Chapter V (8)

Economy--overview: All economic activity is concentrated on the
largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities
are located. Construction projects and various services needed to
support the military installations are done by military and contract
employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There
are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands.

Electricity--production: NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by the US military

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system: facilities for military needs only
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and
airfield on Diego Garcia
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Diego Garcia

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US
lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by
Mauritius and Seychelles

======================================================================

@British Virgin Islands ----------------------

Geography

Location: Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North
Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico

Geographic coordinates: 18 30 N, 64 30 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 150 sq km
land: 150 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the island of Anegada

Area--comparative: about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 80 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds

Terrain: coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep,
hilly

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 33%
forests and woodland: 7%
other: 33% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)

Environment--current issues: limited natural fresh water resources
(except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of
the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchment)

Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography--note: strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and
Puerto Rico

People

Population: 19,156 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 2,012; female 1,965)
15-64 years: 74% (male 7,300; female 6,896)
65 years and over: 5% (male 539; female 444) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.37% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 15.92 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.65 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 12.37 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.21 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.17 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.13 years
male: 74.37 years
female: 75.92 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.71 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander

Ethnic groups: black 90%, white, Asian

Religions: Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of
God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses
2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)

Languages: English (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands
abbreviation: BVI

Data code: VI

Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK

Government type: NA

Capital: Road Town

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday: Territory Day, 1 July

Constitution: 1 June 1977

Legal system: English law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor David MACKILLIGIN (since NA June 1995)
head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May
1995; appointed after the death of former Chief Minister H. Lavity
STOUTT)
cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of
the Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the
members of the Legislative Council

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats;
members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of
9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 February 1995 (next to be held NA February
2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--VIP 6,
CCM 2, UP 2, independents 3

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of
the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal; (one judge of the
Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the
High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary
Jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders: United Party or UP [Conrad

International organization participation: Caricom (associate),
CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate),
UNESCO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of
the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory
of the UK)

Flag description: blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper
hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in
the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked
on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll
bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)

Economy

Economy--overview: The economy, one of the most prosperous in the
Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an
estimated 45% of the national income. In the mid-1980s, the
government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing
to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate
substantial revenues. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the
offshore registry by yearend 1997. The adoption of a comprehensive
insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of
confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation
of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands
even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is
the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the
islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of
traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British
Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$183 million (1997 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 4.7% (1997)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$10,000 (1997 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 1.4%
services: 97.6% (1991-95 average)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1997)

Labor force: 4,911 (1980)

Labor force--by occupation: tourism NA%

Unemployment rate: 3% (1995)

Budget:
revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997)

Industries: tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete
block, offshore financial center

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1985)

Electricity--production: 42 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 42 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish

Exports: $23.9 million (1996)

Exports--commodities: rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel,
sand

Exports--partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Imports: $121.5 million (1996)

Imports--commodities: building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs,
machinery

Imports--partners: Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US

Debt--external: $34.8 million (1996)

Economic aid--recipient: $2.6 million (1995)

Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 6,291 (1990 est.)

Telephone system: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA
international: submarine cable to Bermuda

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 9,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (in addition, there is one cable
company) (1997)

Televisions: 4,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 113 km (1995 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Road Town

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 3 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

======================================================================

@Brunei ------

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and
Malaysia

Geographic coordinates: 4 30 N, 114 40 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 5,770 sq km
land: 5,270 sq km
water: 500 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 381 km
border countries: Malaysia 381 km

Coastline: 161 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm or to median line
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy

Terrain: flat coastal plain rises to mountains in east; hilly
lowland in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Bukit Pagon 1,850 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, timber

Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 85%
other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are
very rare

Environment--current issues: seasonal smoke/haze resulting from
forest fires in Indonesia

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: close to vital sea lanes through South China Sea
linking Indian and Pacific Oceans; two parts physically separated by
Malaysia; almost an enclave of Malaysia

People

Population: 322,982 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (male 54,154; female 51,766)
15-64 years: 63% (male 106,492; female 95,921)
65 years and over: 4% (male 7,945; female 6,704) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.38% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 24.69 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.21 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.35 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.19 male(s)/female
total population: 1.09 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.83 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.84 years
male: 70.35 years
female: 73.42 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.33 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Bruneian(s)
adjective: Bruneian

Ethnic groups: Malay 64%, Chinese 20%, other 16%

Religions: Muslim (official) 63%, Buddhism 14%, Christian 8%,
indigenous beliefs and other 15% (1981)

Languages: Malay (official), English, Chinese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 88.2%
male: 92.6%
female: 83.4% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Negara Brunei Darussalam
conventional short form: Brunei

Data code: BX

Government type: constitutional sultanate

Capital: Bandar Seri Begawan

Administrative divisions: 4 districts (daerah-daerah,
singular--daerah); Belait, Brunei and Muara, Temburong, Tutong

Independence: 1 January 1984 (from UK)

National holiday: National Day, 23 February (1984)

Constitution: 29 September 1959 (some provisions suspended under
a State of Emergency since December 1962, others since independence
on 1 January 1984)

Legal system: based on English common law; for Muslims, Islamic
Shari'a law supersedes civil law in a number of areas

Suffrage: none

Executive branch:
chief of state: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka Seri
Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah (since 5
October 1967); note--the monarch is both the chief of state and head
of government
head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister His Majesty Paduka
Seri Baginda Sultan Haji HASSANAL Bolkiah Mu'izzaddin Waddaulah
(since 5 October 1967); note--the monarch is both the chief of state
and head of government
cabinet: Council of Cabinet Ministers appointed and presided over by
the monarch; deals with executive matters
note: there is also a Religious Council (members appointed by the
monarch) that advises on religious matters, a Privy Council (members
appointed by the monarch) that deals with constitutional matters,
and the Council of Succession (members appointed by the monarch)
that determines the succession to the throne if the need arises
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council or Majlis
Masyuarat Megeri (a privy council that serves only in a consultative
capacity; NA seats; members appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held in March 1962
note: in 1970 the Council was changed to an appointive body by
decree of the monarch; an elected Legislative Council is being
considered as part of constitutional reform, but elections are
unlikely for several years

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice and judges are
sworn in by the monarch for three-year terms

Political parties and leaders: Brunei Solidarity National Party
president]; the PPKB is the only legal political party in Brunei; it
was registered in 1985, but became largely inactive after 1988; it
has less than 200 registered party members; other parties include
Brunei People's Party or PRB (banned in 1962) and Brunei National
Democratic Party (registered in May 1985, deregistered by the Brunei
Government in 1988)

International organization participation: APEC, ASEAN, C, CCC,
ESCAP, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFRCS, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW,
UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Pengiran Anak Dato Haji PUTEH Ibni
Mohammad Alam
chancery: Watergate, Suite 300, 3rd floor, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW,
Washington, DC 20037

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Glen Robert RASE
embassy: Third Floor, Teck Guan Plaza, Jalan Sultan, Bandar Seri
Begawan
mailing address: PSC 470 (BSB), FPO AP 96534-0001

Flag description: yellow with two diagonal bands of white (top,
almost double width) and black starting from the upper hoist side;
the national emblem in red is superimposed at the center; the emblem
includes a swallow-tailed flag on top of a winged column within an
upturned crescent above a scroll and flanked by two upraised hands

Economy

Economy--overview: This small, wealthy economy is a mixture of
foreign and domestic entrepreneurship, government regulation and
welfare measures, and village tradition. It is almost totally
supported by exports of crude oil and natural gas, with revenues
from the petroleum sector accounting for over half of GDP. Per
capita GDP is far above most other Third World countries, and
substantial income from overseas investment supplements income from
domestic production. The government provides for all medical
services and subsidizes food and housing. The government is
beginning to show progress on its basic policy of diversifying the
economy away from oil and gas. Brunei's leaders are concerned that
steadily increased integration in the world economy will undermine
internal social cohesion. Because of low world oil prices and the
Asian crisis, growth in 1999 is expected to be moderate.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.4 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -1% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$17,000 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 46%
services: 49% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 144,000 (1995 est.); note--includes foreign workers
and military personnel
note: temporary residents make up 41% of labor force (1991)

Labor force--by occupation: government 48%, production of oil,
natural gas, services, and construction 42%, agriculture, forestry,
and fishing 4%, other 6% (1986 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.8% (1994 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.5 billion
expenditures: $2.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $768
million (1995 est.)

Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas,
construction

Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1997 est.)

Electricity--production: 1.48 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 1.48 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: rice, cassava (tapioca), bananas; water
buffalo

Exports: $2.62 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.)

Exports--commodities: crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum
products

Exports--partners: ASEAN 31%, Japan 27%, South Korea 26%, UK,
Taiwan (1996 est.)

Imports: $2.65 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, food, chemicals

Imports--partners: Singapore 29%, UK 19%, US 13%, Malaysia 9%,
Japan 5% (1994 est.)

Debt--external: $0

Economic aid--recipient: $4.3 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Bruneian dollars (B$) per US$1--1.6781 (January
1999), 1.6736 (1998), 1.4848 (1997), 1.4100 (1996), 1.4174 (1995),
1.5274 (1994); note--the Bruneian dollar is at par with the Singapore
dollar

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 90,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system: service throughout country is excellent;
international service good to Europe, US, and East Asia
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 10, shortwave 0 (1998)

Radios: 284,000 (1995 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: 173,000 (1995 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge

Highways:
total: 1,150 km
paved: 399 km
unpaved: 751 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m

Pipelines: crude oil 135 km; petroleum products 418 km; natural
gas 920 km

Ports and harbors: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara,
Seria, Tutong

Merchant marine:
total: 7 liquefied gas tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 348,476
GRT/340,635 DWT (1998 est.)

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 3 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Land Forces, Navy, Air Force, Royal Brunei
Police

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 88,628 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 51,270 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 3,078 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $343 million (1997)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 6% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: possibly involved in a complex dispute
over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan,
and Vietnam; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone
that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but
has not publicly claimed the island

======================================================================

@Bulgaria --------

Introduction

Background: A Slavic state, Bulgaria achieved independence in
1908 after 500 years of Ottoman rule. Bulgaria fought on the losing
side in both World Wars. After World War II it fell within the
Soviet sphere of influence. Communist domination ended in 1991 with
the dissolution of the USSR, and Bulgaria began the contentious
process of moving toward political democracy and a market economy.
In addition to the problems of structural economic reform,
particularly privatization, Bulgaria faces the serious issues of
keeping inflation under control and unemployment, combatting
corruption, and curbing black-market and mafia-style crime.

Geography

Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between
Romania and Turkey

Geographic coordinates: 43 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 110,910 sq km
land: 110,550 sq km
water: 360 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than Tennessee

Land boundaries:
total: 1,808 km
border countries: Greece 494 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of
Macedonia 148 km, Romania 608 km, Serbia and Montenegro 318 km (all
with Serbia), Turkey 240 km

Coastline: 354 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; cold, damp winters; hot, dry summers

Terrain: mostly mountains with lowlands in north and southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Musala 2,925 m

Natural resources: bauxite, copper, lead, zinc, coal, timber,
arable land

Land use:
arable land: 37%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 16%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 10% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,370 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes, landslides

Environment--current issues: air pollution from industrial
emissions; rivers polluted from raw sewage, heavy metals,
detergents; deforestation; forest damage from air pollution and
resulting acid rain; soil contamination from heavy metals from
metallurgical plants and industrial wastes

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: strategic location near Turkish Straits; controls
key land routes from Europe to Middle East and Asia

People

Population: 8,194,772 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (male 674,643; female 641,943)
15-64 years: 68% (male 2,744,634; female 2,800,816)
65 years and over: 16% (male 570,766; female 761,970) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.52% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 8.71 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 13.2 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 12.37 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.27 years
male: 68.72 years
female: 76.03 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Bulgarian(s)
adjective: Bulgarian

Ethnic groups: Bulgarian 85%, Turk 9%, other 6%

Religions: Bulgarian Orthodox 85%, Muslim 13%, Jewish 0.8%, Roman
Catholic 0.5%, Uniate Catholic 0.2%, Protestant, Gregorian-Armenian,
and other 0.5%

Languages: Bulgarian, secondary languages closely correspond to
ethnic breakdown

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97% (1992 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Bulgaria
conventional short form: Bulgaria

Data code: BU

Government type: republic

Capital: Sofia

Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (oblasti, singular--oblast);
Burgas, Grad Sofiya, Khaskovo, Lovech, Montana, Plovdiv, Ruse,
Sofiya, Varna

Independence: 22 September 1908 (from Ottoman Empire)

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 March (1878)

Constitution: adopted 12 July 1991

Legal system: civil law and criminal law based on Roman law;
accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Petar STOYANOV (since 22 January 1997);
Vice President Todor KAVALDZHIEV (since 22 January 1997)
head of government: Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime
Minister) Ivan Kostov (since 19 May 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers
Aleksandur BOZHKOV (since 12 February 1997), Evgeniy BAKURDZHIEV
(since 21 May 1997), Veselin METODIEV (since 21 May 1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 27 October
and 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); chairman of the
Council of Ministers (prime minister) nominated by the president;
deputy prime ministers nominated by the prime minister
election results: Petar STOYANOV elected president; percent of
vote--Petar STOYANOV 59.73%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Narodno
Sobranie (240 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 19 April 1997 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: percent of vote by party--UDF 52%, BSP 22%, ANS 7%,
Euro-left 5.5%, BBB 4.95%; seats by party--UDF 137, BSP 58, ANS 19,
Euro-left 14, BBB 12

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chairman appointed for a
seven-year term by the president; Constitutional Court, 12 justices
appointed or elected for nine-year terms

Political parties and leaders: Bulgarian Socialist Party or BSP
(coalition led mainly by Movement for Rights and Freedoms or DPS
cochairmen]

Political pressure groups and leaders: Democratic Alliance for
the Republic or DAR; New Union for Democracy or NUD; Podkrepa Labor
Confederation; Confederation of Independent Trade Unions of Bulgaria
or CITUB; Bulgarian Agrarian National Union--United or BZNS;
Bulgarian Democratic Center; "Nikola Petkov" Bulgarian Agrarian
National Union; Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization or
IMRO; agrarian movement; numerous regional, ethnic, and national
interest groups with various agendas

International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC,
CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member),
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MONUA, NAM (guest), NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UPU, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Philip DIMITROV
chancery: 1621 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Avis T. BOHLEN
embassy: 1 Saborna Street, Sofia
mailing address: American Embassy Sofia, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-5740

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top),
green, and red; the national emblem formerly on the hoist side of
the white stripe has been removed--it contained a rampant lion within
a wreath of wheat ears below a red five-pointed star and above a
ribbon bearing the dates 681 (first Bulgarian state established) and
1944 (liberation from Nazi control)

Economy

Economy--overview: In April 1997, the current ruling Union of
Democratic Forces (UDF) government won pre-term parliamentary
elections and introduced an IMF currency board system which
succeeded in stabilizing the economy. The triple digit inflation of
1996 and 1997 has given way to an official consumer price increase
of 1% in 1998. Following declines in GDP in both 1996 and 1997, the
economy grew an officially estimated 4% in 1998. In September 1998,
the IMF approved a three-year Extended Fund Facility, which provides
credits worth approximately $864 million, designed to support
Bulgaria's reform efforts. The government's structural reform
program includes: (a) privatization and, where appropriate,
liquidation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs); (b) liberalization of
agricultural policies, including creating conditions for the
development of a land market; (c) reform of the country's social
insurance programs; and, (d) reforms to strengthen contract
enforcement and fight crime and corruption.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$33.6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$4,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 29%
services: 45% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.3%
highest 10%: 24.7% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 3.57 million (1996 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 12.2% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $4.1 billion
expenditures: $3.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: machine building and metal working, food processing,
chemicals, textiles, construction materials, ferrous and nonferrous
metals

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 41.575 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 51.17%
hydro: 6.1%
nuclear: 42.73%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 41.08 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 2.045 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 1.55 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: grain, oilseed, vegetables, fruits,
tobacco; livestock

Exports: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: machinery and equipment; metals, minerals,
and fuels; chemicals and plastics; food, textiles (1997)

Exports--partners: Italy 12%, Germany 10%, Turkey, Greece, Russia
(1997)

Imports: $4.6 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: fuels, minerals, and raw materials;
machinery and equipment; metals and ores; chemicals and plastics;
food, textiles (1997)

Imports--partners: Russia 28%, Germany 11%, Italy, Greece, US
(1997)

Debt--external: $9.3 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 lev (Lv) = 100 stotinki

Exchange rates: leva (Lv) per US$1--1,685.10 (January 1999),
1,760.36 (1998), 1,681.88 (1997), 177.89 (1996), 67.17 (1995), 54.13
(1994)
note: the official rate is pegged to the euro as of 1 January 1999

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 2,773,293 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: almost two-thirds of the lines are residential
domestic: extensive but antiquated transmission system of coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay; telephone service is available in
most villages
international: direct dialing to 36 countries; satellite earth
stations--1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); Intelsat available
through a Greek earth station

Radio broadcast stations: AM 24, FM 93, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 33 (in addition, there are two
relays of Russian program OK-1 and two relays of TV-5 Europe) (1997)

Televisions: 2.1 million (May 1990 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 4,292 km
standard gauge: 4,047 km 1.435-m gauge (2,650 km electrified; 917 km
double track)
narrow gauge: 245 km 0.760-m gauge (1995)

Highways:
total: 36,724 km
paved: 33,786 km (including 314 km of expressways)
unpaved: 2,938 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 470 km (1987)

Pipelines: crude oil 193 km; petroleum products 525 km; natural
gas 1,400 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Burgas, Lom, Nesebur, Ruse, Varna, Vidin

Merchant marine:
total: 89 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,005,092 GRT/1,508,614
DWT
ships by type: bulk 44, cargo 20, chemical tanker 4, container 2,
oil tanker 8, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated
cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6, short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 61 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 56
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 19
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border
Troops, Internal Troops

Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 2,028,930 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,693,597 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 59,887 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $226.8 million (1997)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.2% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: twenty bilateral agreements remain
unsigned in a dispute over Bulgarian nonrecognition of Macedonian as
a language distinct from Bulgarian

Illicit drugs: major European transshipment point for Southwest
Asian heroin and, to a lesser degree, South American cocaine for the
European market; limited producer of precursor chemicals;
significant producer of amphetamines, much of which are consumed in
the Middle East

======================================================================

@Burkina Faso ------------

Geography

Location: Western Africa, north of Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 274,200 sq km
land: 273,800 sq km
water: 400 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than Colorado

Land boundaries:
total: 3,192 km
border countries: Benin 306 km, Ghana 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 584 km,
Mali 1,000 km, Niger 628 km, Togo 126 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical; warm, dry winters; hot, wet summers

Terrain: mostly flat to dissected, undulating plains; hills in
west and southeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mouhoun (Black Volta) River 200 m
highest point: Tena Kourou 749 m

Natural resources: manganese, limestone, marble; small deposits
of gold, antimony, copper, nickel, bauxite, lead, phosphates, zinc,
silver

Land use:
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 50%
other: 15% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 200 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring droughts

Environment--current issues: recent droughts and desertification
severely affecting agricultural activities, population distribution,
and the economy; overgrazing; soil degradation; deforestation

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography--note: landlocked

People

Population: 11,575,898 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 2,792,895; female 2,759,072)
15-64 years: 49% (male 2,700,253; female 2,978,168)
65 years and over: 3% (male 147,017; female 198,493) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.7% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 45.84 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 17.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 107.19 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.89 years
male: 44.97 years
female: 46.84 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.56 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Burkinabe (singular and plural)
adjective: Burkinabe

Ethnic groups: Mossi about 24%, Gurunsi, Senufo, Lobi, Bobo,
Mande, Fulani

Religions: indigenous beliefs 40%, Muslim 50%, Christian (mainly
Roman Catholic) 10%

Languages: French (official), tribal languages belonging to
Sudanic family, spoken by 90% of the population

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 19.2%
male: 29.5%
female: 9.2% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Burkina Faso
former: Upper Volta

Data code: UV

Government type: parliamentary

Capital: Ouagadougou

Administrative divisions: 30 provinces; Bam, Bazega, Bougouriba,
Boulgou, Boulkiemde, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houe, Kadiogo,
Kenedougou, Komoe, Kossi, Kouritenga, Mouhoun, Namentenga, Naouri,
Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Sanguie, Sanmatenga, Seno,
Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Yatenga, Zoundweogo
note: a new electoral code was approved by the National Assembly in
January 1997; the number of administrative provinces was increased
from 30 to 45 (Bale, Bam, Banwa, Bazega, Bougouriba, Boulgou,
Boulkiemde, Comoe, Ganzourgou, Gnagna, Gourma, Houet, Ioba, Kadiogo,
Kenedougou, Komandjari, Kompienga, Kossi, Koupelogo, Kouritenga,
Kourweogo, Leraba, Loroum, Mouhoun, Nahouri, Namentenga, Nayala,
Naumbiel, Oubritenga, Oudalan, Passore, Poni, Samentenga, Sanguie,
Seno, Sissili, Soum, Sourou, Tapoa, Tuy, Yagha, Yatenga, Ziro,
Zondomo, Zoundweogo)

Independence: 5 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 4 August (1983)

Constitution: 2 June 1991

Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law

Suffrage: universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Captain Blaise COMPAORE (since 15 October
1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Kadre Desire OUEDRAOGO (since 6
February 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
the number of terms which a president may serve is not limited;
election last held 15 November 1998 (next to be held NA 2005); prime
minister appointed by the president with the consent of the
legislature
election results: Blaise COMPAORE reelected president with 88%
percent of the vote, with 56% of voter turnout

Legislative branch: bicameral; consists of a National Assembly or
Assemblee des Deputes Populaires (ADP) (111 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the purely
consultative Chamber of Representations or Chambre des Representants
(120 seats; members are appointed to serve three-year terms)
elections: National Assembly election last held 11 May 1997 (next to
be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--CDP
101, PDP 6, RDA 2, ADF 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Appeals Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and
Nongma OUEDRAOGO, president]; Burkinabe Environmentalist Party or

Political pressure groups and leaders: watchdog/political action
groups throughout the country in both organizations and communities;
Burkinabe Movement for Human Rights or HBDHP; Burkinabe General
Confederation of Labor or CGTB; National Confederation of Burkinabe
Workers or CNTB; National Organization of Free Unions or ONSL; Group
of 14 February

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
MINURCA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gaetan Rimwangulya OUEDRAOGO
chancery: 2340 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sharon P. WILKINSON
embassy: Avenue Raoul Follerau, Ouagadougou
mailing address: 01 B. P. 35, Ouagadougou

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and
green with a yellow five-pointed star in the center; uses the
popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Economy--overview: One of the poorest countries in the world,
landlocked Burkina Faso has a high population density, few natural
resources, and a fragile soil. About 85% of the population is
engaged in (mainly subsistence) agriculture which is highly
vulnerable to variations in rainfall. Industry remains dominated by
unprofitable government-controlled corporations. Following the
African franc currency devaluation in January 1994 the government
updated its development program in conjunction with international
agencies, and exports and economic growth have increased.
Maintenance of its macroeconomic progress in 1999-2000 depends on
continued low inflation, reduction in the trade deficit, and reforms
designed to encourage private investment.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$11.6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,000 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 35%
industry: 25%
services: 40% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 4.679 million (persons 10 years old and over,
according to a sample survey taken in 1991)
note: a large part of the male labor force migrates annually to
neighboring countries for seasonal employment

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 85%, industry, commerce,
services, government (1998)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $277 million
expenditures: $492 million, including capital expenditures of $233
million (1995 est.)

Industries: cotton lint, beverages, agricultural processing,
soap, cigarettes, textiles, gold

Industrial production growth rate: 4.2% (1995)

Electricity--production: 220 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 63.64%
hydro: 36.36%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 220 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: peanuts, shea nuts, sesame, cotton,
sorghum, millet, corn, rice; livestock

Exports: $400 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports--commodities: cotton, animal products, gold

Exports--partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Italy, Mali

Imports: $700 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery, food products, petroleum

Imports--partners: Cote d'Ivoire, France, Togo, Nigeria

Debt--external: $715 million (December 1996)

Economic aid--recipient: $484.1 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--560.01 (December 1998), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55
(1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 21,000 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: all services only fair
domestic: microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone
communication stations
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 17, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: 49,000 (1991 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 622 km (517 km from Ouagadougou to the Cote d'Ivoire border
and 105 km from Ouagadougou to Kaya)
narrow gauge: 622 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)

Highways:
total: 12,506 km
paved: 2,001 km
unpaved: 10,505 km (1995 est.)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 33 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 31
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,
National Police, People's Militia

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 2,399,724 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,230,713 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $66 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

======================================================================

@Burma -----

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the
Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Geographic coordinates: 22 00 N, 98 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 678,500 sq km
land: 657,740 sq km
water: 20,760 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 5,876 km
border countries: Bangladesh 193 km, China 2,185 km, India 1,463 km,
Laos 235 km, Thailand 1,800 km

Coastline: 1,930 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical monsoon; cloudy, rainy, hot, humid summers
(southwest monsoon, June to September); less cloudy, scant rainfall,
mild temperatures, lower humidity during winter (northeast monsoon,
December to April)

Terrain: central lowlands ringed by steep, rugged highlands

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Andaman Sea 0 m
highest point: Hkakabo Razi 5,881 m

Natural resources: petroleum, timber, tin, antimony, zinc,
copper, tungsten, lead, coal, some marble, limestone, precious
stones, natural gas

Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 49%
other: 34% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 10,680 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding
and landslides common during rainy season (June to September);
periodic droughts

Environment--current issues: deforestation; industrial pollution
of air, soil, and water; inadequate sanitation and water treatment
contribute to disease

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean
shipping lanes

People

Population: 48,081,302 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 8,883,099; female 8,542,087)
15-64 years: 60% (male 14,343,888; female 14,293,233)
65 years and over: 4% (male 906,517; female 1,112,478) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.61% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 28.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 12.39 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 76.25 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.74 years
male: 53.24 years
female: 56.32 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.63 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Burmese (singular and plural)
adjective: Burmese

Ethnic groups: Burman 68%, Shan 9%, Karen 7%, Rakhine 4%, Chinese
3%, Mon 2%, Indian 2%, other 5%

Religions: Buddhist 89%, Christian 4% (Baptist 3%, Roman Catholic
1%), Muslim 4%, animist beliefs 1%, other 2%

Languages: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own
languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 83.1%
male: 88.7%
female: 77.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Union of Burma
conventional short form: Burma
local long form: Pyidaungzu Myanma Naingngandaw (translated by the
US Government as Union of Myanma and by the Burmese as Union of
Myanmar)
local short form: Myanma Naingngandaw
former: Socialist Republic of the Union of Burma

Data code: BM

Government type: military regime

Capital: Rangoon (regime refers to the capital as Yangon)

Administrative divisions: 7 divisions* (yin-mya, singular--yin)
and 7 states (pyine-mya, singular--pyine); Chin State, Ayeyarwady*,
Bago*, Kachin State, Kayin State, Kayah State, Magway*, Mandalay*,
Mon State, Rakhine State, Sagaing*, Shan State, Tanintharyi*, Yangon*

Independence: 4 January 1948 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 4 January (1948)

Constitution: 3 January 1974 (suspended since 18 September 1988);
national convention started on 9 January 1993 to draft a new
constitution; chapter headings and three of 15 sections have been
approved

Legal system: does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace and
Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992); note--the
prime minister is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: Prime Minister and Chairman of the State Peace
and Development Council Gen. THAN SHWE (since 23 April 1992);
note--the prime minister is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: State Peace and Development Council (SPDC); military junta,
so named 15 November 1997, which initially assumed power 18
September 1988 under the name State Law and Order Restoration
Council; the SPDC oversees the cabinet
elections: none; the prime minister assumed power upon resignation
of the former prime minister

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly or Pyithu
Hluttaw (485 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 May 1990, but Assembly never convened
election results: percent of vote by party--NA%; seats by party--NLD
396, NUP 10, other 79

Judicial branch: limited; remnants of the British-era legal
system in place, but there is no guarantee of a fair public trial;
the judiciary is not independent of the executive

Political parties and leaders: National Unity Party or NUP
SHWE, chairman, AUNG SAN SUU KYI, general secretary]; Union
Solidarity and Development Association or USDA (proregime, a social
eight minor legal parties

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Coalition
individuals legitimately elected to the People's Assembly but not
recognized by the military regime; the group fled to a border area
and joined with insurgents in December 1990 to form a parallel
government; Kachin Independence Army or KIA; United Wa State Army or
UWSA; Karen National Union or KNU; several Shan factions; All Burma
Student Democratic Front or ABSDF

International organization participation: AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP,
ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU,
NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador TIN WINN
chancery: 2300 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Kent M.
WIEDEMANN
embassy: 581 Merchant Street, Rangoon (GPO 521)
mailing address: Box B, APO AP 96546

Flag description: red with a blue rectangle in the upper
hoist-side corner bearing, all in white, 14 five-pointed stars
encircling a cogwheel containing a stalk of rice; the 14 stars
represent the 14 administrative divisions

Economy

Economy--overview: Burma has a mixed economy with private activity
dominant in agriculture, light industry, and transport, and with
substantial state-controlled activity, mainly in energy, heavy
industry, and the rice trade. Government policy in the last 10
years, 1989-98, has aimed at revitalizing the economy after three
decades of tight central planning. Thus, private activity has
markedly increased; foreign investment has been encouraged, so far
with moderate success; and efforts continue to increase the
efficiency of state enterprises. Published estimates of Burma's
foreign trade are greatly understated because of the volume of
black-market trade. A major ongoing problem is the failure to
achieve monetary and fiscal stability. Although Burma remains a poor
Asian country, its rich resources furnish the potential for
substantial long-term increases in income, exports, and living
standards. The short-term outlook is for continued sluggish growth
because of internal unrest, minimal foreign investment, and the
large trade deficit.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$56.1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.1% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,200 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 59%
industry: 11%
services: 30% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 18.8 million (FY95/96 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65.2%, industry 14.3%,
trade 10.1%, government 6.3%, other 4.1% (FY88/89 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $7.9 billion
expenditures: $12.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.7
billion (FY96/97)

Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood
and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction
materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Industrial production growth rate: 9.2% (FY95/96 est.)

Electricity--production: 3.75 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.33%
hydro: 38.67%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 3.75 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: paddy rice, corn, oilseed, sugarcane,
pulses; hardwood

Exports: $940 million (1997)

Exports--commodities: pulses and beans, teak, rice, rubber,
hardwood

Exports--partners: India 17%, Singapore 14%, China 11%, Thailand
9%, Japan 4% (1997)

Imports: $2.2 billion (1997)

Imports--commodities: machinery, transport equipment, construction
materials, food products

Imports--partners: Singapore 30%, Japan 17%, China 10%, Thailand
10%, Malaysia 7% (1997)

Debt--external: $4.3 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $156.9 million (1995)

Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Exchange rates: kyats (K) per US$1--6.1163 (January 1999), 6.3432
(1998), 6.2418 (1997), 5.9176 (1996), 5.6670 (1995), 5.9749 (1994);
unofficial--310-350 (1998)

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 122,195 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: meets minimum requirements for local and
intercity service for business and government; international service
is good
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1998 est.)

Televisions: 88,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 3,740 km
narrow gauge: 3,740 km 1.000-m gauge (1997)

Highways:
total: 28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial
vessels

Pipelines: crude oil 1,343 km; natural gas 330 km

Ports and harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein,
Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy

Merchant marine:
total: 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 464,478 GRT/695,923 DWT
ships by type: bulk 14, cargo 20, container 2, oil tanker 3,
passenger-cargo 2
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 2 countries:
Japan owns 2 ships, US 3 (1998 est.)

Airports: 80 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 69
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 32 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 12,475,987
females age 15-49: 12,224,947 (1999 est.)
note: both sexes liable for military service

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 6,660,309
females age 15-49: 6,510,730 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 496,912
females: 477,803 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $3.904 billion (FY97/98)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.1% (FY97/98)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: sporadic conflict with Thailand over
alignment of border

Illicit drugs: world's largest producer of illicit opium
(cultivation in 1998--130,300 hectares, a 16% decline from 1997;
potential production--1,750 metric tons, down 26% due to drought and
the first eradication effort since the current government took power
in 1987) and a minor producer of cannabis for the international drug
trade; surrender of drug warlord KHUN SA's Mong Tai Army in January
1996 was hailed by Rangoon as a major counternarcotics success, but
lack of serious government commitment and resources continues to
hinder the overall antidrug effort; growing role in the production
of methamphetamines for regional consumption

======================================================================

@Burundi -------

Introduction

Background: Since the end of the Belgian trusteeship in 1962,
Burundi has suffered from ethnic uprisings, coups, and other
societal dislocations. In a series of waves since October 1993,
hundreds of thousands of refugees have fled the ethnic violence
between the Hutu and Tutsi factions in Burundi and have crossed into
Rwanda, Tanzania, and Zaire (now called the Democratic Republic of
the Congo or DROC). Since October 1996, an estimated 120,000
Burundian Hutu refugees from the DROC have been compelled to return
to Burundi because of insecurity in the region. Continuing ethnic
violence with the Tutsi has caused additional Hutu to flee to
Tanzania, thus raising their numbers in the United Nations Office of
the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) camps in that country to
about 260,000. Burundian troops have joined armies from Rwanda and
Uganda and Congolese Tutsi in trying to overthrow DROC President
KABILA and restore security to their borders with the Democratic
Republic of the Congo.

Geography

Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 3 30 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 27,830 sq km
land: 25,650 sq km
water: 2,180 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries:
total: 974 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 233 km, Rwanda
290 km, Tanzania 451 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: equatorial; high plateau with considerable altitude
variation (772 m to 2,760 m); average annual temperature varies with
altitude from 23 to 17 degrees centigrade but is generally moderate
as the average altitude is about 1,700 m; average annual rainfall is
about 150 cm; wet seasons from February to May and September to
November, and dry seasons from June to August and December to January

Terrain: hilly and mountainous, dropping to a plateau in east,
some plains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Tanganyika 772 m
highest point: Mount Heha 2,670 m

Natural resources: nickel, uranium, rare earth oxides, peat,
cobalt, copper, platinum (not yet exploited), vanadium

Land use:
arable land: 44%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 36%
forests and woodland: 3%
other: 8% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 140 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding, landslides

Environment--current issues: soil erosion as a result of
overgrazing and the expansion of agriculture into marginal lands;
deforestation (little forested land remains because of uncontrolled
cutting of trees for fuel); habitat loss threatens wildlife
populations

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban

Geography--note: landlocked; straddles crest of the Nile-Congo
watershed

People

Population: 5,735,937 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 47% (male 1,349,995; female 1,345,201)
15-64 years: 50% (male 1,392,880; female 1,479,835)
65 years and over: 3% (male 69,748; female 98,278) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.54% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 41.27 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 17.23 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 11.33 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 99.36 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.44 years
male: 43.54 years
female: 47.41 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.33 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Burundian(s)
adjective: Burundi

Ethnic groups: Hutu (Bantu) 85%, Tutsi (Hamitic) 14%, Twa (Pygmy)
1%, Europeans 3,000, South Asians 2,000

Religions: Christian 67% (Roman Catholic 62%, Protestant 5%),
indigenous beliefs 32%, Muslim 1%

Languages: Kirundi (official), French (official), Swahili (along
Lake Tanganyika and in the Bujumbura area)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 35.3%
male: 49.3%
female: 22.5% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Burundi
conventional short form: Burundi
local long form: Republika y'u Burundi
local short form: Burundi

Data code: BY

Government type: republic

Capital: Bujumbura

Administrative divisions: 15 provinces; Bubanza, Bujumbura,
Bururi, Cankuzo, Cibitoke, Gitega, Karuzi, Kayanza, Kirundo,
Makamba, Muramvya, Muyinga, Ngozi, Rutana, Ruyigi
note: there may be a new province named Mwaro

Independence: 1 July 1962 (from UN trusteeship under Belgian
administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)

Constitution: 13 March 1992; provided for establishment of a
plural political system; supplanted on 6 June 1998 by a Transitional
Constitution which enlarged the National Assembly and created two
vice presidents

Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil codes and
customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Pierre BUYOYA (interim president since 27
September 1996 and officially sworn in on 11 June 1998) is chief of
state and head of government and is assisted by First Vice President
Frederic BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA) and Second Vice President
Mathias SINAMENYA (since NA); note--former President NTIBANTUNGANYA
was overthrown in a coup on 25 July 1996
head of government: President Pierre BUYOYA is both chief of state
and head of government; assisted by First Vice President Frederic
BAMVUGINYUMVIRA (since NA) and Second Vice President Mathias
SINAMENYA (since NA)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by president
elections: NA