Digraph: WF
Type: overseas territory of France
Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France)
Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981)head of government: High Administrator Philippe LEGRIX (since NA);President of the Territorial Assembly Soane Mani UHILA (since NA March1992)cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of 3 kings and 3 membersappointed by the high administrator on advice of the TerritorialAssemblynote: there are three traditional kings with limited powers
Legislative branch: unicameralTerritorial Assembly (Assemblee Territoriale): elections last held 15March 1987 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by partyNA; seats - (20 total) RPR 7, UPL 5, UDF 4, UNF 4French Senate: elections last held 24 September 1989 (next to be heldby NA September 1998); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats -(1 total) RPR 1French National Assembly: elections last held 21 and 28 March 1992(next to be held by NA September 1996); results - percent of vote byparty NA; seats - (1 total) MRG 1; note - Wallis and Futuna elect onedeputy
Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French lawby the chief administrator, but the three traditional kings administercustomary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR); UnionPopulaire Locale (UPL); Union Pour la Democratie Francaise (UDF); Luakae tahi (Giscardians); Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche (MRG)
Member of: FZ, SPC
Diplomatic representation in US: none (overseas territory of France)
US diplomatic representation: none (overseas territory of France)
Flag: the flag of France is used
@Wallis And Futuna:Economy
Overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia. Wallis and Futuna imports food - particularly sugar and beef - fuel, clothing, machinery, and transport equipment, but its exports are negligible, consisting of copra and handicrafts.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $28.7 million (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $2,000 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:revenues: $2.7 millionexpenditures: $2.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(1983 est.)
Exports: $6.6 million (f.o.b., 1986)commodities: copra, handicraftspartners: NA
Imports: $13.3 million (c.i.f., 1984)commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment,fuel, clothingpartners: France, Australia, New Zealand
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: capacity: 1,200 kW production: 1 million kWh consumption per capita: 70 kWh (1990)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Agriculture: dominated by coconut production, with subsistence cropsof yams, taro, bananas, and herds of pigs and goats
Economic aid:recipient: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateralcommitments (1970-89), $118 million
Currency: 1 CFP franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 96.25 (January 1995), 100.94 (1994), 102.96 (1993), 96.24 (1992), 102.57 (1991), 99.0 (1990); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
Fiscal year: NA
@Wallis And Futuna:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20km)paved: 16 km (on Il Uvea)unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
Inland waterways: none
Ports: Leava, Mata-Utu
Merchant marine:total: 1 oil tanker (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,000 GRT/40,000 DWT
Airports:total: 2with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Wallis And Futuna:Communications
Telephone system: 225 telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: NA
Radio:broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0radios: NA
Television:broadcast stations: 0televisions: NA
@Wallis And Futuna:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of France
________________________________________________________________________
Note—The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements ("the DOP"), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provides for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, final status negotiations are to begin no later than the beginning of the third year of the transitional period.
@West Bank:Geography
Location: Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references: Middle East
Area:total area: 5,860 sq kmland area: 5,640 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Delawarenote: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter ofthe Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem NoMan's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entirearea occupied by Israel in 1967
Land boundaries: total 404 km, Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none; landlocked
International disputes: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with interim status subject to Israeli/Palestinian negotiations - final status to be determined
Climate: temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude,warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain: mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, butbarren in east
Natural resources: negligible
Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 32% forest and woodland: 1% other: 40%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment: current issues: NA natural hazards: NA international agreements: NA
Note: landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 199 Jewish settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank and 25 in East Jerusalem (August 1994 est.)
@West Bank:People
Population: 1,319,991 (July 1995 est.) note: in addition, there are 122,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and 149,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1994 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 46% (female 293,269; male 308,775)15-64 years: 51% (female 335,193; male 337,722)65 years and over: 3% (female 25,759; male 19,273) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.5% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 39.83 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.84 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 29.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.42 years male: 69.91 years female: 73 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.34 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA
Ethnic divisions: Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Religions: Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian andother 8%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers), English(widely understood)
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NAby occupation: construction 28.2%, agriculture 21.8%, industry 14.5%,commerce, restaurants, and hotels 12.6%, other services 22.9% (1991)note: excluding Jewish settlers
@West Bank:Government
Note: Under the Israeli-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arragements ("the DOP"), Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, and subsequently to an elected Palestinian Council, as part of interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area. A transfer of powers and responsibilities in certain spheres for the rest of the West Bank has taken place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 29 August 1994 Agreement on Preparatory Transfer of Powers and Responsibilities. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external security and for internal security and public order of settlements and Israelis. Final status is to be determined through direct negotiations within five years.
Names:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: West Bank
Digraph: WE
@West Bank:Economy
Overview: Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by Israeli military administration and the effects of the Palestinian uprising (intifadah). Industries using advanced technology or requiring sizable investment have been discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive Israeli policies. Capital investment consists largely of residential housing, not productive assets that would enable local Palestinian firms to compete with Israeli industry. GDP has been substantially supplemented by remittances of workers employed in Israel and Persian Gulf states. Such transfers from the Gulf dropped after Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing unemployment, and export revenues have dropped because of the decline of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli measures to curtail the intifadah also have added to unemployment and lowered living standards. The area's economic situation has worsened since Israel's partial closure of the territories in 1993.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $2,800 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.8% (1993)
Unemployment rate: 35% (1994 est.)
Budget:revenues: $43.4 millionexpenditures: $43.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(FY89/90)
Exports: $217 million (f.o.b., 1992)commodities: olives, fruit, vegetablespartners: Jordan, Israel
Imports: $867 million (c.i.f., 1992) commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials partners: Jordan, Israel
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:capacity: NA kWproduction: NA kWhconsumption per capita: NA kWhnote: most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem ElectricCompany buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in EastJerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel ElectricCompany directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents andmilitary facilities; at the same time, some Palestinianmunicipalities, such as Nabulus and Janin, generate their ownelectricity from small power plants
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Agriculture: olives, citrus and other fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot; 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 3.0270 (December 1994), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993), 2.4591 (1992), 2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6995 (January 1995), 0.6987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
@West Bank:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:total: NApaved: NAunpaved: NAnote: small road network; Israelis have developed many highways toservice Jewish settlements
Ports: none
Airports:total: 2with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1with paved runways under 914 m: 1
@West Bank:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; note - 8% of Palestinian householdshave telephones (1992 est.)local: NAintercity: NAinternational: NAnote: Israeli company BEZEK is responsible for communication servicesin the West Bank
Radio:broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0radios: NA; note - 82% of Palestinian households have radios (1992est.)
Television:broadcast stations: 0; note - 1 planned for Jerichotelevisions: NA; note - 54% of Palestinian households have televisions(1992 est.)
@West Bank:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
________________________________________________________________________
@Western Sahara:Geography
Location: Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenMauritania and Morocco
Map references: Africa
Area:total area: 266,000 sq kmland area: 266,000 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Colorado
Land boundaries: total 2,046 km, Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km,Morocco 443 km
Coastline: 1,110 km
Maritime claims: contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
International disputes: claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been currently in effect since September 1991
Climate: hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currentsproduce fog and heavy dew
Terrain: mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandysurfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Natural resources: phosphates, iron ore
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 19% forest and woodland: 0% other: 81%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:current issues: sparse water and arable landnatural hazards: hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occurduring winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% oftime, often severely restricting visibilityinternational agreements: NA
@Western Sahara:People
Population: 217,211 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 2.48% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 46.9 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 18.52 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -3.62 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 148.95 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 46.31 years male: 45.34 years female: 47.59 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.91 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Ethnic divisions: Arab, Berber
Religions: Muslim
Languages: Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 12,000 by occupation: animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
@Western Sahara:Government
Names:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Western Sahara
Digraph: WI
Type: legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco and Polisario Front (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra and Rio de Oro), which in February 1976 formally proclaimed a government in exile of the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic (SADR); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continued sporadically, until a UN-monitored cease-fire was implemented 6 September 1991
Capital: none
Administrative divisions: none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Executive branch: none
Member of: none
Diplomatic representation in US: none
US diplomatic representation: none
@Western Sahara:Economy
Overview: Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and having little rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level.
National product: GDP $NA
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $8 million (f.o.b., 1982 est.) commodities: phosphates 62% partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Imports: $30 million (c.i.f., 1982 est.) commodities: fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs partners: Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: capacity: 60,000 kW production: 79 million kWh consumption per capita: 339 kWh (1993)
Industries: phosphate mining, handicrafts
Agriculture: limited largely to subsistence agriculture and fishing; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables are grown in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 8.892 (January 1995), 9.203 (1994), 9.299 (1993), 8.538 (1992), 8.707 (1991), 8.242 (1990)
Fiscal year: NA
@Western Sahara:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 6,200 km unpaved: gravel 1,450 km; improved, unimproved earth, tracks 4,750 km
Ports: Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, El Aaiun
Airports:total: 14with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3with paved runways under 914 m: 3with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 7
@Western Sahara:Communications
Telephone system: 2,000 telephones; sparse and limited systemlocal: NAintercity: NAinternational: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay,troposcatter, and 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations linked toRabat, Morocco
Radio:broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0radios: NA
Television:broadcast stations: 2televisions: NA
@Western Sahara:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
________________________________________________________________________
@Western Samoa:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Map references: Oceania
Area:total area: 2,860 sq kmland area: 2,850 sq kmcomparative area: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 403 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; rainy season (October to March), dry season (May toOctober)
Terrain: narrow coastal plain with volcanic, rocky, rugged mountainsin interior
Natural resources: hardwood forests, fish
Land use: arable land: 19% permanent crops: 24% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 47% other: 10%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:current issues: soil erosionnatural hazards: occasional typhoons; active volcanisminternational agreements: party to - Biodiversity, Climate Change,Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified -Law of the Sea
@Western Samoa:People
Population: 209,360 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 40% (female 41,503; male 42,844)15-64 years: 56% (female 55,683; male 61,065)65 years and over: 4% (female 4,323; male 3,942) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.37% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 31.74 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.88 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.14 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 35.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 68.38 years male: 65.99 years female: 70.88 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.04 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Western Samoan(s) adjective: Western Samoan
Ethnic divisions: Samoan 92.6%, Euronesians 7% (persons of European and Polynesian blood), Europeans 0.4%
Religions: Christian 99.7% (about one-half of population associated with the London Missionary Society; includes Congregational, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Latter Day Saints, Seventh-Day Adventist)
Languages: Samoan (Polynesian), English
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1971)total population: 97%male: 97%female: 97%
Labor force: NAby occupation: agriculture 60%
@Western Samoa:Government
Names:conventional long form: Independent State of Western Samoaconventional short form: Western Samoa
Digraph: WS
Type: constitutional monarchy under native chief
Capital: Apia
Administrative divisions: 11 districts; A'ana, Aiga-i-le-Tai, Atua,Fa'asaleleaga, Gaga'emauga, Gagaifomauga, Palauli, Satupa'itea,Tuamasaga, Va'a-o-Fonoti, Vaisigano
Independence: 1 January 1962 (from UN trusteeship administered by NewZealand)
National holiday: National Day, 1 June (1962)
Constitution: 1 January 1962
Legal system: based on English common law and local customs; judicial review of legislative acts with respect to fundamental rights of the citizen; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: Chief Susuga Malietoa TANUMAFILI II (Co-Chief of Statefrom 1 January 1962 until becoming sole Chief of State on 5 April1963)head of government: Prime Minister TOFILAU Eti Alesana (since 7 April1988)cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the head of state with the primeminister's advice
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Fono): elections last held 5 April 1991 (next to be held by NA 1996); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (47 total) HRPP 28, SNDP 18, independents 1 note: only matai (head of family) are able to run for the Legislative Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Human Rights Protection Party (HRPP),TOFILAU Eti Alesana, chairman; Samoan National Development Party(SNDP), TAPUA Tamasese Efi, chairman
Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user), IOC, ITU,SPARTECA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in US:chief of mission: Ambassador Tuiloma Neroni SLADEchancery: 820 Second Avenue, Suite 800, New York, NY 10017telephone: [1] (212) 599-6196, 6197FAX: [1] (212) 599-0797
US diplomatic representation:chief of mission: the ambassador to New Zealand is accredited toWestern Samoaembassy: 5th floor, Beach Road, Apiamailing address: P.O. Box 3430, Apiatelephone: [685] 21631FAX: [685] 22030
Flag: red with a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side quadrant bearing five white five-pointed stars representing the Southern Cross constellation
@Western Samoa:Economy
Overview: Agriculture employs more than half of the labor force, contributes 50% to GDP, and furnishes 90% of exports. The bulk of export earnings comes from the sale of coconut oil and copra. The economy depends on emigrant remittances and foreign aid to support a level of imports much greater than export earnings. Tourism has become the most important growth industry. The economy continued to falter in 1994, as remittances and tourist earnings remained low. Production of taro, the primary food export crop, has dropped 97% since a fungal disease struck the crop in 1993. The rapid growth in 1994 of the giant African snail population in Western Samoa is also threatening the country's basic food crops, such as bananas and coconuts.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $400 million (1992 est.)
National product real growth rate: -4.3% (1992 est.)
National product per capita: $2,000 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:revenues: $95.3 millionexpenditures: $76.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(1994 est.)
Exports: $6.4 million (f.o.b., 1993)commodities: coconut oil and cream, taro, copra, cocoapartners: New Zealand 34%, American Samoa 21%, Germany 18%, Australia11%
Imports: $11.5 million (c.i.f., 1992 est.) commodities: intermediate goods 58%, food 17%, capital goods 12% partners: New Zealand 37%, Australia 25%, Japan 11%, Fiji 9%
External debt: $141 million (June 1993)
Industrial production: growth rate -0.3% (1992 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 29,000 kW production: 50 million kWh consumption per capita: 200 kWh (1993)
Industries: timber, tourism, food processing, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP; coconuts, fruit (includingbananas, taro, yams)
Economic aid:recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $18 million;Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments(1970-89), $306 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $4 million
Currency: 1 tala (WS$) = 100 sene
Exchange rates: tala (WS$) per US$1 - 2.4600 (January 1995), 2.5349 (1994), 2.5681 (1993), 2.4655 (1992), 2.3975 (1991), 2.3095 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Western Samoa:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,042 km paved: 375 km unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 1,667 km
Ports: Apia, Asau, Mulifanua, Salelologa
Merchant marine:total: 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling3,838 GRT/5,536 DWT
Airports:total: 3with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1with paved runways under 914 m: 2
@Western Samoa:Communications
Telephone system: 7,500 telephones local: NA intercity: NA international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station
Radio:broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0radios: 70,000
Television:broadcast stations: 0televisions: NA
@Western Samoa:Defense Forces
Branches: no regular armed services; Western Samoa Police Force
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
________________________________________________________________________
@World:Geography
Map references: World, Time Zones
Area:total area: 510.072 million sq kmland area: 148.94 million sq kmwater area: 361.132 million sq kmcomparative area: land area about 16 times the size of the USnote: 70.8% of the world is water, 29.2% is land
Land boundaries: the land boundaries in the world total 250,883.64 km(not counting shared boundaries twice)
Coastline: 356,000 km
Maritime claims:contiguous zone: 24 nm claimed by most but can varycontinental shelf: 200-m depth claimed by most or to depth ofexploitation, others claim 200 nm or to the edge of the continentalmarginexclusive fishing zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can varyexclusive economic zone: 200 nm claimed by most but can varyterritorial sea: 12 nm claimed by most but can varynote: boundary situations with neighboring states prevent manycountries from extending their fishing or economic zones to a full 200nm; 43 nations and other areas that are landlocked includeAfghanistan, Andorra, Armenia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bhutan,Bolivia, Botswana, Burkina, Burundi, Central African Republic, Chad,Czech Republic, Ethiopia, Holy See (Vatican City), Hungary,Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lesotho, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg,Malawi, Mali, Moldova, Mongolia, Nepal, Niger, Paraguay, Rwanda, SanMarino, Slovakia, Swaziland, Switzerland, Tajikistan, The FormerYugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan, Uganda, Uzbekistan, WestBank, Zambia, Zimbabwe
Climate: two large areas of polar climates separated by two rathernarrow temperate zones from a wide equatorial band of tropical tosubtropical climates
Terrain: highest elevation is Mt. Everest at 8,848 meters and lowest depression is the Dead Sea at 392 meters below sea level; greatest ocean depth is the Marianas Trench at 10,924 meters
Natural resources: the rapid using up of nonrenewable mineral resources, the depletion of forest areas and wetlands, the extinction of animal and plant species, and the deterioration in air and water quality (especially in Eastern Europe and the former USSR) pose serious long-term problems that governments and peoples are only beginning to address
Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 1% meadows and pastures: 24% forest and woodland: 31% other: 34%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:current issues: large areas subject to overpopulation, industrialdisasters, pollution (air, water, acid rain, toxic substances), lossof vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss ofwildlife, soil degradation, soil depletion, erosionnatural hazards: large areas subject to severe weather (tropicalcyclones), natural disasters (earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis,volcanic eruptions)international agreements: 23 selected international environmentalagreements included under the Environment entry for each country andin Appendix E: Selected International Environmental Agreements
@World:People
Population: 5,733,687,096 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 31.6% (female 882,809,689; male 928,121,801)15-64 years: 62% (female 1,752,393,539; male 1,802,004,124)65 years and over: 6.4% (female 209,437,234; male 158,246,581) (July1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.5% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 64 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62 years male: 61 years female: 64 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Labor force: 2.24 billion (1992) by occupation: NA
@World:Government
Digraph: XX
Administrative divisions: 265 nations, dependent areas, other, andmiscellaneous entries
Legal system: varies by individual country; 186 (note includingYugoslavia) are parties to the United Nations International Court ofJustice (ICJ or World Court)
@World:Economy
Overview: Led by recovery in Western Europe and strong performances by the US, Canada, and key Third World countries, real global output - gross world product (GWP) - rose 3% in 1994 compared with 2% in 1993. Results varied widely among regions and countries. Average growth of 3% in the GDP of industrialized countries (60% of GWP in 1994) and average growth of 6% in the GDP of less developed countries (34% of GWP) were partly offset by a further 11% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern Europe area (now only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at 2.9%, unemployment was typically 5%-12% in the industrial world. The US accounted for 22% of GWP in 1994; Western Europe accounted for another 22%; and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic superpowers" which are presumably destined to compete for mastery in international markets on into the 21st century. As for the less developed countries, China, India, and the Four Dragons - South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - once again posted records of 5% growth or better; however, many other countries, especially in Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth, inflation, and civil strife. Central Europe made considerable progress in moving toward "market-friendly" economies, whereas the 15 ex-Soviet countries (with the notable exceptions of the three Baltic states) typically experienced further declines in output, sometimes as high as 30%. Externally, the nation-state, as a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology. Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, and in India. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment. The addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and famine. Because of their own internal problems, the industrialized countries have inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming further marginalized. (For the specific economic problems of each country, see the individual country entries in this volume.)
National product: GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power parity - $30.7 trillion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 3.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $5,400 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): all countries: 25% developed countries: 5% developing countries: 50% (1994 est.) note: national inflation rates vary widely in individual cases, from stable prices to hyperinflation
Unemployment rate: 30% combined unemployment and underemployment in many non-industrialized countries; developed countries typically 5%-12% unemployment
Exports: $4 trillion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods andservicespartners: in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports: $4.1 trillion (c.i.f., 1994 est.)commodities: the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods andservicespartners: in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
External debt: $1 trillion for less developed countries (1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1994 est.)
Electricity: capacity: 2,773,000,000 kW production: 11.601 trillion kWh consumption per capita: 1,937 kWh (1993)
Industries: industry worldwide is dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these technological forces, and the technological gap between the industrial nations and the less-developed countries continues to widen; the rapid development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating already grim environmental problems
Agriculture: the production of major food crops has increased substantially in the last 20 years; the annual production of cereals, for instance, has risen by 50%, from about 1.2 billion metric tons to about 1.8 billion metric tons; production increases have resulted mainly from increased yields rather than increases in planted areas; while global production is sufficient for aggregate demand, about one-fifth of the world's population remains malnourished, primarily because local production cannot adequately provide for large and rapidly growing populations, which are too poor to pay for food imports; conditions are especially bad in Africa where drought in recent years has intensified the consequences of overpopulation
Economic aid: $NA
@World:Transportation
Railroads:total: 1,201,337 km includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km ofelectrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in theFar East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and 4,160 kmin North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hrattained by France's SNCF TGV-Atlantique linebroad gauge: 251,153 kmstandard gauge: 710,754 kmnarrow gauge: 239,430 km
Highways:total: NApaved: NAunpaved: NA
Ports: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi(Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine:total: 25,364 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 435,458,296GRT/697,171,651 DWTships by type: barge carrier 39, bulk 5,202, cargo 8,121, chemicaltanker 911, combination bulk 293, combination ore/oil 290, container1,903, liquefied gas 675, livestock carrier 48, multifunctionlarge-load carrier 53, oil tanker 4,332, passenger 287,passenger-cargo 114, railcar carrier 24, refrigerated cargo 1,023,roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,047, short-sea passenger 465, specializedtanker 77, vehicle carrier 460 (April 1995)
@World:Communications
Telephone system: local: NA intercity: NA international: NA
Radio:broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NAradios: NA
Television:broadcast stations: NAtelevisions: NA
@World:Defense Forces
Branches: ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Defense expenditures: a further decline in 1994, by perhaps 5%-10%, to roughly three-quarters of a trillion dollars, or 2.5% of gross world product (1994 est.)
________________________________________________________________________
@Yemen:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, andRed Sea, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Map references: Middle East
Area:total area: 527,970 sq kmland area: 527,970 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than twice the size of Wyomingnote: includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab Republic (YAR orNorth Yemen), and the former People's Democratic Republic of Yemen(PDRY or South Yemen)
Land boundaries: total 1,746 km, Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline: 1,906 km
Maritime claims:contiguous zone: 18 nm in the North; 24 nm in the Southcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: undefined section of boundary with SaudiArabia; a treaty with Oman defining the Yemeni-Omani boundary wasratified in December 1992
Climate: mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate inwestern mountains affected by seasonal monsoon; extraordinarily hot,dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain: narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and ruggedmountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope into thedesert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Natural resources: petroleum, fish, rock salt, marble, small depositsof coal, gold, lead, nickel, and copper, fertile soil in west
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 30% forest and woodland: 7% other: 57%
Irrigated land: 3,100 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; inadequatesupplies of potable water; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertificationnatural hazards: sandstorms and dust storms in summerinternational agreements: party to - Environmental Modification, Lawof the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity,Climate Change
Note: controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and theGulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
@Yemen:People
Population: 14,728,474 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 50% (female 3,551,953; male 3,776,358)15-64 years: 48% (female 3,505,735; male 3,508,229)65 years and over: 2% (female 216,210; male 169,989) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.02% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 44.85 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 8.01 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 3.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 58.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.51 years male: 61.57 years female: 63.5 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.15 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality: noun: Yemeni(s) adjective: Yemeni
Ethnic divisions: predominantly Arab; Afro-Arab concentrations inwestern coastal locations; South Asians in southern regions; smallEuropean communities in major metropolitan areas
Religions: Muslim including Sha'fi (Sunni) and Zaydi (Shi'a), smallnumbers of Jewish, Christian, and Hindu
Languages: Arabic
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)total population: 38%male: 53%female: 26%
Labor force: no reliable estimates exist, most people are employed inagriculture and herding or as expatriate laborers; services,construction, industry, and commerce account for less than half of thelabor force
@Yemen:Government
Names:conventional long form: Republic of Yemenconventional short form: Yemenlocal long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Yamaniyahlocal short form: Al Yaman
Digraph: YM
Type: republic
Capital: Sanaa
Administrative divisions: 17 governorates (muhafazat, singular -muhafazah); Abyan, Adan, Al Bayda, Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, AlMahwit, Dhamar, Hadramaut, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Marib, Sadah, Sana,Shabwah, Taizznote: there may be a new governorate for the capital city of Sanaa
Independence: 22 May 1990 Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with the merger of the Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North Yemen} and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}; previously North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent on 30 November 1967 (from the UK)
National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
Constitution: 16 May 1991
Legal system: based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and local tribal customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Ali Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, theformer president of North Yemen); Vice President Abd al-Rab Mansural-HADI (since NA October 1994)head of government: Prime Minister Abd al-Aziz ABD AL-GHANI (since NAOctober 1994)cabinet: Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives: elections last held 27 April 1993 (next to be held NA 1997); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (301 total) GPC 124, Islaah 61, YSP 55, others 13, independents 47, election nullified 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: over 40 political parties are active inYemen, but only three project significant influence; since theMay-July 1994 civil war, President SALIH's General People's Congress(GPC) and Shaykh Abdallah bin Husayn al-AHMAR's Yemeni Grouping forReform, or Islaah, have joined to form a coalition government; theYemeni Socialist Party (YSP), headed by Ali Salih UBAYD, has regroupedas a loyal opposition
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD,ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI chancery: Suite 705, 2600 Virginia Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 965-4760, 4761 FAX: [1] (202) 337-2017
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador David NEWTON embassy: Dhahr Himyar Zone, Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa mailing address: P. O. Box 22347 Sanaa; Sanaa, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6330 telephone: [967] (1) 238843 through 238852 FAX: [967] (1) 251563
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black; similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
@Yemen:Economy
Overview: Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital. Future economic development depends heavily on Western-assisted development of the country's moderate oil resources. Former South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the steady decline in Soviet economic support. The low level of domestic industry and agriculture has made northern Yemen dependent on imports for practically all of its essential needs. Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has become a major importer. Land once used for export crops - cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to growing a shrub called qat, whose leaves are chewed for their stimulant effect by Yemenis and which has no significant export market. Economic growth in former South Yemen has been constrained by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized control over production decisions, investment allocation, and import choices. Yemen's large trade deficits have been compensated for by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and by foreign aid. Since the Gulf crisis, remittances have dropped substantially. Growth in 1994-95 is constrained by low oil prices, rapid inflation, and political deadlock that are causing a lack of economic cooperation and leadership. However, a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia in February 1995 and the expectation of a rise in oil prices brighten Yemen's economic prospects.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $23.4 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: -1.4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,955 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 145% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (December 1994)
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Exports: $1.75 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)commodities: crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables, dried andsalted fishpartners: Germany 28%, Japan 15%, UK 9%, Austria 7%, China 7% (1992)
Imports: $2.65 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.)commodities: textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleumproducts, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, cement, machinery,chemicalspartners: US 16%, UK 7%, Japan 6%, France 6%, Italy 6% (1992)
External debt: $7 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%, accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity: capacity: 810,000 kW production: 1.8 billion kWh consumption per capita: 149 kWh (1993)
Industries: crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food processing; handicrafts; small aluminum products factory; cement
Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP; products - grain, fruits,vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy,poultry, meat, fish; not self-sufficient in grain
Economic aid:recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million;Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments(1970-89), $2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $3.2 billion;Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4 billion
Currency: Yemeni rial (new currency); 1 North Yemeni riyal (YR) = 100 fils; 1 South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils note: following the establishment of the Republic of Yemen on 22 May 1990, the North Yemeni riyal and the South Yemeni dinar are to be replaced with a new Yemeni rial
Exchange rates: Yemeni rials per US$1 - 12.0 (official); 90 (market rate, December 1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Yemen:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways: total: 51,390 km paved: 4,830 km unpaved: 46,560 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 644 km; petroleum products 32 km
Ports: Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Mukalla, Mocha, Nishtun
Merchant marine:total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 12,059 GRT/18,563 DWTships by type: cargo 1, oil tanker 2
Airports:total: 46with paved runways over 3,047 m: 2with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1with paved runways under 914 m: 4with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 2with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 10with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 12
@Yemen:Communications
Telephone system: 65,000 telephones; since unification in 1990,efforts are still being made to create a national domestic civiltelecommunications networklocal: NAintercity: the network consists of microwave radio relay, cable, andtroposcatterinternational: 3 INTELSAT (2 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean), 1Intersputnik, and 2 ARABSAT earth stations; microwave radio relay toSaudi Arabia and Djibouti
Radio:broadcast stations: AM 4, FM 1, shortwave 0radios: NA
Television:broadcast stations: 10televisions: NA
@Yemen:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Police)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 3,135,649; males fit for military service 1,771,226; males reach military age (14) annually 181,057 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.65 billion, 7.1% of GDP (1993)
________________________________________________________________________
@Zaire:Geography
Location: Central Africa, northeast of Angola
Map references: Africa
Area:total area: 2,345,410 sq kmland area: 2,267,600 sq kmcomparative area: slightly more than one-quarter the size of US
Land boundaries: total 10,271 km, Angola 2,511 km, Burundi 233 km,Central African Republic 1,577 km, Congo 2,410 km, Rwanda 217 km,Sudan 628 km, Uganda 765 km, Zambia 1,930 km
Coastline: 37 km