Chapter V (22)

Debt--external: very heavy relative to GDP but the exact amount is
unknown (1998)

Economic aid--recipient: $327.5 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1--0.3109 (fixed official
rate since 1982); black market rate--Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1--1,810
(December 1998), 1,530 (December 1997), 3,000 (December 1995);
subject to wide fluctuations

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 632,000 (1987 est.)

Telephone system: reconstitution of damaged telecommunication
facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have
been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio
relay links
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1
Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to
Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably
nonoperational

Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 1, shortwave 0

Radios: 3.7 million (1998 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 13 (government controlled) (1997)

Televisions: 1 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge

Highways:
total: 47,400 km
paved: 40,764 km
unpaved: 6,636 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by
maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3
meters and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable
sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was
navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of
the Persian Gulf war

Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural
gas 1,360 km

Ports and harbors: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have
limited functionality

Merchant marine:
total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 456,845 GRT/780,318 DWT
ships by type: cargo 14, oil tanker 11, passenger 1, passenger-cargo
1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1998 est.)

Airports: 109 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 77
over 3,047 m: 20
2,438 to 3,047 m: 36
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 11 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 4 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Republican Guard and Special Republican
Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force,
Internal Security Forces

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 5,459,998 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,058,098 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 259,915 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic
relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written
agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war
concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in
November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with
Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions
687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier
claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands although the
government continues periodic rhetorical challenges; dispute over
water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers

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

@Ireland -------

Introduction

Background: Growing Irish nationalism resulted in independence
from the United Kingdom in 1921, with six largely Protestant
northern counties remaining within the UK. After World War II bloody
strife between Catholics and Protestants over the status of Northern
Ireland cost thousands of lives. In 1998, substantial steps toward
peace were agreed to by the British and Irish governments and the
Roman Catholics and Protestants of Northern Ireland.

Geography

Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of
Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain

Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km

Coastline: 1,448 km

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

Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current;
mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half
the time

Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by
rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohill 1,041 m

Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper,
gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver

Land use:
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 68%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 14% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: water pollution, especially of lakes,
from agricultural runoff

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulphur 94, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,
Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94

Geography--note: strategic location on major air and sea routes
between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the
population resides within 97 km of Dublin

People

Population: 3,632,944 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21% (male 399,379; female 377,366)
15-64 years: 67% (male 1,232,072; female 1,213,364)
65 years and over: 12% (male 174,519; female 236,244) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.38% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 13.58 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.43 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 5.94 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.39 years
male: 73.64 years
female: 79.32 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.81 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural)
adjective: Irish

Ethnic groups: Celtic, English

Religions: Roman Catholic 92%, Anglican 3%, Islamic 0.11%,
Jehovah's Witness 0.1%, Jewish 0.04%, other 4.75% (1991)

Languages: English is the language generally used, Irish (Gaelic)
spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland

Data code: EI

Government type: republic

Capital: Dublin

Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare,
Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois,
Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly,
Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow

Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)

National holiday: Saint Patrick's Day, 17 March

Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite

Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified
by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in
Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997)
head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination
by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November
2004); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and
appointed by the president
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of
vote--Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists
of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats--49 elected by the
universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational
panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve
five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann
(166 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of
proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate--last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA
2002); House of Representatives--last held 6 June 1997 (next to be
held NA 2002)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--NA; House of Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--Fianna Fail 76, Fine Gael 53, Labor Party 19,
Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Greens 2, Sinn Fein 1,
independents 7

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)

Political parties and leaders: Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Labor
note: Prime Minister AHERN heads a two-party coalition consisting of
Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats; Democratic Left merged
into the Labor Party on 1 February 1999

International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS,
CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG,
OECD, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL,
UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer),
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O'HUIGINN
chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael SULLIVAN
embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin
mailing address: use embassy street address

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist
side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d'Ivoire,
which is shorter and has the colors reversed--orange (hoist side),
white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is
shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red

Economy

Economy--overview: Ireland is a small, modern, trade-dependent
economy with growth averaging 9.5% in 1995-98. Agriculture, once the
most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts
for 39% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 28% of the labor
force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland's
robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in
consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business
investment. Over the past decade, the Irish government has
implemented a series of national economic programs designed to curb
inflation, reduce government spending, and promote foreign
investment. Although the unemployment rate has been halved, it
remains high, and job creation is a primary concern of government
policy. Recent efforts have concentrated on improving workers
qualifications and the education system. Ireland joined in launching
the euro currency system in January 1999 along with 10 other EU
nations.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$67.1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 9.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$18,600 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 39%
services: 54% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 27.4% (1987)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.4% (1998)

Labor force: 1.52 million (1997 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: services 62.1%, manufacturing and
construction 27%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 10%, utilities
0.9% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $23.5 billion
expenditures: $20.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998)

Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing,
chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment,
glass and crystal

Industrial production growth rate: 15.8% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 17.843 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 95.83%
hydro: 3.99%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.18% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 17.743 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 200 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 100 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets,
wheat; beef, dairy products

Exports: $60.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment,
industrial machinery, live animals, animal products (1997)

Exports--partners: EU 67% (UK 24%, Germany 12%, France 8%), US 11%
(1997)

Imports: $43.7 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports--commodities: food, animal feed, data processing
equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles,
clothing (1997)

Imports--partners: EU 55% (UK 34%, Germany 6%, France 6%), US 15%
(1997)

Debt--external: $11 billion (1998)

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $153 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Irish pound (LIr) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Irish pounds (LIr) per US$1--0.6815 (January
1999), 0.7014 (1998), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995),
0.6676 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 0.78764 Irish pounds per euro; the euro will replace the
local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 900,000 (1987 est.)

Telephone system: modern digital system using cable and microwave
radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0

Radios: 2.2 million (1991 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 10 (in addition, there are 36
low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 1.025 million (1990 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 1,947 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km
double track) (1996)

Highways:
total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,042 km (including 80 km of expressways)
unpaved: 5,458 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: limited for commercial traffic

Pipelines: natural gas 225 km

Ports and harbors: Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes,
Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford

Merchant marine:
total: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 79,284 GRT/117,652 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 28, container 2 (1998 est.)

Airports: 44 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 28
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 25 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps),
National Police (Garda Siochana)

Military manpower--military age: 17 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 974,226 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 790,155 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 33,810 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $771 million (1997)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: Northern Ireland issue with the UK
(historic peace agreement signed 10 April 1998); Rockall continental
shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and
the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish
from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced
synthetic drugs; transshipment point for heroin and cocaine destined
for Western Europe

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

@Israel ------

Introduction

Background: The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war
are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In
keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in
October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between
Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to
achieve a permanent settlement between them. On 25 April 1982,
Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt
Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan
were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.

Geography

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

Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey

Land boundaries:
total: 1,006 km
border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km,
Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km

Coastline: 273 km

Maritime claims:
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert
areas

Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m

Natural resources: copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay,
sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and
crude oil

Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 66% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,800 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer

Environment--current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh
water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air
pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater
pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers,
and pesticides

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Marine Life
Conservation

Geography--note: there are 216 Israeli settlements and civilian
land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan
Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1998
est.)

People

Population: 5,749,760 (July 1999 est.)
note: includes about 166,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank,
about 19,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, about 6,000 in
the Gaza Strip, and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998
est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 822,192; female 783,905)
15-64 years: 62% (male 1,792,062; female 1,783,755)
65 years and over: 10% (male 244,438; female 323,408) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.81% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 19.83 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 4.42 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 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.78 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.61 years
male: 76.71 years
female: 80.61 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.68 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli

Ethnic groups: Jewish 80.1% (Europe/America-born 32.1%,
Israel-born 20.8%, Africa-born 14.6%, Asia-born 12.6%), non-Jewish
19.9% (mostly Arab) (1996 est.)

Religions: Judaism 80.1%, Islam 14.6% (mostly Sunni Muslim),
Christian 2.1%, other 3.2% (1996 est.)

Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab
minority, English most commonly used foreign language

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel
conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra'el
local short form: Yisra'el

Data code: IS

Government type: republic

Capital: Jerusalem
note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the
US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel
Aviv

Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular--mehoz);
Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv

Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May 1948; note--Israel
declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is
lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May

Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948),
the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli
citizenship law

Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate
regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat
that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993)
head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June
1996)
cabinet: Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset
elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term;
election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003);
prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term;
election last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for 17
May 1999); note--in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation,
effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the
prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two ballots--one
for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party
in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage
of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other
parties to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally,
the candidate must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for
approval and this must be done within 45 days of the election; in
contrast to the old system, under the new law, the prime minister's
party need not be the single-largest party in the Knesset
election results: Ezer WEIZMAN reelected president by the Knesset
with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49
votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence); Binyamin
NETANYAHU elected prime minister; percent of vote--Binyamin NETANYAHU
50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%

Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 29 May 1996 (early elections are scheduled for
17 May 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--Labor
Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious
Party 9, Yisra'el Ba'Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United
Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet 2; note--Likud, Tzomet,
and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, appointed for life by the
president

Political parties and leaders:

Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli
nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza
Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank
and is critical of government's Lebanon policy

International organization participation: BSEC (observer), CCC,
CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner),
PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL
chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los
Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.
embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address: PSC 98, Unit 7228, APO AE 09830
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note--an independent US mission,
established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign
government

Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear
star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between
two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the
flag

Economy

Economy--overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market
economy with substantial government participation. It depends on
imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment.
Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed
its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years.
Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers;
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6%; and services the rest.
Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for
grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural
products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually
posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large
transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of
the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major
source of economic and military aid. The influx of Jewish immigrants
from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-98,
bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to
one million, one-sixth of the total population and adding scientific
and professional expertise of substantial value for the economy's
future. The influx, coupled with the opening of new markets at the
end of the Cold War, energized Israel's economy, which grew rapidly
in the early 1990s. But growth began slowing in 1996 when the
government imposed tighter fiscal and monetary policies and the
immigration bonus petered out.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$101.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.9% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$18,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 17%
services: 81% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 26.9% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 2.3 million (1997)

Labor force--by occupation: public services 31.2%, manufacturing
20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction
7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and
communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 8.7% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $55 billion
expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing,
textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment,
transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining,
high-technology electronics, tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1996)

Electricity--production: 28.035 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.88%
hydro: 0.12%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 27.725 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 310 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: citrus, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry,
dairy products

Exports: $22.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds,
chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals

Exports--partners: US 32%, UK, Hong Kong, Benelux, Japan,
Netherlands (1997)

Imports: $26.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: raw materials, military equipment,
investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods

Imports--partners: US 19%, Benelux 12%, Germany 9%, UK 8%, Italy
7%, Switzerland 6% (1997)

Debt--external: $18.7 billion (1997)

Economic aid--recipient: $1.241 billion (1994); note?$1.2 billion
from the US (1997)

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

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2269
(November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111
(1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Communications

Telephones: 2.6 million (1996)

Telephone system: most highly developed system in the Middle East
although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay
international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--3
Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0

Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 24 (in addition, there are 31
low-power repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)

Highways:
total: 15,464 km
paved: 15,464 km (including 56 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural
gas 89 km

Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa,
Tel Aviv-Yafo

Merchant marine:
total: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 736,419 GRT/855,497 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1, container 21, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998
est.)

Airports: 54 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 31
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 10
under 914 m: 7 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval,
and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard,
Chen (women); note--historically there have been no separate Israeli
military services

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,474,046
females age 15-49: 1,439,569 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,206,320
females age 15-49: 1,173,818 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 50,737
females: 48,546 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $8.7 billion (1999)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 9.5% (1999)

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; Golan Heights is
Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982

Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin
abuse; drugs primarily arrive in country from Lebanon

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

@Italy -----

Introduction

Background: Italy failed to secure political unification until
the 1860s, thus lacking the military and imperial power of Spain,
Britain, and France. The fascist dictatorship of MUSSOLINI after
World War I, led to the disastrous alliance with HITLER's Germany
and defeat in World War II. Italy was a founding member of the
European Economic Community (EEC) and joined in the growing
political and economic unification of Western Europe, including the
introduction of the euro in January 1999. On-going problems include
illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, high
unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of
Southern Italy compared with the North.

Geography

Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central
Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia

Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 301,230 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily

Area--comparative: slightly larger than Arizona

Land boundaries:
total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican
City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km

Coastline: 7,600 km

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

Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot,
dry in south

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal
lowlands

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mont Blanc (Monte Bianco) 4,807 m

Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling
natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal

Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 21% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows,
avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land
subsidence in Venice

Environment--current issues: air pollution from industrial
emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted
from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging
lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities

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 dominating central
Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western
Europe

People

Population: 56,735,130 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 4,161,841; female 3,925,413)
15-64 years: 68% (male 19,205,293; female 19,285,848)
65 years and over: 18% (male 4,169,098; female 5,987,637) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.08% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 9.27 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.28 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female
total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 6.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.51 years
male: 75.4 years
female: 81.82 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.22 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian

Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-,
French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and
Greek-Italians in the south)

Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%

Languages: Italian, German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region
are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking
minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking
minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 96% (1990 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic
conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana
local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy

Data code: IT

Government type: republic

Capital: Rome

Administrative divisions: 20 regions (regioni, singular--regione);
Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna,
Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,
Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige,
Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto

Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)

National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)

Constitution: 1 January 1948

Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law
influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under
certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial
elections, where minimum age is 25)

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the
president of the Council of Ministers) Massimo D'ALEMA (since 27
October 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and
approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of
both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a
seven-year term; election last held 25 May 1992 (next to be held NA
June 1999); prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed
by parliament
election results: Oscar Luigi SCALFARO elected president; percent of
electoral college vote--NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists
of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (326 seats--315 elected by
popular vote of which 232 are directly elected and 83 are elected by
regional proportional representation, 11 are appointed
senators-for-life; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of
Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly
elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve
five-year terms)
elections: Senate--last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA
April 2001); Chamber of Deputies--last held 21 April 1996 (next to be
held by NA April 2001)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27,
Refounded Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor
Flames 1, Panella Reformers 1; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote
by party--NA; seats by party--Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246,
Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3,
Autonomous List 2, other 1

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale,
composed of 15 judges (one-third appointed by the president,
one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary
and administrative supreme courts)

Political parties and leaders:
MARINI]

Political pressure groups and leaders: the Roman Catholic Church;
three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale
D'ANTONI] which is Catholic centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro
manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,
Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,
Confagricoltura)

International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia
Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN,
EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, 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,
LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO,
UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO
chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and 2700 16th
Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los
Angeles, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas M. FOGLIETTA
embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist
side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is
longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to
the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed--orange
(hoist side), white, and green

Economy

Economy--overview: Since World War II, the Italian economy has
changed from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial
economy, with approximately the same total and per capita output as
France and the UK. This basically capitalistic economy is still
divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private
companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with large
public enterprises and more than 20% unemployment. Most raw
materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements
must be imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled
by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for
economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus, it finally
began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the
government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its
inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its
generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care
benefits. In December 1998, Italy adopted a budget compliant with
the requirements of the European Monetary Union (EMU);
representatives of government, labor, and employers agreed to an
update of the 1993 "social pact," which has been widely credited
with having brought Italy's inflation into conformity with EMU
requirements. In 1999, Italy must adjust to the loss of an
independent monetary policy, which it has used quite liberally in
the past to help cope with external shocks. Italy also must work to
stimulate employment, promote wage flexibility, and tackle the
informal economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.181 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 1.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$20,800 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 33%
services: 63.7% (1994)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 23.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.8% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 23.193 million

Labor force--by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%,
agriculture 7% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 12.5% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $559 billion
expenditures: $589 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food
processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics

Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1996 est.)

Electricity--production: 226.707 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 80.02%
hydro: 18.25%
nuclear: 0%
other: 1.73%

Electricity--consumption: 264.007 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 800 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 38.1 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar
beets, soybeans, grain, olives; beef, dairy products; fish

Exports: $243 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: engineering products, textiles and clothing,
production machinery, motor vehicles, transport equipment,
chemicals; food, beverages and tobacco; minerals and nonferrous
metals

Exports--partners: Germany 16.4%, France 12.2%, US 7.9%, UK 7.1%,
Spain 5.2%, Netherlands 2.8% (1997)

Imports: $202 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Imports--commodities: engineering products, chemicals, transport
equipment, energy products, minerals and nonferrous metals, textiles
and clothing; food, beverages and tobacco

Imports--partners: Germany 18.0%, France 13.2%, UK 6.7%,
Netherlands 6.2%, US 5.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4.7% (1997)

Debt--external: $45 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1.6 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi

Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1--1,688.7 (January
1999), 1,736.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9
(1995), 1,612.4 (1994)
note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 1,936.27 lire per euro; the euro will replace the local
currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)

Telephone system: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated
telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks
international: satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat (with a total of
5 antennas--3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat
(Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840),
shortwave 0

Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 6,317 (consisting of 117 public
stations with two kW of power or more, about 5,300 low-power public
stations, and about 900 low-power private stations, mostly in local
service) (1997)

Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 19,272 km
standard gauge: 17,983 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS)
operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (10,889 km
electrified)
narrow gauge: 112 km 1.000-m gauge (112 km electrified); 1,177 km
0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)

Highways:
total: 317,000 km
paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways)
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic,
although of limited overall value

Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km;
natural gas 19,400 km

Ports and harbors: Augusta (Sicily), Bagnoli, Bari, Brindisi,
Gela, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Milazzo, Naples, Porto Foxi, Porto
Torres (Sardinia), Salerno, Savona, Taranto, Trieste, Venice

Merchant marine:
total: 393 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,982,870
GRT/8,413,850 DWT
ships by type: bulk 38, cargo 46, chemical tanker 60, combination
ore/oil 2, container 16, liquefied gas tanker 35, livestock carrier
1, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 84, passenger 6,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 53, short-sea passenger 28, specialized
tanker 12, vehicle carrier 11 (1998 est.)

Airports: 136 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 97
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 39
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 18 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 14,142,889 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,200,780 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 315,952 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $21.095 billion (FY97)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.9% (1995)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: Italy and Slovenia made progress in
resolving bilateral issues; Croatia and Italy made progress toward
resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property
and ethnic minority rights

Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin
American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European
market

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

@Jamaica -------

Geography

Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 10,990 sq km
land: 10,830 sq km
water: 160 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 1,022 km

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

Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior

Terrain: mostly mountains, with narrow, discontinuous coastal
plain

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m

Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone

Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 17%
other: 39% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)

Environment--current issues: deforestation; coastal waters
polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to
coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban,
Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and
Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal

People

Population: 2,652,443 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31% (male 421,127; female 402,593)
15-64 years: 62% (male 819,956; female 828,176)
65 years and over: 7% (male 79,747; female 100,844) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.64% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 20.22 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.39 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -8.39 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: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 13.93 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.62 years
male: 73.22 years
female: 78.13 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.26 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican

Ethnic groups: black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese
0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%

Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%,
Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist
2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%,
Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual
cults 34.7%

Languages: English, Creole

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 85%
male: 80.8%
female: 89.1% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica

Data code: JM

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Kingston

Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover,
Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint
Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas,
Trelawny, Westmoreland

Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)

Constitution: 6 August 1962

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

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1
August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since
30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA
1993)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of
the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general
appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime
minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the
governor general

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the
recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the
opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition eight seats) and the
House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PNP
50, JLP 10

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges appointed by the governor
general on the advice of the prime minister)

Political parties and leaders: People's National Party or PNP [P.

Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black
religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement
or NBM

International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC,
CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO,
Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS,
OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL
chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND
embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor,
Kingston
mailing address: use embassy street address

Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into
four triangles--green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and
outer side)

Economy

Economy--overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite
(alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and
tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has
eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and
privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and
fiscal policies have helped slow inflation--although inflationary
pressures are mounting--and stabilize the exchange rate, but have
resulted in the slowdown of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in
1992 to 0.5% in 1995). In 1996, GDP showed negative growth (-1.4%)
and remained negative through 1998. Serious problems include: high
interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial
condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or
closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment
portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a
pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise
trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts
to various ailing sectors of the economy, particularly the financial
sector. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging
investment in the productive sectors, maintaining a competitive
exchange rate, stabilizing the labor environment, selling off
reacquired firms, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary
policies.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$8.8 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -2% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,300 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 7.4%
industry: 42.1%
services: 50.5% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 34.2% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 31.9% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.9% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.14 million (1996)

Labor force--by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%,
industry 19% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 16.5% (1997 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.27 billion
expenditures: $3.66 billion, including capital expenditures of
$1.265 billion (FY98/99 est.)

Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light
manufactures

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 97.96%
hydro: 2.04%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 6.125 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus,
potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk

Exports: $1.7 billion (1997)

Exports--commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum

Exports--partners: US 33.3%, EU (excluding UK and Norway) 17.1%,
Canada 14.1%, UK 13.4%, Norway 6.1%, Caricom 3.4%

Imports: $2.8 billion (1997)

Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals

Imports--partners: US 47.7%, EU (excluding UK) 12.8%, Caricom
10.2%, Latin America 6.7%, UK 3.7% (1997)

Debt--external: $4.2 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $102.7 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1--35.57 (December
1998), 35.404 (1997), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 350,000 (1997 est.)

Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean);
3 coaxial submarine cables

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1997)

Radios: 1.973 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations: 7 (1997)

Televisions: 330,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 370 km
standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note--207 km belong to the
Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no
longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used
to transport bauxite

Highways:
total: 18,700 km
paved: 13,100 km
unpaved: 5,600 km (1997 est.)

Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km

Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston,
Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Port Esquivel
(Longswharf)

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,478 GRT/5,878 DWT
ships by type: oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 36 (1998 est.)

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

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 25
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 23 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces,
Coast Guard, and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 715,260 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 503,667 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 26,108 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $47.9 million (FY97/98 est.)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and
South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of
cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication
program

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

@Jan Mayen ---------

Geography

Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and
the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland

Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W

Map references: Arctic Region

Area:
total: 373 sq km
land: 373 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 124.1 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog

Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m
highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m

Natural resources: none

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Haakon VII
Toppen/Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass

People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation
(Loran) C base and the weather and coastal services radio station

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen

Data code: JN

Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo
through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard);
however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the
Norwegian Defense Communication Service

Legal system: NA

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

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

Flag description: the flag of Norway is used

Economy

Economy--overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no
exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to
providing services for employees of Norway's radio and
meteorological stations located on the island.

Communications

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: radio and meteorological station

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of Norway

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Japan -----

Geography

Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific
Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula

Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area:
total: 377,835 sq km
land: 374,744 sq km
water: 3,091 sq km
note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto,
Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and
Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than California

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 29,751 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; between 3 nm and 12 nm in the international
straits--La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western
Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait

Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m
highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m

Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish

Land use:
arable land: 11%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 67%
other: 19% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about
1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis