Ports: Mata-Utu, Leava
Airports: 2 total; 2 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 225 telephones; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of France —————————————————————————— Country: West Bank Note: The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967 ended with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights. As stated in the 1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Reagan's 1 September 1982 peace initiative, the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this process, it is US policy that the final status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the view of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of the Jordan River under Jordanian administration before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, it is US policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and the rest of the West Bank because of the city's special status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution for the final status of Jerusalem could be different in character from that of the rest of the West Bank.
- GeographyTotal area: 5,860 km2; land area: 5,640 km2; includes West Bank,East Jerusalem, Latrun Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwestquarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
Comparative area: slightly larger than Delaware
Land boundaries: 404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km;
Coastline: none—landlocked
Maritime claims: none—landlocked
Disputes: Israeli occupied with status to be determined
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
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: 27% arable land, 0% permanent crops, 32% meadows and pastures, 1% forest and woodland, 40% other
Environment: highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers
Note: landlocked; there are 173 Jewish settlements in the West Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
- People Population: 1,058,122 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990); in addition, there are 70,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 110,000 in East Jerusalem (1989 est.)
Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 68 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: NA
Ethnic divisions: 88% Palestinian Arab and other, 12% Jewish
Religion: 80% Muslim (predominantly Sunni), 12% Jewish, 8% Christian and other
Language: Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely understood
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers—29.8% small industry, commerce, and business, 24.2% construction, 22.4% agriculture, 23.6% service and other (1984)
Organized labor: NA
- GovernmentLong-form name: none
Note: The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military authoritiesand Israeli civil administration. It is US policy that the final status of theWest Bank will be determined by negotiations among the concerned parties.These negotiations will determine how the area is to be governed.
- Economy Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military occupation and the effects of the Palestinian uprising. Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable financial resources have been discouraged by a lack of financial resources and Israeli policy. Capital investment has largely gone into residential housing, not into productive assets that could compete with Israeli industry. A major share of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in Israel and neighboring Gulf states. Israeli reprisals against Palestinian unrest in the West Bank since 1987 have pushed unemployment up and lowered living standards.
GNP: $1.0 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $47.4 million; expenditures $45.7 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY86)
Exports: $150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—NA; partners—Jordan, Israel
Imports: $410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities—NA; partners—Jordan, Israel
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: power supplied by Israel
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
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Aid: none
Currency: new Israeli shekel (plural—shekels) and Jordanian dinar (plural—dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—1.9450 (January 1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5992 (1988), 1.5946 (1987), 1.4878 (1986), 1.1788 (1985); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1—0.6557 (January 1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3715 (1988), 0.3387 (1987), 0.3499 (1986), 0.3940 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: small indigenous road network, Israelis developing east-west axial highways
Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded; stations—no AM, no FM, no TV
- Defense ForcesBranches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA——————————————————————————Country: Western Sahara- GeographyTotal area: 266,000 km2; land area: 266,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: 2,046 km total; Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Disputes: claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and guerrilla fighting continues in the area
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore 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
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use: NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 81% other
Environment: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land
- PeoplePopulation: 191,707 (July 1990), growth rate 2.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 23 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 177 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 39 years male, 41 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Saharan(s), Moroccan(s); adjective—Saharan, Moroccan
Ethnic divisions: Arab and Berber
Religion: Muslim
Language: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: 20% among Moroccans, 5% among Saharans (est.)
Labor force: 12,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming
Organized labor: NA
- GovernmentLong-form name: none
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); 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 continue to the present
Capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Leaders: none
Diplomatic representation: none
- Economy Overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little rainfall, has a per capita GDP of just a few hundred dollars. Fishing and phosphate mining are the principal industries and sources of income. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government.
GDP: $NA, per capita $NA; real growth rate NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of$NA
Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.); commodities—phosphates 62%; partners—Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.); commodities—fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs; partners—Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 60,000 kW capacity; 79 million kWh produced, 425 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: phosphate, fishing, handicrafts
Agriculture: practically none; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces
Aid: NA
Currency: Moroccan dirham (plural—dirhams); 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1—8.093 (January 1990), 8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359 (1987), 9.104 (1986), 10.062 (1985)
Fiscal year: NA
- Communications Highways: 6,100 km total; 1,350 km surfaced, 4,750 km improved and unimproved earth roads and tracks
Ports: El Aaiun, Ad Dakhla
Airports: 16 total, 14 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 6 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: sparse and limited system; tied into Morocco's system by radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations linked to Rabat, Morocco; 2,000 telephones; stations—2 AM, no FM, 2 TV
- Defense ForcesBranches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA——————————————————————————Country: Western Samoa- GeographyTotal area: 2,860 km2; land area: 2,850 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season(May to October)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountains in interior
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use: 19% arable land; 24% permanent crops; NEGL% meadows and pastures; 47% forest and woodland; 10% other
Environment: subject to occasional typhoons; active volcanism
Note: located 4,300 km southwest of Honolulu in the South PacificOcean about halfway between Hawaii and New Zealand
- PeoplePopulation: 186,031 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Western Samoan(s); adjective—Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan; about 7% Euronesians (persons of European and Polynesian blood), 0.4% Europeans
Religion: 99.7% Christian (about half of population associated with theLondon Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist,Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Language: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: 90%
Labor force: 37,000; 22,000 employed in agriculture (1983 est.)
Organized labor: Public Service Association (PSA)
- GovernmentLong-form name: Independent State of Western Samoa
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; Aana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua,Faasaleleaga, Gagaemauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupaitea, Tuamasaga,Vaa-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by New Zealand)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: National Day, 1 June
Executive branch: monarch, Executive Council, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Leaders: Chief of State—Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of State from 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April 1963);
Head of Government—Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April 1988)
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),Tofilau Eti, chairman; Samoan National Development Party (SNDP), TupuaTamasese Efi, chairman
Suffrage: there are two electoral rolls—the matai (head of family) roll and the individuals roll; about 12,000 persons are on the matai roll, hold matai titles, and elect 45 members of the Legislative Assembly; about 1,600 persons are on the individuals roll, lack traditional matai ties, and elect two members of the Legislative Assembly by universal adult suffrage at the age of NA
Elections: Legislative Assembly—last held 26 February 1988 (next to be held by February 1991); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(47 total) HRPP 25, SNDP 22
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IMF, SPC, SPF, UN, UNESCO, WHO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Fili (Felix) TuaopepeWENDT; Chancery (temporary) at the Western Samoan Mission to the UN,820 2nd Avenue, New York, NY 10017 (212) 599-6196;US—the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited to Western Samoa
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
- Economy Overview: Agriculture employs two-thirds of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and is the source of 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports about five times export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry, and construction of the first international hotel is under way.
GDP: $112 million, per capita $615; real growth rate 0.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (1988)
Unemployment rate: NA%; shortage of skilled labor
Budget: revenues $54 million; expenditures $54 million, including capital expenditures of $28 million (1988)
Exports: $9.9 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—coconut oil and cream 42%, taro 19%, cocoa 14%, copra, timber; partners—NZ 30%, EC 24%, Australia 21%, American Samoa 7%, US 9% (1987)
Imports: $51.8 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12%; partners—New Zealand 31%, Australia 20%, Japan 15%, Fiji 15%, US 5%, EC 4% (1987)
External debt: $75 million (December 1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 4.0% (1987)
Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 35 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: coconuts, fruit (including bananas, taro, yams)
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $16 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $261 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: tala (plural—tala); 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1—2.2857 (January 1990), 2.2686 (1989), 2.0790 (1988), 2.1204 (1987), 2.2351 (1986), 2.2437 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 2,042 km total; 375 km sealed; remainder mostly gravel, crushed stone, or earth
Ports: Apia
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,930 GRT/34,135DWT; includes 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo
Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft
Airports: 4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 7,500 telephones; 70,000 radio receivers; stations—1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT station
- Defense ForcesBranches: NA
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA —————————————————————————— Country: World - Geography Total area: 510,072,000 km2; 361,132,000 km2 (70.8%) is water and 148,940,000 km2 (29.2%) is land
Comparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: 442,000 km
Coastline: 359,000 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: generally 24 nm, but varies from 4 nm to 24 nm;
Continental shelf: generally 200 nm, but some are 200 meters in depth;
Exclusive fishing zone: most are 200 nm, but varies from 12 nm to 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm, only Madagascar claims 150 nm;
Territorial sea: generally 12 nm, but varies from 3 nm to 200 nm
Disputes: 13 international land boundary disputes—Argentina-Uruguay,Bangladesh-India, Brazil-Paraguay, Brazil-Uruguay, Cambodia-Vietnam,China-India, China-USSR, Ecuador-Peru, El Salvador-Honduras,French Guiana-Suriname, Guyana-Suriname, Guyana-Venezuela, Qatar-UAE
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: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest elevation is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
Natural resources: the oceans represent the last major frontier for the discovery and development of natural resources
Land use: 10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 24% meadows and pastures; 31% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes 1.6% irrigated
Environment: large areas subject to severe weather (tropical cyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions), industrial disasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife resources, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosion
- PeoplePopulation: 5,316,644,000 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)
Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 70 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 64 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
Literacy: 77% men; 66% women (1980)
Labor force: 1,939,000,000 (1984)
Organized labor: NA
- Government Administrative divisions: 248 nations, dependent areas, and other entities
Legal system: varies among each of the entities; 162 are parties to theUnited Nations International Court of Justice (ICJ) or World Court
Diplomatic representation: there are 159 members of the UN
- Economy Overview: In 1989 the World economy grew at an estimated 3.0%, somewhat lower than the estimated 3.4% for 1988. The technologically advanced areas—North America, Japan, and Western Europe—together account for 65% of the gross world product (GWP) of $20.3 trillion; these developed areas grew in the aggregate at 3.5%. In contrast, the Communist (Second World) countries typically grew at between 0% and 2%, accounting for 23% of GWP. Experience in the developing countries continued mixed, with the newly industrializing countries generally maintaining their rapid growth, and many others struggling with debt, inflation, and inadequate investment. The year 1989 ended with remarkable political upheavals in the Communist countries, which presumably will dislocate economic production still further. The addition of nearly 100 million people a year to an already overcrowded globe will exacerbate the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, and poverty throughout the 1990s.
GWP (gross world product): $20.3 trillion, per capita $3,870; real growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5%, developed countries; 100%, developing countries with wide variations (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Exports: $2,694 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—NA; partners—in value, about 70% of exports from industrial countries
Imports: $2,750 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—NA; partners—in value, about 75% of imports by the industrial countries
External debt: $1,008 billion for less developed countries (1988 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 2,838,680,000 kW capacity; 11,222,029 million kWh produced, 2,140 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: chemicals, energy, machinery, electronics, metals, mining, textiles, food processing
Agriculture: cereals (wheat, maize, rice), sugar, livestock products, tropical crops, fruit, vegetables, fish
Aid: NA
- CommunicationsPorts: Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe,Marseille, New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
- Defense Forces Branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Military manpower: 29.15 million persons in the defense forces of the World (1987)
Defense expenditures: 5.4% of GWP, or $1.1 trillion (1989 est.)——————————————————————————Country: Yemen Arab RepublicYemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen- GeographyTotal area: 195,000 km2; land area: 195,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: 1,209 km total; Saudi Arabia 628 km, PDRY 581 km
Coastline: 523 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: sections of the boundary with PDRY are indefinite or undefined; undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia
Climate: desert; hot and humid along coast; temperate in central mountains; harsh desert in east
Terrain: narrow coastal plain (Tihama); western mountains; flat dissected plain in center sloping into desert interior of Arabian Peninsula
Natural resources: crude oil, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal, nickel, and copper; fertile soil
Land use: 14% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 36% meadows and pastures; 8% forest and woodland; 42% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to sand and dust storms in summer; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: controls northern approaches to Bab el Mandeb linking Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
- PeoplePopulation: 7,160,981 (July 1990), growth rate 3.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 17 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 129 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 49 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Yemeni(s); adjective—Yemeni
Ethnic divisions: 90% Arab, 10% Afro-Arab (mixed)
Religion: 100% Muslim (Sunni and Shia)
Language: Arabic
Literacy: 15% (est.)
Labor force: NA; 70% agriculture and herding, 30% expatriate laborers (est.)
- GovernmentLong-form name: Yemen Arab Republic; abbreviated YAR
Type: republic; military regime assumed power in June 1974
Capital: Sanaa
Administrative divisions: 11 governorates (muhafazat,singular—muhafazah); Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf,Al Mahwit, Dhamar, Hajjah, Ibb, Marib, Sadah, Sana,Taizz
Independence: November 1918 (from Ottoman Empire)
Constitution: 28 December 1970, suspended 19 June 1974
Legal system: based on Turkish law, Islamic law, and local customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 26 September (1962)
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister, four deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Consultative Assembly(Majlis ash-Shura)
Judicial branch: State Security Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Col. Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 18 July 1978); Vice President (vacant);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Abd al-Aziz ABD AL-GHANI (since 12 November 1983, previously prime minister from 1975-1980 and co-Vice President from October 1980 to November 1983)
Political parties and leaders: no legal political parties; in 1983 President Salih started the General People's Congress, which is designed to function as the country's sole political party
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Consultative Assembly—last held 5 July 1988 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote NA; seats—(159 total, 128 elected)
Communists: small number
Other political or pressure groups: conservative tribal groups,Muslim Brotherhood, leftist factions—pro-Iraqi Bathists,Nasirists, National Democratic Front (NDF) supported by the PDRY
Member of: ACC, Arab League, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA,IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohsin A. al-AINI; Chancery at Suite 840, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 965-4760 or 4761; there is a Yemeni Consulate General in Detroit and a Consulate in San Francisco; US—Ambassador Charles F. DUNBAR; Embassy at address NA, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box 1088, Sanaa); telephone [967] (2) 271950 through 271958
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a large green five-pointed star centered in the white band; similar to the flags of Iraq, which has three stars, and Syria, which has two stars—all green and five-pointed in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt, which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: The low level of domestic industry and agriculture make North Yemen dependent on imports for virtually all of its essential needs. Large trade deficits are made up for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and foreign aid. Once self-sufficient in food production, the YAR is now a major importer. Land once used for export crops—cotton, fruit, and vegetables—has been turned over to growing qat, a mildly narcotic shrub chewed by Yemenis that has no significant export market. Oil export revenues started flowing in late 1987 and boosted 1988 earnings by about $800 million.
GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $820; real growth rate 19.7% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.9% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 13% (1986)
Budget: revenues $1.32 billion; expenditures $2.18 billion, including capital expenditures of $588 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $853 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables; partners—US 41%, PDRY 14%, Japan 12%
Imports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement; partners—Italy 10%, Saudi Arabia 9%, US 9.3%, Japan 9%, UK 8% (1985)
External debt: $3.5 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 2% in manufacturing (1988)
Electricity: 415,000 kW capacity; 500 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: crude oil production, small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; fishing; small aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm products—grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, goat meat; not self-sufficient in grain
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-88), $354 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $248 million
Currency: Yemeni riyal (plural—riyals); 1 Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1—9.7600 (January 1990), 9.7600 (1989), 9.7717 (1988), 10.3417 (1987), 9.6392 (1986), 7.3633 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 4,500 km; 2,000 km bituminous, 500 km crushed stone and gravel, 2,000 km earth, sand, and light gravel (est.)
Pipelines: crude oil, 424 km
Ports: Al Hudaydah, Al Mukha, Salif, Ras al Katib
Merchant marine: 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 192,679 GRT/40,640 DWT
Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft
Airports: 19 total, 14 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 9 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: system poor but improving; new radio relay and cable networks; 50,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, no FM, 17 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric scatter to PDRY; radio relay to PDRY, Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti
- Defense ForcesBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,289,217; 734,403 fit for military service; 79,609 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: $358 million (1987)——————————————————————————Country: Yemen, People's Democratic Republic ofYemen (Aden) or South Yemen- GeographyTotal area: 332,970 km2; land area: 332,970 km2; includes Perim, Socotra
Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: 1,699 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 830 km,YAR 581 km
Coastline: 1,383 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: sections of boundary with YAR indefinite or undefined;Administrative Line with Oman; no defined boundary with Saudi Arabia
Climate: desert; extraordinarily hot and dry
Terrain: mostly upland desert plains; narrow, flat, sandy coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged mountains
Natural resources: fish, oil, minerals (gold, copper, lead)
Land use: 1% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 27% meadows and pastures; 7% forest and woodland; 65% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: scarcity of natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note: controls southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb linkingRed Sea to Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
- PeoplePopulation: 2,585,484 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 48 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 110 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 50 years male, 54 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Yemeni(s); adjective—Yemeni
Ethnic divisions: almost all Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
Religion: Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
Language: Arabic
Literacy: 25%
Labor force: 477,000; 45.2% agriculture, 21.2% services, 13.4% construction, 10.6% industry, 9.6% commerce and other (1983)
Organized labor: 348,200; the General Confederation of Workers of thePeople's Democratic Republic of Yemen has 35,000 members
- GovernmentLong-form name: People's Democratic Republic of Yemen; abbreviated PDRY
Type: republic
Capital: Aden
Administrative divisions: 6 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Mahrah, Hadramawt, Lahij, Shabwah
Independence: 30 November 1967 (from UK)
Constitution: 31 October 1978
Legal system: based on Islamic law (for personal matters) and English common law (for commercial matters)
National holiday: National Day, 14 October
Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers,Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Council
Judicial branch: Federal High Court
Leaders: Chief of State—President Haydar Abu Bakr al-ATTAS (since 8 February 1986);
Head of Government—Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Prime Minister)Dr. Yasin Said NUMAN (since 8 February 1986); Deputy Prime MinisterSalih Abu Bakr bin HUSAYNUN (since 8 February 1986); Deputy Prime MinisterSalih Munassir al-SIYAYLI (since 8 February 1986)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Yemeni Socialist Party(YSP) is a coalition of National Front, Bath, and Communist Parties
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Supreme People's Council—last held 28-30 October 1986 (next to be held NA); results—YSP is the only party; seats—(111 total) YSP or YSP approved 111
Communists: NA
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: Arab League, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, IDA,IDB—Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNESCO,UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: none; the UK acts as the protecting power for the US in the PDRY
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a light blue, isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star
- Economy Overview: The PDRY is one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per capita GNP of about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a widely dispersed population, and an arid climate make economic development difficult. The economy has grown at an average annual rate of only 2-3% since the mid-1970s. The economy is organized along socialist lines, dominated by the public sector. Economic growth has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices.
GNP: $1.2 billion, per capita $495; real growth rate 5.2% (1988 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.8% (1987)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $429 million; expenditures $976 million, including capital expenditures of $402 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $82.2 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish; partners—Japan, YAR, Singapore
Imports: $598.0 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities—grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals; partners—USSR, Australia, UK
External debt: $2.25 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 245,000 kW capacity; 600 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum refinery (operates on imported crude oil); fish
Agriculture: accounts for 13% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products—grain, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock; fish and honey major exports; most food imported
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $4.5 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $241 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $279 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.2 billion
Currency: Yemeni dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1—0.3454 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 11,000 km; 2,000 km bituminous, 9,000 km natural surface (est.)
Pipelines: refined products, 32 km
Ports: Aden, Al Khalf, Nishtun
Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker
Civil air: 8 major transport aircraft
Airports: 42 total, 29 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 11 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: small system of open-wire, radio relay, multiconductor cable, and radio communications stations; 15,000 telephones (est.); stations—1 AM, no FM, 5 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 1 ARABSAT; radio relay and tropospheric scatter to YAR
- Defense ForcesBranches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Militia, People's Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 544,190; 307,005 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: NA——————————————————————————Country: Yugoslavia- GeographyTotal area: 255,800 km2; land area: 255,400 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Wyoming
Land boundaries: 2,961 km total; Albania 486 km, Austria 311 km, Bulgaria 539 km, Greece 246 km, Hungary 631 km, Italy 202 km, Romania 546 km
Coastline: 3,935 km (including 2,414 km offshore islands)
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Kosovo question with Albania; Macedonia question with Bulgaria and Greece
Climate: temperate; hot, relatively dry summers with mild, rainy winters along coast; warm summer with cold winters inland
Terrain: mostly mountains with large areas of karst topography; plain in north
Natural resources: coal, copper, bauxite, timber, iron ore, antimony, chromium, lead, zinc, asbestos, mercury, crude oil, natural gas, nickel, uranium
Land use: 28% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 25% meadows and pastures; 36% forest and woodland; 8% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to frequent and destructive earthquakes
Note: controls the most important land routes from central and western Europe to Aegean Sea and Turkish straits
- PeoplePopulation: 23,841,608 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Yugoslav(s); adjective—Yugoslav
Ethnic divisions: 36.3% Serb, 19.7% Croat, 8.9% Muslim, 7.8% Slovene, 7.7% Albanian, 5.9% Macedonian, 5.4% Yugoslav, 2.5% Montenegrin, 1.9% Hungarian, 3.9% other (1981 census)
Religion: 50% Eastern Orthodox, 30% Roman Catholic, 9% Muslim, 1% Protestant, 10% other
Language: Serbo-Croatian, Slovene, Macedonian (all official);Albanian, Hungarian
Literacy: 90.5%
Labor force: 9,600,000; 22% agriculture, 27% mining and manufacturing; about 5% of labor force are guest workers in Western Europe (1986)
Organized labor: 6,200,000 members in the Confederation of Trade Unions ofYugoslavia (SSJ)
- Government Long-form name: Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia; abbreviated SFRY
Type: Communist state, federal republic in form
Capital: Belgrade
Administrative divisions: 6 socialist republics (socijalisticke republike, singular—socijalisticka republika); Bosna I Hercegovina, Crna Gora, Hrvatska, Makedonija, Slovenija, Srbija; note—there are two autonomous provinces (autonomne pokajine, singular—autonomna pokajina) named Kosovo and Vojvodina within Srbija
Independence: 1 December 1918; independent monarchy established from the Kingdoms of Serbia and Montenegro, parts of the Turkish Empire, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire; SFRY proclaimed 29 November 1945
Constitution: 21 February 1974
Legal system: mixture of civil law system and Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Proclamation of the Socialist Federal Republic ofYugoslavia, 29 November (1945)
Executive branch: president of the Collective State Presidency, vice president of the Collective State Presidency, Collective State Presidency, president of the Federal Executive Council, two vice presidents of the Federal Executive Council, Federal Executive Council
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly (Savezna Skupstina) consists of an upper chamber or Chamber of Republics and Provinces and a lower chamber or Federal Chamber
Judicial branch: Federal Court (Savezna Sud), Constitutional Court
Leaders: Chief of State President of the Collective State Presidency Borisav JOVIC (from Srbija; one-year term expires 15 May 1991); Vice President of the Collective State Presidency—Stipe SUVAR (from Hrvatska; one-year term expires 15 May 1991); note—the offices of president and vice president rotate annually among members of the Collective State Presidency with the current vice president assuming the presidency and a new vice president selected from area which has gone the longest without filling the position (the current sequence is Srbija, Hrvatska, Crna Gora, Vojvodina, Kosovo, Makedonija, Bosna i Hercegovina, and Slovenija);
Head of Government President of the Federal Executive CouncilAnte MARKOVIC (since 16 March 1989); Vice President of the FederalExecutive Council Aleksandar MITROVIC (since 16 March 1989);Vice President of the Federal Executive Council Zivko PREGL(since 16 March 1989)
Political parties and leaders: there are about 90 political parties operating country-wide including the League of Communists of Yugoslavia (LCY)
Suffrage: at age 16 if employed, universal at age 18
Elections: direct national elections probably will be held in late 1990
Communists: 2,079,013 party members (1988)
Other political or pressure groups: Socialist Alliance of Working Peopleof Yugoslavia (SAWPY), the major mass front organization; Confederation ofTrade Unions of Yugoslavia (CTUY), League of Socialist Youth of Yugoslavia,Federation of Veterans' Associations of Yugoslavia (SUBNOR)
Member of: ASSIMER, CCC, CEMA (observer but participates in certaincommissions), FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA,IDB—Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO,INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, NAM, OECD (participant in some activities),UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dzevad MUJEZINOVIC; Chancery at 2410 California Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-6566; there are Yugoslav Consulates General in Chicago, Cleveland, New York, Pittsburgh, and San Francisco; US—Ambassador Warren ZIMMERMAN; Embassy at Kneza Milosa 50, Belgrade; telephone [38] (11) 645-655; there is a US Consulate General in Zagreb
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and red with a large red five-pointed star edged in yellow superimposed in the center over all three bands
- Economy Overview: Tito's reform programs 20 years ago changed the Stalinist command economy to a decentralized semimarket system but a system that the rigid, ethnically divided political structure ultimately could not accommodate. A prominent feature of the reforms was the establishment of workers' self-management councils in all large plants, which were to select managers, stimulate production, and divide the proceeds. The general result of these reforms has been rampant wage-price inflation, substantial rundown of capital plant, consumer shortages, and a still larger income gap between the poorer southern regions and the relatively affluent northern provinces of Hrvatska and Slovenija. In 1988-89 the beleaguered central government has been reforming the reforms, trying to create an open market economy with still considerable state ownership of major industrial plants. These reforms have been moving forward with the advice and support of the International Monetary Fund through a series of tough negotiations. Self-management supposedly is to be replaced by the discipline of the market and by fiscal austerity, ultimately leading to a stable dinar. However, strikes in major plants, hyperinflation, and interregional political jousting have held back progress. According to US economic advisers, only a highly unlikely combination of genuine privatization, massive Western economic investment and aid, and political moderation can salvage this economy.
GNP: $129.5 billion, per capita $5,464; real growth rate - 1.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2,700% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 15% (1989)
Budget: revenues $6.4 billion; expenditures $6.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
Exports: $13.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—raw materials and semimanufactures 50%, consumer goods 31%, capital goods and equipment 19%; partners—EC 30%, CEMA 45%, less developed countries 14%, US 5%, other 6%
Imports: $13.8 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities—raw materials and semimanufactures 79%, capital goods and equipment 15%, consumer goods 6%; partners—EC 30%, CEMA 45%, less developed countries 14%, US 5%, other 6%
External debt: $17.0 billion, medium and long term (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate - 1% (1989 est.)
Electricity: 21,000,000 kW capacity; 87,100 million kWh produced, 3,650 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: metallurgy, machinery and equipment, petroleum, chemicals, textiles, wood processing, food processing, pulp and paper, motor vehicles, building materials
Agriculture: diversified, with many small private holdings and large combines; main crops—corn, wheat, tobacco, sugar beets, sunflowers; occasionally a net exporter of corn, tobacco, foodstuffs, live animals
Aid: donor—about $3.5 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1966-88)
Currency: Yugoslav dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Yugoslav dinar (YD) = 100 paras; note—on 1 January 1990, Yugoslavia began issuing a new currency with 1 new dinar equal to 10,000 YD
Exchange rates: Yugoslav dinars (YD) per US$1—118,568(January 1990), 28,764 (1989), 2,523 (1988), 737 (1987), 379 (1986),270 (1985); note—as of February 1990 the new dinar is linked to theFRG deutsche mark at the rate of 7 new dinars per 1 deustche mark
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 9,270 km total; (all 1.435-meter standard gauge) including 926 km double track, 3,771 km electrified (1987)
Highways: 120,747 km total; 71,315 km asphalt, concrete, stone block; 34,299 km macadam, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone; 15,133 km earth (1987)
Inland waterways: 2,600 km (1982)
Pipelines: 1,373 km crude oil; 2,900 km natural gas; 150 km refined products
Ports: Rijeka, Split, Koper, Bar, Ploce; inland port is Belgrade
Merchant marine: 270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,608,705 GRT/5,809,219 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 4 short-sea passenger, 131 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 16 container, 14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 multifunction large-load carrier, 9 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 73 bulk, 8 combination bulk; note—Yugoslavia owns 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 229,614 GRT/353,224 DWT under the registry of Liberia, Panama, and Cyprus
Civil air: NA major transport aircraft
Airports: 184 total, 184 usable; 54 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3.659 m; 22 with runways 2,440 to 3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—199 AM, 87 FM, 50 TV; 4,107,846 TV sets; 4,700,000 radio receivers; satellite earth stations—1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense ForcesBranches: Yugoslav People's Army—Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air andAir Defense Forces, Frontier Guard, Territorial Defense Force, Civil Defense
Military manpower: males 15-49, 6,135,628; 4,970,420 fit for military service; 188,028 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures: 14.8 trillion dinars, 4.6% of national income (1989 est.); note—conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results —————————————————————————— Country: Zaire - Geography Total area: 2,345,410 km2; land area: 2,267,600 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
Land boundaries: 10,271 km total; Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km,Central African Republic 1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km, Sudan 628 km,Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: Tanzania-Zaire-Zambia tripoint in Lake Tanganyika may no longerbe indefinite since it is reported that the indefinite section of theZaire-Zambia boundary has been settled; long section with Congo along the CongoRiver is indefinite (no division of the river or its islands has been made)
Climate: tropical; hot and humid in equatorial river basin; cooler anddrier in southern highlands; cooler and wetter in eastern highlands; north ofEquator—wet season April to October, dry season December to February; south ofEquator—wet season November to March, dry season April to October
Terrain: vast central basin is a low-lying plateau; mountains in east
Natural resources: cobalt, copper, cadmium, crude oil, industrial and gem diamonds, gold, silver, zinc, manganese, tin, germanium, uranium, radium, bauxite, iron ore, coal, hydropower potential
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 78% forest and woodland; 15% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: dense tropical rainforest in central river basin and eastern highlands; periodic droughts in south
Note: straddles Equator; very narrow strip of land is only outlet toSouth Atlantic Ocean
- PeoplePopulation: 36,589,468 (July 1990), growth rate 3.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 103 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 55 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun—Zairian(s); adjective—Zairian
Ethnic divisions: over 200 African ethnic groups, the majority are Bantu; four largest tribes—Mongo, Luba, Kongo (all Bantu), and the Mangbetu-Azande (Hamitic) make up about 45% of the population
Religion: 50% Roman Catholic, 20% Protestant, 10% Kimbanguist, 10% Muslim, 10% other syncretic sects and traditional beliefs
Language: French (official), Lingala, Swahili, Kingwana, Kikongo, Tshiluba
Literacy: 55% males, 37% females
Labor force: 15,000,000; 75% agriculture, 13% industry, 12% services; 13% wage earners (1981); 51% of population of working age (1985)
Organized labor: National Union of Workers of Zaire (UNTZA) is the only trade union
- GovernmentLong-form name: Republic of Zaire
Type: republic with a strong presidential system
Capital: Kinshasa
Administrative divisions: 8 regions (regions, singular—region) and 1 town* (ville); Bandundu, Bas-Zaire, Equateur, Haut-Zaire, Kasai-Occidental, Kasai-Oriental, Kinshasa*, Kivu, Shaba; note—there may now be 10 regions with the elimination of Kivu and addition of Maniema, Nord-Kivu, and Sud-Kivu
Independence: 30 June 1960 (from Belgium; formerly Belgian Congo, then Congo/Leopoldville, then Congo/Kinshasa)
Constitution: 24 June 1967, amended August 1974, revised 15 February 1978
Legal system: based on Belgian civil law system and tribal law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Anniversary of the Regime (Second Republic), 24 November (1965)
Executive branch: president, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral National Legislative Council(Conseil Legislatif National)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:Chief of State—President Marshal MOBUTU Sese Seko Kuku Ngbendu waZa Banga (since 24 November 1965);
Head of Government—Prime Minister LUNDA Bululu (since 25 April 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party—Popular Movement of theRevolution (MPR)
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections: President—last held 29 July 1984 (next to be held July 1991); results—President Mobutu was reelected without opposition;