Chapter V (46)

Telephone system: modern and expanding
domestic: domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations
international: 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth station--1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 181, FM 0, shortwave 26

Radios: 9.04 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 66 (in addition, there are 45
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 3.3 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 584 km (248 km privately owned)
standard gauge: 584 km 1.435-m gauge

Highways:
total: 84,300 km
paved: 33,214 km
unpaved: 51,086 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept
oceangoing vessels

Pipelines: crude oil 6,370 km; petroleum products 480 km; natural
gas 4,010 km

Ports and harbors: Amuay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, La
Salina, Maracaibo, Matanzas, Palua, Puerto Cabello, Puerto la Cruz,
Puerto Ordaz, Puerto Sucre, Punta Cardon

Merchant marine:
total: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 535,882 GRT/937,461 DWT
ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 9, combination bulk 1, liquefied gas
tanker 2, oil tanker 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5,
short-sea passenger 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 371 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 122
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 32
914 to 1,523 m: 59
under 914 m: 16 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 249
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 94
under 914 m: 145 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: National Armed Forces (Fuerzas Armadas
Nacionales or FAN) includes Ground Forces or Army (Fuerzas
Terrestres or Ejercito), Naval Forces (Fuerzas Navales or Armada),
Air Force (Fuerzas Aereas or Aviacion), Armed Forces of Cooperation
or National Guard (Fuerzas Armadas de Cooperacion or Guardia
Nacional)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 6,268,982 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,522,757 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 242,362 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.1 billion (1998)

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: claims all of Guyana west of the
Essequibo River; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf
of Venezuela

Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis, opium, and coca leaf
for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large
quantities of cocaine and heroin transit the country from Colombia
bound for US and Europe; important money-laundering hub; active
eradication program primarily targeting opium

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

@Vietnam -------

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, Gulf
of Tonkin, and South China Sea, alongside China, Laos, and Cambodia

Geographic coordinates: 16 00 N, 106 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 329,560 sq km
land: 325,360 sq km
water: 4,200 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly larger than New Mexico

Land boundaries:
total: 4,639 km
border countries: Cambodia 1,228 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 2,130 km

Coastline: 3,444 km (excludes islands)

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

Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy
season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October
to mid-March)

Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands;
hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Ngoc Linh 3,143 m

Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite,
chromate, offshore oil and gas deposits, forests

Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 1%
forests and woodland: 30%
other: 48% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 18,600 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons (May to January) with
extensive flooding

Environment--current issues: logging and slash-and-burn
agricultural practices contribute to deforestation and soil
degradation; water pollution and overfishing threaten marine life
populations; groundwater contamination limits potable water supply;
growing urban industrialization and population migration are rapidly
degrading environment in Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City

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

People

Population: 77,311,210 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (male 13,377,315; female 12,603,906)
15-64 years: 61% (male 22,934,553; female 24,277,488)
65 years and over: 5% (male 1,645,288; female 2,472,660) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.37% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 20.78 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.53 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: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 34.84 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.1 years
male: 65.71 years
female: 70.64 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.41 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: Vietnamese 85%-90%, Chinese 3%, Muong, Tai, Meo,
Khmer, Man, Cham

Religions: Buddhist, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs,
Islam, Protestant, Cao Dai, Hoa Hao

Languages: Vietnamese (official), Chinese, English, French,
Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.7%
male: 96.5%
female: 91.2% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Socialist Republic of Vietnam
conventional short form: Vietnam
local long form: Cong Hoa Chu Nghia Viet Nam
local short form: Viet Nam
abbreviation: SRV

Data code: VM

Government type: Communist state

Capital: Hanoi

Administrative divisions: 58 provinces (tinh, singular and
plural), 3 municipalities* (thu do, singular and plural); An Giang,
Bac Giang, Bac Kan, Bac Lieu, Bac Ninh, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Ben Tre,
Binh Dinh, Binh Duong, Binh Phuoc, Binh Thuan, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Cao
Bang, Dac Lac, Da Nang, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai, Ha Giang, Hai
Duong, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam, Ha Noi*, Ha Tay, Ha Tinh, Hoa Binh, Ho
Chi Minh*, Hung Yen, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Kon Tum, Lai Chau, Lam
Dong, Lang Son, Lao Cai, Long An, Nam Dinh, Nghe An, Ninh Binh, Ninh
Thuan, Phu Tho, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam, Quang Ngai, Quang
Ninh, Quang Tri, Soc Trang, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thai
Nguyen, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien-Hue, Tien Giang, Tra Vinh, Tuyen
Quang, Vinh Long, Vinh Phuc, Yen Bai

Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)

National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)

Constitution: 15 April 1992

Legal system: based on communist legal theory and French civil
law system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Tran Duc LUONG (since 24 September 1997)
and Vice President Nguyen Thi BINH (since NA October 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Phan Van KHAI (since 25 September
1997); First Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Tan DUNG (since 29
September 1997); Deputy Prime Ministers Nguyen Cong TAN (since 29
September 1997), Ngo Xuan LOC (since 29 September 1997), Nguyen Manh
CAM (since 29 September 1997), and Pham Gia KHIEM (since 29
September 1997)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the proposal of the
prime minister and ratification of the National Assembly
elections: president elected by the National Assembly from among its
members for a five-year term; election last held 25 September 1997
(next to be held when National Assembly meets following legislative
elections in NA 2002); prime minister appointed by the president
from among the members of the National Assembly; deputy prime
ministers appointed by the prime minister
election results: Tran Duc LUONG elected president; percent of
National Assembly vote--NA

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Quoc-Hoi (450
seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 20 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--CPV 92%, other 8% (the 8%
are not CPV members but are approved by the CPV to stand for
election); seats by party--CPV or CPV-approved 450

Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court, chief justice is elected
for a five-year term by the National Assembly on the recommendation
of the president

Political parties and leaders: only party--Communist Party of

International organization participation: ACCT, APEC, AsDB,
ASEAN, CCC, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),
ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador LE VAN BANG
chancery: 1233 20th Street NW, Washington, DC 20036, Suite 400
consulate(s) general: San Francisco

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Douglas B. "Pete" Peterson
embassy: 7 Lang Ha Road, Ba Dinh District, Hanoi
mailing address: PSC 461, Box 400, FPO AP 96521-0002
consulate(s) general: Ho Chi Minh City

Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in
the center

Economy

Economy--overview: Vietnam is a poor, densely populated country
that has had to recover from the ravages of war, the loss of
financial support from the old Soviet Bloc, and the rigidities of a
centrally planned economy. Substantial progress has been achieved
over the past 10 years in moving forward from an extremely low
starting point, though the regional downturn is now limiting that
progress. GDP growth of 8.5% in 1997 fell to 4% in 1998. These
numbers masked some major difficulties that are emerging in economic
performance. Many domestic industries, including coal, cement,
steel, and paper, have reported large stockpiles of inventory and
tough competition from more efficient foreign producers, giving
Vietnam a trade deficit of $3.3 billion in 1997. While disbursements
of aid and foreign direct investment have risen, they are not large
enough to finance the rapid increase in imports; and it is widely
believed that Vietnam may be using short-term trade credits to
bridge the gap--a risky strategy that could result in a foreign
exchange crunch. Meanwhile, Vietnamese authorities continue to move
slowly toward implementing the structural reforms needed to
revitalize the economy and produce more competitive, export-driven
industries. Privatization of state enterprises remains bogged down
in political controversy, while the country's dynamic private sector
is denied both financing and access to markets. Reform of the
banking sector is proceeding slowly, raising concerns that the
country will be unable to tap sufficient domestic savings to
maintain current high levels of growth. Administrative and legal
barriers are also causing costly delays for foreign investors and
are raising similar doubts about Vietnam's ability to maintain the
inflow of foreign capital. Ideological bias in favor of state
intervention and control of the economy is slowing progress toward a
more liberalized investment environment.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$134.8 billion (1998 est.)

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

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,770 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 28%
industry: 30%
services: 42% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: 50.9% (1993 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.5%
highest 10%: 29% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (1998)

Labor force: 32.7 million

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry and services
35% (1990 est.)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1995 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $5.6 billion
expenditures: $6 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7
billion (1996 est.)

Industries: food processing, garments, shoes, machine building,
mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, coal, steel,
paper

Industrial production growth rate: 12% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 14.88 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 12.1%
hydro: 84%
nuclear: 0%
other: 3.9% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 14.88 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: paddy rice, corn, potatoes, rubber,
soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas; poultry, pigs; fish

Exports: $9.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: crude oil, marine products, rice, coffee,
rubber, tea, garments, shoes

Exports--partners: Japan, Germany, Singapore, Taiwan, Hong Kong,
France, South Korea

Imports: $11.4 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, petroleum products,
fertilizer, steel products, raw cotton, grain, cement, motorcycles

Imports--partners: Singapore, South Korea, Japan, France, Hong
Kong, Taiwan

Debt--external: $7.3 billion Western countries; $4.5 billion CEMA
debts primarily to Russia; $9 billion to $18 billion nonconvertible
debt (former CEMA, Iraq, Iran)

Economic aid--recipient: $2.2 billion in credits and grants
pledged by international donors for 1999

Currency: 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu

Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1--13,900 (December 1998),
11,100 (December 1996), 11,193 (1995 average), 11,000 (October
1994), 10,800 (November 1993), 8,100 (July 1991)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 800,000 (1995 est.)

Telephone system: while Vietnam's telecommunication sector lags
far behind other countries in Southeast Asia, Hanoi has made
considerable progress since 1991 in upgrading the system; Vietnam
has digitized all provincial switch boards, while fiber-optic and
microwave transmission systems have been extended from Hanoi, Da
Nang, and Ho Chi Minh City to all provinces; the density of
telephone receivers nationwide doubled from 1993 to 1995, but is
still far behind other countries in the region; Vietnam's
telecommunications strategy aims to increase telephone density to 30
per 1,000 inhabitants by the year 2000 and authorities estimate that
approximately $2.7 billion will be spent on telecommunications
upgrades through the end of the decade
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean
region)

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM 228, shortwave 0

Radios: 7.215 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: 2.9 million (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 2,835 km (in addition, there are 224 km not restored to
service after war damage)
standard gauge: 151 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 2,454 km 1.000-m gauge
dual gauge: 230 km NA-m gauges (three rails)

Highways:
total: 93,300 km
paved: 23,418 km
unpaved: 69,882 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at
all times by vessels up to 1.8 m draft

Pipelines: petroleum products 150 km

Ports and harbors: Cam Ranh, Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City,
Hong Gai, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang

Merchant marine:
total: 123 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,920 GRT/820,515 DWT
ships by type: bulk 7, cargo 98, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk
1, oil tanker 12, refrigerated cargo 4 (1998 est.)

Airports: 48 (1994 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 36
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 7 (1994 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 5 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN) (includes
Ground Forces, Navy, and Air Force), Coast Guard

Military manpower--military age: 17 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 20,492,806 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 12,933,945 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 877,714 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $650 million (1997)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 9.3% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: maritime boundary with Cambodia not
defined; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with
China, Malaysia, Philippines, Taiwan, and possibly Brunei; maritime
boundary with Thailand resolved, August 1997; maritime boundary
dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied
by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; offshore islands and
sections of boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; sections of land
border with China are indefinite

Illicit drugs: minor producer of opium poppy with 3,000 hectares
cultivated in 1998, capable of producing 20 metric tons of opium;
probably minor transit point for Southeast Asian heroin destined for
the US and Europe; growing opium/heroin addiction; possible
small-scale heroin production

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

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

Geography

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

Geographic coordinates: 18 20 N, 64 50 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km
water: 3 sq km

Area--comparative: twice the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 188 km

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

Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds,
relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation;
rainy season May to November

Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level
land

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m

Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf

Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 47% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and
severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes

Environment--current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources

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

Geography--note: important location along the Anegada Passage?a
key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the
best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean

People

Population: 119,827 (July 1999 est.)
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born
elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%,
other 8%

Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 17,454; female 16,585)
15-64 years: 63% (male 34,712; female 41,325)
65 years and over: 9% (male 4,237; female 5,514) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.19% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 17.08 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 5.34 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.84 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.89 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 10.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.74 years
male: 74.04 years
female: 81.67 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (1999 est.)

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

Ethnic groups: black 80%, white 15%, other 5%

Religions: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%,
other 7%

Languages: English (official), Spanish, Creole

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Virgin Islands of the United States
conventional short form: Virgin Islands
former: Danish West Indies

Data code: VQ

Dependency status: organized, unincorporated territory of the US;
administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the
Interior

Government type: NA

Capital: Charlotte Amalie

Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US); there are
no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US
Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint
Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas

National holiday: Transfer Day, 31 March (1917) (from Denmark to
US)

Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954

Legal system: based on US laws

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; note--indigenous inhabitants
are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch:
chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON of the US (since
20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January
1993)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5
January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor Gerald LUZ James II (since 5
January 1999)
cabinet: NA
elections: US president and vice president elected on the same
ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 3 November
1998 (next to be held NA November 2002)
election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL elected governor;
percent of vote--Dr. Charles W. TURNBULL (Democrat) 58.9%, former
Governor Roy L. SCHNEIDER (ICM) 41.1%

Legislative branch: unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are
elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held NA November
2000)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by
party--Democratic Party 6, independents 5, Republican Party 2,
Independent Citizens Movement 2
note: the Virgin Islands elect one representative to the US House of
Representatives; election last held 3 November 1998 (next to be held
NA November 2000); results--Dr. Donna GREEN (Democrat) 80%, Victor O.
FRAZER (ICM) 20%

Judicial branch: US District Court (judges are appointed by the
president); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor)

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party [James O'BRYON

International organization participation: ECLAC (associate),
Interpol (subbureau), IOC

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

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

Flag description: white, with a modified US coat of arms in the
center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms
shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three
arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and
white stripes below a blue panel

Economy

Economy--overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity,
accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The
islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The number of US
tourists in the first five months of 1996 was down by 55% from the
same period in 1995, the lingering result of the fierce hurricanes
of 1995. Unemployment rose sharply in 1996. The manufacturing sector
consists of textile, electronics, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly
plants. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being
imported. International business and financial services are a small
but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest
petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. A major economic problem at
the beginning of 1997 was the more than $1 billion in governmental
arrears, income tax refunds, payments to vendors, and overdue wages.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.2 billion (1987 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$12,500 (1987 est.)

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

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 47,443 (1990 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services
62%, other 17% (1990)

Unemployment rate: 6.2% (March 1994)

Budget:
revenues: $364.4 million
expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1990 est.)

Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum
distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 1.02 billion kWh (1996)

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

Electricity--consumption: 1.02 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: truck garden products, fruit, vegetables,
sorghum; Senepol cattle

Exports: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1992)

Exports--commodities: refined petroleum products

Exports--partners: US, Puerto Rico

Imports: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1992)

Imports--commodities: crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods,
building materials

Imports--partners: US, Puerto Rico

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

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

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 October--30 September

Communications

Telephones: 60,000 (1990 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay
international: submarine cable and satellite communications;
satellite earth stations--NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 8, shortwave 0 (1988)

Radios: 105,000 (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: 66,000 (1994 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 856 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay,
Port Alucroix

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 2
note: international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix; there
is an airfield on St. John (1998 est.)

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

Military

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Wake Atoll ----------

Geography

Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to the Northern Mariana Islands

Geographic coordinates: 19 17 N, 166 36 E

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 11 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 19.3 km

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

Climate: tropical

Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater
volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 6 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 (1998)

Natural hazards: occasional typhoons

Environment--current issues: NA

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

Geography--note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean;
emergency landing location for transpacific flights

People

Population: no indigenous inhabitants
note: US military personnel have left the island, but some civilian
personnel remain (1999 est.)

Government

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

Data code: WQ

Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US;
administered from Washington, DC by the Department of the Interior;
occasional activities on the island are managed by the US Army under
a US Air Force contract

Legal system: NA

Flag description: the flag of the US is used

Economy

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

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

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Communications

Telephone system: satellite communications; 1 DSN circuit off the
Overseas Telephone System (OTS)
domestic: NA
international: NA

Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: Armed Forces Radio/Television Service (AFRTS) radio service
provided by satellite

Television broadcast stations: 0 (1997)

Transportation

Ports and harbors: none; two offshore anchorages for large ships

Airports: 1 (1998 est.)

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

Transportation--note: formerly an important commercial aviation
base, now occasionally used by US military, some commercial cargo
planes, and for emergency landings

Military

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

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: claimed by Marshall Islands

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

@Wallis and Futuna -----------------

Geography

Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 13 18 S, 176 12 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 274 sq km
land: 274 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island),
Ile Alofi, and 20 islets

Area--comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 129 km

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

Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool,
dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80%
humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C

Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 20%
permanent pastures: NA%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 75% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: deforestation (only small portions of
the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued
use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting
down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly
prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi
because of the lack of natural fresh water resources

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

Geography--note: both island groups have fringing reefs

People

Population: 15,129 (July 1999 est.)

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

Population growth rate: 1.04% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 22.34 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.66 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -7.26 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

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

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

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

Nationality:
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

Ethnic groups: Polynesian

Religions: Roman Catholic 100%

Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50%
male: 50%
female: 50% (1969 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna
local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna
local short form: Wallis et Futuna

Data code: WF

Dependency status: overseas territory of France

Government type: NA

Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France);
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the
US Government, but there are three kingdoms named Wallis, Sigave, Alo

Independence: none (overseas territory of France)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French legal system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May
1995), represented by High Administrator Claude PIERRET (since NA)
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Victor
BRIAL (since 1 June 1997)
cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three
members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the
Territorial Assembly
note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year
term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the
advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the
Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by
the members of the assembly

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee
Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NA
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and
one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate--elections
last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2007);
results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats--RPR 1; French National
Assembly--elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held by
NA March 2002); results--percent of vote by party--NA; seats--RPR 1

Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under
French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional
kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu

Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR

International organization participation: FZ, SPC

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

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

Flag description: a large white modified Maltese cross centered
on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two
sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for
official occasions

Economy

Economy--overview: The economy is limited to traditional
subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning
its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock
(mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed
in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies,
licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes,
and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and
Futuna imports food--particularly flour, sugar, rice, and beef--fuel,
clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are
negligible, consisting mostly of breadfruit, yams, and taro root.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$28.7 million (1995 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,000 (1995 est.)

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

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing
80%, government 4% (est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)

Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh

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

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Electricity--exports: NA kWh

Electricity--imports: NA kWh

Agriculture--products: breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats

Exports: $370,000 (f.o.b., 1995 est.)

Exports--commodities: copra, handicrafts

Exports--partners: NA

Imports: $13.5 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)

Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods,
transportation equipment, fuel, clothing

Imports--partners: France, Australia, New Zealand

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--recipient: $1 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (CFPF) = 100
centimes

Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per
US$1--102.72 (January 1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00
(1996), 90.75 (1995), 100.94 (1994); note--linked at the rate of
18.18 to the French franc

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 340 (1985 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea)
unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)

Waterways: none

Ports and harbors: Leava, Mata-Utu

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,160 GRT/41,656 DWT
ships by type: oil tanker 1, passenger 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)

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

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

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@West Bank ---------

Introduction

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

Geography

Location: Middle East, west of Jordan

Geographic coordinates: 32 00 N, 35 15 E

Map references: Middle East

Area:
total: 5,860 sq km
land: 5,640 sq km
water: 220 sq km
note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter
of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and
Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of
depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
total: 404 km
border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with
altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters

Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west,
but barren in east

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 27%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 32%
forests and woodland: 1%
other: 40%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: NA

Environment--current issues: adequacy of fresh water supply;
sewage treatment

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

Geography--note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for
Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 216 Israeli settlements and
civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 29 in East Jerusalem
(August 1998 est.)

People

Population: 1,611,109 (July 1999 est.)
note: in addition, there are some 166,000 Israeli settlers in the
West Bank and about 176,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1998 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 370,770; female 352,803)
15-64 years: 52% (male 422,209; female 411,597)
65 years and over: 3% (male 22,376; female 31,354) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.14% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 35.59 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 4.2 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 25.22 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.83 years
male: 70.96 years
female: 74.79 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 4.78 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA

Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%

Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%,
Christian and other 8%

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

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: West Bank

Data code: WE

Economy

Economy--overview: Economic conditions in the West Bank?where
economic activity is governed by the Paris Economic Protocol of
April 1994 between Israel and the Palestinian Authority--have
deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real per capita GDP for the West
Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36.1% between 1992 and 1996
owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and robust
population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the
result of Israeli closure policies--the imposition of generalized
border closures in response to security incidents in Israel--which
disrupted previously established labor and commodity market
relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious negative
social effect of this downturn has been the emergence of chronic
unemployment; average unemployment rates in the WBGS during the
1980s were generally under 5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen
to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has
decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce
the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement
of Palestinian goods and labor. These positive changes to the
conduct of economic activity, combined with international donor
pledges of over $3 billion made to the Palestinian Authority in
November, may fuel a moderate economic recovery in 1999.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$3.1 billion (1998 est.)

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

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,000 (1998 est.)

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

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.6% (1997 est.)

Labor force: NA
note: excluding Israeli settlers

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 13%, industry 13%,
commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12%, construction 8%, other
services 54% (1996)

Unemployment rate: 17.3% (1997 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh
note: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric
Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East
Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric
Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and
military facilities; at the same time, some Palestinian
municipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their own
electricity from small power plants

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

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Electricity--exports: NA kWh

Electricity--imports: NA kWh

Agriculture--products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy
products

Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)

Exports--commodities: olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone

Exports--partners: Israel, Jordan

Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes Gaza Strip)

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

Imports--partners: Israel, Jordan

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

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1
Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils

Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1--4.2260
(November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111
(1994); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1--0.7090 (January 1999), 0.7090
(1998), 0.7090 (1997), 0.7090 (1996), 0.7005 (1995), 0.6987 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)

Communications

Telephones: NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are
responsible for communication services in the West Bank

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

Radios: NA; note--82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992
est.)

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA; note--54% of Palestinian households have
televisions (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 4,500 km
paved: 2,700 km
unpaved: 1,800 km (1997 est.)
note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish
settlements

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: NA

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

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

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

@Western Sahara --------------

Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean,
between Mauritania and Morocco

Geographic coordinates: 24 30 N, 13 00 W

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about the size of Colorado

Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km

Coastline: 1,110 km

Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air
currents produce fog and heavy dew

Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or
sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m

Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 19%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 81%

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur
during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of
time, often severely restricting visibility

Environment--current issues: sparse water and arable land

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

People

Population: 239,333 (July 1999 est.)

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

Population growth rate: 2.34% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 45.42 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.58 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -5.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 136.67 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 49.1 years
male: 47.98 years
female: 50.57 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian

Ethnic groups: Arab, Berber

Religions: Muslim

Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy: NA

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara

Data code: WI

Government type: legal status of territory and question of
sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario
Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and
Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a
government-in-exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR);
territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976,
with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under
pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its
portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly
thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the
Polisario's government-in-exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984;
guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored
cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991

Capital: none

Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)

Suffrage: none; a UN sponsored voter identification campaign has
yet to be completed

Executive branch: none

International organization participation: none

Diplomatic representation in the US: none

Diplomatic representation from the US: none

Economy

Economy--overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural
resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral
nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of
income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population
must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are
controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of
living are substantially below the Moroccan level.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$NA

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

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

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: 40%-45% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: 12,000

Labor force--by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence
farming 50%

Unemployment rate: NA%

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

Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: 85 million kWh (1996)

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

Electricity--consumption: 85 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: fruits and vegetables (grown in the few
oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)

Exports: $NA

Exports--commodities: phosphates 62%

Exports--partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara,
so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Imports: $NA

Imports--commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Imports--partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara,
so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts

Debt--external: $NA

Economic aid--recipient: $NA

Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1--9.320 (January
1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996), 8.540 (1995), 9.203
(1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 2,000

Telephone system: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA
international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,
tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations--2
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km
unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est.)

Ports and harbors: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)

Airports: 12 (1998 est.)

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

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 3 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: NA

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: claimed and administered by Morocco, but
sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a
referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in
effect since September 1991

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

@World -----

Geography

Map references: World, Time Zones

Area:
total: 510.072 million sq km
land: 148.94 million sq km
water: 361.132 million sq km
note: 70.8% of the world's surface is water, 29.2% is land

Area--comparative: land area about 15 times the size of the US

Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total
251,480.24 km (not counting shared boundaries twice)

Coastline: 356,000 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm claimed by most, but can vary
continental shelf: 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth of
exploitation; others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continental
margin
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm claimed by most, but can vary
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most, but can vary
territorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most, but can vary
note: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent many
countries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full
200 nm; 43 nations and other areas that are landlocked include
Afghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan,
Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,
Chad, Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary,
Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,
Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, San
Marino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The Former
Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan,
West Bank, Zambia, Zimbabwe

Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two
rather narrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of
tropical to subtropical climates

Terrain: the greatest ocean depth is the Mariana Trench at 10,924
m in the Pacific Ocean

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m

Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral
resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the
extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air
and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe, the former USSR,
and China) pose serious long-term problems that governments and
peoples are only beginning to address

Land use:
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 26%
forests and woodland: 32%
other: 31% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 2,481,250 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical
cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis,
volcanic eruptions)

Environment--current issues: large areas subject to
overpopulation, industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid
rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing,
deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, soil degradation,
soil depletion, erosion

Environment--international agreements: selected international
environmental agreements are included under the
Environment--international agreements entry for each country and in
the Selected International Environmental Agreements appendix

People

Population: 5,995,544,836 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30% (male 934,816,288; female 884,097,095)
15-64 years: 63% (male 1,905,701,066; female 1,861,265,079)
65 years and over: 7% (male 179,094,601; female 230,570,707) (1999
est.)

Population growth rate: 1.3% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 56 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63 years
male: 61 years
female: 65 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Government

Data code: none; there is no FIPS 10-4 country code for the
World, so the Factbook uses the "W" data code from DIAM 65-18
"Geopolitical Data Elements and Related Features," Data Standard No.
3, March 1984, published by the Defense Intelligence Agency; see the
Cross-Reference List of Country Data Codes appendix

Administrative divisions: 266 nations, dependent areas, other,
and miscellaneous entries

Legal system: all members of the UN (excluding Yugoslavia) plus
Nauru and Switzerland are parties to the statute that established
the International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court

Economy

Economy--overview: Growth in global output (gross world product,
GWP) dropped to 2% in 1998 from 4% in 1997 because of continued
recession in Japan, severe financial difficulties in other East
Asian countries, and widespread dislocations in the Russian economy.
The US economy continued its remarkable sustained prosperity,
growing at 3.9% in 1998, and accounted for 22% of GWP. Western
Europe's economies grew at roughly 2.5%, not enough to cut deeply
into the region's high unemployment; these economies produced 21% of
GWP. China, the second largest economy in the world, continued its
rapid growth and accounted for 11% of GWP. Japan posted a decline of
2.6% in 1998 and its share in GWP dropped to 7.4%. As usual, the 15
successor nations of the USSR and the other old Warsaw Pact nations
experienced widely different rates of growth. Russia's national
product dropped by 5% whereas the nations of central and eastern
Europe grew by 3.4% on average. The developing nations varied widely
in their growth results, with many countries facing population
increases that eat up gains in output. Externally, the nation-state,
as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing
control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and
technology. Internally, the central government finds its control
over resources slipping as separatist regional movements--typically
based on ethnicity--gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of
the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, and in
Canada. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political
problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order
to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment.
The addition of more than 80 million people each year to an already
overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution,
desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of
their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have
inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of
the world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are
becoming further marginalized. In 1998, serious financial
difficulties in several high-growth East Asia countries cast a
shadow over short-term global economic prospects. The introduction
of the euro as the common currency of much of Western Europe in
January 1999 poses serious economic risks because of varying levels
of income and cultural and political differences among the
participating nations. (For specific economic developments in each
country of the world in 1998, see the individual country entries.)

GDP: GWP (gross world product)--purchasing power parity?$39
trillion (1998 est.)

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

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,600 (1998 est.)

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

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): all countries 25%; developed
countries 2% to 4% typically; developing countries 10% to 60%
typically (1998 est.)
note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from
stable prices in Japan to hyperinflation in a number of Third World
countries

Labor force: NA

Labor force--by occupation: NA

Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment
in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically
5%-12% unemployment (1998 est.)

Industries: dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in
computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical
equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a
small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly
adjusting to these technological forces; the accelerated development
of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating
already grim environmental problems

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)

Electricity--production: 12.3427 trillion kWh (1994)

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

Electricity--consumption: 12.3427 trillion kWh (1994)

Exports: $5 trillion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: the whole range of industrial and
agricultural goods and services

Exports--partners: in value, about 75% of exports from the
developed countries

Imports: $5 trillion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: the whole range of industrial and
agricultural goods and services

Imports--partners: in value, about 75% of imports by the developed
countries

Debt--external: $2 trillion for less developed countries (1998
est.)

Economic aid--recipient: traditional worldwide foreign aid $50
billion (1995 est.)

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA

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

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: NA

Televisions: NA