58,677 km
unpaved:
  gravel 23,000 km; improved earth 29,000 km (1988)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas 4,044 km
  (1987)
Ports:
  Gwadar, Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Merchant marine:
  30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 352,189 GRT/532,782 DWT, bulk 1,
  cargo 25, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 3
Airports:
total:
  110
usable:
  104
with permanent-surface runways:
  75
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  30
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  43
Telecommunications:
  the domestic telephone system is poor, adequate only for government
  and business use; about 7 telephones per 1,000 persons; the system for
  international traffic is better and employs both microwave radio relay
  and satellites; satellite ground stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
  and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; broadcast stations - 19 AM, 8 FM, 29 TV

@Pakistan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard,
  paramilitary/security forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 29,548,746; fit for military service 18,134,013; reach
  military age (17) annually 1,391,258 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $3.0 billion, 5.7% of GNP (FY93/94)


@Palmyra Atoll

Header
Affiliation:
  (territory of the US)

@Palmyra Atoll, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Polynesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km
  south-southwest of Honolulu, almost halfway between Hawaii and
  American Samoa
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  11.9 sq km
land area:
  11.9 sq km
comparative area:
  about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  14.5 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  12 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Terrain:
  low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
Natural resources:
  none
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  100%
other:
  0%
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and
  balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall

@Palmyra Atoll, People

Population:
  uninhabited

@Palmyra Atoll, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Palmyra Atoll
Digraph:
  LQ
Type:
  incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by
  the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of
  the Interior
Capital:
  none; administered from Washington, DC

@Palmyra Atoll, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Palmyra Atoll, Communications

Ports:
  the main harbor is West Lagoon, which is entered by a channel on the
  southwest side of the atoll; both the channel and harbor will
  accommodate vessels drawing 6 meters of water; much of the road and
  many causeways built during the war are unserviceable and overgrown
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1

@Palmyra Atoll, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US


@Panama, Geography

Location:
  Middle America, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
  of the World
Area:
total area:
  78,200 sq km
land area:
  75,990 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
  total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline:
  2,490 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January),
  short dry season (January to May)
Terrain:
  interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains;
  coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Natural resources:
  copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
Land use:
arable land:
  6%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  15%
forest and woodland:
  54%
other:
  23%
Irrigated land:
  320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources;
  deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
  Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
  Timber, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
  Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
  strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge
  connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links
  North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

@Panama, People

Population:
  2.63 million (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.94% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  24.61 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  4.87 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  16.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  74.88 years
male:
  72.28 years
female:
  77.62 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.85 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Panamanian(s)
adjective:
  Panamanian
Ethnic divisions:
  mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%,
  white 10%, Indian 6%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Languages:
  Spanish (official), English 14%
note:
  many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  88%
male:
  88%
female:
  88%
Labor force:
  921,000 (1992 est.)
by occupation:
  government and community services 31.8%, agriculture, hunting, and
  fishing 26.8%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16.4%, manufacturing
  and mining 9.4%, construction 3.2%, transportation and communications
  6.2%, finance, insurance, and real estate 4.3%
note:
  shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor

@Panama, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Panama
conventional short form:
  Panama
local long form:
  Republica de Panama
local short form:
  Panama
Digraph:
  PM
Type:
  constitutional  republic
Capital:
  Panama
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 territory*
  (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera,
  Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, Veraguas
Independence:
  3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28
  November 1821)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
Constitution:
  11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983
Legal system:
  based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the
  Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Guillermo ENDARA (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May
  1989); First Vice President Guillermo FORD Boyd (since 24 December
  1992); Second Vice President (vacant); election last held on 7 May
  1989, annulled but later upheld; results - anti-NORIEGA coalition
  believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast
note:
  a presidential election was held 8 May 1994 (next election to held on
  9 May 1999) with inauguration of the successful candidates to take
  place on 1 September 1994; results - President Ernesto PEREZ
  BALLADARES Gonzales, First Vice President Tomas Altamirano DUQUE, and
  Second Vice President Felipe VIRZI were elected; percent of vote for
  president - BALLADARES 33%, DE GRUBER 29%, BLADES 17%
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional):
  elections held on 27 January 1991; results - percent of vote by party
  NA; seats - (67 total)
progovernment parties:
  PDC 28, MOLIRENA 15, PA 8, PLA 4
opposition parties:
  PRD 10, PALA 1, PL 1; note - the PDC went into opposition after
  President Guillermo ENDARA ousted the PDC from the coalition
  government in April 1991; an election of members of the National
  Assembly was held on 8 May 1994 (next election to be held on 9 May
  1999) and they will take their seats on 1 September 1994; results -
  percent of vote and seats won by party NA
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), 5 superior
  courts, 3 courts of appeal
Political parties and leaders:
government alliance:
  Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
  Authentic Liberal Party (PLA), Arnulfo ESCALONA; Arnulfista Party
  (PA), Mireya MOSCOSO DE GRUBER
other parties:
  Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Raul OSSA; Democratic Revolutionary
  Party (PRD), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Nestor
  Tomas GUERRA; Liberal Party (PL), Roberto ALEMAN Zubieta; Doctrinaire
  Panamenista Party (PPD), Jose Salvador MUNOZ; Papa Egoro Movement,
  Ruben BLADES; Civic Renewal Party (PRC), Tomas HERRERA; National
  Integration Movement (MINA), Arrigo GUARDIA; National Unity Mission
  Party (MUN), Jose Manuel PAREDES; Solidarity Party (CPS), Samuel LEWIS
  GALINDO
note:
  following the elections of 8 May 1994 the following realignment of
  political parties took place
governing coalition:
  Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Liberal
  Republican Party (PLR), Rodolfo CHIARI; Labor Party (PALA), Carlos
  Lopez GUEVARA; Solidarity Party (PS),Samuel LEWIS GALINDO
other parties:
  Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ;
  Authentic Liberal Party (PLA), Arnulfo ESCOLONA; Arnulfista Party
  (PA), Mireya Moscoso DE GRUBER; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Raul
  OSSA; Liberal Party (PL), Roberto ALEMAN Zubieta; Papa Egoro Movement,
  Ruben BLADES; Civic Renewal Party (PRC), Tomas HERRERA; National Unity
  Mission Party (MUN), Jose Manuel PAREDES
Other political or pressure groups:
  National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO); National Council of
  Private Enterprise (CONEP); Panamanian Association of Business
  Executives (APEDE); National Civic Crusade; Chamber of Commerce;
  Panamanian Industrialists Society (SIP); Workers Confederation of the
  Republic of Panama (CTRP)
Member of:
  AG (associate), CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
  ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jaime FORD Boyd (to be replaced by Ambassador Ricardo
  Alberto ARIAS on 1 September 1994)
chancery:
  2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, San
  Juan (Puerto Rico), Tampa,
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant)
embassy:
  Avenida Balboa and Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5
mailing address:
  American Embassy Panama, Unit 0945; APO AA 34002
telephone:
  (507) 27-1777
FAX:
  (507) 27-1964
Flag:
  divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white
  (hoist side) with a blue five-pointed star in the center and plain
  red, the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a
  red five-pointed star in the center

@Panama, Economy

Overview:
  GDP expanded by roughly 5.9% in 1993, following growth of 8% in 1992;
  banking and financial services led the way in 1993. The economy thus
  continues to recover from the crisis that preceded the ouster of
  Manuel NORIEGA, even though the government's structural adjustment
  program has been hampered by a lack of popular support and a passive
  administration. Public investment has been limited as the
  administration has kept the fiscal deficit below 2% of GDP.
  Unemployment and economic reform are the two major issues the new
  government must face in 1994-95.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $11.6 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5.9% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  12.5% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $1.8 billion
expenditures:
  $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $200 million (1992
  est.)
Exports:
  $545 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  bananas 43%, shrimp 11%, sugar 4%, clothing 5%, coffee 2%
partners:
  US 38%, EC, Central America and Caribbean
Imports:
  $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  capital goods 21%, crude oil 11%, foodstuffs 9%, consumer goods,
  chemicals
partners:
  US 35%, EC, Central America and Caribbean, Japan
External debt:
  $6.1 billion (year-end 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7% (1993 est.); accounts for about 9% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,584,000 kW
production:
  4.36 trillion kWh
consumption per capita:
  720 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining,
  brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar milling
Agriculture:
  accounts for 10% of GDP (1992 est.), 27% of labor force (1992); crops
  - bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock; fishing; importer
  of food grain, vegetables
Illicit drugs:
  major cocaine transshipment point and drug money laundering center
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $582
  million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million
Currency:
  1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos
Exchange rates:
  balboas (B) per US$1 - 1.000 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Panama, Communications

Railroads:
  238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
  8,530 km
paved:
  2,745 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone 3,270 km; improved, unimproved earth 2,515 km
Inland waterways:
  800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal
Pipelines:
  crude oil 130 km
Ports:
  Cristobal, Balboa, Colon
Merchant marine:
  3,405 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 56,011,824 GRT/89,516,566
  DWT, barge carrier 1, bulk 717, cargo 1,110, chemical tanker 181,
  combination bulk 31, combination ore/oil 24, container 215, liquefied
  gas 127, livestock carrier 9, multifunction large-load carrier 5, oil
  tanker 437, passenger 22, passenger-cargo 3, refrigerated cargo 287,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 67, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker
  10, vehicle carrier 129
note:
  all but 30 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners
  are Japan 34%, Greece 8%, Hong Kong 7%, and Taiwan 5%; other foreign
  owners include China at least 144 ships, Vietnam 3, Croatia 6, Cuba 4,
  Cyprus 4, and Russia 41
Airports:
total:
  118
usable:
  109
with permanent-surface runways:
  38
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  15
Telecommunications:
  domestic and international facilities well developed; connection into
  Central American Microwave System; 220,000 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable; satellite
  ground stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

@Panama, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Panamanian Public Forces (PPF) includes the National Police, Maritime
  Service, National Air Service, Institutional Protective Service;
  Judicial Technical Police operate under the control of Panama's
  judicial branch
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 686,479; fit for military service 471,780
Defense expenditures:
  expenditures for the Panamanian security forces amounted to $138.5
  million, 1.0% of GDP (1993 est.)