Chapter V (10)

Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 75%
other: 17% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds affect northern
areas; floods are common

Environment--current issues: tap water is not potable; poaching
has diminished its reputation as one of the last great wildlife
refuges; desertification; deforestation

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography--note: landlocked; almost the precise center of Africa

People

Population: 3,444,951 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 757,422; female 749,289)
15-64 years: 53% (male 885,087; female 927,282)
65 years and over: 3% (male 56,309; female 69,562) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.04% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 38.28 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.46 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.45 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: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 103.42 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.19 years
male: 45.35 years
female: 49.09 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.03 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Central African(s)
adjective: Central African

Ethnic groups: Baya 34%, Banda 27%, Sara 10%, Mandjia 21%, Mboum
4%, M'Baka 4%, Europeans 6,500 (including 3,600 French)

Religions: indigenous beliefs 24%, Protestant 25%, Roman Catholic
25%, Muslim 15%, other 11%
note: animistic beliefs and practices strongly influence the
Christian majority

Languages: French (official), Sangho (lingua franca and national
language), Arabic, Hunsa, Swahili

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60%
male: 68.5%
female: 52.4% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Central African Republic
conventional short form: none
local long form: Republique Centrafricaine
local short form: none
former: Central African Empire
abbreviation: CAR

Data code: CT

Government type: republic

Capital: Bangui

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures,
singular--prefecture), 2 economic prefectures* (prefectures
economiques, singular--prefecture economique), and 1 commune**;
Bamingui-Bangoran, Bangui**, Basse-Kotto, Gribingui*, Haute-Kotto,
Haute-Sangha, Haut-Mbomou, Kemo-Gribingui, Lobaye, Mbomou,
Nana-Mambere, Ombella-Mpoko, Ouaka, Ouham, Ouham-Pende, Sangha*,
Vakaga

Independence: 13 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: National Day, 1 December (1958) (proclamation
of the republic)

Constitution: passed by referendum 29 December 1994; adopted 7
January 1995

Legal system: based on French law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ange-Felix PATASSE (since 22 October 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Anicet Georges DOLOGUELE (since
January 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 19 September 1993 (next to be held NA 1999);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Ange-Felix PATASSE elected president; percent of
vote--PATASSE 52.45%, Abel GOUMBA 45.62%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee
Nationale (109 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms; note--there were 85 seats in the National Assembly
before the 1998 election)
elections: last held 22-23 November and NA December 1998 (next to be
held NA 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party--MLPC 43%, RDC 18%, MDD
9%, FPP 6%, PSD 5%, ADP 4%, PUN 3%, FODEM 2%, PLD 2%, UPR 1%, FC 1%,
independents 6%; seats by party--MLPC 47, RDC 20, MDD 10, FPP 7, PSD
5, ADP 4, PUN 3, FODEM 2, PLD 2, UPR 1, FC 1, independents 7;
note--results of election are being contested
note: the National Assembly is advised by the Economic and Regional
Council or Conseil Economique et Regional; when they sit together
they are called the Congress or Congres

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Cour Supreme, judges appointed
by the president; Constitutional Court, judges appointed by the
president

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Democracy and
of the president, Ange-Felix PATASSE]; Movement for Democracy and

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC
(observer), OPCW, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Henri KOBA
chancery: 1618 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert C. PERRY
embassy: Avenue David Dacko, Bangui
mailing address: B. P. 924, Bangui

Flag description: four equal horizontal bands of blue (top),
white, green, and yellow with a vertical red band in center; there
is a yellow five-pointed star on the hoist side of the blue band

Economy

Economy--overview: Subsistence agriculture, together with
forestry, remains the backbone of the economy of the Central African
Republic (CAR), with more than 70% of the population living in
outlying areas. The agricultural sector generates half of GDP.
Timber has accounted for about 16% of export earnings and the
diamond industry for nearly 54%. Important constraints to economic
development include the CAR's landlocked position, a poor
transportation system, a largely unskilled work force, and a legacy
of misdirected macroeconomic policies. The 50% devaluation of the
currencies of 14 Francophone African nations on 12 January 1994 had
mixed effects on the CAR's economy. Diamond, timber, coffee, and
cotton exports increased, leading an estimated rise of GDP of 7% in
1994 and nearly 5% in 1995. Military rebellions and social unrest in
1996 were accompanied by widespread destruction of property and a
drop in GDP of 2%. Ongoing violence between the government and rebel
military groups over pay issues, living conditions, and political
representation has destroyed many businesses in the capital and
reduced tax revenues for the government. The IMF approved an
Extended Structure Adjustment Facility in 1998.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$5.5 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 5.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,640 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 53%
industry: 21%
services: 26% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.6% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: 6% (1993)

Budget:
revenues: $638 million
expenditures: $1.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $888
million (1994 est.)

Industries: diamond mining, sawmills, breweries, textiles,
footwear, assembly of bicycles and motorcycles

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 100 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 20%
hydro: 80%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 100 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: cotton, coffee, tobacco, manioc (tapioca),
yams, millet, corn, bananas; timber

Exports: $182 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: diamonds, timber, cotton, coffee, tobacco

Exports--partners: Belgium-Luxembourg 36%, Cote d'Ivoire 5%, Spain
4%, Egypt 3%, France

Imports: $155 million (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: food, textiles, petroleum products,
machinery, electrical equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals,
pharmaceuticals, consumer goods, industrial products

Imports--partners: France 30%, Cote d'Ivoire 18%, Cameroon 11%,
Germany 4%, Japan

Debt--external: $930 million (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $172.2 million (1995); note?traditional
budget subsidies from France

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: 16,867 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: fair system
domestic: network consists principally of microwave radio relay and
low-capacity, low-powered radiotelephone communication
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 3 (including Africa No. 1 and
R. France Internationale stations located in Bangui), shortwave 1
(1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: 7,500 (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 23,810 km
paved: 429 km
unpaved: 23,381 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 800 km; traditional trade carried on by means of
shallow-draft dugouts; Oubangui is the most important river

Ports and harbors: Bangui, Nola

Airports: 52 (1998 est.)

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

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 49
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 23
under 914 m: 15 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Central African Armed Forces (includes
Republican Guard and Air Force), Presidential Guard, National
Gendarmerie, Police Force

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 782,678 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 409,044 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $29 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.2% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Chad ----

Introduction

Background: In 1960, Chad gained full independence from France.
In December 1990, after Chad had endured three decades of ethnic
warfare as well as invasions by Libya, former northern guerrilla
leader Idriss DEBY seized control of the government. His
transitional government eventually suppressed or came to terms with
most political-military groups, settled the territorial dispute with
Libya on terms favorable to Chad, drafted a democratic constitution
which was ratified by popular referendum in 1996, held multiparty
national presidential elections in 1996 (DEBY won with 69% of the
vote), and held multiparty elections for the National Assembly in
1997 (DEBY's Patriotic Salvation Movement won a majority of the
seats). But by the end of 1998, DEBY was beset with numerous
problems including heavy casualties in the Democratic Republic of
the Congo where Chadian troops had been deployed to support
embattled President KABILA, a new rebellion in northern Chad, and
further delays in the Doba Basin oil project in the south.

Geography

Location: Central Africa, south of Libya

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 19 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 1.284 million sq km
land: 1,259,200 sq km
water: 24,800 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than three times the size of
California

Land boundaries:
total: 5,968 km
border countries: Cameroon 1,094 km, Central African Republic 1,197
km, Libya 1,055 km, Niger 1,175 km, Nigeria 87 km, Sudan 1,360 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: tropical in south, desert in north

Terrain: broad, arid plains in center, desert in north, mountains
in northwest, lowlands in south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Djourab Depression 160 m
highest point: Emi Koussi 3,415 m

Natural resources: petroleum (unexploited but exploration under
way), uranium, natron, kaolin, fish (Lake Chad)

Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 36%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 35% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 140 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dusty harmattan winds occur in north;
periodic droughts; locust plagues

Environment--current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water;
improper waste disposal in rural areas contributes to soil and water
pollution; desertification

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

Geography--note: landlocked; Lake Chad is the most significant
water body in the Sahel

People

Population: 7,557,436 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 1,675,394; female 1,667,717)
15-64 years: 53% (male 1,953,251; female 2,034,883)
65 years and over: 3% (male 99,783; female 126,408) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.65% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 43.06 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.57 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 115.27 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 48.56 years
male: 46.13 years
female: 51.09 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.69 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Chadian(s)
adjective: Chadian

Ethnic groups: Muslims (Arabs, Toubou, Hadjerai, Fulbe, Kotoko,
Kanembou, Baguirmi, Boulala, Zaghawa, and Maba), non-Muslims (Sara,
Ngambaye, Mbaye, Goulaye, Moundang, Moussei, Massa), nonindigenous
150,000 (of whom 1,000 are French)

Religions: Muslim 50%, Christian 25%, indigenous beliefs (mostly
animism) 25%

Languages: French (official), Arabic (official), Sara and Sango
(in south), more than 100 different languages and dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write French or Arabic
total population: 48.1%
male: 62.1%
female: 34.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chad
conventional short form: Chad
local long form: Republique du Tchad
local short form: Tchad

Data code: CD

Government type: republic

Capital: N'Djamena

Administrative divisions: 14 prefectures (prefectures,
singular--prefecture); Batha, Biltine, Borkou-Ennedi-Tibesti,
Chari-Baguirmi, Guera, Kanem, Lac, Logone Occidental, Logone
Oriental, Mayo-Kebbi, Moyen-Chari, Ouaddai, Salamat, Tandjile

Independence: 11 August 1960 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 11 August (1960)

Constitution: 31 March 1995, passed by referendum

Legal system: based on French civil law system and Chadian
customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Idriss DEBY (since 4 December
1990)
head of government: Prime Minister Nassour Guelengdouksia OUAIDOU
(since 16 May 1997)
cabinet: Council of State appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote to serve five-year
terms; if no candidate receives at least 50% of the total vote, the
two candidates receiving the most votes must stand for a second
round of voting; last held 2 June and 11 July 1996 (next to be held
NA 2001); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: in the first round of voting none of the 15
candidates received the required 50% of the total vote; percent of
vote, first round--Lt. Gen. Idress DEBY 47.8%; percent of vote,
second round--Lt. Gen. DEBY 69.1%, Wadal Abdelkader KAMOUGUE 30.9%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (125 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms); replaces
the Higher Transitional Council or the Conseil Superieur de
Transition
elections: National Assembly--last held in two rounds on 5 January
and 23 February 1997, (next to be held NA 2001); in the first round
of voting some candidates won clear victories by receiving 50% or
more of the vote; where that did not happen, the two highest scoring
candidates stood for a second round of voting
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--MPS
65, URD 29, UNDR 15, RDP 3, others 13

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Court of Appeal; Criminal Courts;
Magistrate Courts

Political parties and leaders: Patriotic Salvation Movement or
the party in power and the party of the president); National Union
mid-1996 Chad had about 60 political parties, of which these are the
most prominent in the new National Assembly

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hassaballah Abdelhadi Ahmat SOUBIANE
chancery: 2002 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador David C. HALSTED
embassy: Avenue Felix Eboue, N'Djamena
mailing address: B. P. 413, N'Djamena

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist
side), yellow, and red; similar to the flag of Romania; also similar
to the flag of Andorra, which has a national coat of arms featuring
a quartered shield centered in the yellow band; design was based on
the flag of France

Economy

Economy--overview: Landlocked Chad's economic development suffers
from it's geographic remoteness, drought, lack of infrastructure,
and political turmoil. About 85% of the population depends on
agriculture, including the herding of livestock. Of Africa's
Francophone countries, Chad benefited least from the 50% devaluation
of their currencies in January 1994. Financial aid from the World
Bank, the African Development Fund, and other sources is directed
largely at the improvement of agriculture, especially livestock
production. Lack of financing and low oil prices, however, are
stalling the development of an oil field in the Doba Basin and the
construction of a proposed oil pipeline through Cameroon.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$7.5 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)

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

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 39%
industry: 15%
services: 46% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 85% (subsistence farming,
herding, and fishing)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $198 million
expenditures: $218 million, including capital expenditures of $146
million (1998 est.)

Industries: cotton textiles, meat packing, beer brewing, natron
(sodium carbonate), soap, cigarettes, construction materials

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1995)

Electricity--production: 90 million kWh (1996)

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

Electricity--consumption: 90 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: cotton, sorghum, millet, peanuts, rice,
potatoes, manioc (tapioca); cattle, sheep, goats, camels

Exports: $220 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: cotton, cattle, textiles

Exports--partners: Portugal 30%, Germany 14%, Thailand, Costa
Rica, South Africa, France (1997)

Imports: $252 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery and transportation equipment,
industrial goods, petroleum products, foodstuffs, textiles

Imports--partners: France 41%, Nigeria 10%, Cameroon 7%, India 6%
(1997)

Debt--external: $875 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $238.3 million (1995); note?$125 million
committed by Taiwan (August 1997); $30 million committed by African
Development Bank

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: 5,000 (1987 est.)

Telephone system: primitive system
domestic: fair system of radiotelephone communication stations
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 3 (one of the
shortwave stations has three frequencies) (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (broadcasts 1800 to 2100 hours,
four days per week) (1997)

Televisions: 7,000 (1991 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 33,400 km
paved: 267 km
unpaved: 33,133 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 2,000 km navigable

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 52 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 44
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 22
under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Armed Forces (includes Ground Force, Air
Force, and Gendarmerie), Republican Guard, Rapid Intervention Force,
Police

Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,689,112 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 875,541 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 70,464 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $39 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 3.5% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: delimitation of international boundaries
in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border
incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by
Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria

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

@Chile -----

Geography

Location: Southern South America, bordering the South Atlantic
Ocean and South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru

Geographic coordinates: 30 00 S, 71 00 W

Map references: South America

Area:
total: 756,950 sq km
land: 748,800 sq km
water: 8,150 sq km
note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 6,171 km
border countries: Argentina 5,150 km, Bolivia 861 km, Peru 160 km

Coastline: 6,435 km

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

Climate: temperate; desert in north; cool and damp in south

Terrain: low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged
Andes in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Cerro Aconcagua 6,962 m

Natural resources: copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious
metals, molybdenum

Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 55% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 12,650 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis

Environment--current issues: air pollution from industrial and
vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage; deforestation
contributing to loss of biodiversity; soil erosion; desertification

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between
Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel,
Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions

People

Population: 14,973,843 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 2,137,255; female 2,044,605)
15-64 years: 65% (male 4,845,523; female 4,885,328)
65 years and over: 7% (male 440,010; female 621,122) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.23% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.81 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.53 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 10.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.46 years
male: 72.33 years
female: 78.75 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Chilean(s)
adjective: Chilean

Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%,
other 2%

Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish less than 1%

Languages: Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95.2%
male: 95.4%
female: 95% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Chile
conventional short form: Chile
local long form: Republica de Chile
local short form: Chile

Data code: CI

Government type: republic

Capital: Santiago

Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular--region);
Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania,
Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins,
Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region
Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso
note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)

Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended
30 July 1989

Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and
subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; does not accept
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11 March
1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
head of government: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11
March 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head
of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;
election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held NA December
1999)
election results: Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle elected president; percent
of vote--Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (PDC) 58%, Arturo ALESSANDRI 24.4%,
other 17.6%

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso
Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by
popular vote; members serve eight-year terms--one-half elected every
four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate--last held 11 December 1997 (next to be held NA
December 2001); Chamber of Deputies--last held 11 December 1997 (next
to be held NA December 2001)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA%; seats by
party--CPD (PDC 14, PS 4, PPD 2), UPP 17 (RN 7, UDI 10), Chile 2000
(UCCP) 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by
party--CPD 50.55% (PDC 22.98%, PS 11.10%, PPD 12.55%, PRSD 3.13%),
UPP 36.23% (RN 16.78%, UDI 14.43%); seats by party--CPD 70 (PDC 39,
PPD 16, PRSD 4, PS 11), UPP 46 (RN 24, UDI 21, Party of the South
1), right-wing independents 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are
appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of
candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the
Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court

Political parties and leaders: Coalition of Parties for Democracy
or CPD consists mainly of: Christian Democratic Party or PDC
Javier ERRAZURIZ]

Political pressure groups and leaders: revitalized university
student federations at all major universities; United Labor Central
or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest
labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church

International organization participation: APEC, CCC, ECLAC, FAO,
G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), NAM, OAS, OPANAL,
OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP,
UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Genaro Luis ARRIAGADA Herrera
chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New
York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John O'LEARY
embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Santiago
mailing address: APO AA 34033

Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and
red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the
hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white
five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag

Economy

Economy--overview: Chile has a prosperous, essentially free market
economy. Civilian governments--which took over from the military in
March 1990--have continued to reduce the government's role in the
economy while shifting the emphasis of public spending toward social
programs. Growth in real GDP averaged more than 7.0% in 1991-1997
but fell to about half of that average in 1998 because of spillover
from the global financial crisis. Inflation has been on a downward
trend and hit a 60-year low in 1998. Chile's currency and foreign
reserves also are strong, as sustained foreign capital
inflows--including significant direct investment--have more than
offset current account deficits and public debt buy-backs. President
FREI, who took office in March 1994, has placed improving Chile's
education system and developing foreign export markets at the top of
his economic agenda. The Chilean economy remains largely dependent
on a few sectors--particularly copper mining, fishing, and forestry.
Success in meeting the government's goal of sustained annual
economic growth of 5% depends largely on world prices for these
commodities, continued foreign investor confidence, and the
government's ability to maintain a conservative fiscal stance. In
1996, Chile became an associate member of Mercosur and concluded a
free trade agreement with Canada.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$184.6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$12,500 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 33%
services: 61% (1997)

Population below poverty line: 20.5% (1994 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.4%
highest 10%: 46.1% (1994)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1998)

Labor force: 5.8 million (1998 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: services 38.3% (includes government
12%), industry and commerce 33.8%, agriculture, forestry, and
fishing 19.2%, mining 2.3%, construction 6.4% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 6.4% (1998)

Budget:
revenues: $17 billion
expenditures: $17 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1996 est.)

Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing,
iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement,
textiles

Industrial production growth rate: -1.1% (1998)

Electricity--production: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 41.89%
hydro: 58.11%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets,
potatoes, fruit; beef, poultry, wool; timber; fish

Exports: $14.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: copper 37%, other metals and minerals 8.2%,
wood products 7.1%, fish and fishmeal 9.8%, fruits 8.4% (1994)

Exports--partners: EU 25%, US 15%, Asia 34%, Latin America 20%
(1995 est.)

Imports: $17.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: capital goods 25.2%, spare parts 24.8%, raw
materials 15.4%, petroleum 10%, foodstuffs 5.7% (1994)

Imports--partners: EU 18%, US 25%, Asia 16%, Latin America 26%
(1995 est.)

Debt--external: $31.5 billion (1998)

Economic aid--recipient: ODA, $50.3 million (1996 est.)

Currency: 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1--475.68 (January
1999), 460.29 (1998), 419.30 (1997), 412.27 (1996), 396.78 (1995),
420.08 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 1.5 million (1994 est.)

Telephone system: modern system based on extensive microwave
radio relay facilities
domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite
system with 3 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64,
shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998)

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 63 (in addition, there are 121
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 2.85 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 6,782 km
broad gauge: 3,743 km 1.676-m gauge (1,653 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 116 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,923 km 1.000-m gauge (40 km
electrified) (1995)

Highways:
total: 79,800 km
paved: 11,012 km
unpaved: 68,788 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 725 km

Pipelines: crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural
gas 320 km

Ports and harbors: Antofagasta, Arica, Chanaral, Coquimbo,
Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, San Antonio, San Vicente,
Talcahuano, Valparaiso

Merchant marine:
total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,201 GRT/787,719 DWT
ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 2,
liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 4, passenger 3, roll-on/roll-off
cargo 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1998 est.)

Airports: 378 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 58
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 320
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 13
914 to 1,523 m: 73
under 914 m: 229 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (includes
Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines), Air Force of the Nation,
Carabineros of Chile (National Police), Investigations Police

Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 3,968,176 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 2,943,206 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 132,202 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $2.12 billion (1998);
note--includes earnings from CODELCO Company and costs of pensions;
does not include funding for the National Police (Carabineros) and
Investigations Police

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.79% (1998)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: short section of the southwestern
boundary with Argentina is indefinite--process to resolve boundary
issues is underway; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the
South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in
1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial
claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps
Argentine and British claims

Illicit drugs: a growing transshipment country for cocaine
destined for the US and Europe; economic prosperity has made Chile
more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits;
imported precursors pass on to Bolivia

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

@China -----

Introduction

Background: For most of its 3,500 years of history, China led the
world in agriculture, crafts, and science, then fell behind in the
19th century when the Industrial Revolution gave the West clear
superiority in military and economic affairs. In the first half of
the 20th century, China continued to suffer from major famines,
civil unrest, military defeat, and foreign occupation. After World
War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship
that, while ensuring China's autonomy, imposed strict controls over
all aspects of life and cost the lives of tens of millions of
people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping decentralized
economic decision making; output quadrupled in the next 20 years.
Political controls remain tight at the same time economic controls
have been weakening. Present issues are: incorporating Hong Kong
into the Chinese system; closing down inefficient state-owned
enterprises; modernizing the military; fighting corruption; and
providing support to tens of millions of displaced workers.

Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay,
Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 9,596,960 sq km
land: 9,326,410 sq km
water: 270,550 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than the US

Land boundaries:
total: 22,143.34 km
border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km,
Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea
1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia
4,673 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605
km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km

Coastline: 14,500 km

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

Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in
north

Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west;
plains, deltas, and hills in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m

Natural resources: coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas,
mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium,
magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential
(world's largest)

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 43%
forests and woodland: 14%
other: 33% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 498,720 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along
southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis;
earthquakes; droughts

Environment--current issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases,
sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal, produces acid
rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution
from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of
agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic
development; desertification; trade in endangered species

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94,
Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear
Test Ban

Geography--note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia,
Canada, and US)

People

Population: 1,246,871,951 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 169,206,275; female 149,115,216)
15-64 years: 68% (male 435,047,915; female 408,663,265)
65 years and over: 6% (male 39,824,361; female 45,014,919) (1999
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.77% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 15.1 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.98 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 43.31 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.92 years
male: 68.57 years
female: 71.48 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi,
Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities
8.1%

Religions: Daoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1%
(est.)
note: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic

Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the
Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei
(Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects,
minority languages (see Ethnic divisions entry)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 81.5%
male: 89.9%
female: 72.7% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: People's Republic of China
conventional short form: China
local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo
local short form: Zhong Guo
abbreviation: PRC

Data code: CH

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Beijing

Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and
plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4
municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**,
Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan,
Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin,
Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong,
Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet),
Yunnan, Zhejiang
note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entry
for the special administrative region of Hong Kong

Independence: 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty
221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12
February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)

National holiday: National Day, 1 October (1949)

Constitution: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982

Legal system: a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely
criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987;
new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts
are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and
commercial law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) and Vice
President HU Jintao (since 16 March 1998)
head of government: Premier ZHU Rongji (since 18 March 1998); Vice
Premiers QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993), LI Lanqing (29 March
1993), WU Bangguo (since 17 March 1995), and WEN Jiabao (since 18
March 1998)
cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress
(NPC)
elections: president and vice president elected by the National
People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 16-18
March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); premier nominated by the
president, confirmed by the National People's Congress
election results: JIANG Zemin reelected president by the Ninth
National People's Congress with a total of 2,882 votes (36 delegates
voted against him, 29 abstained, and 32 did not vote); HU Jintao
elected vice president by the Ninth National People's Congress with
a total of 2,841 votes (67 delegates voted against him, 39
abstained, and 32 did not vote)

Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Congress or
Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,979 seats; members elected by
municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held NA December-NA February 1998 (next to be held
late 2002-NA March 2003)
election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--NA

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court, judges appointed by the
National People's Congress

Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP
registered small parties controlled by CCP

Political pressure groups and leaders: no meaningful political
opposition groups exist

International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, BIS,
CCC, CDB (non-regional), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM
(observer), OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMSIL, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador LI Zhaoxing
chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and
San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James R. SASSER
embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002
consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and
four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc
toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

Economy--overview: Beginning in late 1978 the Chinese leadership
has been trying to move the economy from a sluggish Soviet-style
centrally planned economy to a more market-oriented economy but
still within a rigid political framework of Communist Party control.
To this end the authorities switched to a system of household
responsibility in agriculture in place of the old collectivization,
increased the authority of local officials and plant managers in
industry, permitted a wide variety of small-scale enterprise in
services and light manufacturing, and opened the economy to
increased foreign trade and investment. The result has been a
quadrupling of GDP since 1978. Agricultural output doubled in the
1980s, and industry also posted major gains, especially in coastal
areas near Hong Kong and opposite Taiwan, where foreign investment
helped spur output of both domestic and export goods. On the darker
side, the leadership has often experienced in its hybrid system the
worst results of socialism (bureaucracy, lassitude, corruption) and
of capitalism (windfall gains and stepped-up inflation). Beijing
thus has periodically backtracked, retightening central controls at
intervals. In late 1993 China's leadership approved additional
long-term reforms aimed at giving still more play to market-oriented
institutions and at strengthening the center's control over the
financial system; state enterprises would continue to dominate many
key industries in what was now termed "a socialist market economy".
In 1995-97 inflation dropped sharply, reflecting tighter monetary
policies and stronger measures to control food prices. At the same
time, the government struggled to (a) collect revenues due from
provinces, businesses, and individuals; (b) reduce corruption and
other economic crimes; and (c) keep afloat the large state-owned
enterprises, most of which had not participated in the vigorous
expansion of the economy and many of which had been losing the
ability to pay full wages and pensions. From 60 to 100 million
surplus rural workers are adrift between the villages and the
cities, many subsisting through part-time low-paying jobs. Popular
resistance, changes in central policy, and loss of authority by
rural cadres have weakened China's population control program, which
is essential to maintaining growth in living standards. Another
long-term threat to continued rapid economic growth is the
deterioration in the environment, notably air pollution, soil
erosion, and the steady fall of the water table especially in the
north. China continues to lose arable land because of erosion and
economic development. The next few years may witness increasing
tensions between a highly centralized political system and an
increasingly decentralized economic system. Economic growth probably
will slow to more moderate levels in 1999-2000.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$4.42 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 7.8% (1998 est.) (official figures may
substantially overstate growth)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,600 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 19%
industry: 49%
services: 32% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.2%
highest 10%: 30.9% (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): -0.8% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 696 million (1997 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 50%, industry 24%,
services 26% (1997)

Unemployment rate: officially 3% in urban areas; probably 8%-10%;
substantial unemployment and underemployment in rural areas (1998
est.)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments,
textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers,
footwear, toys, food processing, autos, consumer electronics,
telecommunications

Industrial production growth rate: 8.8% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 1.16 trillion kWh (1998)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 93%
hydro: 6%
nuclear: 1%
other: 0% (1996 est.)

Electricity--consumption: 994.921 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 6.025 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 755 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: rice, wheat, potatoes, sorghum, peanuts,
tea, millet, barley, cotton, oilseed; pork; fish

Exports: $183.8 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: electrical machinery and equipment,
machinery and mechanical appliances, woven apparel, knit apparel,
footwear, toys and sporting goods (1998)

Exports--partners: Hong Kong 21%, US 21%, Japan 14%, Germany,
South Korea, Netherlands, UK, Singapore, Taiwan (1997)

Imports: $140.17 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports--commodities: electrical machinery and equipment,
machinery and mechanical appliances, plastics, iron and steel,
scientific and photograph equipment, paper and paper board (1998)

Imports--partners: Japan 20%, US 12%, Taiwan 12%, South Korea 11%,
Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore, Russia (1997)

Debt--external: $159 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $6.222 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 yuan (Y) = 10 jiao

Exchange rates: yuan (Y) per US$1--8.28 (February 1999), 8.2779
(December 1998), 8.2790 (1998), 8.2898 (1997), 8.3142 (1996), 8.3514
(1995), 8.6187 (1994)
note: beginning 1 January 1994, the People's Bank of China quotes
the midpoint rate against the US dollar based on the previous day's
prevailing rate in the interbank foreign exchange market

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 105 million (1998 est.)

Telephone system: domestic and international services are
increasingly available for private use; unevenly distributed
domestic system serves principal cities, industrial centers, and all
townships
domestic: interprovincial fiber-optic trunk lines and cellular
telephone systems have been installed; a domestic satellite system
with 55 earth stations is in place
international: satellite earth stations--5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region) and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean Regions); several international
fiber-optic links to Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Russia, and
Germany

Radio broadcast stations: AM 569, FM NA, shortwave 173

Radios: 216.5 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 209 (China Central Television,
government-owned; in addition there are 31 provincial TV stations
and nearly 3,000 city TV stations) (1997)

Televisions: 300 million

Transportation

Railways:
total: 64,900 km (including 5,400 km of provincial "local" rails)
standard gauge: 61,300 km 1.435-m gauge (12,000 km electrified;
20,000 km double track)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (1998
est.)
note: a new total of 68,000 km has been estimated for early 1999

Highways:
total: 1.21 million km
paved: 271,300 km (with at least 24,474 km of motorways)
unpaved: 938,700 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 109,800 km navigable (1997)

Pipelines: crude oil 9,070 km; petroleum products 560 km; natural
gas 9,383 km (1998)

Ports and harbors: Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu,
Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao,
Shanghai, Shantou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang

Merchant marine:
total: 1,759 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,828,349
GRT/24,801,291 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 2, bulk 330, cargo 855, chemical tanker
21, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 1, container 121,
liquefied gas tanker 20, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil
tanker 245, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 47, refrigerated cargo 25,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 24, short-sea passenger 43, vehicle carrier 1
(1998 est.)

Airports: 206 (1996 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 192
over 3,047 m: 18
2,438 to 3,047 m: 65
1,524 to 2,437 m: 90
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 6 (1996 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: People's Liberation Army (PLA), which includes
the Ground Forces, Navy (includes Marines and Naval Aviation), Air
Force, Second Artillery Corps (the strategic missile force),
People's Armed Police (internal security troops, nominally
subordinate to Ministry of Public Security, but included by the
Chinese as part of the "armed forces" and considered to be an
adjunct to the PLA in wartime)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 361,267,706 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 198,398,601 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 10,273,696 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $12.608 billion (FY99);
note-Western analysts believe that China's real defense spending is
several times higher than the official figure because several
significant items are funded elsewhere

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: boundary with India in dispute; dispute
over at least two small sections of the boundary with Russia remain
to be settled, despite 1997 boundary agreement; most of the boundary
with Tajikistan in dispute; 33-km section of boundary with North
Korea in the Paektu-san (mountain) area is indefinite; involved in a
complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with Malaysia, Philippines,
Taiwan, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; maritime boundary dispute with
Vietnam in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China,
but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; claims Japanese-administered
Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as does Taiwan; sections
of land border with Vietnam are indefinite

Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for heroin produced in
the Golden Triangle; growing domestic drug abuse problem

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

@Christmas Island ----------------

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of
Indonesia

Geographic coordinates: 10 30 S, 105 40 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 135 sq km
land: 135 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 138.9 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

Terrain: steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Murray Hill 361 m

Natural resources: phosphate

Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 100% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island
can be a maritime hazard

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean

People

Population: 2,373 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 7.77% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population

Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

Nationality:
noun: Christmas Islander(s)
adjective: Christmas Island

Ethnic groups: Chinese 61%, Malay 25%, European 11%, other 3%, no
indigenous population

Religions: Buddhist 55%, Christian 15%, Muslim 10%, other 20%
(1991)

Languages: English

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island
conventional short form: Christmas Island

Data code: KT

Dependency status: territory of Australia; administered from
Canberra by the Australian Department of the Environment, Sport and
Territories

Government type: NA

Capital: The Settlement

Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)

Independence: none (territory of Australia)

National holiday: NA

Constitution: Christmas Island Act of 1958

Legal system: under the authority of the governor general of
Australia and Australian law

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by the Australian governor general
head of government: Administrator (acting) Graham NICHOLLS (since NA)
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed
by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and
Australia

Legislative branch: unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve one-year terms)
elections: last held NA December 1998 (next to be held NA December
1999)
election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--independents 9

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Australia)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of
Australia)

Flag description: the flag of Australia is used

Economy

Economy--overview: Phosphate mining had been the only significant
economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government
closed the mine. In 1990, the mine was reopened by private
operators. Australian-based Casinos Austria International Ltd. built
a $45 million casino on Christmas Island.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$NA

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$NA

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: tourism 400 people, mining 100 people

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Electricity--exports: NA kWh

Electricity--imports: NA kWh

Agriculture--products: NA

Exports: $NA

Exports--commodities: phosphate

Exports--partners: Australia, NZ

Imports: $NA

Imports--commodities: consumer goods

Imports--partners: principally Australia

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.5853 (January
1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995),
1.3667 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: external telephone and telex services are provided by Intelsat
satellite

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 500 (1992)

Television broadcast stations: NA (1997)

Televisions: 350 (1992)

Transportation

Railways: 24 km to serve phosphate mines

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Flying Fish Cove

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of Australia

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Clipperton Island -----------------

Geography

Location: Middle America, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, 1,120
km southwest of Mexico

Geographic coordinates: 10 17 N, 109 13 W

Map references: World

Area:
total: 7 sq km
land: 7 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 12 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 11.1 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical, humid, average temperature 20-32 degrees C,
rains May-October

Terrain: coral atoll

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Rocher Clipperton 29 m

Natural resources: none

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (all coral)

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: subject to tornadoes

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: reef about 8 km in circumference

People

Population: uninhabited

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Clipperton Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Clipperton
former: sometimes called Ile de la Passion

Data code: IP

Dependency status: possession of France; administered by France
from French Polynesia by a high commissioner of the Republic

Legal system: NA

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (dependent territory of
France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (dependent territory
of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy

Economy--overview: Although 115 species of fish have been
identified in the territorial waters of Clipperton Island, the only
economic activity is a tuna fishing station.

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Cocos (Keeling) Islands -----------------------

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, group of islands in the Indian
Ocean, south of Indonesia, about one-half of the way from Australia
to Sri Lanka

Geographic coordinates: 12 30 S, 96 50 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 14 sq km
land: 14 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes the two main islands of West Island and Home Island

Area--comparative: about 24 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 2.6 km

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

Climate: pleasant, modified by the southeast trade wind for about
nine months of the year; moderate rainfall

Terrain: flat, low-lying coral atolls

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources: fish