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

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 150.0 KB | 4,890 lines

@Juan de Nova Island

Header
Affiliation:
  (possession of France)

@Juan de Nova Island, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, in the central Mozambique Channel about one-third of
  the way between Madagascar and Mozambique
Map references:
  Africa
Area:
total area:
  4.4 sq km
land area:
  4.4 sq km
comparative area:
  about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  24.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  12 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  claimed by Madagascar
Climate:
  tropical
Terrain:
  NA
Natural resources:
  guano deposits and other fertilizers
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  90%
other:
  10%
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  subject to periodic cyclones
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  wildlife sanctuary

@Juan de Nova Island, People

Population:
  uninhabited

@Juan de Nova Island, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Juan de Nova Island
local long form:
  none
local short form:
  Ile Juan de Nova
Digraph:
  JU
Type:
  French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic,
  resident in Reunion
Capital:
  none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence:
  none (possession of France)

@Juan de Nova Island, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Juan de Nova Island, Communications

Railroads:
  short line going to a jetty
Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
total:
  1
usable:
  1
with permanent-surface runways:
  0
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,439-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1

@Juan de Nova Island, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of France


@Kazakhstan, Geography

Location:
  Central Asia, between Russia and Uzbekistan, bordering on the Caspian
  Sea and the Aral Sea
Map references:
  Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States,
  Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  2,717,300 sq km
land area:
  2,669,800 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than four times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
  total 12,012 km, China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846 km,
  Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km
Coastline:
  0 km
note:
  Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea (1,015 km) and the Caspian Sea (1,894
  km)
Maritime claims:
  landlocked, but borders with Russia, Azerbaijan, and Turkmenistan in
  the Caspian Sea are under negotiation at present
International disputes:
  Russia may dispute current de facto maritime border to midpoint of
  Caspian Sea from shore
Climate:
  continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and semiarid
Terrain:
  extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from the plains in
  western Siberia to oasis and desert in Central Asia
Natural resources:
  major deposits of petroleum, coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore,
  nickel, cobalt, copper, molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium
Land use:
arable land:
  15%
permanent crops:
  NEGL %
meadows and pastures:
  57%
forest and woodland:
  4%
other:
  24%
Irrigated land:
  23,080 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  radioactive or toxic chemical sites associated with its former defense
  industries and test ranges are found throughout the country and pose
  health risks for humans and animals; industrial pollution is severe in
  some cities; because the two main rivers which flowed into the Aral
  Sea have been diverted for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving
  behind a harmful layer of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these
  substances are then picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust
  storms; pollution in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of
  agricultural chemicals and salinization from faulty irrigation
  practices
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note:
  landlocked

@Kazakhstan, People

Population:
  17,267,554 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.64% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  19.4 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  7.93 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -5.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  40.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  68.04 years
male:
  63.39 years
female:
  72.93 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.44 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Kazakhstani(s)
adjective:
  Kazakhstani
Ethnic divisions:
  Kazakh (Qazaq) 41.9%, Russian 37%, Ukrainian 5.2%, German 4.7%, Uzbek
  2.1%, Tatar 2%, other 7.1% (1991 official data)
Religions:
  Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other 7%
Languages:
  Kazakh (Qazaqz) official language spoken by over 40% of population,
  Russian (language of interethnic communication) spoken by two-thirds
  of population and used in everyday business
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  7.356 million
by occupation:
  industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 26%, other 43%
  (1992)

@Kazakhstan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form:
  Kazakhstan
local long form:
  Kazakhstan Respublikasy
local short form:
  none
former:
  Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  KZ
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Almaty
Administrative divisions:
  19 oblystar (singular - oblys) and 1 city (qalalar, singular - qala)*;
  Almaty*, Almaty Oblysy, Aqmola Oblysy, Aqtobe Oblysy, Atyrau Oblysy,
  Batys Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oral), Kokshetau Oblysy, Mangghystau Oblysy,
  Ongtustik Qazaqstan Oblysy (Shymkent), Qaraghandy Oblysy, Qostanay
  Oblysy, Qyzylorda Oblysy, Pavlodar Oblysy, Semey Oblysy, Shyghys
  Qazaqstan Oblysy (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik
  Qazaqstan Oblysy (Petropavl), Taldyqorghan Oblysy, Torghay Oblysy,
  Zhambyl Oblysy, Zhezqazghan Oblysy
note:
  names in parentheses are administrative centers when name differs from
  oblys name
Independence:
  16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 16 December (1991)
Constitution:
  adopted 28 January 1993
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (since NA April 1990); Vice
  President Yerik ASANBAYEV (since 1 December 1991); election last held
  1 December 1991 (next to be held NA 1995); percent of vote by party
  NA; Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV ran unopposed
head of government:
  Prime Minister Sergey TERESHCHENKO (since 14 October 1991); First
  Deputy Prime Minister Arkezhan KAZHEGELDIN (since NA November 1993)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Supreme Council:
  elections last held 7 March 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (177 total) Union Peoples' Unity
  of Kazakhstan 33, Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of
  Kazakhstan 11, People's Congress of Kazakhstan Party 9, Socialist
  Party of Kazakhstan 8, Peasant Union of the Republic Kazakhstan 4,
  Social Movement "LAD" 4, Organization of Veterans 1, Union of Youth of
  Kazakhstan 1, Democratic Committee for Human Rights 1, Association of
  Lawyers of Kazakhstan 1, International Public Committee
  "Aral-Asia-Kazakhstan" 1, Congress of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan 1,
  Deputies of the 12th Supreme Soviet 40, independents 62
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Peoples Unity Movement (PUU), Kuanysh SULTANOV, chairman; Peoples
  Congress, Olzhas SULEYMENOV, chairman; Kazakhstan Socialist Party
  (SPK; former Communist Party), Piotr SVOIK, co-chairman; Republican
  Party (Azat), Kamal ORMANTAYEV, chairman; Democratic Progress
  (Russian) Party, Alexandra DOKUCHAYEVA, chairman; Union Peoples' Unity
  of Kazakhstan (SNEK); Federation of Trade Unions of the Republic of
  Kazakhstan; Peasant Union of the Republic Kazakhstan; Social Movement
  LAD (Slavic Rebirth Society), V. MIKHAYLOV, chairman; Union of Youth
  of Kazakhstan; Democratic Committee for Human Rights; Association of
  Lawyers of Kazakhstan; International Public Committee
  "Aral-Asia-Kazakhstan"; Congress of Entrepreneurs of Kazakhstan;
  Deputies of the 12th Supreme Soviet
Other political or pressure groups:
  Independent Trade Union Center (Birlesu; an association of independent
  trade union and business associations), Leonid SOLOMIN, president
Member of:
  CCC, CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
  INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOD, NACC, OIC (observer), UN,
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Tuleutai SULEYMENOV
chancery:
  3421 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone:
  [phone]/7
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador William H. COURTNEY
embassy:
  99/97 Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan 480012
mailing address:
  American Embassy Almaty, c/o Department of State, Washington, DC,
  20521-7030
telephone:
  (7) [phone], 63-24-26, 63-28-80, 63-34-05
FAX:
  (7) [phone]
Flag:
  sky blue background representing the endless sky and a gold sun with
  32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle in the center; on the
  hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in yellow

@Kazakhstan, Economy

Overview:
  Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former Soviet states in
  territory, possesses vast oil, coal, rare metals, and agricultural
  resources. While the economy is gradually making the transition from a
  Soviet command system to a market system, strong elements of state
  control persist including government ownership of most economic assets
  and a continued system of mandatory state procurement for the key
  products such as grain and energy; likewise, agriculture remains
  largely collectivized. On the other hand, new businesses are forming
  rapidly, the economy is opening to foreign investment, and 12% of
  state-owned commercial enterprises have been privatized. In 1993, a
  three-year industrial privatization program was launched; an
  independent currency was successfully introduced; and two large joint
  ventures were established with western oil companies. These
  far-reaching structural transformations have resulted in a cumulative
  decline in national income of more than 30% since 1990. Loose monetary
  policies have kept the inflation rate high, averaging 28% per month
  for 1993 and accelerating at the end with the disruption caused by a
  new currency. Since the introduction of its independent currency in
  November 1993, the government has renewed its commitment to fiscal
  discipline and accelerating economic reform. However, growing economic
  hardship and rising ethnic tensions between Kazakhs and Russians over
  the division of economic assets will likely lead to strong pressure to
  backtrack.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $60.3 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 Kazakhstani statistics, which are
  very uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -13% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $3,510 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  28% per month (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  0.6% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large
  numbers of underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $1.76 billion (1991 est.)
Exports:
  $1.3 billion to outside the FSU countries (1993)
commodities:
  oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, grain, wool, meat
  (1992)
partners:
  Russia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan
Imports:
  $358.3 million from outside the FSU countries (1993)
commodities:
  machinery and parts, industrial materials, oil and gas (1992)
partners:
  Russia and other former Soviet republics, China
External debt:
  $1.5 billion debt to Russia
Industrial production:
  growth rate -16% (1993)
Electricity:
capacity:
  19,135,000 kW
production:
  81.3 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  4,739 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  extractive industries (oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead,
  zinc, copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur),
  iron and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural
  machinery, electric motors, construction materials
Agriculture:
  accounts for almost 40% of net material product; employs about 26% of
  the labor force; grain, mostly spring wheat; meat, cotton, wool
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
  consumption; limited government eradication program; used as
  transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and North
  America from Central and Southwest Asia
Economic aid:
recipient:
  approximately $1 billion in foreign credits to become available in
  1994
Currency:
  national currency the tenge introduced on 15 November 1993
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Kazakhstan, Communications

Railroads:
  14,460 km (all 1.520-meter gauge); does not include industrial lines
  (1990)
Highways:
total:
  189,000 km
paved and graveled:
  108,100 km
unpaved:
  earth 80,900 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
  Syrdariya River, Ertis River
Pipelines:
  crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural gas 3,480 km
  (1992)
Ports:
  inland - Atyrau (formerly Gur'yev; on Caspian Sea)
Airports:
total:
  365
usable:
  152
with permanent-surface runways:
  49
with runways over 3,659 m:
  8
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  38
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  71
Telecommunications:
  telephone service is poor, with only about 17 telephones for each 100
  persons in urban areas and 7.6 telephones per 100 persons in rural
  areas; of the approximately 2.2 million telephones, Almaty has
  184,000; broadcast receivers - TVs 4,750,000, radios 4,088,000, radio
  receiver systems with multiple speakers for program diffusion
  6,082,000; international traffic with other former USSR republics and
  China carried by landline and microwave, and with other countries by
  satellite and through 8 international telecommunications circuits at
  the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations -
  INTELSAT and Orbita (TV receive only); new satellite ground station
  established at Almaty with Turkish financial help (December 1992) with
  2500 channel band width

@Kazakhstan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 4,432,716; fit for military service 3,554,209; reach
  military age (18) annually 154,989 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  69,326 million rubles, NA% of GDP (forecast for 1993); note -
  conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current
  exchange rate could produce misleading results


@Kenya, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Africa, bordering the northwestern India Ocean between
  Tanzania and Somalia
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  582,650 sq km
land area:
  569,250 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of Nevada
Land boundaries:
  total 3,446 km, Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
  Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km
Coastline:
  536 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with
  international boundary; possible claim by Somalia based on unification
  of ethnic Somalis
Climate:
  varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior
Terrain:
  low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great Rift Valley;
  fertile plateau in west
Natural resources:
  gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barytes, rubies, fluorspar, garnets,
  wildlife
Land use:
arable land:
  3%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  7%
forest and woodland:
  4%
other:
  85%
Irrigated land:
  520 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  water pollution from urban and industrial wastes; degradation of water
  quality from increased use of pesticides and fertilizers;
  deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; poaching
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
  Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
  Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
  Climate Change
Note:
  the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most successful agricultural
  production regions in Africa; glaciers on Mt. Kenya; unique
  physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife of scientific and
  economic value

@Kenya, People

Population:
  28,240,658 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.07% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  42.44 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  11.74 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  74.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  53.23 years
male:
  51.48 years
female:
  55.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  5.91 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Kenyan(s)
adjective:
  Kenyan
Ethnic divisions:
  Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%,
  Meru 6%, Asian, European, and Arab 1%, other 15%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 28%, Protestant (including Anglican) 26%, indigenous
  beliefs 18%, Muslim 6%
Languages:
  English (official), Swahili (official), numerous indigenous languages
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  69%
male:
  80%
female:
  58%
Labor force:
  9.2 million (includes unemployed); the total employed is 1,370,000
  (14.8% of the labor force)
by occupation:
  agriculture 75-80% (1993 est.), non-agriculture 20-25% (1993 est.)

@Kenya, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Kenya
conventional short form:
  Kenya
former:
  British East Africa
Digraph:
  KE
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Nairobi
Administrative divisions:
  8 provinces; Central, Coast, Eastern, Nairobi, North Eastern, Nyanza,
  Rift Valley, Western
Independence:
  12 December 1963 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 12 December (1963)
Constitution:
  12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964; reissued with amendments
  1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, and 1992
Legal system:
  based on English common law, tribal law, and Islamic law; judicial
  review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982 making Kenya a de jure
  one-party state repealed in 1991
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Daniel Teroitich arap MOI (since 14 October 1978); Vice
  President George SAITOTI (since 10 May 1989); election last held on 29
  December 1992 (next to be held NA 1997); results - President Daniel T.
  arap MOI was reelected with 37% of the vote; Kenneth Matiba
  (FORD-ASILI) 26%; Mwai Kibaki (SP) 19%, Oginga Odinga (FORD-Kenya) 17%
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Bunge):
  elections last held on 29 December 1992; results - (188 total) KANU
  100, FORD-Kenya 31, FORD-Asili 31, DP 23, smaller parties 3; president
  nominates 12 additional members
note:
  first multiparty election since repeal of one-party state law in 1991
Judicial branch:
  Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
  ruling party is Kenya African National Union (KANU), Daniel T. arap
  MOI, president; opposition parties include Forum for the Restoration
  of Democracy (FORD-Kenya), Michael WAMALWA; Forum for the Restoration
  of Democracy (FORD-Asili), Kenneth MATIBA; Democratic Party of Kenya
  (DP), Mwai KIBAKI; Kenya National Congress (KNC), Titus MBATHI; Kenya
  Social Congress (KSC), George ANYONA; Kenya National Democratic
  Alliance (KENYA), Mukara NG'ANG'A; Party for Independent Candidates of
  Kenya (PKK), Otieno OTOERA
Other political or pressure groups:
  labor unions; Roman Catholic Church
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
  IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UNIKOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  (vacant)
chancery:
  2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Aurelia BRAZEAL
embassy:
  corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue, Nairobi
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, Nairobi or APO AE 09831
telephone:
  [254] (2) 334141
FAX:
  [254] (2) 340838
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green; the red
  band is edged in white; a large warrior's shield covering crossed
  spears is superimposed at the center

@Kenya, Economy

Overview:
  Kenya's 3.1% annual population growth rate - one of the highest in the
  world - has led to a decline in per capita output in each of the last
  three years, 1991-93. Undependable weather conditions and a shortage
  of arable land hamper long-term growth in agriculture, the leading
  economic sector. In industry and services, Nairobi's reluctance to
  embrace IMF-supported reforms has held back investment. Ethnic clashes
  and continued suspension of quick disbursing aid by the international
  donors kept growth at only 0.5% in 1993.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $33.2 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  0.5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,200 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  55% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  23.8% urban (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $2.4 billion
expenditures:
  $2.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $740 million (1990
  est.)
Exports:
  $1 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  tea 25%, coffee 18%, petroleum products 11% (1990)
partners:
  EC 47%, Africa 23%, Asia 11%, US 4%, Middle East 3% (1991)
Imports:
  $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  machinery and transportation equipment 29%, petroleum and petroleum
  products 15%, iron and steel 7%, raw materials, food and consumer
  goods (1989)
partners:
  EC 46%, Asia 23%, Middle East 20%, US 5% (1991)
External debt:
  $7 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5.4% (1989 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  730,000 kW
production:
  2.54 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  100 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles,
  soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural processing, oil refining,
  cement, tourism
Agriculture:
  most important sector, accounting for 25% of GDP and 65% of exports;
  cash crops - coffee, tea, sisal, pineapple; food products - corn,
  wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables, dairy products, beef, pork,
  poultry, eggs; food output not keeping pace with population growth,
  and crop production has been extended into marginal land
Illicit drugs:
  widespread wild, small-plot cultivation of marijuana and gat; most
  locally consumed; transit country for Southwest Asian heroin moving to
  West Africa and onward to Europe and North America; Indian
  methaqualone also transits on way to South Africa
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $839 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $7.49
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $74 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $83 million
Currency:
  1 Kenyan shilling (KSh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Kenyan shillings (KSh) per US$1 - 68.413 (December 1993), 32.217
  (1992), 27.508 (1991), 22.915 (1990), 20.572 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Kenya, Communications

Railroads:
  2,040 km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
total:
  64,590 km
paved:
  7,000 km
unpaved:
  gravel 4,150 km; improved earth 53,440 km
Inland waterways:
  part of Lake Victoria system is within boundaries of Kenya
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 483 km
Ports:
  coastal - Mombasa, Lamu; inland - Kisumu
Merchant marine:
  2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,883 GRT/6,255 DWT, barge
  carrier 1, oil tanker ship 1
Airports:
total:
  248
usable:
  213
with permanent-surface runways:
  28
with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  44
Telecommunications:
  in top group of African systems; consists primarily of radio relay
  links; over 260,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 16 AM; 4 FM, 6
  TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian
  Ocean INTELSAT

@Kenya, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary General Service Unit of the Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 6,144,891; fit for military service 3,799,202
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $294 million, 4.9% of GDP (FY88/89 est.)


@Kingman Reef

Header
Affiliation:
  (territory of the US)

@Kingman Reef, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Micronesia, in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,600 km
  south-southwest of Honolulu, about halfway between Hawaii and American
  Samoa
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  1 sq km
land area:
  1 sq km
comparative area:
  about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  3 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical, but moderated by prevailing winds
Terrain:
  low and nearly level with a maximum elevation of about 1 meter
Natural resources:
  none
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:
  wet or awash most of the time, maximum elevation of about 1 meter
  makes this a maritime hazard
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  barren coral atoll with deep interior lagoon; closed to the public

@Kingman Reef, People

Population:
  uninhabited

@Kingman Reef, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Kingman Reef
Digraph:
  KQ
Type:
  unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Navy,
  however it is awash the majority of the time, so it is not usable and
  uninhabited.
Capital:
  none; administered from Washington, DC

@Kingman Reef, Economy

Overview:
  no economic activity

@Kingman Reef, Communications

Ports:
  none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
  lagoon was used as a halfway station between Hawaii and American Samoa
  by Pan American Airways for flying boats in 1937 and 1938

@Kingman Reef, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the US


@Kiribati, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Micronesia, straddling the equator in the Pacific Ocean,
  about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
Map references:
  Oceania
Area:
total area:
  717 sq km
land area:
  717 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC
note:
  includes three island groups - Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix
  Islands
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,143 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; marine, hot and humid, moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
  mostly low-lying coral atolls surrounded by extensive reefs
Natural resources:
  phosphate (production discontinued in 1979)
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  51%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  3%
other:
  46%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  typhoons can occur any time, but usually November to March; subject to
  occasional tornadoes
international agreements:
  party to - Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
  ratified - Climate Change
Note:
  20 of the 33 islands are inhabited; Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati
  is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean
  - the others are Makatea in French Polynesia and Nauru

@Kiribati, People

Population:
  77,853 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.99% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  31.64 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.31 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  98.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  54.16 years
male:
  52.56 years
female:
  55.78 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.77 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  I-Kiribati (singular and plural)
adjective:
  I-Kiribati
Ethnic divisions:
  Micronesian
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 52.6%, Protestant (Congregational) 40.9%, Seventh-Day
  Adventist, Baha'i, Church of God, Mormon 6% (1985)
Languages:
  English (official), Gilbertese
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  7,870 economically active, not including subsistence farmers (1985
  est.)

@Kiribati, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Kiribati
conventional short form:
  Kiribati
former:
  Gilbert Islands
Digraph:
  KR
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Tarawa
Administrative divisions:
  3 units; Gilbert Islands, Line Islands, Phoenix Islands
note:
  a new administrative structure of 6 districts (Banaba, Central
  Gilberts, Line Islands, Northern Gilberts, Southern Gilberts, Tarawa)
  may have been changed to 21 island councils (one for each of the
  inhabited islands) named Abaiang, Abemama, Aranuka, Arorae, Banaba,
  Beru, Butaritari, Canton, Kiritimati, Kuria, Maiana, Makin, Marakei,
  Nikunau, Nonouti, Onotoa, Tabiteuea, Tabuaeran, Tamana, Tarawa,
  Teraina
Independence:
  12 July 1979 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 12 July (1979)
Constitution:
  12 July 1979
Legal system:
  NA
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President (Beretitenti) Teatao TEANNAKI (since 8 July 1991); Vice
  President (Kauoman-ni-Beretitenti) Taomati IUTA (since 8 July 1991);
  election last held on 8 July 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996);
  results - Teatao TEANNAKI 52%, Roniti TEIWAKI 28%
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president from an elected parliament
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
House of Assembly (Maneaba Ni Maungatabu):
  elections last held on 8 May 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (40 total; 39 elected)
  percent of seats by party NA
Judicial branch:
  Court of Appeal, High Court
Political parties and leaders:
  National Progressive Party, Teatao TEANNAKI; Christian Democratic
  Party, Teburoro TITO; New Movement Party, leader NA; Liberal Party,
  Tewareka TENTOA; Maneaba Party, Roniti TEIWAKI
note:
  there is no tradition of formally organized political parties in
  Kiribati; they more closely resemble factions or interest groups
  because they have no party headquarters, formal platforms, or party
  structures
Member of:
  ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT
  (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, ITU, SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU,
  WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  Kiribati has no mission in the US
US diplomatic representation:
  the ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Kiribati
Flag:
  the upper half is red with a yellow frigate bird flying over a yellow
  rising sun, and the lower half is blue with three horizontal wavy
  white stripes to represent the ocean

@Kiribati, Economy

Overview:
  The country has few national resources. Commercially viable phosphate
  deposits were exhausted at the time of independence in 1979. Copra and
  fish now represent the bulk of production and exports. The economy has
  fluctuated widely in recent years. Real GDP declined about 8% in 1987,
  as the fish catch fell sharply to only one-fourth the level of 1986
  and copra production was hampered by repeated rains. Output rebounded
  strongly in 1988, with real GDP growing by 17%. The upturn in economic
  growth came from an increase in copra production and a good fish
  catch. Following the strong surge in output in 1988, GNP increased 1%
  in both 1989 and 1990.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $36.8 million (1990 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $525 (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  2%; underemployment 70% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $29.9 million
expenditures:
  $16.3 million, including capital expenditures of $14 million (1990
  est.)
Exports:
  $4.2 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  copra 50%, seaweed 16%, fish 15%
partners:
  Denmark, Fiji, US
Imports:
  $33.1 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, miscellaneous manufactured goods,
  fuel
partners:
  Australia 40%, Japan 18%, Fiji 17%, NZ 6%, US 4% (1991)
External debt:
  $2 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0.7% (1992 est.); accounts for less than 4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  5,000 kW
production:
  13 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  190 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  fishing, handicrafts
Agriculture:
  accounts for 23% of GDP (including fishing); copra and fish contribute
  about 65% to exports; subsistence farming predominates; food crops -
  taro, breadfruit, sweet potatoes, vegetables; not self-sufficient in
  food
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-89), $273 million
Currency:
  1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 - 1.4364 (January 1994), 1.4704
  (1993), 1.3600 (1992), 1.2835 (1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  NA

@Kiribati, Communications

Highways:
total:
  640 km
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Inland waterways:
  small network of canals, totaling 5 km, in Line Islands
Ports:
  Banaba and Betio (Tarawa)
Merchant marine:
  1 passenger-cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,291 GRT/1,295
  DWT
Airports:
total:
  21
usable:
  20
with permanent-surface runways:
  4
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  5
Telecommunications:
  1,400 telephones; broadcast stations - 1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific
  Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Kiribati, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Police Force (carries out law enforcement functions and paramilitary
  duties; there are small police posts on all islands); no military
  force is maintained
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Korea, North, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Asia, between China and South Korea
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  120,540 sq km
land area:
  120,410 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Mississippi
Land boundaries:
  total 1,673 km, China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km
Coastline:
  2,495 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  12 nm
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
military boundary line:
  50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the
  Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission
  are banned
International disputes:
  short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line
  with South Korea
Climate:
  temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
Terrain:
  mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal
  plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
Natural resources:
  coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper,
  gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
  18%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  74%
other:
  7%
Irrigated land:
  14,000 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  localized air pollution attributable to inadequate industrial controls
natural hazards:
  late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; subject to
  occasional typhoons which occur during the early fall
international agreements:
  party to - Antarctic Treaty, Environmental Modification, Ship
  Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Antarctic-Environmental
  Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia;
  mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely
  populated

@Korea, North, People

Population:
  23,066,573 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.83% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  23.75 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  27.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  69.78 years
male:
  66.69 years
female:
  73.02 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Korean(s)
adjective:
  Korean
Ethnic divisions:
  racially homogeneous
Religions:
  Buddhism and Confucianism, some Christianity and syncretic Chondogyo
note:
  autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent;
  government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of
  religious freedom
Languages:
  Korean
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  99%
female:
  99%
Labor force:
  9.615 million
by occupation:
  agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%
note:
  shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)

@Korea, North, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form:
  North Korea
local long form:
  Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk
local short form:
  none
Abbreviation:
  DPRK
Digraph:
  KN
Type:
  Communist state; Stalinist dictatorship
Capital:
  P'yongyang
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi,
  singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto
  (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province),
  Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South
  Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon
  Province), Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan
  Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si*
  (P'yongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province)
Independence:
  9 September 1948
note:
  15 August 1945, date of independence from the Japanese and celebrated
  in North Korea as National Liberation Day
National holiday:
  DPRK Foundation Day, 9 September (1948)
Constitution:
  adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in
  April 1992
Legal system:
  based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and
  Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has
  not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President KIM Il-song (national leader since 1948, president since 28
  December 1972); designated successor KIM Chong-il (son of president,
  born 16 February 1942); election last held 24 May 1990 (next to be
  held by NA 1995); results - President KIM Il-song was reelected
  without opposition
head of government:
  Premier KANG Song-san (since December 1992)
cabinet:
  State Administration Council; appointed by the Supreme People's
  Assembly
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui):
  elections last held on 7-9 April 1993 (next to be held NA); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (687 total) the KWP approves a
  single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor
  parties hold a few seats
Judicial branch:
  Central Court
Political parties and leaders:
  major party - Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general
  secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee;
  Korean Social Democratic Party, KIM Pyong-sik, chairman; Chondoist
  Chongu Party, YU Mi-yong, chairwoman
Member of:
  ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, INTELSAT
  (nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none
US diplomatic representation:
  none
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
  the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a
  white disk with a red five-pointed star

@Korea, North, Economy

Overview:
  More than 90% of this command economy is socialized; agricultural land
  is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of
  manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually
  tight even for a Communist country because of the small size and
  homogeneity of the society and the strict rule of KIM Il-song and his
  son, KIM Chong-il. Economic growth during the period 1984-88 averaged
  2%-3%, but output declined by 3%-5% annually during 1989-92 because of
  systemic problems and disruptions in socialist-style economic
  relations with the former USSR and China. In 1992, output dropped
  sharply, by perhaps 7%-9%, as the economy felt the cumulative effect
  of the reduction in outside support. The leadership insisted on
  maintaining its high level of military outlays from a shrinking
  economic pie. Moreover, a serious drawdown in inventories and critical
  shortages in the energy sector have led to increasing interruptions in
  industrial production. Abundant mineral resources and hydropower have
  formed the basis of industrial development since WWII. Output of the
  extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite,
  copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing is centered on
  heavy industry, including military industry, with light industry
  lagging far behind. Despite the use of improved seed varieties,
  expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea
  has not yet become self-sufficient in food production. Six consecutive
  years of poor harvests, coupled with distribution problems, have led
  to chronic food shortages. North Korea remains far behind South Korea
  in economic development and living standards.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $22 billion (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -7 to -9% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $1,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  NA%
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $19.3 billion
expenditures:
  $19.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992 est.)
Exports:
  $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural and fishery products,
  manufactures (including armaments)
partners:
  China, Japan, Russia, South Korea, Germany, Hong Kong, Mexico
Imports:
  $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  petroleum, grain, coking coal, machinery and equipment, consumer goods
partners:
  China, Russia, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, Singapore
External debt:
  $8 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -7% to -9% (1992 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  7,300,000 kW
production:
  26 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  1,160 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals,
  mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force; principal crops -
  rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock and livestock
  products - cattle, hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient in grain
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s, but very little
  now
Currency:
  1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
Exchange rates:
  North Korean won (Wn) per US$1 - 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992),
  2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Korea, North, Communications

Railroads:
  4,915 km total; 4,250 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km
  0.762-meter narrow gauge; 159 km double track; 3,084 km electrified;
  government owned (1989)
Highways:
total:
  30,000 km
paved:
  1,440 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, earth 28,560 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
  2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
Pipelines:
  crude oil 37 km
Ports:
  primary - Ch'ongjin, Hungnam (Hamhung), Najin, Namp'o, Wonsan;
  secondary - Haeju, Kimch'aek, Kosong, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong
  (formerly Unggi), Ungsang
Merchant marine:
  83 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 706,497 GRT/1,114,827 DWT, bulk
  9, cargo 67, combination bulk 1, oil tanker 2, passenger 1,
  passenger-cargo 2, short-sea passenger 1
Airports:
total:
  55
usable:
  55 (est.)
with permanent-surface runways:
  about 30
with runways over 3,659 m:
  fewer than 5
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  20
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  30
Telecommunications:
  broadcast stations - 18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 300,000 TV sets (1989);
  3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Korea, North, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Korean People's Army (including the Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil
  Security Forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 6,658,529; fit for military service 4,044,355; reach
  military age (18) annually 196,763 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - about $5 billion, 20%-25% of GNP (1991
  est.); note - the officially announced but suspect figure is $2.2
  billion (1994), about 12% of total spending


@Korea, South, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Asia, between North Korea and Japan
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  98,480 sq km
land area:
  98,190 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Indiana
Land boundaries:
  total 238 km, North Korea 238 km
Coastline:
  2,413 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  not specified
territorial sea:
  12 nm; 3 nm in the Korea Strait
International disputes:
  Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
Climate:
  temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
Terrain:
  mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
Natural resources:
  coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
  21%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  1%
forest and woodland:
  67%
other:
  10%
Irrigated land:
  13,530 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution in large cities; water pollution from the discharge of
  sewage and industrial effluents
natural hazards:
  occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in
  southwest
international agreements:
  party to - Antarctic Treaty, Climate Change, Environmental
  Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
  Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Whaling; signed, but not
  ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the
  Sea

@Korea, South, People

Population:
  45,082,880 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.04% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  15.7 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.17 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  21.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  70.59 years
male:
  67.39 years
female:
  73.98 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Korean(s)
adjective:
  Korean
Ethnic divisions:
  homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese)
Religions:
  Christianity 48.6%, Buddhism 47.4%, Confucianism 3%, pervasive folk
  religion (shamanism), Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way) 0.2%
Languages:
  Korean, English widely taught in high school
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  96%
male:
  99%
female:
  99%
Labor force:
  20 million
by occupation:
  services and other 52%, mining and manufacturing 27%, agriculture,
  fishing, forestry 21% (1991)

@Korea, South, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Korea
conventional short form:
  South Korea
local long form:
  Taehan-min'guk
local short form:
  none
Abbreviation:
  ROK
Digraph:
  KS
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Seoul
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (jikhalsi,
  singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo,
  Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do,
  Kwangju-jikhalsi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo,
  Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*
Independence:
  15 August 1948
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
Constitution:
  25 February 1988
Legal system:
  combines elements of continental European civil law systems,
  Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought
Suffrage:
  20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President KIM Yong-sam (since 25 February 1993); election last held on
  18 December 1992 (next to be held NA December 1997); results - KIM
  Yong-sam (DLP) 41.9%, KIM Tae-chung (DP) 33.8%, CHONG Chu-yong (UPP)
  16.3%, other 8%
head of government:
  Prime Minister YI Yong-tok (since 29 April 1994); Deputy Prime
  Minister CHONG Chae-sok (since 21 December 1993) and Deputy Prime
  Minister YI Hong-ku (since 30 April 1994)
cabinet:
  State Council; appointed by the president on the prime minister's
  recommendation
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Kukhoe):
  elections last held on 24 March 1992; results - DLP 38.5%, DP 29.2%,
  Unification National Party (UNP) 17.3% (name later changed to UPP),
  other 15%; seats - (299 total) DLP 149, DP 97, UNP 31, other 22; the
  distribution of seats as of January 1994 was DLP 172, DP 96, UPP 11,
  other 20
note:
  the change in the distribution of seats reflects the fluidity of the
  current situation where party members are constantly switching from
  one party to another
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
majority party:
  Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), KIM Yong-sam, president
opposition:
  Democratic Party (DP), YI Ki-taek, executive chairman; United People's
  Party (UPP), KIM Tong-kil, chairman; several smaller parties
note:
  the DLP resulted from a merger of the Democratic Justice Party (DJP),
  Reunification Democratic Party (RDP), and New Democratic Republican
  Party (NDRP) on 9 February 1990
Other political or pressure groups:
  Korean National Council of Churches; National Democratic Alliance of
  Korea; National Federation of Student Associations; National
  Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Council of Labor Unions;
  Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association;
  Federation of Korean Industries; Korean Traders Association
Member of:
  AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, COCOM (cooperating), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,
  G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
  IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, OAS
  (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOSOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
  WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador HAN Sung-su
chancery:
  2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston,
  Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador James T. LANEY
embassy:
  82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul
mailing address:
  American Embassy, Unit 15550, Seoul; APO AP 96205-0001
telephone:
  [82] (2) 397-4000 through 4008 and 397-4114
FAX:
  [82] (2) 738-8845
consulate(s):
  Pusan
Flag:
  white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there
  is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of
  Changes) in each corner of the white field

@Korea, South, Economy

Overview:
  The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the
  planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously
  entrepreneurial society. Real GNP increased more than 10% annually
  between 1986 and 1991. This growth ultimately led to an overheated
  situation characterized by a tight labor market, strong inflationary
  pressures, and a rapidly rising current account deficit. As a result,
  in 1992, economic policy focused on slowing the growth rate of
  inflation and reducing the deficit. Annual growth slowed to 5%, still
  above the rate in most other countries of the world. Growth increased
  to 6.3% in 1993 as a result of fourth quarter manufacturing production
  growth of over 10% and is expected to be in the 8% range for 1994.
National product:
  GNP - purchasing power equivalent - $424 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  6.3% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $9,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.8% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  2.6% (October 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $48.4 billion
expenditures:
  $48.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $81 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  electronic and electrical equipment, machinery, steel, automobiles,
  ships, textiles, clothing, footwear, fish
partners:
  US 26%, Japan 17%, EC 14%
Imports:
  $78.9 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport
  equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains
partners:
  Japan 26%, US 24%, EC 15%
External debt:
  $42 billion (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5% (1992 est.); accounts for about 45% of GNP
Electricity:
capacity:
  27,016 kW (1993)
production:
  105 billion kWh (1992)
consumption per capita:
  2,380 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel,
  textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 8% of GNP and employs 21% of work force (including
  fishing and forestry); principal crops - rice, root crops, barley,
  vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products - cattle, hogs,
  chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish
  catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9 billion; non-US
  countries (1970-89), $3 billion
Currency:
  1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chun (theoretical)
Exchange rates:
  South Korean won (W) per US$1 - 810.48 (January 1994), 802.68 (1993),
  780.65 (1992), 733.35 (1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Korea, South, Communications

Railroads:
  3,091 km total (1991); 3,044 km 1.435 meter standard gauge, 47 km
  0.610-meter narrow gauge, 847 km double track; 525 km electrified,
  government owned
Highways:
total:
  63,201 km
paved:
  expressways 1,551 km
unpaved:
  NA
undifferentiated:
  national highway 12,190 km; provincial, local roads 49,460 km (1991)
Inland waterways:
  1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 455 km
Ports:
  Pusan, Inch'on, Kunsan, Mokp'o, Ulsan
Merchant marine:
  417 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,425,920 GRT/10,535,850 DWT,
  bulk 123, cargo 132, chemical tanker 16, combination bulk 2,
  combination ore/oil 2, container 60, liquefied gas 13, multifunction
  large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 47, refrigerated cargo 11, short-sea
  passenger 1, vehicle carrier 9
Airports:
total:
  104
usable:
  95
with permanent-surface runways:
  61
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  23
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  18
Telecommunications:
  excellent domestic and international services; 13,276,449 telephone
  subscribers; broadcast stations - 79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or
  greater); satellite earth stations - 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1
  Indian Ocean INTELSAT

@Korea, South, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 13,435,598; fit for military service 8,623,325; reach
  military age (18) annually 417,055 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $13.0 billion, 3.6% of GNP (1994 est.)


@Kuwait, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, at the head of the Persian Gulf, between Iraq and Saudi
  Arabia
Map references:
  Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  17,820 sq km
land area:
  17,820 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  total 464 km, Iraq 242 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline:
  499 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  not specified
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  in April 1991 Iraq officially accepted UN Security Council Resolution
  687, which demands that Iraq accept the inviolability of the boundary
  set forth in its 1963 agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to
  Bubiyan and Warbah islands, or to all of Kuwait; the 20 May 1993 final
  report of the UN Iraq/Kuwait Boundary Demarcation Commission was
  welcomed by the Security Council in Resolution 833 of 27 May 1993,
  which also reaffirmed that the decisions of the commission on the
  boundary were final, bringing to a completion the official demarcation
  of the Iraq-Kuwait boundary; Iraqi officials still refuse to
  unconditionally recognize Kuwaiti sovereignty of the inviolability of
  the UN demarcated border; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim
  islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate:
  dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain:
  flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Natural resources:
  petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  8%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  92%
Irrigated land:
  20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities
  provide much of the water; air and water pollution; desertification
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the
  Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not
  ratified - Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping
Note:
  strategic location at head of Persian Gulf

@Kuwait, People

Population:
  1,819,322 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  5.24% (1994 est.)
note:
  this rate reflects the continued post-Gulf crisis return of nationals
  and expatriates
Birth rate:
  29.43 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  2.37 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  25.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  12.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  74.99 years
male:
  72.83 years
female:
  77.25 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Kuwaiti(s)
adjective:
  Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions:
  Kuwaiti 45%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 7%
Religions:
  Muslim 85% (Shi'a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi,
  and other 15%
Languages:
  Arabic (official), English widely spoken
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  73%
male:
  77%
female:
  67%
Labor force:
  566,000 (1986)
by occupation:
  services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade 12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%,
  finance and real estate 2.6%, agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%,
  mining and quarrying 1.4%
note:
  70% of labor force non-Kuwaiti (1986)

@Kuwait, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  State of Kuwait
conventional short form:
  Kuwait
local long form:
  Dawlat al Kuwayt
local short form:
  Al Kuwayt
Digraph:
  KU
Type:
  nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Kuwait
Administrative divisions:
  5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al 'Ahmadi, Al
  Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli, Al Farwaniyah
Independence:
  19 June 1961 (from UK)
National holiday:
  National Day, 25 February (1948)
Constitution:
  16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)
Legal system:
  civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has
  not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male
  descendants at age 21
note:
  only 10% of all citizens are eligible to vote
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Amir Shaykh JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir Al Sabah (since 31 December 1977)
head of government:
  Prime Minister and Crown Prince SAAD al-Abdallah al-Salim Al Sabah
  (since 8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister SABAH al-Ahmad al-Jabir
  Al Sabah (since 17 October 1992)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the Prime Minister and approved by
  the Amir
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Majlis al-umma):
  dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections were held on 5 October 1992 with
  a second election in the 14th and 16th constituencies held February
  1993
Judicial branch:
  High Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Other political or pressure groups:
  small, clandestine leftist and Shi'a fundamentalist groups are active;
  several groups critical of government policies are publicly active
Member of:
  ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GATT, GCC,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
  INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC,
  OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador MUHAMMAD al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah
chancery:
  2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador-designate Ryan CROCKER
embassy:
  Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Kuwait International Hotel), Kuwait City
mailing address:
  P.O. Box 77 SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait; Unit 69000, Kuwait; APO AE
  09880-9000
telephone:
  [965] 242-4151 through 4159
FAX:
  [956] 244-2855
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a
  black trapezoid based on the hoist side

@Kuwait, Economy

Overview:
  Kuwait is a small and relatively open economy with proven crude oil
  reserves of about 94 billion barrels - 10% of world reserves. Kuwait
  has rebuilt its war-ravaged petroleum sector; its crude oil production
  reached at least 2.0 million barrels per day by the end of 1993. The
  government ran a sizable fiscal deficit in 1993. Petroleum accounts
  for nearly half of GDP and 90% of export and government revenues.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $25.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  15% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $15,100 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  NEGL% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $9 billion
expenditures:
  $13 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY93)
Exports:
  $10.5 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  oil
partners:
  France 16%, Italy 15%, Japan 12%, UK 11%
Imports:
  $6 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
partners:
  US 35%, Japan 12%, UK 9%, Canada 9%
External debt:
  $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
note:
  external debt has grown substantially in 1991 and 1992 to pay for
  restoration of war damage
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for NA% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  6,873,000 kW available out of 7,398,000 kW due to Persian Gulf war
production:
  12.264 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  8,890 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, building
  materials, salt, construction
Agriculture:
  practically none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable
  water must be distilled or imported
Economic aid:
donor:
  pledged bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89), $18.3
  billion
Currency:
  1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
  Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.2982 (January 1994), 0.3017 (1993),
  0.2934 (1992), 0.2843 (1991), 0.2915 (1990), 0.2937 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Kuwait, Communications

Railroads:
  none
Highways:
total:
  3,900 km
paved:
  bituminous 3,000 km
unpaved:
  gravel, sand, earth 900 km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165 km
Ports:
  Ash Shu'aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' al Ahmadi, Mina' 'Abd Allah, Mina'
  Su'ud
Merchant marine:
  46 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 2,153,693 GRT/3,561,568 DWT,
  cargo 10, container 2, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 4, oil
  tanker 23
Airports:
total:
  7
usable:
  4
with permanent-surface runways:
  4
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0
Telecommunications:
  civil network suffered extensive damage as a result of the Gulf war
  and reconstruction is still under way with some restored international
  and domestic capabilities; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 0 FM, 3 TV;
  satellite earth stations - destroyed during Gulf war and not rebuilt
  yet; temporary mobile satellite ground stations provide international
  telecommunications; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Saudi
  Arabia; service to Iraq is nonoperational

@Kuwait, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 537,696; fit for military service 321,767; reach
  military age (18) annually 15,354 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 7.3% of GDP (FY92/93)


@Kyrgyzstan, Geography

Location:
  Central Asia, between China and Kazakhstan
Map references:
  Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States,
  Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  198,500 sq km
land area:
  191,300 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries:
  total 3,878 km, China 858 km, Kazakhstan 1,051 km, Tajikistan 870 km,
  Uzbekistan 1,099 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  territorial dispute with Tajikistan on southwestern boundary in Isfara
  Valley area
Climate:
  dry continental to polar in high Tien Shan; subtropical in southwest
  (Fergana Valley); temperate in northern foothill zone
Terrain:
  peaks of Tien Shan rise to 7,000 meters, and associated valleys and
  basins encompass entire nation
Natural resources:
  small amounts of coal abundant hydroelectric potential; significant
  deposits of gold and rare earth metals; locally exploitable coal, oil
  and natural gas; other deposits of nepheline, mercury, bismuth, lead,
  and zinc, natural gas, oil, nepheline, rare earth metals, mercury,
  bismuth, gold, lead, zinc, hydroelectric power
Land use:
arable land:
  7%
permanent crops:
  NEGL%
meadows and pastures:
  42%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  51%
Irrigated land:
  10,320 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  water pollution; many people get their water directly from
  contaminated streams and wells and as a result, water-borne diseases
  are prevalent; increasing soil salinity from faulty irrigation
  practices
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  landlocked

@Kyrgyzstan, People

Population:
  4,698,108 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.53% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  26.33 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  7.36 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -3.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  46.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  67.92 years
male:
  63.69 years
female:
  72.35 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.35 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Kyrgyz(s)
adjective:
  Kyrgyz
Ethnic divisions:
  Kirghiz 52.4%, Russian 21.5%, Uzbek 12.9%, Ukrainian 2.5%, German
  2.4%, other 8.3%
Religions:
  Muslim 70%, Russian Orthodox NA%
Languages:
  Kirghiz (Kyrgyz) - official language, Russian widely used
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  1.836 million
by occupation:
  agriculture and forestry 38%, industry and construction 21%, other 41%
  (1990)

@Kyrgyzstan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kyrgyz Republic
conventional short form:
  Kyrgyzstan
local long form:
  Kyrgyz Respublikasy
local short form:
  none
former:
  Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  KG
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Bishkek
Administrative divisions:
  6 oblasttar (singular - oblast); Chuy Oblasty, Jalal-Abad Oblasty,
  Naryn Oblasty, Osh Oblasty, Talas Oblasty, Ysyk-Kol Oblasty
note:
  the administrative center for Chuy Oblasty is Bishkek; the
  administrative center for Ysyk-Kol Oblasty may be Ksyk-Kol or Karakol;
  all other oblasttar have administrative centers of the same name as
  the oblast
Independence:
  31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  National Day, 2 December; Independence Day, 31 August (1991)
Constitution:
  adopted 5 May 1993
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Askar AKAYEV (since 28 October 1990); election last held 12
  October 1991 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Askar AKAYEV won in
  uncontested election with 95% of vote and with 90% of electorate
  voting; note - president elected by Supreme Soviet 28 October 1990,
  then by popular vote 12 October 1991; note - AKAYEV won 96% of the
  vote in a referendum on his status as president on 30 January 1993
head of government:
  Prime Minister Apas DZHUMAGULOV (since NA December 1993); First Deputy
  Prime Minister Almambet MATURBRAIMOV (since NA)
cabinet:
  Cabinet of Ministers; subordinate to the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Zhogorku Keneshom:
  elections last held 25 February 1990 for the Supreme Soviet (next to
  be held no later than NA November 1994 for the Zhogorku Keneshom);
  results - Communists 90%; seats - (350 total) Communists 310
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Social Democrats, Ishenbai KADYRBEKOV, chairman; Kyrgyzstan Democratic
  Movement (KDM), Kazat AKHMATOV, chairman; National Unity, German
  KUZNETSOV; Communist Party, Dzhumalbek AMANBAYEV, chairman; Erkin
  (Free) Kyrgyzstan Party, Topchubek TURGUNALIYEV, chairman
Other political or pressure groups:
  National Unity Democratic Movement; Peasant Party; Council of Free
  Trade Unions; Union of Entrepreneurs; Agrarian Party
Member of:
  CIS, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
  ILO, IMF, IOC, NACC, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  (vacant)
chancery:
  (temporary) Suite 705, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
  [phone]/3
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Edward HURWITZ
embassy:
  Erkindik Prospekt #66, Bishkek 720002
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  7-3312 22-29-20, 22-26-93, 22-29-89
FAX:
  7-3312 22-35-51
Flag:
  red field with a yellow sun in the center having 40 rays representing
  the 40 Krygyz tribes; on the obverse side the rays run
  counterclockwise, on the reverse, clockwise; in the center of the sun
  is a red ring crossed by two sets of three lines, a stylized
  representation of the roof of the traditional Kyrgyz yurt

@Kyrgyzstan, Economy

Overview:
  Kyrgyzstan is one of the smallest and poorest states of the former
  Soviet Union. Its economy is heavily agricultural, producing cotton
  and tobacco on irrigated land in the south, grain in the foothills of
  the north, and sheep and goats on mountain pastures. Its small and
  obsolescent industrial sector, concentrated around Bishkek, is heavily
  dependent on Russia and other CIS countries for customers and for
  inputs, including most of its fuel. Since 1990, the economy has
  contracted by almost 40%. Kyrgyzstan's inflation was high in 1993,
  about 23% per month, but rates were declining at the end of the year.
  Kyrgyzstan introduced its national currency, the som, in May 1993, it
  has privatized 28% of its former state assets, and plans call for a
  massive voucher privatization in 1994. Although Kyrgyzstan will
  receive relatively large flows of foreign aid, ongoing economic
  restructuring will continue to be painful with an anticipated increase
  in unemployment as uneconomic enterprises close. President AKAYEV will
  be under strong political pressure to backtrack on some reform
  measures.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $11.3 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 Kirghiz statistics, which are very
  uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -13.4% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $2,440 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  23% per month (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  0.2% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of
  unregistered unemployed and underemployed workers
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $100.4 million to countries outside the FSU (1993 est.)
commodities:
  wool, chemicals, cotton, ferrous and nonferrous metals, shoes,
  machinery, tobacco
partners:
  Russia 70%, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and others
Imports:
  $105.8 million from countries outside the FSU (1993 est.)
commodities:
  grain, lumber, industrial products, ferrous metals, fuel, machinery,
  textiles, footwear
partners:
  other CIS republics
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate -27% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  4,100,000 kW
production:
  11.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,551 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  small machinery, textiles, food-processing industries, cement, shoes,
  sawn logs, refrigerators, furniture, electric motors, gold, and rare
  earth metals
Agriculture:
  wool, tobacco, cotton, livestock (sheep, goats, cattle), vegetables,
  meat, grapes, fruits and berries, eggs, milk, potatoes
Illicit drugs:
  illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS
  consumption; limited government eradication program; used as
  transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe and North
  America from Central and Southwest Asia
Economic aid:
recipient:
  $80 million in 1993 and an anticipated $400 million in 1994
Currency:
  introduced national currency, the som (10 May 1993)
Exchange rates:
  NA
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Kyrgyzstan, Communications

Railroads:
  370 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)
Highways:
total:
  30,300 km
paved and graveled:
  22,600 km
unpaved:
  earth 7,700 km (1990)
Pipelines:
  natural gas 200 km
Ports:
  none; landlocked
Airports:
total:
  52
usable:
  27
with permanent-surface runways:
  12
with runways over 3,659 m:
  1
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
  13
note:
  a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
  poorly developed; 342,000 telephones in 1991 (also about 100,000
  unsatisfied applications for household telephones); 76 telephones per
  1,000 persons (31 December 1991); microwave radio relay is principal
  means of intercity telephone links; connections with other CIS
  countries by landline or microwave and with other countries by leased
  connections with Moscow international gateway switch and by satellite;
  2 satellite earth stations - 1 GORIZONT and 1 INTELSAT (links through
  Ankara to 200 other countries and receives Turkish broadcasts);
  broadcast receivers - radios 825,000, TVs 875,000, radio receiver
  systems with multiple speakers for program diffusion 748,000

@Kyrgyzstan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops), Civil
  Defense
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,123,959; fit for military service 912,516; reach
  military age (18) annually 44,528 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Laos, Geography

Location:
  Southeastern Asia, between Vietnam and Thailand
Map references:
  Southeast Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  236,800 sq km
land area:
  230,800 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Utah
Land boundaries:
  total 5,083 km, Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand
  1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  boundary dispute with Thailand
Climate:
  tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December
  to April)
Terrain:
  mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
Natural resources:
  timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
Land use:
arable land:
  4%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  3%
forest and woodland:
  58%
other:
  35%
Irrigated land:
  1,200 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion
natural hazards:
  subject to floods, drought, and blight
international agreements:
  party to - Environmental Modification, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but
  not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked

@Laos, People

Population:
  4,701,654 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.85% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.23 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  14.74 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  101.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  51.68 years
male:
  50.16 years
female:
  53.28 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.07 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Lao(s) or Laotian(s)
adjective:
  Lao or Laotian
Ethnic divisions:
  Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and
  other 15%
Religions:
  Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%
Languages:
  Lao (official), French, English
Literacy:
  age 15-45 can read and write (1993)
total population:
  64%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  1-1.5 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 85-90% (est.)

@Laos, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Lao People's Democratic Republic
conventional short form:
  Laos
local long form:
  Sathalanalat Paxathipatai Paxaxon Lao
local short form:
  none
Digraph:
  LA
Type:
  Communist state
Capital:
  Vientiane
Administrative divisions:
  16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality*
  (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai,
  Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang,
  Oudomxai, Phongsali, Saravan, Savannakhet, Xekong, Vientiane,
  Viangchan*, Xaignabouri, Xiangkhoang
Independence:
  19 July 1949 (from France)
National holiday:
  National Day, 2 December (1975) (proclamation of the Lao People's
  Democratic Republic)
Constitution:
  promulgated 14 August 1991
Legal system:
  based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President NOUHAK PHOUMSAVAN (since 25 November 1992)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Gen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August 1991)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers;  appointed by the president, approved by the
  Assembly
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Third National Assembly:
  elections last held on 20 December 1992 (next to be held NA); results
  - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (85 total) number of seats by
  party NA
Judicial branch:
  Supreme People's Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KHAMTAI Siphandon, party
  president; includes Lao Front for National Construction (LFNC); other
  parties moribund
Other political or pressure groups:
  non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders fled the country
  in 1975
Member of:
  ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
  LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador HIEM PHOMMACHANH
chancery:
  2222 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] or 6417
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Victor TOMSETH
embassy:
  Rue Bartholonie, Vientiane
mailing address:
  B. P. 114, Vientiane, or American Embassy, Box V, APO AP 96546
telephone:
  [851] 2220, 2357, or 3570, 16-9581
FAX:
  [851] 4675
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with
  a large white disk centered in the blue band

@Laos, Economy

Overview:
  Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government
  ownership and control of major productive enterprises. Since 1986,
  however, the government has been decentralizing control and
  encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a landlocked country with a
  primitive infrastructure; it has no railroads, a rudimentary road
  system, limited external and internal telecommunications, and
  electricity available in only a limited area. Subsistence agriculture
  is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of GDP and providing
  about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is rice. For
  the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its
  survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources;
  aid from the former USSR and Eastern Europe has been cut sharply.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $4.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  7% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
  $900 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.8% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  21% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $83 million
expenditures:
  $188.5 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (1990
  est.)
Exports:
  $133 million (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  electricity, wood products, coffee, tin
partners:
  Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, FSU, US, China
Imports:
  $266 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
  food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures
partners:
  Thailand, FSU, Japan, France, Vietnam, China
External debt:
  $1.1 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 12% (1991 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1991 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  226,000 kW
production:
  990 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  220 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  tin and gypsum mining, timber, electric power, agricultural
  processing, construction
Agriculture:
  accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force;
  subsistence farming predominates; normally self-sufficient in
  nondrought years; principal crops - rice (80% of cultivated land),
  sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton; livestock
  - buffaloes, hogs, cattle, poultry
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of cannabis, opium poppy for the international drug
  trade, third-largest opium producer (180 metric tons in 1993)
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $605
  million; Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million
Currency:
  1 new kip (NK) = 100 at
Exchange rates:
  new kips (NK) per US$1 - 720 (July 1993). 710 (May 1992), 710
  (December 1991), 700 (September 1990), 576 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Laos, Communications

Railroads:
  none
Highways:
total:
  27,527 km
paved:
  bituminous 1,856 km
unpaved:
  gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 7,451 km; unimproved earth
  18,220 km (often impassable during rainy season mid-May to
  mid-September)
Inland waterways:
  about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional
  kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
Pipelines:
  petroleum products 136 km
Ports:
  none
Merchant marine:
  1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,370 GRT/3,000 DWT
Airports:
total:
  53
usable:
  41
with permanent-surface runways:
  8
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  15
Telecommunications:
  service to general public practically non-existant; radio
  communications network provides generally erratic service to
  government users; 7,390 telephones (1986); broadcast stations - 10 AM,
  no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station

@Laos, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia
  elements), Air Force, National Police Department
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,015,357; fit for military service 547,566; reach
  military age (18) annually 49,348 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Latvia, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Europe, bordering on the Baltic Sea, between Sweden and Russia
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Asia, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  64,100 sq km
land area:
  64,100 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
  total 1,078 km, Belarus 141 km, Estonia 267 km, Lithuania 453 km,
  Russia 217 km
Coastline:
  531 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  the Abrene section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist
  Republic to Russia in 1944
Climate:
  maritime; wet, moderate winters
Terrain:
  low plain
Natural resources:
  minimal; amber, peat, limestone, dolomite
Land use:
arable land:
  27%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  13%
forest and woodland:
  39%
other:
  21%
Irrigated land:
  160 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues:
  air and water pollution because of a lack of waste conversion
  equipment; Gulf of Riga and Daugava River heavily polluted;
  contamination of soil and groundwater with chemicals and petroleum
  products at military bases
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified
  - Biodiversity, Climate Change

@Latvia, People

Population:
  2,749,211 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.5% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.84 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.61 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  3.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  21.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  69.44 years
male:
  64.37 years
female:
  74.75 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.98 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Latvian(s)
adjective:
  Latvian
Ethnic divisions:
  Latvian 51.8%, Russian 33.8%, Byelorussian 4.5%, Ukrainian 3.4%,
  Polish 2.3%, other 4.2%
Religions:
  Lutheran, Roman Catholic, Russian Orthodox
Languages:
  Lettish (official), Lithuanian, Russian, other
Literacy:
  age 9-49 can read and write (1970)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  1.407 million
by occupation:
  industry and construction 41%, agriculture and forestry 16%, other 43%
  (1990)

@Latvia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Latvia
conventional short form:
  Latvia
local long form:
  Latvijas Republika
local short form:
  Latvija
former:
  Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic
Digraph:
  LG
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Riga
Administrative divisions:
  26 counties (singular - rajons) and 7 municipalities*: Aizkraukles
  Rajons, Aluksnes Rajons, Balvu Rajons, Bauskas Rajons, Cesu Rajons,
  Daugavpils*, Daugavpils Rajons, Dobeles Rajons, Gulbenes Rajons,
  Jekabpils Rajons, Jelgava*, Jelgavas Rajons, Jurmala*, Kraslavas
  Rajons, Kuldigas Rajons, Leipaja*, Liepajas Rajons, Limbazu Rajons,
  Ludzas Rajons, Madonas Rajons, Ogres Rajons, Preiju Rajons, Rezekne*,
  Rezeknes Rajons, Riga*, Rigas Rajons, Saldus Rajons, Talsu Rajons,
  Tukuma Rajons, Valkas Rajons, Valmieras Rajons, Ventspils*, Ventspils
  Rajons
Independence:
  6 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 18 November (1918)
Constitution:
  newly elected Parliament in 1993 restored the 1933 constitution
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Guntis ULMANIS (since 7 July 1993); Saeima elected President
  ULMANIS in the third round of balloting on 7 July 1993
head of government:
  Prime Minister Valdis BIRKAVS (since 20 July 1993)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the Supreme Council
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Parliament (Saeima):
  elections last held 5-6 June 1993 (next to be held NA June 1996);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (100 total) LC 36, LNNK
  15, Concord for Latvia 13, LZS 12, Equal Rights 7, LKDS 6, TUB 6, DCP
  5
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Latvian Way Union (LC), Valdis BIRKAVS; Latvian Farmers Union (LZS),
  Alvars BERKIS; Latvian National Independence Movement (LNNK), Andrejs
  KRASTINS, Aristids LAMBERGS, cochairmen; Concord for Latvia, Janis
  JURKANS; Equal Rights, Sergejs DIMANIS; Christian Democrat Union
  (LKDS), Peteris CIMDINS, Andris SAULITIS, Janis RUSKO; Fatherland and
  Freedom (TUB), Maris GRINBLATS, Roberts MILBERGS, Oigerts DZENTIS;
  Democratic Center (DCP), Ints CALITIS; Popular Front of Latvia (LTF),
  Uldis AUGSTKALNS
Member of:
  BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE (guest), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM
  (observer), ITU, LORCS, NACC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO,
  WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ojars Eriks KALNINS
chancery:
  4325 17th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone:
  [phone] and 8214
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ints M, SILINS
embassy:
  Raina Boulevard 7, Riga 226050
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  46-9-882-0046
FAX:
  46-9-882-0047
Flag:
  two horizontal bands of maroon (top and bottom), white (middle,
  narrower than other two bands)

@Latvia, Economy

Overview:
  Latvia is rapidly becoming a dynamic market economy, rivaled only by
  Estonia among the former Soviet states in the speed of its
  transformation. The transition has been painful with GDP falling over
  45% in 1992-93, according to official statistics, and industrial
  production experiencing even steeper declines. Nevertheless, the
  government's tough monetary policies and reform program, which foster
  the development of the private sector and market mechanisms, have kept
  inflation low, created a dynamic private sector - much of which is not
  captured in official statistics - and expanded trade ties with the
  West. Much of agriculture is already privatized and the government
  plans to step up the pace of privatization of state enterprises. The
  economy is now poised for recovery and will benefit from the country's
  strategic location on the Baltic Sea, its well-educated population,
  and its diverse - albeit largely obsolete - industrial structure.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $13.2 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 Latvian statistics, which are very
  uncertain because of major economic changes since 1990)
National product real growth rate:
  -5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,810 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  2% per month (1993 average)
Unemployment rate:
  5.6% (December 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $429 million from non-FSU countries (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  oil products, timber, ferrous metals, dairy products, furniture,
  textiles
partners:
  Russia, other CIS countries, Western Europe
Imports:
  $NA
commodities:
  fuels, cars, ferrous metals, chemicals
partners:
  Russia, other CIS countries, Western Europe
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate -38% (1992 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  2,140,000 kW
production:
  5.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,125 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  employs 41% of labor force; highly diversified; dependent on imports
  for energy, raw materials, and intermediate products; produces buses,
  vans, street and railroad cars, synthetic fibers, agricultural
  machinery, fertilizers, washing machines, radios, electronics,
  pharmaceuticals, processed foods, textiles
Agriculture:
  employs 16% of labor force; principally dairy farming and livestock
  feeding; products - meat, milk, eggs, grain, sugar beets, potatoes,
  vegetables; fishing and fish packing
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for illicit drugs from Central and Southwest Asia
  and Latin America to Western Europe; limited producer of illicit
  opium; mostly for domestic consumption; also produces illicit
  amphetamines for export
Economic aid:
  $NA
Currency:
  1 lat = 100 cents; introduced NA March 1993
Exchange rates:
  lats per US$1 - 0.5917 (January 1994), 1.32 (March 1993)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Latvia, Communications

Railroads:
  2,400 km (1,524-mm gauge); 270 km electrified
Highways:
total:
  59,500 km
paved and graveled:
  33,000 km
unpaved:
  earth 26,500 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
  300 km perennially navigable
Pipelines:
  crude oil 750 km; refined products 780 km; natural gas 560 km (1992)
Ports:
  coastal - Riga, Ventspils, Liepaja; inland - Daugavpils
Merchant marine:
  93 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 850,840 GRT/1,107,403 DWT, cargo
  15, container 2, oil tanker 41, refrigerated cargo 27,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 8
Airports:
total:
  50
usable:
  15
with permanent-surface runways:
  11
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  7
with runways 1,060-2,439 m:
  7
note:
  a C-130 can land on a 1,060-m airstrip
Telecommunications:
  Latvia is better provided with telephone service than most of the
  other former Soviet republics; subscriber circuits 660,000; subscriber
  density 240 per 1,000 persons (1993); an NMT-450 analog cellular
  telephone network covers 75% of Latvia's population; international
  traffic carried by leased connection to the Moscow international
  gateway switch and through the new Ericsson AXE local/transit digital
  telephone exchange in Riga and through the Finnish cellular net;
  electronic mail capability by Sprint data network; broadcasting
  services NA

@Latvia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Security Forces (internal and border
  troops), Border Guard,  Home Guard (Zemessardze)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 652,444; fit for military service 514,055; reach
  military age (18) annually 18,803 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  176 million rubles, 3%-5% of GDP; note - conversion of the military
  budget into US dollars using the prevailing exchange rate could
  produce misleading results


@Lebanon

Header
Note:
  Lebanon has made progress toward rebuilding its political institutions
  and regaining its national sovereignty since the end of the
  devastating 16-year civil war in October 1990. Under the Ta'if accord
  - the blueprint for national reconciliation - the Lebanese have
  established a more equitable political system, particularly by giving
  Muslims a greater say in the political process. Since December 1990,
  the Lebanese have formed three cabinets and conducted the first
  legislative election in 20 years. Most of the militias have been
  weakened or disbanded. The Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) has seized vast
  quantities of weapons used by the militias during the war and extended
  central government authority over about one-half of the country.
  Hizballah, the radical Sh'ia party, retains most of its weapons.
  Foreign forces still occupy areas of Lebanon. Israel maintains troops
  in southern Lebanon and continues to support a proxy militia, The Army
  of South Lebanon (ASL), along a narrow stretch of territory contiguous
  to its border. The ASL's enclave encompasses this self-declared
  security zone and about 20 kilometers north to the strategic town of
  Jazzine. As of December 1993, Syria maintained about 30,000-35,000
  troops in Lebanon. These troops are based mainly in Beirut, North
  Lebanon, and the Bekaa Valley. Syria's deployment was legitimized by
  the Arab League early in Lebanon's civil war and in the Ta'if accord.
  Citing the continued weakness of the LAF, Beirut's requests, and
  failure of the Lebanese Government to implement all of the
  constitutional reforms in the Ta'if accord, Damascus has so far
  refused to withdraw its troops from Beirut.

@Lebanon, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, in the eastern Mediterranean Sea, between Israel and
  Syria
Map references:
  Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  10,400 sq km
land area:
  10,230 sq km
comparative area:
  about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
  total 454 km, Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Coastline:
  225 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in
  southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern, central,
  and eastern Lebanon since October 1976
Climate:
  Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers;
  Lebanon mountains experience heavy winter snows
Terrain:
  narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa' (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and
  Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Natural resources:
  limestone, iron ore, salt, water-surplus state in a water-deficit
  region
Land use:
arable land:
  21%
permanent crops:
  9%
meadows and pastures:
  1%
forest and woodland:
  8%
other:
  61%
Irrigated land:
  860 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; desertification; air and water pollution
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental
  Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine
  Life Conservation
Note:
  Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an
  international boundary; rugged terrain historically helped isolate,
  protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion,
  clan, and ethnicity

@Lebanon, People

Population:
  3,620,395 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.98% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  27.89 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.55 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -1.52 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  39.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  69.35 years
male:
  66.92 years
female:
  71.9 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  3.39 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Lebanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Lebanese
Ethnic divisions:
  Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Religions:
  Islam 70% (5 legally recognized Islamic groups - Alawite or Nusayri,
  Druze, Isma'ilite, Shi'a, Sunni), Christian 30% (11 legally recognized
  Christian groups - 4 Orthodox Christian, 6 Catholic, 1 Protestant),
  Judaism NEGL%
Languages:
  Arabic (official), French (official), Armenian, English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  80%
male:
  88%
female:
  73%
Labor force:
  650,000
by occupation:
  industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture 11%, government 10%
  (1985)

@Lebanon, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Lebanon
conventional short form:
  Lebanon
local long form:
  Al Jumhuriyah al Lubnaniyah
local short form:
  none
Digraph:
  LE
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Beirut
Administrative divisions:
  5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Biqa, 'Al Janub,
  Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
Independence:
  22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French
  administration)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Constitution:
  23 May 1926, amended a number of times
Legal system:
  mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no
  judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; compulsory for all males; authorized for women at age
  21 with elementary education
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989); note - by custom, the
  president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni
  Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi'a Muslim
head of government:
  Prime Minister Rafiq HARIRI (since 22 October 1992)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; chosen by the president in consultation with the members of
  the National Assembly
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly:
  (Arabic - Majlis Alnuwab, French - Assemblee Nationale) Lebanon's
  first legislative election in 20 years was held in the summer of 1992;
  the National Assembly is composed of 128 deputies, one-half Christian
  and one-half Muslim; its mandate expires in 1996
Judicial branch:
  four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases
  and one court for criminal cases)
Political parties and leaders:
  political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines;
  numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political
  figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic
  considerations
Member of:
  ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
  INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
  UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Riad TABBARAH
chancery:
  2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Mark HAMBLEY
mailing embassy:
  Antelias, Beirut
address:
  P. O. Box 70-840, PSC 815, Box 2, Beirut; FPO AE 09836-0002
telephone:
  [961] 417774 or 415802 through 415803, 402200, 403300
FAX:
  [961] (1) 407-112
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red
  with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band

@Lebanon, Economy

Overview:
  Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's economic
  infrastructure, cut national output by half, and all but ended
  Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub.
  Following October 1990, however, a tentative peace has enabled the
  central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect
  taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The
  battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound
  banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers.
  Family remittances, banking transactions, manufactured and farm
  exports, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are the
  main sources of foreign exchange. In the relatively settled year of
  1991, industrial production, agricultural output, and exports showed
  substantial gains. The further rebuilding of the war-ravaged country
  was delayed in 1992 because of an upturn in political wrangling. In
  October 1992, Rafiq HARIRI was appointed Prime Minister. HARIRI, a
  wealthy entrepreneur, has announced ambitious plans for Lebanon's
  reconstruction which involve a substantial influx of foreign aid and
  investment. Progress on restoring basic services is limited. Since
  Prime Minister HARIRI's appointment, the most significant improvement
  lies in the stabilization of the Lebanese pound, which had gained over
  30% in value by yearend 1993. The year 1993 was marked by efforts of
  the new administration to encourage domestic and foreign investment
  and to obtain additional international assistance.
National product:
  GDP - exchange rate conversion - $6.1 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  4.2% (1992)
National product per capita:
  $1,720 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  35% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  35% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $990 million
expenditures:
  $1.98 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $925 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious
  metals and jewelry, metals and metal products
partners:
  Saudi Arabia 21%, Switzerland 9.5%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 12%, US 5%
Imports:
  $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  Consumer goods, machinery and transport equipment, petroleum products
partners:
  Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
External debt:
  $700 million (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 25% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,300,000 kW
production:
  3.413 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  990 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals,
  jewelry, some metal fabricating
Agriculture:
  accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products - citrus
  fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep,
  goats; not self-sufficient in grain
Illicit drugs:
  illicit producer of hashish and heroin for the international drug
  trade; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, the Middle
  East, and North and South America; increasingly a key locus of cocaine
  processing and trafficking
Economic aid:
  aid for Lebanon's reconstruction programs currently totals $1.3
  billion since October 1992, including a $175 million loan from the
  World Bank
Currency:
  1 Lebanese pound (#L) = 100 piasters
Exchange rates:
  Lebanese pounds (#L) per US$1 - 1,713.00 (December 1993), 2,200.00
  (1992), 928.23 (1991), 695.09 (1990), 496.69 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Lebanon, Communications

Railroads:
  system in disrepair, considered inoperable
Highways:
total:
  7,300 km
paved:
  6,200 km
unpaved:
  gravel 450 km; improved earth 650 km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Ports:
  Beirut, Tripoli, Ra'Sil'ata, Juniyah, Sidon, Az Zahrani, Tyre, Jubayl,
  Shikka Jadidah
Merchant marine:
  63 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 268,268 GRT/399,054 DWT, bulk 4,
  cargo 39, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 1, container 2,
  livestock carrier 9, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2,
  specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 2, combination ore/oil 1
Airports:
total:
  9
usable:
  7
with permanent-surface runways:
  5
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  3
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  telecommunications system severely damaged by civil war; rebuilding
  still underway; 325,000 telephones (95 telephones per 1,000 persons);
  domestic traffic carried primarily by microwave radio relay and a
  small amount of cable; international traffic by satellite - 1 Indian
  Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station (erratic operations), coaxial cable to Syria; microwave radio
  relay to Syria but inoperable beyond Syria to Jordan, 3 submarine
  coaxial cables; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 3 FM, 13 TV (numerous AM
  and FM stations are operated sporadically by various factions)

@Lebanon, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF; including Army, Navy, and Air Force)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 827,267; fit for military service 514,291
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $271 million, 8.2% of GDP (1992 budget)


@Lesotho, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, an enclave of South Africa
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  30,350 sq km
land area:
  30,350 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
  total 909 km, South Africa 909 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
Terrain:
  mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains
Natural resources:
  water, agricultural and grazing land, some diamonds and other minerals
Land use:
arable land:
  10%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  66%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  24%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  population pressure forcing settlement in marginal areas results in
  overgrazing, severe soil erosion, soil exhaustion; desertification
natural hazards:
  subject to periods of drought
international agreements:
  party to - Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered
  Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping
Note:
  landlocked; surrounded by South Africa; Highlands Water Project will
  control, store, and redirect water to South Africa
Population:
  1,944,493 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.48% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  34 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.19 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  69.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  62.14 years
male:
  60.32 years
female:
  64.01 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.5 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Mosotho (singular), Basotho (plural)
adjective:
  Basotho
Ethnic divisions:
  Sotho 99.7%, Europeans 1,600, Asians 800
Religions:
  Christian 80%, rest indigenous beliefs
Languages:
  Sesotho (southern Sotho), English (official), Zulu, Xhosa
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1966)
total population:
  59%
male:
  44%
female:
  68%
Labor force:
  689,000 economically active
by occupation:
  86.2% of resident population engaged in subsistence agriculture;
  roughly 60% of active male labor force works in South Africa

@Lesotho, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Lesotho
conventional short form:
  Lesotho
former:
  Basutoland
Digraph:
  LT
Type:
  constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Maseru
Administrative divisions:
  10 districts; Berea, Butha-Buthe, Leribe, Mafeteng, Maseru, Mohale's
  Hoek, Mokhotlong, Qacha's Nek, Quthing, Thaba-Tseka
Independence:
  4 October 1966 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 4 October (1966)
Constitution:
  2 April 1993
Legal system:
  based on English common law and Roman-Dutch law; judicial review of
  legislative acts in High Court and Court of Appeal; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King LETSIE III (since 12 November 1990)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Ntsu MOKHEHLE (since 2 April 1993 )
cabinet:
  Cabinet
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament consisting of the Assembly or lower house whose
  members are chosen by popular election and the Senate or upper house
  whose members consist of the 22 principal chiefs and 10 other members
  appointed by the ruling party;  election held in March 1993 (first
  since 1971); all 65 seats in the Assembly were won by the BCP
Judicial branch:
  High Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  Basotho National Party (BNP), Evaristus SEKHONYANA; Basutholand
  Congress Party (BCP), Ntsu MOKHEHLE; National Independent Party (NIP),
  A. C. MANYELI; Marematlou Freedom Party (MFP), Vincent MALEBO; United
  Democratic Party, Charles MOFELI; Communist Party of Lesotho (CPL),
  Jacob M. KENA
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, ITU,
  LORCS, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
  WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Teboho KITLELI
chancery:
  2511 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 5536
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Karl HOFMANN
embassy:
  address NA, Maseru
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 333, Maseru 100, Lesotho
telephone:
  [266] 312-666
FAX:
  [266] 310-116
Flag:
  divided diagonally from the lower hoist side corner; the upper half is
  white bearing the brown silhouette of a large shield with crossed
  spear and club; the lower half is a diagonal blue band with a green
  triangle in the corner

@Lesotho, Economy

Overview:
  Small, landlocked, and mountainous, Lesotho has no important natural
  resources other than water. Its economy is based on agriculture, light
  manufacturing, and remittances from laborers employed in South Africa
  (recently equal to about 45% of GDP). The great majority of households
  gain their livelihoods from subsistence farming and migrant labor; a
  large portion of the adult male workforce is employed in South African
  mines. Manufacturing depends largely on farm products to support the
  milling, canning, leather, and jute industries; other industries
  include textile, clothing, and construction (in particular, a major
  water improvement project which will permit the sale of water to South
  Africa). Industry's share of GDP rose from 6% in 1982 to 13% in 1991.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.8 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  2.4% (FY 93)
National product per capita:
  $1,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  17% (FY93)
Unemployment rate:
  at least 55% among adult males (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $438 million
expenditures:
  $430 million, including capital expenditures of $155 million (1994
  est.)
Exports:
  $109 million (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  wool, mohair, wheat, cattle, peas, beans, corn, hides, skins, baskets
partners:
  South Africa 42%, EC 28%, North and South America 25% (1991)
Imports:
  $964 million (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  mainly corn, building materials, clothing, vehicles, machinery,
  medicines, petroleum
partners:
  South Africa 94%, Asia 3%, EC 1% (1991)
External debt:
  $428 million (1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
Electricity:
  power supplied by South Africa
Industries:
  food, beverages, textiles, handicrafts, tourism
Agriculture:
  accounts for 15% of GDP (1991 est.) and employs 60-70% of all
  households; exceedingly primitive, mostly subsistence farming and
  livestock; principal crops corn, wheat, pulses, sorghum, barley
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $268 million; US (1992),
  $10.3 million; US (1993 est.), $10.1 million; Western (non-US)
  countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $819 million;
  OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million; Communist countries
  (1970-89), $14 million
Currency:
  1 loti (L) = 100 lisente
Exchange rates:
  maloti (M) per US$1 - 3.4096 (January 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497
  (1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989); note - the
  Basotho loti is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Lesotho, Communications

Railroads:
  2.6 km; owned, operated by, and included in the statistics of South
  Africa
Highways:
total:
  7,215 km
paved:
  572 km
unpaved:
  gravel, stabilized earth 2,337 km; improved earth 1,806 km; unimproved
  earth 2,500 km (1988)
Airports:
total:
  28
usable:
  28
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:
  rudimentary system consisting of a few landlines, a small microwave
  system, and minor radio communications stations; 5,920 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 3 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
  station

@Lesotho, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Royal Lesotho Defense Force (RLDF; including Army, Air Wing), Royal
  Lesotho Mounted Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 438,096; fit for military service 236,324
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $55 million, 13% of GDP (1990 est.)


@Liberia, Geography

Location:
  Western Africa, bordering the North Pacific Ocean between Cote
  d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  111,370 sq km
land area:
  96,320 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Tennessee
Land boundaries:
  total 1,585 km, Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306
  km
Coastline:
  579 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold
  nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Terrain:
  mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and
  low mountains in northeast
Natural resources:
  iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold
Land use:
arable land:
  1%
permanent crops:
  3%
meadows and pastures:
  2%
forest and woodland:
  39%
other:
  55%
Irrigated land:
  20 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  West Africa's largest tropical rain forest, subject to deforestation;
  soil erosion; loss of biodiversity
natural hazards:
  dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution,
  Tropical Timber; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
  Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,
  Marine Life Conservation

@Liberia, People

Population:
  2,972,766 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.33% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.48 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.34 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  2.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  113.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  57.73 years
male:
  55.27 years
female:
  60.25 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.36 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Liberian(s)
adjective:
  Liberian
Ethnic divisions:
  indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru,
  Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella),
  Americo-Liberians 5% (descendants of repatriated slaves)
Religions:
  traditional 70%, Muslim 20%, Christian 10%
Languages:
  English 20% (official), Niger-Congo language group about 20 local
  languages come from this group
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  40%
male:
  50%
female:
  29%
Labor force:
  510,000 including 220,000 in the monetary economy
by occupation:
  agriculture 70.5%, services 10.8%, industry and commerce 4.5%, other
  14.2%
note:
  non-African foreigners hold about 95% of the top-level management and
  engineering jobs; 52% of population of working age

@Liberia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Liberia
conventional short form:
  Liberia
Digraph:
  LI
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Monrovia
Administrative divisions:
  13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand
  Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Independence:
  26 July 1847
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Constitution:
  6 January 1986
Legal system:
  dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for
  the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal
  practices for indigenous sector
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  Chairman of the Council of State David KPOMAKPOR (since March 1994);
  election last held on 15 October 1985 (next scheduled to be held
  September 1994); results - Gen. Dr. Samuel Kanyon DOE (NDPL) 50.9%,
  Jackson DOE (LAP) 26.4%, other 22.7%; note - President Doe was killed
  by rebel forces on 9 September 1990
cabinet:
  Cabinet; selected by the leaders of the major factions in the civil
  war
note:
  a transitional coalition government was formed as part of a July 1993
  Cotonou Peace Treaty negotiated under UN auspices by the leaders of
  the major factions in the civil war; elections now scheduled for
  September 1994
Legislative branch:
  unicameral Transitional Legislative Assembly, the members of which are
  appointed by the leaders of the major factions in the civil war
note:
  the former bicameral legislature no longer exists and there is no
  assurance that it will ever be reconstituted
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  National Democratic Party of Liberia (NDPL), Augustus CAINE, chairman;
  Liberian Action Party (LAP), Emmanuel KOROMAH, chairman; Unity Party
  (UP), Joseph KOFA, chairman; United People's Party (UPP), Gabriel
  Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman; National Patriotic Party (NPP), Charles
  TAYLOR, chairman; Liberian Peoples Party (LPP), Dusty WOLOKOLLIE,
  chairman
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
  IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
  INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
  WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Konah K. BLACKETT
chancery:
  5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone:
  [phone] through 0440
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d' Affaires William P. TWADDELL
embassy:
  111 United Nations Drive, Monrovia
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 100098, Mamba Point, Monrovia, or APO AE 09813
telephone:
  [231] 222991 through 222994
FAX:
  [231] 223710
Flag:
  11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with
  white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the
  upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag

@Liberia, Economy

Overview:
  Civil war since 1990 has destroyed much of Liberia's economy,
  especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Businessmen have
  fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Many will
  not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and
  a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and
  exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign
  owned, had been small in scope. Political instability threatens
  prospects for economic reconstruction and repatriation of some 750,000
  Liberian refugees who have fled to neighboring countries. The
  political impasse between the interim government and rebel leader
  Charles Taylor has prevented restoration of normal economic life,
  including the re-establishment of a strong central government with
  effective economic development programs.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.5% (1988)
National product per capita:
  $800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  12% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
  43% urban (1988)
Budget:
revenues:
  $242.1 million
expenditures:
  $435.4 million, including capital expenditures of $29.5 million (1989
  est.)
Exports:
  $505 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
  iron ore 61%, rubber 20%, timber 11%, coffee
partners:
  US, EC, Netherlands
Imports:
  $394 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.)
commodities:
  rice, mineral fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment,
  other foodstuffs
partners:
  US, EC, Japan, China, Netherlands, ECOWAS
External debt:
  $2.1 billion (September 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA% (1993-94); much industrial damage caused by factional
  warfare
Electricity:
capacity:
  410,000 kW
production:
  750 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  275 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture,
  palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds)
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 40% of GDP (including fishing and forestry);
  principal products - rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava,
  palm oil, sugarcane, bananas, sheep, goats; not self-sufficient in
  food, imports 25% of rice consumption
Illicit drugs:
  increasingly a transshipment point for heroin and cocaine
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $665 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $870
  million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $25 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $77 million
Currency:
  1 Liberian dollar (L$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Liberian dollars (L$) per US$1 - 1.00 (officially fixed rate since
  1940); unofficial parallel exchange rate of L$7 = US$1, January 1992
  (unofficial rate floats against the US dollar)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Liberia, Communications

Railroads:
  480 km total; 328 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 152 km 1.067-meter
  narrow gauge; all lines single track; rail systems owned and operated
  by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian
  Government
Highways:
total:
  10,087 km
paved:
  603 km
unpaved:
  gravel 5,171 km (includes 2323km of private roads of rubber and timber
  firms, open to the public); earth 4,313 km
Ports:
  Monrovia, Buchanan, Greenville, Harper (or Cape Palmas)
Merchant marine:
  1,595 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 56,923,236 GRT/97,692,316
  DWT, barge carrier 3, bulk 423, cargo 126, chemical 122, combination
  bulk 30, combination ore/oil 64, container 112, liquefied gas 67, oil
  tanker 468, passenger 32, refrigerated cargo 61, roll-on/roll-off
  cargo 19, short-sea passenger 2, specialized tanker 7, vehicle carrier
  59
note:
  a flag of convenience registry; all ships are foreign owned; the top 4
  owning flags are US 14%, Japan 13%, Norway 10%, and Hong Kong 8%
Airports:
total:
  59
usable:
  41
with permanent-surface runways:
  2
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  4
Telecommunications:
  telephone and telegraph service via radio relay network; main center
  is Monrovia; broadcast stations - 3 AM, 4 FM, 5 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT earth station; most telecommunications services inoperable
  due to insurgency movement

@Liberia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  the ultimate structure of the Liberian military force will depend on
  who is the victor in the ongoing civil war
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 707,927; fit for military service 377,950
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Libya, Geography

Location:
  Northern Africa, on the southern coast of the Mediterranean Sea,
  between Egypt and Tunisia
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  1,759,540 sq km
land area:
  1,759,540 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
  total 4,383 km, Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km, Niger
  354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline:
  1,770 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  12 nm
Gulf of Sidra closing line:
  32 degrees 30 minutes north
International disputes:
  the International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruled in February 1994 that
  the 100,000 sq km Aozou Strip between Chad and Libya belongs to Chad,
  and that Libya must withdraw from it by 31 May 1994; Libya had
  withdrawn its forces in response to the ICJ ruling, but as of June
  1994 still maintained an airfield in the disputed area; maritime
  boundary dispute with Tunisia; claims part of northern Niger and part
  of southeastern Algeria
Climate:
  Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain:
  mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus, depressions
Natural resources:
  petroleum, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  8%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  90%
Irrigated land:
  2,420 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  desertification; sparse natural surface-water resources; the Great
  Manmade River Project, the largest water development scheme in the
  world, is being built to bring water from large aquifers under the
  Sahara to coastal cities
natural hazards:
  hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one to four
  days in spring and fall
international agreements:
  party to - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection;
  signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the
  Sea

@Libya, People

Population:
  5,057,392 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.72% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  45.29 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.14 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  63.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  63.88 years
male:
  61.73 years
female:
  66.13 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.38 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Libyan(s)
adjective:
  Libyan
Ethnic divisions:
  Berber and Arab 97%, Greeks, Maltese, Italians, Egyptians, Pakistanis,
  Turks, Indians, Tunisians
Religions:
  Sunni Muslim 97%
Languages:
  Arabic, Italian, English, all are widely understood in the major
  cities
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  64%
male:
  75%
female:
  50%
Labor force:
  1 million (includes about 280,000 resident foreigners)
by occupation:
  industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%

@Libya, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
conventional short form:
  Libya
local long form:
  Al Jumahiriyah al Arabiyah al Libiyah ash Shabiyah al Ishirakiyah
local short form:
  none
Digraph:
  LY
Type:
  Jamahiriya (a state of the masses) in theory, governed by the populace
  through local councils; in fact, a military dictatorship
Capital:
  Tripoli
Administrative divisions:
  25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat); Ajdabiya, Al
  'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al
  Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,
  Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt,
  Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan
Independence:
  24 December 1951 (from Italy)
National holiday:
  Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Constitution:
  11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Legal system:
  based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate religious
  courts; no constitutional provision for judicial review of legislative
  acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu'ammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI (since 1
  September 1969)
head of government:
  Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abd al Majid
  al-Qa'ud (since 29 January 1994)
cabinet:
  General People's Committee; established by the General People's
  Congress
note:
  national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples'
  committees
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
General People's Congress:
  national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of peoples'
  committees
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  none
Other political or pressure groups:
  various Arab nationalist movements with almost negligible memberships
  may be functioning clandestinely, as well as some Islamic elements
Member of:
  ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
  IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
  IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
  UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  none
US diplomatic representation:
  none
Flag:
  plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the state
  religion)

@Libya, Economy

Overview:
  The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon revenues from
  the oil sector, which contributes practically all export earnings and
  about one-third of GDP. In 1990 per capita GDP was the highest in
  Africa at $5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and fluctuate
  sharply in response to changes in the world oil market. Import
  restrictions and inefficient resource allocations have led to
  shortages of basic goods and foodstuffs. Windfall revenues from the
  hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the foreign payments
  position and resulted in a current account surplus through 1992. The
  nonoil manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for about
  20% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly agricultural products
  to include petrochemicals, iron, steel, and aluminum. Although
  agriculture accounts for only 5% of GDP, it employs about 20% of the
  labor force. Climatic conditions and poor soils severely limit farm
  output, and Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements. The UN
  sanctions imposed in April 1992 have not yet had a major impact on the
  economy because Libya's oil revenues generate sufficient foreign
  exchange that, along with Libya's large currency reserves, sustain
  food and consumer goods imports as well as equipment for the oil
  industry and ongoing development projects.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $32 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $6,600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  6% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $8.1 billion
expenditures:
  $9.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989
  est.)
Exports:
  $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  crude oil, refined petroleum products, natural gas
partners:
  Italy, Germany, Spain, France, UK, Turkey, Greece, Egypt
Imports:
  $8.26 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
partners:
  Italy, Germany, UK, France, Spain, Turkey, Tunisia, Eastern Europe
External debt:
  $3.5 billion excluding military debt (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 10.5% (1990)
Electricity:
capacity:
  4,935,000 kW
production:
  14.385 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  2,952 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Agriculture:
  5% of GNP; cash crops - wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus fruits,
  peanuts; 75% of food is imported
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1970-87), $242 million
note:
  no longer a recipient
Currency:
  1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000 dirhams
Exchange rates:
  Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.3233 (January 1994), 0.3250 (1993),
  0.3013 (1992), 0.2684 (1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year
Railroads:
  Libya has had no railroad in operation since 1965, all previous
  systems having been dismantled; current plans are to construct a
  standard gauge (1.435 m) line from the Tunisian frontier to Tripoli
  and Misratah, then inland to Sabha, center of a mineral rich area, but
  there has been no progress; other plans made jointly with Egypt would
  establish a rail line from As Sallum, Egypt to Tobruk with completion
  set for mid-1994, progress unknown
Highways:
total:
  19,300 km
paved:
  bituminous 10,800 km
unpaved:
  gravel, earth 8,500 km
Inland waterways:
  none
Pipelines:
  crude oil 4,383 km; petroleum products 443 km (includes liquified
  petroleum gas 256 km); natural gas 1,947 km
Ports:
  Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's Lanuf,
  Ra's al Unif
Merchant marine:
  31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 690,703 GRT/1,211,184 DWT, cargo
  10, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas 2, oil tanker 10,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, short-sea passenger 4
Airports:
total:
  145
usable:
  132
with permanent-surface runways:
  57
with runways over 3,659 m:
  8
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  28
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  52
Telecommunications:
  modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial cable,
  tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite stations; 370,000
  telephones; broadcast stations - 17 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV; satellite earth
  stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14
  domestic; submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia
  and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT and
  Intersputnik satellite stations

@Libya, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriyah (including Army, Navy,
  Air and Air Defense Command)
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,094,052; fit for military service 649,976; reach
  military age (17) annually 52,723 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $3.3 billion, 15% of GDP (1989 est.)


@Liechtenstein, Geography

Location:
  Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
Map references:
  Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  160 sq km
land area:
  160 sq km
comparative area:
  about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
  total 78 km, Austria 37 km, Switzerland 41 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  claims 620 square miles of Czech territory confiscated from its royal
  family in 1918; the Czech Republic insists that restitution does not
  go back before February 1948, when the Communists seized power
Climate:
  continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to
  moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Terrain:
  mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Natural resources:
  hydroelectric potential
Land use:
arable land:
  25%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  38%
forest and woodland:
  19%
other:
  18%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Hazardous
  Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation

@Liechtenstein, People

Population:
  30,281 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.26% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.08 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.6 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  6.11 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:
  77.46 years
male:
  73.76 years
female:
  81.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.46 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Liechtensteiner(s)
adjective:
  Liechtenstein
Ethnic divisions:
  Alemannic 95%, Italian and other 5%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 87.3%, Protestant 8.3%, unknown 1.6%, other 2.8% (1988)
Languages:
  German (official), Alemannic dialect
Literacy:
  age 10 and over can read and write (1981)
total population:
  100%
male:
  100%
female:
  100%
Labor force:
  19,905 of which 11,933 are foreigners; 6,885 commute from Austria and
  Switzerland to work each day
by occupation:
  industry, trade, and building 53.2%, services 45%, agriculture,
  fishing, forestry, and horticulture 1.8% (1990)

@Liechtenstein, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Principality of Liechtenstein
conventional short form:
  Liechtenstein
local long form:
  Furstentum Liechtenstein
local short form:
  Liechtenstein
Digraph:
  LS
Type:
  hereditary constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Vaduz
Administrative divisions:
  11 communes (gemeinden, singular - gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen,
  Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen,
  Triesenberg, Vaduz
Independence:
  23 January 1719 (Imperial Principality of Liechtenstein established)
National holiday:
  Assumption Day, 15 August
Constitution:
  5 October 1921
Legal system:
  local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Prince Hans ADAM II (since 13 November 1989; assumed executive powers
  26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS von und zu Liechtenstein
  (born 11 June 1968)
head of government:
  Mario FRICK (since 15 December 1993); Deputy Head of Government Dr.
  Thomas BUECHEL (since 15 December 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; elected by the Diet; confirmed by the sovereign
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Diet (Landtag):
  elections last held on 24 October 1993 (next to be held by March
  1997); results - VU 50.1%, FBP 41.3%, FL 8.5%; seats - (25 total) VU
  13, FBP 11, FL 1
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Oberster Gerichtshof) for criminal cases, Superior
  Court (Obergericht) for civil cases
Political parties and leaders:
  Fatherland Union (VU), Dr. Otto HASLER; Progressive Citizens' Party
  (FBP), Emanuel VOGT; Free Electoral List (FL)
Member of:
  CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, IAEA, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS,
  UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  in routine diplomatic matters, Liechtenstein is represented in the US
  by the Swiss Embassy
US diplomatic representation:
  the US has no diplomatic or consular mission in Liechtenstein, but the
  US Consul General at Zurich (Switzerland) has consular accreditation
  at Vaduz
Flag:
  two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on
  the hoist side of the blue band

@Liechtenstein, Economy

Overview:
  The prosperous economy is based primarily on small-scale light
  industry and tourism. Industry accounts for 53% of total employment,
  the service sector 45% (mostly based on tourism), and agriculture and
  forestry 2%. The sale of postage stamps to collectors is estimated at
  $10 million annually. Low business taxes (the maximum tax rate is 20%)
  and easy incorporation rules have induced about 25,000 holding or
  so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in
  Liechtenstein. Such companies, incorporated solely for tax purposes,
  provide 30% of state revenues. The economy is tied closely to
  Switzerland's economy in a customs union, and incomes and living
  standards parallel those of the more prosperous Swiss groups.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $630 million (1990 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $22,300 (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  5.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
  1.5% (1990)
Budget:
revenues:
  $259 million
expenditures:
  $292 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Exports:
  $NA
commodities:
  small specialty machinery, dental products, stamps, hardware, pottery
partners:
  EFTA countries 20.9% (Switzerland 15.4%), EC countries 42.7%, other
  36.4% (1990)
Imports:
  $NA
commodities:
  machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles
partners:
  NA
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity:
  23,000 kW
production:
  150 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  5,230 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  electronics, metal manufacturing, textiles, ceramics, pharmaceuticals,
  food products, precision instruments, tourism
Agriculture:
  livestock, vegetables, corn, wheat, potatoes, grapes
Economic aid:
  none
Currency:
  1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or
  centesimi
Exchange rates:
  Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.4715 (January
  1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990),
  1.6359 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Liechtenstein, Communications

Railroads:
  18.5 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, electrified; owned, operated, and
  included in statistics of Austrian Federal Railways
Highways:
total:
  322.93 km
paved:
  322.93 km
Airports:
  none
Telecommunications:
  limited, but sufficient automatic telephone system; 25,400 telephones;
  linked to Swiss networks by cable and radio relay for international
  telephone, radio, and TV services

@Liechtenstein, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is responsibility of Switzerland