_#_Constitution: 10 October 1970 (suspended 1 October 1987); a new Constitution was proposed on 23 September 1988 and promulgated on 25 July 1990
_#_Legal system: based on British system
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 10 October (1970)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: the bicameral Parliament, consisting of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives, was dissolved following the coup of 14 May 1987; the Constitution of 23 September 1988 provides for a bicameral Parliament
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Ratu Sir Penaia Kanatabatu GANILAU (since 5 December 1987);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA (since 5 December 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Josefata KAMIKAMICA (since NA October 1991); note—Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA served as prime minister from 10 October 1970 until the 5-11 April 1987 election; after a second coup led by Maj. Gen. Sitiveni RABUKA on 25 September 1987, Ratu Sir Kamisese MARA was reappointed as prime minister
_#_Political parties and leaders:Fijian Political Party (primarily Fijian), leader NA;National Federation (primarily Indian), Siddiq KOYA;Western United Front (Fijian), Ratu Osea GAVIDI;Fiji Labor Party, Adi Kuini BAVADRA
_#_Suffrage: none
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives—last held 14 May 1987 (next to be held July 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(70 total, with ethnic Fijians allocated 37 seats, ethnic Indians 27 seats, and independents and other 6 seats) number of seats by party NA
_#_Communists: some
_#_Member of: ACP, AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires Ratu Finau MARA; Chancery at Suite 240, 2233 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007; telephone (202) 337-8320; there is a Fijian Consulate in New York;
US—Ambassador Evelyn I. H. TEEGEN; Embassy at 31 Loftus Street, Suva (mailing address is P. O. Box 218, Suva); telephone [679] 314-466 or 314-069
_#_Flag: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Fijian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield depicts a yellow lion above a white field quartered by the cross of Saint George featuring stalks of sugarcane, a palm tree, bananas, and a white dove
_*Economy#_Overview: Fiji's economy is primarily agricultural, with a large subsistence sector. Sugar exports are a major source of foreign exchange and sugar processing accounts for one-third of industrial output. Industry, including sugar milling, contributes 13% to GDP. Fiji traditionally had earned considerable sums of hard currency from the 250,000 tourists who visited each year. In 1987, however, after two military coups, the economy went into decline. GDP dropped by 7.8% in 1987 and by another 2.5% in 1988; political uncertainty created a drop in tourism, and the worst drought of the century caused sugar production to fall sharply. In contrast, sugar and tourism turned in strong performances in 1989, and the economy rebounded vigorously. In 1990 the economy received a setback from cyclone Sina which cut sugar output by an estimated 21%.
_#_GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $1,693; real growth rate 3.5% (1991 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.5% (1991 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.9 (1991 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $314 million; expenditures $355 million, including capital expenditures of $81 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $646 million (f.o.b., 1991 est.);
commodities—sugar 40%, gold, clothing, copra, processed fish, lumber;
partners—EC 31%, Australia 21%, Japan 8%, US 6%
_#_Imports: $840 million (c.i.f., 1991 est.);
commodities—machinery and transport 32%, food 15%, petroleum products, consumer goods, chemicals;
partners—Australia 30%, NZ 17%, Japan 13%, EC 6%, US 6%
_#_External debt: $428 million (December 1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8.4% (1991 est.); accounts for 13% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 215,000 kW capacity; 330 million kWh produced, 430 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: sugar, tourism, copra, gold, silver, fishing, clothing, lumber, small cottage industries
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP; principal cash crop is sugarcane; coconuts, cassava, rice, sweet potatoes, and bananas; small livestock sector includes cattle, pigs, horses, and goats
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $732 million
_#_Currency: Fijian dollar (plural—dollars); 1 Fijian dollar (F$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Fijian dollars (F$) per US$1—1.4476 (January 1991), 1.4809 (1990), 1.4833 (1989), 1.4303 (1988), 1.2439 (1987), 1.1329 (1986), 1.1536 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: 644 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, belonging to the government-owned Fiji Sugar Corporation
_#_Highways: 3,300 km total (1984)—390 km paved; 1,200 km bituminous-surface treatment; 1,290 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface; 420 unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 203 km; 122 km navigable by motorized craft and 200-metric-ton barges
_#_Ports: Lambasa, Lautoka, Savusavu, Suva
_#_Merchant marine: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 34,214 GRT/37,161 DWT; includes 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker
_#_Civil air: 1 DC-3 and 1 light aircraft
_#_Airports: 26 total, 24 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern local, interisland, and international (wire/radio integrated) public and special-purpose telephone, telegraph, and teleprinter facilities; regional radio center; important COMPAC cable link between US-Canada and New Zealand-Australia; 53,228 telephones; stations—7 AM, 1 FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Fiji Military Force (FMF; Army, Navy, Police)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 190,120; 104,861 fit for military service; 7,879 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $25.8 million, 2.5% of GDP (1988)%@Finland*Geography#_Total area: 337,030 km2; land area: 305,470 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Montana
_#_Land boundaries: 2,628 km total; Norway 729 km, Sweden 586 km, USSR 1,313 km
_#_Coastline: 1,126 km excluding islands and coastal indentations
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 6 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 4 nm
_#_Climate: cold temperate; potentially subarctic, but comparatively mild because of moderating influence of the North Atlantic Current, Baltic Sea, and more than 60,000 lakes
_#_Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plains interspersed with lakes and low hills
_#_Natural resources: timber, copper, zinc, iron ore, silver
_#_Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 76%; other 16%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: permanently wet ground covers about 30% of land; population concentrated on small southwestern coastal plain
_#_Note: long boundary with USSR; Helsinki is northernmost national capital on European continent
_*People#_Population: 4,991,131 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 80 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Finn(s); adjective—Finnish
_#_Ethnic divisions: Finn, Swede, Lapp, Gypsy, Tatar
_#_Religion: Evangelical Lutheran 89%, Greek Orthodox 1%, none 9%, other 1%
_#_Language: Finnish 93.5%, Swedish (both official) 6.3%; small Lapp- and Russian-speaking minorities
_#_Literacy: 100% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
_#_Labor force: 2,470,000; services 38.2%, mining and manufacturing 22.7%, commerce 14.9%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 8.8%, construction 8.0%, transportation and communications 7.2% (1989)
_#_Organized labor: 80% of labor force
_*Government#_Long-form name: Republic of Finland
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Helsinki
_#_Administrative divisions: 12 provinces (laanit, singular—laani); Ahvenanmaa, Hame, Keski-Suomi, Kuopio, Kymi, Lappi, Mikkeli, Oulu, Pohjois-Karjala, Turku ja Pori, Uusimaa, Vaasa
_#_Independence: 6 December 1917 (from Soviet Union)
_#_Constitution: 17 July 1919
_#_Legal system: civil law system based on Swedish law; Supreme Court may request legislation interpreting or modifying laws; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 6 December (1917)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of State (Valtioneuvosto)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Eduskunta
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Korkein Oikeus)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Mauno KOIVISTO (since 27 January 1982);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Esko AHO (since 26 April 1991);Deputy Prime Minister Ilkka KANERVA (since 26 April 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
government coalition—Center Party, Esko AHO; National Coalition (Conservative) Party, Ilkka SUOMINEN; and Swedish People's Party, (Johan) Ole NORRBACK;
other parties—Social Democratic Party, Pertti PAASIO;Leftist Alliance (Communist) consisting of People's Democratic League andDemocratic Alternative, Claes ANDERSSON;Green League, Heidi HAUTALA;Rural Party, Heikki RIIHIJAERVI;Finnish Christian League, Esko ALMGREN;Liberal People's Party, Kyosti LALLUKKA
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held 31 January-1 February and 15 February 1988 (next to be held January 1994); results—Mauno KOIVISTO 48%, Paavo VAYRYNEN 20%, Harri HOLKERI 18%;
Eduskunta—last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1995); results—Center Party 24.8%, Social Democratic Party 22.1%, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 19.3%, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 10.1%, Green League 6.8%, Swedish People's Party 5.5%, Rural 4.8%, Finnish Christian League 3.1%, Liberal People's Party 0.8%; seats—(200 total) Center Party 55, Social Democratic Party 48, National Coalition (Conservative) Party 40, Leftist Alliance (Communist) 19, Swedish People's Party 12, Green League 10, Finnish Christian League 8, Rural 7, Liberal People's Party 1
_#_Communists: 28,000 registered members; an additional 45,000 persons belong to People's Democratic League
_#_Other political or pressure groups:Finnish Communist Party-Unity, Esko-Juhani TENNILA;Constitutional Rightist Party;Finnish Pensioners Party;Communist Workers Party, Timo LAHDENMAKI
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA (associate), FAO, G-9, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jukka VALTASAARI; Chancery at 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington DC 20016; telephone (202) 363-2430; there are Finnish Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York, and Consulates in Chicago and Houston;
US—Ambassador John G. WEINMANN; Embassy at Itainen Puistotie 14A, SF-00140, Helsinki (mailing address is APO New York 09664); telephone [358] (0) 171931
_#_Flag: white with a blue cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
_*Economy#_Overview: Finland has a highly industrialized, largely free market economy, with per capita output nearly three-fourths the US figure. Its main economic force is the manufacturing sector—principally the wood, metals, and engineering industries. Trade is important, with the export of goods representing about 30% of GDP. Except for timber and several minerals, Finland depends on imported raw materials, energy, and some components of manufactured goods. Because of the climate, agricultural development is limited to maintaining self-sufficiency in basic commodities. The economy, which experienced an average of 4.9% annual growth between 1987 and 1989, leveled off in 1990 and is now in a recession facing negative growth in 1991. The clearing account system between Finland and the Soviet Union in the postwar period—mainly Soviet oil and gas for Finnish manufactured goods—had kept Finland isolated from world recessions; the system, however, was dismantled on 1 January 1991 in favor of hard currency trade. As a result, Finland must increase its competitiveness in certain sectors, for example, textiles, foodstuffs, paper, and metals, and has already begun to shift trade westward. Finland, as a member of EFTA, is negotiating a European Economic Area arrangement with the EC which would allow for free movement of capital, goods, services, and labor within the organization.
_#_GDP: $77.3 billion, per capita $15,500; real growth rate - 0.1% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.0% (1991 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.7% (1991 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $35.1 billion; expenditures $33.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.4 billion (1990)
_#_Exports: $23.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—timber, paper and pulp, ships, machinery, clothing and footwear;
partners—EC 44.0% (UK 12.0%, FRG 10.8%), USSR 14.5%, Sweden 14.3%, US 6.4%
_#_Imports: $24.4 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities—foodstuffs, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, transport equipment, iron and steel, machinery, textile yarn and fabrics, fodder grains;
partners—EC 44.5% (FRG 17.3%, UK 6.6%), Sweden 13.6%, USSR 11.5%, US 6.3%
_#_External debt: $5.3 billion (1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 3.0% (1991 est.); accounts for 28% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 13,324,000 kW capacity; 49,330 million kWh produced, 9,940 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: metal manufacturing and shipbuilding, forestry and wood processing (pulp, paper), copper refining, foodstuffs, chemicals, textiles, clothing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 8% of GNP (including forestry); livestock production, especially dairy cattle, predominates; forestry is an important export earner and a secondary occupation for the rural population; main crops—cereals, sugar beets, potatoes; 85% self-sufficient, but short of food and fodder grains; annual fish catch about 160,000 metric tons
_#_Economic aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $2.7 billion
_#_Currency: markka (plural—markkaa); 1 markka (FMk) or Finmark = 100 pennia
_#_Exchange rates: markkaa (FMk) per US$1—3.6421 (January 1991), 3.8235 (1990), 4.2912 (1989), 4.1828 (1988), 4.3956 (1987), 5.0695 (1986), 6.1979 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: 5,924 km total; Finnish State Railways (VR) operate a total of 5,863 km 1.524-meter gauge, of which 480 km are multiple track and 1,445 km are electrified
_#_Highways: about 103,000 km total, including 35,000 km paved (bituminous, concrete, bituminous-treated surface) and 38,000 km unpaved (stabilized gravel, gravel, earth); additional 30,000 km of private (state-subsidized) roads
_#_Inland waterways: 6,675 km total (including Saimaa Canal); 3,700 km suitable for steamers
_#_Pipelines: natural gas, 580 km
_#_Ports: Helsinki, Oulu, Pori, Rauma, Turku; 6 secondary, numerous minor ports
_#_Merchant marine: 83 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 807,020 GRT/831,774 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 10 short-sea passenger, 16 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 23 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 8 bulk
_#_Civil air: 42 major transport
_#_Airports: 160 total, 157 usable; 57 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 23 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good service from cable and radio relay network; 3,140,000 telephones; stations—4 AM, 42 (101 relays) FM, 79 (197 relays) TV; 2 submarine cables; satellite service via Swedish earth stations; earth stations—2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 EUTELSAT
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Frontier Guard (including Sea Guard)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,313,346; 1,089,217 fit for military service; 32,866 reach military age (17) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 1.5% of GDP (1989 est.)%@France*Geography#_Total area: 547,030 km2; land area: 545,630 km2; includes Corsica and the rest of metropolitan France, but excludes the overseas administrative divisions
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Colorado
_#_Land boundaries: 2,892.4 km total; Andorra 60 km, Belgium 620 km, Germany 451 km, Italy 488 km, Luxembourg 73 km, Monaco 4.4 km, Spain 623 km, Switzerland 573 km
_#_Coastline: 3,427 km (includes Corsica, 644 km)
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12-24 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Canada (Saint Pierre andMiquelon); Madagascar claims Bassas da India, Europa Island, GloriosoIslands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island; Comoros claimsMayotte; Mauritius claims Tromelin Island; Seychelles claims TromelinIsland; Suriname claims part of French Guiana; Mexico claims ClippertonIsland; territorial claim in Antarctica (Adelie Land)
_#_Climate: generally cool winters and mild summers, but mild winters and hot summers along the Mediterranean
_#_Terrain: mostly flat plains or gently rolling hills in north and west; remainder is mountainous, especially Pyrenees in south, Alps in east
_#_Natural resources: coal, iron ore, bauxite, fish, timber, zinc, potash
_#_Land use: arable land 32%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 23%; forest and woodland 27%; other 16%; includes irrigated 2%
_#_Environment: most of large urban areas and industrial centers in Rhone, Garonne, Seine, or Loire River basins; occasional warm tropical wind known as mistral
_#_Note: largest West European nation
_*People#_Population: 56,595,587 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 14 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 82 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Frenchman(men), Frenchwoman(women); adjective—French
_#_Ethnic divisions: Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 90%, Protestant 2%, Jewish 1%, Muslim (North African workers) 1%, unaffiliated 6%
_#_Language: French (100% of population); rapidly declining regional dialects (Provencal, Breton, Alsatian, Corsican, Catalan, Basque, Flemish)
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980 est.)
_#_Labor force: 24,170,000; services 61.5%, industry 31.3%, agriculture 7.3% (1987)
_#_Organized labor: 20% of labor force (est.)
_*Government#_Long-form name: French Republic
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Paris
_#_Administrative divisions: metropolitan France—22 regions (regions, singular—region); Alsace, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Basse-Normandie, Bourgogne, Bretagne, Centre, Champagne-Ardenne, Corse, Franche-Comte, Haute-Normandie, Ile-de-France, Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Lorraine, Midi-Pyrenees, Nord-Pas-de-Calais, Pays de la Loire, Picardie, Poitou-Charentes, Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur, Rhone-Alpes;
note—the 22 regions are subdivided into 96 departments; see separate entries for the overseas departments (French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Reunion) and the territorial collectivities (Mayotte, Saint Pierre and Miquelon)
_#_Dependent areas: Bassas da India, Clipperton Island, Europa Island, French Polynesia, French Southern and Antarctic Lands, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, New Caledonia, Tromelin Island, Wallis and Futuna; note—the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
_#_Independence: unified by Clovis in 486, First Republic proclaimed in 1792
_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958, amended concerning election of president in 1962
_#_Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; review of administrative but not legislative acts
_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senat) and a lower house or National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)
_#_Judicial branch: Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Edith CRESSON (since 15 May 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders:Rally for the Republic (RPR, formerly UDR), Jacques CHIRAC;Union for French Democracy (UDF, federation of PR, CDS, and RAD),Valery Giscard d'ESTAING;Republican Party (PR), Gerard LONGUET;Center for Social Democrats (CDS), Pierre MEHAIGNERIE;Radical (RAD), Yves GALLARD;Socialist Party (PS), Pierre MAUROY;Left Radical Movement (MRG), Yves COLLIN;Communist Party (PCF), Georges MARCHAIS;National Front (FN), Jean-Marie LE PEN
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President—last held 8 May 1988 (next to be held May 1995); results—Second Ballot Francois MITTERRAND 54%, Jacques CHIRAC 46%;
Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(321 total; 296 metropolitan France, 13 for overseas departments and territories, and 12 for French nationals abroad) RPR 93, UDF 143 (PR 53, CDS 65, RAD 25), PS 64, PCF 16, independents 2, unknown 3;
National Assembly—last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—Second Ballot PS-MRG 48.7%, RPR 23.1%, UDF 21%, PCF 3.4%, other 3.8%; seats—(577 total) PS 275, RPR 132, UDF 90, UDC 40, PCF 25, independents 15
_#_Communists: 700,000 claimed but probably closer to 150,000; Communist voters, 2.8 million in 1988 election
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Communist-controlled labor union (Confederation Generale du Travail) nearly 2.4 million members (claimed); Socialist-leaning labor union (Confederation Francaise Democratique du Travail or CFDT) about 800,000 members est.; independent labor union (Force Ouvriere) 1 million members (est.); independent white-collar union (Confederation Generale des Cadres) 340,000 members (claimed); National Council of French Employers (Conseil National du Patronat Francais—CNPF or Patronat)
_#_Member of: ACCT, AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BDEAC,BIS, CCC, CDB, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECA (associate),ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, FZ, GATT, G-5, G-7, G-10, IABD, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS,NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council,UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jacques ANDREANI; Chancery at 4101 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 944-6000; there are French Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US—Ambassador Walter J. P. CURLEY; Embassy at 2 AvenueGabriel, 75382 Paris Cedex 08 (mailing address is APO New York 09777);telephone [33] (1) 42-96-12-02 or 42-61-80-75; there are US ConsulatesGeneral in Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, and Strasbourg
_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), white, and red; known as the French Tricouleur (Tricolor); the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags, including those of Belgium, Chad, Ireland, Ivory Coast, and Luxembourg; the official flag for all French dependent areas
_*Economy#_Overview: One of the world's most developed economies, France has substantial agricultural resources and a highly diversified modern industrial sector. Large tracts of fertile land, the application of modern technology, and subsidies have combined to make it the leading agricultural producer in Western Europe. France is largely self-sufficient in agricultural products and is a major exporter of wheat and dairy products. The industrial sector generates about one-quarter of GDP, and the growing services sector has become crucial to the economy. After sluggish growth during the period 1982-87, the economy expanded at a rapid 3.8% pace in 1988-89. The economy slowed down in 1990, with growth of 2.0% expected in 1991. The economy has had difficulty generating enough jobs for new entrants into the labor force, resulting in a high unemployment rate, which probably will rise to around 10% during the slowdown. The steadily advancing economic integration within the European Community is a major force affecting the fortunes of the various economic sectors.
_#_GDP: $873.5 billion, per capita $15,500; real growth rate 2.8% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.7% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 9% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $207.6 billion; expenditures $224.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $34 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $181.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—machinery and transportation equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs, agricultural products, iron and steel products, textiles and clothing;
partners—FRG 16%, Italy 12.1%, UK 9.5%, Spain 9.5%, Netherlands 9.2%, Belgium-Luxembourg 8.9%, US 6.6%, Japan 1.9%, USSR 1.0% (1989 est.)
_#_Imports: $201.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities—crude oil, machinery and equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, iron and steel products;
partners—FRG 19.4%, Italy 11.6%, Belgium-Luxembourg 9.2%, Netherlands 8.6%, US 7.6%, Spain 7.4%, UK 7.1%, Japan 4.1%, USSR 1.4% (1989 est.)
_#_External debt: $59.3 billion (December 1987)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3.7% (1989); accounts for 26% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 109,972,000 kW capacity; 403,570 million kWh produced, 7,210 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: steel, machinery, chemicals, automobiles, metallurgy, aircraft, electronics, mining, textiles, food processing, and tourism
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); one of the world's top five wheat producers; other principal products—beef, dairy products, cereals, sugar beets, potatoes, wine grapes; self-sufficient for most temperate-zone foods; shortages include fats and oils and tropical produce, but overall net exporter of farm products; fish catch of 850,000 metric tons ranks among world's top 20 countries and is all used domestically
_#_Economic aid: donor—ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.1 billion
_#_Currency: French franc (plural—francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.8 (May 1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: French National Railways (SNCF) operates 34,568 km 1.435-meter standard gauge; 11,674 km electrified, 15,132 km double or multiple track; 2,138 km of various gauges (1.000-meter to 1.440-meter), privately owned and operated
_#_Highways: 1,551,400 km total; 33,400 km national highway; 347,000 km departmental highway; 421,000 km community roads; 750,000 km rural roads; 5,401 km of controlled-access divided autoroutes; about 803,000 km paved
_#_Inland waterways: 14,932 km; 6,969 km heavily traveled
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 3,059 km; refined products, 4,487 km; natural gas, 24,746 km
_#_Ports: maritime—Bordeaux, Boulogne, Brest, Cherbourg, Dunkerque, Fos-Sur-Mer, Le Havre, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, Sete, Toulon; inland—42
_#_Merchant marine: 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,141,276 GRT/5,006,695 DWT; includes 8 short-sea passenger, 15 cargo, 18 container, 2 multifunction large-load carrier, 29 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 34 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 8 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 2 specialized tanker, 11 bulk; note—France also maintains a captive register for French-owned ships in the Kerguelen Islands (French Southern and Antarctic Lands) and French Polynesia
_#_Civil air: 195 (1989 est.)
_#_Airports: 470 total, 460 usable; 246 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 34 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 136 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: highly developed system provides satisfactory telephone, telegraph, radio and TV broadcast services; 39,200,000 telephones; stations—40 AM, 138 (777 relays) FM, 216 (8,902 relays) TV; 25 submarine coaxial cables; communication satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT, 3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean, EUTELSAT, MARISAT, and domestic systems
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Army, Navy (including Naval Air), Air Force, National Gendarmerie
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 14,366,492; 12,077,706 fit for military service; 395,128 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $29.7 billion, 3.6% of GDP (1990)%@French Guiana (overseas department of France)*Geography#_Total area: 91,000 km2; land area: 89,150 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
_#_Land boundaries: 1,183 km total; Brazil 673 km, Suriname 510 km
_#_Coastline: 378 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Suriname claims area between Riviere Litani and Riviere Marouini (both headwaters of the Lawa)
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; little seasonal temperature variation
_#_Terrain: low-lying coastal plains rising to hills and small mountains
_#_Natural resources: bauxite, timber, gold (widely scattered), cinnabar, kaolin, fish
_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 82%; other 18%
_#_Environment: mostly an unsettled wilderness
_*People#_Population: 101,603 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—French Guianese (sing., pl.); adjective—French Guiana
_#_Ethnic divisions: black or mulatto 66%; Caucasian 12%; East Indian, Chinese, Amerindian 12%; other 10%
_#_Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
_#_Language: French
_#_Literacy: 82% (male 81%, female 83%) age 15 and over can read and write (1982)
_#_Labor force: 23,265; services, government, and commerce 60.6%, industry 21.2%, agriculture 18.2% (1980)
_#_Organized labor: 7% of labor force
_*Government#_Long-form name: Department of Guiana
_#_Type: overseas department of France
_#_Capital: Cayenne
_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)
_#_Independence: none (overseas department of France)
_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
_#_Legal system: French legal system
_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
_#_Executive branch: French president, commissioner of the republic
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral General Council and a unicameral Regional Council
_#_Judicial branch: highest local court is the Court of Appeals based in Martinique with jurisdiction over Martinique, Guadeloupe, and French Guiana
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981);
Head of Government—Commissioner of the Republic Jean-FrancoisDI CHIARA (since NA 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders:Guianese Socialist Party (PSG), Gerard HOLDER;Rally for the Republic (RPR), Paulin BRUNE;Guyanese Democratic Action (ADG), Andre Lecante;Union for French Democracy (UDF), Claude Ho A CHUCK;National Front (FN), Guy MALON;Popular and National Party of Guiana (PNPG), Claude ROBO;National Anti-Colonist Guianese Party (PANGA), Michel KAPEL
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Regional Council—last held 16 March 1986 (next to be held NA 1991); results—PSG 43%, RPR 27.7%, ADG 12.2%, UDF 8.9%, FN 3.7%, PNPG 1.4%, other 3.1%; seats—(31 total) PSG 15, RPR 9, ADG 4, UDF 3;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) PSG 1;
French National Assembly—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(2 total) PSG 1, RPR 1
_#_Communists: Communist party membership negligible
_#_Member of: FZ, WCL, WFTU
_#_Diplomatic representation: as an overseas department of France the interests of French Guiana are represented in the US by France
_#_Flag: the flag of France is used
_*Economy#_Overview: The economy is tied closely to that of France through subsidies and imports. Besides the French space center at Kourou, fishing and forestry are the most important economic activities, with exports of fish and fish products (mostly shrimp) accounting for more than 60% of total revenue in 1987. The large reserves of tropical hardwoods, not fully exploited, support an expanding sawmill industry that provides sawn logs for export. Cultivation of crops—rice, cassava, bananas, and sugarcane—are limited to the coastal area, where the population is largely concentrated. French Guiana is heavily dependent on imports of food and energy. Unemployment is a serious problem, particularly among younger workers.
_#_GDP: $186 million, per capita $2,240; real growth rate NA% (1985)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.1% (1987)
_#_Unemployment rate: 15% (1987)
_#_Budget: revenues $735 million; expenditures $735 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1987)
_#_Exports: $54.0 million (f.o.b., 1987);
commodities—shrimp, timber, rum, rosewood essence;
partners—France 31%, US 22%, Japan 10% (1987)
_#_Imports: $394.0 million (c.i.f., 1987);
commodities—food (grains, processed meat), other consumer goods, producer goods, petroleum;
partners—France 62%, Trinidad and Tobago 9%, US 4%, FRG 3% (1987)
_#_External debt: $1.2 billion (1988)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 92,000 kW capacity; 185 million kWh produced, 1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: construction, shrimp processing, forestry products, rum, gold mining
_#_Agriculture: some vegetables for local consumption; rice, corn, manioc, cocoa, bananas, sugar; livestock—cattle, pigs, poultry
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.25 billion
_#_Currency: French franc (plural—francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1—5.1307 (January 1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Highways: 680 km total; 510 km paved, 170 km improved and unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 460 km, navigable by small oceangoing vessels and river and coastal steamers; 3,300 km possibly navigable by native craft
_#_Ports: Cayenne
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 10 total, 10 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: fair open wire and radio relay system; 18,100 telephones; stations—5 AM, 7 FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: French Forces, Gendarmerie
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49 28,650; 18,903 fit for military service
_#Note: defense is the responsibility of France%@French Polynesia (overseas territory of France)*Geography#_Total area: 3,941 km2; land area: 3,660 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than one-third the size of Connecticut
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 2,525 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical, but moderate
_#_Terrain: mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs
_#_Natural resources: timber, fish, cobalt
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 19%; meadows and pastures 5%; forest and woodland 31%; other 44%
_#_Environment: occasional cyclonic storm in January; includes five archipelagoes
_#_Note: Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean—the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru
_*People#_Population: 195,046 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 31 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.9 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—French Polynesian(s); adjective—French Polynesian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%
_#_Religion: mainly Christian; Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 16%
_#_Language: French (official), Tahitian
_#_Literacy: 98% (male 98%, female 98%) age 14 and over but definition of literacy not available (1977)
_#_Labor force: 76,630 employed (1988)
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*Government#_Long-form name: Territory of French Polynesia
_#_Type: overseas territory of France since 1946
_#_Capital: Papeete
_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent; note—Clipperton Island is administered from French Polynesia and may have become a dependency of French Polynesia
_#_Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
_#_Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
_#_Legal system: based on French system
_#_National holiday: Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
_#_Executive branch: French president, high commissioner of the republic, president of the Council of Ministers, vice president of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); High Commissioner of the Republic Jean MONTPEZAT (since NA November 1987);
Head of Government—President of the Council of MinistersGaston FLOSSE (since 10 May 1991);Vice President of the Council of Ministers NA
_#_Political parties and leaders: People's Rally (Tahoeraa Huiraatira; Gaullist), Gaston FLOSSE; Polynesian Union Party (Te Tiarama; centrist), Alexandre LEONTIEFF; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api), Emile VERNAUDON; Polynesian Liberation Front (Tavini Huiraatira), Oscar TEMARU; other small parties
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Territorial Assembly—last held 17 March 1991 (next to be held March 1996); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(41 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 18, Polynesian Union Party 14, New Fatherland Party 5, other 4;
French Senate—last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(1 total) party NA;
French National Assembly last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(2 total) People's Rally (Gaullist) 1, New Fatherland Party 1
_#_Member of: FZ, SPC, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: as an overseas territory of France, French Polynesian interests are represented in the US by France
_#_Flag: the flag of France is used
_*Economy#_Overview: Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. Tourism accounts for about 20% of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings.
_#_GDP: $1.2 billion, per capita $6,300; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1989 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 8% (1986 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $614 million; expenditures $957 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
_#_Exports: $75 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities—coconut products 79%, mother-of-pearl 14%, vanilla, shark meat;
partners—France 54%, US 17%, Japan 17%
_#_Imports: $806 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities—fuels, foodstuffs, equipment;
partners—France 53%, US 11%, Australia 6%, NZ 5%
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 72,000 kW capacity; 265 million kWh produced, 1,390 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts
_#_Agriculture: coconut and vanilla plantations; vegetables and fruit; poultry, beef, dairy products
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.95 billion
_#_Currency: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (plural—francs); 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1—93.28 (January 1991), 99.00 (1990), 115.99 (1989), 108.30 (1988), 109.27 (1987), 125.92 (1986), 163.35 (1985); note—linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Highways: 600 km (1982)
_#_Ports: Papeete, Bora-bora
_#_Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,128 GRT/6,710 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 1 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo; note—a captive subset of the French register
_#_Civil air: about 6 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 43 total, 41 usable; 23 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 33,200 telephones; 84,000 radio receivers; 26,400 TV sets; stations—5 AM, 2 FM, 6 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,844; NA fit for military service
_#Note: defense is responsibility of France%@French Southern and Antarctic Lands (overseas territory of France)*Geography#_Total area: 7,781 km2; land area: 7,781 km2; includes Ile Amsterdam, Ile Saint-Paul, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Crozet; excludes Terre Adelie claim of about 500,000 km2 in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of Delaware
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 1,232 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (Iles Kerguelen only);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica is not recognized by the US
_#_Climate: antarctic
_#_Terrain: volcanic
_#_Natural resources: fish, crayfish
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: Ile Amsterdam and Ile Saint-Paul are extinct volcanoes
_#_Note: located in the southern Indian Ocean about equidistant between Africa, Antarctica, and Australia
_*People#_Population: summer (January 1991)—180, winter (July 1991)—150, growth rate 0.0% (1991); note—mostly researchers
_*Government#_Long-form name: Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands
_#_Type: overseas territory of France since 1955; governed by High Administrator Bernard de GOUTTES (since NA May 1990), who is assisted by a 7-member Consultative Council and a 12-member Scientific Council
_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 3 districts named Ile Crozet, Iles Kerguelen, and Iles Saint-Paul et Amsterdam; excludes Terre Adelie claim in Antarctica that is not recognized by the US
_#_Flag: the flag of France is used
_*Economy#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to servicing meteorological and geophysical research stations and French and other fishing fleets. The fishing catches landed on Iles Kerguelen by foreign ships are exported to France and Reunion.
_#_Budget: $33.6 million (1990)
_*Communications#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
_#_Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 220,392 GRT/350,131 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 2 bulk; note—a captive subset of the French register
_#_Telecommunications: NA
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: French Forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force)
_#Note: defense is the responsibility of France%@Gabon*Geography#_Total area: 267,670 km2; land area: 257,670 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
_#_Land boundaries: 2,551 km total; Cameroon 298 km, Congo 1,903 km, Equatorial Guinea 350 km
_#_Coastline: 885 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Equatorial Guinea because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay
_#_Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain; hilly interior; savanna in east and south
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, manganese, uranium, gold, timber, iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 18%; forest and woodland 78%; other 2%
_#_Environment: deforestation
_*People#_Population: 1,079,980 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 104 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 56 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 4.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Gabonese (sing., pl.); adjective—Gabonese
_#_Ethnic divisions: about 40 Bantu tribes, including four major tribal groupings (Fang, Eshira, Bapounou, Bateke); about 100,000 expatriate Africans and Europeans, including 27,000 French
_#_Religion: Christian 55-75%, Muslim less than 1%, remainder animist
_#_Language: French (official), Fang, Myene, Bateke, Bapounou/Eschira, Bandjabi
_#_Literacy: 61% (male 74%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 120,000 salaried; agriculture 65.0%, industry and commerce 30.0%, services 2.5%, government 2.5%; 58% of population of working age (1983)
_#_Organized labor: there are 38,000 members of the national trade union, the Gabonese Trade Union Confederation (COSYGA)