_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm;
Military boundary line: 50 nm in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea (all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned)
_#_Disputes: short section of boundary with China is indefinite; Demarcation Line with South Korea
_#_Climate: temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer
_#_Terrain: mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east
_#_Natural resources: coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower
_#_Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 74%; other 7%; includes irrigated 9%
_#_Environment: mountainous interior is isolated, nearly inaccessible, and sparsely populated; late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding
_#_Note: strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and USSR
_*People#_Population: 21,814,656 (July 1991), growth rate 1.9% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 24 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: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 72 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Korean(s); adjective—Korean
_#_Ethnic divisions: racially homogeneous
_#_Religion: Buddhism and Confucianism; religious activities now almost nonexistent
_#_Language: Korean
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: 9,615,000; agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64%; shortage of skilled and unskilled labor (mid-1987 est.)
_#_Organized labor: 1,600,000 members; single-trade union system coordinated by the General Federation of Trade Unions of Korea under the Central Committee
_*Government#_Long-form name: Democratic People's Republic of Korea; abbreviated DPRK
_#_Type: Communist state; dictatorship
_#_Capital: P'yongyang
_#_Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 3 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Chagang-do, Hamgyong-namdo, Hamgyong-bukto, Hwanghae-namdo, Hwanghae-bukto, Kaesong-si*, Kangwon-do, Namp'o-si*, P'yongan-bukto, P'yongan-namdo, P'yongyang-si*, Yanggang-do
_#_Independence: 9 September 1948
_#_Constitution: adopted 1948, revised 27 December 1972
_#_Legal system: based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 9 September (1948)
_#_Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, premier, eleven vice premiers, State Administration Council (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme People's Assembly (Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui)
_#_Judicial branch: Central Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President KIM Il-song (since 28 December 1972); Designated Successor KIM Chong-il (son of President, born 16 February 1942);
Head of Government—Premier YON Hyong-muk (since NA December 1988)
_#_Political parties and leaders: major party—Korean Workers' Party (KWP), KIM Il-song, general secretary, and his son, KIM Chong-il, secretary, Central Committee; Korean Social Democratic Party, YI Kye-paek, chairman; Chondoist Chongu Party, CHONG Sin-hyok, chairman
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 17
_#_Elections:
President—last held 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); results—President KIM Il-song was reelected without opposition;
Supreme People's Assembly—last held on 24 May 1990 (next to be held 1994); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(687 total) the KWP approves a single list of candidates who are elected without opposition; minor parties hold a few seats
_#_Communists: KWP claims membership of about 3 million
_#_Member of: FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, IFAD, IMF (observer), IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: none
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star
_*Economy#_Overview: More than 90% of this command economy is socialized; agricultural land is collectivized; and state-owned industry produces 95% of manufactured goods. State control of economic affairs is unusually tight even for a Communist country because of the small size and homogeneity of the society and the strict one-man rule of Kim. Economic growth during the period 1984-90 averaged approximately 3%. Abundant natural resources and hydropower form the basis of industrial development. Output of the extractive industries includes coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals. Manufacturing emphasis is centered on heavy industry, with light industry lagging far behind. Despite the use of high-yielding seed varieties, expansion of irrigation, and the heavy use of fertilizers, North Korea has not yet become self-sufficient in food production. Four consecutive years of poor harvests, coupled with distribution problems, have led to chronic food shortages. North Korea remains far behind South Korea in economic development and living standards.
_#_GNP: $29.7 billion, per capita $1,390; real growth rate 2% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: officially none
_#_Budget: revenues $15.6 billion; expenditures $15.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
_#_Exports: $1.95 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—minerals, metallurgical products, agricultural products, manufactures;
partners—USSR, China, Japan, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
_#_Imports: $2.85 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—petroleum, machinery and equipment, coking coal, grain;
partners—USSR, Japan, China, Hong Kong, FRG, Singapore
_#_External debt: $7 billion (1991)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 6,440,000 kW capacity; 40,250 million kWh produced, 1,890 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: machine building, military products, electric power, chemicals, mining, metallurgy, textiles, food processing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 25% of GNP and 36% of work force; principal crops—rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; livestock and livestock products—cattle, hogs, pork, eggs; not self-sufficient in grain; fish catch estimated at 1.7 million metric tons in 1987
_#_Economic aid: Communist countries, $1.4 billion a year in the 1980s
_#_Currency: North Korean won (plural—won); 1 North Korean won (Wn) = 100 chon
_#_Exchange rates: North Korean won (Wn) per US$1—2.2 (March 1991), 2.1 (January 1990), 2.3 (December 1989), 2.13 (December 1988), 0.94 (March 1987), NA (1986), NA (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: 4,535 km total; 3,870 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 665 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge; 159 km double track; 3,175 km electrified; government owned (1989)
_#_Highways: about 30,000 km (1989); 98.5% gravel, crushed stone, or earth surface; 1.5% concrete or bituminous
_#_Inland waterways: 2,253 km; mostly navigable by small craft only
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 37 km
_#_Ports: Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam, Namp'o, Wonsan, Songnim, Najin, Sonbong
_#_Merchant marine: 68 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 465,801 GRT/709,442 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 58 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 bulk, 1 combination bulk
_#_Airports: 55 total, 55 usable (est.); about 30 with permanent-surface runways; fewer than 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 30 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: stations—18 AM, no FM, 11 TV; 200,000 TV sets; 3,500,000 radio receivers; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Korean People's Army (includes of the Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,381,859; 3,899,606 fit for military service; 214,690 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 20-25% of GNP (1991 est.); note—the officially announced but suspect figure is $1.7 billion, 6% of GNP (1991 est.)%@Korea, South*Geography#_Total area: 98,480 km2; land area: 98,190 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Indiana
_#_Land boundary: 238 km with North Korea
_#_Coastline: 2,413 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific
Territorial sea: 12 nm (3 nm in the Korea Strait)
_#_Disputes: Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks claimed by Japan
_#_Climate: temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter
_#_Terrain: mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south
_#_Natural resources: coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower
_#_Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 67%; other 10%; includes irrigated 12%
_#_Environment: occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; earthquakes in southwest; air pollution in large cities
_#_Notes: strategic location along the Korea Strait, Sea of Japan, and Yellow Sea
_*People#_Population: 43,134,386 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 73 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Korean(s); adjective—Korean
_#_Ethnic divisions: homogeneous; small Chinese minority (about 20,000)
_#_Religion: strong Confucian tradition; vigorous Christian minority (28% of the total population); Buddhism; pervasive folk religion (Shamanism); Chondokyo (religion of the heavenly way), eclectic religion with nationalist overtones founded in 19th century, claims about 1.5 million adherents
_#_Language: Korean; English widely taught in high school
_#_Literacy: 96% (male 99%, female 94%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 16,900,000; 52% services and other; 27% mining and manufacturing; 21% agriculture, fishing, forestry (1987)
_#_Organized labor: about 10% of nonagricultural labor force in government-sanctioned unions
_*Government#_Long-form name: Republic of Korea; abbreviated ROK
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Seoul
_#_Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 6 special cities* (jikhalsi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-jikhalsi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-jikhalsi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-jikhalsi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-jikhalsi*, Taejon-jikhalsi*
_#_Independence: 15 August 1948
_#_Constitution: 25 February 1988
_#_Legal system: combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 15 August (1948)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, State Council (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Kuk Hoe)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President ROH Tae Woo (since 25 February 1988);
Head of Government—Prime Minister CHUNG Won Shik (since 24 May 1991); Deputy Prime Minister CHOI Kak Kyu (since 19 February 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
ruling party—Democratic Liberal Party (DLP), ROH Tae Woo, president, KIM Young Sam, chairman; note—the DLP resulted from a merger of the Democratic Justice Party (DJP), Reunification Democratic Party (RDP), and New Democratic Republican Party (NDRP) on 9 February 1990;
opposition—New Democratic Party (NDP, formerly Party for Peace and Democracy or PPD), KIM Dae Jung, president; Democratic Party (DP), YI Ki Taek; several smaller parties
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 20
_#_Elections:
President—last held on 16 December 1987 (next to be heldDecember 1992);results—ROH Tae Woo (DJP) 35.9%, KIM Young Sam (RDP) 27.5%,KIM Dae Jung (PPD) 26.5%, other 10.1%;
National Assembly—last held on 26 April 1988 (next to be held April 1992); results—DJP 34%, RDP 24%, PPD 19%, NDRP 15%, other 8%; seats—(299 total) DJP 125, PPD 70, RDP 59, NDRP 35, other 10; note—on 9 February 1990 the DJP, RDP, and NDRP merged to form the DLP; also the PPD became the NDP; as a result the distribution of seats changed to DLP 218, NDP 70, other 11 (June 1990)
_#_Communists: Communist party activity banned by government
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Korean National Council ofChurches; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Council ofCollege Student Representatives; National Federation of Farmers'Associations; National Council of Labor Unions; Federation of KoreanTrade Unions; Korean Veterans' Association; Federation of KoreanIndustries; Korean Traders Association
_#_Member of: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador HYUN Hong Joo; Chancery at 2320 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-5600; there are Korean Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle;
US—Ambassador Donald P. GREGG; Embassy at 82 Sejong-Ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96301); telephone [82] (2) 732-2601 through 2618; there is a US Consulate in Pusan
_#_Flag: white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field
_*Economy#_Overview: The driving force behind the economy's dynamic growth has been the planned development of an export-oriented economy in a vigorously entrepreneurial society. Real GNP—which grew by 6.7% in 1989 after an average annual growth of over 12% between 1986-88—grew about 9% in 1990. Labor unrest—which led to substantial wage hikes in 1987-88—was noticeably calmer in 1990, unemployment averaged a low 2.5%, and investment was strong. Inflation rates, however, are beginning to challenge South Korea's strong economic performance. Consumer prices rose 8.6%, the highest rate in nine years. Policymakers are concerned higher prices could lead to a resurgence of labor unrest.
_#_GNP: $238 billion, per capita $5,600; real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 2.5% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $38 billion; expenditures $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
_#_Exports: $65 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—textiles, clothing, electronic and electrical equipment, footwear, machinery, steel, automobiles, ships, fish;
partners—US 30%, Japan 19%
_#_Imports: $70 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities—machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains;
partners—Japan 27%, US 24% (1990)
_#_External debt: $31.7 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8.6% (1990 est.); accounts for about 45% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 21,000,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 1,970 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing, chemicals, steel, electronics, automobile production, ship building
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP and employs 21% of work force (including fishing and forestry); principal crops—rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; livestock and livestock products—cattle, hogs, chickens, milk, eggs; self-sufficient in food, except for wheat; fish catch of 2.9 million metric tons, seventh-largest in world
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $3.9 billion; non-US countries (1970-89), $3.0 billion
_#_Currency: South Korean won (plural—won); 1 South Korean won (W) = 100 chon (theoretical)
_#_Exchange rates: South Korean won (W) per US$1—718.14 (January 1991), 707.76 (1990), 671.46 (1989), 731.47 (1988), 822.57 (1987), 881.45 (1986), 870.02 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: 3,106 km operating in 1983; 3,059 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 47 km 0.610-meter narrow gauge, 712 km double track, 418 km electrified; government owned
_#_Highways: 62,936 km total (1982); 13,476 km national highway, 49,460 km provincial and local roads
_#_Inland waterways: 1,609 km; use restricted to small native craft
_#_Pipelines: 455 km refined products
_#_Ports: Pusan, Inchon, Kunsan, Mokpo, Ulsan
_#_Merchant marine: 439 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,182,519 GRT/11,906,897 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 138 cargo, 45 container, 11 refrigerated cargo, 11 vehicle carrier, 48 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 10 chemical tanker, 13 liquefied gas, 7 combination ore/oil, 146 bulk, 7 combination bulk, 1 multifunction large-load carrier
_#_Civil air: 93 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 110 total, 102 usable; 60 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 17 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate domestic and international services; 4,800,000 telephones; stations—79 AM, 46 FM, 256 TV (57 of 1 kW or greater); satellite earth stations—2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines), Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,859,511; 8,294,624 fit for military service; 429,088 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $10.4 billion, 4.5% of GNP (1991)%@Kuwait*Geography#_Total area: 17,820 km2; land area: 17,820 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than New Jersey
_#_Land boundaries: 462 km total; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
_#_Coastline: 499 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait from 2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept its internationally recognized border with Kuwait, ended earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
_#_Climate: dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
_#_Terrain: flat to slightly undulating desert plain
_#_Natural resources: petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution; desertification
_#_Note: strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
_*People#_Population: 2,204,400 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 2 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Kuwaiti(s); adjective—Kuwaiti
_#_Ethnic divisions: Kuwaiti 27.9%, other Arab 39%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%, other 20.1%
_#_Religion: Muslim 85% (Shia 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian, Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
_#_Language: Arabic (official); English widely spoken
_#_Literacy: 74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
_#_Labor force: 566,000 (1986); services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade 12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%, agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying 1.4%; 70% of labor force was non-Kuwaiti
_#_Organized labor: labor unions exist in oil industry and among government personnel
_*Government#_Long-form name: State of Kuwait
_#_Type: nominal constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Kuwait
_#_Administrative divisions: 4 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Al Ahmadi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, Hawalli; note—there may be a new governorate of Farwaniyyah
_#_Independence: 19 June 1961 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August 1962)
_#_Legal system: civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 25 February
_#_Executive branch: amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: National Assembly (Majlis al Umma) dissolved 3 July 1986
_#_Judicial branch: High Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Amir Shaykh Jabir al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-SABAH (since 31 December 1977);
Head of Government—Prime Minister and Crown Prince Sad al-Abdallah al-Salim al-SABAH (since 8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister Salim al-Sabah al-Salim al-SABAH
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male descendants at age 21; note—out of all citizens, only 8.3% are eligible to vote and only 3.5% actually vote
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for October 1992
_#_Communists: insignificant
_#_Other political or pressure groups: large (150,000) Palestinian community; several small, clandestine leftist and Shia fundamentalist groups are active; prodemocracy opposition
_#_Member of: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO,G-77, GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Shaykh Saud Nasir al-SABAH; Chancery at 2940 Tilden Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 966-0702;
US—Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar (opposite the Hilton Hotel), Kuwait City (mailing address is P. O. Box 77 Safat, 13001 Safat, Kuwait City); telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
_*Economy#_Overview: Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil sector had dominated the economy. Kuwait has the third-largest oil reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Earnings from hydrocarbons generated over 90% of both export and government revenues and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most of the nonoil sector has traditionally been dependent upon oil-derived government revenues. Iraq's destruction of Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war has devastated the economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80% of Kuwait's 950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaging key surface facilities. Western firefighters had brought about 140 of the 600 oil well fires and blowouts under control as of early June 1991. It could take two to three years to restore Kuwait's oil production to its prewar level of about 2.0 million barrels per day.
_#_GDP: $19.8 billion, per capita $9,700; real growth rate 3.5% (1989)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.3% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 0% (1989)
_#_Budget: revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
_#_Exports: $11.5 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—oil 90%;
partners—Japan, Italy, FRG, US
_#_Imports: $6.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities—food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing;
partners—Japan, US, FRG, UK
_#_External debt: $7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 8,290,000 kW capacity; 10,000 million kWh produced, 5,000 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing, salt, construction
_#_Agriculture: virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of potable water must be distilled or imported
_#_Economic aid: donor—pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less developed countries (1979-89)
_#_Currency: Kuwaiti dinar (plural—dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) = 1,000 fils
_#_Exchange rates: Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1—0.2915 (January 1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786 (1987), 0.2919 (1986), 0.3007 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications#_Highways: 3,000 km total; 2,500 km bituminous; 500 km earth, sand, light gravel
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 877 km; refined products, 40 km; natural gas, 165 km
_#_Ports: Ash Shuaybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina al Ahmadi
_#_Merchant marine: 31 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,332,159 GRT/2,099,303 DWT; includes 1 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 20 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 1 bulk; note—all Kuwaiti ships greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti waters at the time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf states; Kuwaiti tankers are currently managed from London and Kuwaiti cargo and container ships are managed from Dubai
_#_Civil air: 19 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: excellent international, adequate domestic facilities; 258,000 telephones; stations—3 AM, 2 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations—1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and radio relay to Iraq and Saudi Arabia
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 738,812; 441,611 fit for military service; 19,452 reach military age (18) annually
_#Defense expenditures: $1.1 billion, 4.8% of GDP (1990)%@Laos*Geography#_Total area: 236,800 km2; land area: 230,800 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Utah
_#_Land boundaries: 5,083 km total; Burma 235 km, Cambodia 541 km, China 423 km, Thailand 1,754 km, Vietnam 2,130 km
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Disputes: boundary dispute with Thailand
_#_Climate: tropical monsoon; rainy season (May to November); dry season (December to April)
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged mountains; some plains and plateaus
_#_Natural resources: timber, hydropower, gypsum, tin, gold, gemstones
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 58%; other 35%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: deforestation; soil erosion; subject to floods
_#_Note: landlocked
_*People#_Population: 4,113,223 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 124 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Lao (sing., Lao or Laotian); adjective—Lao or Laotian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Lao 50%, Phoutheung (Kha) 15%, tribal Thai 20%, Meo, Hmong, Yao, and other 15%
_#_Religion: Buddhist 85%, animist and other 15%
_#_Language: Lao (official), French, and English
_#_Literacy: 84% (male 92%, female 76%) age 15 to 45 can read and write (1985 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1-1.5 million; 85-90% in agriculture (est.)
_#_Organized labor: Lao Federation of Trade Unions is subordinate to the Communist party
_*Government#_Long-form name: Lao People's Democratic Republic
_#_Type: Communist state
_#_Capital: Vientiane
_#_Administrative divisions: 16 provinces (khoueng, singular and plural) and 1 municipality* (kampheng nakhon, singular and plural); Attapu, Bokeo, Bolikhamsai, Champasak, Houaphan, Khammouan, Louang Namtha, Louangphrabang, Oudomxai, Phongsali, Saravan, Savannakhet, Sekong, Vientiane, Vientiane*, Xaignabouri, Xiangkhoang
_#_Independence: 19 July 1949 (from France)
_#_Constitution: draft constitution under discussion since 1976
_#_Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day (proclamation of the Lao People's Democratic Republic), 2 December (1975)
_#_Executive branch: president, chairman and four vice chairmen of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: Supreme People's Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—President KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN (since 15August 1991);
Head of Government—Chairman of the Council of Ministers GeneralGen. KHAMTAI SIPHANDON (since 15 August 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Lao People's Revolutionary Party (LPRP), KAYSONE PHOMVIHAN, party chairman; includes Lao Patriotic Front and Alliance Committee of Patriotic Neutralist Forces; other parties moribund
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Supreme People's Assembly—last held on 26 March 1989 (next to be held NA); results—percent of vote by party NA; seats—(79 total) number of seats by party NA
_#_Other political or pressure groups: non-Communist political groups moribund; most leaders have fled the country
_#_Member of: ACCT (associate), AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Charge d'Affaires LINTHONG PHETSAVAN; Chancery at 2222 S Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6416 or 6417;
US—Charge d'Affaires Charles B. SALMON, Jr.; Embassy at RueBartholonie, Vientiane (mailing address is B. P. 114, Vientiane, orBox V, APO San Francisco 96346); telephone 2220, 2357, 2384
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), blue (double width), and red with a large white disk centered in the blue band
_*Economy#_Overview: One of the world's poorest nations, Laos has had a Communist centrally planned economy with government ownership and control of productive enterprises of any size. Recently, however, the government has been decentralizing control and encouraging private enterprise. Laos is a landlocked country with a primitive infrastructure, that is, it has no railroads, a rudimentary road system, limited external and internal telecommunications, and electricity available in only a limited area. Subsistence agriculture is the main occupation, accounting for over 60% of GDP and providing about 85-90% of total employment. The predominant crop is rice. For the foreseeable future the economy will continue to depend for its survival on foreign aid from the IMF and other international sources; foreign aid from the USSR and Eastern Europe is being cut sharply.
_#_GDP: $600 million, per capita $150; real growth rate 5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 21% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $83 million; expenditures $188.5 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $72 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities—electricity, wood products, coffee, tin;
partners—Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam, USSR, US
_#_Imports: $238 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities—food, fuel oil, consumer goods, manufactures;
partners—Thailand, USSR, Japan, France, Vietnam
_#_External debt: $1.1 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 8% (1989 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 176,000 kW capacity; 1,100 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tin mining, timber, electric power, agricultural processing, construction
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 60% of GDP and employs most of the work force; subsistence farming predominates; normally self-sufficient in non-drought years; principal crops—rice (80% of cultivated land), sweet potatoes, vegetables, corn, coffee, sugarcane, cotton; livestock—buffaloes, hogs, cattle, chicken
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and opium poppy for the international drug trade
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $276 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $546 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $995 million
_#_Currency: new kip (plural—kips); 1 new kip (NK) = 100 at
_#_Exchange rates: new kips (NK) per US$1—695 (April 1991), 700 (September 1990), 576 (1989), 385 (1988), 200 (1987), 108 (1986), 95 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*Communications#_Highways: about 27,527 km total; 1,856 km bituminous or bituminous treated; 7,451 km gravel, crushed stone, or improved earth; 18,220 km unimproved earth and often impassable during rainy season mid-May to mid-September
_#_Inland waterways: about 4,587 km, primarily Mekong and tributaries; 2,897 additional kilometers are sectionally navigable by craft drawing less than 0.5 m
_#_Pipelines: 136 km, refined products
_#_Ports: none
_#_Airports: 65 total, 51 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 13 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: service to general public considered poor; radio network provides generally erratic service to government users; 7,390 telephones (1986); stations—10 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Lao People's Army (LPA; including naval, aviation, and militia elements), Air Force, National Police Department
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 991,864; 531,084 fit for military service; 45,548 reach military age (18) annually; conscription age NA
_#Defense expenditures: $NA, 3.8% of GDP (1987)%@Lebanon*Geography#_Total area: 10,400 km2; land area: 10,230 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut
_#_Land boundaries: 454 km total; Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
_#_Coastline: 225 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in northern Lebanon since October 1976
_#_Climate: Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry summers
_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa (Bekaa Valley) separates Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
_#_Natural resources: limestone, iron ore, salt; water-surplus state in a water-deficit region
_#_Land use: arable land 21%; permanent crops 9%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 8%; other 61%; includes irrigated 7%
_#_Environment: rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan, ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water pollution; desertification
_#_Note: Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an international boundary
_*People#_Population: 3,384,626 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 71 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun—Lebanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Lebanese
_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
_#_Religion: Islam 75%, Christian 25%, Judaism NEGL%; 17 legally recognized sects—4 Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 7 Uniate Christian (Armenian Catholic, Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Protestant, Roman Catholic, Syrian Catholic), 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze, Ismailite, Shia, Sunni), and 1 Jewish
_#_Language: Arabic and French (both official); Armenian, English
_#_Literacy: 80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 650,000; industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture 11%, goverment 10% (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 250,000 members (est.)
_*Government#_Note: Between early 1975 and late 1976 Lebanon was torn by civil war between its Christians—then aided by Syrian troops—and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire established in October 1976 between the domestic political groups generally held for about six years, despite occasional fighting. Syrian troops constituted as the Arab Deterrent Force by the Arab League have remained in Lebanon. Syria's move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims and the Palestinians and Israel's growing support for Lebanese Christians brought the two sides into rough equilibrium, but no progress was made toward national reconciliation or political reforms—the original cause of the war.
Continuing Israeli concern about the Palestinian presence in Lebanon led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982. Israeli forces occupied all of the southern portion of the country and mounted a summer-long siege of Beirut, which resulted in the evacuation of the PLO from Beirut in September under the supervision of a multinational force (MNF) made up of US, French, and Italian troops.
Within days of the departure of the MNF, Lebanon's newly elected president, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated. In the wake of his death, Christian militiamen massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut camps. This prompted the return of the MNF to ease the security burden on Lebanon's weak Army and security forces. In late March 1984 the last MNF units withdrew.
Lebanese Parliamentarians met in Taif, Saudi Arabia in late 1989 and concluded a national reconciliation pact that codified a new power-sharing formula, specifiying a Christian president but giving Muslims more authority. Rene Muawad was subsequently elected president on 4 November 1989, ending a 13-month period during which Lebanon had no president and rival Muslim and Christian governments. Muawad was assassinated 17 days later, on 22 November; on 24 November Ilyas Harawi was elected to succeed Muawad.
In October 1990, the chances for ending the 16 year old civil war and implementing Ta'if were markedly improved when Syrian and Lebanese forces ousted renegade Christian General Awn from his stronghold in East Beirut. Awn had defied the legitimate government and established a separate mini-state within East Beirut after being appointed acting Prime Minister by outgoing President Gemayel in 1988. Awn and his supporters feared Ta'if would diminish Christian power in Lebanon and increase the influence of Syria.
Since the removal of Awn, the Lebanese Government has reunited the capital city and implemented a phased plan to disarm the militias and gradually reestablish authority throughout Lebanon. The army has deployed from Beirut north along the coast road to Tripoli, southeast into the Shuf mountains, and south to the vicinity of Sidon. Many militiamen from Christian and Muslim groups have evacuated Beirut for their strongholds in the north, south, and east of the country. Some heavy weapons possessed by the militias have been turned over to the government, which has begun a plan to integrate some militiamen into the military and the internal security forces.
Lebanon and Syria signed a treaty of friendship and cooperation in May 1991. Lebanon continues to be partially occupied by Syrian troops, which are deployed in East and West Beirut, its southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley, and throughout northern Lebanon.
Iran also maintains a small contingent of revolutionary guards in the Bekaa Valley and South Lebanon to support Lebanese Islamic fundamentalist groups.
Israel withdrew the bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, although it still retains troops in a 10-km-deep security zone north of its border with Lebanon. Israel arms and trains the Army of South Lebanon (ASL), which also occupies the security zone and is Israel's first line of defense against attacks on its northern border.
The following description is based on the present constitutionaland customary practices of the Lebanese system.
_#_Long-form name: Republic of Lebanon; note—may be changed to Lebanese Republic
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Beirut
_#_Administrative divisions: 5 governorates (muhafazat, singular—muhafazah); Al Biqa, Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
_#_Independence: 22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under French administration)
_#_Constitution: 26 May 1926 (amended)
_#_Legal system: mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet; note—by custom, the president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shia Muslim
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Arabic—Majlis Alnuwab, French—Assemblee Nationale)
_#_Judicial branch: four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State—Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989);
Head of Government—Prime Minister Umar KARAMI (since 20December 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: political party activity is organized along largely sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist, consisting of individual political figures and followers motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations; most parties have well-armed militias, which are still involved in occasional clashes
_#_Suffrage: compulsory for all males at age 21; authorized for women at age 21 with elementary education
_#_Elections:
National Assembly—elections should be held every four years but security conditions have prevented elections since May 1972
_#_Communists: the Lebanese Communist Party was legalized in 1970; members and sympathizers estimated at 2,000-3,000
_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24,G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Nassib S. LAHOUD; Chancery at 2560 28th Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6300; there are Lebanese Consulates General in Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles;
US—Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER; Embassy at Antelias, Beirut (mailing address is P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut, and FPO New York 09530); telephone [961] 417774 or 415802, 415803, 402200, 403300
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width), and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the white band
_*Economy#_Overview: Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's economic infrastructure, disrupted economic activity, and all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern entrepot and banking hub. Following October 1990, however, a tentative peace has enabled the central government to begin restoring control in Beirut, collect taxes, and regain access to key port and government facilities. The battered economy has also been propped up by a financially sound banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale manufacturers. Family remittances, foreign financial support to political factions, the narcotics trade, and international emergency aid are main sources of foreign exchange. Economic prospects for 1991 have brightened, particularly if the Syrian-backed government is able to maintain law and order and reestablish business confidence. Rebuilding war-ravaged Beirut is likely to provide a major stimulus to the Lebanese economy in 1991.
_#_GDP: $3.3 billion, per capita $1,000; real growth rate - 15% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 100% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 35% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $120 million; expenditures $1.0 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities—agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products;
partners—Saudi Arabia 16%, Switzerland 8%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 6%, US 5%
_#_Imports: $1.9 billion (c.i.f., 1989 est.);
commodities—NA;
partners—Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
_#_External debt: $900 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 1,381,000 kW capacity; 3,870 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining, chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating
_#_Agriculture: accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products—citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp (hashish), sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in grain
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; opium poppy production in Al Biqa is increasing; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe, Israel, and the Middle East
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $356 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $608 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $962 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $9 million
_#_Currency: Lebanese pound (plural—pounds); 1 Lebanese pound (5L) = 100 piasters
_#_Exchange rates: Lebanese pounds (5L) per US$1—974.22 (January 1991), 695.09 (1990), 496.69 (1989), 409.23 (1988), 224.60 (1987), 38.37 (1986), 16.42 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*Communications#_Railroads: 378 km total; 296 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 82 km 1.050-meter gauge; all single track; system almost entirely inoperable
_#_Highways: 7,370 km total; 6,270 km paved, 450 km gravel and crushed stone, 650 km improved earth
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 72 km (none in operation)
_#_Ports: Beirut, Tripoli, Ras Silata, Juniyah, Sidon, Az Zahrani, Tyre, Shikka; northern ports are occupied by Syrian forces and southern ports are occupied or partially quarantined by Israeli forces
_#_Merchant marine: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 257,220 GRT/379,691 DWT; includes 39 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 container, 8 livestock carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk, 1 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 9 total, 8 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m; none under the direct control of the Lebanese Government
_#_Telecommunications: rebuilding program disrupted; had fair system of radio relay, cable; 325,000 telephones; stations—5 AM, 3 FM, 15 TV; 1 inactive Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth station; 3 submarine coaxial cables; radio relay to Jordan and Syria, inoperable
_*Defense Forces#_Branches: Army (includes Navy and Air Force)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 725,974; 449,912 fit for military service
_#Defense expenditures: $168 million, 7.3% of GDP (1991)%@Lesotho*Geography#_Total area: 30,350 km2; land area: 30,350 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
_#_Land boundary: 909 km with South Africa
_#_Coastline: none—landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none—landlocked
_#_Climate: temperate; cool to cold, dry winters; hot, wet summers
_#_Terrain: mostly highland with some plateaus, hills, and mountains
_#_Natural resources: some diamonds and other minerals, water, agricultural and grazing land