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

Text File | 1996-01-10 | 149.3 KB | 4,713 lines

@Slovenia, Geography

Location:
  Balkan State, Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, between
  Austria and Croatia
Map references:
  Ethnic Groups in Eastern Europe, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the
  World
Area:
total area:
  20,296 sq km
land area:
  20,296 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  total 1,045 km, Austria 262 km, Croatia 501 km, Italy 199 km, Hungary
  83 km
Coastline:
  32 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  dispute with Croatia over fishing rights in the Adriatic and over some
  border areas; the border issue is currently under negotiation
Climate:
  Mediterranean climate on the coast, continental climate with mild to
  hot summers and cold winters in the plateaus and valleys to the east
Terrain:
  a short coastal strip on the Adriatic, an alpine mountain region
  adjacent to Italy, mixed mountain and valleys with numerous rivers to
  the east
Natural resources:
  lignite coal, lead, zinc, mercury, uranium, silver
Land use:
arable land:
  10%
permanent crops:
  2%
meadows and pastures:
  20%
forest and woodland:
  45%
other:
  23%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  Sava River polluted with domestic and industrial waste; heavy metals
  and toxic chemicals along coastal waters; forest damage near Koper
  from air pollution originating at metallurgical and chemical plants
natural hazards:
  subject to flooding and earthquakes
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution; signed, but not
  ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

@Slovenia, People

Population:
  1,972,227 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.23% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  11.81 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.5 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  8.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  74.36 years
male:
  70.49 years
female:
  78.44 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.67 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Slovene(s)
adjective:
  Slovenian
Ethnic divisions:
  Slovene 91%, Croat 3%, Serb 2%, Muslim 1%, other 3%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 96% (including 2% Uniate), Muslim 1%, other 3%
Languages:
  Slovenian 91%, Serbo-Croatian 7%, other 2%
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  786,036
by occupation:
  agriculture 2%, manufacturing and mining 46%

@Slovenia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Slovenia
conventional short form:
  Slovenia
local long form:
  Republika Slovenije
local short form:
  Slovenija
Digraph:
  SI
Type:
  emerging democracy
Capital:
  Ljubljana
Administrative divisions:
  60 provinces (pokajine, singular - pokajina) Ajdovscina, Brezice,
  Celje, Cerknica, Crnomelj, Dravograd, Gornja Radgona, Grosuplje,
  Hrastnik Lasko, Idrija, Ilirska Bistrica, Izola, Jesenice, Kamnik,
  Kocevje, Koper, Kranj, Krsko, Lenart, Lendava, Litija,
  Ljubljana-Bezigrad, Ljubljana-Center, Ljubljana-Moste-Polje,
  Ljubljana-Siska, Ljubljana-Vic-Rudnik, Ljutomer, Logatec, Maribor,
  Metlika, Mozirje, Murska Sobota, Nova Gorica, Novo Mesto, Ormoz,
  Pesnica, Piran, Postojna, Ptuj, Radlje Ob Dravi, Radovljica, Ravne Na
  Koroskem, Ribnica, Ruse, Sentjur Pri Celju, Sevnica, Sezana, Skofja
  Loka, Slovenj Gradec, Slovenska Bistrica, Slovenske Konjice, Smarje
  Pri Jelsah, Tolmin, Trbovlje, Trebnje, Trzic, Velenje, Vrhnika,
  Zagorje Ob Savi, Zalec
Independence:
  25 June 1991 (from Yugoslavia)
National holiday:
  Statehood Day, 25 June (1991)
Constitution:
  adopted 23 December 1991, effective 23 December 1991
Legal system:
  based on civil law system
Suffrage:
  16 years of age, if employed;  18 years of age, universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Milan KUCAN (since 22 April 1990); election last held 6
  December 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results - Milan KUCAN
  reelected by direct popular vote
head of government:
  Prime Minister Janez DRNOVSEK (since 14 May 1992); Deputy Prime
  Minister Lojze PETERLE (since NA)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
  bicameral National Assembly
State Assembly:
  elections last held 6 December 1992 (next to be held NA 1996); results
  - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (total 90) LDS 22, SKD 15,
  United List (former Communists and allies) 14, Slovene National Party
  12, SLS 10, Democratic Party 6, ZS 5, SDSS 4, Hungarian minority 1,
  Italian minority 1
State Council:
  will become operational after next election in 1996; in the election
  of 6 December 1992 40 members were elected to represent local and
  socioeconomic interests
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Slovene Christian Democrats (SKD), Lozje PETERLE, chairman; Liberal
  Democratic (LDS), Janez DRNOVSEK, chairman; Social-Democratic Party of
  Slovenia (SDSS), Joze PUCNIK, chairman; Socialist Party of Slovenia
  (SSS), Viktor ZAKELJ, chairman; Greens of Slovenia (ZS), Dusan PLUT,
  chairman; National Democratic, Rajko PIRNAT, chairman; Democratic
  Peoples Party, Marjan PODOBNIK, chairman; Reformed Socialists (former
  Communist Party), Ciril RIBICIC, chairman; United List (former
  Communists and allies); Slovene National Party, leader NA; Democratic
  Party, Igor BAVCAR; Slovene People's Party (SLS), Ivan OMAN
note:
  parties have changed as of the December 1992 elections
Other political or pressure groups:
  none
Member of:
  CCC, CE, CEI, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
  IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU,
  NAM (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ernest PETRIC
chancery:
  1525 New Hampshir Avenue NW, Washington, DC, 20036
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador E. Allan WENDT
embassy:
  P.O. Box 254, Prazakova 4, 61000 Ljubljana
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  [386] (61) 301-427/472/485
FAX:
  [386] (61) 301-401
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red with the
  Slovenian seal (a shield with the image of Triglav in white against a
  blue background at the center, beneath it are two wavy blue lines
  depicting seas and rivers, and around it, there are three six-sided
  stars arranged in an inverted triangle); the seal is located in the
  upper hoist side of the flag centered in the white and blue bands

@Slovenia, Economy

Overview:
  Slovenia was by far the most prosperous of the former Yugoslav
  republics, with a per capita income more than twice the Yugoslav
  average, indeed not far below the levels in neighboring Austria and
  Italy. Because of its strong ties to Western Europe and the small
  scale of damage during its brief fight for independence from
  Yugoslavia, Slovenia has the brightest prospects among the former
  Yugoslav republics for economic recovery over the next few years. The
  dissolution of Yugoslavia, however, has led to severe short-term
  dislocations in production, employment, and trade ties. For example,
  overall industrial production has fallen 26% since 1990; particularly
  hard hit have been the iron and steel, machine-building, chemical, and
  textile industries. Meanwhile, the continued fighting in other former
  Yugoslav republics has led to further destruction of long-established
  trade channels and to an influx of tens of thousands of Croatian and
  Bosnian refugees. The key program for breaking up and privatizing
  major industrial firms was established in late 1992. Despite slow
  progress in privatization Slovenia has reasonable prospects for an
  upturn in 1994. Bright spots for encouraging Western investors are
  Slovenia's comparatively well-educated work force, its developed
  infrastructure, and its Western business attitudes, but instability in
  Croatia is a deterrent. Slovenia in absolute terms is a small economy,
  and a little Western investment would go a long way.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $15 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  0% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $7,600 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  22.9% (1993)
Unemployment rate:
  15.5% (1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $5.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment 38%, other manufactured goods 44%,
  chemicals 9%, food and live animals 4.6%, raw materials 3%, beverages
  and tobacco less than 1% (1992)
partners:
  Germany 27%, Croatia 14%, Italy 13%, France 9% (1992)
Imports:
  $5.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and transport equipment 35%, other manufactured goods 26.7%,
  chemicals 14.5%, raw materials 9.4%, fuels and lubricants 7%, food and
  live animals 6% (1992)
partners:
  Germany 23%, Croatia 14%, Italy 14%, France 8%, Austria 8% (1992)
External debt:
  $1.9 billion
Industrial production:
  growth rate -2.8% (1993); accounts for 30% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  2,900,000 kW
production:
  10 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  5,090 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  ferrous metallurgy and rolling mill products, aluminum reduction and
  rolled products, lead and zinc smelting, electronics (including
  military electronics), trucks, electric power equipment, wood
  products, textiles, chemicals, machine tools
Agriculture:
  accounts for 5% of GDP; dominated by stock breeding (sheep and cattle)
  and dairy farming; main crops - potatoes, hops, hemp, flax; an export
  surplus in these commodities; Slovenia must import many other
  agricultural products and has a negative overall trade balance in this
  sector
Illicit drugs:
  NA
Economic aid:
  $NA
Currency:
  1 tolar (SlT) = 100 stotins
Exchange rates:
  tolars (SIT) per US$1 - 112 (June 1993), 28 (January 1992)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Slovenia, Communications

Railroads:
  1,200 km, 1.435 m gauge (1991)
Highways:
total:
  14,553 km
paved:
  10,525 km
unpaved:
  gravel 4,028 km
Inland waterways:
  NA
Pipelines:
  crude oil 290 km; natural gas 305 km
Ports:
  coastal - Koper
Merchant marine:
  19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 309,502 GRT/521,997 DWT
  controlled by Slovenian owners, bulk 13, cargo 6
note:
  most under the flag of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; no ships
  remain under the Slovenian flag
Airports:
total:
  14
usable:
  13
with permanent-surface runways:
  6
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  2
Telecommunications:
  130,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 6 AM, 5 FM, 7 TV; 370,000
  radios; 330,000 TVs

@Slovenia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Slovene Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 513,885; fit for military service 411,619; reach
  military age (19) annually 15,157 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  13.5 billion tolars, 4.5% of GDP (1993); note - conversion of the
  military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could
  produce misleading results


@Solomon Islands, Geography

Location:
  Oceania, Melanesia, just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific
  Ocean
Map references:
  Oceania, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  28,450 sq km
land area:
  27,540 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  5,313 km
Maritime claims:
  measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
Terrain:
  mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
Natural resources:
  fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel
Land use:
arable land:
  1%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  1%
forest and woodland:
  93%
other:
  4%
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; limited arable land
natural hazards:
  subject to typhoons, but they are rarely destructive; geologically
  active region with frequent earth tremors
international agreements:
  party to - Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
  Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling; signed, but not
  ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean

@Solomon Islands, People

Population:
  385,811 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.43% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  38.93 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  4.63 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  27.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  70.48 years
male:
  68.05 years
female:
  73.03 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  5.73 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Solomon Islander(s)
adjective:
  Solomon Islander
Ethnic divisions:
  Melanesian 93%, Polynesian 4%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%,
  Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
Religions:
  Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United
  (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other
  Protestant 5%
Languages:
  Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca, English
  spoken by 1%-2% of population
note:
  120 indigenous languages
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  23,448 economically active
by occupation:
  agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%, services 25%, construction,
  manufacturing, and mining 7.0%, commerce, transport, and finance 4.7%
  (1984)

@Solomon Islands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Solomon Islands
former:
  British Solomon Islands
Digraph:
  BP
Type:
  parliamentary democracy
Capital:
  Honiara
Administrative divisions:
  7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel,
  Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western
Independence:
  7 July 1978 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
Constitution:
  7 July 1978
Legal system:
  common law
Suffrage:
  21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor
  General Sir George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously acted as
  governor general since 7 July 1988)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Francis Billy HILLY (since June 1993); Deputy Prime
  Minister Francis SAEMALA (since June 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime
  minister from members of parliament
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Parliament:
  elections last held NA May 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results -
  percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) National Unity Group
  21, PAP 8, National Action Party 6, LP 4, UP 3, Christian Fellowship
  2, NFP 1, independents 2
Judicial branch:
  High Court
Political parties and leaders:
  People's Alliance Party (PAP); United Party (UP), leader NA; Solomon
  Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew ULUFA'ALU; Nationalist Front
  for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU;
  National Action Party, leader NA; Christian Fellowship, leader NA;
  National Unity Group, Solomon MAMALONI
Member of:
  ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
  IMO, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU, LORCS, SPARTECA, SPC,
  SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); ambassador traditionally resides in Honiara (Solomon
  Islands)
US diplomatic representation:
  embassy closed July 1993; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is
  accredited to the Solomon Islands
Flag:
  divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side
  corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white
  five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is
  green

@Solomon Islands, Economy

Overview:
  The bulk of the population depend on subsistence agriculture, fishing,
  and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured
  goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in
  undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold.
  The economy suffered from a severe cyclone in mid-1986 that caused
  widespread damage to the infrastructure. In 1993, the government was
  working with the IMF to develop a structural adjustment program to
  address the country's fiscal deficit.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $900 million (1991 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.8% (1991 est.)
National product per capita:
  $2,500 (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  13% (1992 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $48 million
expenditures:
  $107 million, including capital expenditures of $45 million (1991
  est.)
Exports:
  $84 million (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
  fish 46%, timber 31%, palm oil 5%, cocoa, copra
partners:
  Japan 39%, UK 23%, Thailand 9%, Australia 5%, US 2% (1991)
Imports:
  $110 million (c.i.f., 1991)
commodities:
  plant and machinery manufactured goods, food and live animals, fuel
partners:
  Australia 34%, Japan 16%, Singapore 14%, NZ 9%
External debt:
  $128 million (1988 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -3.8% (1991 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  21,000 kW
production:
  39 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  115 kWh (1990)
Industries:
  copra, fish (tuna)
Agriculture:
  including fishing and forestry, accounts for 31% of GDP; mostly
  subsistence farming; cash crops - cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm
  kernels, timber; other products - rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit,
  cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient in food grains; 90% of the total
  fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported (1988)
Economic aid:
recipient:
  Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
  (1980-89), $250 million
Currency:
  1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1 - 3.2383 (November 1993),
  2.9281 (1992), 2.7148 (1991), 2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Solomon Islands, Communications

Highways:
total:
  1,300 km
paved:
  30 km
unpaved:
  gravel 290 km; earth 980 km
note:
  in addition, there are 800 km of private logging and plantation roads
  of varied construction (1982)
Ports:
  Honiara, Ringi Cove
Airports:
total:
  31
usable:
  30
with permanent-surface runways:
  2
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  4
Telecommunications:
  3,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific
  Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Solomon Islands, Defense Forces

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


@Somalia, Geography

Location:
  Eastern Africa, bordering the northwestern Indian Ocean, south of the
  Arabian Peninsula
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  637,660 sq km
land area:
  627,340 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
  total 2,366 km, Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,626 km, Kenya 682 km
Coastline:
  3,025 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  200 nm
International disputes:
  southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional
  Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden
Climate:
  desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), cooler southwest
  monsoon (May to October); irregular rainfall; hot, humid periods
  (tangambili) between monsoons
Terrain:
  mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
Natural resources:
  uranium and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum,
  bauxite, copper, salt
Land use:
arable land:
  2%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  46%
forest and woodland:
  14%
other:
  38%
Irrigated land:
  1,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  use of contaminated water contributes to health problems;
  deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
natural hazards:
  recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Law of the Sea; signed, but not
  ratified - Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban
Note:
  strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab
  el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal

@Somalia, People

Population:
  6,666,873 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.24% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  45.97 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  13.53 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  125.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  54.75 years
male:
  54.49 years
female:
  55.01 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  7.25 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Somali(s)
adjective:
  Somali
Ethnic divisions:
  Somali 85%, Bantu, Arabs 30,000, Europeans 3,000, Asians 800
Religions:
  Sunni Muslim
Languages:
  Somali (official), Arabic, Italian, English
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  24%
male:
  36%
female:
  14%
Labor force:
  2.2 million (very few are skilled laborers)
by occupation:
  pastoral nomad 70%, agriculture, government, trading, fishing,
  handicrafts, and other 30%
note:
  53% of population of working age (1985)

@Somalia, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Somalia
former:
  Somali Republic
Digraph:
  SO
Type:
  none
Capital:
  Mogadishu
Administrative divisions:
  18 regions (plural - NA, singular - gobolka); Awdal, Bakool, Banaadir,
  Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose,
  Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Sool,
  Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
Independence:
  1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became
  independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which
  became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1
  July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
National holiday:
  NA
Constitution:
  25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
Legal system:
  NA
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
  Somalia has no functioning government; presidential elections last
  held 23 December 1986 (next to be held NA); results - President SIAD
  was reelected without opposition
Legislative branch:
  unicameral People's Assembly
People's Assembly (Golaha Shacbiga):
  elections last held 31 December 1984 (next to be held NA); results -
  SRSP was the only party; seats - (177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171;
  note - the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Maj. Gen.
  Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the provisional government has
  promised that a democratically elected government will be established
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (non-functioning)
Political parties and leaders:
  the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the former regime on 27
  January 1991; formerly the only party was the Somali Revolutionary
  Socialist Party (SRSP), headed by former President and Commander in
  Chief of the Army Maj. Gen. Mohamed SIAD Barre
Other political or pressure groups:
  numerous clan and subclan factions are currently vying for power
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB,
  IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM
  (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
  UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
  Somalian Embassy ceased operations on 8 May 1991
US diplomatic representation:
  the US Embassy in Mogadishu was evacuated and closed indefinitely in
  January 1991; United States Liaison Office (USLO) opened in December
  1992
Flag:
  light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; design
  based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN trust
  territory)

@Somalia, Economy

Overview:
  One of the world's poorest and least developed countries, Somalia has
  few resources. Moreover, much of the economy has been devastated by
  the civil war. Agriculture is the most important sector, with
  livestock accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export
  earnings. Nomads and seminomads who are dependent upon livestock for
  their livelihoods make up more than half of the population. Crop
  production generates only 10% of GDP and employs about 20% of the work
  force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are
  grown for the domestic market. The small industrial sector is based on
  the processing of agricultural products and accounts for less than 10%
  of GDP. Greatly increased political turmoil in 1991-93 has resulted in
  a substantial drop in output, with widespread famine.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $3.4 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  NA%
National product per capita:
  $500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  210% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
  NA%
Budget:
revenues:
  $NA
expenditures:
  $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports:
  $58 million (1990 est.)
commodities:
  bananas, live animals, fish, hides
partners:
  Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986)
Imports:
  $249 million (1990 est.)
commodities:
  petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials
partners:
  US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
External debt:
  $1.9 billion (1989)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0% (1990); accounts for 4% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  former 75,000 kW is almost completely shut down by the destruction of
  the civil war; UN, relief organizations, and foreign military units in
  Somalia use their own portable power systems
production:
  NA
consumption per capita:
  NA
Industries:
  a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum
  refining; probably shut down by the widespread destruction during the
  civil war
Agriculture:
  dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep, goats);
  crops - bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not
  self-sufficient in food; distribution of food disrupted by civil
  strife; fishing potential largely unexploited
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $639 million; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $3.8
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $336 million
Currency:
  1 Somali shilling (So. Sh.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1 - 2,616 (1 July 1993), 4,200
  (December 1992), 3,800.00 (December 1990), 490.7 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Somalia, Communications

Highways:
total:
  22,500 km
paved:
  2,700 km
unpaved:
  gravel 3,000 km; improved, stabilized earth 16,800 km (1992)
Pipelines:
  crude oil 15 km
Ports:
  Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu (Kismaayo), Bender Cassim (Boosaaso)
Merchant marine:
  2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,554 GRT/6,892 DWT, cargo 1,
  refrigerated cargo 1
Airports:
total:
  76
usable:
  59
with permanent-surface runways:
  8
with runways over 3,659 m:
  2
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  6
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  24
Telecommunications:
  the public telecommunications system was completely destroyed or
  dismantled by the civil war factions; all relief organizations depend
  on their own private systems (1993)

@Somalia, Defense Forces

Branches:
  NA
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,630,864; fit for military service 915,368
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@South Africa, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, at the extreme southern tip of the continent
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  1,219,912 sq km
land area:
  1,219,912 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly less than twice the size of Texas
note:
  includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward
  Island)
Land boundaries:
  total 4,750 km, Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km,
  Namibia 855 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline:
  2,798 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  the dispute with Namibia over Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands has
  been resolved and these territories were transferred to Namibian
  sovereignty on 1 March 1994; Swaziland has asked South Africa to open
  negotiations on reincorporating some nearby South African territories
  that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were long ago part of the
  Swazi Kingdom
Climate:
  mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights
Terrain:
  vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain
Natural resources:
  gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel,
  phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium,
  salt, natural gas
Land use:
arable land:
  10%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  65%
forest and woodland:
  3%
other:
  21%
Irrigated land:
  11,280 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water
  conservation and control measures; growth in water usage threatens to
  outpace supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban
  discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion;
  desertification
natural hazards:
  subject to prolonged droughts
international agreements:
  party to - Antarctic Treaty, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping,
  Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
  Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified -
  Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of
  the Sea
Note:
  South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely
  surrounds Swaziland

@South Africa, People

Population:
  43,930,631 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.62% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  33.58 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  7.53 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.16 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  47.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  65.11 years
male:
  62.37 years
female:
  67.94 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  4.37 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  South African(s)
adjective:
  South African
Ethnic divisions:
  black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions:
  Christian (most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks), Hindu
  (60% of Indians), Muslim 2%
Languages:
  eleven official languages, including Afrikaans, English, Ndebele,
  Pedi, Sotho, Swati, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980)
total population:
  76%
male:
  78%
female:
  75%
Labor force:
  13.4 million economically active (1990)
by occupation:
  services 35%, agriculture 30%, industry 20%, mining 9%, other 6%

@South Africa, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of South Africa
conventional short form:
  South Africa
Abbreviation:
  RSA
Digraph:
  SF
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative);  Bloemfontein
  (judicial)
Administrative divisions:
  9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Eastern Transvaal, Kwa Zulu/Natal, Northern
  Cape, Northern Transvaal, Northwest, Orange Free State,
  Pretoria-Witwatersrand-Vereeniging, Western Cape
note:
  previously the administrative divisions consisted of 4 provinces;
  Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there were 10 homelands not
  recognized by the US - 4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei,
  Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele,
  KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)
Independence:
  31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Republic Day, 31 May (1910)
Constitution:
  27 April 1994 (interim constitution, replacing the constitution of 3
  September 1984)
Legal system:
  based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory
  ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  Executive President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994); Deputy
  Executive President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 10 May 1994); Deputy
  Executive President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994)
note:
  any political party that wins 20% or more of the National Assembly
  votes in a general election is entitled to name a Deputy Executive
  President
cabinet:
  Cabinet appointed by the Executive President
Legislative branch:
  bicameral
National Assembly:
  elections held 26-29 April 1994 (next to be held NA); results - ANC
  62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF 2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%,
  other 0.9%; seats - (400 total) ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7,
  PAC 5, ACDP 2
Senate:
  the Senate is composed of members who are nominated by the nine
  provincial parliaments (which are elected in parallel with the
  National Assembly) and has special powers to protect regional
  interests, including the right to limited self-determination for
  ethnic minorities; seats - (90 total) ANC 61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
note:
  when the National Assembly meets in joint session with the Senate to
  consider the provisions of the Constitution, the combined group is
  referred to as the Constitutional Assembly
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  African National Congress (ANC), Cyril RAMAPHOSA; National Party (NP),
  Frederik W. DE KLERK, president; Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP),
  Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI, president; Freedom Front (FF), Constand VILJOEN,
  president; Democratic Party (DP); Pan Africanist Congress (PAC),
  Clarence MAKWETU, president; African Christian Democratic Party (ACDP)
note:
  in addition to these seven parties which won seats in the National
  Assembly, twelve other parties won votes in the national elections in
  April 1994
Other political or pressure groups:
  NA;;
Member of:
  BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO (suspended), ICC, IDA,
  IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU (suspended), LORCS, OAU, SACU, UN,
  UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended), ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Harry Heinz SCHWARZ
chancery:
  3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Princeton N. LYMAN
embassy:
  877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083
mailing address:
  P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001
telephone:
  [27] (12) 342-1048
FAX:
  [27] (12) 342-2244 or 2299
consulate(s) general:
  Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag:
  two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a
  central green band which splits into a horozontal Y, the arms of which
  end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a black isoceles
  triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the
  red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by
  narrow white stripes
note:
  prior to 26 April 1994 the flag was actually four flags in one - three
  miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the
  former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands
  of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically
  hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of
  the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old
  Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

@South Africa, Economy

Overview:
  Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy
  incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal
  to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining
  population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World,
  including unemployment and lack of job skills. The main strength of
  the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide
  two-thirds of exports. Economic developments for the remainder of the
  1990s will be driven largely by the new government's attempts to
  improve black living conditions and to set the country on an
  aggressive export-led growth path. The shrinking economy in recent
  years has absorbed less than 5% of the more than 300,000 workers
  entering the labor force annually. Local economists estimate that the
  economy must grow between 5% and 6% in real terms annually to absorb
  all of the new entrants.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $171 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1.1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $4,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  9.7% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  50% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $26.3 billion
expenditures:
  $34 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.5 billion (FY94
  est.)
Exports:
  $24.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  gold 27%, other minerals and metals 20-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3%
partners:
  Italy, Japan, US, Germany, UK, other EC countries, Hong Kong
Imports:
  $18.1 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles,
  scientific instruments
partners:
  Germany, US, Japan, UK, Italy
External debt:
  $17 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate NA%; accounts for about 40% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  46,000,000 kW
production:
  180 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  4,100 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium),
  automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel,
  chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified
  agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products - cattle, poultry,
  sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables;
  self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment center of heroin and cocaine; cocaine consumption on the
  rise
Economic aid:
  many aid packages for the new government are still being prepared;
  current aid pledges include US $600 million over 3 years; UK $150
  million over 3 years; Australia $21 million over 3 years
Currency:
  1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  rand (R) per US$1 - 3.4551 (March 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497 (1992),
  2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@South Africa, Communications

Railroads:
  20,638 km route distance total; 20,324 km of 1.067-meter gauge
  trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km
  of 610 mm gauge; substantial electrification of 1.067 meter gauge
Highways:
total:
  188,309 km
paved:
  54,013 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone, gravel, improved earth 134,296 km
Pipelines:
  crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; natural gas 322 km
Ports:
  Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai
Merchant marine:
  5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 213,273 GRT/201,043 DWT,
  container 4, vehicle carrier 1
Airports:
total:
  886
usable:
  718
with permanent-surface runways:
  140
with runways over 3,659 m:
  5
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  10
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  213
Telecommunications:
  the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest
  capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines,
  coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and
  radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town,
  Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; over 4,500,000
  telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine
  cable; satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2
  Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

@South Africa, Defense Forces

Branches:
  the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) includes Army, Navy,
  Air Force, and Medical Services of the former South Africa, the armed
  forces of the former homelands, and the ANC and PAC military
  components; the initial strength of the SANDF has been set at about
  100,000 active duty members with plans to reduce it to about 40,000 by
  1997; it is manned mostly by nonwhites, but the higher officer grades
  are held by whites; the South African Police (SAP) have incorporated
  the police forces of the former homelands since the elections of 1994;
  a National Peacekeeping Force (NPKF) to ensure peaceful proceedures
  during the 1994 elections was established briefly from the military
  components of the principal political factions, but was dissolved on 2
  June 1994, following the elections.
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 10,557,346; fit for military service 6,437,240; reach
  military age (18) annually 431,832 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $2.9 billion, about 2.5% of GDP (FY93
  budget)


@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands

Header
Affiliation:
  (dependent territory of the UK)

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Geography

Location:
  Southern South America, in the South Atlantic Ocean, off the south
  Argentine coast, southeast of the Falkland Islands
Map references:
  Antarctic Region
Area:
total area:
  4,066 sq km
land area:
  4,066 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Rhode Island
note:
  includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  NA km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina
Climate:
  variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed
  with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Terrain:
  most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and
  mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep,
  glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic
  origin with some active volcanoes
Natural resources:
  fish
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse
  vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
Irrigated land:
  0 sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide
  good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on
  South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to
  approach the South Sandwich Islands

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, People

Population:
  no indigenous population; there is a small military garrison on South
  Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on
  Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form:
  none
Digraph:
  SX
Type:
  dependent territory of the UK
Capital:
  none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
Administrative divisions:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
Independence:
  none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday:
  Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Constitution:
  3 October 1985
Legal system:
  English common law
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by
  Commissioner David Everard TATHAM (since August 1992; resident at
  Stanley, Falkland Islands)
Legislative branch:
  no elections
Judicial branch:
  none

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Economy

Overview:
  Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential
  source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands
  receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.
Budget:
revenues:
  $291,777
expenditures:
  $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  900 kW
production:
  2 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  NA (1992)

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Communications

Highways:
total:
  NA
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Ports:
  Grytviken on South Georgia
Airports:
total:
  5
usable:
  5
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:
  0
Telecommunications:
  coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations

@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Defense Forces

Note:
  defense is the responsibility of the UK


@Spain, Geography

Location:
  Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and the
  Mediterranean Sea, between Portugal and France
Map references:
  Africa, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  504,750 sq km
land area:
  499,400 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
note:
  includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of
  sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco -
  Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
  Velez de la Gomera
Land boundaries:
  total 1,903.2 km, Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,
  Portugal 1,214 km
Coastline:
  4,964 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty
  (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco - the coastal
  enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the
  islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas
  Chafarinas
Climate:
  temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy
  along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool
  along coast
Terrain:
  large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees
  in north
Natural resources:
  coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum,
  zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
Land use:
arable land:
  31%
permanent crops:
  10%
meadows and pastures:
  21%
forest and woodland:
  31%
other:
  7%
Irrigated land:
  33,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from untreated sewage and effluents
  from the offshore production of oil and gas; air pollution;
  deforestation; desertification
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
  Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
  Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber,
  Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Nitrogen
  Oxides, Law of the Sea
Note:
  strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

@Spain, People

Population:
  39,302,665 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.25% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  11.05 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  8.82 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  6.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  77.71 years
male:
  74.45 years
female:
  81.21 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.4 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Spaniard(s)
adjective:
  Spanish
Ethnic divisions:
  composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%
Languages:
  Castilian Spanish, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  95%
male:
  97%
female:
  93%
Labor force:
  14.621 million
by occupation:
  services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, construction 9% (1988)

@Spain, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Spain
conventional short form:
  Spain
local short form:
  Espana
Digraph:
  SP
Type:
  parliamentary monarchy
Capital:
  Madrid
Administrative divisions:
  17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular - comunidad
  autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria,
  Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia,
  Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia,
  Navarra, Pais Vasco
note:
  there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco
  (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de
  Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
Independence:
  1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday:
  National Day, 12 October
Constitution:
  6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system:
  civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy
  Prime Minister Narcis SERRA y Serra (since 13 March 1991)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; designated by the prime minister
Council of State:
  is the supreme consultative organ of the government
Legislative branch:
  bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes
  Generales)
Senate (Senado):
  elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
  results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (255 total) PSOE 117,
  PP 107, CiU 15, PNV 5, IU 2, other 9
Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados):
  elections last held 6 June 1993 (next to be held by NA June 1997);
  results by percent of party NA; seats - (350 total) PSOE 159, PP 141,
  IU 18, CiU 17, PNV 5, CN 4, HB 2, other 4
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
Political parties and leaders:
principal national parties, from right to left:
  Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Social Democratic Center (CDS),
  Rafael Calvo ORTEGA; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe
  GONZALEZ Marquez, secretary general; Socialist Democracy Party (DS),
  Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio
  ANGUITA; United Left (IU) a coalition of parties including the PCE, a
  branch of the PSOE, and other small parties, Julio ANGUITA
chief regional parties:
  Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley and Miguel ROCA in
  Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS and Jose
  Antonio ARDANZA; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza;
  Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS and Inaki ESNAOLA; Basque
  Socialist Party (PSE), coalition of the PSE, EE and PSOE, Jose Maria
  BANEGAS and Jon LARRINAGA; Andalusian Progress Party (PA), Pedro
  PACHECO; Canarian Coalition (CN), Dimas MARTIN; Catalan Republican
  Left, Angel COLOM; Galician Coalition, Senen BERNARDEZ; Aragonese
  Regionalist Party (PAR), Jose Maria MUR Bernad; Valencian Union (UV),
  Vicente GONZALEZ Lizondo, Manuel CAMPILLOS Martinez
Other political or pressure groups:
  on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the
  First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to
  oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977)
  include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the
  Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent
  Workers Syndical Union (USO); business and landowning interests; the
  Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
Member of:
  AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM,
  CSCE, EBRD, AfDB, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA
  (observer), LORCS, MTRC, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
  (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Jaime De OJEDA y Eiseley
chancery:
  2700 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone:
  [phone] or 0191
consulate(s) general:
  Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York,
  San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Richard N. GARDNER
embassy:
  Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid
mailing address:
  APO AE 09642
telephone:
  [34] (1) 577-4000
FAX:
  [34] (1) 577-5735
consulate(s) general:
  Barcelona
consulate(s):
  Bilbao
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red
  with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band;
  the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of
  Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on
  either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar

@Spain, Economy

Overview:
  After the economic boom of 1986-90, the Spanish economy fell into
  recession along with the economies of other EU member states. Real GDP
  barely grew in 1992 and declined by approximately 1% in 1993.
  Unemployment, now nearly one-fourth of the workforce, and the sharp
  downturn in business investment have contributed to sagging domestic
  demand. Devaluation of the peseta since September 1992 has made
  Spanish exports more competitive, but an export-led recovery in 1994
  will depend largely on economic recovery in Spain's major market - the
  other EU nations. A solid recovery will also require appropriate
  domestic policy actions, including controlling the budget deficit and
  wage increases, reforming labor market regulations, and possibly
  loosening monetary policy another notch. Foreign investors,
  principally from other EU countries, have invested over $60 billion in
  Spain since 1986. Despite the recession, inflation remained at about
  5% in 1993. The main source of inflationary pressure is the fiscal
  deficit.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $498 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -1% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $12,700 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.5% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  22% (yearend 1993)
Budget:
revenues:
  $97.7 billion
expenditures:
  $128 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $72.8 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  cars and trucks, semifinished manufactured goods, foodstuffs,
  machinery
partners:
  EC 71.2%, US 4.8%, other developed countries 7.9% (1992)
Imports:
  $92.5 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs,
  consumer goods, chemicals
partners:
  EC 60.7%, US 7.4%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 5.9%
  (1992)
External debt:
  $90 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -1.7% (1992)
Electricity:
capacity:
  46,600,000 kW
production:
  157 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  4,000 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals
  and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine
  tools, tourism
Agriculture:
  accounts for about 5% of GDP and 14% of labor force; major products -
  grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruit,
  beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food; fish
  catch of 1.4 million metric tons is among top 20 nations
Illicit drugs:
  key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North
  African hashish entering the European market
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545
  million
note:
  not currently a recipient
Currency:
  1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates:
  pesetas (Ptas) per US$1 - 136.6 (May 1994), 127.26 (1993), 102.38
  (1992), 103.91 (1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Spain, Communications

Railroads:
  15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km
  (all 1,668-mm gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track);
  FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km
  (predominantly 1,000-mm gauge, 441 km electrified); privately owned
  railways operate 918 km (predominantly 1,000-mm gauge, 512 km
  electrified, and 56 km double track)
Highways:
total:
  318,022 km (1988)
paved:
  178,092 km (including 2,142 km of expressways)
unpaved:
  139,930 km
Inland waterways:
  1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
Pipelines:
  crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km
Ports:
  Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena,
  Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo, Puerto de Gijon,
  Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Mahon, Malaga,
  Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto, Tarragona, Valencia,
  Vigo, and 175 minor ports
Merchant marine:
  192 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,328,730 GRT/2,213,671 DWT,
  bulk 21, cargo 55, chemical tanker 14, container 11, liquefied gas 5,
  oil tanker 29, passenger 2, refrigerated cargo 12, roll-on/roll-off
  cargo 33, short-sea passenger 6, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier
  1
Airports:
total:
  105
usable:
  99
with permanent-surface runways:
  60
with runways over 3,659 m:
  4
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  22
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  26
Telecommunications:
  generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,350,464 telephones;
  broadcast stations - 190 AM, 406 (134 repeaters) FM, 100 (1,297
  repeaters) TV; 22 coaxial submarine cables; 2 communications satellite
  earth stations operating in INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian
  Ocean); MARECS, INMARSAT, and EUTELSAT systems; tropospheric links

@Spain, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard, National Police, Coastal
  Civil Guard
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 10,377,990; fit for military service 8,396,405; reach
  military age (20) annually 337,764 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $5.8 billion, 1.3% of GDP (1994 est.)


@Spratly Islands, Geography

Location:
  Southeastern Asia, in the South China Sea, between Vietnam and the
  Philippines
Map references:
  Asia, Southeast Asia
Area:
total area:
  NA sq km but less than 5 km2
land area:
  less than 5 sq km
comparative area:
  NA
note:
  includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over
  the South China Sea
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  926 km
Maritime claims:
  NA
International disputes:
  all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam;
  parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984,
  Brunei established an exclusive economic zone, which encompasses
  Louisa Reef, but has not publicly claimed the island
Climate:
  tropical
Terrain:
  flat
Natural resources:
  fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
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:
  subject to typhoons
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the
  central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard; includes
  numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs

@Spratly Islands, People

Population:
  no indigenous inhabitants; note - there are scattered garrisons

@Spratly Islands, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Spratly Islands
Digraph:
  PG

@Spratly Islands, Economy

Overview:
  Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to
  nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the
  potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely
  unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves;
  commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Industries:
  none

@Spratly Islands, Communications

Ports:
  no natural harbors
Airports:
total:
  4
usable:
  4
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  0

@Spratly Islands, Defense Forces

Note:
  about 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the
  Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam


@Sri Lanka, Geography

Location:
  Southern Asia, 29 km southeast of India across the Palk Strait in the
  Indian Ocean
Map references:
  Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  65,610 sq km
land area:
  64,740 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  1,340 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  24 nm
continental shelf:
  200 nm or the edge of continental margin
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest
  monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
  mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Natural resources:
  limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use:
arable land:
  16%
permanent crops:
  17%
meadows and pastures:
  7%
forest and woodland:
  37%
other:
  23%
Irrigated land:
  5,600 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by
  poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased
  pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes
  and sewage runoff
natural hazards:
  occasional cyclones and tornadoes
international agreements:
  party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,
  Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
  Layer Protection, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea,
  Marine Life Conservation
Note:
  strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes

@Sri Lanka, People

Population:
  18,129,850 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed
  Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil
  civilians have fled the island; as of late 1992, nearly 115,000 were
  housed in refugee camps in south India, another 95,000 lived outside
  the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political
  asylum in the West
Population growth rate:
  1.18% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  18.51 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  5.77 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  21.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  71.9 years
male:
  69.37 years
female:
  74.55 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.12 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Sri Lankan(s)
adjective:
  Sri Lankan
Ethnic divisions:
  Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Religions:
  Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Languages:
  Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national
  language) 18%
note:
  English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of
  the population
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  88%
male:
  93%
female:
  84%
Labor force:
  6.6 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and transport
  12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)

@Sri Lanka, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
conventional short form:
  Sri Lanka
former:
  Ceylon
Digraph:
  CE
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Colombo
Administrative divisions:
  8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western,
  Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
Independence:
  4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution:
  adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system:
  a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim,
  Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGA (since 7 May 1993); election last
  held 19 December 1988 (next to be held NA December 1994); results -
  Ranasinghe PREMADASA (UNP) 50%, Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE (SLFP) 45%,
  other 5%; note - following the assassination of President PREMADASA on
  1 May 1993, Prime Minister WIJETUNGA became acting president; on 7 May
  1993, he was confirmed by a vote of Parliament to finish out the term
  of the assassinated president
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president in consultation with the prime
  minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
Parliament:
  elections last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by NA February
  1995); results - UNP 51%, SLFP 32%, SLMC 4%, TULF 3%, USA 3%, EROS 3%,
  MEP 1%, other 3%; seats - (225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, other 33
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  United National Party (UNP), Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGA; Sri Lanka
  Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress
  (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF; All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), C. G.
  Kumar PONNAMBALAM; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath
  Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF),
  M. SIVASITHAMBARAM; New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja
  Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP,
  or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. DE SILVA; Sri Lanka People's
  Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Ossie ABEYGUNASEKERA;
  Communist Party, K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N.
  SHANMUGATHASAN; Democratic United National Front (DUNF), G. M.
  PREMACHANDRA; Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas
  DEVANANDA; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), leader NA;
  Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRL), Suresh
  PREMACHANDRAN; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS),
  Shankar RAJI; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE),
  Dharmalingam SIDARTHAN; Liberal Party (LP), Chanaka AMARATUNGA; Ceylon
  Workers Congress (CLDC), S. THONDAMAN; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim
  parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils
note:
  the United Socialist Alliance (USA), which was formed in 1987 and
  included the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B, was defunct as of 1993,
  following the formation of the People's Alliance Party (PEP)
Other political or pressure groups:
  Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil
  separatist groups; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist
  clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
Member of:
  AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
  ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
  IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ananda W.P. GURUGE
chancery:
  2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 4028
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s):
  New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Teresita C. SCHAFFER
embassy:
  210 Galle Road, Colombo 3
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 106, Colombo
telephone:
  [94] (1) 44-80-07
FAX:
  [94] (1) 57-42-64
Flag:
  yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal
  vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a
  large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there
  is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a
  border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two
  panels

@Sri Lanka, Economy

Overview:
  Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel industry - has
  surpassed agriculture as the main source of export earnings and
  accounts for over 16% of GDP. The economy has been plagued by high
  rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has
  been depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1991-93 as domestic
  conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment
  brightened.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $53.5 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  5% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $3,000 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11.6% (1992)
Unemployment rate:
  15% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $2.3 billion
expenditures:
  $3.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.5 billion (1993)
Exports:
  $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1992)
commodities:
  garments and textiles, teas, gems, petroleum products, coconuts,
  rubber, other agricultural products, marine products, graphite
partners:
  US 33.4%, Germany, UK, Netherlands, Japan, France, Singapore (1992)
Imports:
  $3 billion (c.i.f., 1992)
commodities:
  food and beverages, textiles and textile materials, petroleum and
  petroleum products, machinery and equipment
partners:
  Japan, India, US 4.3%, UK, Singapore, Germany, Hong King, Taiwan,
  South Korea (1991)
External debt:
  $5.2 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 7% (1991 est.); accounts for 16.5% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  1,300,000 kW
production:
  3.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  200 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural
  commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Agriculture:
  accounts for one-fourth of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most
  important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops - sugarcane,
  grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops - tea, rubber,
  coconuts; animal products - milk, eggs, hides, meat; not
  self-sufficient in rice production
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-89), $5.1
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $369 million
Currency:
  1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 49.672 (January 1994), 48.322
  (1993), 43.687 (1992), 41.372 (1991), 40.063 (1990), 36.047 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Sri Lanka, Communications

Railroads:
  1,948 km total (1990); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km double
  track; no electrification; government owned
Highways:
total:
  75,263 km
paved:
  mostly bituminous treated 27,637 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone, gravel 32,887 km; improved, unimproved earth 14,739 km
Inland waterways:
  430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
Pipelines:
  crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)
Ports:
  Colombo, Trincomalee
Merchant marine:
  26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 289,115 GRT/453,609 DWT, bulk 2,
  cargo 12, container 1, oil tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 8
Airports:
total:
  14
usable:
  13
with permanent-surface runways:
  12
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  8
Telecommunications:
  very inadequate domestic service, good international service; 114,000
  telephones (1982); broadcast stations - 12 AM, 5 FM, 5 TV; submarine
  cables extend to Indonesia and Djibouti; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth
  stations

@Sri Lanka, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 4,906,666; fit for military service 3,825,774; reach
  military age (18) annually 178,213 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $417 million, 3.5% of GDP (1994 est.)


@Sudan, Geography

Location:
  Northern Africa, along the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  2,505,810 sq km
land area:
  2.376 million sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US
Land boundaries:
  total 7,687 km, Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km,
  Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya
  383 km, Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km
Coastline:
  853 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  18 nm
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with
  international boundary; administrative boundary with Egypt does not
  coincide with international boundary creating the "Hala'ib Triangle,"
  a barren area of 20,580 sq km, the dispute over this area escalated in
  1993, this area continues to be in dispute
Climate:
  tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to
  October)
Terrain:
  generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west
Natural resources:
  small reserves of petroleum, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc,
  tungsten, mica, silver
Land use:
arable land:
  5%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  24%
forest and woodland:
  20%
other:
  51%
Irrigated land:
  18,900 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  contaminated water supplies present human health risks; wildlife
  populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion;
  desertification
natural hazards:
  dust storms
international agreements:
  party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear
  Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -
  Biodiversity
Note:
  largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

@Sudan, People

Population:
  29,419,798 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  2.36% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  41.95 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  12.09 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -6.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  79.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  54.27 years
male:
  53.4 years
female:
  55.19 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.09 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Sudanese (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Sudanese
Ethnic divisions:
  black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%
Religions:
  Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5%
  (mostly in south and Khartoum)
Languages:
  Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic,
  Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English
note:
  program of Arabization in process
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  27%
male:
  43%
female:
  12%
Labor force:
  6.5 million
by occupation:
  agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6%
note:
  labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983
  est.); 52% of population of working age (1985)

@Sudan, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of the Sudan
conventional short form:
  Sudan
local long form:
  Jumhuriyat as-Sudan
local short form:
  As-Sudan
former:
  Anglo-Egyptian Sudan
Digraph:
  SU
Type:
  ruling military junta - Revolutionary Command Council - dissolved on
  16 October 1993 and government civilianized
Capital:
  Khartoum
Administrative divisions:
  9 states (wilayat, singular - wilayat or wilayah*); A'ali an Nil, Al
  Wusta*, Al Istiwa'iyah*, Al Khartum, Ash Shamaliyah*, Ash Sharqiyah*,
  Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan
Independence:
  1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 1 January (1956)
Constitution:
  12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim
  constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June
  1989
Legal system:
  based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991,
  the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in
  the northern states; the council is still studying criminal provisions
  under Islamic law; Islamic law applies to all residents of the six
  northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious
  courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  none
Executive branch:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
  President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October
  1993); prior to 16 October 1993, BASHIR served concurrently as Chief
  of State, Chairman of the RCC, Prime Minister, and Minister of Defence
  (since 30 June 1989);  Vice President Major General al-Zubayr Muhammad
  SALIH (since 19 October 1993); note - upon its dissolution on 16
  October 1993, the RCC's executive and legislative powers were devolved
  to the President and the Transitional National Assembly (TNA), Sudan's
  appointed legislative body
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the president; note - on 30 October 1993
  President BASHIR announced a new, predominantly civilian cabinet,
  consisting of 20 federal ministers, most of whom retained their
  previous cabinet positions
note:
  Lt. Gen. BASHIR's government is dominated by members of Sudan's
  National Islamic Front, a fundamentalist political organization formed
  from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986; front leader Hasan al-TURABI
  controls Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies
Legislative branch:
  appointed 300-member Transitional National Assembly; officially
  assumes all legislative authority for Sudan until the eventual,
  unspecified resumption of national elections
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts
Political parties and leaders:
  none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup
Other political or pressure groups:
  National Islamic Front, Hasan al-TURABI
Member of:
  ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA,
  IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
  IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
  WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Ahmad SULAYMAN
chancery:
  2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] through 8570
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Donald K. PETTERSON
embassy:
  Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO AE 09829
telephone:
  74700 or 74611
FAX:
  Telex 22619 AMEM SD
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a
  green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

@Sudan, Economy

Overview:
  Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse
  weather, high inflation, a drop in remittances from abroad, and
  counterproductive economic policies. The economy is dominated by
  governmental entities that account for more than 70% of new
  investment. The private sector's main areas of activity are
  agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment
  predating 1980. The economy's base is agriculture, which employs 80%
  of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items.
  Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable
  largely to declining annual rainfall, has reduced levels of per capita
  income and consumption. A large foreign debt and huge arrearages
  continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary
  Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative because
  of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund. The government
  implemented a comprehensive economic reform program in 1992 that
  included slashing the fiscal deficit, liberalizing foreign exchange
  regulations, and lifting most price controls, but it had backtracked
  on most reforms by mid-1993 because of its fear of generating a
  domestic backlash. The government's failure to pursue economic reform,
  its continued prosecution of the civil war, and its growing
  international isolation have led to a further deterioration of the
  non-agricultural sectors of the economy during 1993. Agriculture, on
  the other hand, after several disappointing years, enjoyed favorable
  growing conditions in 1993, and its strong performance produced an
  overall growth rate in GNP of about 7%.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $21.5 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  7% (FY93 est.)
National product per capita:
  $750 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  105% (FY93 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  30% (FY93 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $374.4 million
expenditures:
  $1.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $214 million (1993
  est.)
Exports:
  $350 million (f.o.b., FY93 est.)
commodities:
  cotton 52%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts
partners:
  Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US
  3% (FY88)
Imports:
  $1.1 billion (c.i.f., FY93 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and
  equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles
partners:
  Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3%
  (FY88)
External debt:
  $17 billion (June 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 6.8% (FY93 est.); accounts for 11% of GDP (FY92)
Electricity:
capacity:
  610,000 kW
production:
  905 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  40 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling,
  shoes, petroleum refining
Agriculture:
  accounts for 35% of GDP and 80% of labor force; water shortages;
  two-thirds of land area suitable for raising crops and livestock;
  major products - cotton, oilseeds, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic,
  sheep; marginally self-sufficient in most foods
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.5 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $5.1
  billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist
  countries (1970-89), $588 million
Currency:
  1 Sudanese pound (#Sd) = 100 piastres
Exchange rates:
  official rate - Sudanese pounds (#Sd) per US$1 - 215 (January 1994),
  333.3 (December 1993), 90.1 (March 1992), 5.4288 (1991), 4.5004 (fixed
  rate since 1987); note - the commercial rate is 300 (January 1994)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Sudan, Communications

Railroads:
  5,516 km total; 4,800 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge
  plantation line
Highways:
total:
  20,703 km
paved:
  bituminous treated 2,000 km
unpaved:
  gravel 4,000 km; improved earth 2,304 km; unimproved earth  12,399 km
Inland waterways:
  5,310 km navigable
Pipelines:
  refined products 815 km
Ports:
  Port Sudan, Sawakin
Merchant marine:
  10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 89,842 GRT/122,379 DWT, cargo 8,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 2
Airports:
total:
  70
usable:
  58
with permanent-surface runways:
  9
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  29
Telecommunications:
  large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate
  and poorly maintained by modern standards; consists of microwave radio
  relay, cable, radio communications, troposcatter, and a domestic
  satellite system with 14 stations; broadcast stations - 11 AM, 3 TV;
  satellite earth stations for international traffic - 1 Atlantic Ocean
  INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT

@Sudan, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army, Navy, Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 6,640,123; fit for military service 4,080,715; reach
  military age (18) annually 305,885 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $339 million, 2.2% of GDP (1989 est.)


@Suriname, Geography

Location:
  Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean between
  French Guiana and Guyana
Map references:
  South America, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  163,270 sq km
land area:
  161,470 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
  total 1,707 km, Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km
Coastline:
  386 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and Riviere
  Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa Rivier); claims area in Guyana
  between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Koetari Rivers (all
  headwaters of the Courantyne)
Climate:
  tropical; moderated by trade winds
Terrain:
  mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps
Natural resources:
  timber, hydropower potential, fish, shrimp, bauxite, iron ore, and
  small amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  97%
other:
  3%
Irrigated land:
  590 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship
  Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate
  Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  mostly tropical rain forest; great diversity of flora and fauna which
  for the most part is not threatened because of the lack of
  development; relatively small population most of which lives along the
  coast

@Suriname, People

Population:
  422,840 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  1.57% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  25.31 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  -3.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  31.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  69.45 years
male:
  66.94 years
female:
  72.08 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2.79 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Surinamer(s)
adjective:
  Surinamese
Ethnic divisions:
  Hindustani (East Indian) 37%, Creole (black and mixed) 31%, Javanese
  15.3%, Bush black 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%, Europeans 1%,
  other 1.1%
Religions:
  Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2%
  (predominantly Moravian), indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages:
  Dutch (official), English widely spoken, Sranan Tongo (Surinamese,
  sometimes called Taki-Taki) is native language of Creoles and much of
  the younger population and is lingua franca among others, Hindi
  Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), Javanese
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
total population:
  95%
male:
  95%
female:
  95%
Labor force:
  104,000 (1984)
by occupation:
  NA

@Suriname, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Republic of Suriname
conventional short form:
  Suriname
local long form:
  Republiek Suriname
local short form:
  Suriname
former:
  Netherlands Guiana, Dutch Guiana
Digraph:
  NS
Type:
  republic
Capital:
  Paramaribo
Administrative divisions:
  10 districts (distrikten, singular - distrikt); Brokopondo,
  Commewijne, Coronie, Marowijne, Nickerie, Para, Paramaribo, Saramacca,
  Sipaliwini, Wanica
Independence:
  25 November 1975 (from Netherlands)
National holiday:
  Independence Day, 25 November (1975)
Constitution:
  ratified 30 September 1987
Legal system:
  NA
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Ronald R. VENETIAAN (since 16 September 1991); Vice
  President and Prime Minister Jules R. AJODHIA (since 16 September
  1991); election last held 6 September 1991 (next to be held NA May
  1996); results - elected by the National Assembly - Ronald VENETIAAN
  (NF) 80% (645 votes), Jules WIJDENBOSCH (NDP) 14% (115 votes), Hans
  PRADE (DA '91) 6% (49 votes)
cabinet:
  Cabinet of Ministers; appointed by the president from members of the
  National Assembly
note:
  Commander in Chief of the National Army maintains significant power
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale):
  elections last held 25 May 1991 (next to be held NA May 1996); results
  - percent of vote NA; seats - (51 total) NF 30, NDP 10, DA '91 9,
  Independent 2
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  The New Front (NF), a coalition of four parties (NPS, VHP, KTPI, SPA),
  leader Ronald R. VENETIAAN; Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath
  LACHMON; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Ronald VENETIAAN; Party of
  National Unity and Solidarity (KTPI), Willy SOEMITA; Suriname Labor
  Party (SPA) Fred DERBY; Democratic Alternative '91 (DA '91), Winston
  JESSURUN, a coalition of four parties (AF, HPP, Pendawa Lima, BEP)
  formed in January 1991; Alternative Forum (AF), Gerard BRUNINGS,
  Winston JESSURUN; Reformed Progressive Party (HPP), Panalal PARMESSAR;
  Party for Brotherhood and Unity in Politics (BEP), Caprino ALLENDY;
  Pendawa Lima, Marsha JAMIN; National Democratic Party (NDP), Desire
  BOUTERSE; Progressive Workers' and Farm Laborers' Union (PALU), Ir
  Iwan KROLIS, chairman;
Other political or pressure groups:
  Surinamese Liberation Army (SLA), Ronnie BRUNSWIJK, Johan "Castro"
  WALLY; Union for Liberation and Democracy, Kofi AFONGPONG; Mandela
  Bushnegro Liberation Movement, Leendert ADAMS; Tucayana Amazonica,
  Alex JUBITANA, Thomas SABAJO
Member of:
  ACP, CARICOM (observer), ECLAC, FAO, GATT, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO,
  ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, INTELSAT (nonsignatory
  user), ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT
chancery:
  Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] or 7490 through 7492
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Roger R. GAMBLE
embassy:
  Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo
telephone:
  [597] 472900, 477881, or 476459
FAX:
  [597] 410025
Flag:
  five horizontal bands of green (top, double width), white, red
  (quadruple width), white, and green (double width); there is a large
  yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band

@Suriname, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for
  15% of GDP and about 70% of export earnings. The economy has been in
  trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world
  bauxite prices which started in the late 1970s and continued until
  late 1986 was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla insurgency in
  the interior that crippled the important bauxite sector. Although the
  insurgency has since ebbed and the bauxite sector recovered,
  Paramaribo has failed to initiate the economic reforms necessary to
  stabilize the economy or win renewed Dutch aid disbursements. High
  inflation, high unemployment, widespread black market activity, and
  hard currency shortfalls continue to mark the economy.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $1.17 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  -0.3% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $2,800 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  109% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  16.5% (1990)
Budget:
revenues:
  $466 million
expenditures:
  $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989
  est.)
Exports:
  $290 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  alumina, aluminum, shrimp and fish, rice, bananas
partners:
  Norway 33%, Netherlands 26%, US 13%, Japan 6%, Brazil 6%, UK 3% (1992)
Imports:
  $250 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods
partners:
  US 42%, Netherlands 22%, Trinidad and Tobago 10%, Brazil 5% (1992)
External debt:
  $180 million (March 1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate -5% (1991 est.); accounts for 27% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity:
  458,000 kW
production:
  2.018 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  4,920 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food
  processing, fishing
Agriculture:
  accounts for 10.4% of GDP and 25% of export earnings; paddy rice
  planted on 85% of arable land and represents 60% of total farm output;
  other products - bananas, palm kernels, coconuts, plantains, peanuts,
  beef, chicken; shrimp and forestry products of increasing importance;
  self-sufficient in most foods
Economic aid:
recipient:
  US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 billion; Western
  (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.5
  billion
Currency:
  1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1 - 1.7850 (fixed
  rate); parallel rate 109 (January 1994)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Suriname, Communications

Railroads:
  166 km total; 86 km 1.000-meter gauge, government owned, and 80 km
  1.435-meter standard gauge; all single track
Highways:
total:
  8,300 km
paved:
  500 km
unpaved:
  bauxite, gravel, crushed stone, improved earth 5,400 km; sand, clay
  2,400 km
Inland waterways:
  1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with
  drafts ranging up to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways
Ports:
  Paramaribo, Moengo, Nieuw Nickerie
Merchant marine:
  3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT, cargo 2,
  container 1
Airports:
total:
  46
usable:
  38
with permanent-surface runways:
  5
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  international facilities good; domestic microwave system; 27,500
  telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 2
  Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

@Suriname, Defense Forces

Branches:
  National Army (including Navy which is company-size, small Air Force
  element), Civil Police
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 113,963; fit for military service 67,648
Defense expenditures:
  $NA, NA% of GDP


@Svalbard

Header
Affiliation:
  (territory of Norway)

@Svalbard, Geography

Location:
  Nordic State, Northern Europe in the Arctic Ocean where the Arctic
  Ocean, Barents Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea meet, 445 km
  north of Norway
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Asia, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  62,049 sq km
land area:
  62,049 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than West Virginia
note:
  includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island)
Land boundaries:
  0 km
Coastline:
  3,587 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway but not recognized by Russia
territorial sea:
  4 nm
International disputes:
  focus of maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway
  and Russia
Climate:
  arctic, tempered by warm North Atlantic Current; cool summers, cold
  winters; North Atlantic Current flows along west and north coasts of
  Spitsbergen, keeping water open and navigable most of the year
Terrain:
  wild, rugged mountains; much of high land ice covered; west coast
  clear of ice about half the year; fjords along west and north coasts
Natural resources:
  coal, copper, iron ore, phosphate, zinc, wildlife, fish
Land use:
arable land:
  0%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  0%
forest and woodland:
  0%
other:
  100% (no trees and the only bushes are crowberry and cloudberry)
Irrigated land:
  NA sq km
Environment:
current issues:
  NA
natural hazards:
  ice floes often block up the entrance to Bellsund (a transit point for
  coal export) on the west coast and occasionally make parts of the
  northeastern coast inaccessible
international agreements:
  NA
Note:
  northernmost part of the Kingdom of Norway; consists of nine main
  islands; glaciers and snowfields cover 60% of the total area

@Svalbard, People

Population:
  3,018 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  -3.5% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  NA
Death rate:
  NA
Net migration rate:
  NA
Infant mortality rate:
  NA
Life expectancy at birth:
  NA
Total fertility rate:
  NA
Ethnic divisions:
  Russian 64%, Norwegian 35%, other 1% (1981)
Languages:
  Russian, Norwegian
Literacy:
total population:
  NA%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  NA

@Svalbard, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  none
conventional short form:
  Svalbard
Digraph:
  SV
Type:
  territory of Norway administered by the Ministry of Industry, Oslo,
  through a governor (sysselmann) residing in Longyearbyen, Spitsbergen;
  by treaty (9 February 1920) sovereignty was given to Norway
Capital:
  Longyearbyen
Independence:
  none (territory of Norway)
National holiday:
  NA
Legal system:
  NA
Executive branch:
Chief of State:
  King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991)
Head of Government:
  Governor Odd BLOMDAL (since NA); Assistant Governor Jan-Atle HANSEN
  (since NA September 1993)
Member of:
  none
Flag:
  the flag of Norway is used

@Svalbard, Economy

Overview:
  Coal mining is the major economic activity on Svalbard. By treaty (9
  February 1920), the nationals of the treaty powers have equal rights
  to exploit mineral deposits, subject to Norwegian regulation. Although
  US, UK, Dutch, and Swedish coal companies have mined in the past, the
  only companies still mining are Norwegian and Russian. The settlements
  on Svalbard are essentially company towns. The Norwegian state-owned
  coal company employs nearly 60% of the Norwegian population on the
  island, runs many of the local services, and provides most of the
  local infrastructure. There is also some trapping of seal, polar bear,
  fox, and walrus.
Budget:
revenues:
  $13.3 million
expenditures:
  $13.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  21,000 kW
production:
  45 million kWh
consumption per capita:
  13,860 kWh (1992)
Currency:
  1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates:
  Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 - 7.4840 (January 1994), 7.0941
  (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991), 6.2597 (1990), 6.9045 (1989)

@Svalbard, Communications

Highways:
total:
  NA
paved:
  NA
unpaved:
  NA
Ports:
  limited facilities - Ny-Alesund, Advent Bay
Airports:
total:
  4
usable:
  4
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  0
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  5 meteorological/radio stations; local telephone service; broadcast
  stations - 1 AM, 1 (2 repeaters) FM, 1 TV; satellite communication
  with Norwegian mainland

@Svalbard, Defense Forces

Note:
  demilitarized by treaty (9 February 1920)


@Swaziland, Geography

Location:
  Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa
Map references:
  Africa, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  17,360 sq km
land area:
  17,200 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  total 535 km, Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  Swaziland wants to reincorporate territory along the South African
  border; Mbabane has asked South Africa to open negotiations on border
  adjustments
Climate:
  varies from tropical to near temperate
Terrain:
  mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains
Natural resources:
  asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and
  diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc
Land use:
arable land:
  8%
permanent crops:
  NA%
meadows and pastures:
  67%
forest and woodland:
  6%
other:
  NA%
Irrigated land:
  620 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  limited access to safe drinking water presents human health risks;
  wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting;
  overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Note:
  landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa

@Swaziland, People

Population:
  936,369 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.21% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.14 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  11.07 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  93.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  56.39 years
male:
  52.4 years
female:
  60.5 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.13 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Swazi(s)
adjective:
  Swazi
Ethnic divisions:
  African 97%, European 3%
Religions:
  Christian 60%, indigenous beliefs 40%
Languages:
  English (official; government business conducted in English), siSwati
  (official)
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1986)
total population:
  67%
male:
  70%
female:
  65%
Labor force:
  probably less than 100,000
by occupation:
  private sector about 65%, public sector 35%

@Swaziland, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Swaziland
conventional short form:
  Swaziland
Digraph:
  WZ
Type:
  monarchy; independent member of Commonwealth
Capital:
  Mbabane (administrative);  Lobamba (legislative)
Administrative divisions:
  4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni
Independence:
  6 September 1968 (from UK)
National holiday:
  Somhlolo (Independence) Day, 6 September (1968)
Constitution:
  none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended on 12 April 1973;
  a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but has not been
  formally presented to the people
Legal system:
  based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts, Swazi
  traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted
  compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  none
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Prince Jameson Mbilini DLAMINI (since 12 November 1993)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; designated by the monarch
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Parliament is advisory and consists of an upper house or
  Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly; the 30 members of the
  Senate are appointed - 10 by the House of Assembly and 20 by the king;
  the members of the House are elected by popular vote; last election
  held in October 1993
Judicial branch:
  High Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
  none; banned by the Constitution promulgated on 13 October 1978
Member of:
  ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD,
  IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, PCA,
  SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Absalom Vusani MAMBA
chancery:
  3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone] or 6685
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador John SPROTT
embassy:
  Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 199, Mbabane
telephone:
  [268] 46441 through 46445
FAX:
  [268] 45959
Flag:
  three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue;
  the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large
  black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with
  feather tassels, all placed horizontally

@Swaziland, Economy

Overview:
  The economy is based on subsistence agriculture, which occupies more
  than 60% of the population and contributes nearly 25% to GDP.
  Manufacturing, which includes a number of agroprocessing factories,
  accounts for another quarter of GDP. Mining has declined in importance
  in recent years; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted in 1978,
  and health concerns cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of sugar
  and forestry products are the main earners of hard currency.
  Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique,
  Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa, from which it receives
  90% of its imports and to which it sends about half of its exports.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $2.3 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  1% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $2,500 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  11% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  15% (1992 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $342 million
expenditures:
  $410 million, including capital expenditures of $130 million (1994
  est.)
Exports:
  $632 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  sugar, edible concentrates, wood pulp, canned fruit, citrus
partners:
  South Africa 50% (est.), EC countries, Canada
Imports:
  $734 million (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, petroleum products,
  foodstuffs, chemicals
partners:
  South Africa 90% (est.), Switzerland, UK
External debt:
  $240 million (1992)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 2.6% (1991); accounts for 40% of GDP (1989)
Electricity:
capacity:
  60,000 kW
production:
  198 million kWh (1991)
consumption per capita:
  180 kWh (1991)
Industries:
  mining (coal and asbestos), wood pulp, sugar
Agriculture:
  accounts for 23% of GDP and over 60% of labor force; mostly
  subsistence agriculture; cash crops - sugarcane, cotton, maize,
  tobacco, rice, citrus fruit, pineapples; other crops and livestock -
  corn, sorghum, peanuts, cattle, goats, sheep; not self-sufficient in
  grain
Economic aid:
recipient:
  bilateral aid (1991) $35 million of which US disbursements $12
  million, UK disbursements $6 million, and Denmark $2 million;
  multilateral aid (1991) $24 million of which EC disbursements $8
  million
Currency:
  1 lilangeni (E) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
  emalangeni (E) per US$1 -3.4551 (March 1994), 3.2636 (1993), 2.8497
  (1992), 2.7563 (1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989); note - the Swazi
  emalangeni is at par with the South African rand
Fiscal year:
  1 April - 31 March

@Swaziland, Communications

Railroads:
  297 km (plus 71 km disused), 1.067-meter gauge, single track
Highways:
total:
  2,853 km
paved:
  510 km
unpaved:
  crushed stone, gravel, stabilized earth 1,230 km; improved earth 1,113
  km
Airports:
total:
  23
usable:
  21
with permanent-surface runways:
  1
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  1
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  1
Telecommunications:
  system consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines and low-capacity
  microwave links; 17,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 7 AM, 6 FM,
  10 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

@Swaziland, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force, Royal Swaziland Police Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 204,608; fit for military service 118,380
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $22 million, NA% of GDP (FY93/94)


@Sweden, Geography

Location:
  Nordic State, Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, between
  Norway and Finland
Map references:
  Arctic Region, Asia, Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  449,964 sq km
land area:
  410,928 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries:
  total 2,205 km, Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km
Coastline:
  3,218 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf:
  200-m depth or to depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone:
  200 nm
territorial sea:
  12 nm
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy
  summers; subarctic in north
Terrain:
  mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west
Natural resources:
  zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower
  potential
Land use:
arable land:
  7%
permanent crops:
  0%
meadows and pastures:
  2%
forest and woodland:
  64%
other:
  27%
Irrigated land:
  1,120 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues:
  acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the
  Baltic Sea
natural hazards:
  ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of
  Bothnia, can interfere with navigation
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
  Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
  Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
  Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
  Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling;
  signed, but not ratified - Law of the Sea
Note:
  strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas

@Sweden, People

Population:
  8,778,461 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.52% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  13.5 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  10.9 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  2.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  5.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  78.25 years
male:
  75.47 years
female:
  81.2 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  2 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Swede(s)
adjective:
  Swedish
Ethnic divisions:
  white, Lapp (Sami), foreign born or first-generation immigrants 12%
  (Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks)
Religions:
  Evangelical Lutheran 94%, Roman Catholic 1.5%, Pentecostal 1%, other
  3.5% (1987)
Languages:
  Swedish
note:
  small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities; immigrants speak native
  languages
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1979 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  4.552 million (84% unionized,1992)
by occupation:
  community, social and personal services 38.3%, mining and
  manufacturing 21.2%, commerce, hotels, and restaurants 14.1%, banking,
  insurance 9.0%, communications 7.2%, construction 7.0%, agriculture,
  fishing, and forestry 3.2% (1991)

@Sweden, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Kingdom of Sweden
conventional short form:
  Sweden
local long form:
  Konungariket Sverige
local short form:
  Sverige
Digraph:
  SW
Type:
  constitutional monarchy
Capital:
  Stockholm
Administrative divisions:
  24 provinces (lan, singular and plural); Alvsborgs Lan, Blekinge Lan,
  Gavleborgs Lan, Goteborgs och Bohus Lan, Gotlands Lan, Hallands Lan,
  Jamtlands Lan, Jonkopings Lan, Kalmar Lan, Kopparbergs Lan,
  Kristianstads Lan, Kronobergs Lan, Malmohus Lan, Norrbottens Lan,
  Orebro Lan, Ostergotlands Lan, Skaraborgs Lan, Sodermanlands Lan,
  Stockholms Lan, Uppsala Lan, Varmlands Lan, Vasterbottens Lan,
  Vasternorrlands Lan, Vastmanlands Lan
Independence:
  6 June 1809 (constitutional monarchy established)
National holiday:
  Day of the Swedish Flag, 6 June
Constitution:
  1 January 1975
Legal system:
  civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ
  jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess
  VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the King (born 14 July
  1977)
head of government:
  Prime Minister Carl BILDT (since 3 October 1991); Deputy Prime
  Minister Bengt WESTERBERG (since NA)
cabinet:
  Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
parliament (Riksdag):
  elections last held 15 September 1991 (next to be held NA September
  1994); results - Social Democratic Party 37.6%, Moderate Party
  (conservative) 21.9%, Liberal People's Party 9.1%, Center Party 8.5%,
  Christian Democrats 7.1%, New Democracy 6.7%, Left Party (Communist)
  4.5%, Green Party 3.4%, other 1.2%; seats - (349 total) Social
  Democratic 138, Moderate Party (conservative) 80, Liberal People's
  Party 33, Center Party 31, Christian Democrats 26, New Democracy 25,
  Left Party (Communist) 16; note - the Green Party has no seats in the
  Riksdag because it received less than the required 4% of the vote
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Court (Hogsta Domstolen)
Political parties and leaders:
  ruling four-party coalition consists of Moderate Party (conservative),
  Carl BILDT; Liberal People's Party, Bengt WESTERBERG; Center Party,
  Olof JOHANSSON; and the Christian Democratic Party, Alf SVENSSON;
  Social Democratic Party, Ingvar CARLSSON; New Democracy Party, Harriet
  COLLIANDER; Left Party (VP; Communist), Gudrun SCHYMAN; Communist
  Workers' Party, Rolf HAGEL; Green Party, no formal leader
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN,
  COCOM (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-6, G-8, G-9,
  G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC,
  ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, INTELSAT, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
  LORCS, MTRC, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, ONUSAL, PCA, UN,
  UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM,
  UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNOMOZ, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UNTAC, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU,
  WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Carl Henrik LILJEGREN
chancery:
  Suites 1200 and 715, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Thomas SIEBERT
embassy:
  Strandvagen 101, S-115 89 Stockholm
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  [46] (8) 783-5300
FAX:
  [46] (8) 661-1964
Flag:
  blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the
  vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style
  of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)

@Sweden, Economy

Overview:
  Aided by a long period of peace and neutrality during World War I
  through World War II, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of
  living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive
  welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent
  internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force.
  Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an
  economy that is heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned
  firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the
  engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. In the last
  few years, however, this extraordinarily favorable picture has been
  clouded by inflation, growing unemployment, and a gradual loss of
  competitiveness in international markets. Although Prime Minister
  BILDT's center-right minority coalition had hoped to charge ahead with
  free-market-oriented reforms, a skyrocketing budget deficit - almost
  14% of GDP in FY94 projections - and record unemployment have
  forestalled many of the plans. Unemployment in 1993 is estimated at
  around 8% with another 5% in job training. Continued heavy foreign
  exchange speculation forced the government to cooperate in late 1992
  with the opposition Social Democrats on two crisis packages - one a
  severe austerity pact and the other a program to spur industrial
  competitiveness - which basically set economic policy through 1997. In
  November 1992, Sweden broke its tie to the EC's ECU, and the krona has
  since depreciated about 25% against the dollar. The government hopes
  the boost in export competitiveness from the depreciation will help
  lift Sweden out of its 3-year recession. To curb the budget deficit
  and bolster confidence in the economy, BILDT continues to propose cuts
  in welfare benefits, subsidies, defense, and foreign aid. Sweden
  continues to harmonize its economic policies with those of the EU in
  preparation for scheduled membership by early 1995, which will help to
  broaden European economic unity.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $153.7 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -2.7% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $17,600 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  4.4% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  8.2% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $45.1 billion
expenditures:
  $73.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94)
Exports:
  $49.7 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  machinery, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and
  steel products, chemicals, petroleum and petroleum products
partners:
  EC 55.8% (Germany 15%, UK 9.7%, Denmark 7.2%, France 5.8%), EFTA 17.4%
  (Norway 8.4%, Finland 5.1%), US 8.2%, Central and Eastern Europe 2.5%
  (1992)
Imports:
  $42.3 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor
  vehicles, foodstuffs, iron and steel, clothing
partners:
  EC 53.6% (Germany 17.9%, UK 6.3%, Denmark 7.5%, France 4.9%), EFTA
  (Norway 6.6%, Finland 6%), US 8.4%, Central and Eastern Europe 3%
  (1992)
External debt:
  $19.5 billion (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0.8% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  39,716,000 kW
production:
  142.5 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  16,560 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone
  parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods,
  motor vehicles
Agriculture:
  animal husbandry predominates, with milk and dairy products accounting
  for 37% of farm income; main crops - grains, sugar beets, potatoes;
  100% self-sufficient in grains and potatoes; Sweden is about 50%
  self-sufficient in most products; farming accounted for 1.2% of GDP
  and 1.9% of jobs in 1990
Illicit drugs:
  transshipment point for narcotics shipped via the CIS and Baltic
  states for the European market
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $10.3 billion
Currency:
  1 Swedish krona (SKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates:
  Swedish kronor (SKr) per US$1 - 8.1255 (January 1994), 7.834 (1993),
  5.8238 (1992), 6.0475 (1991) 5.9188 (1990), 6.4469 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  1 July - 30 June

@Sweden, Communications

Railroads:
  12,084 km total; Swedish State Railways (SJ) 11,202 km - 10,819 km
  1.435-meter standard gauge, 6,955 km electrified and 1,152 km double
  track; 182 km 0.891-meter gauge; 117 km rail ferry service;
  privately-owned railways 882 km - 511 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
  (332 km electrified) and 371 km 0.891-meter gauge (all electrified)
Highways:
total:
  205,000 km
paved:
  69,754 km (including 936 km of expressways)
unpaved:
  gravel 45,900 km; unimproved earth 38,060 km; NA 51,286 km (1990)
Inland waterways:
  2,052 km navigable for small steamers and barges
Pipelines:
  natural gas 84 km
Ports:
  Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Kalmar, Malmo, Stockholm;
  numerous secondary and minor ports
Merchant marine:
  161 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,049,554 GRT/2,516,350 DWT,
  bulk 10, cargo 24, chemical tanker 25, combination ore/oil 1,
  container 2, oil tanker 30, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 1,
  roll-on/roll-off cargo 39, short-sea passenger 10, specialized tanker
  4, vehicle carrier 13
Airports:
total:
  252
usable:
  248
with permanent-surface runways:
  138
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  11
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  94
Telecommunications:
  excellent domestic and international facilities; 8,200,000 telephones;
  mainly coaxial and multiconductor cables carry long-distance network;
  parallel microwave network carries primarily radio, TV and some
  telephone channels; automatic system; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 360
  (mostly repeaters) FM, 880 (mostly repeaters) TV; 5 submarine coaxial
  cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1
  EUTELSAT

@Sweden, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 2,146,145; fit for military service 1,874,787; reach
  military age (19) annually 55,262 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $5.2 billion, 2.6% of GDP (FY93/94)


@Switzerland, Geography

Location:
  Central Europe, between France and Austria
Map references:
  Europe, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  41,290 sq km
land area:
  39,770 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly more than twice the size of New Jersey
Land boundaries:
  total 1,852 km, Austria 164 km, France 573 km, Italy 740 km,
  Liechtenstein 41 km, Germany 334 km
Coastline:
  0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
  none; landlocked
International disputes:
  none
Climate:
  temperate, but varies with altitude; cold, cloudy, rainy/snowy
  winters; cool to warm, cloudy, humid summers with occasional showers
Terrain:
  mostly mountains (Alps in south, Jura in northwest) with a central
  plateau of rolling hills, plains, and large lakes
Natural resources:
  hydropower potential, timber, salt
Land use:
arable land:
  10%
permanent crops:
  1%
meadows and pastures:
  40%
forest and woodland:
  26%
other:
  23%
Irrigated land:
  250 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  air pollution from vehicle emissions and open air burning; acid rain;
  water pollution from increased use of agricultural fertilizers; loss
  of biodiversity
natural hazards:
  subject to avalanches, landslides, flash floods
international agreements:
  party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
  Pollution-Sulphur, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic
  Treaty, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental
  Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life
  Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
  Pollution, Tropical Timber, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
  ratified - Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Biodiversity, Law of the
  Sea
Note:
  landlocked; crossroads of northern and southern Europe; along with
  southeastern France and northern Italy, contains the highest
  elevations in Europe

@Switzerland, People

Population:
  7,040,119 (July 1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  0.7% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  12.23 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  9.2 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  3.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  6.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  78.17 years
male:
  74.8 years
female:
  81.71 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  1.6 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Swiss (singular and plural)
adjective:
  Swiss
Ethnic divisions:
total population:
  German 65%, French 18%, Italian 10%, Romansch 1%, other 6%
Swiss nationals:
  German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
Religions:
  Roman Catholic 47.6%, Protestant 44.3%, other 8.1% (1980)
Languages:
  German 65%, French 18%, Italian 12%, Romansch 1%, other 4%
note:
  figures for Swiss nationals only -
  German 74%, French 20%, Italian 4%, Romansch 1%, other 1%
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
total population:
  99%
male:
  NA%
female:
  NA%
Labor force:
  3.31 million (904,095 foreign workers, mostly Italian)
by occupation:
  services 50%, industry and crafts 33%, government 10%, agriculture and
  forestry 6%, other 1% (1989)

@Switzerland, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Swiss Confederation
conventional short form:
  Switzerland
local long form:
  Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft (German) Confederation Suisse
  (French)  Confederazione Svizzera (Italian)
local short form:
  Schweiz (German) Suisse (French)  Svizzera (Italian)
Digraph:
  SZ
Type:
  federal republic
Capital:
  Bern
Administrative divisions:
  26 cantons (cantons, singular - canton in French; cantoni, singular -
  cantone in Italian; kantone, singular - kanton in German); Aargau,
  Ausser-Rhoden, Basel-Landschaft, Basel-Stadt, Bern, Fribourg, Geneve,
  Glarus, Graubunden, Inner-Rhoden, Jura, Luzern, Neuchatel, Nidwalden,
  Obwalden, Sankt Gallen, Schaffhausen, Schwyz, Solothurn, Thurgau,
  Ticino, Uri, Valais, Vaud, Zug, Zurich
Independence:
  1 August 1291
National holiday:
  Anniversary of the Founding of the Swiss Confederation, 1 August
  (1291)
Constitution:
  29 May 1874
Legal system:
  civil law system influenced by customary law; judicial review of
  legislative acts, except with respect to federal decrees of general
  obligatory character; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
  reservations
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government:
  President Otto STICH (1994 calendar year; presidency rotates
  annually); Vice President Kaspar VILLIGER (term runs concurrently with
  that of president)
cabinet:
  Federal Council (German - Bundesrat, French - Censeil Federal, Italian
  - Consiglio Federale); elected by the Federal Assembly from own
  members
Legislative branch:
  bicameral Federal Assembly (German - Bundesversammlung, French -
  Assemblee Federale, Italian - Assemblea Federale)
Council of States:
  (German - Standerat, French - Conseil des Etats, Italian - Consiglio
  degli Stati) elections last held throughout 1991 (next to be held NA
  1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (46 total) FDP
  18, CVP 16, SVP 4, SPS 3, LPS 3, LdU 1, Ticino League 1
National Council:
  (German - Nationalrat, French - Conseil National, Italian - Consiglio
  Nazionale) elections last held 20 October 1991 (next to be held NA
  October 1995); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (200
  total) FDP 44, SPS 42, CVP 37, SVP 25, GPS 14, LPS 10, AP 8, LdU 6, SD
  5, EVP 3, PdA 2, Ticino League 2, other 2
Judicial branch:
  Federal Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders:
  Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno HUNZIKER, president; Social
  Democratic Party (SPS), Helmut HUBACHER, chairman; Christian
  Democratic People's Party (CVP), Eva SEGMULLER-WEBER, chairman; Swiss
  People's Party (SVP), Hans UHLMANN, president; Green Party (GPS),
  Peter SCHMID, president; Automobile Party (AP), DREYER; Alliance of
  Independents' Party (LdU), Dr. Franz JAEGER, president; Swiss
  Democratic Party (SD), NA; Evangelical People's Party (EVP), Max
  DUNKI, president; Workers' Party (PdA; Communist), Jean SPIELMANN,
  general secretary; Ticino League, leader NA; Liberal Party (LPS),
  Gilbert COUTAU, president
Member of:
  AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australian Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM
  (cooperating), CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB,
  IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
  INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, MINURSO,
  MTRC, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN (observer),
  UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
  WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Carlo JAGMETTI
chancery:
  2900 Cathedral Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
consulate(s) general:
  Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael C. POLT
embassy:
  Jubilaeumstrasse 93, 3005 Bern
mailing address:
  use embassy street address
telephone:
  [41] (31) 357-7011
FAX:
  [41] (31) 357-7344
branch office:
  Geneva
consulate(s) general:
  Zurich
Flag:
  red square with a bold, equilateral white cross in the center that
  does not extend to the edges of the flag

@Switzerland, Economy

Overview:
  Switzerland's economy - one of the most prosperous and stable in the
  world - is nonetheless undergoing a painful adjustment after both the
  inflationary boom of the late-1980s and the electorate's rejection of
  membership in the European Economic Area in 1992. The Swiss finally
  emerged from a three-year recession in mid-1993 and posted a -0.6% GDP
  growth for the year. After a three-year struggle with inflation, the
  Swiss central bank's tight monetary policies have begun to pay off.
  Inflation slowed to 3.3% in 1993 from about 4% in 1992 and is expected
  to slow down further to 1.5% in 1994. Unemployment, however, will
  continue to be a problem over the near term. Swiss unemployment
  reached 5.1% in 1993 and will likely remain at that level through 1994
  before declining in 1995. The voters' rejection of a referendum on
  membership in the EEA, which was supported by most political,
  business, and financial leaders has raised doubts that the country can
  maintain its preeminent prosperity and leadership in commercial
  banking in the twenty-first century. Despite these problems, Swiss per
  capita output, general living standards, education and science, health
  care, and diet remain unsurpassed in Europe. The country has few
  natural resources except for the scenic natural beauty that has made
  it a world leader in tourism. Management-labor relations remain
  generally harmonious.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $149.1 billion (1993)
National product real growth rate:
  -0.6% (1993)
National product per capita:
  $21,300 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  3.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  5.1% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $23.7 billion
expenditures:
  $26.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $63 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities:
  machinery and equipment, precision instruments, metal products,
  foodstuffs, textiles and clothing
partners:
  Western Europe 63.1% (EC countries 56%, other 7.1%), US 8.8%, Japan
  3.4%
Imports:
  $60.7 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities:
  agricultural products, machinery and transportation equipment,
  chemicals, textiles, construction materials
partners:
  Western Europe 79.2% (EC countries 72.3%, other 6.9%), US 6.4%
External debt:
  $NA
Industrial production:
  growth rate 0% (1993 est.)
Electricity:
capacity:
  17,710,000 kW
production:
  56 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  8,200 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  machinery, chemicals, watches, textiles, precision instruments
Agriculture:
  dairy farming predominates; less than 50% self-sufficient in food;
  must import fish, refined sugar, fats and oils (other than butter),
  grains, eggs, fruits, vegetables, meat
Illicit drugs:
  money-laundering center
Economic aid:
donor:
  ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $3.5 billion
Currency:
  1 Swiss franc, franken, or franco (SwF) = 100 centimes, rappen, or
  centesimi
Exchange rates:
  Swiss francs, franken, or franchi (SwF) per US$1 - 1.715 (January
  1994), 1.4776 (1993), 1.4062 (1992), 1.4340 (1991), 1.3892 (1990),
  1.6359 (1989)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Switzerland, Communications

Railroads:
  4,418 km total; 3,073 km are government owned and 1,345 km are
  nongovernment owned; the government network consists of 2,999 km
  1.435-meter standard gauge and 74 km 1.000-meter narrow gauge track;
  1,432 km double track, 99% electrified; the nongovernment network
  consists of 510 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, and 835 km 1.000-meter
  gauge, 100% electrified
Highways:
total:
  71,106 km
paved:
  71,106 km (including 1,502 km of expressways)
Inland waterways:
  65 km; Rhine (Basel to Rheinfelden, Schaffhausen to Bodensee); 12
  navigable lakes
Pipelines:
  crude oil 314 km; natural gas 1,506 km
Ports:
  Basel (river port)
Merchant marine:
  23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 337,455 GRT/592,213 DWT, bulk
  10, cargo 4, chemical tanker 5, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo
  2, specialized tanker 1
Airports:
total:
  70
usable:
  69
with permanent-surface runways:
  42
with runways over 3,659 m:
  3
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  4
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  18
Telecommunications:
  excellent domestic, international, and broadcast services; 5,890,000
  telephones; extensive cable and microwave networks; broadcast stations
  - 7 AM, 265 FM, 18 (1,322 repeaters) TV; communications satellite
  earth station operating in the INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean and Indian
  Ocean) system

@Switzerland, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Army (Air Force is part of the Army), Frontier Guards, Fortification
  Guards
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 1,853,075; fit for military service 1,589,288; reach
  military age (20) annually 43,005 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $3.4 billion, 1.7% of GDP (1993)


@Syria, Geography

Location:
  Middle East, along the Mediterranean Sea, between Turkey and Lebanon
Map references:
  Africa, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World
Area:
total area:
  185,180 sq km
land area:
  184,050 sq km
comparative area:
  slightly larger than North Dakota
note:
  includes 1,295 sq km of Israeli-occupied territory
Land boundaries:
  total 2,253 km, Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km, Lebanon 375
  km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
  193 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone:
  41 nm
territorial sea:
  35 nm
International disputes:
  separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan Heights is
  Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey; periodic disputes with
  Iraq over Euphrates water rights; ongoing dispute over water
  development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers;
  Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976
Climate:
  mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and mild,
  rainy winters (December to February) along coast
Terrain:
  primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain; mountains
  in west
Natural resources:
  petroleum, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt, iron ore,
  rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use:
arable land:
  28%
permanent crops:
  3%
meadows and pastures:
  46%
forest and woodland:
  3%
other:
  20%
Irrigated land:
  6,700 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues:
  deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; water
  pollution from dumping of untreated sewage and wastes from petroleum
  refining; lack of safe drinking water
natural hazards:
  NA
international agreements:
  party to - Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
  Ship Pollution; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Environmental
  Modification
Note:
  there are 40 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the
  Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (April 1994)

@Syria, People

Population:
  14,886,672 (July 1994 est.)
note:
  in addition, there are 30,500 people living in the Israeli-occupied
  Golan Heights--16,500 Arabs (15,000 Druze and 1,500 Alawites) and
  14,000 Jewish settlers (1994 est.)
Population growth rate:
  3.74% (1994 est.)
Birth rate:
  43.65 births/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Death rate:
  6.25 deaths/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Net migration rate:
  0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1994 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
  42.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1994 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population:
  66.46 years
male:
  65.37 years
female:
  67.61 years (1994 est.)
Total fertility rate:
  6.65 children born/woman (1994 est.)
Nationality:
noun:
  Syrian(s)
adjective:
  Syrian
Ethnic divisions:
  Arab 90.3%, Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions:
  Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects 16%,
  Christian (various sects) 10%, Jewish (tiny communities in Damascus,
  Al Qamishli, and Aleppo)
Languages:
  Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian, French
  widely understood
Literacy:
  age 15 and over can read and write (1990)
total population:
  64%
male:
  78%
female:
  51%
Labor force:
  2.951 million (1989)
by occupation:
  miscellaneous and government services 36%, agriculture 32%, industry
  and construction 32%; note - shortage of skilled labor (1984)

@Syria, Government

Names:
conventional long form:
  Syrian Arab Republic
conventional short form:
  Syria
local long form:
  Al Jumhuriyah al Arabiyah as Suriyah
local short form:
  Suriyah
former:
  United Arab Republic (with Egypt)
Digraph:
  SY
Type:
  republic under leftwing military regime since March 1963
Capital:
  Damascus
Administrative divisions:
  14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al
  Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az
  Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus
Independence:
  17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French
  administration)
National holiday:
  National Day, 17 April (1946)
Constitution:
  13 March 1973
Legal system:
  based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious courts;
  has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
  18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state:
  President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971 see note); Vice
  Presidents 'Abd al-Halim ibn Said KHADDAM, Rif'at al-ASAD, and
  Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since 11 March 1984); election last held 2
  December 1991 (next to be held December 1998); results - President
  Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth seven-year term with 99.98%
  of the vote; note - President ASAD seized power in the November 1970
  coup, assumed presidential powers 22 February 1971, and was confirmed
  as president in the 12 March 1971 national elections
head of government:
  Prime Minister Mahmud ZU'BI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy Prime
  Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984); Deputy Prime
  Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981); Deputy Prime Minister
  Rashid AKHTARINI (since 4 July 1992)
cabinet:
  Council of Ministers; appointed by the president
Legislative branch:
  unicameral
People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab):
  elections last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held NA May 1994);
  results - Ba'th 53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist Unionist
  Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%, Democratic Socialist Union Party 1.6%,
  independents 33.6%; seats - (250 total) Ba'th 134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab
  Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP 5, Democratic Socialist Union Party
  4, independents 84; note - the People's Council was expanded to 250
  seats total prior to the May 1990 election
Judicial branch:
  Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court of
  Cassation, State Security Courts
Political parties and leaders:
  ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba'th) Party; the
  Progressive National is dominated by Ba'thists but includes
  independents and members of the Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP);
  Arab Socialist Union (ASU); Syrian Communist Party (SCP); Arab
  Socialist Unionist Movement; and Democratic Socialist Union Party
Other political or pressure groups:
  non-Ba'th parties have little effective political influence; Communist
  party ineffective; conservative religious leaders; Muslim Brotherhood
Member of:
  ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
  ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
  IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
  UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Walid MUALEM
chancery:
  2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:
  [phone]
FAX:
  [phone]
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission:
  Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS
embassy:
  Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansur Street No. 2, Damascus
mailing address:
  P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone:
  [963] (11) 332-814, 332-315, 714-108, 330-788
FAX:
  [963] (11) 247-938
Flag:
  three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with two
  small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the
  white band; similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band
  and of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription)
  in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the
  flag of Egypt, which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band

@Syria, Economy

Overview:
  Syria's state-dominated Ba'thist economy has benefited from the Gulf
  war of early 1991, increased oil production, good weather, and
  economic deregulation. Economic growth averaged roughly 10% in
  1990-93. The Gulf war provided Syria an aid windfall of nearly $5
  billion dollars from Arab, European, and Japanese donors. These
  inflows more than offset Damascus's war-related costs and will help
  Syria cover some of its debt arrears, restore suspended credit lines,
  and initiate selected military and civilian purchases. In 1992 the
  government spurred economic development by loosening controls on
  domestic and foreign investment while maintaining strict political
  controls. For the long run, Syria's economy is still saddled with a
  large number of poorly performing public sector firms, and industrial
  productivity remains to be improved. Another major long-term concern
  is the additional drain of upstream Euphrates water by Turkey when its
  vast dam and irrigation projects are completed by mid-decade.
National product:
  GDP - purchasing power equivalent - $81.7 billion (1993 est.)
National product real growth rate:
  7.6% (1993 est.)
National product per capita:
  $5,700 (1993 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
  16.3% (1993 est.)
Unemployment rate:
  7.5% (1993 est.)
Budget:
revenues:
  $7.13 billion
expenditures:
  $9.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $4 billion (1993 est.)
Exports:
  $3.4 billion (f.o.b., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  petroleum 53%, textiles 22%, cotton, fruits and vegetables
partners:
  EC 48%, former CEMA countries 24%, Arab countries 18% (1991)
Imports:
  $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993 est.)
commodities:
  foodstuffs 21%, metal products 17%, machinery 15%
partners:
  EC 37%, former CEMA countries 15%, US and Canada 10% (1991)
External debt:
  $19.4 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production:
  growth rate 21% (1991); accounts for 19% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity:
  3,205,000 kW
production:
  11.9 billion kWh
consumption per capita:
  830 kWh (1992)
Industries:
  textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate rock mining,
  petroleum
Agriculture:
  accounts for 30% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all major crops
  (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas) grown mainly on
  rain-watered land causing wide swings in production; animal products -
  beef, lamb, eggs, poultry, milk; not self-sufficient in grain or
  livestock products
Illicit drugs:
  a transit country for Lebanese and Turkish refined cocaine going to
  Europe and heroin and hashish bound for regional and Western markets
Economic aid:
recipient:
  no US aid; aid from other countries (Western and Arab) totals $1.358
  billion (1993 est.); no Ex-Im, OPEC programs in place; almost $5
  billion in loans and grants from Arab and Western donors from 1990-92
  as a result of Gulf war stance
Currency:
  1 Syrian pound (#S) = 100 piastres
Exchange rates:
  Syrian pounds (#S) per US$1 - 11.2 (official fixed rate), 26.6
  (blended rate used by the UN and diplomatic missions), 42.0
  (neighboring country rate - applies to most state enterprise imports),
  46.0 - 53.0 (offshore rate) (yearend 1993)
Fiscal year:
  calendar year

@Syria, Communications

Railroads:
  1,998 km total; 1,766 km standard gauge, 232 km 1.050-meter (narrow)
  gauge
Highways:
total:
  29,000 km
paved:
  22,680 km (including 670 km of expressways) (1988)
unpaved:
  6,320 km
Inland waterways:
  870 km; minimal economic importance
Pipelines:
  crude oil 1,304 km; petroleum products 515 km
Ports:
  Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas, Jablah
Merchant marine:
  57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 151,519 GRT/243,910 DWT, bulk 7,
  cargo 48, vehicle carrier 2
Airports:
total:
  104
usable:
  100
with permanent-surface runways:
  24
with runways over 3,659 m:
  0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
  21
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
  3
Telecommunications:
  fair system currently undergoing significant improvement and digital
  upgrades, including fiber optic technology; 512,600 telephones (37
  telephones per 1,000 persons); broadcast stations - 9 AM, 1 FM, 17 TV;
  satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Intersputnik;
  1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq,
  Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey

@Syria, Defense Forces

Branches:
  Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force, Syrian Arab
  Air Defense Forces
Manpower availability:
  males age 15-49 3,300,397; fit for military service 1,850,545; reach
  military age (19) annually 155,569 (1994 est.)
Defense expenditures:
  exchange rate conversion - $2.2 billion, 6% of GDP (1992)