Chapter V (17)

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC,
CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, MINURCA, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UDEAC,
UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Paul BOUNDOUKOU-LATHA
chancery: Suite 200, 2034 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James V. LEDESMA
embassy: Boulevard de la Mer, Libreville
mailing address: B. P. 4000, Libreville

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top),
yellow, and blue

Economy

Economy--overview: Gabon enjoys a per capita income four times
that of most nations of sub-Saharan Africa. This has supported a
sharp decline in extreme poverty; yet because of high income
inequality a large proportion of the population remains poor. Gabon
depended on timber and manganese until oil was discovered offshore
in the early 1970s. The oil sector now accounts for 50% of GDP.
Gabon continues to face fluctuating prices for its oil, timber,
manganese, and uranium exports. Despite the abundance of natural
wealth, the economy is hobbled by poor fiscal management. In 1992,
the fiscal deficit widened to 2.4% of GDP, and Gabon failed to
settle arrears on its bilateral debt, leading to a cancellation of
rescheduling agreements with official and private creditors.
Devaluation of its Francophone currency by 50% on 12 January 1994
sparked a one-time inflationary surge, to 35%; the rate dropped to
6% in 1996. The IMF provided a one-year standby arrangement in
1994-95 and a three-year Enhanced Financing Facility (EFF) at near
commercial rates beginning in late 1995. Those agreements mandate
progress in privatization and fiscal discipline. France provided
additional financial support in January 1997 after Gabon had met IMF
targets for mid-1996. In 1997, an IMF mission to Gabon criticized
the government for overspending on off-budget items, overborrowing
from the central bank, and slipping on its schedule for
privatization and administrative reform. Growth in 1999 will depend
mainly on how world oil prices move.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$7.7 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.7% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,400 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 8%
industry: 67%
services: 25% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

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

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry and
commerce, services

Unemployment rate: 21% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.5 billion
expenditures: $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $302
million (1996 est.)

Industries: food and beverage; textile; lumbering and plywood;
cement; petroleum extraction and refining; manganese, uranium, and
gold mining; chemicals; ship repair

Industrial production growth rate: 2.3% (1995)

Electricity--production: 930 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 22.04%
hydro: 77.96%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 930 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: cocoa, coffee, sugar, palm oil, rubber;
cattle; okoume (a tropical softwood); fish

Exports: $2.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: crude oil 81%, timber 12%, manganese 5%,
uranium (1996)

Exports--partners: US 67%, China 9%, France 8%, Japan 3% (1997)

Imports: $890 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs,
chemicals, petroleum products, construction materials

Imports--partners: France 38%, US 8%, Cameroon 5%, Netherlands 4%,
Cote d'Ivoire, Japan (1997)

Debt--external: $4.1 billion (1997)

Economic aid--recipient: $331 million (1995)

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

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--577.61 (January 1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55
(1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 22,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: adequate system of cable, microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, radiotelephone communication stations, and a
domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations
international: satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 6, shortwave 0

Radios: 250,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (in addition, there are five
low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 40,000 (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 649 km Gabon State Railways (OCTRA)
standard gauge: 649 km 1.435-m gauge; single track (1994)

Highways:
total: 7,670 km
paved: 629 km (including 30 km of expressways)
unpaved: 7,041 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,600 km perennially navigable

Pipelines: crude oil 270 km; petroleum products 14 km

Ports and harbors: Cap Lopez, Kango, Lambarene, Libreville,
Mayumba, Owendo, Port-Gentil

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,613 GRT/22,599 DWT
(1998 est.)
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 62 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 52
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 16
under 914 m: 26 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Republican Guard
(charged with protecting the president and other senior officials),
National Gendarmerie, National Police

Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 280,719 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 144,133 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 11,392 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $91 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.6% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial
Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay

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

@Gambia, The -----------

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and
Senegal

Geographic coordinates: 13 28 N, 16 34 W

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 11,300 sq km
land: 10,000 sq km
water: 1,300 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 740 km
border countries: Senegal 740 km

Coastline: 80 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 18 nm
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (June to November); cooler,
dry season (November to May)

Terrain: flood plain of the Gambia River flanked by some low hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 53 m

Natural resources: fish

Land use:
arable land: 18%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 45% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 150 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: rainfall has dropped by 30% in the last 30 years

Environment--current issues: deforestation; desertification;
water-borne diseases prevalent

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: almost an enclave of Senegal; smallest country on
the continent of Africa

People

Population: 1,336,320 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (male 305,839; female 304,905)
15-64 years: 52% (male 341,947; female 348,163)
65 years and over: 2% (male 18,706; female 16,760) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.35% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 42.76 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 12.57 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.34 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: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 75.33 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 54.39 years
male: 52.02 years
female: 56.83 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.83 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Gambian(s)
adjective: Gambian

Ethnic groups: African 99% (Mandinka 42%, Fula 18%, Wolof 16%,
Jola 10%, Serahuli 9%, other 4%), non-African 1%

Religions: Muslim 90%, Christian 9%, indigenous beliefs 1%

Languages: English (official), Mandinka, Wolof, Fula, other
indigenous vernaculars

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 38.6%
male: 52.8%
female: 24.9% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of The Gambia
conventional short form: The Gambia

Data code: GA

Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule

Capital: Banjul

Administrative divisions: 5 divisions and 1 city*; Banjul*, Lower
River, MacCarthy Island, North Bank, Upper River, Western
note: it has been reported but not verified that the name of the
MacCarthy Island division has been changed to Central River

Independence: 18 February 1965 (from UK); note--The Gambia and
Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 that called for the
creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the
agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989

National holiday: Independence Day, 18 February (1965)

Constitution: 24 April 1970; suspended July 1994; rewritten and
approved by national referendum 8 August 1996; reestablished in
January 1997

Legal system: based on a composite of English common law, Koranic
law, and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 12 October
1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March 1997);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH (since 18
October 1996); Vice President Isatou Njie SAIDY (since 20 March
1997); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of
government
cabinet: Cabinet is appointed by the president
elections: the president is elected by popular vote to a five-year
term; the number of terms is not restricted; election last held 26
September 1996 (next to be held NA 2001)
election results: Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH elected president; percent
of vote--Yahya A. J. J. JAMMEH 55.5%, Ousainou DARBOE 35.8%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly; 49 seats (45
elected by popular vote, 4 appointed by the president; all for
five-year terms)
elections: last popular election held 2 January 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--APRC
33, UDP 7, NRP 2, PDOIS 1, independents 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Patriotic
Democratic Organization for Independence and Socialism or PDOIS
note--in August 1996 the government banned the following from
participation in the elections of 1996: People's Progressive Party
President Sheriff DIBBA] and the Gambian People's Party or GPP

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,
ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,
ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Crispin GREY-JOHNSON
chancery: Suite 1000, 1155 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador George W. HALEY
embassy: Fajara, Kairaba Avenue, Banjul
mailing address: P. M. B. No. 19, Banjul

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), blue
with white edges, and green

Economy

Economy--overview: The Gambia has no important mineral or other
natural resources and has a limited agricultural base. About 75% of
the population depends on crops and livestock for its livelihood.
Small-scale manufacturing activity features the processing of
peanuts, fish, and hides. Reexport trade normally constitutes a
major segment of economic activity, but the 50% devaluation of the
CFA franc in January 1994 made Senegalese goods more competitive and
hurt the reexport trade. The Gambia has benefited from a rebound in
tourism after its decline in response to the military's takeover in
July 1994. Short-run economic progress remains highly dependent on
sustained bilateral and multilateral aid and on responsible
government economic management as forwarded by IMF technical help
and advice.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.3 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 3.8% (1998 est.)

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

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 23%
industry: 13%
services: 64% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1998 est.)

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 75%, industry, commerce,
and services 19%, government 6%

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $88.6 million
expenditures: $98.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY96/97 est.)

Industries: processing peanuts, fish, and hides; tourism;
beverages; agricultural machinery assembly, woodworking,
metalworking; clothing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 70 million kWh (1996)

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

Electricity--consumption: 70 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: peanuts, millet, sorghum, rice, corn,
cassava (tapioca), palm kernels; cattle, sheep, goats; forest and
fishery resources not fully exploited

Exports: $120 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities: peanuts and peanut products, fish, cotton
lint, palm kernels

Exports--partners: Belgium, Japan, Senegal, Hong Kong, France,
Switzerland, UK, US, Indonesia (1997)

Imports: $207 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, manufactures, raw materials,
fuel, machinery and transport equipment

Imports--partners: Cote d'Ivoire, Hong Kong, UK, Germany,
Netherlands, France, Belgium (1997)

Debt--external: $426 million (1995 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $45.4 million (1995)

Currency: 1 dalasi (D) = 100 butut

Exchange rates: dalasi (D) per US$1--10.947 (December 1998),
10.643 (1998), 10.200 (1997), 9.789 (1996), 9.546 (1995), 9.576
(1994)

Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June

Communications

Telephones: 11,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: adequate network of microwave radio relay and open wire
international: microwave radio relay links to Senegal and
Guinea-Bissau; satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 5, shortwave 0

Radios: 180,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (government owned) (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 2,700 km
paved: 956 km
unpaved: 1,744 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 400 km

Ports and harbors: Banjul

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Military

Military branches: Army (includes marine unit), National Police,
National Guard

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 296,976 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 149,670 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.2 million (FY96/97)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2% (FY96/97)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: short section of boundary with Senegal is
indefinite

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

@Gaza Strip ----------

Introduction

Background: The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim
Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13
September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding
five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip
and the West Bank. Permanent status negotiations began on 5 May
1996, but have not resumed since the initial meeting. Under the DOP,
Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the
Palestinian Authority, which includes a Palestinian Legislative
Council elected in January 1996, as part of interim self-governing
arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers
and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza
Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank
pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the
Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in
Hebron, and the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum. The
DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the
transitional period for external security and for internal security
and public order of settlements and Israelis. Permanent status is to
be determined through direct negotiations.

Geography

Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between
Egypt and Israel

Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 360 sq km
land: 360 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of
Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
total: 62 km
border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km

Coastline: 40 km

Maritime claims: Israeli-occupied with current status subject to
the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement--permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation

Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers

Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 39%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 26% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: desertification; salination of fresh
water; sewage treatment

Environment--international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1998 est.)

People

Population: 1,112,654 (July 1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are some 6,000 Israeli settlers in the Gaza
Strip (August 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 52% (male 294,196; female 280,017)
15-64 years: 46% (male 255,209; female 251,317)
65 years and over: 2% (male 13,475; female 18,440) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.44% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 48.24 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 3.8 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: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.44 years
male: 72.01 years
female: 74.95 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 7.46 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%

Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,
Jewish 0.6%

Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many
Palestinians), English (widely understood)

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gaza Strip
local long form: none
local short form: Qita Ghazzah

Data code: GZ

Economy

Economy--overview: Economic conditions in the Gaza Strip?under the
responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo
Agreement of May 1994--have deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real
per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36%
between 1992 and 1996 owing to the combined effect of falling
aggregate incomes and robust population growth. The downturn in
economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure
policies--the imposition of generalized border closures in response
to security incidents in Israel--which disrupted previously
established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel
and the WBGS. The most serious negative social effect of this
downturn has been the emergence of chronic unemployment; average
unemployment rates in the WBGS during the 1980s were generally under
5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen to over 20%. Since 1997
Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998,
Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and
other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and
labor. These positive changes to the conduct of economic activity,
combined with international donor pledges of over $3 billion made to
the Palestinian Authority in November, may fuel a moderate economic
recovery in 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)

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

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 33%
industry: 25%
services: 42% (1995 est., includes West Bank)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA
note: excluding Israeli settlers

Labor force--by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%,
agriculture 13% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 26.8% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $816 million
expenditures: $866 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)
note: includes West Bank

Industries: generally small family businesses that produce
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;
the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in
an industrial center

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by Israel

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: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy
products

Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)

Exports--commodities: citrus

Exports--partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)

Imports--commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials

Imports--partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank

Debt--external: $108 million (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2260
(November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111
(1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Communications

Telephones: NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

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

Radios: NA; note--95% of Palestinian households have radios (1992
est.)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (operated by the Palestinian
Broadcasting Corp.) (1997)

Televisions: NA; note--59% of Palestinian households have
televisions (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: NA km; note--one line, abandoned and in disrepair, little
trackage remains

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
note: small, poorly developed road network

Ports and harbors: Gaza

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)
note: includes Gaza International Airport that opened on 24 November
1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the 23 October 1998 Wye
River Memorandum

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

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: NA

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are
Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the
Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement--permanent status to be
determined through further negotiation

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

@Georgia -------

Introduction

Background: Beset by ethnic and civil strife since independence
from the Soviet Union in December 1991, Georgia began to stabilize
in 1994. Political settlements for separatist conflicts in South
Ossetia and Abkhazia remain elusive. The conflict in South Ossetia
has been dormant since spring 1994, but sporadic violence continues
between Abkhaz forces and Georgian partisans in western Georgia.
Russian peacekeepers are deployed in both regions and a UN Observer
Mission is operating in Abkhazia. As a result of these conflicts,
Georgia still has about 250,000 internally displaced people. In
1995, Georgia adopted a new constitution and conducted generally
free and fair nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections.
In 1996, the government focused its attention on implementing an
ambitious economic reform program and professionalizing its
parliament. Violence and organized crime were sharply curtailed in
1995 and 1996, but corruption remains rife. Georgia has taken some
steps to reduce its dependence on Russia, acquiring coastal patrol
boats in 1997 to replace Russian border units along the Black Sea
coast. In 1998, Georgia assumed control of its Black Sea coast and
about half of its land border with Turkey in line with a June 1998
agreement with Russia. Since 1997, Georgia's parliament has
sharpened its rhetoric against Russia's continued military presence
on Georgian territory. In February 1998 an assassination attempt was
made against President SHEVARDNADZE by supporters of the late former
president Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA. In October 1998, a disaffected
military officer led a failed mutiny in western Georgia; the armed
forces continue to feel the ripple effect of the uprising. Georgia
faces parliamentary elections this fall, and presidential elections
next spring. After two years of robust growth, the economy, hurt by
the financial crisis in Russia, slowed in 1998.

Geography

Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, between
Turkey and Russia

Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:
total: 69,700 sq km
land: 69,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina

Land boundaries:
total: 1,461 km
border countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,
Turkey 252 km

Coastline: 310 km

Maritime claims: NA

Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast

Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the
north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi
(Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River
Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains,
foothills of Kolkhida Lowland

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Mt'a Mqinvartsveri (Gora Kazbek) 5,048 m

Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, iron
ore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soils
allow for important tea and citrus growth

Land use:
arable land: 9%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 25%
forests and woodland: 34%
other: 28% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes

Environment--current issues: air pollution, particularly in
Rust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea;
inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxic
chemicals

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the
Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Desertification

People

Population: 5,066,499 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 544,055; female 522,491)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,628,993; female 1,753,527)
65 years and over: 12% (male 236,124; female 381,309) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.74% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 11.64 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -4.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 52.01 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.63 years
male: 61.13 years
female: 68.32 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Georgian(s)
adjective: Georgian

Ethnic groups: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri
5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%

Religions: Christian Orthodox 75% (Georgian Orthodox 65%, Russian
Orthodox 10%), Muslim 11%, Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%

Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%,
Azeri 6%, other 7%
note: Abkhaz (official in Abkhazia)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99%
male: 100%
female: 98% (1989 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Georgia
local long form: none
local short form: Sak'art'velo
former: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic

Data code: GG

Government type: republic

Capital: T'bilisi

Administrative divisions: 53 rayons (raionebi, singular--raioni),
9 cities* (k'alak'ebi, singular--k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous
republics** (avtomnoy respubliki, singular--avtom respublika);
Abashis, Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika**
(Sokhumi), Adigenis, Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika**
(Bat'umi), Akhalgoris, Akhalk'alak'is, Akhalts'ikhis, Akhmetis,
Ambrolauris, Aspindzis, Baghdat'is, Bolnisis, Borjomis, Chiat'ura*,
Ch'khorotsqus, Ch'okhatauris, Dedop'listsqaros, Dmanisis, Dushet'is,
Gardabanis, Gori*, Goris, Gurjaanis, Javis, K'arelis, Kaspis,
Kharagaulis, Khashuris, Khobis, Khonis, K'ut'aisi*, Lagodekhis,
Lanch'khut'is, Lentekhis, Marneulis, Martvilis, Mestiis,
Mts'khet'is, Ninotsmindis, Onis, Ozurget'is, P'ot'i*, Qazbegis,
Qvarlis, Rust'avi*, Sach'kheris, Sagarejos, Samtrediis, Senakis,
Sighnaghis, T'bilisi*, T'elavis, T'erjolis, T'et'ritsqaros,
T'ianet'is, Tqibuli*, Ts'ageris, Tsalenjikhis, Tsalkis, Tsqaltubo*,
Vanis, Zestap'onis, Zugdidi*, Zugdidis
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1991)

Constitution: adopted 17 October 1995

Legal system: based on civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE
(previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March
1992, Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman
of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995;
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE
(previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March
1992, Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairman
of Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995;
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 5 November 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE elected president; percent of
vote--Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 74%

Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred
to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 5 November 1995 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party--CUG 24%, NDP 8%, AGUR 7%,
all other parties received less than 5% each; seats by party--CUG
107, NDP 34, AGUR 32, Progress Bloc 4, SPG 4, others 9, Abkazian
deputies 12, independents 29, not filled 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges elected by the Supreme
Council on the president's recommendation; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders: Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUG
groups: Democratic Union of Georgia or DUG, Political Association
"Georgian Proprietors"--Electoral Association "T'bilisi", Political
Union of Young Democrats "Our Choice", Political Union Tanadgoma)

Political pressure groups and leaders: supporters of the late
ousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA remain a source of opposition;
separatist elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia; Georgian
refugees from Abkhazia (Abkhaz faction in Georgian Parliament)

International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest),
CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tedo JAPARIDZE
chancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20009

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth S. YALOWITZ
embassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026
mailing address: use embassy street address

Flag description: maroon field with small rectangle in upper
hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top,
white below

Economy

Economy--overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved
around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and
grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small
industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and
textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs,
including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal
energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy
has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF
and World Bank, made substantial economic gains since 1995,
increasing GDP growth and slashing inflation. The Georgian economy
suffered some setbacks in late 1998, including a large budget
deficit due to a failure to collect tax revenue and to the impact of
the Russian economic crisis. Georgia also still suffers from energy
shortages; it privatized the distribution network in 1998, and
deliveries are steadily improving. Georgia is pinning its hopes for
long-term recovery on the development of an international
transportation corridor through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i
and Bat'umi. The construction of a Caspian oil pipeline through
Georgia--scheduled to open in early 1999--should spur greater Western
investment in the economy. The global economic slowdown, a growing
trade deficit, continuing problems with corruption, and political
uncertainties cloud the short-term economic picture.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$11.2 billion (1998 est.)

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

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,200 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 29%
industry: 16%
services: 55% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 3.08 million (1997)

Labor force--by occupation: industry and construction 31%,
agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 16% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $364 million
expenditures: $568 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998)

Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, foundry equipment,
electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment,
machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors,
process control equipment, trucks, tractors, textiles, shoes,
chemicals, wood products, wine

Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 6.845 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 29.88%
hydro: 70.12%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 6.949 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 300 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 404 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes;
livestock

Exports: $230 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports--commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural
products; diverse types of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals;
textiles; chemicals; fuel reexports

Exports--partners: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia,
Bulgaria, Turkey, US, UK, Italy, Germany, Romania (1997)

Imports: $931 million (c.i.f., 1997 est.)

Imports--commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery and
parts, transport equipment

Imports--partners: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan (1996); note?EU and
US send humanitarian food shipments

Debt--external: $1.3 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $212.7 million (1995)

Currency: lari introduced September 1995 replacing the coupon

Exchange rates: lari per US$1 (end of period)--1.82 (December
1998), 1.32 (December 1997), 1.28 (December 1996), 1.24 (December
1995)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 760,000 (1996 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: local--T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephone
networks with about 10,000 customers total; urban areas 20
telephones/100 people; rural areas 4 phones/100 people; intercity--a
fiber-optic line connects T'bilisi to K'ut'aisi (Georgia's second
largest city); nationwide pager service
international: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic line
between P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service is
available by microwave, land line, and satellite through the Moscow
switch; international electronic mail and telex service available

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note 2
national broadcast stations, 3 regional broadcast stations

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 3

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways:
total: 1,583 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 1,583 km 1.520-m gauge (1993)

Highways:
total: 20,700 km
paved: 19,354 km
unpaved: 1,346 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas
440 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,667 GRT/121,679 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, oil tanker 5, short-sea passenger 1 (1998
est.)

Airports: 28 (1994 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1994 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 6 (1994 est.)

Transportation--note: transportation network is in poor condition
and disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel
shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair

Military

Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense
Forces, National Guard, Republic Security Forces (internal and
border troops)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,287,225 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,018,309 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 40,604 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $57 million (1998)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1% (1998)

Military--note: a CIS peacekeeping force consisting of Russian
troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a
UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is
deployed in South Ossetia

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy,
mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for
opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe

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

@Germany -------

Introduction

Background: Germany--first united in 1871?suffered defeats in
successive world wars and was occupied by the victorious Allied
powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the
beginning of the Cold War and increasing tension between the US and
Soviet Union, two German states were formed in 1949: the western
Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic
Republic (GDR). The newly democratic FRG embedded itself in key
Western economic and security organizations, the EU and NATO, while
the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw
Pact. The decline of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War
cleared the path for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German
re-unification in 1990. Germany has expended considerable
funds--roughly $100 billion a year--in subsequent years working to
bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards, with
mixed results. Unemployment--which in the east is nearly double that
in the west--has grown over the last several years, primarily as a
result of structural problems like an inflexible labor market. In
January 1999, Germany and 10 other members of the EU formed a common
European currency, the euro, and the German government is now
looking toward reform of the EU budget and enlargement of the Union
into Central Europe.

Geography

Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the North
Sea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark

Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 356,910 sq km
land: 349,520 sq km
water: 7,390 sq km
note: includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany,
the German Democratic Republic, and Berlin, following formal
unification on 3 October 1990

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Montana

Land boundaries:
total: 3,621 km
border countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646
km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577
km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km

Coastline: 2,389 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and
summers; occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity

Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in
south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m
highest point: Zugspitze 2,962 m

Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite,
uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel

Land use:
arable land: 33%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 31%
other: 20% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: flooding

Environment--current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities
and industries and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result
of continued use of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid
rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests;
pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents
from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air
Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, 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, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: strategic location on North European Plain and
along the entrance to the Baltic Sea

People

Population: 82,087,361 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 6,495,882; female 6,172,359)
15-64 years: 69% (male 28,687,267; female 27,526,698)
65 years and over: 16% (male 4,990,090; female 8,215,065) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 8.68 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.12 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.17 years
male: 74.01 years
female: 80.5 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.26 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: German(s)
adjective: German

Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks
0.4%, Poles 0.4%, other 4.6% (made up largely of people fleeing the
war in the former Yugoslavia)

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%,
unaffiliated or other 26.3%

Languages: German

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1977 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germany
conventional short form: Germany
local long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschland
local short form: Deutschland

Data code: GM

Government type: federal republic

Capital: Berlin
note: the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of
years, with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and several
ministries even after parliament moves in 1999

Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular--Land);
Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,
Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,
Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,
Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen

Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification);
divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later,
France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany
(FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former
UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East
Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR
zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3
October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March
1991

National holiday: German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October
(1990)

Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; became
constitution of the united German people 3 October 1990

Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial
review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Roman HERZOG (since 1 July 1994)
head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the proposal of the
chancellor
elections: president elected for a five-year term by a Federal
Convention including all members of the Federal Assembly and an
equal number of delegates elected by the Land Parliaments; election
last held 23 May 1994 (next to be held 23 May 1999); chancellor
elected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for a
four-year term; election last held 27 September 1998 (next to be
held in the fall of 2002)
election results: Roman HERZOG elected president; percent of Federal
Convention vote--52.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percent
of Federal Assembly--52.8%

Legislative branch: bicameral chamber (no official name for the
two chambers as a whole) consists of the Federal Assembly or
Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for the 1998 term; elected by
popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional
representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three
direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year
terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state
governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes
depending on population and are required to vote as a block)
elections: Federal Assembly--last held 27 September 1998 (next to be
held by the fall of 2002); note--there are no elections for the
Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the
state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the
potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election
election results: Federal Assembly--percent of vote by party--SPD
40.9%, Alliance 90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%;
seats by party--SPD 298, Alliance 90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43,
PDS 36; Federal Council--current composition--votes by party--SPD-led
states 45, CDU-led states 24

Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court or
Bundesverfassungsgericht, half the judges are elected by the
Bundestag and half by the Bundesrat

Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union or CDU

Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations,
expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR,
NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG
chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston,
Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador John C. KORNBLUM
embassy: Deichmanns Aue 29, 53170 Bonn
mailing address: PSC 117, APO AE 09080
branch office: Berlin; mailing address: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse
consulate(s) general: Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg,
Leipzig, Munich

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top),
red, and gold

Economy

Economy--overview: Germany possesses the world's third most
powerful economy, with its capitalist market system tempered by
generous welfare benefits. On 1 January 1999, Germany and 10 other
European Union countries launched the European Monetary Union (EMU)
by permanently fixing their bilateral exchange rates and giving the
new European Central Bank control over the zone's monetary policy.
Germans expect to have the new European currency, the euro, in
pocket by 2002. Domestic demand contributed to a moderate economic
upswing in early 1998, although unemployment remains high.
Job-creation measures have helped superficially, but structural
rigidities--like high wages and costly benefits--make unemployment a
long-term, not just a cyclical, problem. Although minimally affected
by the Asian crisis in 1998, Germany revised its 1999 forecast
downward at the beginning of the year to reflect anticipated effects
from the global economic slowdown. Over the long term, Germany faces
budgetary problems--lower tax revenues and higher pension outlays--as
its population ages. Meanwhile, the German nation continues to
wrestle with the integration of eastern Germany, whose adjustment
may take decades to complete despite annual transfers from the west
of roughly $100 billion a year.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.813 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 2.7% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.1%
industry: 33.1%
services: 65.8% (1998)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 38.2 million (1998)

Labor force--by occupation: industry 33.7%, agriculture 2.7%,
services 63.6% (1998)

Unemployment rate: 10.6% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $977 billion
expenditures: $1.024 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: western: among world's largest and technologically
advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals,
machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages;
eastern: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding,
machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1998)

Electricity--production: 515.058 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 66.23%
hydro: 3.5%
nuclear: 29.81%
other: 0.46% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 509.458 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 42.5 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 36.9 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: western?potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar
beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry; eastern--wheat, rye,
barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; pork, beef, chickens, milk,
hides

Exports: $510 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: machinery 31%, vehicles 17%, chemicals 13%,
metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles (1997)

Exports--partners: EU 55.5% (France 10.7%, UK 8.5%, Italy 7.4%,
Netherlands 7.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.8%), US 8.6%, Japan 2.3%
(1997 est.)

Imports: $426 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery 22%, vehicles 10%, chemicals 9%,
foodstuffs 8%, textiles, metals (1997)

Imports--partners: EU 54.3% (France 10.5%, Netherlands 8.5%, Italy
7.8%, UK 7.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6.2%), US 7.7%, Japan 4.9% (1997)

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $7.5 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige

Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1--1.69 (January 1999),
1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228
(1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 1.95583 deutsche marks per euro; the euro will replace the
local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 44 million

Telephone system: Germany has one of the world's most
technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of
intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly
backward system of the eastern part of the country has been
modernized and integrated with that of the western part
domestic: the region which was formerly West Germany is served by an
extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by
modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio
relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service
is widely available and includes roaming service to many foreign
countries; since the reunification of Germany, the telephone system
of the eastern region has been upgraded and enjoys all of the
advantages of the national system
international: satellite earth stations--14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic
Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean
region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean
region); 7 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone
communication centers; tropospheric scatter links

Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 1,621, shortwave 37, digital
audio broadcasting 130

Radios: 47.1 million (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 9,513 (including repeaters)

Televisions: 51.4 million (1998 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 46,300 km including 18,866 km electrified and 14,768 km
double- or multiple-tracked (1996)
note: since privatization in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no longer
publishes details of the tracks it owns; in addition to the DBAG
system there are 102 privately owned railway companies which own an
approximate 3,000 km to 4,000 km of the total tracks

Highways:
total: 656,074 km
paved: 650,169 km (including 11,309 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,905 km all-weather (1997 est.)

Waterways: 7,467 km (1997); major rivers include the Rhine and
Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea
and North Sea

Pipelines: crude oil 2,460 km (1997)

Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven,
Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lubeck,
Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart

Merchant marine:
total: 594 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,699,596
GRT/9,629,163 DWT
ships by type: cargo 227, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 1,
container 306, liquefied gas tanker 5, multifunction large-load
carrier 5, oil tanker 7, passenger 3, railcar carrier 2,
refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 14, short-sea passenger
7 (1998 est.)

Airports: 618 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 319
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 62
1,524 to 2,437 m: 68
914 to 1,523 m: 54
under 914 m: 121 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 299
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 58
under 914 m: 227 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 61 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), Air
Force, Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 20,860,710 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 17,799,070 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 472,708 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $32.8 billion (1998)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.5% (1998)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: individual Sudeten German claims for
restitution of property confiscated in connection with their
expulsion after World War II

Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South American
cocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer of
Southwest Asian heroin and hashish, Latin American cocaine, and
European-produced synthetic drugs

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

@Ghana -----

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, between
Cote d'Ivoire and Togo

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 238,540 sq km
land: 230,020 sq km
water: 8,520 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,093 km
border countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo
877 km

Coastline: 539 km

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

Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast
coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north

Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in
south-central area

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m

Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,
manganese, fish, rubber

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 22%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 24% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January
to March; droughts

Environment--current issues: recent drought in north severely
affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil
erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife
populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test
Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,
Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation

Geography--note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificial
lake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)

People

Population: 18,887,626 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42% (male 4,020,493; female 3,982,816)
15-64 years: 54% (male 5,050,736; female 5,231,951)
65 years and over: 4% (male 284,423; female 317,207) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.05% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 31.79 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.88 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: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 76.15 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.14 years
male: 55.08 years
female: 59.27 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.11 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ghanaian(s)
adjective: Ghanaian

Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes--Akan 44%,
Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%,
other 8%

Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan,
Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 64.5%
male: 75.9%
female: 53.5% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Ghana
conventional short form: Ghana
former: Gold Coast

Data code: GH

Government type: constitutional democracy

Capital: Accra

Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo,
Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West,
Volta, Western

Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)

Constitution: new constitution approved 28 April 1992

Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 7 January
1993); Vice President John Evans Atta MILLS (since 7 January 1993);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 7 January
1993); Vice President John Evans Atta MILLS (since 7 January 1993);
note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subject
to approval by the Parliament
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December
1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: Jerry John RAWLINGS reelected president; percent
of vote--RAWLINGS 57%