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

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 152KB | 4,920 lines

@Azerbaijan, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Asia, between Armenia and Turkmenistan, bordering the
  Caspian Sea
Map references:
  Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian
  States, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle
  East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  86,600 sq km
land area:
  86,100 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Maine
note:
  includes the Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh
  regions; regions' autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet
  on 26 November 1991
Land boundaries:
  total 2,013 km, Armenia (west) 566 km, Armenia (southwest) 221 km,
  Georgia 322 km, Iran (south) 432 km, Iran (southwest) 179 km, Russia
  284 km, Turkey 9 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
note:
  Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)
Maritime claims:
  NA
note:
  Azerbaijani claims in Caspian Sea unknown; 10-nm fishing zone provided
  for in 1940 treaty regarding trade and navigation between Soviet Union
  and Iran
International disputes:
  violent and longstanding dispute with ethnic Armenians of
  Nagorno-Karabakh over its status, lesser dispute concerns Nakhichevan;
  some Azerbaijanis desire absorption of and/or unification with the
  ethnic Azeri portion of Iran
Climate:
  dry, semiarid steppe
Terrain:
  large, flat Kur-Araz Lowland (much of it below sea level) with Great
  Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag (Karabakh) Upland in west;
  Baku lies on Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula that juts into Caspian Sea
Natural resources:
  petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina
Land use:
arable land:
  18%
permanent crops:
  4%
meadows and pastures:
  25%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  53%
Irrigated land:
  14,010 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  local scientists consider the Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula (including
  Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most
  devastated area in the world because of severe air, water, and soil
  pollution; soil pollution results from the use of DDT as a pesticide
  and also from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton
natural hazards:
  subject to drought; some coastal areas threatened by rising levels of
  the Caspian Sea
international agreements:
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
  landlocked

@Azerbaijan, People

Population:
  7,684,456 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.41% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  23.04 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.58 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  34.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  70.85 years
male:
  67.08 years
female:
  74.8 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.7 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Azerbaijani(s)
adjective:
  Azerbaijani
Ethnic divisions:
  Azeri 82.7%, Russian 5.6%, Armenian 5.6%, Dagestani 3.2%, other 2.9%
  (1989)
note:
  Armenian share is now approximately 0.3% because most Armenians have
  fled the ethnic violence since 1989 census; Russian percentage is
  probably half what it was for the same reason
Religions:
  Muslim 87%, Russian Orthodox 5.6%, Armenian Orthodox 5.6%, other 1.8%
Languages:
  Azeri 82%, Russian 7%, Armenian 5%, other 6%
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  2.789 million
by occupation:
  agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 26%, other 42%
  (1990)

@Azerbaijan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Azerbaijani Republic
conventional short form:
  Azerbaijan
local long form:
  Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form:
  none
former:
  Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  AJ
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Baku (Baky)
Administrative divisions:
  1 autonomous republic (avtomnaya respublika); Nakhichevan
  (administrative center at Nakhichevan)
note:
  all rayons except for the exclave of Nakhichevan are under direct
  republic jurisdiction
Independence:
  30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Novruz Bayram, 21-22 March
Constitution:
  adopted NA April 1978; writing a new constitution mid-1993
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993 after President ELCIBEY
  left Baku for Nakhichevan); election last held 3 October 1993 (next to
  be held NA); results - Heydar ALIYEV won 97% of vote
head of government:
  Prime Minister Surat HUSEYNOV (since 30 June 1993)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and confirmed by the
  Mejlas
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Milli Mejlis):
  elections last held 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme
  Soviet (next expected to be held NA 1994 for the National Assembly);
  seats for Supreme Soviet - (360 total) Communists 280, Democratic Bloc
  45 (grouping of opposition parties), other 15, vacant 20; note - on 19
  May 1992 the Supreme Soviet was prorogued in favor of a Popular
  Front-dominated National Council; seats - (50 total) Popular Front 25,
  opposition elements 25
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Azerbaijan Popular Front (APF), Ebulfez ELCIBEY, chairman; Musavat
  Party, Isa GAMBAR, chairman; National Independence Party, Etibar
  MAMEDOV, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Araz ALIZADE,
  chairman; Communist Party, Ramiz AKHMEDOV, chairman; People's Freedom
  Party, Yunus OGUZ, chairman; Independent Social Democratic Party, Arif
  YUNUSOV and Leila YUNOSOVA, cochairmen; New Azerbaijan Party, Heydar
  ALIYEV, chairman; Boz Gurd Party, Iskander HAMIDOV, chairman;
  Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Sardar MAMEDOV, chairman; Azerbaijan
  Democratic Independence Party, Qabil HUSELNLI, chairman; Islamic Party
  of Azerbaijan, Ali Akram, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
  self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh
  independence movement
Member of:
  BSEC, CCC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, ILO,
  IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU,
  WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Hafiz Mir Jalal Ogly PASHAYEV
chancery:
  Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Richard KAZLAURICH
embassy:
  Hotel Intourist, Baku
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  7-8922-92-63-06 through 09, extension 441, 442, 446, 447, 448, 450
FAX:
  Telex 142110 AMEMB SU
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent
  and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

@Azerbaijan, Economy

Overview:
  Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or
  Georgia, the other Transcaucasian states. It resembles the Central
  Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high structural
  unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent
  products are oil, cotton, and gas. Production from the Caspian oil and
  gas field has been in decline for several years. With foreign
  assistance, the oil industry might generate the funds needed to spur
  industrial development. However, civil unrest, marked by armed
  conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Muslim Azeris and
  Christian Armenians, makes foreign investors wary. Azerbaijan
  accounted for 1.5% to 2% of the capital stock and output of the former
  Soviet Union. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the
  ex-Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a
  market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its
  prospects somewhat. Old economic ties and structures have yet to be
  replaced. A particularly galling constraint on economic revival is the
  Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said to consume 25% of Azerbaijan's
  economic resources.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.5 billion (1993 estimate from
  the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
  published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
  extrapolated to 1993 using official Azerbaijani statistics, which are
  very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -13.3% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $2,040 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  20% per month (average 1993); above 50% per month (February 1994)
Unemployment rate:
  0.7% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of
  underemployed workers (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $355 million to outside the FSU countries (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment, textiles, cotton (1991)
partners:
  mostly CIS and European countries
Imports:
  $240 million from outside the FSU countries (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and parts, consumer durables, foodstuffs, textiles (1991)
partners:
  European countries
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate -7% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
  6,025,000 kW
production:
  22,300 kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,990 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
     steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles
iculture:
  cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle,
  pigs, sheep and goats
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
  consumption; limited government eradication program; transshipment
  point for illicit drugs to Western Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
  wheat from Turkey
Currency:
  1 manat = 100 gopik
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Azerbaijan, Communications

Railroads:
  2,090 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
  36,700 km
paved or graveled:
  31,800 km
unpaved:
  earth 4,900 km (1990)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural gas 1,240 km
Ports:
  inland - Baku (Baky)
Airports:
total:
  65
usable:
  33
with permanent-surface runways:
  26
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  8
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  23
Telecommunications:
  domestic telephone service is of poor quality and inadequate; 710,000
  domestic telephone lines [density - 9 lines per 100 persons (1991)],
  202,000 persons waiting for telephone installations (January 1991);
  connections to other former USSR republics by cable and microwave and
  to other countries via the Moscow international gateway switch;
  INTELSAT earth station installed in late 1992 in Baku with Turkish
  financial assistance with access to 200 countries through Turkey;
  since August 1993 an earth station near Baku has provided direct
  communications with New York through Russia's Stationar-11 satellite;
  a joint venture to establish a cellular telephone system (Bakcel) in
  the Baku area is supposed to become operational in 1994; domestic and
  Russian TV programs are received locally and Turkish and Iranian TV is
  received from an INTELSAT satellite through a receive-only earth
  station

@Azerbaijan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Air Force, Navy, Maritime Border Guard, National Guard, Security
  Forces (internal and border troops)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,884,458; fit for military service 1,525,123; reach
  military age (18) annually 68,192 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  2,848 million rubles, NA% of GDP (1992 est.); note - conversion of the
  military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
  produce misleading results


@The Bahamas, Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, in the western North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of Florida
  and northwest of Cuba
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones
  of the World
Area:
total area:
  13,940 sq km
land area:
  10,070 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  3,542 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  3 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical marine; moderated by warm waters of Gulf Stream
Terrain:
  long, flat coral formations with some low rounded hills
Natural resources:
  salt, aragonite, timber
Land use:
arable land:
  1%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  32%
other:
  67%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to hurricanes and other tropical storms that cause extensive
  flood and wind damage
international agreements:
  party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
  Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
Note:
  strategic location adjacent to US and Cuba; extensive island chain

@The Bahamas, People

Population:
  273,055 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.57% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  18.86 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.38 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  33.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  71.52 years
male:
  67.66 years
female:
  75.49 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bahamian(s)
adjective:
  Bahamian
Ethnic divisions:
  black 85%, white 15%
Religions:
  Baptist 32%, Anglican 20%, Roman Catholic 19%, Methodist 6%, Church of
  God 6%, other Protestant 12%, none or unknown 3%, other 2%
Languages:
  English, Creole (among Haitian immigrants)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over but definition of literacy not available (1963 est.)
total population:
  90%
male:
  90%
female:
  89%
Labor force:
  127,400
by occupation:
  government 30%, hotels and restaurants 25%, business services 10%,
  agriculture 5% (1989)

@The Bahamas, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
   Commonwealth of The Bahamas
conventional short form:
  The Bahamas
Digraph:
  BF
Type:
  commonwealth
Capital:
  Nassau
Administrative divisions:
  21 districts; Acklins and Crooked Islands, Bimini, Cat Island, Exuma,
  Freeport, Fresh Creek, Governor's Harbour, Green Turtle Cay, Harbour
  Island, High Rock, Inagua, Kemps Bay, Long Island, Marsh Harbour,
  Mayaguana, New Providence, Nichollstown and Berry Islands, Ragged
  Island, Rock Sound, Sandy Point, San Salvador and Rum Cay
Independence:
  10 July 1973 (from UK)
National holiday:
  National Day, 10 July (1973)
Constitution:
  10 July 1973
Legal system:
  based on English common law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  General Sir Clifford DARLING (since 2 January 1992)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Hubert A. INGRAHAM (since 19 August 1992); Deputy Prime
  Minister Orville A. TURNQUEST (since 19 August 1992)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the governor on the prime minister's
  recommendation
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament
Senate:
  a 16-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly:
  elections last held 19 August 1992 (next to be held by August 1997);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (49 total) FNM 32, PLP
  17
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Progressive Liberal Party (PLP), Sir Lynden O. PINDLING; Free National
  Movement (FNM), Hubert Alexander INGRAHAM;
Member of:
  ACP, C, CCC, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS,
  OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Timothy Baswell DONALDSON
chancery:
  2220 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Miami and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Lino GUTIERREZ
embassy:
  Mosmar Building, Queen Street, Nassau
mailing address:
  P. O. Box N-8197, Nassau
telephone:
  [phone] or 328-2206
FAX:
  [phone]
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of aquamarine (top), gold, and aquamarine
  with a black equilateral triangle based on the hoist side

@The Bahamas, Economy

Overview:
  The Bahamas is a stable, developing nation whose economy is based
  primarily on tourism and offshore banking. Tourism alone provides
  about 40% of GDP and directly or indirectly employs about 50,000
  people or 40% of the local work force. The economy has slackened in
  recent years, as the annual increase in the number of tourists slowed.
  Nonetheless, per capita GDP is one of the highest in the region.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $4.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2% (1991)
National product per capita:
  $16,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6.5% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  5.7% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $628.5 million
expenditures:
  $574 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1992
  est.)
Exports:
  $310 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  pharmaceuticals, cement, rum, crawfish
partners:
  US 51%, UK 7%, Norway 7%, France 6%, Italy 5%
Imports:
  $1.2 billion (f.o.b,,1992)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, manufactured goods, mineral fuels, crude oil
partners:
  US 32%, Japan 17%, Nigeria 12%, Denmark 7%, Norway 6%
External debt:
  $1.2 billion (December 1990)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 3% (1990); accounts for 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  424,000 kW
production:
  929 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  3,599 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, banking, cement, oil refining and transshipment, salt
  production, rum, aragonite, pharmaceuticals, spiral welded steel pipe
Agriculture:
  accounts for 5% of GDP; dominated by small-scale producers; principal
  products - citrus fruit, vegetables, poultry; large net importer of
  food
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for cocaine and marijuana bound for US and Europe;
  also money-laundering center
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY85-89), $1 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $345
  million
Currency:
  1 Bahamian dollar (B$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Bahamian dollar (B$) per US$1 - 1.00 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@The Bahamas, Communications

Highways:
total:
  2,400 km
paved:
  1,350 km
unpaved:
  gravel 1,050 km
Ports:
  Freeport, Nassau
Merchant marine:
  879 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,424,439 GRT/33,330,160 DWT,
  bulk 167, cargo 148, chemical tanker 43, combination bulk 8,
  combination ore/oil 20, container 48, liquefied gas 18, oil tanker
  177, passenger 54, refrigerated cargo 132, roll-on/roll-off cargo 41,
  short-sea passenger 16, vehicle carrier 7
note:
  a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
  60
usable:
  55
with permanent-surface runways:
  31
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  26
Telecommunications:
  highly developed; 99,000 telephones in totally automatic system;
  tropospheric scatter and submarine cable links to Florida; broadcast
  stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic
  Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@The Bahamas, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Bahamas Defense Force (Coast Guard only), Royal Bahamas Police
  Force
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $65 million, 2.7% of GDP (1990)


@Bahrain, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, in the central Persian Gulf, between Saudi Arabia and
  Qatar
Map references:
  Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  620 sq km
land area:
  620 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  161 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  not specified
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands; maritime
  boundary with Qatar
Climate:
  arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain:
  mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central escarpment
Natural resources:
  oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  6%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  90%
Irrigated land:
  10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  desertification resulting from the degradation of limited arable land,
  periods of drought, and dust storms; coastal degradation (damage to
  coastlines, coral reefs, and sea vegetation) resulting from oil spills
  and other discharges from large tankers, oil refineries, and
  distribution stations; no surface water resources; groundwater and sea
  water are the only sources for all water needs
natural hazards:
  periods of drought, dust storms
international agreements:
  party to - Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
  close to primary Middle Eastern petroleum sources; strategic location
  in Persian Gulf through which much of Western world's petroleum must
  transit to reach open ocean

@Bahrain, People

Population:
  585,683 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.96% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  26.59 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  3.83 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  6.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  19 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  73.51 years
male:
  71.1 years
female:
  76.05 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.96 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bahraini(s)
adjective:
  Bahraini
Ethnic divisions:
  Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%, other 6%
Religions:
  Shi'a Muslim 70%, Sunni Muslim 30%
Languages:
  Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  77%
male:
  82%
female:
  69%
Labor force:
  140,000
by occupation:
  industry and commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 3%
  (1982)
note:
  42% of labor force is Bahraini

@Bahrain, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  State of Bahrain
conventional short form:
  Bahrain
local long form:
  Dawlat al Bahrayn
local short form:
  Al Bahrayn
Digraph:
  BA
Type:
  traditional monarchy
Capital:
  Manama
Administrative divisions:
  12 districts (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al Manamah, Al
  Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al Mintaqah ash
  Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa'wa al Mintaqah al Janubiyah, Jidd
  Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat 'Isa, Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
Independence:
  15 August 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 16 December (1961)
Constitution:
  26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system:
  based on Islamic law and English common law
Suffrage:
  none
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Amir ISA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 2 November 1961); Heir Apparent
  HAMAD bin Isa bin Salman Al Khalifa (son of the Amir, born 28 January
  1950)
head of government:
  Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 19 January 1970)
cabinet:
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975 and
  legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet; appointed Advisory
  Council established 16 December 1992
Judicial branch:
  High Civil Appeals Court
Political parties and leaders:
  political parties prohibited; several small, clandestine leftist and
  Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
Member of:
  ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDB,
  ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC,
  ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Mohammad ABD al-GHAFFAR
chancery:
  3502 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] or 342-0742
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires David S. ROBINS
embassy:
  Road No. 3119 (next to Alahli Sports Club), Zinj District, Manama
mailing address:
  FPO AE 09834-5100; P.O. Box 26431, Manama
telephone:
  [973] 273-300
FAX:
  (973) 272-594
Flag:
  red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the hoist side

@Bahrain, Economy

Overview:
  Petroleum production and processing account for about 80% of export
  receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 30% of GDP. Economic
  conditions have fluctuated with the changing fortunes of oil since
  1985, for example, during and following the Gulf crisis of 1990-91.
  Bahrain with its highly developed communication and transport
  facilities is home to numerous multinational firms with business in
  the Gulf. A large share of exports consists of petroleum products made
  from imported crude. Prospects for 1994 are good, with private
  enterprise the main driving force, e.g., in banking and construction.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $12,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  8%-10% (1989)
Budget:
revenues:
  $1.2 billion
expenditures:
  $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
  $3.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  petroleum and petroleum products 80%, aluminum 7%
partners:
  Japan 13%, UAE 12%, India 10%, Pakistan 8%, Singapore 6% (1991)
Imports:
  $3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
partners:
  Saudi Arabia 42%, US 14%, UK 7%, Japan 5%, Germany 4% (1991)
External debt:
  $2.6 billion (1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for 44% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,600,000 kW
production:
  4.7 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  8,500 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore
  banking, ship repairing
Agriculture:
  including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP; not
  self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces
  fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, fish
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $45
  million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
Currency:
  1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
  Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Bahrain, Communications

Highways:
total:
  NA
paved:
  bituminous 200 km
unpaved:
  NA
Pipelines:
  crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km
Ports:
  Mina' Salman, Manama, Sitrah
Merchant marine:
  6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 101,844 GRT/143,997 DWT, bulk 1,
  cargo 4, container 1
Airports:
total:
  3
usable:
  3
with permanent-surface runways:
  2
with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  modern system; good domestic services; 98,000 telephones (1 for every
  6 persons); excellent international connections; tropospheric scatter
  to Qatar, UAE; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia; submarine cable
  to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
  Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; broadcast stations
  - 2 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV

@Bahrain, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 198,414; fit for military service 109,431; reach
  military age (15) annually 5,093 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $245 million, 6% of GDP (1993)


@Baker Island

Header

Affiliation:
  (territory of the US)

@Baker Island, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, just north of the
  Equator, 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu, about halfway between Hawaii
  and Australia
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  1.4 sq km
land area:
  1.4 sq km
comparative area:
  about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  4.8 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
mate:
     equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
rain:
     low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
ural resources:
     guano (deposits worked until 1891)
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100%
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  lacks fresh water
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  treeless, sparse, and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses,
  prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; primarily a nesting,
  roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine
  wildlife

@Baker Island, People

Population:
  uninhabited; note - American civilians evacuated in 1942 after
  Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US
  military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public
  entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to
  scientists and educators; a cemetery and cemetery ruins are located
  near the middle of the west coast

@Baker Island, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Baker Island
Digraph:
  FQ
Type:
  unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and
  Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
  National Wildlife Refuge system
Capital:
  none; administered from Washington, DC

@Baker Island, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Baker Island, Communications

Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the middle
  of the west coast
Airports:
  1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m
Note:
  there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast

@Baker Island, Defense Forces

  defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US
  Coast Guard


@Bangladesh, Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, at the head of the Bay of Bengal, almost completely
  surrounded by India
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  144,000 sq km
land area:
  133,910 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:
  total 4,246 km, Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline:
  580 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  18 nm
continental shelf:
  up to outer limits of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water-sharing
  problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges
Climate:
  tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer
  (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
  mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Natural resources:
  natural gas, arable land, timber
Land use:
arable land:
  67%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  4%
forest and woodland:
  16%
other:
  11%
Irrigated land:
  27,380 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  many people are landless and forced to live on and cultivate
  flood-prone land; limited access to potable water; water-borne
  diseases prevalent; water pollution especially of fishing areas
  results from the use of commercial pesticides; intermittent water
  shortages because of falling water tables in the northern and central
  parts of the country; soil degradation; deforestation; severe
  overpopulation
natural hazards:
  vulnerable to droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely
  flooded during the summer monsoon season
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
  Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
  ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

@Bangladesh, People

Population:
  125,149,469 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.33% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  35.02 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  11.68 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  106.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  55.08 years
male:
  55.35 years
female:
  54.8 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.47 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bangladeshi(s)
adjective:
  Bangladesh
Ethnic divisions:
  Bengali 98%, Biharis 250,000, tribals less than 1 million
Religions:
  Muslim 83%, Hindu 16%, Buddhist, Christian, other
Languages:
  Bangla (official), English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  35%
male:
  47%
female:
  22%
Labor force:
  50.1 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 65%, services 21%, industry and mining 14% (1989)
note:
  extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, and Oman (1991)

@Bangladesh, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  People's Republic of Bangladesh
conventional short form:
  Bangladesh
former:
  East Pakistan
Digraph:
  BG
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Dhaka
Administrative divisions:
  64 districts (zillagulo, singular - zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban,
  Barguna, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai
  Nawabganj, Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka,
  Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj, Habiganj,
  Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah, Khagrachari,
  Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur, Lalmonirhat,
  Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur, Moulavibazar, Munshiganj,
  Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona,
  Nilphamari, Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram,
  Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Satkhira,
  Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Tangail,
  Thakurgaon
Independence:
  16 December 1971 (from Pakistan)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 26 March (1971)
Constitution:
  4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup
  of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986, amended many times
Legal system:
  based on English common law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Abdur Rahman BISWAS (since 8 October 1991); election last
  held 8 October 1991 (next to be held by NA October 1996); results -
  Abdur Rahman BISWAS received 52.1% of parliamentary vote
head of government:
  Prime Minister Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN (since 20 March 1991)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad):
  elections last held 27 February 1991 (next to be held NA February
  1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (330 total, 300
  elected and 30 seats reserved for women) BNP 168, AL 93, JP 35, JI 20,
  BCP 5, National Awami Party (Muzaffar) 1, Workers Party 1, JSD 1,
  Ganotantri Party 1, Islami Oikya Jote 1, NDP 1, independents 3
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Khaleda ZIAur RAHMAN; Awami League
  (AL), Sheikh Hasina WAJED; Jatiyo Party (JP), Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD
  (in jail); Jamaat-E-Islami (JI), Ali KHAN; Bangladesh Communist Party
  (BCP), Saifuddin Ahmed MANIK; National Awami Party (Muzaffar); Workers
  Party, leader NA; Jatiyo Samajtantik Dal (JSD), Serajul ALAM KHAN;
  Ganotantri Party, leader NA; Islami Oikya Jote, leader NA; National
  Democratic Party (NDP), leader NA; Muslim League, Khan A. SABUR;
  Democratic League, Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; Democratic League,
  Khondakar MUSHTAQUE Ahmed; United People's Party, Kazi ZAFAR Ahmed
Member of:
  AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO,
  ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNOMOZ, UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL,
  WHO, WFTU, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Abul AHSAN
chancery:
  2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
  [phone] through 8376
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador David MERRILL
embassy:
  Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara, Dhaka
mailing address:
  G. P. O. Box 323, Dhaka 1212
telephone:
  [880] (2) 884700-22
FAX:
  [880] (2) 883-744
Flag:
  green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center;
  green is the traditional color of Islam

@Bangladesh, Economy

Overview:
  Bangladesh is one of the world's poorest, most densely populated, and
  least developed nations. Its economy is overwhelmingly agricultural,
  with the cultivation of rice the single most important activity in the
  economy. Major impediments to growth include frequent cyclones and
  floods, government interference with the economy, a rapidly growing
  labor force that cannot be absorbed by agriculture, a low level of
  industrialization, failure to fully exploit energy resources (natural
  gas), and inefficient and inadequate power supplies. Excellent rice
  crops and expansion of the export garment industry helped growth in
  FY92 and FY93. Policy reforms intended to reduce government regulation
  of private industry and promote public-sector efficiency have been
  announced but are being implemented only slowly.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $122 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4.3% (FY93)
National product per capita:
  $1,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  1.4% (FY93)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $2.5 billion
expenditures:
  $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
  $2.1 billion (FY93)
commodities:
  garments, jute and jute goods, leather, shrimp
partners:
  US 33%, Western Europe 39% (Germany 8.4%, Italy 6%) (FY92 est.)
Imports:
  $3.5 billion (FY93)
commodities:
  capital goods, petroleum, food, textiles
partners:
  Hong Kong 7.5%, Singapore 7.4%, China 7.4%, Japan 7.1% (FY92 est.)
External debt:
  $13.5 billion (June 1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.9% (FY93 est.); accounts for 9.4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  2,400,000 kW
production:
  9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  75 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel,
  fertilizer
Agriculture:
  accounts for 33% of GDP, 65% of employment, and one-fifth of exports;
  world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products - jute, rice,
  wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages
  include wheat, vegetable oils, cotton
Illicit drugs:
  transit country for illegal drugs produced in neighboring countries
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.4 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89),
  $11.65 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $6.52 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $1.5 billion
Currency:
  1 taka (Tk) = 100 poiska
Exchange rates:
  taka (Tk) per US$1 - 40.064 (January 1994), 39.567 (1993), 38.951
  (1992), 36.596 (1991), 34.569 (1990), 32.270 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Bangladesh, Communications

Railroads:
  2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter
  broad gauge
Highways:
total:
  7,240 km
paved:
  3,840 km
unpaved:
  3,400 km (1985)
Inland waterways:
  5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo
  routes)
Pipelines:
  natural gas 1,220 km
Ports:
  Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine:
  41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 312,172 GRT/458,131 DWT, bulk 3,
  cargo 33, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 3
Airports:
total:
  16
usable:
  12
with permanent-surface runways:
  12
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  6
Telecommunications:
  adequate international radio communications and landline service; poor
  domestic telephone service; 241.250 telephones - only one telephone
  for each 522 persons; fair broadcast service; broadcast stations - 9
  AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations

@Bangladesh, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force
paramilitary forces:
  Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Defense
  Parties, National Cadet Corps
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 31,955,948; fit for military service 18,967,602
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $355 million, 1.5% of GDP (FY92/93)


@Barbados, Geography

Location:
  Caribbean, in the extreme eastern Caribbean Sea, about 375 km
  northeast of Venezuela
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, South America, Standard Time Zones
  of the World
Area:
total area:
  430 sq km
land area:
  430 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  97 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain:
  relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources:
  petroleum, fishing, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  77%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  9%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  14%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil
  erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of
  aquifers
natural hazards:
  subject to hurricanes (especially June to October); periodic
  landslides
international agreements:
  party to - Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity
Note:
  easternmost Caribbean island

@Barbados, People

Population:
  255,827 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.63 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.4 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -5.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  73.83 years
male:
  71.11 years
female:
  76.76 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.78 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Barbadian(s)
adjective:
  Barbadian
Ethnic divisions:
  African 80%, European 4%, other 16%
Religions:
  Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other
  12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, unknown 3%, other 9% (1980)
Languages:
  English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
total population:
  99%
male:
  99%
female:
  99%
Labor force:
  120,900 (1991)
by occupation:
  services and government 37%, commerce 22%, manufacturing and
  construction 22%, transportation, storage, communications, and
  financial institutions 9%, agriculture 8%, utilities 2% (1985 est.)

@Barbados, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Barbados
Digraph:
  BB
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Bridgetown
Administrative divisions:
  11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James,
  Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter,
  Saint Philip, Saint Thomas
note:
  the new city of Bridgetown may be given parish status
Independence:
  30 November 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Constitution:
  30 November 1966
Legal system:
  English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  General Dame Nita BARROW (since 6 June 1990)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987); Deputy
  Prime Minister Philip Marlowe GREAVES (since 2 June 1987)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
  minister
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament
Senate:
  consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Assembly:
  election last held 22 January 1991 (next to be held by January 1996);
  results - DLP 49.8%; seats - (28 total) DLP 18, BLP 10
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of Judicature
Political parties and leaders:
  Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine SANDIFORD; Barbados Labor Party
  (BLP), Owen ARTHUR; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie HAYNES
Other political or pressure groups:
  Barbados Workers Union, Leroy TROTMAN; People's Progressive Movement,
  Eric SEALY; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George BELLE; Clement
  Payne Labor Union, David COMMISSIONG
Member of:
  ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
  (correspondent), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Dr. Rudi Valentine WEBSTER
chancery:
  2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 9202
consulate(s) general:
  New York
consulate(s):
  Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jeanette W. HYDE
embassy:
  Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; FPO AA 34055
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
Flag:
  three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and blue with
  the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident
  head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial
  coat of arms contained a complete trident)

@Barbados, Economy

Overview:
  A per capita income of $8,700 gives Barbados one of the highest
  standards of living of all the small island states of the eastern
  Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of
  sugar cane and related activities. In recent years, however, the
  economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist
  industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary
  source of foreign exchange. The economy slowed in 1990-92 as
  Bridgetown's difficulty in financing its deficits caused it to exert
  control over domestic demands
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -3% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $8,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  23% (1992)
Budget:
revenues:
  $547 million
expenditures:
  $620 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92-93)
Exports:
  $158 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals,
  electrical components, clothing
partners:
  US 13%, UK 13%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, Windward Islands 7.8%
Imports:
  $465 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel,
  electrical components
partners:
  US 33%, UK 11%, Trinidad and Tobago 11%, Japan 5%
External debt:
  $652 million (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -1.3% (1991); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  152,100 kW
production:
  540 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,118 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export,
  petroleum
Agriculture:
  accounts for 6% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops -
  vegetables, cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $171
  million
Currency:
  1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1 - 2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Barbados, Communications

Highways:
total:
  1,570 km
paved:
  1,475 km
unpaved:
  gravel, earth 95 km
Ports:
  Bridgetown
Merchant marine:
  2 oil tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,466 GRT/76,219 DWT
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  island wide automatic telephone system with 89,000 telephones;
  tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and Saint Lucia; broadcast
  stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
  earth station

@Barbados, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Barbados Defense Force, including the Ground Forces and Coast
  Guard, Royal Barbados Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 70,751; fit for military service 49,330
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $10 million, 0.7% of GDP (1989)


@Bassas da India

Header
Affiliation:
  (possession of France)

@Bassas da India, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, in the southern Mozambique Channel about halfway
  between Madagascar and Mozambique
Map references:
  Africa
Area:
total area:
  NA km2
land area:
  NA km2
comparative area:
  NA
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  35.2 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:
  claimed by Madagascar
Climate:
  tropical
Terrain:
  a volcanic rock 2.4 meters high
Natural resources:
  none
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100% (all rock)
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  navigational hazard since it is usually under water during high tide

@Bassas da India, People

Population:
  uninhabited

@Bassas da India, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Bassas da India
Digraph:
  BS
Type:
  French possession administered by a Commissioner of the Republic,
  resident in Reunion
Capital:
  none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence:
  none (possession of France)

@Bassas da India, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Bassas da India, Communications

Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only

@Bassas da India, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@Belarus, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Europe, between Poland and Russia
Map references:
  Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Europe,
  Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  207,600 sq km
land area:
  207,600 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
  total 3,098 km, Latvia 141 km, Lithuania 502 km, Poland 605 km, Russia
  959 km, Ukraine 891 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  cold winters, cool and moist summers; transitional between continental
  and maritime
Terrain:
  generally flat and contains much marshland
Natural resources:
  forest land, peat deposits
Land use:
arable land:
  29%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  15%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  55%
Irrigated land:
  1,490 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  soil pollution from pesticide use; southern part of Belarus
  contaminated with fallout from 1986 nuclear reactor accident at
  Chornobyl'
natural hazards:
     NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine
  Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Climate
  Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked

@Belarus, People

Population:
  10,404,862 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.32% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.12 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  11.16 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  1.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  18.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  70.88 years
male:
  66.2 years
female:
  75.79 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.88 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Belarusian(s)
adjective:
  Belarusian
Ethnic divisions:
  Byelorussian 77.9%, Russian 13.2%, Polish 4.1%, Ukrainian 2.9%, other
  1.9%
Religions:
  Eastern Orthodox, other
Languages:
  Byelorussian, Russian, other
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1979)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  4.887 million
by occupation:
  industry and construction 40%, agriculture and forestry 21%, other 39%
  (1992)

@Belarus, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Belarus
conventional short form:
  Belarus
local long form:
  Respublika Byelarus'
local short form:
  none
former:
  Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  BO
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Minsk
Administrative divisions:
  6 voblastsi (singular - voblasts') and one municipality* (harady,
  singular - horad); Brestskaya (Brest), Homyel'skaya (Homyel'), Horad
  Minsk*, Hrodzyenskaya (Hrodna), Mahilyowskaya (Mahilyow), Minskaya,
  Vitsyebskaya (Vitsyebsk)
note:
  the administrative centers of the voblastsi are included in
  parentheses
Independence:
  25 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 27 July (1990)
Constitution:
  adopted 15 March 1994; replaces constitution of April 1978
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President-elect Aleksandr LUKASHENKO (elected 10 July 1994, but not
  yet inaugurated) election held June 24 and 10 July 1994 (next to be
  held NA); Aleksandr LUKASHENKO 80%, Vyacheslav KEBICH 14%
head of government:
  Prime Minister Vyacheslav F. KEBICH (since NA April 1990; offered his
  resignation on the election of LUCHASHENKO), First Deputy Prime
  Minister Mikhail MYASNIKOVICH (since NA 1991)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers
note:
  first presidential elections took place in June-July 1994
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Supreme Soviet:
  elections last held 4 April 1990 (next to be held NA); results -
  Communists 87%; seats - (360 total) number of seats by party NA; note
  - 50 seats are for public bodies; the Communist Party obtained an
  overwhelming majority
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Belarusian Popular Front (BPF), Zenon PAZNYAK, chairman; United
  Democratic Party of Belarus (UDPB), Aleksandr DOBROVOLSKIY, chairman;
  Social Democratic Party of Belarus (SDBP), Mikhail TKACHEV, chairman;
  Belarus Workers Union, Mikhail SOBOL, Chairman; Belarus Peasants
  Party; Party of People's Unity, Gennadiy KARPENKO; Movement for
  Democracy, Social Progress, and Justice (DSPS; includes the Communist
  Party), Viktor CHIKIN, chairman
Member of:
  CBSS (observer), CE (guest), CEI (participating), CIS, CSCE, ECE,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IFC, ILO, IMF, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
  user), IOC, ITU, NACC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
  WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Sergey Nikolayevich MARTYNOV
chancery:
  1619 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone])
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires George KROL
embassy:
  Starovilenskaya #46, Minsk
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  7-0172-34-65-37
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of white (top), red, and white

@Belarus, Economy
Overview:
  Belarus ranks among the most developed of the former Soviet states,
  with a relatively modern - by Soviet standards - and diverse machine
  building sector and a robust agriculture sector. It also serves as a
  transport link for Russian oil exports to the Baltic states and
  Eastern and Western Europe. The breakup of the Soviet Union and its
  command economy has resulted in a sharp economic contraction as
  traditional trade ties have collapsed. At the same time, the
  Belarusian Government has lagged behind most other former Soviet
  states in economic reform; privatization has barely begun; the
  agriculture sector remains highly subsidized; the state retains
  control over many prices; and the system of state orders and
  distribution persists. Meanwhile, the national bank continues to pour
  credits into inefficient enterprises, fueling inflation and weakening
  incentives to improve performance. The government is pinning its hopes
  on reintegration with the Russian economy, but such a path would only
  partially restore traditional trade ties. Until economic reform is
  embraced, Belarus will continue in its economic morass.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $61 billion (1993 estimate from
  the UN International Comparison Program, as extended to 1991 and
  published in the World Bank's World Development Report 1993; and as
  extrapolated to 1993 using official Belarusian statistics, which are
  very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -9% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $5,890 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  30% per month (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  1.4% officially registered unemployed (December 1993); large numbers
  of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $710 million to outside of the FSU countries (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners:
  Russia, Ukraine, Poland, Bulgaria
Imports:
  $743 million from outside the FSU countries (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  fuel, industrial raw materials, textiles, sugar
partners:
  Russia, Ukraine, Poland
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate -11% (1993); accounts for about 40% of GDP (1992)
Electricity:
capacity:
  8,025,000 kW
production:
  37.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  3,626 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  employ about 40% of labor force and produce a wide variety of products
  including (in percent share of total output of former Soviet Union):
  tractors (12%); metal-cutting machine tools (11%); off-highway dump
  trucks up to 110-metric-ton load capacity (100%); wheel-type
  earthmovers for construction and mining (100%); eight-wheel-drive,
  high-flotation trucks with cargo capacity of 25 metric tons for use in
  tundra and roadless areas (100%); equipment for animal husbandry and
  livestock feeding (25%); motorcycles (21.3%); television sets (11%);
  chemical fibers (28%); fertilizer (18%); linen fabric (11%); wool
  fabric (7%); radios; refrigerators; and other consumer goods
Agriculture:
  accounts for almost 25% of GDP and 5.7% of total agricultural output
  of former Soviet Union; employs 21% of the labor force; in 1988
  produced the following (in percent of total Soviet production): grain
  (3.6%), potatoes (12.2%), vegetables (3.0%), meat (6.0%), milk (7.0%);
  net exporter of meat, milk, eggs, flour, potatoes
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivator of opium poppy and cannabis; mostly for the
  domestic market; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western
  Europe
Economic aid:
  $NA
Currency:
  Belarusian rubel
note:
  the government signed a framework agreement with Russia for a monetary
  union in January 1994, but a schedule and mechanism for merging the
  two monetary systems and replacing Belarusian rubels with Russian
  rubles have not been worked out
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Belarus, Communications

Railroads:
  5,570 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
  98,200 km
paved:
  66,100 km
unpaved:
  earth 32,100 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
  NA km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,470 km; refined products 1,100 km; natural gas 1,980 km
  (1992)
Ports:
  none; landlocked
Merchant marine:
  claims 5% of former Soviet fleet
Airports:
total:
  124
usable:
  55
with permanent-surface runways:
  31
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  28
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
  20
note:
  a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
  telephone service in Belarus is inadequate for the purposes of either
  business or the population; total number of telephones 1,849,000 (31
  December 1991); telephone density - 18 for each 100 persons; about 70%
  of the telephones are in homes; over 750,000 applications from
  households for telephones remain unsatisfied (1992); new investment
  centers on international connections and business needs; the new
  BelCel NMT 450 cellular system (a joint venture) is now operating in
  Minsk but progress has been slower in establishing an INTELSAT earth
  station; international traffic still relies on the Moscow
  international gateway switch; broadcast receivers - television
  3,538,000, radio 3,140,000, radio receivers with multiple speaker
  systems for program diffusion 5,615,000

@Belarus, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and
  border troops)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 2,520,487; fit for military service 1,981,749; reach
  military age (18) annually 71,922 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  56.5 billion rubles, NA% of GDP (1993 est.); note - conversion of the
  military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
  produce misleading results


@Belgium, Geography

Location:
  Western Europe, bordering on the North Sea, between France and the
  Netherlands
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  30,510 sq km
land area:
  30,230 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
  total 1,385 km, France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km,
  Netherlands 450 km
Coastline:
  64 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  equidistant line with neighbors
exclusive fishing zone:
  equidistant line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast)
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain:
  flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged
  mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Natural resources:
  coal, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  24%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  20%
forest and woodland:
  21%
other:
  34%
Irrigated land:
  10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  Meuse River, a major source of drinking water, polluted from steel
  production wastes; other rivers polluted by animal wastes and
  fertilizers; industrial air pollution contributes to acid rain in
  neighboring countries
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty,
  Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes,
  Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
  Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed,
  but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
  Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals
  within 1,000 km of Brussels which is the seat of the EC

@Belgium, People

Population:
  10,062,836 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.2% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  11.71 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  10.26 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.6 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  7.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  76.96 years
male:
  73.67 years
female:
  80.44 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.62 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Belgian(s)
adjective:
  Belgian
Ethnic divisions:
  Fleming 55%, Walloon 33%, mixed or other 12%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25%
Languages:
  Dutch 56%, French 32%, German 1%, legally bilingual 11% divided along
  ethnic lines
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  4.126 million
by occupation:
  services 63.6%, industry 28%, construction 6.1%, agriculture 2.3%
  (1988)

@Belgium, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form:
  Belgium
local long form:
  Royaume de Belgique
local short form:
  Belgique
Digraph:
  BE
Type:
  constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Brussels
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Flemish:
  provincien, singular - provincie); Antwerpen, Brabant, Hainaut, Liege,
  Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, West-Vlaanderen
Independence:
  4 October 1830 (from the Netherlands)
National holiday:
  National Day, 21 July (ascension of King Leopold to the throne in
  1831)
Constitution:
  7 February 1831, last revised 14 July 1993; parliament approved a
  constitutional package creating a federal state
Legal system:
  civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial
  review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age, universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King ALBERT II (since NA August 1993)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Jean-Luc DEHAENE (since 6 March 1992)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; the king appoints the ministers who are chosen by the
  legislature
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament
Senate:
   (Flemish - Senaat, French - Senat); elections last held 24 November
  1991 (next to be held by November 1996); results - percent of vote by
  party NA; seats - (184 total; of which 106 are directly elected) CVP
  20, SP 14, PVV (now VLD) 13, VU 5, AGALEV 5, VB 5, ROSSEN 1, PS 18,
  PRL 9, PSC 9, ECOLO 6, FDF 1
Chamber of Representatives:
   (Flemish - Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers, French - Chambre des
  Representants); elections last held 24 November 1991 (next to be held
  by November 1996); results - CVP 16.7%, PS 13.6%, SP 12.0%, PVV (now
  VLD) 11.9%, PRL 8.2%, PSC 7.8%, VB 6.6%, VU 5.9%, ECOLO 5.1%, AGALEV
  4.9%, FDF 2.6%, ROSSEM 3.2%, FN 1.5%; seats - (212 total) CVP 39, PS
  35, SP 28, PVV (now VLD) 26, PRL 20, PSC 18, FB 12, VU 10, ECOLO 10,
  AGALEV 7, FDF 3, ROSSEM 3, FN 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court of Justice (Flemish - Hof van Cassatie, French - Cour de
  Cassation)
Political parties and leaders:
  Flemish Social Christian (CVP), Johan van HECKE, president;
  Francophone Social Christian (PSC), Melchior WATHELET, president;
  Flemish Socialist (SP), Frank VANDENBROUCKE, president; Francophone
  Socialist (PS), Philippe BUSQUIN; Flemish Liberals and Democrats
  (VLD), Guy VERHOFSTADT, president; Francophone Liberal (PRL), Jean
  GOL, president; Francophone Democratic Front (FDF), Georges CLERFAYT,
  president; Volksunie (VU), Bert ANCIAUX, president; Communist Party
  (PCB), Louis VAN GEYT, president; Vlaams Blok (VB), Karel DILLEN,
  chairman; ROSSEM, Jean Pierre VAN ROSSEM; National Front (FN), Werner
  van STEEN; AGALEV (Flemish Greens), no president; ECOLO (Francophone
  Ecologists), no president; other minor parties
Other political or pressure groups:
  Christian and Socialist Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian
  Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers,
  manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical
  professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of
  Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as the Flemish Action
  Committee Against Nuclear Weapons and Pax Christi
Member of:
  AG (observer), ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australian Group, Benelux, BIS, CCC,
  CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-9, G-10, GATT,
  IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
  IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
  MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UNTAC, UNTSO,
  UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Juan CASSIERS
chancery:
  3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Alan J. BLINKEN
embassy:
  27 Boulevard du Regent, Brussels
mailing address:
  B-1000 Brussels, APO AE 09724
telephone:
  [32] (2) 513-3830
FAX:
  [32] (2) 511-2725
Flag:
  three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the
  design was based on the flag of France

@Belgium, Economy

Overview:
  This small private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central
  geographic location, highly developed transport network, and
  diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated
  mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north, although the
  government is encouraging reinvestment in the southern region of
  Walloon. With few natural resources Belgium must import substantial
  quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures,
  making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets.
  Three fourths of its trade is with other EC countries. The economy
  grew at a strong 4% pace during the period 1988-90, but economic
  growth slowed to a 1% pace in 1991-92 and dropped by 1.5% in 1993.
  Belgium's public debt has risen to 140% of GDP, and the government is
  trying to control its expenditures to bring the figure more into line
  with other industrialized countries.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $177.5 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -1.5% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $17,700 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.8% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  13.5% (March 1994)
Budget:
revenues:
  $97.8 billion
enditures:
     $109.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports:
  7 billion (f.o.b., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
commodities:
  iron and steel, transportation equipment, tractors, diamonds,
  petroleum products
partners:
  EC 75.5%, US 3.7%, former Communist countries 1.4% (1991)
Imports:
  $120 billion (c.i.f., 1992) Belgium-Luxembourg Economic Union
commodities:
  fuels, grains, chemicals, foodstuffs
partners:
  EC 73%, US 4.8%, oil-exporting less developed countries 4%, former
  Communist countries 1.8% (1991)
External debt:
  $31.3 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -0.1% (1993 est.); accounts for 25% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  17,500,000 kW
production:
  68 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  6,790 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, processed food
  and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum,
  coal
Agriculture:
  accounts for 2.0% of GDP; emphasis on livestock production - beef,
  veal, pork, milk; major crops are sugar beets, fresh vegetables,
  fruits, grain, tobacco; net importer of farm products
Illicit drugs:
  source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors;
  important gateway country for cocaine entering the European market
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $5.8 billion
Currency:
  1 Belgian franc (BF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  Belgian francs (BF) per US$1 - 36.242 (January 1994), 34.597 (1993),
  32.150 (1992), 34.148 (1991), 33.418 (1990), 39.404 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Belgium, Communications

Railroads:
  Belgian National Railways (SNCB) operates 3,568 km 1.435-meter
  standard gauge, government owned; 2,563 km double track; 2,207 km
  electrified
Highways:
total:
  137,876 km
paved:
  129,603 km (including 1,631 km of limited access divided highway)
unpaved:
  8,273 km (1989)
Inland waterways:
  2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 161 km; petroleum products 1,167 km; natural gas 3,300 km
Ports:
  Antwerp, Brugge, Gent, Oostende, Zeebrugge
Merchant marine:
  21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 36,200 GRT/52,039 DWT, bulk 1,
  cargo 9, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas 1, oil tanker 5
Airports:
total:
  42
usable:
  42
with permanent-surface runways:
  24
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  15
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated
  domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities;
  extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network;
  4,720,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 39 FM, 32 TV; 5
  submarine cables; 2 satellite earth stations - Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
  and EUTELSAT systems; nationwide mobile phone system

@Belgium, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 2,558,109; fit for military service 2,130,172; reach
  military age (19) annually 61,710 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $3.8 billion, 1.8% of GDP (1993)


@Belize, Geography

Location:
  Middle America, bordering the Caribbean Sea between Guatemala and
  Mexico
Map references:
  Central America and the Caribbean, North America, Standard Time Zones
  of the World
Area:
total area:
  22,960 sq km
land area:
  22,800 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Massachusetts
Land boundaries:
  total 516 km, Guatemala 266 km, Mexico 250 km
Coastline:
  386 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  12 nm in the north, 3 nm in the south
note:
  from the mouth of the Sarstoon River to Ranguana Cay, Belize's
  territorial sea is 3 miles; according to Belize's Maritime Areas Act,
  1992, the purpose of this limitation is to provide a framework for
  the negotiation of a definitive agreement on territorial differences
  with Guatemala
International disputes:
  maritime border with Guatemala in dispute; desultory negotiations to
  resolve the dispute have begun
Climate:
  tropical; very hot and humid; rainy season (May to February)
Terrain:
  flat, swampy coastal plain; low mountains in south
Natural resources:
  arable land potential, timber, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  2%
forest and woodland:
  44%
other:
  52%
Irrigated land:
  20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; water pollution from sewage, industrial effluents,
  agricultural runoff
natural hazards:
  frequent devastating hurricanes (September to December) and coastal
  flooding (especially in south)
international agreements:
  party to - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Whaling;
  signed, but not ratified - Climate Change
Note:
  national capital moved 80 km inland from Belize City to Belmopan
  because of hurricanes; only country in Central America without a
  coastline on the North Pacific Ocean

@Belize, People

Population:
  208,949 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.42% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  34.74 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -4.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  35.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  68.08 years
male:
  66.14 years
female:
  70.12 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Belizean(s)
adjective:
  Belizean
Ethnic divisions:
  mestizo 44%, Creole 30%, Maya 11%, Garifuna 7%, other 8%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 30% (Anglican 12%, Methodist 6%,
  Mennonite 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 3%, Pentecostal 2%, Jehovah's
  Witnesses 1%, other 2%), none 2%, other 6% (1980)
Languages:
  English (official), Spanish, Maya, Garifuna (Carib)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over having ever attended school (1970)
total population:
  91%
male:
  91%
female:
  91%
Labor force:
  51,500
by occupation:
  agriculture 30%, services 16%, government 15.4%, commerce 11.2%,
  manufacturing 10.3%
note:
  shortage of skilled labor and all types of technical personnel (1985)

@Belize, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Belize
former:
  British Honduras
Digraph:
  BH
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Belmopan
Administrative divisions:
  6 districts; Belize, Cayo, Corozal, Orange Walk, Stann Creek, Toledo
Independence:
  21 September 1981 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 21 September (1981)
Constitution:
  21 September 1981
Legal system:
  English law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  General Sir Colville YOUNG (since 17 November 1993)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Manuel ESQUIVEL (since July 1993); Deputy Prime
  Minister Dean BARROW (since NA 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice from the prime
  minister
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly
Senate:
  consists of an 8-member body, 5 are appointed on the advice of the
  prime minister, 2 on the advice of the leader of the opposition, and 1
  after consultation with the Belize Advisory Council
National Assembly:
  elections last held 30 June 1993 (next to be held June 1998); results
  - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (28 total) PUP 13 UDP 15
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  People's United Party (PUP), George PRICE, Florencio MARIN, Said MUSA;
  United Democratic Party (UDP), Manuel ESQUIVEL, Dean LINDO, Dean
  BARROW; National Alliance for Belizean Rights, Philip GOLDSON
Other political or pressure groups:
  Society for the Promotion of Education and Research (SPEAR), Assad
  SHOMAN; United Workers Front, leader NA
Member of:
  ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL,
  IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Dean LINDO
chancery:
  2535 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Eugene L. SCASSA
embassy:
  Gabourel Lane and Hutson Street, Belize City
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 286, Belize City
telephone:
  [501] (2) 77161 through 77163
FAX:
  [501] (2) 30802
Flag:
  blue with a narrow red stripe along the top and the bottom edges;
  centered is a large white disk bearing the coat of arms; the coat of
  arms features a shield flanked by two workers in front of a mahogany
  tree with the related motto SUB UMBRA FLOREO (I Flourish in the Shade)
  on a scroll at the bottom, all encircled by a green garland

@Belize, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is based primarily on agriculture, agro-based industry,
  and merchandising, with tourism and construction assuming increasing
  importance. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of GDP and provides 75%
  of export earnings, while sugar, the chief crop, accounts for almost
  40% of hard currency earnings. The US, Belize's main trading partner,
  is assisting in efforts to reduce dependency on sugar with an
  agricultural diversification program.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $550 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5.3% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $2,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.5% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  15% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $126.8 million
expenditures:
  $123.1 million, including capital expenditures of $44.8 million (FY91
  est.)
Exports:
  $116 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  sugar, citrus, clothing, fish products, bananas, molasses, wood
partners:
  US 51%, UK, other EC (1992)
Imports:
  $273 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  machinery and transportation equipment, food, manufactured goods,
  fuels, chemicals, pharmaceuticals
partners:
  US 57%, UK 8%, other EC 7%, Mexico (1992)
External debt:
  $143.7 million (1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 3.7% (1990); accounts for 12% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  34,532 kW
production:
  90 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  393 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  garment production, citrus concentrates, sugar refining, rum,
  beverages, tourism
Agriculture:
  accounts for 30% of GDP (including fish and forestry); commercial
  crops include sugar cane, bananas, coca, citrus fruits; expanding
  output of lumber and cultured shrimp; net importer of basic foods
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for cocaine; an illicit producer of cannabis for
  the international drug trade; eradication program cut marijuana
  production from 200 metric tons in 1987 to about 50 metric tons in
  1991
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $104 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $215
  million
Currency:
  1 Belizean dollar (Bz$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Belizean dollars (Bz$) per US$1 - 2.00 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Belize, Communications

Highways:
total:
  2,710 km
paved:
  500 km
unpaved:
  gravel 1,600 km; improved earth 300 km; unimproved earth 310 km
Inland waterways:
  825 km river network used by shallow-draft craft; seasonally navigable
Ports:
  Belize City; additional ports for shallow draught craft include
  Corozol, Punta Gorda, Big Creek
Merchant marine:
  25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,509 GRT/80,345 DWT, bulk 6,
  cargo 11, container 2, oil tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 2,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 3
Airports:
total:
  47
usable:
  38
with permanent-surface runways:
  3
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,229-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  8,650 telephones; above-average system based on microwave radio relay;
  broadcast stations - 6 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station

@Belize, Defense Forces

Branches:
  British Forces Belize withdrawn by the end of 1993 except for a small
  training detachment, Belize Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air
  Force, and Volunteer Guard), Belize National Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 48,789; fit for military service 29,040; reach
  military age (18) annually 2,175 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $4.8 million, 1.8% of GDP (1992)


@Benin, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Nigeria and
  Togo
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  112,620 sq km
land area:
  110,620 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries:
  total 1,989 km, Burkina 306 km, Niger 266 km, Nigeria 773 km, Togo 644
  km
Coastline:
  121 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
  mostly flat to undulating plain; some hills and low mountains
Natural resources:
  small offshore oil deposits, limestone, marble, timber
Land use:
arable land:
  12%
permanent crops:
  4%
meadows and pastures:
  4%
forest and woodland:
  35%
other:
  45%
Irrigated land:
  60 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  limited supply of safe drinking water; illegal hunting threatens
  wildlife populations; deforestation; desertification
natural hazards:
  hot, dry, dusty harmattan wind may affect north in winter
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  recent droughts have severely affected marginal agriculture in north;
  no natural harbors

@Benin, People

Population:
  5,341,710 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.33% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  47.67 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  14.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  110.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  51.77 years
male:
  49.92 years
female:
  53.68 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.79 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Beninese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Beninese
Ethnic divisions:
  African 99% (42 ethnic groups, most important being Fon, Adja, Yoruba,
  Bariba), Europeans 5,500
Religions:
  indigenous beliefs 70%, Muslim 15%, Christian 15%
Languages:
  French (official), Fon and Yoruba (most common vernaculars in south),
  tribal languages (at least six major ones in north)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  23%
male:
  32%
female:
  16%
Labor force:
  1.9 million (1987)
by occupation:
  agriculture 60%, transport, commerce, and public services 38%,
  industry less than 2%
note:
  49% of population of working age (1985)

@Benin, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Benin
conventional short form:
  Benin
local long form:
  Republique Populaire du Benin
local short form:
  Benin
former:
  Dahomey
Digraph:
  BN
Type:
  republic under multiparty democratic rule dropped Marxism-Leninism
  December 1989; democratic reforms adopted February 1990; transition to
  multiparty system completed 4 April 1991
Capital:
  Porto-Novo
Administrative divisions:
  6 provinces; Atakora, Atlantique, Borgou, Mono, Oueme, Zou
Independence:
  1 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
  National Day, 1 August (1990)
Constitution:
  2 December 1990
Legal system:
  based on French civil law and customary law; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Nicephore SOGLO (since 4 April 1991); election last held 10
  and 24 March 1991; results - Nicephore SOGLO 68%, Mathieu KEREKOU 32%
cabinet:
  Executive Council; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
  elections last held 10 and 24 March 1991; results - percent of vote by
  party NA; seats - (64 total) UDFP-MDPS-ULD 12, PNDD/PRD 9, PSD/UNSP 8,
  NCC 7, RND 7, MNDD/MSUP/UDRN 6, UDS 5, RDL 4, ASD/BSD 3, ADP/UDRS 2,
  UNDP 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
  Alliance of the Democratic Union for the Forces of Progress (UDFP),
  Timothee ADANLIN; Movement for Democracy and Social Progress (MDPS),
  Jean-Roger AHOYO; Union for Liberty and Development (ULD), Marcellin
  DEGBE; Alliance of the National Party for Democracy and Development
  (PNDD) and the Democratic Renewal Party (PRD), Pascal Chabi KAO;
  Alliance of the Social Democratic Party (PSD) and the National Union
  for Solidarity and Progress (UNSP), Bruno AMOUSSOU; Our Common Cause
  (NCC), Albert TEVOEDJRE; National Rally for Democracy (RND), Joseph
  KEKE; Alliance of the National Movement for Democracy and Development
  (MNDD), leader NA; Movement for Solidarity, Union, and Progress
  (MSUP), Adebo ADENIYI; Union for Democracy and National Reconstruction
  (UDRN), Azaria FAKOREDE; Union for Democracy and National Solidarity
  (UDS), Mama Amadou N'DIAYE; Assembly of Liberal Democrats for National
  Reconstruction (RDL), Severin ADJOVI; Alliance of the Alliance for
  Social Democracy (ASD), Robert DOSSOU; Bloc for Social Democracy
  (BSD), Michel MAGNIDE; Alliance of the Alliance for Democracy and
  Progress (ADP), Akindes ADEKPEDJOU; Democratic Union for Social
  Renewal (UDRS), Bio Gado Seko N'GOYE; National Union for Democracy and
  Progress (UNDP), Robert TAGNON; Party for Progress and Democracy,
  Thiophile NATA; African Rally for Progress and Solidarity (RAPS),
  Florentin MITO-BABA; The Benin Renaissance Party , Desire VIEYRA and
  Rosine SOGLO; The Patriotic Union for the Republic (UPR), Jean-Marie
  ZAHOUN; Union for the Conservation of Democracy, Bernard HOUEGNON
note:
  as of May 1994, Benin had about 60 political parties
Member of:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT,
  IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
  INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UPU, WADB, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Candide AHOUANSOU
chancery:
  2737 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ruth A. DAVIS
embassy:
  Rue Caporal Anani Bernard, Cotonou
mailing address:
  B. P. 2012, Cotonou
telephone:
  [229] 30-06-50, 30-05-13, 30-17-92
FAX:
  [229] 30-14-39 and 30-19-74
Flag:
  two equal horizontal bands of yellow (top) and red with a vertical
  green band on the hoist side

@Benin, Economy

Overview:
  Benin is one of the least developed countries in the world because of
  limited natural resources and a poorly developed infrastructure.
  Agriculture accounts for about 35% of GDP, employs about 60% of the
  labor force, and generates a major share of foreign exchange earnings.
  The industrial sector contributes only about 10% to GDP and employs 2%
  of the work force. Low prices in recent years have kept down hard
  currency earnings from Benin's major exports of agricultural products,
  primarily cotton. A World Bank supported structural adjustment program
  begun in 1989 has helped strengthen the economy through such measures
  as trimming the government payroll, reforming the tax system, and
  encouraging private investment, both domestic and foreign. Benin has
  experienced 3 consecutive years of moderate growth as a result.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (1991)
National product per capita:
  $1,200 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $218 million
expenditures:
  $355 million, including capital expenditures of $100 million (1991
  est.)
Exports:
  $328.8 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
  crude oil, cotton, palm products, cocoa
partners:
  FRG 36%, France 16%, Spain 14%, Italy 8%, UK 4%
Imports:
  $482.3 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, beverages, tobacco, petroleum products, intermediate
  goods, capital goods, light consumer goods
partners:
  France 20%, Thailand 8%, Netherlands 7%, US 5%
External debt:
  $1 billion (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -0.7% (1988); accounts for 10% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  30,000 kW
production:
  25 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  5 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  textiles, cigarettes, construction materials, beverages, food
  production, petroleum
Agriculture:
  accounts for 35% of GDP; small farms produce 90% of agricultural
  output; production is dominated by food crops - corn, sorghum,
  cassava, beans, rice; cash crops include cotton, palm oil, peanuts;
  poultry and livestock output has not kept up with consumption
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $46 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.3
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $19 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $101 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:
  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:
  calendar year

@Benin, Communications

Railroads:
  578 km, all 1.000-meter gauge, single track
Highways:
total:
  8,435 km
paved:
  1,038 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone 2,600 km; improved earth 1,530 km; unimproved earth
  3,267 km
Inland waterways:
  navigable along small sections, important only locally
Ports:
  Cotonou
Airports:
total:
  7
usable:
  6
with permanent-surface runways:
  2
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  fair system of open wire, submarine cable, and radio relay microwave;
  broadcast stations - 2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station

@Benin, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Armed Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,209,226; females age 15-49 1,120,105; males fit for
  military service 611,257; females fit for military service 573,775;
  males reach military age (18) annually 58,293 (1994 est.);
  femalesreach military age (18) annually 56,735 (1994 est.); both sexes
  are liable for miltary service
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $29 million, 1.7% of GDP (1988 est.)


@Bermuda

Header
Affiliation:
  (dependent territory of the UK)

@Bermuda, Geography

Location:
  Northern North America, in the western North Atlantic Ocean, 1,050 km
  east of North Carolina
Map references:
  North America
Area:
total area:
  50 sq km
land area:
  50 sq km
comparative area:
  about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  103 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  subtropical; mild, humid; gales, strong winds common in winter
Terrain:
  low hills separated by fertile depressions
Natural resources:
  limestone, pleasant climate fostering tourism
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  20%
other:
  80%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to hurricanes (June to November)
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  some reclaimed land leased by US Government; consists of about 360
  small coral islands with ample rainfall, but no rivers or freshwater
  lakes

@Bermuda, People

Population:
  61,158 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.77% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.14 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  7.3 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  13.16 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  75.03 years
male:
  73.36 years
female:
  76.97 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.81 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bermudian(s)
adjective:
  Bermudian
Ethnic divisions:
  black 61%, white and other 39%
Religions:
  Anglican 37%, Roman Catholic 14%, African Methodist Episcopal (Zion)
  10%, Methodist 6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, other 28%
Languages:
  English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1970)
total population:
  98%
male:
  98%
female:
  99%
Labor force:
  32,000
by occupation:
  clerical 25%, services 22%, laborers 21%, professional and technical
  13%, administrative and managerial 10%, sales 7%, agriculture and
  fishing 2% (1984)

@Bermuda, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Bermuda
Digraph:
  BD
Type:
  dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
  Hamilton
Administrative divisions:
  9 parishes and 2 municipalities*; Devonshire, Hamilton, Hamilton*,
  Paget, Pembroke, Saint George*, Saint Georges, Sandys, Smiths,
  Southampton, Warwick
Independence:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday:
  Bermuda Day, 22 May
Constitution:
  8 June 1968
Legal system:
  English law
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  Lord David WADDINGTON (since 25 August 1992)
head of government:
  Premier John William David SWAN (since NA January 1982); Deputy
  Premier J. Irving PEARMAN (since 5 October 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; nominated by the premier, appointed by the governor
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament
Senate:
  consists of an 11-member body appointed by the governor
House of Assembly:
  elections last held 5 October 1993 (next to be held by NA October
  1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (40 total) UBP
  22, PLP 18
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  United Bermuda Party (UBP), John W. D. SWAN; Progressive Labor Party
  (PLP), Frederick WADE; National Liberal Party (NLP), Gilbert DARRELL
Other political or pressure groups:
  Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU), Ottiwell SIMMONS
Member of:
  CARICOM (observer), CCC, ICFTU, INTERPOL (subbureau), IOC
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant)
consulate general:
  Crown Hill, 16 Middle Road, Devonshire, Hamilton
mailing address:
  P. O. Box HM325, Hamilton HMBX; PSC 1002, FPO AE 09727-1002
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
Flag:
  red with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the
  Bermudian coat of arms (white and blue shield with a red lion holding
  a scrolled shield showing the sinking of the ship Sea Venture off
  Bermuda in 1609) centered on the outer half of the flag

@Bermuda, Economy

Overview:
  Bermuda enjoys one of the highest per capita incomes in the world,
  having successfully exploited its location by providing luxury tourist
  facilities and financial services. The tourist industry attracts more
  than 90% of its business from North America. The industrial sector is
  small, and agriculture is severely limited by a lack of suitable land.
  About 80% of food needs are imported.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.63 billion (1992)
National product real growth rate:
  -1.5% (1991)
National product per capita:
  $27,100 (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.4% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  6% (1991)
Budget:
revenues:
  $327.5 million
expenditures:
  $308.9 million, including capital expenditures of $35.4 million (FY91
  est.)
Exports:
  $60 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
  semitropical produce, light manufactures, re-exports of
  pharmaceuticals
partners:
  US 55%, UK 32%, Canada 11%, other 2%
Imports:
  $468 million (f.o.b.,1991)
commodities:
  fuel, foodstuffs, machinery
partners:
  US 60%, UK 8%, Venezuela 7%, Canada 5%, Japan 5%, other 15%
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  154,000 kW
production:
  504 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  8,370 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, finance, structural concrete products, paints,
  pharmaceuticals, ship repairing
Agriculture:
  accounts for less than 1% of GDP; most basic foods must be imported;
  produces bananas, vegetables, citrus fruits, flowers, dairy products
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $34 million;  Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),  $277
  million
Currency:
  1 Bermudian dollar (Bd$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Bermudian dollar (Bd$) per US$1 - 1.0000 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Bermuda, Communications

Highways:
total:
  210 km
paved:
  210 km
note:
  in addition, there are 400 km of paved and unpaved roads that are
  privately owned
Ports:
  Freeport, Hamilton, Saint George
Merchant marine:
  67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,407,518 GRT/5,775,281 DWT,
  bulk 15, cargo 4, container 3, liquefied gas 14, oil tanker 20,
  refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo 7
note:
  a flag of convenience registry
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  modern, fully automatic telephone system; 52,670 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV; 3 submarine cables; 2 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT earth stations

@Bermuda, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Bermuda Regiment, Bermuda Police Force, Bermuda Reserve Constabulary
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK


@Bhutan, Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, in the Himalayas, between China and India
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  47,000 sq km
land area:
  47,000 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than half the size of Indiana
Land boundaries:
  total 1,075 km, China 470 km, India 605 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  varies; tropical in southern plains; cool winters and hot summers in
  central valleys; severe winters and cool summers in Himalayas
Terrain:
  mostly mountainous with some fertile valleys and savanna
Natural resources:
  timber, hydropower, gypsum, calcium carbide
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  5%
forest and woodland:
  70%
other:
  23%
Irrigated land:
  340 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  soil erosion; limited access to safe drinking water
natural hazards:
  violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the
  country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon
international agreements:
  party to - Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked; strategic location between China and India; controls
  several key Himalayan mountain passes

@Bhutan, People

Population:
  716,380 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  other estimates range as high as 1.7 million (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.34% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  39.31 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  15.93 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  121 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  50.6 years
male:
  51.15 years
female:
  50.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  5.42 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bhutanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Bhutanese
Ethnic divisions:
  Bhote 50%, ethnic Nepalese 35%, indigenous or migrant tribes 15%
Religions:
  Lamaistic Buddhism 75%, Indian- and Nepalese-influenced Hinduism 25%
Languages:
  Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects; Nepalese
  speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA
by occupation:
  agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry and commerce 2%
note:
  massive lack of skilled labor

@Bhutan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Bhutan
conventional short form:
  Bhutan
Digraph:
  BT
Type:
  monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital:
  Thimphu
Administrative divisions:
  18 districts (dzongkhag, singular and plural); Bumthang, Chhukha,
  Chirang, Daga, Geylegphug, Ha, Lhuntshi, Mongar, Paro, Pemagatsel,
  Punakha, Samchi, Samdrup Jongkhar, Shemgang, Tashigang, Thimphu,
  Tongsa, Wangdi Phodrang
Independence:
  8 August 1949 (from India)
National holiday:
  National Day, 17 December (1907) (Ugyen Wangchuck became first
  hereditary king)
Constitution:
  no written constitution or bill of rights
Legal system:
  based on Indian law and English common law; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  each family has one vote in village-level elections
Executive branch:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
  King Jigme Singye WANGCHUCK (since 24 July 1972)
Royal Advisory Council (Lodoi Tsokde):
  nominated by the king
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers (Lhengye Shungtsog); appointed by the king
Legislative branch:
  unicameral National Assembly (Tshogdu); no national elections
Judicial branch:
  High Court
Political parties and leaders:
  no legal parties
Other political or pressure groups:
  Buddhist clergy; Indian merchant community; ethnic Nepalese
  organizations leading militant antigovernment campaign
Member of:
  AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC,
  ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  no formal diplomatic relations; the Bhutanese mission to the UN in New
  York has consular jurisdiction in the US
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
  no formal diplomatic relations, although informal contact is
  maintained between the Bhutanese and US Embassies in New Delhi (India)
Flag:
  divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper
  triangle is orange and the lower triangle is red; centered along the
  dividing line is a large black and white dragon facing away from the
  hoist side

@Bhutan, Economy

Overview:
  The economy, one of the world's least developed, is based on
  agriculture and forestry, which provide the main livelihood for 90% of
  the population and account for about 50% of GDP. Rugged mountains
  dominate the terrain and make the building of roads and other
  infrastructure difficult and expensive. The economy is closely aligned
  with that of India through strong trade and monetary links. The
  industrial sector is small and technologically backward, with most
  production of the cottage industry type. Most development projects,
  such as road construction, rely on Indian migrant labor. Bhutan's
  hydropower potential and its attraction for tourists are its most
  important natural resources; however, the government limits the number
  of tourists to 4,000 per year to minimize foreign influence. Much of
  the impetus for growth has come from large public-sector companies.
  Nevertheless, in recent years, Bhutan has shifted toward decentralized
  development planning and greater private initiative. The government
  privatized several large public-sector firms, is revamping its trade
  regime and liberalizing administerial procedures over industrial
  licensing. The government's industrial contribution to GDP decreased
  from 13% in 1988 to about 10% in 1992.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $500 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5% (FY93 est.)
National product per capita:
  $700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11% (October 1993)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $100 million
expenditures:
  $112 million, including capital expenditures of $60 million (FY92
  est.)
note:
  the government of India finances nearly one-quarter of Bhutan's budget
  expenditures
Exports:
  $66 million (f.o.b., FY93 est.)
commodities:
  cardamon, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement, fruit, electricity (to
  India), precious stones, spices
partners:
  India 82%, Bangladesh, Singapore
Imports:
  $125 million (c.i.f., FY93 est.)
commodities:
  fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts, vehicles, fabrics
partners:
  India 60%, Japan, Germany, US, UK
External debt:
  $141 million (June 1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for 8% of GDP; primarily cottage industry
  and home based handicrafts
Electricity:
capacity:
  336,000 kW
production:
  1.5422 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,203 kWh (25.8% is exported to India leaving 1,633 kWh per capita;
  1990-91)
Industries:
  cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium
  carbide
Agriculture:
  accounts for 45% of GDP; based on subsistence farming and animal
  husbandry; self-sufficient in food except for foodgrains; other
  production - rice, corn, root crops, citrus fruit, dairy products,
  eggs
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $115 million;  OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $11 million
Currency:
  1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum; note - Indian currency is also legal
  tender
Exchange rates:
  ngultrum (Nu) per US$1 - 31.370 (January 1994), 30.493 (1993), 25.918
  (1992), 22.742 (1991), 17.504 (1990), 16.226 (1989); note - the
  Bhutanese ngultrum is at par with the Indian rupee
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Bhutan, Communications

Highways:
total:
  2,165 km
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  gravel 1,703 km
undifferentiated:
  462 km
Airports:
total:
  2
usable:
  2
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:
  2
Telecommunications:
  domestic telephone service is very poor with very few telephones in
  use; international telephone and telegraph service is by land line
  through India; a satellite earth station was planned (1990); broadcast
  stations - 1 AM, 1 FM, no TV (1990)

@Bhutan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Bhutan Army, Palace Guard, Militia
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 424,558; fit for military service 226,851; reach
  military age (18) annually 17,310 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Bolivia, Geography

Location:
  Central South America, between Brazil and Chile
Map references:
  South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  1,098,580 sq km
land area:
  1,084,390 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than three times the size of Montana
Land boundaries:
  total 6,743 km, Argentina 832 km, Brazil 3,400 km, Chile 861 km,
  Paraguay 750 km, Peru 900 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the
  Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Chile over Rio
  Lauca water rights
Climate:
  varies with altitude; humid and tropical to cold and semiarid
Terrain:
  rugged Andes Mountains with a highland plateau (Altiplano), hills,
  lowland plains of the Amazon Basin
Natural resources:
  tin, natural gas, petroleum, zinc, tungsten, antimony, silver, iron
  ore, lead, gold, timber
Land use:
arable land:
  3%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  25%
forest and woodland:
  52%
other:
  20%
Irrigated land:
  1,650 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation contributing to loss of biodiversity; overgrazing; soil
  erosion; desertification; industrial pollution of water supplies used
  for drinking and irrigation
natural hazards:
  flooding in the northeast (March to April)
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands; signed, but
  not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental
  Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
  Life Conservation, Tropical Timber
Note:
  landlocked; shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable
  lake (elevation 3,805 m), with Peru; cold, thin air of high plateau is
  obstacle to efficient fuel combustion, as well as to physical activity
  by those unaccustomed to it from birth

@Bolivia, People

Population:
  7,719,445 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.28% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  32.22 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.37 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  73.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  63.31 years
male:
  60.86 years
female:
  65.88 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.21 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bolivian(s)
adjective:
  Bolivian
Ethnic divisions:
  Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%, mestizo (mixed European and Indian ancestry)
  25%-30%, European 5%-15%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant (Evangelical Methodist)
Languages:
  Spanish (official), Quechua (official), Aymara (official)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  78%
male:
  85%
female:
  71%
Labor force:
  3.54 million
by occupation:
  agriculture NA, services and utilities 20%, manufacturing, mining and
  construction 7% (1993)

@Bolivia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Bolivia
conventional short form:
  Bolivia
local long form:
  Republica de Bolivia
local short form:
  Bolivia
Digraph:
  BL
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  La Paz (seat of government);  Sucre (legal capital and seat of
  judiciary)
Administrative divisions:
  9 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Chuquisaca,
  Cochabamba, Beni, La Paz, Oruro, Pando, Potosi, Santa Cruz, Tarija
Independence:
  6 August 1825 (from Spain)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 6 August (1825)
Constitution:
  2 February 1967
Legal system:
  based on Spanish law and Code Napoleon; has not accepted compulsory
  ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age, universal and compulsory (married);  21 years of age,
  universal and compulsory (single)
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA Bustamente (since 6 August 1993);
  Vice President Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde (since 6 August 1993);
  election last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held May 1997); results -
  Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA (MNR) 34%, Hugo BANZER Suarez (ADN/MIR
  alliance) 20%, Carlos PALENQUE Aviles (CONDEPA) 14%, Max FERNANDEZ
  Rojas (UCS) 13%, Antonio ARANIBAR Quiroga (MBL) 5%; no candidate
  received a majority of the popular vote; Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA won
  a congressional runoff election on 4 August 1993 after forming a
  coalition with Max FERNANDEZ and Antonio ARANIBAR
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president from panel proposed by the Senate
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional)
Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados):
  elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held May 1997); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (130 total) MNR 52, UCS 20, ADN
  17, MIR 17, CONDEPA 13, MBL 7, ARBOL 1, ASD 1, EJE 1, PDC 1
Chamber of Senators (Camara de Senadores):
  elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held May 1997); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (27 total) MNR 17, ADN 4, MIR 4,
  CONDEPA 1, UCS 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
Political parties and leaders:
  Movement of the Revolutionary Left (MIR), Jaime PAZ Zamora;
  Nationalist Democratic Action (ADN), Jorge LANDIVAR; Nationalist
  Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Gonzalo SANCHEZ DE LOZADA; Civic
  Solidarity Union (UCS), Max FERNANDEZ Rojas; Conscience of the
  Fatherland (CONDEPA), Carlos PALENQUE Aviles; Free Bolivia Movement
  (MBL), Antonio ARANIBAR; Tupac Katari Revolutionary Liberation
  Movement (MRTK-L), Victor Hugo CARDENAS Conde; Christian Democrat
  Party (PDC), Jorge AGREDA
Member of:
  AG, ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA,
  LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Andres PETRICEVIC
chancery:
  3014 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 4412
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles, Miami, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Charles R. BOWERS
embassy:
  Banco Popular del Peru Building, corner of Calle Mercado and Calle
  Colon, La Paz
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 425, La Paz, or APO AA 34032
telephone:
  [591] (2) 350251 or 350120
FAX:
  [591] (2) 359875
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with the
  coat of arms centered on the yellow band; similar to the flag of
  Ghana, which has a large black five-pointed star centered in the
  yellow band

@Bolivia, Economy

Overview:
  With its long history of semifeudal social controls, dependence on
  volatile prices for its mineral exports, and bouts of hyperinflation,
  Bolivia has remained one of the poorest and least developed Latin
  American countries. However, Bolivia has experienced generally
  improving economic conditions since the PAZ Estenssoro administration
  (1985-89) introduced market-oriented policies which reduced inflation
  from 11,700% in 1985 to about 20% in 1988. PAZ Estenssoro was followed
  as President by Jaime PAZ Zamora (1989-93) who continued the
  free-market policies of his predecessor, despite opposition from his
  own party and from Bolivia's once powerful labor movement. By
  maintaining fiscal discipline, PAZ Zamora helped reduce inflation to
  9.3% in 1993, while GDP grew by an annual average of 3.25% during his
  tenure. Inaugurated in August 1993, President SANCHEZ DE LOZADA has
  vowed to advance government market-oriented economic reforms he helped
  launch as PAZ Estenssoro's Planning Minister. A major privatization
  bill was passed by the Bolivian legislature in late March 1994.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2.2% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $2,100 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.3% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  5.8% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $3.19 billion
expenditures:
  $3.19 billion, including capital expenditures of $552.4 million (1994
  est.)
Exports:
  $752 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  metals 35%, natural gas 26%, other 39% (coffee, soybeans, sugar,
  cotton, timber)
partners:
  US 16% , Argentina (1992 est.)
Imports:
  $1.17 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  food, petroleum, consumer goods, capital goods
partners:
  US 23.3% (1992)
External debt:
  $3.8 billion (January 1994)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  865,000 kW
production:
  1.834 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  250 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  mining, smelting, petroleum, food and beverage, tobacco, handicrafts,
  clothing; illicit drug industry reportedly produces 15% of its
  revenues
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 21% of GDP (including forestry and fisheries);
  principal commodities - coffee, coca, cotton, corn, sugarcane, rice,
  potatoes, timber; self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
  world's second-largest producer of coca (after Peru) with an estimated
  45,500 hectares under cultivation in 1992; voluntary and forced
  eradication program unable to prevent production from rising to 80,300
  metric tons in 1992 from 78,200 tons in 1989; government considers all
  but 12,000 hectares illicit; intermediate coca products and cocaine
  exported to or through Colombia and Brazil to the US and other
  international drug markets
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $990 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89),
  $2.025 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $340 million
Currency:
  1 boliviano ($B) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates:
  bolivianos ($B) per US$1 - 4.5 (March 1994), 4.4604 (November 1993),
  3.9005 (1992), 3.5806 (1991), 3.1727 (1990), 2.6917 (1989), 2.3502
  (1988)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Bolivia, Communications

Railroads:
  3,684 km total, all narrow gauge; 3,652 km 1.000-meter gauge and 32 km
  0.760-meter gauge, all government owned, single track
Highways:
total:
  42,815 km
paved:
  1,865 km
unpaved:
  gravel 12,000 km; improved/unimproved earth 28,950 km
Inland waterways:
  10,000 km of commercially navigable waterways
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,800 km; petroleum products 580 km; natural gas 1,495 km
Ports:
  none; maritime outlets are Arica and Antofagasta in Chile, Matarani
  and Ilo in Peru
Merchant marine:
  1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,214 GRT/6,390 DWT
Airports:
total:
  1,395
usable:
  1,188
with permanent-surface runways:
  9
with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  165
Telecommunications:
  very poor telephone service for the general population; 144,300
  telephones - 18.7 telephones per 1,000 persons; microwave radio relay
  system being expanded; improved international services; broadcast
  stations - 129 AM, no FM, 43 TV, 68 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station

@Bolivia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army (Ejercito Boliviano), Navy includes Marines (La Fuerza Naval
  Boliviana), Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Boliviana), National Police Force
  ( Policia Nacional de Bolivia)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,835,661; fit for military service 1,194,077; reach
  military age (19) annually 79,580 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $130.48 million; NA% of GDP (1994 est.)


@Bosnia and Herzegovina

Header
Note:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina is suffering from interethnic civil strife
  which began in March 1992 after the Government of Bosnia and
  Herzegovina held a referendum on independence. Bosnia's Serbs -
  supported by neighboring Serbia - responded with armed resistance
  aimed at partitioning the republic along ethnic lines and joining
  Serb-held areas to a "greater Serbia." Since the onset of the
  conflict, which has driven approximately half of the pre-war
  population of 4.4 million from their homes, both the Bosnian Serbs and
  the Bosnian Croats have asserted control of more than three-quarters
  of the territory formerly under the control of the Government of
  Bosnia and Herzegovina. The UN and the EU are continuing to try to
  mediate a plan for peace. In March 1994 Bosnian Muslims and Bosnian
  Croats signed an agreement in Washington, DC, creating a Federation of
  Bosnia and Herzegovina, which is to include territories in which
  Muslims or Croats predominated, according to the 1991 census. Bosnian
  Serbs refused to become a part of this Federation.

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, Geography

Location:
  Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, on the Balkan Peninsula, between
  Croatia and Serbia and Montenegro
Map references:
  Africa, Arctic Region, Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe,
  Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  51,233 sq km
land area:
  51,233 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
  total 1,459 km, Croatia 932 km, Serbia and Montenegro 527 km (312 km
  with Serbia; 215 km with Montenegro)
Coastline:
  20 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth
exclusive economic zone:
  12 nm
exclusive fishing zone:
  12 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  as of May 1994, members of the Bosnian Serb armed factions, desirous
  of establishing a separate state linked with neighboring Serbia,
  occupied 70% of Bosnia after having killed or driven out non-Serb
  inhabitants; the Bosnian Croats, occupied and declared an independent
  state in an additional 10% of Bosnia in 1993, but in March 1994, this
  faction and the Bosnian Government settled their dispute and entered
  into a bicommunal Federation; a Bosnian Government army commander who
  opposes the leadership of Bosnian President IZETBEGOVIC is leading an
  insurrection in the government-held enclave of Bihac
Climate:
  hot summers and cold winters; areas of high elevation have short, cool
  summers and long, severe winters; mild, rainy winters along coast
Terrain:
  mountains and valleys
Natural resources:
  coal, iron, bauxite, manganese, timber, wood products, copper,
  chromium, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land:
  20%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  25%
forest and woodland:
  36%
other:
  17%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution from metallurgical plants; water scarce; sites for
  disposing of urban waste are limited; widespread casualties and
  destruction of infrastructure because of civil strife
natural hazards:
  subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
  Protection

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, People

Population:
  4,651,485 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  all data dealing with population is subject to considerable error
  because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic
  cleansing
Population growth rate:
  0.69% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.33 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.39 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  75.13 years
male:
  72.43 years
female:
  78.02 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.61 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Bosnian(s), Herzegovinian(s)
adjective:
  Bosnian, Herzegovinian
Ethnic divisions:
  Muslim 44%, Serb 31%, Croat 17%, other 8%
Religions:
  Muslim 40%, Orthodox 31%, Catholic 15%, Protestant 4%, other 10%
Languages:
  Serbo-Croatian 99%
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1,026,254
by occupation:
  agriculture 2%, industry, mining 45% (1991 est.)

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, Government

Note:
  The US recognizes the Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina. The
  Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina is a new government being formed
  by the Muslims and Croats. On 31 May 1994 a Croat president, Kresimir
  ZUBAK, and a Muslim vice president, Ejup GANIC, were elected. Haris
  SILAJDZIC, who is prime minister of the Republic, is also the prime
  minister of the Federation.
Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina
conventional short form:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina
local long form:
  Republika Bosna i Hercegovina
local short form:
  Bosna i Hercegovina
Digraph:
  BK
Type:
  emerging democracy
Capital:
  Sarajevo
Administrative divisions:
  109 districts (opstinas, singular - opstina) Banovici, Banja Luka,
  Bihac, Bijeljina, Bileca, Bosanska Dubica, Bosanska Gradiska, Bosanska
  Krupa, Bosanski Brod, Bosanski Novi, Bosanski Petrovac, Bosanski
  Samac, Bosansko Grahovo, Bratunac, Brcko, Breza, Bugojno, Busovaca,
  Cazin, Cajnice, Capljina, Celinac, Citluk, Derventa, Doboj, Donji
  Vakuf, Foca, Fojnica, Gacko, Glamoc, Gorazde, Gornji Vakuf, Gracanica,
  Gradacac, Grude, Han Pijesak, Jablanica, Jajce, Kakanj, Kalesija,
  Kalinovik, Kiseljak, Kladanj, Kljuc, Konjic, Kotor Varos, Kresevo,
  Kupres, Laktasi, Listica, Livno, Lopare, Lukavac, Ljubinje, Ljubuski,
  Maglaj, Modrica, Mostar, Mrkonjic-Grad, Neum, Nevesinje, Odzak, Olovo,
  Orasje, Posusje, Prijedor, Prnjavor, Prozor, (Pucarevo) Novi Travnik,
  Rogatica, Rudo, Sanski Most, Sarajevo-Centar, Sarajevo-Hadzici,
  Sarajevo-Ilidza, Sarajevo-Ilijas, Sarajevo-Novi Grad, Sarajevo-Novo,
  Sarajevo-Pale, Sarajevo-Stari Grad, Sarajevo-Trnovo, Sarajevo-Vogosca,
  Skender Vakuf, Sokolac, Srbac, Srebrenica, Srebrenik, Stolac,
  Sekovici, Sipovo, Teslic, Tesanj, Drvar, Duvno, Travnik, Trebinje,
  Tuzla, Ugljevik, Vares, Velika Kladusa, Visoko, Visegrad, Vitez,
  Vlasenica, Zavidovici, Zenica, Zvornik, Zepce, Zivinice
note:
  currently under negotiation with the assistance of international
  mediators
Independence:
  NA April 1992 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
  NA
Constitution:
  promulgated in 1974 (under the Communists), amended 1989, 1990, and
  1991; the Assembly planned to draft a new constitution in 1991, before
  conditions deteriorated; constitution of Federation of Bosnia and
  Herzegovina (including Muslim and Croatian controlled parts of
  Republic) ratified April 1994
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  16 years of age, if employed;  18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Alija IZETBEGOVIC (since 20 December 1990), other members of
  the collective presidency: Ejup GANIC (since NA November 1990), Nijaz
  DURAKOVIC (since NA October 1993), Stjepan KLJUJIC (since NA October
  1993), Ivo KOMSIC (since NA October 1993), Mirko PEJANOVIC (since NA
  June 1992), Tatjana LJUJIC-MIJATOVIC (since NA December 1992)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Haris SILAJDZIC (since NA October 1993); Deputy Prime
  Minister Edib BUKVIC (since NA October 1993)
cabinet:
  executive body of ministers; members of, and responsible to, the
  National Assembly
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly
Chamber of Municipalities (Vijece Opeina):
  elections last held November-December 1990 (next to be held NA);
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (110 total) SDA 43, SDS BiH 38,
  HDZ BiH 23, Party of Democratic Changes 4, DSS 1, SPO 1
Chamber of Citizens (Vijece Gradanstvo):
  elections last held November-December 1990 (next to be held NA);
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (130 total) SDA 43, SDS BiH 34,
  HDZ BiH 21, Party of Democratic Changes 15, SRSJ BiH 12, MBO 2, DSS 1,
  DSZ 1, LS 1
note:
  legislative elections for Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina are
  slated for late 1994
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Party of Democratic Action (SDA), Alija IZETBEGOVIC; Croatian
  Democratic Union of Bosnia and Herzegovina (HDZ BiH), KresimirZUBAK;
  Serbian Democratic Party of Bosnia and Herzegovina (SDS BiH), Radovan
  KARADZIC, president; Muslim-Bosnian Organization (MBO), Adil
  ZULFIKARPASIC, president; Democratic Party of Socialists (DSS), Nijaz
  DURAKOVIC, president; Party of Democratic Changes, leader NA; Serbian
  Movement for Renewal (SPO), Milan TRIVUNCIC; Alliance of Reform Forces
  of Yugoslavia for Bosnia and Herzegovina (SRSJ BiH), Dr. Nenad
  KECMANOVIC, president; Democratic League of Greens (DSZ), Drazen
  PETROVIC; Liberal Party (LS), Rasim KADIC, president
Other political or pressure groups:
  NA
Member of:
  CEI, CSCE, ECE, ICAO, ILO, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
  INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Seven
  ALKALAJ
chancery:
  Suite 760, 1707 L Street NW, Washington, DC 10036
telephone:
  [phone], 3613, and 3615
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Victor JACKOVICH
embassy:
  address NA
mailing address:
  NA
telephone:
  NA
FAX:
  NA
Flag:
  white with a large blue shield; the shield contains white Roman
  crosses with a white diagonal band running from the upper hoist corner
  to the lower fly side

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, Economy

Overview:
  Bosnia and Herzegovina ranked next to The Former Yugoslav Republic of
  Macedonia as the poorest republic in the old Yugoslav federation.
  Although agriculture has been almost all in private hands, farms have
  been small and inefficient, and the republic traditionally has been a
  net importer of food. Industry has been greatly overstaffed, one
  reflection of the rigidities of Communist central planning and
  management. Tito had pushed the development of military industries in
  the republic with the result that Bosnia hosted a large share of
  Yugoslavia's defense plants. As of April 1994, Bosnia and Herzegovina
  was being torn apart by the continued bitter interethnic warfare that
  has caused production to plummet, unemployment and inflation to soar,
  and human misery to multiply. No reliable economic statistics for
  1992-93 are available, although output clearly has fallen
  substantially below the levels of earlier years.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $NA
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $NA
commodities:
  NA
partners:
  NA
Imports:
  $NA
commodities:
  NA
partners:
  NA
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; production is sharply down because of interethnic and
  interrepublic warfare (1991-93)
Electricity:
capacity:
  NA kW
production:
  NA kWh
consumption per capita:
  NA kWh
Industries:
  steel production, mining (coal, iron ore, lead, zinc, manganese, and
  bauxite), manufacturing (vehicle assembly, textiles, tobacco products,
  wooden furniture, 40% of former Yugoslavia's armaments including tank
  and aircraft assembly, domestic appliances), oil refining (1991)
Agriculture:
  accounted for 9.0% of GDP in 1989; regularly produces less than 50% of
  food needs; the foothills of northern Bosnia support orchards,
  vineyards, livestock, and some wheat and corn; long winters and heavy
  precipitation leach soil fertility reducing agricultural output in the
  mountains; farms are mostly privately held, small, and not very
  productive (1991)
Illicit drugs:
  NA
Economic aid:
  $NA
Currency:
  1 dinar = 100 para; Croatian dinar used in Croat-held area, presumably
  to be replaced by new Croatian kuna; old and new Serbian dinars used
  in Serb-held area; hard currencies probably supplanting local
  currencies in areas held by Bosnian government
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, Communications

Railroads:
  NA km
Highways:
total:
  21,168 km
paved:
  11,436 km
unpaved:
  gravel 8,146 km; earth 1,586 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
  NA km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 174 km; natural gas 90 km (1992); note - pipelines now
  disrupted
Ports:
  coastal - none; inland - Bosanski Brod on the Sava River
Airports:
total:
  28
usable:
  24
with permanent-surface runways:
  5
with runways over 3659:
  0
with runways 2440-3659 m:
  3
with runways 1220-2439 m:
  6
Telecommunications:
  telephone and telegraph network is in need of modernization and
  expansion, many urban areas being below average compared with services
  in other former Yugoslav republics; 727,000 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 9 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 840,000 radios; 1,012,094 TVs; satellite
  ground stations - none

@Bosnia and Herzegovina, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,298,102; fit for military service 1,054,068; reach
  military age (19) annually 38,283 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Botswana, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, north of South Africa
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  600,370 sq km
land area:
  585,370 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
  total 4,013 km, Namibia 1,360 km, South Africa 1,840 km, Zimbabwe 813
  km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  short section of boundary with Namibia is indefinite; quadripoint with
  Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; recent dispute with
  Namibia over uninhabited Kasikili (Sidudu) Island in Linyanti (Chobe)
  River
Climate:
  semiarid; warm winters and hot summers
Terrain:
  predominately flat to gently rolling tableland; Kalahari Desert in
  southwest
Natural resources:
  diamonds, copper, nickel, salt, soda ash, potash, coal, iron ore,
  silver
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  75%
forest and woodland:
  2%
other:
  21%
Irrigated land:
  20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  overgrazing; desertification; water scarcity
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity
Note:
  landlocked; population concentrated in eastern part of the country

@Botswana, People

Population:
  1,359,352 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.45% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  32.19 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  7.72 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  39.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  63.05 years
male:
  60.03 years
female:
  66.16 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.06 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
adjective:
  Motswana (singular), Batswana (plural)
Ethnic divisions:
  Batswana 95%, Kalanga, Basarwa, and Kgalagadi 4%, white 1%
Religions:
  indigenous beliefs 50%, Christian 50%
Languages:
  English (official), Setswana
Literacy:
  age 15 and over able to read and write simple sentences (1990 est.)
total population:
  23%
male:
  32%
female:
  16%
Labor force:
  428,000 (1992)
by occupation:
  220,000 formal sector employees, most others are engaged in cattle
  raising and subsistence agriculture (1992 est.); 14,300 are employed
  in various mines in South Africa (March 1992)

@Botswana, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Botswana
conventional short form:
  Botswana
former:
  Bechuanaland
Digraph:
  BC
Type:
  parliamentary republic
Capital:
  Gaborone
Administrative divisions:
  10 districts; Central, Chobe, Ghanzi, Kgalagadi, Kgatleng, Kweneng,
  Ngamiland, North-East, South-East, Southern; in addition, there are 4
  town councils - Francistown, Gaborone, Lobaste, Selebi-Phikwe
Independence:
  30 September 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 30 September (1966)
Constitution:
  March 1965, effective 30 September 1966
Legal system:
  based on Roman-Dutch law and local customary law; judicial review
  limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Sir Ketumile MASIRE (since 13 July 1980); Vice President
  Festus MOGAE (since 9 March 1992); election last held 7 October 1989
  (next to be held October 1994); results - President Sir Ketumile
  MASIRE was reelected by the National Assembly
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament
House of Chiefs:
  is a largely advisory 15-member body consisting of chiefs of the 8
  principal tribes, 4 elected subchiefs, and 3 members selected by the
  other 12
National Assembly:
  elections last held 7 October 1989 (next to be held October 1994);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (38 total of which 34
  are elected and 4 are appointed) BDP 31, BNF 3, unfilled seats pending
  new elections 4
Judicial branch:
  High Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  Botswana Democratic Party (BDP), Sir Ketumile MASIRE; Botswana
  National Front (BNF), Kenneth KOMA; Botswana People's Party (BPP),
  Knight MARIPE; Botswana Independence Party (BIP), Motsamai MPHO
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
  LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMOZ,
  UNOMUR, UNOSOM, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Botsweletse Kingsley SEBELE
chancery:
  Suite 7M, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] or 4991
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Howard JETER
embassy:
  address NA, Gaborone
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 90, Gaborone
telephone:
  [267] 353-982
FAX:
  [267] 356-947
Flag:
  light blue with a horizontal white-edged black stripe in the center

@Botswana, Economy

Overview:
  The economy has historically been based on cattle raising and crops.
  Agriculture today provides a livelihood for more than 80% of the
  population, but produces only about 50% of food needs. The driving
  force behind the rapid economic growth of the 1970s and 1980s has been
  the mining industry. This sector, mostly on the strength of diamonds,
  has gone from generating 25% of GDP in 1980 to 50% in 1991. No other
  sector has experienced such growth, especially not agriculture, which
  is plagued by erratic rainfall and poor soils. The unemployment rate
  remains a problem at 25%. Although diamond production was down
  slightly in 1992, substantial gains in coal output and manufacturing
  helped boost the economy. Recovery in sluggish diamond markets in
  second half 1993 helped Botswana achieve moderate growth of 3% for the
  year.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $6 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  14% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  25% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $1.7 billion
expenditures:
  $1.99 billion, including capital expenditures of $652 million (FY94)
Exports:
  $1.7 billion (f.o.b. 1992)
commodities:
  diamonds 78%, copper and nickel 6%, meat 5%
partners:
  Switzerland, UK, SACU (Southern African Customs Union)
Imports:
  $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, vehicles and transport equipment, textiles, petroleum
  products
partners:
  Switzerland, SACU (Southern African Customs Union), UK, US
External debt:
  $344 million (December 1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.8% (FY91); accounts for about 53% of GDP, including
  mining
Electricity:
capacity:
  220,000 kW
production:
  901 million kWh (in addition 228,000,000 kWh were imported)
consumption per capita:
  874 kWh (1992 est.)
Industries:
  mining of diamonds, copper, nickel, coal, salt, soda ash, potash;
  livestock processing
Agriculture:
  accounts for only 5% of GDP; subsistence farming predominates; cattle
  raising supports 50% of the population; must import up to of 80% of
  food needs
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US aid (1992), $13 million; Norway (1992), $16 million; Sweden (1992),
  $15.5 million; Germany (1992), $3.6 million; EC/Lome-IV (1992), $3-6
  million in grants; $28.7 million in long-term projects (1992)
Currency:
  1 pula (P) = 100 thebe
Exchange rates:
  pula (P) per US$1 - 3.1309 (January 1994), 2.4190 (1993), 2.1327
  (1992), 2.0173 (1991), 1.8601 (1990), 2.0125 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Botswana, Communications

Railroads:
  712 km 1.067-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
  11,514 km
paved:
  1,600 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone, gravel 1,700 km; improved earth 5,177 km; unimproved
  earth 3,037 km
Airports:
total:
  101
usable:
  90
with permanent-surface runways:
  9
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  30
Telecommunications:
  the small system is a combination of open-wire lines, microwave radio
  relay links, and a few radio-communications stations; 26,000
  telephones; broadcast stations - 7 AM, 13 FM, no TV; 1 Indian Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station

@Botswana, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Botswana Defense Force (including Army and Air Wing), Botswana
  National Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 294,603; fit for military service 154,997; reach
  military age (18) annually 15,156 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $196 million, 4.9% of GDP (FY93/94)