Part 22 out of 27Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Somali(s); adjective--Somali Ethnic divisions: 85% Somali, rest mainly Bantu; 30,000 Arabs, 3,000 Europeans, 800 Asians Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English Literacy: 11.6% (government est.) Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; 70% pastoral nomad, 30% agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and other; 53% of population of working age (1985) Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions is controlled by the government - Government Long-form name: Somali Democratic Republic Type: republic Capital: Mogadishu Administrative divisions: 16 regions (plural--NA, singular--gobolka); Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, 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) Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979 National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 21 October (1969) Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet) Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State--President and Commander in Chief of the Army Maj. Gen. Mohamed SIAD Barre (since 21 October 1969); Head of Government--Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mohamed Ali SAMANTAR (since 1 February 1987) Political parties and leaders: only party--Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad Barre, general secretary Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held December 1993); results--President Siad was reelected without opposition; People's Assembly--last held 31 December 1984 (next scheduled for December 1989 was postponed); results--SRSP is the only party; seats--(177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171 Communists: probably some Communist sympathizers in the government hierarchy Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, EAMA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ABDIKARIM Ali Omar; Chancery at Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador T. Frank CRIGLER; Embassy at Corso Primo Luglio, Mogadishu (mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone p252o (01) 20811 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) - Economy Overview: One of the world's least developed countries, Somalia has few resources. In 1988 per capita GDP was $210. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, with the livestock sector 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 about 50% 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. At the end of 1988 serious economic problems facing the nation were the external debt of $2.8 billion and double-digit inflation. GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate - 1.4% (1988) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 81.7% (1988 est.) Unemployment rate: NA% Budget: revenues $273 million; expenditures $405 million, including capital expenditures of $219 million (1987) Exports: $58.0 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--livestock, hides, skins, bananas, fish; partners--US 0.5%, Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986) Imports: $354.0 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--textiles, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials; partners--US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986) External debt: $2.8 billion (1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate NA% Electricity: 71,000 kW capacity; 65 million kWh produced, 8 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining Agriculture: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep, goats); crops--bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food; fishing potential largely unexploited Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $618 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $336 million Currency: Somali shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Somali shilling (So.Sh.) = 100 centesimi Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1--643.92 (December 1989), 170.45 (1988), 105.18 (1987), 72.00 (1986), 39.49 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year - Communications Highways: 15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface, 2,880 km gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983) Pipelines: 15 km crude oil Ports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu Merchant marine: 3 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,563 GRT/9,512 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft Airports: 60 total, 45 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: minimal telephone and telegraph service; radio relay and troposcatter system centered on Mogadishu connects a few towns; 6,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; scheduled to receive an ARABSAT station - Defense Forces Branches: Somali National Army (including Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense Force), National Police Force Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,878,939; 1,052,644 fit for military service Defense expenditures: NA ---------------------------------------------------- Country: South Africa - Geography Total area: 1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas Land boundaries: 4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km Coastline: 2,881 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: South Africa administered Namibia until independence was achieved on 21 March 1990; possible future claim to Walvis Bay by Namibia 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: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds Swaziland - People Population: 39,549,941 (July 1990), growth rate 2.67%; includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US four independent homelands--Bophuthatswana 2,352,296, growth rate 2.80%; Ciskei 1,025,873, growth rate 2.93%; Transkei 4,367,648, growth rate 4.19%; Venda 665,197, growth rate 3.86% six other homelands--Gazankulu 742,361, growth rate 3.99%; Kangwane 556,009, growth rate 3.64%; KwaNdebele 348,655, growth rate 3.35%; KwaZulu 5,349,247, growth rate 3.62%; Lebowa 2,704,641, growth rate 3.92%; Qwagwa 268,138, growth rate 3.59% Birth rate: 35 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 52 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 67 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 4.5 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--South African(s); adjective--South African Ethnic divisions: 73.8% black, 14.3% white, 9.1% Colored, 2.8% Indian Religion: most whites and Coloreds and roughly 60% of blacks are Christian; roughly 60% of Indians are Hindu, 20% Muslim Language: Afrikaans, English (official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana Literacy: almost all white population literate; government estimates 50% of blacks literate Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active; 34% services, 30% agriculture, 29% industry and commerce, 7% mining (1985) Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized; African unions represent 15% of black labor force - Government Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA Type: republic Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 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) Constitution: 3 September 1984 Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910) Executive branch: state president, cabinet, Executive Council (cabinet) Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament) Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament consists of the House of Assembly (whites), House of Representatives (Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Indians) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--State President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989) Political parties and leaders: white political parties and leaders--National Party (NP), Frederik W. de Klerk (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. Treurnicht (official opposition party); Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap Marais; Democratic Party (DP), Zach De Beer, Wynand Malan, and Denis Worrall; Colored political parties and leaders--Labor Party (LP), Allan Hendrickse (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter Ebrahim; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac Rabie; Freedom Party; Indian political parties and leaders--Solidarity, J. N. Reddy (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand Rajbansi; Merit People's Party Suffrage: universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based Elections: House of Assembly (whites)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats--(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34; House of Representatives (Coloreds)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2; House of Delegates (Indians)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1, National Federal Party 1, independents 6 Communists: small Communist party illegal since 1950; party in exile maintains headquarters in London, Daniel Tloome (Chairman) and Joe Slovo (General Secretary) Other political groups: insurgent groups in exile--African National Congress (ANC), Oliver Tambo; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Zephania Mothopeng; internal antiapartheid groups--Pan-Africanist Movement (PAM), Clarence Makwetu; United Democratic Front (UDF), Albertina Sisulu and Archibald Gumede Member of: CCC, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IHO, ILZSG, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, Southern African Customs Union, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG (membership rights in IAEA, ICAO, ITU, WHO, WIPO, and WMO suspended or restricted) Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Piet G. J. KOORNHOF; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York; US--Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone p27o (12) 28-4266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg Flag: 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 - 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, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the level needed to cut into the high unemployment level. GDP: $83.5 billion, per capita $2,380; real growth rate 3.2% (1988) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.67% (1989) Unemployment rate: 22% (1988); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in homelands (1988 est.) Budget: revenues $24.3 billion; expenditures $27.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA billion (FY91) Exports: $21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--gold 40%, minerals and metals 23%, food 6%, chemicals 3%; partners--FRG, Japan, UK, US, other EC, Hong Kong Imports: $18.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--machinery 27%, chemicals 11%, vehicles and aircraft 11%, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals; partners--US, FRG, Japan, UK, France, Italy, Switzerland External debt: $21.2 billion (1988 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (1988) Electricity: 34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: mining (world's largest producer of diamonds, gold, chrome), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs Agriculture: accounts for 6% 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 Aid: NA Currency: rand (plural--rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1--2.5555 (January 1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985) Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March - Communications Railroads: 20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge Highways: 188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas Ports: Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 275,684 GRT/273,973 DWT; includes 7 container, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker Civil air: 81 major transport aircraft Airports: 931 total, 793 usable; 124 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 213 with runways 1,220-2,439 m 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; 4,500,000 telephones; stations--14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services Military manpower: males 15-49, 9,544,357; 5,828,167 fit for military service; 419,815 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is two years; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $4 billion (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependent territory of the UK) - Geography Total area: 4,066 km2; land area: 4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island Land boundaries: none Coastline: undetermined Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation; Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm 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: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage - People Population: no permanent 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 - Government Long-form name: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name) Type: dependent territory of the UK Capital: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia is the chief town Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK) Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK) Constitution: 3 October 1985 Legal system: English common law National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982) Executive branch: British monarch, commissioner Legislative branch: none Judicial branch: none Leaders: Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley, Falkland 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 $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.) Electricity: 900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1989) - Communications Highways: NA Ports: Grytviken Harbour on South Georgia Airports: none Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations - Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Soviet Union - Geography Total area: 22,402,200 km2; land area: 22,272,000 km2 Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of US Land boundaries: 19,933 km total; Afghanistan 2,384 km, Czechoslovakia 98 km, China 7,520 km, Finland 1,313 km, Hungary 135 km, Iran 1,690 km, North Korea 17 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland 1,215 km, Romania 1,307 km, Turkey 617 km Coastline: 42,777 km Maritime claims: Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation; Extended economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve four disputed sections of the boundary with China (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); US Government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union; Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islands occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands administered by Soviet Union; maritime dispute with Norway over portion of Barents Sea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Bessarabia question with Romania; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR Climate: mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south Natural resources: self-sufficient in oil, natural gas, coal, and strategic minerals (except bauxite, alumina, tantalum, tin, tungsten, fluorspar, and molybdenum), timber, gold, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, potash, phosphates Land use: 10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes 1% irrigated Environment: despite size and diversity, small percentage of land is arable and much is too far north; some of most fertile land is water deficient or has insufficient growing season; many better climates have poor soils; hot, dry, desiccating sukhovey wind affects south; desertification; continuous permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development Note: largest country in world, but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of world - People Population: 290,938,469 (July 1990), growth rate 0.7% (1990) Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 24 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 74 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Soviet(s); adjective--Soviet Ethnic divisions: Russian 50.78%, Ukrainian 15.45%, Uzbek 5.84%, Byelorussian 3.51%, Kazakh 2.85%, Azerbaijan 2.38%, Armenian 1.62%, Tajik 1.48%, Georgian 1.39%, Moldavian 1.17%, Lithuanian 1.07%, Turkmen 0.95%, Kirghiz 0.89%, Latvian 0.51%, Estonian 0.36%, others 9.75% Religion: 20% Russian Orthodox; 10% Muslim; 7% Protestant, Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic; less than 1% Jewish; 60% atheist (est.) Language: Russian (official); more than 200 languages and dialects (at least 18 with more than 1 million speakers); 75% Slavic group, 8% other Indo-European, 12% Altaic, 3% Uralian, 2% Caucasian Literacy: 99% Labor force: 152,300,000 civilians; 80% industry and other nonagricultural fields, 20% agriculture; shortage of skilled labor (1989) Organized labor: 98% of workers are union members; all trade unions are organized within the All-Union Central Council of Trade Unions (AUCCTU) and conduct their work under guidance of the Communist party - Government Long-form name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; abbreviated USSR Type: Communist state Capital: Moscow Administrative divisions: 1 soviet federative socialist republic* (sovetskaya federativnaya sotsialistcheskaya respublika) and 14 soviet socialist republics (sovetskiye sotsialisticheskiye respubliki, singular--sovetskaya sotsialisticheskaya respublika); Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Byelorussian Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic*, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; note--the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is often abbreviated RSFSR and Soviet Socialist Republic is often abbreviated SSR Independence: 1721 (Russian Empire proclaimed) Constitution: 7 October 1977 Legal system: civil law system as modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Great October Socialist Revolution, 7-8 November (1917) Executive branch: president Legislative branch: the Congress of People's Deputies is the supreme organ of USSR state power and selects the bicameral USSR Supreme Soviet (Verkhovnyy Sovyet) which consists of two coequal houses--Council of the Union (Sovet Soyuza) and Council of Nationalities (Sovet Natsionalnostey) Judicial branch: Supreme Court of the USSR Leaders: Chief of State--President Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV (since 14 March 1990; General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party since 11 March 1985); Head of Government--Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers Nikolay Ivanovich RYZHKOV (since 28 September 1985) Political parties and leaders: only party--Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU), President Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev, general secretary of the Central Committee of the CPSU; note--the CPSU is the only party, but others are forming Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 14 March 1990 (next to be held NA 1995); results--Mikhail Sergeyevich Gorbachev was elected by the Congress of People's Deputies; Congress of People's Deputies--last held 12 March 1990 (next to be held NA); results--CPSU is the only party; seats--(2,250 total) CPSU 1,931, non-CPSU 319; USSR Supreme Soviet--last held NA June 1989 (next to be held NA); results--CPSU is the only party; seats--(542 total) CPSU 475, non-CPSU 67; Council of the Union--last held Spring 1989 (next to be held NA); results--CPSU is the only party; seats--(271 total) CPSU 239, non-CPSU 32; Council of Nationalities--last held Spring 1989 (next to be held NA); results--CPSU is the only party; seats--(271 total) CPSU 236, non-CPSU 35 Communists: about 19 million party members Other political or pressure groups: Komsomol, trade unions, and other organizations that facilitate Communist control; regional popular fronts, informal organizations, and nascent parties with varying attitudes toward the Communist Party establishment Member of: CEMA, ESCAP, IAEA, IBEC, ICAC, ICAO, ICCO, ICES, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, INRO, INTERPOL, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, International Whaling Commission, IWC--International Wheat Council, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador-designate Aleksandr BESSMERTNYKH; Chancery at 1125 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 628-7551 or 8548; there is a Soviet Consulate General in San Francisco; US--Ambassador Jack F. MATLOCK, Jr.; Embassy at Ulitsa Chaykovskogo 19/21/23, Moscow (mailing address is APO New York 09862); telephone p7o (096) 252-24-51 through 59; there is a US Consulate General in Leningrad Flag: red with the yellow silhouette of a crossed hammer and sickle below a yellow-edged five-pointed red star in the upper hoist-side corner - Economy Overview: The first five years of perestroyka (economic restructuring) have undermined the institutions and processes of the Soviet command economy without replacing them with efficiently functioning markets. The initial reforms featured greater authority for enterprise managers over prices, wages, product mix, investment, sources of supply, and customers. But in the absence of effective market discipline, the result was the disappearance of low-price goods, excessive wage increases, an even larger volume of unfinished construction projects, and, in general, continued economic stagnation. The Gorbachev regime has made at least four serious errors in economic policy in these five years: the unpopular and short-lived anti-alcohol campaign; the initial cutback in imports of consumer goods; the failure to act decisively for the privatization of agriculture; and the buildup of a massive overhang of unspent rubles in the hands of households and enterprises. In October 1989, a top economic adviser, Leonid Abalkin presented an ambitious but reasonable timetable for the conversion to a partially privatized market system in the 1990s. In December 1989, however, Premier Ryzhkov's conservative approach prevailed, namely, the contention that a period of retrenchment was necessary to provide a stable financial and legislative base for launching further reforms. Accordingly, the new strategy was to put the reform process on hold in 1990-92 by recentralizing economic authority and to placate the rank-and-file through sharp increases in consumer goods output. In still another policy twist, the leadership in early 1990 was considering a marked speedup in the marketization process. Because the economy is caught in between two systems, there was in 1989 an even greater mismatch between what was produced and what would serve the best interests of enterprises and households. Meanwhile, the seething nationality problems have been dislocating regional patterns of economic specialization and pose a further major threat to growth prospects over the next few years. GNP: $2,659.5 billion, per capita $9,211; real growth rate 1.4% (1989 est. based on Soviet statistics; cutbacks in Soviet reporting on products included in sample make the estimate subject to greater uncertainty than in earlier years) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1989 est.) Unemployment rate: officially, no unemployment Budget: revenues $622 billion; expenditures $781 billion, including capital expenditures of $119 billion (1989 est.) Exports: $110.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood, agricultural products, and a wide variety of manufactured goods (primarily capital goods and arms); partners--Eastern Europe 49%, EC 14%, Cuba 5%, US, Afghanistan (1988) Imports: $107.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--grain and other agricultural products, machinery and equipment, steel products (including large-diameter pipe), consumer manufactures; partners--Eastern Europe 54%, EC 11%, Cuba, China, US (1988) External debt: $27.3 billion (1988) Industrial production: growth rate 0.2% (1989 est.) Electricity: 355,000,000 kW capacity; 1,790,000 million kWh produced, 6,150 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: diversified, highly developed capital goods and defense industries; consumer goods industries comparatively less developed Agriculture: accounts for roughly 20% of GNP and labor force; production based on large collective and state farms; inefficiently managed; wide range of temperate crops and livestock produced; world's second-largest grain producer after the US; shortages of grain, oilseeds, and meat; world's leading producer of sawnwood and roundwood; annual fish catch among the world's largest--11.2 million metric tons (1987) Illicit drugs: illegal producer of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has begun eradication program to control cultivation; used as a transshipment country Aid: donor--extended to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-88), $47.4 billion; extended to other Communist countries (1954-88), $147.6 billion Currency: ruble (plural--rubles); 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks Exchange rates: rubles (R) per US$1--0.600 (February 1990), 0.629 (1989), 0.629 (1988), 0.633 (1987), 0.704 (1986), 0.838 (1985); note--the exchange rate is administratively set and should not be used indiscriminately to convert domestic rubles to dollars; on 1 November 1989 the USSR began using a rate of 6.26 rubles to the dollar for Western tourists buying rubles and for Soviets traveling abroad, but retained the official exchange rate for most trade transactions Fiscal year: calendar year - Communications Railroads: 146,100 km total; 51,700 km electrified; does not include industrial lines (1987) Highways: 1,609,900 km total; 1,196,000 km hard-surfaced (asphalt, concrete, stone block, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone); 413,900 km earth (1987) Inland waterways: 122,500 km navigable, exclusive of Caspian Sea (1987) Pipelines: 81,500 km crude oil and refined products; 195,000 km natural gas (1987) Ports: Leningrad, Riga, Tallinn, Kaliningrad, Liepaja, Ventspils, Murmansk, Arkhangel'sk, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Il'ichevsk, Nikolayev, Sevastopol', Vladivostok, Nakhodka; inland ports are Astrakhan', Baku, Gor'kiy, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kuybyshev, Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd, Kiev Merchant marine: 1,646 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,436,063 GRT/22,732,215 DWT; includes 53 passenger, 937 cargo, 52 container, 11 barge carrier, 5 roll-on/float off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 108 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 251 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 liquefied gas, 21 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized liquid carrier, 17 chemical tanker, 171 bulk; note--639 merchant ships are based in Black Sea, 383 in Baltic Sea, 408 in Soviet Far East, and 216 in Barents Sea and White Sea; the Soviet Ministry of Merchant Marine is beginning to use foreign registries for its merchant ships to increase the economic competitiveness of the fleet in the international market--the first reregistered ships have gone to the Cypriot flag Civil air: 4,500 major transport aircraft Airports: 6,950 total, 4,530 usable; 1,050 with permanent-surface runways; 30 with runways over 3,659 m; 490 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 660 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: extensive network of AM-FM stations broadcasting both Moscow and regional programs; main TV centers in Moscow and Leningrad plus 11 more in the Soviet republics; hundreds of TV stations; 85,000,000 TV sets; 162,000,000 radio receivers; many satellite earth stations and extensive satellite networks (including 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations) - Defense Forces Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Defense Forces, Air Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces Military manpower: males 15-49, 69,634,893; 55,588,743 fit for military service; 2,300,127 million reach military age (18) annually (down somewhat from 2,500,000 a decade ago) Defense expenditures: NA ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Spain - Geography Total area: 504,750 km2; land area: 499,400 km2; includes Balaeric Islands, Canary Islands, Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon Land boundaries: 1,903.2 km total; Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km Coastline: 4,964 km Maritime claims: Extended economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; controls two presidios or places of sovereignty (Ceuta and Melilla) on the north coast of Morocco 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: 31% arable land; 10% permanent crops; 21% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 7% other; includes 6% irrigated Environment: deforestation; air pollution Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar - People Population: 39,268,715 (July 1990), growth rate 0.3% (1990) Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Spaniard(s); adjective--Spanish Ethnic divisions: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types Religion: 99% Roman Catholic, 1% other sects Language: Castilian Spanish; second languages include 17% Catalan, 7% Galician, and 2% Basque Literacy: 97% Labor force: 14,621,000; 53% services, 24% industry, 14% agriculture, 9% construction (1988) Organized labor: less 10% of labor force (1988) - Government Long-form name: Kingdom of Spain 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, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco, Valenciana Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification) Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978 Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: National Day, 12 October Executive branch: monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados) Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo) Leaders: 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 Alfonso GUERRA Gonzalez (since 2 December 1982) Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from right to left--Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria Aznar; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Luis de Grandes; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Adolfo Suarez Gonzalez; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe Gonzalez Marquez; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio Anguita; chief regional parties--Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi Pujol Saley, in Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier Arzallus; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos Garaicoetxea Urizza; Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon Idigoras; Basque Left (EE), Juan Maria Bandries Molet; Andalusian Party (PA); Independent Canary Group (AIC); Aragon Regional Party (PAR); Valencian Union (UV) Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: The Courts General--last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results--PSOE 39.6%, PP 25.8%, CDS 9%, Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%, CiU 5%, Basque Nationalist Party 1.2%, HB 1%, Andalusian Party 1%, others 8.4%; seats--(350 total, 18 vacant pending new elections caused by voting irregularities) PSOE 176, PP 106, CiU 18, IU 17, CDS 14, PNV 5, HB 4, others 10 Communists: PCE membership declined from a possible high of 160,000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 in 1987; the party gained almost 1 million voters and 10 deputies in the 1989 election; voters came mostly from the disgruntled socialist left; remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country's two major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about 1 million; experienced a modest recovery in 1986 national election, nearly doubling the share of the vote it received in 1982 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); the Catholic Church; business and landowning interests; Opus Dei; university students Member of: Andean Pact (observer), ASSIMER, CCC, Council of Europe, EC, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, ITC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Julian SANTAMARIA; Chancery at 2700 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191; there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA; Embassy at Serrano 75, Madrid 6 (mailing address is APO New York 09285); telephone p34o (1) 276-3400 or 3600; there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in 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 - Economy Overview: This Western capitalistic economy has done well since Spain joined the European Economic Community in 1986. With increases in real GNP of 5.5% in 1987 and about 5% in 1988 and 1989, Spain has been the fastest growing member of the EC. Increased investment--both domestic and foreign--has been the most important factor pushing the economic expansion. Inflation moderated to 4.8% in 1988, but an overheated economy caused inflation to reach an estimated 7% in 1989. Another economic problem facing Spain is an unemployment rate of 16.5%, the highest in Europe. GNP: $398.7 billion, per capita $10,100; real growth rate 4.8% (1989 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.0% (1989 est.) Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1989 est.) Budget: revenues $57.8 billion; expenditures $66.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $10.4 billion (1987) Exports: $40.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, live animals, wood, footwear, machinery, chemicals; partners--EC 66%, US 8%, other developed countries 9% Imports: $60.4 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum, footwear, machinery, chemicals, grain, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, iron and steel, timber, cotton, transport equipment; partners--EC 57%, US 9%, other developed countries 13%, Middle East 3% External debt: $32.7 billion (1988) Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1988) Electricity: 46,589,000 kW capacity; 157,040 million kWh produced, 3,980 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP 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 among top 20 nations Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million Currency: peseta (plural--pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--109.69 (January 1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year - Communications Railroads: 15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track; FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified; privately owned railways operate 918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double track Highways: 150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block) Inland waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance Pipelines: 265 km crude oil; 1,794 km refined products; 1,666 km natural gas 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: 324 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,492,563 GRT/6,128,190 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 121 cargo, 19 refrigerated cargo, 17 container, 23 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 51 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 16 chemical tanker, 10 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 combination ore/oil, 49 bulk, 5 vehicle carrier Civil air: 142 major transport aircraft Airports: 110 total, 103 usable; 62 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 29 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,310,000 telephones; stations--196 AM, 404 (134 relays) FM, 143 (1,297 relays) TV; 17 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (5 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and ENTELSAT systems - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force Military manpower: males 15-49, 10,032,649; 8,141,384 fit for military service; 338,582 reach military age (20) annually Defense expenditures: 2.1% of GDP, or $8.4 billion (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Spratly Islands - Geography Total area: less than 5 km2; land area: less than 5 km2; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea Comparative area: undetermined Land boundaries: none Coastline: 926 km Maritime claims: undetermined Disputes: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all or part of the Spratly Islands Climate: tropical Terrain: flat Natural resources: fish, guano; oil and natural gas potential Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other Environment: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs Note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard - People Population: no permanent inhabitants; garrisons - Government Long-form name: none - Economy Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing and phosphate mining. Geological surveys carried out several years ago suggest that substantial reserves of oil and natural gas may lie beneath the islands; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed. Industries: some guano mining - Communications Airports: 3 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Ports: none; offshore anchorage only - Defense Forces Note: approximately 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Sri Lanka - Geography Total area: 65,610 km2; land area: 64,740 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia Land boundaries: none Coastline: 1,340 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 24 nm; Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm; Extended economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Climate: tropical; monsoonal; 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: 16% arable land; 17% permanent crops; 7% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 8% irrigated Environment: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion Note: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian Ocean sea lanes - People Population: 17,196,436 (July 1990), growth rate 1.5% (1990) Birth rate: 21 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 72 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Sri Lankan(s); adjective--Sri Lankan Ethnic divisions: 74% Sinhalese; 18% Tamil; 7% Moor; 1% Burgher, Malay, and Veddha Religion: 69% Buddhist, 15% Hindu, 8% Christian, 8% Muslim Language: Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population Literacy: 87% Labor force: 6,600,000; 45.9% agriculture, 13.3% mining and manufacturing, 12.4% trade and transport, 28.4% services and other (1985 est.) Organized labor: about 33% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and coconut estates - Government Long-form name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka Type: republic Capital: Colombo Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala, Mullativu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Vavuniya; note--the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces (Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to the existing districts) Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon) Constitution: 31 August 1978 Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948) Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State--President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989); Head of Government--Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March 1989) Political parties and leaders: United National Party (UNP), Ranasinghe Premadasa; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo Bandaranaike; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), Mhm. Ashraff; All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar Ponnambalam; Mahajana Eksath Peramuna (MEP, or People's United Front), Dinesh Gundawardene; Sri Lanka Mahajana Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka People's Party), Chandrika Baudaranaike Kumaranatunga; Lanka Sama Samaja Party (LSSP, Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite), Colin R. de Silva; Nava Sama Samaja Party (NSSP, or New Socialist Party), Vasudeva Nanayakkara; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), leader NA; Communist Party/Moscow (CP/M), K. P. Silva; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. Shanmugathasan Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: President--last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1994); results--Ranasinghe Premadasa (UNP) 50%, Sirimavo Bandaranaike (SLFP) 45%, others 5%; Parliament--last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by February 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, others 33 Other political or pressure groups: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People's Liberation Front); Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions Member of: ADB, ANRPC, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025 through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York; US--Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE; Embassy at 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone p94o (1) 548007 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 - Economy Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about half of the labor force and accounting for about 25% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 50% of export earnings and almost 20% of budgetary revenues. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. GDP: $6.1 billion, per capita $370; real growth rate 2.7% (1988) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1988) Unemployment rate: 20% (1988 est.) Budget: revenues $1.5 billion; expenditures $2.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.7 billion (1989) Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products; partners--US 26%, Egypt, Iraq, UK, FRG, Singapore, Japan Imports: $2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum, machinery and equipment, textiles and textile materials, wheat, transportation equipment, electrical machinery, sugar, rice; partners--Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran External debt: $5.6 billion (1989) Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1988) Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 250 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing Agriculture: accounts for 25% 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 Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $932 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $4.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $369 million Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1--40.000 (January 1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985) Fiscal year: calendar year - Communications Railroads: 1,868 km total (1985); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km double track; no electrification; government owned Highways: 66,176 km total (1985); 24,300 km paved (mostly bituminous treated), 28,916 km crushed stone or gravel, 12,960 km improved earth or unimproved earth; several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks Inland waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft Pipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987) Ports: Colombo, Trincomalee Merchant marine: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 258,923 GRT/334,702 DWT; includes 22 cargo, 8 refrigerated cargo, 4 container, 1 livestock carrier, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased) Airports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: good international service; 109,900 telephones (1982); stations--12 AM, 5 FM, 1 TV; submarine cables extend to Indonesia, Djibouti, India; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Air Force, Navy, Police Force, Special Police Task Force, National Auxiliary Force Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,568,648; 3,574,637 fit for military service; 177,610 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $300 million (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Sudan - Geography Total area: 2,505,810 km2; land area: 2,376,000 km2 Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US Land boundaries: 7,697 km total; Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 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 meters or to depth of exploitation; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Kenya; international boundary and Administrative Boundary with Egypt 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: modest reserves of crude oil, iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, crude oil Land use: 5% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures; 20% forest and woodland; 51% other; includes 1% irrigated Environment: dominated by the Nile and its tributaries; dust storms; desertification Note: largest country in Africa - People Population: 24,971,806 (July 1990), growth rate 2.9% (1990) Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 107 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 55 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Sudanese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Sudanese Ethnic divisions: 52% black, 39% Arab, 6% Beja, 2% foreigners, 1% other Religion: 70% Sunni Muslim (in north), 20% indigenous beliefs, 5% Christian (mostly in south and Khartoum) Language: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, and Sudanic languages, English; program of Arabization in process Literacy: 31% (1986) Labor force: 6,500,000; 80% agriculture, 10% industry and commerce, 6% government; labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.); 52% of population of working age (1985) Organized labor: trade unions suspended following 30 June 1989 coup; now in process of being legalized anew - Government Long-form name: Republic of the Sudan Type: military; civilian government suspended and martial law imposed after 30 June 1989 coup Capital: Khartoum Administrative divisions: 9 regions (aqalim, singular--iqlim); Aali an Nil, Al Awsat, Al Istiwai, Al Khartum, Ash Shamali, Ash Sharqi, Bahr al Ghazal, Darfur, Kurdufan Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK; formerly Anglo-Egyptian Sudan) 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; in September 1983 then President Nimeiri declared the penal code would conform to Islamic law; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956) Executive branch: executive and legislative authority vested in a 15-member Revolutionary Command Council (RCC); chairman of the RCC acts as prime minister; in July 1989 RCC appointed a predominately civilian 22-member cabinet to function as advisers Legislative branch: none Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Special Revolutionary Courts Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--Revolutionary Command Council Chairman and Prime Minister Brig. Gen. Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 30 June 1989); Deputy Chairman of the Command Council and Deputy Prime Minister Brig. Gen. al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 9 July 1989) Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup Suffrage: none Elections: none Member of: ACP, AfDB, APC, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdallah Ahmad ABDALLAH; Chancery at 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 338-8565 through 8570; there is a Sudanese Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador James CHEEK; Embassy at Shar'ia Ali Abdul Latif, Khartoum (mailing address is P. O. Box 699, Khartoum, or APO New York 09668); telephone 74700 or 75680, 74611 Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side - Economy Overview: Sudan, one of the world's poorest countries, is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, 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. A high foreign debt and arrearages of about $13 billion continue to cause difficulties. Since 1979 the International Monetary Fund has provided assistance and has forced Sudan to make economic reforms aimed at improving the performance of the economy. GDP: $8.5 billion, per capita $340 (FY87); real growth rate 7.0% (FY89 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 70% (FY89) Unemployment rate: NA Budget: revenues $514 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $183 million (FY89 est.) Exports: $550 million (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities--cotton 43%, sesame, gum arabic, peanuts; partners--Western Europe 46%, Saudi Arabia 14%, Eastern Europe 9%, Japan 9%, US 3% (FY88) Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities--petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals; partners--Western Europe 32%, Africa and Asia 15%, US 13%, Eastern Europe 3% (FY88) External debt: $11.6 billion (December 1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 1.7% (FY89 est.) Electricity: 606,000 kW capacity; 900 million kWh produced, 37 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining Agriculture: accounts for 35% of GNP and 80% of labor force; untapped potential for higher farm production; 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 Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $4.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $588 million Currency: Sudanese pound (plural--pounds); 1 Sudanese pound (LSd) = 100 piasters Exchange rates: official rate--Sudanese pounds (LSd) per US$1--4.5004 (fixed rate since 1987), 2.8121 (1987), 2.5000 (1986), 2.2883 (1985); note--commercial exchange rate is set daily, 12.2 (March 1990) Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June - Communications Railroads: 5,500 km total; 4,784 km 1.067-meter gauge, 716 km 1.6096-meter-gauge plantation line Highways: 20,000 km total; 1,600 km bituminous treated, 3,700 km gravel, 2,301 km improved earth, 12,399 km unimproved earth and track Inland waterways: 5,310 km navigable Pipelines: refined products, 815 km Ports: Port Sudan, Suakin Merchant marine: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 91,107 GRT/122,222 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft Airports: 78 total, 68 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 31 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained; consists of radio relay, cables, radio communications, and troposcatter; domestic satellite system with 14 stations; 73,400 telephones; stations--4 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT - Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,621,469; 3,437,004 fit for military service; 273,011 reach military age (18) annually Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $610 million (1989 est) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Suriname - Geography Total area: 163,270 km2; land area: 161,470 km2 Comparative area: slightly larger than Georgia Land boundaries: 1,707 km total; Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km Coastline: 386 km Maritime claims: Extended economic zone: 200 nm; Territorial sea: 12 nm Disputes: claims area in French Guiana between Litani Rivier and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa); claims area in Guyana between New (Upper Courantyne) and Courantyne/Kutari 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 modest amounts of nickel, copper, platinum, gold Land use: NEGL% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 97% forest and woodland; 3% other; includes NEGL% irrigated Environment: mostly tropical rain forest - People Population: 396,813 (July 1990), growth rate 1.4% (1990) Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990) Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990) Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990) Infant mortality rate: 40 deaths/1,000 live births (1990) Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1990) Total fertility rate: 2.9 children born/woman (1990) Nationality: noun--Surinamer(s); adjective--Surinamese Ethnic divisions: 37.0% Hindustani (East Indian), 31.0% Creole (black and mixed), 15.3% Javanese, 10.3% Bush black, 2.6% Amerindian, 1.7% Chinese, 1.0% Europeans, 1.1% other Religion: 27.4% Hindu, 19.6% Muslim, 22.8% Roman Catholic, 25.2% Protestant (predominantly Moravian), about 5% indigenous beliefs Language: 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; also Hindi Suriname Hindustani (a variant of Bhoqpuri), and Javanese Literacy: 65% Labor force: 104,000 (1984) Organized labor: 49,000 members of labor force - Government Long-form name: Republic of Suriname 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; formerly Netherlands Guiana or Dutch Guiana) Constitution: ratified 30 September 1987 Legal system: NA National holiday: Independence Day, 25 November (1975) Executive branch: president, vice president and prime minister, Cabinet of Ministers, Council of State; note--commander in chief of the National Army maintains significant power Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly Judicial branch: Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Ramsewak SHANKAR (since 25 January 1988); Vice President and Prime Minister Henck Alfonsus Eugene ARRON (since 25 January 1988) Political parties and leaders: 25 February Movement established by Lt. Col. Desire Bouterse in November 1983, but much of its activity taken over by New Democratic Party (NDP) in May 1987; leftists (all small groups)--Revolutionary People's Party (RVP), Michael Naarendorp; Progressive Workers and Farmers (PALU), Iwan Krolis; traditional parties--Progressive Reform Party (VHP), Jaggernath Lachmon; National Party of Suriname (NPS), Henck Arron; Indonesian Peasants Party (KTPI), Willy Soemita; the VHP, NPS, and KTPI formed a coalition known as The Front in July 1987 that overwhelmingly defeated the NDP in the November 1987 elections Suffrage: universal at age 18 Elections: National Assembly--last held 25 November 1987 (next to be held November 1992); results--The Front 80%, others 20%; seats--(51 total) The Front 40, NDP 3, PALU 4, Pendawa Llwa 4 Member of: ACP, ECLA, FAO, GATT, G-77, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Willem A. UDENHOUT; Chancery at Suite 108, 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 244-7488 or 7490 through 7492; there is a Surinamese Consulate General in Miami; US--Ambassador Richard HOWLAND; Embassy at Dr. Sophie Redmonstraat 129, Paramaribo (mailing address is P. O. Box 1821, Paramaribo); telephone p597o 72900 or 76459 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 - Economy Overview: The economy is dominated by the bauxite industry, which accounts for about 80% of export earnings and 40% of tax revenues. The economy has been in trouble since the Dutch ended development aid in 1982. A drop in world bauxite prices that started in the late 1970s and continued until late 1986, was followed by the outbreak of a guerrilla insurgency in the interior. The guerrillas targeted the economic infrastructure, crippling the important bauxite sector and shutting down other export industries. These problems have created both high inflation and high unemployment. A small gain in economic growth of 3.6% was registered in 1988 due to reduced guerrilla activity and improved international markets for bauxite. GDP: $1.27 billion, per capita $3,215; real growth rate 3.6% (1988 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1988 est.) Unemployment rate: 27% (1988) Budget: revenues $466 million; expenditures $716 million, including capital expenditures of $123 million (1989 est.) Exports: $425 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--alumina, bauxite, aluminum, rice, wood and wood products, shrimp and fish, bananas; partners--Netherlands 28%, US 22%, Norway 18%, Japan 11%, Brazil 10%, UK 4% Imports: $365 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--capital equipment, petroleum, foodstuffs, cotton, consumer goods; partners--US 34%, Netherlands 20%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Brazil 5%, UK 3% External debt: $65 million (1989 est.) Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1986) Electricity: 458,000 kW capacity; 2,018 million kWh produced, 5,030 kWh per capita (1989) Industries: bauxite mining, alumina and aluminum production, lumbering, food processing, fishing Agriculture: accounts for 11% of both GDP and labor force; 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 Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $2.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion Currency: Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (plural--guilders, gulden, or florins); 1 Surinamese guilder, gulden, or florin (Sf.) = 100 cents Exchange rates: Surinamese guilders, gulden, or florins (Sf.) per US$1--1.7850 (fixed rate) Fiscal year: calendar year - 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: 8,300 km total; 500 km paved; 5,400 km bauxite gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 2,400 km sand or clay Inland waterways: 1,200 km; most important means of transport; oceangoing vessels with drafts ranging from 4.2 m to 7 m can navigate many of the principal waterways Ports: Paramaribo, Moengo Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,472 GRT/8,914 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 container Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft Airports: 47 total, 43 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m Telecommunications: international facilities good; domestic radio relay system; 27,500 telephones; stations--5 AM, 14 FM, 6 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations - Defense Forces Branches: National Army (including Support Battalion, Infantry Battalion, Mechanized Cavalry Unit, Military Police Brigade, Navy which is company-size, small Air Force element) Military manpower: males 15-49, 105,328; 62,896 fit for military service Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $91 million (1990 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Svalbard (territory of Norway) - Geography Total area: 62,049 km2; land area: 62,049 km2; includes Spitsbergen and Bjornoya (Bear Island) Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia Land boundaries: none Coastline: 3,587 km Maritime claims: Contiguous zone: 10 nm; Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation; Extended economic zone: 200 nm unilaterally claimed by Norway, not recognized by USSR; Territorial sea: 4 nm Disputes: focus of maritime boundary dispute between Norway and USSR 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
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