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

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 146.8 KB | 4,761 lines

@Fiji, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Melanesia, 2,500 km north of New Zealand in the South Pacific
  Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  18,270 sq km
land area:
  18,270 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,129 km
Maritime claims:
  measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation; rectilinear shelf claim added
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical marine; only slight seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
  mostly mountains of volcanic origin
Natural resources:
  timber, fish, gold, copper, offshore oil potential
Land use:
arable land:
  8%
permanent crops:
  5%
meadows and pastures:
  3%
forest and woodland:
  65%
other:
  19%
Irrigated land:
  10 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion
natural hazards:
  cyclonic storms can occur from November to January
international agreements:
  party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life
  Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection
Note:
  includes 332 islands of which approximately 110 are inhabited

@Fiji, People

Population:
  764,382 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.05% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  24.18 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -7.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  18.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  65.14 years
male:
  62.88 years
female:
  67.51 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.92 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Fijian(s)
adjective:
  Fijian
Ethnic divisions:
  Fijian 49%, Indian 46%, European, other Pacific Islanders, overseas
  Chinese, and other 5%
Religions:
  Christian 52% (Methodist 37%, Roman Catholic 9%), Hindu 38%, Muslim
  8%, other 2%
note:
  Fijians are mainly Christian, Indians are Hindu, and there is a Muslim
  minority (1986)
Languages:
  English (official), Fijian, Hindustani
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1985 est.)
total population:
  86%
male:
  90%
female:
  81%
Labor force:
  235,000
by occupation:
  subsistence agriculture 67%, wage earners 18%, salary earners 15%
  (1987)

@Fiji, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Fiji
conventional short form:
  Fiji
Digraph:
  FJ
Type:
  republic
note:
  military coup leader Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA formally declared Fiji
  a republic on 6 October 1987
Capital:
  Suva
Administrative divisions:
  4 divisions and 1 dependency*; Central, Eastern, Northern, Rotuma*,
  Western
Independence:
  10 October 1970 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 10 October (1970)
Constitution:
  10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new Constitution was
  proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990; the
  1990 Constitution is under review; the review will be complete by 1997
Legal system:
  based on British system
Suffrage:
  none
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 12 January 1994); First Vice
  President Ratu Sir Josaia TAIVAIQIA (since 12 January 1994); Second
  Vice President Ratu Inoke TAKIVEIKATA (since 12 January 1994); note -
  President GANILAU died on 15 December 1993 and Vice President MARA
  became acting president; MARA was elected president by the Great
  Council of Chiefs on 12 January 1994
head of government:
  Prime Minister Sitiveni RABUKA (since 2 June 1992)
Presidential Council:
  appointed by the governor general
Great Council of Chiefs:
  (highest ranking members of the traditional chiefly system)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by prime minister from members of Parliament and
  responsible to Parliament
Legislative branch:
  the bicameral Parliament was dissolved following the coup of 14 May
  1987
Senate:
  nonelective body containing 34 seats, 24 reserved for Melanesians, 9
  for Indians and others, 1 for the island of Rotuma
House of Representatives:
  elections last held 18-25 February 1994 (next to be held NA 1997);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (70 total, with ethnic
  Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic Indians 27 seats, and independents
  and other 6 seats) number of seats by party SVT 31, NFP 20, FLP 7, FA
  5, GVP 4, independents 2, ANC 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Fijian Political Party (SVT - primarily Fijian), leader Maj. Gen.
  Sitivini RABUKA; National Federation Party (NFP; primarily Indian),
  Jai Ram REDDY; Christian Fijian Nationalist Party (CFNP), Sakeasi
  BUTADROKA; Fiji Labor Party (FLP), Mahendra CHAUDHRY; All National
  Congress (ANC), Apisai TORA; General Voters Party (GVP), Max OLSSON;
  Fiji Conservative Party (FCP), Isireli VUIBAU; Conservative Party of
  Fiji (CPF), Jolale ULUDOLE and Viliame SAVU; Fiji Indian Liberal
  Party, Swami MAHARAJ; Fiji Indian Congress Party, Ishwari BAJPAI; Fiji
  Independent Labor (Muslim), leader NA; Four Corners Party, David
  TULVANUAVOU; Fijian Association (FA), Josevata KAMIKAMICA
Member of:
  ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, PCA,
  SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOMUR,
  UNTAC, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Pita Kewa NACUVA
chancery:
  Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s):
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William ROPE
embassy:
  31 Loftus Street, Suva
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 218, Suva
telephone:
  [679] 314-466
FAX:
  [679] 300-081
Flag:
  light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant
  and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the
  shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the
  cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree,
  bananas, and a white dove

@Fiji, Economy

Overview:
  Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large subsistence
  sector. Sugar exports and tourism are the major sources of foreign
  exchange. Industry contributes 13% to GDP, with sugar processing
  accounting for one-third of industrial activity. Roughly 250,000
  tourists visit each year. Political uncertainty and drought, however,
  contribute to substantial fluctuations in earnings from tourism and
  sugar. In 1992, growth was approximately 3%, based on growth in
  tourism and a lessening of labor-management disputes in the sugar and
  gold-mining sectors. In 1993, the government's budgeted growth rate of
  3% was not achieved because of a decline in non-sugar agricultural
  output and damage from Cyclone Kina.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.6% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  5.9% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $455 million
expenditures:
  $546 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $417 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  sugar 40%, clothing, processed fish, gold, lumber
partners:
  EC 26%, Australia 15%, Pacific Islands 11%, Japan 6%
Imports:
  $517 million (c.i.f., 1992 est)
commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products, food, consumer
  goods, chemicals
partners:
  Australia 30%, NZ 17%, Japan 13%, EC 6%, US 6%
External debt:
  $670 million (1994 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7.5% (1992 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  215,000 kW
production:
  420 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  560 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, clothing, lumber, small cottage
  industries
Agriculture:
  accounts for 23% of GDP; principal cash crop is sugarcane; coconuts,
  cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, bananas; small livestock sector
  includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats; fish catch nearly 33,000
  tons (1989)
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1980-89), $815 million
Currency:
  1 Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1 - 1.5239 (January 1994), 1.5418 (1993),
  1.5030 (1992), 1.4756 (1991), 1.4809 (1990), 1.4833 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Fiji, Communications

Railroads:
  644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned
  Fiji Sugar Corporation
Highways:
total:
  3,300 km
paved:
  1,590 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, stabilized earth 1,290 km; unimproved earth 420
  km (1984)
Inland waterways:
  203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
Ports:
  Labasa, Lautoka, Savusavu, Suva
Merchant marine:
  8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,911 GRT/54,490 DWT, cargo 1,
  chemical tanker 2, container 2, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2
Airports:
total:
  25
usable:
  22
with permanent-surface runways:
  3
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  2
Telecommunications:
  modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated)
  public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter
  facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between
  US-Canada and NZ-Australia; 53,228 telephones (71 telephones per 1,000
  persons); broadcast stations - 7 AM, 1 FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station

@Fiji, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Republic of Fiji Military Forces (RFMF; including a naval division,
  police)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 197,767; fit for military service 109,026; reach
  military age (18) annually 8,154 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $22.4 million, about 2% of GDP (FY91/92)


@Finland, Geography

Location:
  Nordic State, Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea between Sweden
  and Russia
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  337,030 sq km
land area:
  305,470 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:
  total 2,628 km, Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, Russia 1,313 km
Coastline:
  1,126 km (excludes islands and coastal indentations)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  6 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  12 nm
territorial sea:
  4 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because
  of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and
  more than 60,000 lakes
Terrain:
  mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low
  hills
Natural resources:
  timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
Land use:
arable land:
  8%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  76%
other:
  16%
Irrigated land:
  620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution from manufacturing and power plants contributing to acid
  rain; water pollution from industrial wastes, agricultural chemicals;
  habitat loss threatens wildlife populations
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
  Treaty, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous
  Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
  Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands,
  Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  long boundary with Russia; Helsinki is northernmost national capital
  on European continent; population concentrated on small southwestern
  coastal plain

@Finland, People

Population:
  5,068,931 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.34% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  12.41 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.84 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  5.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  75.93 years
male:
  72.18 years
female:
  79.86 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.79 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Finn(s)
adjective:
  Finnish
Ethnic divisions:
  Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
Religions:
  Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
Languages:
  Finnish 93.5% (official), Swedish 6.3% (official), small Lapp- and
  Russian-speaking minorities
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
  100%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  2.533 million
by occupation:
  public services 30.4%, industry 20.9%, commerce 15.0%, finance,
  insurance, and business services 10.2%, agriculture and forestry 8.6%,
  transport and communications 7.7%, construction 7.2%

@Finland, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Finland
conventional short form:
  Finland
local long form:
  Suomen Tasavalta
local short form:
  Suomi
Digraph:
  FI
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Helsinki
Administrative divisions:
  12 provinces (laanit, singular - laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame,
  Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala,
  Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
Independence:
  6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
Constitution:
  17 July 1919
Legal system:
  civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request
  legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Martti AHTISAARI (since 1 March 1994); election last held 31
  January - 6 February 1994 (next to be held January 2000); results -
  Martti AHTISAARI 54%, Elisabeth REHN 46%
head of government:
  Prime Minister Esko AHO (since 26 April 1991); Deputy Prime Minister
  Pertti SALOLAINEN (since at least January 1992)
cabinet:
  Council of State (Valtioneuvosto); appointed by the president,
  responsible to Parliament
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Parliament (Eduskunta):
  elections last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1995);
  results - Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National
  Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist)
  10.1%, Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%,
  Finnish Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%; seats -
  (200 total) Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48, National
  Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19,
  Swedish People's Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League
  8, Rural 7, Liberal People's Party 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition:
  Center Party, Esko AHO; National Coalition (conservative) Party, Perti
  SALOLAINEN; Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK; Finnish
  Christian League, Toimi KANKAANNIEMI
other parties:
  Social Democratic Party, Paavo LIPPONEN, acting chairman; Leftist
  Alliance (Communist) People's Democratic League and Democratic
  Alternative, Claes ANDERSON; Green League, Pekka SAURI; Rural Party,
  Tina MAKELA; Liberal People's Party, Kalle MAATTA
Other political or pressure groups:
  Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Yrjo HAKANEN; Constitutional Rightist
  Party; Finnish Pensioners Party; Communist Workers Party, Timo
  LAHDENMAKI
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN,
  COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9,
  GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO,
  IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
  MTCR, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN,
  UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMOGIP,
  UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI
chancery:
  3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador John H. KELLY
embassy:
  Itainen Puistotie 14A, SF-00140, Helsinki
mailing address:
  APO AE 09723
telephone:
  [358] (0) 171931
FAX:
  [358] (0) 174681
Flag:
  white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the
  vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style
  of the DANNEBROG (Danish flag)

@Finland, Economy

Overview:
  Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with
  per capita output two-thirds of the US figure. Its key economic sector
  is manufacturing - principally the wood, metals, and engineering
  industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing
  about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland
  depends on imports of raw materials, energy, and some components for
  manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development
  is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic products. The
  economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between
  1987 and 1989, sank into deep recession in 1991 as growth contracted
  by 6.5%. The recession - which continued in 1992 with growth
  contracting by 4.1% - has been caused by economic overheating,
  depressed foreign markets, and the dismantling of the barter system
  between Finland and the former Soviet Union under which Soviet oil and
  gas had been exchanged for Finnish manufactured goods. The Finnish
  Government has proposed efforts to increase industrial competitiveness
  and efficiency by an increase in exports to Western markets, cuts in
  public expenditures, partial privatization of state enterprises, and
  changes in monetary policy. In June 1991 Helsinki had tied the markka
  to the European Union's (EU) European Currency Unit (ECU) to promote
  stability. Ongoing speculation resulting from a lack of confidence in
  the government's policies forced Helsinki to devalue the markka by
  about 12% in November 1991 and to indefinitely break the link in
  September 1992. The devaluations have boosted the competitiveness of
  Finnish exports to the extent the recession bottomed out in 1993 with
  renewed economic growth expected in 1994. Unemployment probably will
  remain a serious problem during the next few years, with the majority
  of Finnish firms facing a weak domestic market and the troubled German
  and Swedish export markets. Declining revenues, increased transfer
  payments, and extensive funding to bail out the banking system pushed
  the central government's budget deficit to nearly 13% in 1993.
  Helsinki continues to harmonize its economic policies with those of
  the EU during Finland's current EU membership bid. In early 1995,
  Finland is expected to join the European Union (formerly the European
  Community), thus broadening European economic unity.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $81.1 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -2.6% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $16,100 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.1% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  22% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $26.8 billion
expenditures:
  $40.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
  $23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear
partners:
  EC 53.2% (Germany 15.6%, UK 10.7%), EFTA 19.5% (Sweden 12.8%), US
  5.9%, Japan 1.3%, Russia 2.8% (1992)
Imports:
  $18 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport
  equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder
  grains
partners:
  EC 47.2% (Germany 16.9%, UK 8.7%), EFTA 19.0% (Sweden 11.7%), US 6.1%,
  Japan 5.5%, Russia 7.1% (1992)
External debt:
  $30 billion (December 1993)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7.6% (1992 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  13,500,000 kW
production:
  55.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  11,050 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  metal products, shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp,
  paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 5% of GDP (including forestry); livestock production,
  especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an important export
  earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population; main crops
  - cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of
  foodgrains and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric
  tons
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89),  $2.7 billion
Currency:
  1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
Exchange rates:
  markkaa (FMk) per US$1 - 5.6920 (January 1994), 5.7123 (1993), 4.4794
  (1992), 4.0440 (1991), 3.8235 (1990), 4.2912 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Finland, Communications

Railroads:
  5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863
  km 1,524-mm gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,710 km are
  electrified
Highways:
total:
  76,631 km (1991)
paved:
  bituminous concrete, bituminous treated soil 46,745 km
unpaved:
  gravel 29,886 km
Inland waterways:
  6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for
  steamers
Pipelines:
  natural gas 580 km
Ports:
  Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku
Merchant marine:
  93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,040,905 GRT/1,143,276 DWT,
  bulk 7, cargo 20, chemical tanker 5, liquefied gas 3, oil tanker 15,
  passenger 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 30,
  short-sea passenger 9
Airports:
total:
  160
usable:
  157
with permanent-surface runways:
  66
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  26
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  20
Telecommunications:
  good service from cable and microwave radio relay network; 3,140,000
  telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 105 FM, 235 TV; 1 submarine
  cable; INTELSAT satellite transmission service via Swedish earth
  station and a receive-only INTELSAT earth station near Helsinki

@Finland, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including Coast Guard)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,323,322; fit for military service 1,089,300; reach
  military age (17) annually 33,594 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $1.6 billion, about 1.5% of GDP (1993)


@France, Geography

Location:
  Western Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Spain and
  Germany
Map references:
  Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  547,030 sq km
land area:
  545,630 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of Colorado
note:
  includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the
  overseas administrative divisions
Land boundaries:
  total 2,892.4 km, Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy
  488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573
  km
Coastline:
  3,427 km (mainland 2,783 km, Corsica 644 km)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  12-24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands,
  Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claims Mayotte;
  Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims Tromelin Island;
  Suriname claims part of French Guiana; Mexico claims Clipperton
  Island; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land); Saint Pierre
  and Miquelon is focus of maritime boundary dispute between Canada and
  France
Climate:
  generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot
  summers along the Mediterranean
Terrain:
  mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west;
  remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
Natural resources:
  coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
Land use:
arable land:
  32%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  23%
forest and woodland:
  27%
other:
  16%
Irrigated land:
  11,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  some forest damage from acid rain; air pollution from industrial and
  vehicle emissions; water pollution from urban wastes, agricultural
  runoff
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
  Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping,
  Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
  Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air
  Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Note:
  largest West European nation; occasional warm tropical wind known as
  mistral

@France, People

Population:
  57,840,445 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.47% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.13 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.3 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  6.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  78.19 years
male:
  74.27 years
female:
  82.3 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.8 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women)
adjective:
  French
Ethnic divisions:
  Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese,
  Basque minorities
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African
  workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6%
Languages:
  French 100%, rapidly declining regional dialects and languages
  (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  24.17 million
by occupation:
  services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.2% (1987)

@France, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  French Republic
conventional short form:
  France
local long form:
  Republique Francaise
local short form:
  France
Digraph:
  FR
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Paris
Administrative divisions:
  22 regions (regions, singular - region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne,
  Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne,
  Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France,
  Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees,
  Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes,
  Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes
note:
  the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate
  entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe,
  Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte,
  Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
Dependent areas:
  Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia,
  French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova
  Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna
note:
  the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence:
  486 (unified by Clovis)
National holiday:
  National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
  28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962,
  amended to comply with provisions of EC Maastricht Treaty in 1992;
  amended to tighten immigration laws 1993
Legal system:
  civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative
  but not legislative acts
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); election last held
  8 May 1988 (next to be held by May 1995); results - Second Ballot
  Francois MITTERRAND 54%, Jacques CHIRAC 46%
head of government:
  Prime Minister Edouard BALLADUR (since 29 March 1993)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the president on the suggestion of
  the prime minister
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament (Parlement)
Senate (Senat):
  elections last held 27 September 1992 (next to be held September 1995
  - nine-year term, elected by thirds every three years); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (321 total; 296 metropolitan
  France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French
  nationals abroad) RPR 91, UDF 142 (UREI 51, UC 68, RDE 23), PS 66, PCF
  16, independents 2, other 4
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
  elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (577 total) RPR 247,
  UDF 213, PS 67, PCF 24, independents 26
Judicial branch:
  Constitutional Court (Cour Constitutionnelle)
Political parties and leaders:
  Rally for the Republic (RPR), Jacques CHIRAC; Union for French
  Democracy (UDF, federation of UREI, UC, RDE), Valery Giscard
  d'ESTAING; Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET; Center for Social
  Democrats (CDS), Pierre MEHAIGNERIE; Radical (RAD), Yves GALLAND;
  Socialist Party (PS), Henri EMMAMUELLI, interim party leader; Left
  Radical Movement (MRG), Jean-Francois HORY; Communist Party (PCF),
  Robert HUE; National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN; Union of
  Republican and Independents (UREI); Centrist Union (UC); Democratic
  Assembly (RDE); The Greens, Antoine WAECHTER, Jean-Louis VIDAL, Guy
  CAMBOT; Generation Ecology (GE), Brice LALONDE
Other political or pressure groups:
  Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail -
  CGT) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor
  union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT) about
  800,000 members (est.); independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) 1
  million members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation
  Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of
  French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais - CNPF or
  Patronat)
Member of:
  ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CDB
  (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate), ECE,
  ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, FZ, GATT, G-5, G-7, G-10, 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, ONUSAL, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UN
  Security Council, UNTAC, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI
chancery:
  4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
  Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Pamela C. HARRIMAN
embassy:
  2 Avenue Gabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08
mailing address:
  Unit 21551, Paris; APO AE 09777
telephone:
  [33] (1) 4296-12-02 or 42-61-80-75
FAX:
  [33] (1) 4266-9783
consulate(s) general:
  Bordeaux, Marseille, Strasbourg
Flag:
  three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known
  as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors are similar
  to a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland,
  Cote d'Ivoire, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French
  dependent areas

@France, Economy

Overview:
  One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial
  agricultural resources and a highly diversified modern industrial
  sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern
  technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading
  agricultural producer in Western Europe. Largely self-sufficient in
  agricultural products, France is a major exporter of wheat and dairy
  products. The industrial sector generates about one-quarter of GDP,
  and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy.
  Although French GDP contracted by 0.7% in 1993, the economy showed
  signs of life by yearend. GDP growth, however, will remain sluggish in
  1994 - perhaps reaching only 1.0%. Rapidly increasing unemployment
  will still pose a major problem for the government. Paris remains
  committed to maintaining the franc-deutsche mark parity, which has
  kept French interest rates high despite France's low inflation.
  Although the pace of economic integration within the European
  Community has slowed down, integration presumably will remain a major
  force shaping the fortunes of the various economic sectors.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.05 trillion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -0.7% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $18,200 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2.1% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  12.2% (May 1994)
Budget:
revenues:
  $220.5 billion
expenditures:
  $249.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1993
  budget)
Exports:
  $270.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs,
  agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing
partners:
  Germany 18.6%, Italy 11.0%, Spain 11.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.1%, UK
  8.8%, Netherlands 7.9%, US 6.4%, Japan 2.0%, former USSR 0.7% (1991
  est.)
Imports:
  $250.2 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals,
  iron and steel products
partners:
  Germany 17.8%, Italy 10.9%, US 9.5%, Netherlands 8.9%, Spain 8.8%,
  Belgium-Luxembourg 8.5%, UK 7.5%, Japan 4.1%, former USSR 1.3% (1991
  est.)
External debt:
  $300 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -4.3% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
  110 million kW
production:
  426 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  7,430 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft,
  electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, tourism
Agriculture:
  accounts for 4% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); one of the
  world's top five wheat producers; other principal products - beef,
  dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes;
  self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats
  and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm
  products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20
  countries and is all used domestically
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion
Currency:
  1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.9205 (January 1994), 5.6632 (1993),
  5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@France, Communications

Railroads:
  French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,322 km 1,435-mm standard
  gauge; 12,434 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 99
  km of various gauges (1,000-mm), privately owned and operated
Highways:
total:
  1,510,750 km
paved:
  747,750 km (including 7,450 km of controlled access divided highway)
unpaved:
  763,000 km
Inland waterways:
  14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled
Pipelines:
  crude oil 3,059 km; petroleum products 4,487 km; natural gas 24,746 km
Ports:
  coastal - Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque,
  Fos-Sur-Mer, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Sete, Toulon; inland - Rouen
Merchant marine:
  124 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,226,175 GRT/5,109,375 DWT,
  bulk 9, cargo 10, chemical tanker 8, container 21, liquefied gas 6,
  multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 37, passenger 1,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 21, short-sea passenger 7, specialized tanker 3
note:
  France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the
  Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French
  Polynesia
Airports:
total:
  472
usable:
  461
with permanent-surface runways:
  258
with runways over 3,659 m:
  3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  37
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  136
Telecommunications:
  highly developed; extensive cable and microwave radio relay networks;
  large-scale introduction of optical-fiber systems; satellite systems
  for domestic traffic; 39,200,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 41
  AM, 800 (mostly repeaters) FM, 846 (mostly repeaters) TV; 24 submarine
  coaxial cables; 2 INTELSAT earth stations (with total of 5 antennas -
  2 for the Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 3 for the Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT); HF radio communications with more than 20 countries;
  INMARSAT service; EUTELSAT TV service

@France, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy (including Naval Air), Air Force, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 14,717,461; fit for military service 12,265,874; reach
  military age (18) annually 376,485 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $33.0 billion, 3.3% of GDP (1993)


@French Guiana

Header
Affiliation:
  (overseas department of France)

@French Guiana, Geography

Location:
  Northern South America, bordering on the North Atlantic Ocean between
  Suriname and Brazil
Map references:
  South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  91,000 sq km
land area:
  89,150 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
  total 1,183 km, Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
Coastline:
  378 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both
  headwaters of the Lawa)
Climate:
  tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain:
  low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
Natural resources:
  bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  82%
other:
  18%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  mostly an unsettled wilderness

@French Guiana, People

Population:
  139,299 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  4.27% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  25.83 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  4.67 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  21.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  15.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  75.2 years
male:
  71.93 years
female:
  78.63 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  French Guianese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  French Guianese
Ethnic divisions:
  black or mulatto 66%, Caucasian 12%, East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian
  12%, other 10%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic
Languages:
  French
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
total population:
  82%
male:
  81%
female:
  83%
Labor force:
  23,265
by occupation:
  services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture
  18.2% (1980)
Names:
conventional long form:
  Department of Guiana
conventional short form:
  French Guiana
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  Guyane
Digraph:
  FG
Type:
  overseas department of France
Capital:
  Cayenne
Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas department of France)
Independence:
  none (overseas department of France)
National holiday:
  National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
  28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
  French legal system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)
head of government:
  Prefect Jean-Francois CORDET (since NA 1992); President of the General
  Council Elie CASTOR (since NA); President of the Regional Council
  Antoine KARAM (22 March 1993)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
  unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
General Council:
  elections last held 25 September and 8 October 1988 (next to be held
  NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (19 total) PSG 12,
  URC 7
Regional Council:
  elections last held 22 March 1992 (next to be held NA); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (31 total) PSG 16
French Senate:
  elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September
  1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) PSG 1
French National Assembly:
  elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA 1998);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total) RPR 1,
  independent 1
Judicial branch:
  Court of Appeals (highest local court based in Martinique with
  jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana)
Political parties and leaders:
  Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Elie CASTRO; Conservative Union for
  the Republic (UPR), Leon BERTRAND; Rally for the Center Right (URC);
  Rally for the Republic (RPR); Guyana Democratic Front (FDG), Georges
  OTHILY; Walwari Committee, Christine TAUBIRA-DELANON
Member of:
  FZ, WCL
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (overseas department of France)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (overseas department of France)
Flag:
  the flag of France is used

@French Guiana, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and
  imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and
  forestry are the most important economic activities, with exports of
  fish and fish products (mostly shrimp) accounting for more than 60% of
  total revenue in 1992. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not
  fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides
  sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops - rice, cassava, bananas,
  and sugar cane - is limited to the coastal area, where the population
  is largely concentrated. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports
  of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly
  among younger workers.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $421 million (1986)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $4,390 (1986)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.1% (1987)
Unemployment rate:
  13% (1990)
Budget:
revenues:
  $735 million
expenditures:
  $735 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1987)
Exports:
  $59 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence
partners:
  France 52%, Spain 15%, US 5% (1992)
Imports:
  $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods,
  petroleum
partners:
  France 77%, Germany 11%, US 5% (1992)
External debt:
  $1.2 billion (1988)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  92,000 kW
production:
  185 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,450 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
Agriculture:
  some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa,
  bananas, sugar; livestock - cattle, pigs, poultry
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $1.51 billion
Currency:
  1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.9205 (January 1994), 5.6632 (1993),
  5.2938 (1992), 5.6421 (1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@French Guiana, Communications

Highways:
total:
  680 km
paved:
  510 km
unpaved:
  improved, unimproved earth 170 km
Inland waterways:
  460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal
  steamers; 3,300 km navigable by native craft
Ports:
  Cayenne
Airports:
total:
  10
usable:
  10
with permanent-surface runways:
  4
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  fair open-wire and microwave radio relay system; 18,100 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 5 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station

@French Guiana, Defense Forces

Branches:
  French Forces, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 40,506; fit for military service 26,394
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@French Polynesia

Header
Affiliation:
  (overseas territory of France)

@French Polynesia, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Polynesia halfway between Australia and South America
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  3,941 sq km
land area:
  3,660 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  2,525 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical, but moderate
Terrain:
  mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
Natural resources:
  timber, fish, cobalt
Land use:
arable land:
  1%
permanent crops:
  19%
meadows and pastures:
  5%
forest and woodland:
  31%
other:
  44%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  occasional cyclonic storms in January
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  includes five archipelagoes; Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the
  three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others
  are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru

@French Polynesia, People

Population:
  215,129 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.25% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  27.75 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.27 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  14.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  70.54 years
male:
  68.14 years
female:
  73.06 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.31 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  French Polynesian(s)
adjective:
  French Polynesian
Ethnic divisions:
  Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
Religions:
  Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%
Languages:
  French (official), Tahitian (official)
Literacy:
  age 14 and over but definition of literacy not available (1977)
total population:
  98%
male:
  98%
female:
  98%
Labor force:
  76,630 employed (1988)

@French Polynesia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Territory of French Polynesia
conventional short form:
  French Polynesia
local long form:
  Territoire de la Polynesie Francaise
local short form:
  Polynesie Francaise
Digraph:
  FP
Type:
  overseas territory of France since 1946
Capital:
  Papeete
Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order
  administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
  are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel
  des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent
note:
  Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia
Independence:
  none (overseas territory of France)
National holiday:
  National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution:
  28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system:
  based on French system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); High Commissioner
  of the Republic Michel JAU (since NA February 1992)
head of government:
  President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Gaston
  FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991); Deputy to the French Assembly and
  President of the Territorial Assembly Jean JUVENTIN (since NA November
  1992); Territorial Vice President and Minister of Health Michel
  BUILLARD (since 12 September 1991)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the
  Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Territorial Assembly:
  elections last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (41 total) People's
  Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party 12, New
  Fatherland Party 7, other 4
French Senate:
  elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September
  1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (1 total) party
  NA
French National Assembly:
  elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held NA March
  1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (2 total)
  People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 2
Judicial branch:
  Court of Appeal, Court of the First Instance, Court of Administrative
  Law
Political parties and leaders:
  People's Rally for the Republic (Tahoeraa Huiraatira), Gaston FLOSSE;
  Polynesian Union Party includes Te Tiarama, Alexandre LEONTIEFF, and
  Pupu Here Ai'a Te Nuneao Ia Ora, Jean JUVENTIN; New Fatherland Party
  (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON; Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini
  Huiraatira), Oscar TEMARU; Independent Party (Ia Mana Te Nunaa), James
  SALMON; other small parties
Member of:
  ESCAP (associate), FZ, ICFTU, SPC, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (overseas territory of France)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (overseas territory of France)
Flag:
  the flag of France is used

@French Polynesia, Economy

Overview:
  Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region,
  French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in
  which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the
  military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about
  20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $1.5 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $7,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  -0.6% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
  10% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $614 million
expenditures:
  $957 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
Exports:
  $88.9 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
  coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla, shark meat
partners:
  France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%
Imports:
  $765 million (c.i.f., 1989)
commodities:
  fuels, foodstuffs, equipment
partners:
  France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  75,000 kW
production:
  275 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,330 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts
Agriculture:
  coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit; poultry, beef,
  dairy products
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-88), $3.95 billion
Currency:
  1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates:
  Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 107.63
  (January 1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.00
  (1990), 115.99 (1989); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the
  French franc
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@French Polynesia, Communications

Highways:
total:
  600 km (1982)
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Ports:
  Papeete, Bora-bora
Merchant marine:
  3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,127 GRT/6,710 DWT,
  passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 1
note:
  a captive subset of the French register
Airports:
total:
  43
usable:
  41
with permanent-surface runways:
  23
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  12
Telecommunications:
  33,200 telephones; 84,000 radio receivers; 26,400 TV sets; broadcast
  stations - 5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@French Polynesia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force), Gendarmerie
Note:
  defense is responsibility of France


@French Southern and Antarctic Lands

Header
Affiliation:
  (overseas territory of France)

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, in the southern Indian Ocean, about equidistant
  between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia
Map references:
  Antarctic Region, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  7,781 sq km
land area:
  7,781 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Delaware
note:
  includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles
  Crozet; excludes Terre Adelie claim of about 500,000 sq km in
  Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,232 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm from Iles Kerguelen only
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US
Climate:
  antarctic
Terrain:
  volcanic
Natural resources:
  fish, crayfish
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:
  NA
natural hazards:
  Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  remote location in the southern Indian Ocean

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, People

Population:
  no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are researchers whose numbers
  vary from 150 in winter (July) to 200 in summer (January)

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
conventional short form:
  French Southern and Antarctic Lands
local long form:
  Territoire des Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
local short form:
  Terres Australes et Antarctiques Francaises
Digraph:
  FS
Type:
  overseas territory of France since 1955; governed by High
  Administrator Bernard de GOUTTES (since May 1990), who is assisted by
  a 7-member Consultative Council and a 12-member Scientific Council
Capital:
  none; administered from Paris, France
Administrative divisions:
  none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order
  administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there
  are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul
  et Amsterdam; excludes Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica that is not
  recognized by the US
Independence:
  none (overseas territory of France)
Flag:
  the flag of France is used

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Economy

Overview:
  Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and
  geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The
  fishing catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported
  to France and Reunion.
Budget:
revenues:
  $17.5 million
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Communications

Highways:
total:
  NA
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine:
  21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 441,962 GRT/813,779 DWT, bulk 3,
  cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquified gas 2, multifunction large load
  carrier 1, oil tanker 4, refrigerated cargo 4, roll-on/roll-off cargo
  4
note:
  a captive subset of the French register
Telecommunications:
  NA

@French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@Gabon, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the Atlantic Ocean at the Equator between
  the Congo and Equatorial Guinea
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  267,670 sq km
land area:
  257,670 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries:
  total 2,551 km, Cameroon 298 km, Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350
  km
Coastline:
  885 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed
  sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
Climate:
  tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain:
  narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
Natural resources:
  petroleum, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore
Land use:
arable land:
  1%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  18%
forest and woodland:
  78%
other:
  2%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; poaching
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
  Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed,
  but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea

@Gabon, People

Population:
  1,139,006 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.46% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  28.46 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  13.9 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  94.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  54.67 years
male:
  51.88 years
female:
  57.53 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.97 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Gabonese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Gabonese
Ethnic divisions:
  Bantu tribes including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira,
  Bapounou, Bateke), Africans and Europeans 100,000, including 27,000
  French
Religions:
  Christian 55-75%, Muslim less than 1%, animist
Languages:
  French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  61%
male:
  74%
female:
  48%
Labor force:
  120,000 salaried
by occupation:
  agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%,
  government 2.5%
note:
  58% of population of working age (1983)

@Gabon, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Gabonese Republic
conventional short form:
  Gabon
local long form:
  Republique Gabonaise
local short form:
  Gabon
Digraph:
  GB
Type:
  republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized
  1990)
Capital:
  Libreville
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces; Estuaire, Haut-Ogooue, Moyen-Ogooue, Ngounie, Nyanga,
  Ogooue-Ivindo, Ogooue-Lolo, Ogooue-Maritime, Woleu-Ntem
Independence:
  17 August 1960 (from France)
National holiday:
  Renovation Day, 12 March (1968) (Gabonese Democratic Party
  established)
Constitution:
  adopted 14 March 1991
Legal system:
  based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of
  legislative acts in Constitutional Chamber of the Supreme Court;
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction not accepted
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President El Hadj Omar BONGO (since 2 December 1967); election last
  held on 5 December 1993 (next to be held NA 1998); results - President
  Omar BONGO was reelected with 51% of the vote
head of government:
  Prime Minister Casimir OYE-MBA (since 3 May 1990)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister in consultation
  with the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
  elections last held on 21 and 28 October and 4 November 1990 (next to
  be held by NA); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120
  total) PDG 62, Morena-Bucherons/RNB 19, PGP 18, National Recovery
  Movement (Morena-Original) 7, APSG 6, USG 4, CRP 1, independents 3
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Political parties and leaders:
  Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG, former sole party), Jaques ADIAHENOT,
  Secretary General; National Recovery Movement - Lumberjacks
  (Morena-Bucherons/RNB), Fr. Paul M'BA-ABESSOLE, leader; Gabonese Party
  for Progress (PGP), Pierre-Louis AGONDHO-OKAWE, President; National
  Recovery Movement (Morena-Original), Pierre ZONGUE-NGUEMA, Chairman;
  Association for Socialism in Gabon (APSG), leader NA; Gabonese
  Socialist Union (USG), leader NA; Circle for Renewal and Progress
  (CRP), leader NA; Union for Democracy and Development (UDD), leader
  NA; Rally of Democrats (RD), leader NA; Forces of Change for
  Democratic Union, leader NA
Member of:
  ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, GATT,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS (associate), NAM, OAU,
  OIC, OPEC, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
  WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery:
  2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Joseph C. WILSON IV
embassy:
  Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address:
  B. P. 4000, Libreville
telephone:
  (241) 762003/4, or 743492
FAX:
  [241] 745-507
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and blue

@Gabon, Economy

Overview:
  Notwithstanding its serious ongoing economic problems, Gabon enjoys a
  per capita income more than twice that of most nations of sub-Saharan
  Africa. Gabon depended on timber and manganese until oil was
  discovered offshore in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts
  for 50% of GNP. Real growth was feeble in 1992 and Gabon continues to
  face weak prices for its timber, manganese, and uranium exports.
  Despite an abundance of natural wealth, and a manageable rate of
  population growth, the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management.
  In 1992, the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP, and Gabon failed
  to settled arrears on its bilateral debt, leading to a cancellation of
  rescheduling agreements with official and private creditors.
  Devaluation of the local currency by 50% in January 1994 could set off
  an inflationary spiral if the government fails to reign in spending
  and grants large wage increases to an already overpaid public sector
  workforce.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $5.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  0.5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  0.7% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $1.3 billion
expenditures:
  $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $272 million (1992
  est.)
Exports:
  $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est)
commodities:
  crude oil 80%, timber 9%, manganese 7%, uranium 2%
partners:
  France 48%, US 15%, Germany 2%, Japan 2%
Imports:
  $702 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, chemical products, petroleum products, construction
  materials, manufactures, machinery
partners:
  France 64%, African countries 7%, US 5%, Japan 3%
External debt:
  $4.4 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -10% (1988 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP, including
  petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
  315,000 kW
production:
  995 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  920 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  petroleum, food and beverages, lumbering and plywood, textiles, mining
  - manganese, uranium, gold, cement
Agriculture:
  accounts for 9% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); cash crops -
  cocoa, coffee, palm oil; livestock not developed; importer of food;
  small fishing operations provide a catch of about 20,000 metric tons;
  okoume (a tropical softwood) is the most important timber product
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $68 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-90),
  $2.342 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $27 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

@Gabon, Communications

Railroads:
  649 km 1.437-meter standard-gauge single track (Transgabonese
  Railroad)
Highways:
total:
  7,500 km
paved:
  560 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone 960 km; earth 5,980 km
Inland waterways:
  1,600 km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
  crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km
Ports:
  Owendo, Port-Gentil, Libreville
Merchant marine:
  2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,562 GRT/25,330 DWT
Airports:
total:
  70
usable:
  59
with permanent-surface runways:
  10
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  22
Telecommunications:
  adequate system of cable, radio relay, tropospheric scatter links and
  radiocommunication stations; 15,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6
  AM, 6 FM, 3 (5 repeaters) TV; satellite earth stations - 3 Atlantic
  Ocean INTELSAT and 12 domestic satellite

@Gabon, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Presidential Guard, National Gendarmerie,
  National Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 270,501; fit for military service 136,995; reach
  military age (20) annually 10,107 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $102 million, 3.2% of GDP (1990 est.)


@The Gambia, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean almost completely
  surrounded by Senegal
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  11,300 sq km
land area:
  10,000 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of Delaware
Land boundaries:
  total 740 km, Senegal 740 km
Coastline:
  80 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  18 nm
continental shelf:
  not specified
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  short section of boundary with Senegal is indefinite
Climate:
  tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler, dry season
  (November to May)
Terrain:
  flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills
Natural resources:
  fish
Land use:
arable land:
  16%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  9%
forest and woodland:
  20%
other:
  55%
Irrigated land:
  120 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; desertification; water-borne diseases prevalent
natural hazards:
  rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last thirty years
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
  Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
  almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on the continent of
  Africa

@The Gambia, People

Population:
  959,300 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.08% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  46.39 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  15.64 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  123.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  50.08 years
male:
  47.83 years
female:
  52.39 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.29 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Gambian(s)
adjective:
  Gambian
Ethnic divisions:
  African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%, Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%,
  other 4%), non-Gambian 1%
Religions:
  Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%
Languages:
  English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other indigenous
  vernaculars
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  27%
male:
  39%
female:
  16%
Labor force:
  400,000 (1986 est.)
by occupation:
  agriculture 75.0%, industry, commerce, and services 18.9%, government
  6.1%
note:
  55% population of working age (1983)

@The Gambia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form:
  The Gambia
Digraph:
  GA
Type:
  republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
  Banjul
Administrative divisions:
  5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Lower River, MacCarthy Island, North
  Bank, Upper River, Western
Independence:
  18 February 1965 (from UK; The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement
  on 12 December 1981 that called for the creation of a loose
  confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was
  dissolved on 30 September 1989)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 18 February (1965)
Constitution:
  24 April 1970
Legal system:
  based on a composite of English common law, Koranic law, and customary
  law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Alhaji Sir Dawda Kairaba JAWARA (since 24 April 1970); Vice
  President Saihou SABALLY (since NA); election last held on 29 April
  1992 (next to be held April 1997); results - Sir Dawda JAWARA (PPP)
  58.5%, Sherif Mustapha DIBBA (NCP) 22.2%, Assan Musa CAMARA (GPP) 8.0%
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president from members of the House of
  Representatives
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
House of Representatives:
  elections last held on 29 April 1992 (next to be held April 1997);
  results - PPP 58.1%, seats - (43 total, 36 elected) PPP 30, NCP 6
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  People's Progressive Party (PPP), Dawda K. JAWARA, secretary general;
  National Convention Party (NCP), Sheriff DIBBA; Gambian People's Party
  (GPP), Hassan Musa CAMARA; United Party (UP), leader NA; People's
  Democratic Organization of Independence and Socialism (PDOIS), leader
  NA; People's Democratic Party (PDP), Jabel SALLAH
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
  IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL,
  IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ousman A. SALLAH
chancery:
  Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
  [phone], 1379, or 1425
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Arlene RENDER
embassy:
  Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul
mailing address:
  P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul
telephone:
  [220] 92856 or 92858, 91970, 91971
FAX:
  (220) 92475
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue with white edges, and
  green

@The Gambia, Economy

Overview:
  The Gambia has no important mineral or other natural resources and has
  a limited agricultural base. It is one of the world's poorest
  countries with a per capita income of roughly $800. About 75% of the
  population is engaged in crop production and livestock raising, which
  contribute 30% to GDP. Small-scale manufacturing activity - processing
  peanuts, fish, and hides - accounts for less than 10% of GDP. A
  sustained structural adjustment program, including a liberalized trade
  policy, has fostered a respectable 4% rate of growth in recent years.
  Re-export trade constitutes one-third of economic activity; however,
  border closures associated with Senegal's monetary crisis in late 1993
  led to a 50% decline in re-export trade, reducing government revenues
  in turn. Devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994 has made
  Senegalese goods more competitive, and is likely to prompt a
  relaxation of Senegalese controls, paving the way for a comeback in
  re-exports.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $740 million (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4.5% (FY92 est)
National product per capita:
  $800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5% (FY 92 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $94 million
expenditures:
  $80 million, including capital expenditures of $25 million (FY91 est.)
Exports:
  $164 million (f.o.b., FY92 est.)
commodities:
  peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton lint, palm kernels
partners:
  Japan 60%, Europe 29%, Africa 5%, US 1%, other 5% (1989)
Imports:
  $214 million (f.o.b., FY92 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, manufactures, raw materials, fuel, machinery and transport
  equipment
partners:
  Europe 57%, Asia 25%, USSR and Eastern Europe 9%, US 6%, other 3%
  (1989)
External debt:
  $336 million (December 1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.7% (year NA); accounts for 5.8% of GDP (FY90)
Electricity:
capacity:
  30,000 kW
production:
  65 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  75 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  peanut processing, tourism, beverages, agricultural machinery
  assembly, woodworking, metalworking, clothing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 30% of GDP and employs about 75% of the population;
  imports one-third of food requirements; major export crop is peanuts;
  other principal crops - millet, sorghum, rice, corn, cassava, palm
  kernels; livestock - cattle, sheep, goats; forestry and fishing
  resources not fully exploited
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $93 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $535
  million; Communist countries (1970-89), $39 million
Currency:
  1 dalasi (D) = 100 butut
Exchange rates:
  dalasi (D) per US$1 - 9.440 (November 1993), 8.888 (1992), 8.803
  (1991), 7.883 (1990), 7.5846 (1989), 6.7086 (1988)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@The Gambia, Communications

Highways:
total:
  3,083 km
paved:
  431 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone 501 km; unimproved earth 2,151 km
Inland waterways:
  400 km
Ports:
  Banjul
Merchant marine:
  1 bulk ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,194 GRT/19,394 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:
  adequate network of radio relay and wire; 3,500 telephones; broadcast
  stations - 3 AM, 2 FM; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@The Gambia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, National Gendarmerie, National Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 207,754; fit for military service 105,100
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Gaza Strip

Header
Note:
  The war between Israel and Egypt, Syria, and Jordan in June 1967 ended
  with Israel in control of the West Bank, East Jerusalem, the Gaza
  Strip, the Sinai Peninsula, and the Golan Heights. Israel withdrew
  from the Sinai Peninsula pursuant to a 1979 peace treaty with Egypt.
  The Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government
  Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993,
  provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of
  Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West
  Bank. Under the DOP, final status negotiations are to begin no later
  than the beginning of the third year of the transitional period.

@Gaza Strip, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, bordering the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt
  and Israel
Map references:
  Middle East
Area:
total area:
  360 sq km
land area:
  360 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  total 62 km, Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline:
  40 km
Maritime claims:
  Israeli occupied with status to be determined
International disputes:
  West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status
  subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be
  determined
Climate:
  temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain:
  flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Natural resources:
  negligible
Land use:
arable land:
  13%
permanent crops:
  32%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  55%
Irrigated land:
  200 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  desertification
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  there are 24 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
  Gaza Strip (April 1994)

@Gaza Strip, People

Population:
  731,296 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  in addition, there are 4,500 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1994
  est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.53% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  45.01 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -4.29 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  36.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  67.78 years
male:
  66.47 years
female:
  69.16 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  7.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  NA
adjective:
  NA
Ethnic divisions:
  Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions:
  Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish 0.3%
Languages:
  Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English (widely
  understood)
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA
by occupation:
  construction 33.4%, agriculture 20.0%, commerce, restaurants, and
  hotels 14.9%, industry 10.0%, other services 21.7% (1991)
note:
  excluding Jewish settlers

@Gaza Strip, Government

Note:
  Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
  Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer
  certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and
  subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim
  self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A
  transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho
  has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement
  on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. The DOP provides that Israel
  will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external
  security and for internal security and public order of settlements and
  Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations
  within five years.
Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Gaza Strip
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  Qita Ghazzah
Digraph:
  GZ

@Gaza Strip, Economy

Overview:
  In 1991 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed across the
  border by Israeli industrial, construction, and agricultural
  enterprises, with worker remittances accounting for about one-third of
  GNP. The construction, agricultural, and industrial sectors account
  for about 18%, 16%, and 12% of GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon
  Israel for nearly 90% of its external trade. Aggravating the impact of
  Israeli military administration, unrest in the territory since 1988
  (intifadah) has raised unemployment and lowered the standard of living
  of Gazans. The Persian Gulf crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt
  blows to Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf
  states have dropped, unemployment has increased, and exports have
  fallen. The withdrawal of Israel from the Gaza Strip in May 1994
  brings a new set of adjustment problems.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $840 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,275 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  7% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  20% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $33.6 million
expenditures:
  $34.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
Exports:
  $75 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
  citrus
partners:
  Israel, Egypt
Imports:
  $370 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
  food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners:
  Israel, Egypt
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate 11% (1991 est.); accounts for about 12% of GNP
Electricity:
  power supplied by Israel
Industries:
  generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap,
  olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have
  established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 16% of GNP; olives, citrus and other fruits,
  vegetables, beef, dairy products
Economic aid:
  $NA
Currency:
  1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
  new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.9760 (February 1994), 2.8301
  (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

@Gaza Strip, Communications

Railroads:
  one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains
Highways:
total:
  NA
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
note:
  small, poorly developed road network
Ports:
  facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  0
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV

@Gaza Strip, Defense Forces

Branches:
  NA
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Georgia

Note:
  Georgia is currently besieged by interethnic strife in its Abkhazian
  and South Ossetian enclaves.

@Georgia, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between Turkey and Russia
Map references:
  Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States,
  Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  69,700 sq km
land area:
  69,700 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than South Carolina
Land boundaries:
  total 1,461 km, Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
  Turkey 252 km
Coastline:
  310 km
Maritime claims:
note:
  12 nm in 1973 USSR-Turkish Protocol concerning the sea boundary
  between the two states in the Black Sea; Georgia claims the coastline
  along the Black Sea as its international waters, although it cannot
  control this area and the Russian navy and commercial ships transit
  freely
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain:
  largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and
  Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhida Lowland opens to the
  Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in
  river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Natural resources:
  forest lands, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron ores, copper, minor
  coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils allow for important
  tea and citrus growth
Land use:
arable land:
  NA%
permanent crops:
  NA%
meadows and pastures:
  NA%
forest and woodland:
  NA%
other:
  NA%
Irrigated land:
  4,660 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution, particularly in Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari
  River and the Black Sea; inadequate supplies of safe drinking water;
  soil pollution from toxic chemicals
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA

@Georgia, People

Population:
  5,681,025 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.81% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  16.11 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  23.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  72.84 years
male:
  69.16 years
female:
  76.7 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.18 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Georgian(s)
adjective:
  Georgian
Ethnic divisions:
  Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri 5.7%, Ossetian 3%,
  Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions:
  Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian Orthodox 10%, Muslim 11%, Armenian
  Orthodox 8%, unknown 6%
Languages:
  Armenian 7%, Azeri 6%, Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, other 7%
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  2.763 million
by occupation:
  industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44%
  (1990)

@Georgia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Georgia
conventional short form:
  Georgia
local long form:
  Sak'art'velos Respublika
local short form:
  Sak'art'velo
former:
  Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  GG
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  T'bilisi
Administrative divisions:
  2 autonomous republics (avtomnoy respubliki, singular - avtom
  respublika); Abkhazia (Sokhumi), Ajaria (Bat'umi)
note:
  the administrative centers of the autonomous republics are included in
  parentheses; there are no oblasts - the rayons around T'bilisi are
  under direct republic jurisdiction
Independence:
  9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 9 April (1991)
Constitution:
  adopted NA February 1921; currently amending constitution for
  Parliamentary and popular review by late 1995
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Chairman of Parliament Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE (since 10
  March 1992); election last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA
  1995); results - Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 95%
head of government:
  Prime Minister Otar PATSATSIA (since September 1993); Deputy Prime
  Ministers Avtandil MARGIANI, Zurab KERVALISHVILI (since NA), Tamaz
  NADARISHVILI (since September 1993), Teimuraz BASILIA (since NA)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Georgian Parliament (Supreme Soviet):
  elections last held 11 October 1992 (next to be held NA 1995); results
  - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (225 total) number of seats by
  party NA; note - representatives of 26 parties elected; Peace Bloc,
  October 11, Unity, National Democratic Party, and the Greens Party won
  the largest representation
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Merab Kostava Society, Vazha ADAMIA, chairman; Traditionalists' Union,
  Akaki ASATIANI, chairman; Georgian Social Democratic Party, Guram
  MUCHAIDZE, chairman; Green Party, Zurab ZHVANIA, chairman; Georgian
  Popular Front (GPF), Nodar NATADZE, chairman; National Democratic
  Party (NDP), Gia CHANTURIA, chairman; National Independence Party
  (NIP), Irakliy TSERETELI, chairmen; Charter 1991 Party, Tedo
  PATASHVILI, chairman; Peace Bloc; Unity; October 11
Other political or pressure groups:
  supporters of ousted President Zuiad GAMSAKHURDIA (deceased 1 January
  1994) boycotted the October elections and remain a source of
  opposition and instability
Member of:
  BSEC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IBRD, IDA, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, IOC,
  ITU, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Petr CHKHEIDZE
chancery:
  (temporary) Suite 424, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC
telephone:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Kent N. BROWN
embassy:
  #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  (7) 8832-98-99-68
FAX:
  (7) 8832-93-37-59
Flag:
  maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner;
  rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below

@Georgia, Economy

Overview:
  Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism;
  cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and
  copper; and a small industrial sector producing wine, metals,
  machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of
  its energy needs, including natural gas and coal. Its only sizable
  domestic energy resource is hydropower. Since 1990, widespread
  conflicts, e.g., in Abkhazia, South Ossetia, and Mengrelia, severely
  aggravated the economic crisis resulting from the disintegration of
  the Soviet command economy in December 1991. Throughout 1993, much of
  industry was functioning at only 20% of capacity; heavy disruptions in
  agricultural cultivation were reported; and tourism was shut down. The
  country is precariously dependent on US and EU humanitarian grain
  shipments, as most other foods are priced beyond reach of the average
  citizen. Georgia is also suffering from an acute energy crisis, as it
  is having problems paying for even minimal imports. Georgia is pinning
  its hopes for recovery on reestablishing trade ties with Russia and on
  developing international transportation through the key Black Sea
  ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $7.8 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 Georgian statistics, which are
  very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -35% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,390 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  40.5% per month (2nd half 1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  officially less than 5% but real unemployment may be up near 20%, with
  even larger numbers of underemployed workers; real unemployment may be
  up near 20% with even larger numbers of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $NA
commodities:
  citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types
  of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel
  re-exports
partners:
  Russia, Turkey, Armenia, Azerbaijan (1992)
Imports:
  $NA
commodities:
  fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and parts, transport equipment
partners:
  Russia, Azerbaijan, Turkey (1993)
External debt:
  $100 million to $200 million (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -27% (1993); accounts for 36% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  4,875,000 kW
production:
  15.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,835 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  heavy industrial products include raw steel, rolled steel, airplanes;
  machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes,
  electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat
  packing, electric motors, process control equipment, instruments;
  trucks, tractors, and other farm machinery; light industrial products,
  including cloth, hosiery, and shoes; chemicals; wood-working
  industries; the most important food industry is wine
Agriculture:
  accounts for 41% of GDP; accounted for 97% of former USSR citrus
  fruits and 93% of former USSR tea; important producer of grapes; also
  cultivates vegetables and potatoes; dependent on imports for grain,
  dairy products, sugar; small livestock sector
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for domestic
  consumption; used as transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western
  Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
  heavily dependent on US for humanitarian grain shipments; EC granted
  around $70 million in trade credits in 1992 and another $40 million in
  1993; Turkey granted $50 million in 1993; smaller scale credits
  granted by Russia and China
Currency:
  coupons introduced in April 1993 to be followed by introduction of the
  lari at undetermined future date; in July 1993 use of the Russian
  ruble was banned
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Georgia, Communications

Railroads:
  1,570 km, does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
  33,900 km
paved and gravelled:
  29,500 km
unpaved:
  earth 4,400 km (1990)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas 440 km (1992)
Ports:
  coastal - Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Merchant marine:
  41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 575,823 GRT/882,110 DWT, bulk
  cargo 14, oil tanker 27
Airports:
total:
  37
usable:
  27
with permanent-surface runways:
  14
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  10
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
  4
note:
  a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
  poor telephone service; as of mid-1993, 672,000 telephone lines
  providing 14 lines per 100 persons; 339,000 unsatisfied applications
  for telephones (31 December 1990); international links via landline to
  CIS members and Turkey; low capacity satellite earth station and
  leased international connections via the Moscow international gateway
  switch with other countries; international electronic mail and telex
  service available
Note:
  transportation network is disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal
  activities, and fuel shortages

@Georgia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Air Force, Navy, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,362,818; fit for military service 1,081,624; reach
  military age (18) annually 42,881 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GNP
Note:
  Georgian forces are poorly organized and not fully under the
  government's control


@Germany, Geography

Location:
  Central Europe, bordering the North Sea between France and Poland
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  356,910 sq km
land area:
  349,520 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Montana
note:
  includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany, the German
  Democratic Republic, and Berlin following formal unification on 3
  October 1990
Land boundaries:
  total 3,621 km, Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646 km,
  Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km,
  Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline:
  2,389 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  3 nm in North Sea and Schleswig-Holstein coast of Baltic Sea (extends,
  at one point, to 16 nm in the Helgolander Bucht); 12 nm in remainder
  of Baltic Sea
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers;
  occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain:
  lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources:
  iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite, uranium, copper, natural gas,
  salt, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
  34%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  16%
forest and woodland:
  30%
other:
  19%
Irrigated land:
  4,800 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries in the southeast
  and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result of continued use
  of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting
  from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; heavy pollution in
  the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in
  eastern Germany
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,
  Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping,
  Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical
  Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air
  Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental
  Protocol, Hazardous Wastes
Note:
  strategic location on North European Plain and along the entrance to
  the Baltic Sea

@Germany, People

Population:
  81,087,506 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.36% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  11.04 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  10.89 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  76.34 years
male:
  73.22 years
female:
  79.64 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.47 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  German(s)
adjective:
  German
Ethnic divisions:
  German 95.1%, Turkish 2.3%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks 0.4%, Poles 0.4%,
  other 1.1% (made up largely of people fleeing the war in the former
  Yugoslavia)
Religions:
  Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other 18%
Languages:
  German
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1977 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  36.75 million
by occupation:
  industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)

@Germany, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form:
  Germany
local long form:
  Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form:
  Deutschland
Digraph:
  GM
Type:
  federal republic
Capital:
  Berlin
note:
  the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of years
  with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several
  ministries
Administrative divisions:
  16 states (laender, singular - land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern,
  Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern,
  Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland,
  Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringen
Independence:
  18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones
  of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following
  World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany)
  proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French
  zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7
  October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West
  Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four power
  rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991
National holiday:
  German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October (1990)
Constitution:
  23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became constitution of the united
  German people 3 October 1990
Legal system:
  civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of
  legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984); note -
  presidential elections were held on 23 May 1994; Roman HERZOG was the
  winner and will be inaugurated 1 July 1994
head of government:
  Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president upon the proposal of the
  chancellor
Legislative branch:
  bicameral chamber (no official name for the two chambers as a whole)
Federal Assembly (Bundestag):
  last held 2 December 1990 (next to be held by 16 October 1994);
  results - CDU 36.7%, SPD 33.5%, FDP 11.0%, CSU 7.1%, Green Party (West
  Germany) 3.9%, PDS 2.4%, Republikaner 2.1%, Alliance 90/Green Party
  (East Germany) 1.2%, other 2.1%; seats - (662 total) CDU 268, CSU 51,
  SPD 239, FDP 79, PDS 17, Greens/Alliance '90 8; elected by direct
  popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional
  representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or 3 direct
  mandates to gain representation
Federal Council (Bundesrat):
  State governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6
  votes depending on size and are required to vote as a block; current
  composition: votes - (68 total) SPD-led states 37, CDU-led states 31
Judicial branch:
  Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Political parties and leaders:
  Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian
  Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL, chairman; Free Democratic Party
  (FDP), Klaus KINKEL, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Rudolf
  SCHARPING, chairman; Alliance '90/Greens, Ludger VOLMER, Marianne
  BIRTHLER, co-chairmen; Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS), Lothar
  BISKY, chairman; Republikaner, Franz SCHOENHUBER; National Democratic
  Party (NPD), Guenter DECKERT; Communist Party (DKP), Rolf PRIEMER
Other political or pressure groups:
  expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC,
  CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA,
  FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA,
  IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM,
  ISO, ITU, LORCS, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
  (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, UNOMIG,
  UNOSOM, UNTAC, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Immo STABREIT
chancery:
  4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
  York, San Francisco, Seattle
consulate(s):
  Manila (Trust Territories of the Pacific Islands) and Wellington
  (America Samoa)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Richard C. HOLBROOKE
embassy:
  Deichmanns Avenue 29, 53170 Bonn
mailing address:
  Unit 21701, Bonn; APO AE 09080
telephone:
  [49] (228) 3391
FAX:
  [49] [phone]
branch office:
  Berlin
consulate(s) general:
  Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow

@Germany, Economy

Overview:
  With the collapse of communism in Eastern Europe in 1989, prospects
  seemed bright for a fairly rapid incorporation of East Germany into
  the highly successful West German economy. The Federal Republic,
  however, continues to experience difficulties in integrating and
  modernizing eastern Germany, and the tremendous costs of unification
  pushed western Germany into its deepest recession since World War II.
  The western German economy shrank by 1.9% in 1993 as the Bundesbank
  maintained high interest rates to offset the inflationary effects of
  large government deficits and high wage settlements. Eastern Germany
  grew by 7.1% in 1993 but this was from a shrunken base. Despite
  government transfers to the east amounting to nearly $110 billion
  annually, a self-sustaining economy in the region is still some years
  away. The bright spots are eastern Germany's construction,
  transportation, telecommunications, and service sectors, which have
  experienced strong growth. Western Germany has an advanced market
  economy and is a world leader in exports. It has a highly urbanized
  and skilled population that enjoys excellent living standards,
  abundant leisure time, and comprehensive social welfare benefits.
  Western Germany is relatively poor in natural resources, coal being
  the most important mineral. Western Germany's world-class companies
  manufacture technologically advanced goods. The region's economy is
  mature: services and manufacturing account for the dominant share of
  economic activity, and raw materials and semimanufactured goods
  constitute a large portion of imports. In recent years, manufacturing
  has accounted for about 31% of GDP, with other sectors contributing
  lesser amounts. Gross fixed investment in 1993 accounted for about
  20.5% of GDP. GDP in the western region is now $19,400 per capita, or
  78% of US per capita GDP. Eastern Germany's economy appears to be
  changing from one anchored on manufacturing into a more
  service-oriented economy. The German government, however, is intent on
  maintaining a manufacturing base in the east and is considering a
  policy for subsidizing industrial cores in the region. Eastern
  Germany's share of all-German GDP is only 8% and eastern productivity
  is just 30% that of the west even though eastern wages are at roughly
  70% of western levels. The privatization agency for eastern Germany,
  Treuhand, has privatized more than 90% of the 13,000 firms under its
  control and will likely wind down operations in 1994. Private
  investment in the region continues to be lackluster, resulting
  primarily from the deepening recession in western Germany and
  excessively high eastern wages. Eastern Germany has one of the world's
  largest reserves of low-grade lignite coal but little else in the way
  of mineral resources. The quality of statistics from eastern Germany
  is improving, yet many gaps remain; the federal government began
  producing all-German data for select economic statistics at the start
  of 1992. The most challenging economic problem is promoting eastern
  Germany's economic reconstruction - specifically, finding the right
  mix of fiscal, monetary, regulatory, and tax policies that will spur
  investment in eastern Germany - without destabilizing western
  Germany's economy or damaging relations with West European partners.
  The government hopes a "solidarity pact" among labor unions, business,
  state governments, and the SPD opposition will provide the right mix
  of wage restraints, investment incentives, and spending cuts to
  stimulate eastern recovery. Finally, the homogeneity of the German
  economic culture has been changed by the admission of large numbers of
  immigrants.
National product:
Germany:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.331 trillion (1993)
western:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.218 trillion (1993)
eastern:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $112.7 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
Germany:
  -1.2% (1993)
western:
  -1.9% (1993)
eastern:
  7.1% (1993)
National product per capita:
Germany:
  $16,500 (1993)
western:
  $19,400 (1993)
eastern:
  $6,300 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
western:
  4.2% (1993)
eastern:
  8.9% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
western:
  8.1% (December 1993)
eastern:
  15.4% (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $918 billion
expenditures:
  $972 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
  $392 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  manufactures 89.0% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals,
  motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 5.4%,
  raw materials 2.2%, fuels 1.3% (1922)
partners:
  EC 51.3% (France 11.1%, Netherlands 8.3%, Italy 8.2%, UK 7.9%,
  Belgium-Luxembourg 7.5%), EFTA 13.3%, US 6.8%, Eastern Europe 5.0%,
  OPEC 3.3% (1993)
Imports:
  $374.6 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  manufactures 74.9%, agricultural products 10.3%, fuels 7.4%, raw
  materials 5.5% (1992)
partners:
  EC 49.7 (France 11.0%, Netherlands 9.2%, Italy 8.8%, UK 6.6%,
  Belgium-Luxembourg 6.7%), EFTA 12.7%, US 5.9%, Japan 5.2%, Eastern
  Europe 4.8%, OPEC 2.6% (1993)
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
western:
  growth rate -7% (1993)
eastern:
  growth rate $NA
Electricity:
capacity:
  134,000,000 kW
production:
  580 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  7,160 kWh (1992)
Industries:
western:
  among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement,
  chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics; food and
  beverages
eastern:
  metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine
  building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining
Agriculture:
western:
  accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and forestry);
  diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock
  include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle,
  pigs, poultry; net importer of food
eastern:
  accounts for about 10% of GDP (including fishing and forestry);
  principal crops - wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit;
  livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins;
  net importer of food
Illicit drugs:
  source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors;
  transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and Latin American
  cocaine for West European markets
Economic aid:
western-donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.5 billion
eastern-donor:
  bilateral to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-89) $4
  billion
Currency:
  1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates:
  deutsche marks (DM) per US$1 - 1.7431 (January 1994), 1.6533 (1993),
  1.5617 (1992), 1.6595 (1991), 1.6157 (1990), 1.8800 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Germany, Communications

Railroads:
western:
  31,443 km total; 27,421 km government owned, 1.435-meter standard
  gauge (12,491 km double track, 11,501 km electrified); 4,022 km
  nongovernment owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
  (214 km electrified) and 424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km electrified)
eastern:
  14,025 km total; 13,750 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 275 km
  1.000-meter or other narrow gauge; 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter
  standard gauge double-track; 3,475 km overhead electrified (1988)
Highways:
total:
  625,600 km (1991 est.); western - 501,000 km (1990 est.); eastern -
  124,600 km (1988 est.)
paved:
  543,200 km, including 10,814 km of expressways; western - 495,900 km,
  including 8,959 km of expressways; eastern - 47,300 km, including
  1,855 km of expressways
unpaved:
  82,400 km; western - 5,000 km earth; eastern - 77,400 km gravel and
  earth
Inland waterways:
western:
  5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric-ton
  capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel
  Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea
eastern:
  2,319 km (1988)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 3,644 km; petroleum products 3,946 km; natural gas 97,564 km
  (1988)
Ports:
  coastal - Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Cuxhaven, Emden, Bremen, Hamburg,
  Kiel, Lubeck, Wilhelmshaven, Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz;
  inland - 31 major on Rhine and Elbe rivers
Merchant marine:
  485 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,541,441 GRT/5,835,511 DWT,
  barge carrier 7, bulk 11, cargo 241, chemical tanker 20, combination
  bulk 6, combination ore/oil 5, container 132, liquefied gas tanker 16,
  oil tanker 7, passenger 3, railcar carrier 5, refrigerated cargo 7,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 20, short-sea passenger 5
note:
  the German register includes ships of the former East and West Germany
Airports:
total:
  590
usable:
  583
with permanent-surface runways:
  308
with runways over 3,659 m:
  5
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  85
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  97
Telecommunications:
western:
  highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the
  country; fully adequate in all respects; 40,300,000 telephones;
  intensively developed, highly redundant cable and microwave radio
  relay networks, all completely automatic; broadcast stations - 80 AM,
  470 FM, 225 (6,000 repeaters) TV; 6 submarine coaxial cables;
  satellite earth stations - 12 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT antennas, 2
  Indian Ocean INTELSAT antennas, EUTELSAT, and domestic systems; 2 HF
  radiocommunication centers; tropospheric links
eastern:
  badly needs modernization; 3,970,000 telephones; broadcast stations -
  23 AM, 17 FM, 21 TV (15 Soviet TV repeaters); 6,181,860 TVs; 6,700,000
  radios; 1 satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT and
  Intersputnik systems

@Germany, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 20,253,482; fit for military service 17,506,468; reach
  military age (18) annually 418,124 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $37.3 billion, 2% of GDP (1993)


@Ghana, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between Cote
  d'Ivoire and Togo
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  238,540 sq km
land area:
  230,020 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
  total 2,093 km, Burkina 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo 877 km
Coastline:
  539 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200 nm
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and
  humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain:
  mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Natural resources:
  gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber
Land use:
arable land:
  5%
permanent crops:
  7%
meadows and pastures:
  15%
forest and woodland:
  37%
other:
  36%
Irrigated land:
  80 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  recent drought in north severely affecting agricultural activities;
  deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat
  destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; limited
  supply of safe drinking water
natural hazards:
  dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the
  Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
  Tropical Timber, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Marine Life Conservation
Note:
  Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial lake; northeasterly
  harmattan wind (January to March)

@Ghana, People

Population:
  17,225,185 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.09% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  44.13 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.27 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  83.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  55.52 years
male:
  53.58 years
female:
  57.52 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.15 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Ghanaian(s)
adjective:
  Ghanaian
Ethnic divisions:
  black African 99.8% (major tribes - Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe
  13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Religions:
  indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
Languages:
  English (official), African languages (including Akan, Moshi-Dagomba,
  Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  60%
male:
  70%
female:
  51%
Labor force:
  3.7 million
by occupation:
  agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales and clerical
  15.2%, services, transportation, and communications 7.7%, professional
  3.7%
note:
  48% of population of working age (1983)

@Ghana, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Ghana
conventional short form:
  Ghana
former:
  Gold Coast
Digraph:
  GH
Type:
  constitutional democracy
Capital:
  Accra
Administrative divisions:
  10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra,
  Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
Independence:
  6 March 1957 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Constitution:
  new constitution approved 28 April 1992
Legal system:
  based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  universal at 18
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 3 November 1992) election last
  held 3 November 1992 (next to be held NA)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; president nominates members subject to approval by the
  Parliament
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly:
  elections last held 29 December 1992 (next to be held NA)
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  National Democratic Congress, Jerry John Rawlings; New Patriotic
  Party, Albert Adu BOAHEN; People's Heritage Party, Alex Erskine;
  various other smaller parties
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
  IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD,
  UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO,
  WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ekwow SPIO-GARBRAH
chancery:
  3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Kenneth L. BROWN
embassy:
  Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 194, Accra
telephone:
  [233] (21) 775348, 775349, 775297 or 775298
FAX:
  [233] (21) 776008
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a
  large black five-pointed star centered in the gold band; uses the
  popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of
  Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band

@Ghana, Economy

Overview:
  Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been
  implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983,
  including moves toward privatization and relaxation of government
  controls. The agriculture sector consists largely of small traditional
  farm holdings, rain-fed for the most part. Heavily dependent on cocoa,
  gold, and timber exports, economic growth so far has not spread
  substantially to other areas of the economy. The costs of sending
  peacekeeping forces to Liberia and preparing for the transition to a
  democratic government have boosted government expenditures and
  undercut structural adjustment reforms. Ghana opened a stock exchange
  in 1990 and plans to float 5% of its stake in Ashanti Goldfields
  Corporation, which would make the exchange the largest in sub-Saharan
  Africa outside of South Africa.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $25 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  3.9% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  10% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  10% (1991)
Budget:
revenues:
  $1 billion
expenditures:
  $905 million, including capital expenditures of $200 million (1991
  est.)
Exports:
  $1 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  cocoa 40%, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum
partners:
  Germany 31%, US 12%, UK 11%, Netherlands 6%, Japan 5% (1991)
Imports:
  $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital
  equipment
partners:
  UK 22%, US 11%, Germany 9%, Japan 6%
External debt:
  $4.6 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate in manufacturing (1992); accounts for almost 15% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,180,000 kW
production:
  4.49 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  290 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminum, food processing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 43% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); the major
  cash crop is cocoa; other principal crops - rice, coffee, cassava,
  peanuts, corn, shea nuts, timber; normally self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade; transit
  hub for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin destined for the US and
  Europe
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $455 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $2.6
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $78 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89) $106 million
Currency:
  1 new cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
Exchange rates:
  new cedis per US$1 - 713.00 (October 1993), 437.09 (1992), 367.83
  (1991), 326.33 (1990), 270.00 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Ghana, Communications

Railroads:
  953 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 32 km double track; railroads
  undergoing major renovation
Highways:
total:
  32,250 km
paved:
  concrete, bituminous 6,084 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 26,166 km
Inland waterways:
  Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 168 km of perennial navigation
  for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial
  and feeder waterways
Pipelines:
  none
Ports:
  Tema, Takoradi
Merchant marine:
  5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 46,289 GRT/61,606 DWT, cargo 4,
  refrigerated cargo 1
Airports:
total:
  11
usable:
  11
with permanent-surface runways:
  6
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  6
Telecommunications:
  poor to fair system handled primarily by microwave radio relay links;
  42,300 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 4 (8 translators)
  TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Ghana, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, Civil Defense
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 3,867,183; fit for military service 2,159,769; reach
  military age (18) annually 170,283 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $30 million, less than 1% of GDP (1989
  est.)


@Gibraltar

Header
Affiliation:
  (dependent territory of the UK)

@Gibraltar, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links
  the North Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea, on the southern
  coast of Spain
Map references:
  Africa, Europe
Area:
total area:
  6.5 sq km
land area:
  6.5 sq km
comparative area:
  about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  total 1.2 km, Spain 1.2 km
Coastline:
  12 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
  3 nm
territorial sea:
  3 nm
International disputes:
  source of occasional friction between Spain and the UK
Climate:
  Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
Terrain:
  a narrow coastal lowland borders The Rock
Natural resources:
  negligible
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  natural freshwater sources are meager, so large concrete or natural
  rock water catchments collect rain water
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North
  Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea

@Gibraltar, People

Population:
  31,684 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.58% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.37 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.87 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  76.33 years
male:
  73.44 years
female:
  79.19 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.33 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Gibraltarian(s)
adjective:
  Gibraltar
Ethnic divisions:
  Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, Spanish
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%, other 3%),
  Moslem 8%, Jewish 2%, none or other 5% (1981)
Languages:
  English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian,
  Portuguese, Russian
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers)
note:
  UK military establishments and civil government employ nearly 50% of
  the labor force

@Gibraltar, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Gibraltar
Digraph:
  GI
Type:
  dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
  Gilbraltar
Administrative divisions:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday:
  Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March)
Constitution:
  30 May 1969
Legal system:
  English law
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects resident six months
  or more
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  and Commander in Chief Gen. Sir John CHAPPLE (since NA March 1993)
head of government:
  Chief Minister Joe BOSSANO (since 25 March 1988)
Gibraltar Council:
  advises the governor
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed from the elected members of the
  Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
House of Assembly:
  elections last held on 16 January 1992 (next to be held January 1996);
  results - SL 73.3%; seats - (18 total, 15 elected) number of seats by
  party NA
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party (SL), Joe BOSSANO; Gibraltar Labor
  Party/Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (GCL/AACR),
  leader NA; Gibraltar Social Democrats, Peter CARUANA; Gibraltar
  National Party, Joe GARCIA
Other political or pressure groups:
  Housewives Association; Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives
  Organization
Member of:
  INTERPOL (subbureau)
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
US diplomatic representation:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
Flag:
  two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a
  three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from
  the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band

@Gibraltar, Economy

Overview:
  The British military presence has been severely reduced and now only
  contributes about 11% to the local economy. The financial sector
  accounts for 15% of GDP; tourism and shipping services fees also
  generate income. Because more than 70% of the economy is in the public
  sector, changes in government spending have a major impact on the
  level of employment. Construction workers are particularly affected
  when government expenditures are cut.
National product:
  GNP - exchange rate conversion - $182 million (FY87)
National product real growth rate:
  5% (FY87)
National product per capita:
  $4,600 (FY87)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.6% (1988)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $136 million
expenditures:
  $139 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports:
  $82 million (f.o.b., 1988)
commodities:
  (principally re-exports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other
  8%
partners:
  UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, FRG
Imports:
  $258 million (c.i.f., 1988)
commodities:
  fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs
partners:
  UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands
External debt:
  $318 million (1987)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  47,000 kW
production:
  200 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  6,740 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tourism, banking and finance, construction, commerce; support to large
  UK naval and air bases; transit trade and supply depot in the port;
  light manufacturing of tobacco, roasted coffee, ice, mineral waters,
  candy, beer, and canned fish
Agriculture:
  none
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $800,000; Western (non-US)
  countries and ODA bilateral commitments (1992-93), $2.5 million
Currency:
  1 Gibraltar pound (#G) = 100 pence
Exchange rates:
  Gibraltar pounds (#G) per US$1 - 0.6699 (January 1994), 0.6658 (1993),
  0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989); note - the
  Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Gibraltar, Communications

Railroads:
  1.000-meter-gauge system in dockyard area only
Highways:
total:
  50 km
paved:
  50 km
Pipelines:
  none
Ports:
  Gibraltar
Merchant marine:
  29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 496,898 GRT/857,140 DWT, bulk 5,
  cargo 4, chemical tanker 2, container 1, oil tanker 16, refrigerated
  cargo 1
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:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international
  radiocommunication and microwave facilities; 9,400 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 1 AM, 6 FM, 4 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station

@Gibraltar, Defense Forces

Branches:
  British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force
Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK


@Glorioso Islands

Header
Affiliation:
  (possession of France)

@Glorioso Islands, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean just north of Madagascar
Map references:
  Africa
Area:
total area:
  5 sq km
land area:
  5 sq km
comparative area:
  about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
note:
  includes Ile Glorieuse, Ile du Lys, Verte Rocks, Wreck Rock, and South
  Rock
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  35.2 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  claimed by Madagascar
Climate:
  tropical
Terrain:
  NA
Natural resources:
  guano, coconuts
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100% (all lush vegetation and coconut palms)
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to periodic cyclones
international agreements:
  NA

@Glorioso Islands, People

Population:
  uninhabited

@Glorioso Islands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Glorioso Islands
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  Iles Glorieuses
Digraph:
  GO
Type:
  French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic,
  resident in Reunion
Capital:
  none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence:
  none (possession of France)

@Glorioso Islands, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Glorioso Islands, Communications

Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  0
with runsways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1

@Glorioso Islands, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@Greece, Geography

Location:
  Balkan State, Southern Europe, bordering the Mediterranean Sea between
  Turkey and Bulgaria
Map references:
  Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  131,940 sq km
land area:
  130,800 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Alabama
Land boundaries:
  total 1,210 km, Albania 282 km, Bulgaria 494 km, Turkey 206 km, The
  Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 228 km
Coastline:
  13,676 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
  6 nm, but Greece has threatened to claim 12 nm
International disputes:
  air, continental shelf, and territorial water disputes with Turkey in
  Aegean Sea; Cyprus question; dispute with The Former Yugoslav Republic
  of Macedonia over name and symbol implying territorial claim
Climate:
  temperate; mild, wet winters; hot, dry summers
Terrain:
  mostly mountains with ranges extending into sea as peninsulas or
  chains of islands
Natural resources:
  bauxite, lignite, magnesite, petroleum, marble
Land use:
arable land:
  23%
permanent crops:
  8%
meadows and pastures:
  40%
forest and woodland:
  20%
other:
  9%
Irrigated land:
  11,900 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution; water pollution
natural hazards:
  subject to severe earthquakes
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Environmental
  Modification, Marine Dumping, 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, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea
Note:
  strategic location dominating the Aegean Sea and southern approach to
  Turkish Straits; a peninsular country, possessing an archipelago of
  about 2,000 islands

@Greece, People

Population:
  10,564,630 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.84% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  10.5 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.32 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  7.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  8.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  77.71 years
male:
  75.2 years
female:
  80.35 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.45 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Greek(s)
adjective:
  Greek
Ethnic divisions:
  Greek 98%, other 2%
note:
  the Greek Government states there are no ethnic divisions in Greece
Religions:
  Greek Orthodox 98%, Muslim 1.3%, other 0.7%
Languages:
  Greek (official), English, French
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  93%
male:
  98%
female:
  89%
Labor force:
  4.083 million
by occupation:
  services 48%, agriculture 24%, industry 28% (1993)

@Greece, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Hellenic Republic
conventional short form:
  Greece
local long form:
  Elliniki Dhimokratia
local short form:
  Ellas
former:
  Kingdom of Greece
Digraph:
  GR
Type:
  presidential parliamentary government; monarchy rejected by referendum
  8 December 1974
Capital:
  Athens
Administrative divisions:
  52 prefectures (nomoi, singular - nomos); Aitolia kai Akarnania,
  Akhaia, Argolis, Arkadhia, Arta, Attiki, Dhodhekanisos, Dhrama,
  Evritania, Evros, Evvoia, Florina, Fokis, Fthiotis, Grevena, Ilia,
  Imathia, Ioannina, Iraklion, Kardhitsa, Kastoria, Kavala, Kefallinia,
  Kerkira, Khalkidhiki, Khania, Khios, Kikladhes, Kilkis, Korinthia,
  Kozani, Lakonia, Larisa, Lasithi, Lesvos, Levkas, Magnisia, Messinia,
  Pella, Pieria, Piraievs, Preveza, Rethimni, Rodhopi, Samos, Serrai,
  Thesprotia, Thessaloniki, Trikala, Voiotia, Xanthi, Zakinthos,
  autonomous region: Agion Oros (Mt. Athos)
Independence:
  1829 (from the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 25 March (1821) (proclamation of the war of
  independence)
Constitution:
  11 June 1975
Legal system:
  based on codified Roman law; judiciary divided into civil, criminal,
  and administrative courts
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Konstantinos KARAMANLIS (since 5 May 1990); election last
  held 4 May 1990 (next to be held May 1995); results - Konstantinos
  KARAMANLIS was elected by Parliament
head of government:
  Prime Minister Andreas PAPANDREOU (since 10 October 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president on recommendation of the prime
  minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Chamber of Deputies (Vouli ton Ellinon):
  elections last held 10 October 1993 (next to be held by NA October
  1997); results - PASOK 46.88%, ND 39.30%, Political Spring 4.87%, KKE
  4.54%, and Progressive Left Coalition 2.94%; seats - (300 total) PASOK
  170, ND 111, Political Spring 10, KKE 9
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Judicial Court, Special Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders:
  New Democracy (ND; conservative), Miltiades EVERT; Panhellenic
  Socialist Movement (PASOK), Andreas PAPANDREOU; Progressive Left
  Coalition, Maria DAMANAKI; Democratic Renewal (DIANA), Konstantinos
  STEFANOPOULOS; Communist Party (KKE), Aleka PAPARIGA;
  Ecologist-Alternative List, leader rotates; Political Spring, Antonis
  SAMARAS
Member of:
  Australian Group, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC,
  ECE, EIB, FAO, G-6, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO,
  ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
  (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
  UNOMIG, UNOSOM, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Loucas TSILAS
chancery:
  2221 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San
  Francisco
consulate(s):
  New Orleans
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Thomas M.T. NILES
embassy:
  91 Vasilissis Sophias Boulevard, 10160 Athens
mailing address:
  PSC 108, Athens; APO AE 09842
telephone:
  [30] (1) 721-2951 or 721-8401
FAX:
  [30] (1) 645-6282
consulate(s) general:
  Thessaloniki
Flag:
  nine equal horizontal stripes of blue alternating with white; there is
  a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a white cross;
  the cross symbolizes Greek Orthodoxy, the established religion of the
  country

@Greece, Economy

Overview:
  Greece has a mixed capitalist economy with the basic entrepreneurial
  system overlaid in 1981-89 by a socialist system that enlarged the
  public sector from 55% of GDP in 1981 to about 70% in 1989. Since
  then, the public sector has been reduced to about 60% of GDP. Tourism
  continues as a major source of foreign exchange, and agriculture is
  self-sufficient except for meat, dairy products, and animal
  feedstuffs. Over the last decade, real GDP growth has averaged 1.6% a
  year, compared with the European Union average of 2.2%. Inflation is
  four times the EU average, and the national debt has reached 140% of
  GDP, the highest in the EU. Prime Minister PAPANDREOU will probably
  only make limited progress correcting the economy's problems of high
  inflation, large budget deficit, and decaying infrastructure. His
  economic program suggests that although he will shun his expansionary
  policies of the 1980s, he will avoid tough measures needed to slow
  inflation or reduce the state's role in the economy. He has limited
  the previous government's privatization plans, for example, and has
  called for generous welfare spending and real wage increases. In 1994,
  the GDP growth rate is likely to remain low, and inflation probably
  will accelerate, remaining the highest in the EU. PAPANDREOU'S failure
  to improve the country's economic performance will further strain
  relations with the EU. Since Greece's accession to the then EC in
  1981, Athens' heavy reliance on EU aid - amounting to about 6% of
  Greek GDP annually - and its poor use of Union funds have riled
  Brussels. Its ailing economy will continue to be a drag on European
  economic and monetary union.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $93.2 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  1% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $8,900 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  14.4% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  9.5% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $28.3 billion
expenditures:
  $37.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.2 billion (1994)
Exports:
  $6 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  manufactured goods 53%, foodstuffs 34%, fuels 5%
partners:
  Germany 23%, Italy 18%, France 7%, UK 7%, US 4% (1992)
Imports:
  $23.3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  manufactured goods 72%, foodstuffs 15%, fuels 10%
partners:
  Germany 20%, Italy 14%, France 8%, Netherlands 7%, Japan 6% (1992)
External debt:
  $23.1 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -1.3% (1992); accounts for 20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  10,500,000 kW
production:
  36.4 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  3,610 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  food and tobacco processing, textiles, chemicals, metal products,
  tourism, mining, petroleum
Agriculture:
  including fishing and forestry, accounts for 15% of GDP and 24% of the
  labor force; principal products - wheat, corn, barley, sugar beets,
  olives, tomatoes, wine, tobacco, potatoes; self-sufficient in food
  except meat, dairy products, and animal feedstuffs
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of cannabis and limited opium; mostly for domestic
  production; serves as a gateway to Europe for traffickers smuggling
  cannabis and heroin from the Middle East and Southwest Asia to the
  West and precursor chemicals to the East; transshipment point for
  Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $525 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.39
  billion
Currency:
  1 drachma (Dr) = 100 lepta
Exchange rates:
  drachmae (Dr) per US$1 - 250.28 (January 1994), 229.26 (1993), 190.62
  (1992), 182.27 (1991), 158.51 (1990), 162.42 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Greece, Communications

Railroads:
  2,479 km total; 1,565 km 1,435-mm standard gauge, of which 36 km
  electrified and 100 km double track; 892 km 1,000-mm gauge; 22 km
  750-mm narrow gauge; all government owned
Highways:
total:
  38,938 km
paved:
  16,090 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone, gravel 13,676 km; improved earth 5,632 km; unimproved
  earth 3,540 km
Inland waterways:
  80 km; system consists of three coastal canals; including the Corinth
  Canal (6 km) which crosses the Isthmus of Corinth connecting the Gulf
  of Corinth with the Saronic Gulf and shortens the sea voyage from the
  Adriatic to Piraievs (Piraeus) by 325 km; and three unconnected rivers
Pipelines:
  crude oil 26 km; petroleum products 547 km
Ports:
  Piraievs (Piraeus), Thessaloniki
Merchant marine:
  1,059 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 29,343,367 GRT/54,249,294
  DWT, bulk 453, cargo 117, chemical tanker 20, combination bulk 23,
  combination ore/oil 38, container 36, liquefied gas 6, livestock
  carrier 1, oil tanker 251, passenger 15, passenger-cargo 2,
  refrigerated cargo 11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 17, short-sea passenger
  65, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 1
note:
  ethnic Greeks also own large numbers of ships under the registry of
  Liberia, Panama, Cyprus, Malta, and The Bahamas
Airports:
total:
  78
usable:
  77
with permanent-surface runways:
  63
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  20
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  24
Telecommunications:
  adequate, modern networks reach all areas; 4,080,000 telephones;
  microwave radio relay carries most traffic; extensive open-wire
  network; submarine cables to off-shore islands; broadcast stations -
  29 AM, 17 (20 repeaters) FM, 361 TV; tropospheric links, 8 submarine
  cables; 1 satellite earth station operating in INTELSAT (1 Atlantic
  Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean antenna), and EUTELSAT systems

@Greece, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy, Hellenic Air Force, National Guard,
  Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 2,645,859; fit for military service 2,025,212; reach
  military age (21) annually 74,484 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $4.0 billion, 5.4% of GDP (1993)