Chapter V (23)

Environment--current issues: air pollution from power plant
emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and
reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life;
Japan is one of the largest consumers of fish and tropical timber,
contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and
elsewhere

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty,
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertication, 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: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol

Geography--note: strategic location in northeast Asia

People

Population: 126,182,077 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 15% (male 9,697,851; female 9,242,027)
15-64 years: 68% (male 43,405,024; female 43,023,885)
65 years and over: 17% (male 8,686,347; female 12,126,943) (1999
est.)

Population growth rate: 0.2% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 10.48 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.12 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.34 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: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 4.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 80.11 years
male: 77.02 years
female: 83.35 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.48 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)

Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16%
(including Christian 0.7%)

Languages: Japanese

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99% (1970 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%

Government

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

Data code: JA

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Tokyo

Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori,
Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima,
Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima,
Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano,
Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga,
Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo,
Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi

Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)

National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)

Constitution: 3 May 1947

Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with
English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with
reservations

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989)
head of government: Prime Minister Keizo OBUCHI (since 30 July 1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the Diet designates the
prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister
must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following
legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of
a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes
prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the
House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members
elected every three years--76 seats of which are elected from the 47
multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a
single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members
elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats--200 of which are elected from
11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of
which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by
popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Councillors--last held 12 July 1998 (next to be
held NA July 2001); House of Representatives--last held 20 October
1996 (next to be held by October 2000)
election results: House of Councillors--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--LDP 102, DPJ 47, JCP 23, Komeito 22, SDP 13, Liberal
Party 12, independents 26, others 7; note--the distribution of seats
as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 104, DPJ 56, Komeito 24, JCP
23, SDP 14, Liberal Party 12, independents 5, others 14; House of
Representatives--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--LDP 240,
NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note--the
distribution of seats as of January 1999 is as follows--LDP 266, DPJ
94, Komeito/Reform Club 52, Liberal Party 39, JCP 26, SDP 14,
independents 5, others 4

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the
monarch after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are
appointed by the cabinet

Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party or LDP
president, Hirohisa FUJII, secretary general]; Japan Communist Party
Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general]
note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier
Party or NFP and the Sun Party disbanded; the DPJ was formed by
former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was
joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP
disbanded; New Peace Party and Komei merged to form Komeito in
November 1998

International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB,
Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), CP, EBRD,
ESCAP, 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, NEA, NSG, OAS
(observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA,
UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO
chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Hagatna (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los
Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San
Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY
embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku, Tokyo 107-8420
mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-5004
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo
consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya

Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the
sun without rays) in the center

Economy

Economy--overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work
ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense
allocation (1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary
rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world.
One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of
manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely knit groups
called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of
lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor
force; this guarantee is eroding. Industry, the most important
sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw
materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly
subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the
world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50%
of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains
one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly
15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic
growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5%
average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed
markedly in 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of
overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic
policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and
real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a
reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as
low rates of inflation. But in 1997-98 Japan experienced a wrenching
recession, centered about financial difficulties in the banking
system and real estate markets and exacerbated by rigidities in
corporate structures and labor markets. In early 1999 output has
started to stabilize as emergency government spending begins to take
hold. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the
population are two major long-run problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$2.903 trillion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -2.6% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$23,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 38%
services: 60% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

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

Labor force: 67.72 million (November 1998)

Labor force--by occupation: trade and services 50%, manufacturing,
mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%,
agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 4.4% (November 1998)

Budget:
revenues: $407 billion
expenditures: $711 billion, including capital expenditures (public
works only) of about $86 billion (FY99/00 est.)

Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced
producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical
equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and
parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools,
automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling
stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods

Industrial production growth rate: -6.9% (1998)

Electricity--production: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 61.47%
hydro: 8.34%
nuclear: 29.83%
other: 0.36% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 948.559 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork,
poultry, dairy products, eggs; fish

Exports: $440 billion (f.o.b., 1998)

Exports--commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%,
motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%)

Exports--partners: US 30%, EU 18%, Southeast Asia 12%, China 5%

Imports: $319 billion (c.i.f., 1998)

Imports--commodities: manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw
materials 28%, fossil fuels 16%

Imports--partners: US 24%, Southeast Asia 14%, EU 14%, China 13%

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--donor: ODA, $9.1 billion (1999)

Currency: yen (Y)

Exchange rates: yen (Y) per US$1--113.18 (January 1999), 130.91
(1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 64 million (1987 est.)

Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations--5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1
Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to
China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0

Radios: 97 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 7,549 (consisting of 6,995
non-government and non-commercial stations, of which 95 are main
stations of 1 kW or greater power and 6,900 are low-power stations,
and 554 commercial stations of which 113 are main stations and 441
are repeaters); note--in addition, US Forces are served by 3 TV
stations and 2 TV cable stations (1997)

Televisions: 100 million (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 23,670.7 km
standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified)
narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8
km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6
km electrified) (1994)

Highways:
total: 1.16 million km
paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways)
unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland
seas

Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural
gas 1,800 km

Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate,
Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro,
Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo,
Tomakomai

Merchant marine:
total: 713 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,753,027
GRT/19,311,312 DWT
ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 54, chemical tanker 13, combination
bulk 16, combination ore/oil 4, container 27, liquefied gas tanker
40, oil tanker 232, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated
cargo 27, roll-on/roll-off cargo 48, short-sea passenger 13, vehicle
carrier 68 (1998 est.)

Airports: 170 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 140
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 35
1,524 to 2,437 m: 39
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 31 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 30
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 28 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 14 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan
Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force
(Air Force)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 30,646,516 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 26,438,961 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 784,658 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $42.9 billion (FY98/99)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.9% (FY98/99)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan,
and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now
administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks
(Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku
Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan

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

@Jarvis Island -------------

Geography

Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands

Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 4.5 sq km
land: 4.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 8 km

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

Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun

Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 7 m

Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)

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

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)

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

Environment--current issues: no natural fresh water resources

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

Geography--note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and
low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging
habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife

People

Population: uninhabited
note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally
used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was
abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical
Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use
permit from US Fish and Wildlife Service only and generally
restricted to scientists and educators; visited annually by US Fish
and Wildlife Service

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jarvis Island

Data code: DQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US;
administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of
the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife
Refuge system

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

Economy

Economy--overview: no economic activity

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note--there is
one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another
near the southwest corner of the island

Transportation--note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the
west coast

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited
annually by the US Coast Guard

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Jersey ------

Geography

Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel,
northwest of France

Geographic coordinates: 49 15 N, 2 10 W

Map references: Europe

Area:
total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 70 km

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

Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers

Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north
coast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m

Natural resources: agricultural land

Land use:
arable land: 66%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 34%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands;
about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier

People

Population: 89,721 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 18% (male 8,308; female 7,663)
15-64 years: 68% (male 30,168; female 30,754)
65 years and over: 14% (male 5,348; female 7,480) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.63% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 11.85 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.08 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 2.76 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.83 years
male: 76.08 years
female: 81.87 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander

Ethnic groups: UK and Norman-French descent

Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New
Church, Methodist, Presbyterian

Languages: English (official), French (official), Norman-French
dialect spoken in country districts

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey

Data code: JE

Dependency status: British crown dependency

Government type: NA

Capital: Saint Helier

Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)

Independence: none (British crown dependency)

National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)

Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and
practice

Legal system: English law and local statute

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)
head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Sir
Michael WILKES (since NA 1995) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE
(since NA 1995)
cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and
bailiff appointed by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the States (57
seats--53 elected including 12 senators popularly elected for
six-year terms, half retiring every third year, 12 constables
popularly elected triennially, and 29 deputies popularly elected
triennially)
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA)
election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--independents 52

Judicial branch: Royal Court, judges elected by an electoral
college and the bailiff

Political parties and leaders: none; all independents

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (British crown
dependency)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (British crown
dependency)

Flag description: white with the diagonal red cross of Saint
Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) extending to the corners of the
flag

Economy

Economy--overview: The economy is based largely on financial
services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes,
and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to
the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and
represents an important export earner. Milk products go to the UK
and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for
about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the
economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government
has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result
that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional
manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements
are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light
tax and death duties make the island a popular tax haven.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$NA

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

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

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 5%
industry: 2%
services: 93% (1995)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1996)

Labor force: 57,050 (1996)

Unemployment rate: 0.7% (1996)

Budget:
revenues: $666.9 million
expenditures: $618.5 million, including capital expenditures of
$128.4 million (1996 est.)

Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh

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

Electricity--consumption: 467 million kWh (1995)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh

Electricity--imports: NA kWh; note?much electricity supplied by
France

Agriculture--products: potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes; beef,
dairy products

Exports: $NA

Exports--commodities: light industrial and electrical goods,
foodstuffs, textiles

Exports--partners: UK

Imports: $NA

Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment,
manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals

Imports--partners: UK

Debt--external: none

Economic aid--recipient: none

Currency: 1 Jersey pound (LJ) = 100 pence

Exchange rates: Jersey pounds (LJ) per US$1--0.6057 (January
1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995),
0.6529 (1994); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: 61,447 (1983 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: 3 submarine cables

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 577 km (1995)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Military

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Johnston Atoll --------------

Geography

Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about
one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands

Geographic coordinates: 16 45 N, 169 30 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 2.8 sq km
land: 2.8 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 10 km

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

Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade
winds with little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly flat

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Summit Peak 5 m

Natural resources: NA; guano deposits worked until depletion
about 1890

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

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: no natural fresh water resources

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

Geography--note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean;
Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands, which have been
expanded by coral dredging; North Island (Akau) and East Island
(Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to
the public; former US nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston
Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing
vegetation

People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: there are 1,200 US military and civilian contractor personnel
(January 1999 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Johnston Atoll

Data code: JQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US;
administered from Washington, DC, by the US Defense Threat Reduction
Agency (DTRA) and managed cooperatively by DTRA and the Fish and
Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the
National Wildlife Refuge system

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

Economy

Economy--overview: Economic activity is limited to providing
services to US military personnel and contractors located on the
island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.

Electricity--production: NAkWh
note: there are six 25,000 kWh generators supplied by the base
operating support contractor

Electricity--consumption: NAkWh

Communications

Telephone system: 13 outgoing and 10 incoming commercial lines;
adequate telecommunications
domestic: 60-channel submarine cable, 22 DSN circuits by satellite,
Autodin with standard remote terminal, digital telephone switch,
Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), UHF/VHF air-ground
radio, a link to the Pacific Consolidated Telecommunications Network
(PCTN) satellite
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 5 channels; also 1 local
volunteer FM radio station;, shortwave NA;

Television broadcast stations: commercial satellite television
system, with 16 channels (1997)

Transportation

Ports and harbors: Johnston Island

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Military

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Jordan ------

Geography

Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 31 00 N, 36 00 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 89,213 sq km
land: 88,884 sq km
water: 329 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries:
total: 1,619 km
border countries: Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km,
Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km

Coastline: 26 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm

Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to
April)

Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west;
Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Jabal Ram 1,754 m

Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil

Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 85% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 630 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: limited natural fresh water
resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification

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

People

Population: 4,561,147 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 1,005,211; female 954,968)
15-64 years: 54% (male 1,265,116; female 1,200,372)
65 years and over: 3% (male 67,852; female 67,628) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.05% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 34.31 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 3.85 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 32.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.06 years
male: 71.15 years
female: 75.08 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.64 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian

Ethnic groups: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 96%, Christian 4% (1997 est.)

Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among
upper and middle classes

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.6%
male: 93.4%
female: 79.4% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah
local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan

Data code: JO

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Amman

Administrative divisions: 12 governorates (muhafazat,
singular--muhafazah); Ajlun, Al 'Aqabah, Al Balqa', Al Karak, Al
Mafraq, 'Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid, Jarash, Ma'an, Madaba

Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under
British administration)

National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)

Constitution: 8 January 1952

Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial
review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal;
has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King ABDULLAH II (since 7 February 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Fayez TARAWNEH (since 20 August
1998)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister in consultation
with the monarch
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed
by the monarch

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Majlis
al-'Umma consists of the Senate (a 40-member body appointed by the
monarch from designated categories of public figures; members serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (80 seats; members
elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation
to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives--last held 4 November 1997 (next
to be held NA November 2001)
election results: House of Representatives--percent of vote by
party--NA; seats by party--National Constitutional Party 2, Arab Land
Party 1, independents 75, other 2
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved
by the monarch several times since 1974; in November 1989 the first
parliamentary elections in 22 years were held

Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

Political parties and leaders: Al-Ahrar (Freedom) Party [Dr.
Ahmad ZO'BI, secretary general]; Arab Ba'th Progressive Party
Ishaq al-FARHAN, secretary general]; Jordanian Arab Constitutional
MAJALI, secretary general]; National Democratic Public Movement
HNEIDI, secretary general]

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL,
AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol,
IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MONUA, NAM, OIC,
OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNOMIG,
UNPREDEP, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marwan Jamil MUASHIR
chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William BURNS
embassy: Jabel Amman, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top),
white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist
side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on
the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran

Economy

Economy--overview: Jordan is a small Arab country with inadequate
supplies of water and other natural resources such as oil and coal.
Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the
late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged
more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in
both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed real economic growth to
an average of roughly 2% per year. Imports--mainly oil, capital
goods, consumer durables, and food--outstripped exports, with the
difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989,
the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling negotiations and
agreed to implement an IMF-supported program designed to gradually
reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural
reforms. The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however,
aggravated Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the
government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and
suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker
remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country,
producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth,
and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992,
largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers
returning from the Gulf, but recovery was uneven. A preliminary
agreement with the IMF in early 1999 will provide new loans over the
next three years. Sluggish growth, along with debt, poverty, and
unemployment are fundamental ongoing economic problems.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$15.5 billion (1998 est.)

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

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,500 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 30%
services: 64% (1995 est.)

Population below poverty line: 30% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.4%
highest 10%: 34.7% (1991)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.15 million
note: in addition, there are 300,000 foreign workers (1997 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants,
and hotels 10.5%, construction 10%, transport and communications
8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 15% official rate; note--actual rate is 25%-30%
(1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.8 billion
expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $672
million (1999 est.)

Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash,
light manufacturing

Industrial production growth rate: -3.4% (1996)

Electricity--production: 5.52 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.64%
hydro: 0.36%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 5.52 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: wheat, barley, citrus, tomatoes, melons,
olives; sheep, goats, poultry

Exports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.)

Exports--commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash,
agricultural products, manufactures

Exports--partners: Iraq, India, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE,
Syria, Ethiopia

Imports: $3.9 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.)

Imports--commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment,
food, live animals, manufactured goods

Imports--partners: EU, Iraq, US, Japan, Turkey, Malaysia, Syria,
China

Debt--external: $7.5 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $1.097 billion (1995); note?received $320
million from ODA in 1998 (est.)

Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.7090 (January
1999-1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993)
note: since May 1989, the dinar has been pegged to a basket of
currencies

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 425,000 (1998)

Telephone system:
domestic: microwave radio relay, coaxial and fiber-optic cable, and
cellular; Jordan has two cellular telephone providers (with
approximately 50,000 subscribers in 1998), ten data service
providers, and four Internet service providers (with approximately
8,000 subscribers in 1998)
international: satellite earth stations--3 Intelsat, 1 Arabsat, and
29 land and maritime Inmarsat terminals (1996); coaxial cable,
fiber-optic cable, and microwave radio relay to Iraq, Saudi Arabia,
Syria, and Israel; building a Red Sea Fiber-Optic Link Around the
Globe (FLAG) fiber-optic submarine cable link and planning to update
links with Saudi Arabia and Israel to fiber-optic cable; 4,000
international circuits (1998 est.); participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations: AM 6, FM 7, shortwave 1 (1998 est.)

Radios: 1.1 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 8 (in addition, there are
approximately 42 repeaters and 1 TV receive-only satellite link)
(1997)

Televisions: 350,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 677 km
narrow gauge: 677 km 1.050-m gauge; note--an additional 110 km
stretch of the old Hejaz railroad is out of use (1998 est.)

Highways:
total: 8,000 km
paved: 8,000 km
unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 209 km

Ports and harbors: Al 'Aqabah

Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 42,746 GRT/59,100 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 2, container 1, livestock carrier 1,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 17 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal
Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air
Force); Badiya (irregular) Border Guards; Ministry of the Interior's
Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis
situations)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,113,998 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 793,002 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 49,954 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $608.9 million (FY 98)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 7.8% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Juan de Nova Island -------------------

Geography

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel,
about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 17 03 S, 42 45 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 4.4 sq km
land: 4.4 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 24.1 km

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

Climate: tropical

Terrain: NA

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 10 m

Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 90%
other: 10%

Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)

Natural hazards: periodic cyclones

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: wildlife sanctuary

People

Population: uninhabited

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island
local long form: none
local short form: Ile Juan de Nova

Data code: JU

Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high
commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion

Legal system: NA

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (possession of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (possession of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy

Economy--overview: no economic activity

Transportation

Railways:
total: NA km; short line going to a jetty

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 France

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: claimed by Madagascar

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

@Kazakhstan ----------

Introduction

Background: As a republic within the USSR (1920-91), Kazakhstan
suffered greatly from Stalinist purges, from environmental damage,
and saw the ethnic Russian portion of its population rise to 37%
while other non-Kazakhs made up almost 20%. Current issues include
the pace of market reform and privatization; fair and free elections
and democratic reform; ethnic differences between Russians and
Kazakhs; environmental problems; and how to convert the country's
abundant energy resources into a better standard of living.

Geography

Location: Central Asia, northwest of China

Geographic coordinates: 48 00 N, 68 00 E

Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States

Area:
total: 2,717,300 sq km
land: 2,669,800 sq km
water: 47,500 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly less than four times the size of Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 12,012 km
border countries: China 1,533 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,051 km, Russia 6,846
km, Turkmenistan 379 km, Uzbekistan 2,203 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
note: Kazakhstan borders the Aral Sea, now split into two bodies of
water (1,070 km), and the Caspian Sea (1,894 km)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: continental, cold winters and hot summers, arid and
semiarid

Terrain: extends from the Volga to the Altai Mountains and from
the plains in western Siberia to oases and desert in Central Asia

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Kaundy -132 m
highest point: Zhengis Shingy (Pik Khan-Tengri) 6,995 m

Natural resources: major deposits of petroleum, natural gas,
coal, iron ore, manganese, chrome ore, nickel, cobalt, copper,
molybdenum, lead, zinc, bauxite, gold, uranium

Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 11%
permanent pastures: 57%
forests and woodland: 4%
other: 16% (1996 est.)

Irrigated land: 22,000 sq km (1996 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes in the south, mudslides around Almaty

Environment--current issues: radioactive or toxic chemical sites
associated with its former defense industries and test ranges are
found throughout the country and pose health risks for humans and
animals; industrial pollution is severe in some cities; because the
two main rivers which flowed into the Aral Sea have been diverted
for irrigation, it is drying up and leaving behind a harmful layer
of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then
picked up by the wind and blown into noxious dust storms; pollution
in the Caspian Sea; soil pollution from overuse of agricultural
chemicals and salination from faulty irrigation practices

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: landlocked

People

Population: 16,824,825 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 2,432,519; female 2,359,375)
15-64 years: 65% (male 5,279,877; female 5,580,271)
65 years and over: 7% (male 392,934; female 779,849) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.09% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 10.34 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.73 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female
total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 58.82 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.39 years
male: 57.92 years
female: 69.13 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Kazakhstani(s)
adjective: Kazakhstani

Ethnic groups: Kazakh (Qazaq) 46%, Russian 34.7%, Ukrainian 4.9%,
German 3.1%, Uzbek 2.3%, Tatar 1.9%, other 7.1% (1996)

Religions: Muslim 47%, Russian Orthodox 44%, Protestant 2%, other
7%

Languages: Kazakh (Qazaq) (state language) 40%, Russian
(official, used in everyday business) 66%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 96% (1989 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kazakhstan
conventional short form: Kazakhstan
local long form: Qazaqstan Respublikasy
local short form: none
former: Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic

Data code: KZ

Government type: republic

Capital: Astana
note: the government moved from Almaty to Astana in December 1998

Administrative divisions: 14 oblystar (singular--oblysy) and 3
cities (qala, singular--qalasy)*; Almaty, Almaty*, Aqmola (Astana),
Aqtobe, Astana*, Atyrau, Batys Qazaqstan (Oral), Bayqongyr*,
Mangghystau (Aqtau; formerly Gur'yev), Ongtustik Qazaqstan
(Shymkent), Pavlodar, Qaraghandy, Qostanay, Qyzylorda, Shyghys
Qazaqstan (Oskemen; formerly Ust'-Kamenogorsk), Soltustik Qazaqstan
(Petropavl), Zhambyl (Taraz; formerly Dzhambul)
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses); in 1995 the Governments of
Kazakhstan and Russia entered into an agreement whereby Russia would
lease for a period of 20 years an area of 6,000 sq km enclosing the
Bayqongyr (Baykonur) space launch facilities and the city of
Bayqongyr (formerly Leninsk)

Independence: 16 December 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday: Day of the Republic, 25 October (1990) (date on
which Kazakhstan declared its sovereignty)

Constitution: adopted by national referendum 30 August 1995;
first post-independence constitution was adopted 28 January 1993

Legal system: based on civil law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV (chairman of the
Supreme Soviet from 22 February 1990-91, president since 1 December
1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Nurlan BALGIMBAYEV (since 10
October 1997) and First Deputy Prime Minister Uraz ZHANDOSOV (since
20 February 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 10 January 1999, a year before it was previously
scheduled (next to be held NA 2006); note--President NAZARBAYEV's
previous term had been extended to 2000 by a nationwide referendum
held 30 April 1995; prime minister and first deputy prime minister
appointed by the president
election results: Nursultan A. NAZARBAYEV elected president; percent
of vote--Nursultan NAZARBAYEV 82%, Serikbolsyn ABDILDIN 12%
note: President NAZARBAYEV expanded his presidential powers by
decree: only he can initiate constitutional amendments, appoint and
dismiss the government, dissolve Parliament, call referenda at his
discretion, and appoint administrative heads of regions and cities

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate
(47 seats; 7 senators are appointed by the president; other members
are popularly elected, two from each oblast and Almaty, to serve
four-year terms) and the Majilis (67 seats; members are popularly
elected to serve four-year terms); note--with the oblasts being
reduced to 14, the Senate will eventually be reduced to 37
elections: Senate--(indirect) last held 5 December 1995 (next to be
held NA 1999); Majilis--last held 9 December and 23 December 1995
(next to be held NA 1999)
election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--party members 13, no party affiliation 34, of which
"independent" state officials 25, nominated by the president 7,
elected by popular vote 15; Majilis--percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--PUP 24, December National Democratic Party 12,
Kazakhstan Agrarian Union 5, Confederation of Kazakh Trade Unions 5,
KPK 2, independents and others 19

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (44 members); Constitutional
Council (7 members)

Political parties and leaders: People's Unity Party or PUP (was

Political pressure groups and leaders: Independent Trade Union
chairman]

International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC,
EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, OAS (observer),
OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Bolat K. NURGALIYEV
chancery: 1401 16th Street, NW, Washington, DC 20036
consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard H. JONES
embassy: 99/97A Furmanova Street, Almaty, Republic of Kazakhstan
480091
mailing address: American Embassy Almaty, Department of State,
Washington, DC 20521-7030

Flag description: sky blue background representing the endless
sky and a gold sun with 32 rays soaring above a golden steppe eagle
in the center; on the hoist side is a "national ornamentation" in
yellow

Economy

Economy--overview: Kazakhstan, the second largest of the former
Soviet republics in territory, possesses enormous untapped fossil
fuel reserves as well as plentiful supplies of other minerals and
metals. It also has considerable agricultural potential with its
vast steppe lands accommodating both livestock and grain production.
Kazakhstan's industrial sector rests on the extraction and
processing of these natural resources and also on a relatively large
machine building sector specializing in construction equipment,
tractors, agricultural machinery, and some defense items. The
breakup of the USSR and the collapse of demand for Kazakhstan's
traditional heavy industry products have resulted in a sharp
contraction of the economy since 1991, with the steepest annual
decline occurring in 1994. In 1995-97 the pace of the government
program of economic reform and privatization quickened, resulting in
a substantial shifting of assets into the private sector. The
December 1996 signing of the Caspian Pipeline Consortium agreement
to build a new pipeline from western Kazakhstan's Tengiz oil field
to the Black Sea increases prospects for substantially larger oil
exports in several years. Kazakhstan's economy turned downward in
1998 with a 2.5% decline in GDP growth due to slumping oil prices
and the August financial crisis in Russia. 1999 will also be a
difficult year.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$52.9 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -2.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$3,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.5%
industry: 32.6%
services: 55.9% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.1%
highest 10%: 24.9% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 8.8 million (1997)

Labor force--by occupation: industry 27%, agriculture and forestry
23%, other 50% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 13.7% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.9 billion
expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)

Industries: oil, coal, iron ore, manganese, chromite, lead, zinc,
copper, titanium, bauxite, gold, silver, phosphates, sulfur, iron
and steel, nonferrous metal, tractors and other agricultural
machinery, electric motors, construction materials; much of
industrial capacity is shut down and/or is in need of repair

Industrial production growth rate: -2.1% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 52 billion kWh (1997)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 86.3%
hydro: 13.6%
nuclear: 0.1%
other: 0% (1997)

Electricity--consumption: 64.34 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 1.75 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 8.5 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: grain (mostly spring wheat), cotton; wool,
livestock

Exports: $6.3 billion (1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: oil, ferrous and nonferrous metals,
chemicals, grain, wool, meat, coal

Exports--partners: Russia, UK, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Netherlands,
China, Italy, Germany (1997)

Imports: $7.4 billion (1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery and parts, industrial materials,
oil and gas, consumer goods

Imports--partners: Russia, Ukraine, US, Uzbekistan, Turkey, UK,
Germany, South Korea (1997)

Debt--external: $3.1 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $409.6 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Kazakhstani tenge = 100 tiyn

Exchange rates: tenges per US$1--85.2 (February 1999), 78.30
(1998), 75.44 (1997), 67.30 (1996), 60.95 (1995), 35.54 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 2 million (1997)

Telephone system: service is poor
domestic: landline and microwave radio relay; AMPS standard cellular
systems are available in most of Kazakhstan
international: international traffic with other former Soviet
republics and China carried by landline and microwave radio relay
and with other countries by satellite and through 8 international
telecommunications circuits at the Moscow international gateway
switch; satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat and a new digital
satellite earth station established at Almaty; a third satellite
earth station at Atyrau provides teleconnectivity to the AT&T
network via Intelsat; cable connected by the Trans-Asia-Europe
Fiber-Optic Line

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

Radios: 4.088 million (with multiple speakers for program
diffusion 6.082 million)

Television broadcast stations: 20 (of which at least eight are
government stations and at least 12 are private stations--seven of
those are satellite TV relay stations) (1997)

Televisions: 4.75 million

Transportation

Railways:
total: 14,400 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 14,400 km 1.520-m gauge (3,299 km electrified) (1997)

Highways:
total: 141,000 km
paved: 104,200 km
unpaved: 36,800 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 3,900 km on the Syrdariya (Syr Darya) and Ertis
(Irtysh)

Pipelines: crude oil 2,850 km; refined products 1,500 km; natural
gas 3,480 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Aqtau (Shevchenko), Atyrau (Gur'yev), Oskemen
(Ust-Kamenogorsk), Pavlodar, Semey (Semipalatinsk)

Airports: 10 (1997 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 9
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (1997 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)

Military

Military branches: General Purpose Forces (Army), Air Force,
Border Guards, Navy, Republican Guard

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 4,450,258 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 3,550,645 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 155,767 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $232.4 million (1998)

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet
determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and
Turkmenistan; Russia leases approximately 6,000 sq km of territory
enclosing the Baykonur Cosmodrome

Illicit drugs: significant illicit cultivation of cannabis and
limited cultivation of opium poppy and ephedra (for the drug
ephedrone); limited government eradication program; cannabis
consumed largely in the CIS; used as transshipment point for illicit
drugs to Russia, North America, and Western Europe from Southwest
Asia

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

@Kenya -----

Geography

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between
Somalia and Tanzania

Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 38 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 582,650 sq km
land: 569,250 sq km
water: 13,400 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Nevada

Land boundaries:
total: 3,446 km
border countries: Ethiopia 830 km, Somalia 682 km, Sudan 232 km,
Tanzania 769 km, Uganda 933 km

Coastline: 536 km

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

Climate: varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior

Terrain: low plains rise to central highlands bisected by Great
Rift Valley; fertile plateau in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Kenya 5,199 m

Natural resources: gold, limestone, soda ash, salt barites,
rubies, fluorspar, garnets, wildlife

Land use:
arable land: 7%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 37%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 25% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 660 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: recurring drought in northern and eastern
regions; flooding during rainy seasons

Environment--current issues: water pollution from urban and
industrial wastes; degradation of water quality from increased use
of pesticides and fertilizers; deforestation; soil erosion;
desertification; poaching

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, 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: the Kenyan Highlands comprise one of the most
successful agricultural production regions in Africa; glaciers on
Mt. Kenya; unique physiography supports abundant and varied wildlife
of scientific and economic value

People

Population: 28,808,658 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43% (male 6,244,321; female 6,104,181)
15-64 years: 54% (male 7,845,083; female 7,826,442)
65 years and over: 3% (male 343,449; female 445,182) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.59% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 30.8 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 14.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 59.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 47.02 years
male: 46.56 years
female: 47.49 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.88 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Kenyan(s)
adjective: Kenyan

Ethnic groups: Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%,
Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian,
European, and Arab) 1%

Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs
26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%

Languages: English (official), Swahili (official), numerous
indigenous languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 78.1%
male: 86.3%
female: 70% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Kenya
conventional short form: Kenya
former: British East Africa

Data code: KE

Government type: republic

Capital: Nairobi

Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 area*; Central,
Coast, Eastern, Nairobi Area*, North Eastern, Nyanza, Rift Valley,
Western

Independence: 12 December 1963 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 December (1963)

Constitution: 12 December 1963, amended as a republic 1964;
reissued with amendments 1979, 1983, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992, and 1997

Legal system: based on English common law, tribal law, and
Islamic law; judicial review in High Court; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations; constitutional amendment of 1982
making Kenya a de jure one-party state repealed in 1991

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14
October 1978); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
head of government: President Daniel Toroitich arap MOI (since 14
October 1978); note--the president is both the chief of state and
head of government
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote from among the members
of the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 29
December 1997 (next to be held by early 2003); vice president
appointed by the president
election results: President Daniel T. arap MOI reelected; percent of
vote--Daniel T. arap MOI (KANU) 40.12%, Mwai KIBAKI (DP) 31.09%,
Raila ODINGA (NDP) 10.2%, Michael WAMALWA (FORD-Kenya) 8.29%,
Charity NGILU (SDP) 7.71%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (222
seats, 12 appointed by the president, 210 members elected by popular
vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 December 1997 (next to be held between 1
December 2002 and 30 April 2003)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--KANU
107, FORD-A 1, FORD-K 17, FORD-People 3, DP 39, NDP 21, SDP 15,
SAFINA 5, smaller parties 2; seats appointed by the president--KANU
6, FORD-Kenya 1, DP 2, SDP 1, NDP 1, SAFINA 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, chief justice is appointed by
the president; High Court

Political parties and leaders:
Toroitich arap MOI]
SHIKUKU, chairman]; Forum for the Restoration of Democracy-Kenya or
MWANDAWIRO, secretary general]

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Convention
Executive Council or NCEC, a proreform coalition of political
Catholic and other Christian churches; human rights groups; labor
unions; Muslim organizations; Protestant National Council of

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC,
EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU,
MINURSO, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UN Security Council (temporary),
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMOP, UNOMIL, UNOMSIL, UNPREDEP,
UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Samuel K. CHEMAI
chancery: 2249 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Prudence B. BUSHNELL
embassy: USAID Building, The Crescent, Parklands, Nairobi (temporary
location)
mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Box 21A, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831