Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward WALKER embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv mailing address: PSC 98, Box 100, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575 FAX: [972] (3) 517-3227 consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note-an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government
Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
@Israel:Economy
Economy-overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing only 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government's external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as medical scanning equipment. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-97, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, or one-sixth of the total population. Initially this great influx increased unemployment, intensified housing problems, and strained the government budget. At the same time, the immigrants bring to the economy scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the future.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$96.7 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.9% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$17,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 17% services: 81% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 9% (1997)
Labor force: total: 2.3 million (1997) by occupation: public services 31.3%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $55 billion expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1996)
Electricity-capacity: 7.736 million kW (1996)
Electricity-production: 32.5 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,387 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products
Exports: total value: $20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals partners: EU 32%, US 31%, Japan 7% (1996)
Imports: total value: $28.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997) commodities: military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods partners: EU 52%, US 20%, Japan (1996)
Debt-external: $18.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid: recipient: $1.2 billion (1997) from the US
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Communications
Telephones: 2.6 million (1996)
Telephone system: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 20
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
@Israel:Transportation
Railways: total: 610 km standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
Highways: total: 15,065 km paved: 15,065 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996)
Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km
Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, TelAviv-Yafo
Merchant marine: total: 27 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 803,383 GRT/947,678 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, container 24, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 54 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 31 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 23 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 18 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)
@Israel:Military
Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note-historically there have been no separate Israeli military services
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 1,446,634 females age 15-49: 1,414,898 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 1,183,989 females: 1,153,670 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 50,824 females: 48,661 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $9.3 billion (1997)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 9.5% (1997)
@Israel:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement-permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982
Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse and trafficking
______________________________________________________________________
@Italy:Geography
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the centralMediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 301,230 sq km land: 294,020 sq km water: 7,210 sq km note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Area-comparative: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries: total: 1,932.2 km border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline: 7,600 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal
Land use: arable land: 31% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 15% forests and woodland: 23% other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Environment-current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
Environment-international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds,Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, EnvironmentalModification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping,Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, TropicalTimber 83, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Tropical Timber 94
Geography-note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
@Italy:People
Population: 56,782,748 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 14% (male 4,192,662; female 3,955,857) 15-64 years: 68% (male 19,265,714; female 19,369,554) 65 years and over: 18% (male 4,098,526; female 5,900,435) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.08% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.13 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.18 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 78.38 years male: 75.26 years female: 81.7 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.19 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Italian(s) adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)
Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%
Languages: Italian, German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 96% (1990 est.)
@Italy:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia former: Kingdom of Italy
Data code: IT
Government type: republic
National capital: Rome
Administrative divisions: 20 regions (regioni, singular-regione);Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna,Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise,Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige,Umbria, Valle d'Aosta, Veneto
Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
Constitution: 1 January 1948
Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive branch: chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992) head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the president of the Council of Ministers) Romano PRODI (since 18 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 25 May 1992 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Oscar Luigi SCALFARO elected president; percent of electoral college vote-NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (326 seats, 315 popularly elected of which 232 are directly elected and 83 by regional proportional representation, 11 appointed senators-for-life; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001); Chamber of Deputies-last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1, Panella Reformers 1; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246, Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3, Autonomous List 2, other 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale, composed of 15 judges (one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts)
Political parties and leaders: Olive Tree (Ulivo): Democratic Party of the Left or PDS [Massimo D'ALEMA]; Greens (Verdi) [Luigi MANCONI]; Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; Italian Popular Party or PPI [Franco MARINI-elected 12 January 1997] Freedom Pole: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Clemente MASTELLA]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE] other: Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Communism Refoundation or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italian Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma Tricolore [Pino RAUTI]; Pannella-Sgarbi's List (Lista Pannella-Sgarbi) [Marco PANNELLA]; Italian Socialists or SI (also called Radical Party or PR) [Ottaviano DEL TURCO]; Autonomous List (a group of minor parties); Southern Tyrols List or SVP (German speakers)
Political pressure groups and leaders: the Roman Catholic Church;three major trade union confederations (Confederazione GeneraleItaliana del Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, ConfederazioneItaliana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centrist, andUnione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-right); Italianmanufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria,Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori,Confagricoltura)
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CE(observer), CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G-7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINUGUA, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest),NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU,WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and 2700 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500 FAX: [1] (202) 483-2187 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas M. FOGLIETTA embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (6) 46741 FAX: [39] (6) 488-2672 consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d'Ivoire, which has the colors reversed-orange (hoist side), white, and green
@Italy:Economy
Economy-overview: Since World War II, the Italian economy has changed from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. This basically capitalistic economy is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with large public enterprises and more than 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus, it finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care benefits. In November 1996 the lire rejoined the European monetary system, which it had left in September 1992 when under extreme pressure in currency markets. Italy faces the problem of restructuring its economy to meet Maastricht criteria for inclusion in the EMU, together with other problems of refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing industrial pollution, and adjusting to new EU and global competitive forces.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.24 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$21,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 3.3% industry: 33% services: 63.7% (1994)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 1.9% (1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 22.851 million by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture 7% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 12.2% (December 1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $416 billion expenditures: $506 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1996 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1996 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 57.186 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 225.179 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 4,509 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; meat and dairy products; fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990
Exports: total value: $250.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals partners: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8%
Imports: total value: $190 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products partners: EU 45.5%, OPEC 4.8%, US 4.3%
Debt-external: $45 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: donor: ODA, $3.043 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1-1,787.7 (January 1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)
Telephone system: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas - 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave 0
Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 83 (repeaters 1,000)
Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)
@Italy:Transportation
Railways: total: 19,437 km standard gauge: 18,103 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,299 km electrified) narrow gauge: 56 km 1.000-m gauge (56 km electrified); 1,278 km 0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)
Highways: total: 317,000 km paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value
Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km
Ports and harbors: Ancona, Augusta (Sicily), Bari, Cagliari(Sardinia), Catania (Sicily), Gaeta, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno,Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo (Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres(Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona, Trieste, Venice
Merchant marine: total: 365 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,032,728 GRT/7,076,307 DWT ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 47, chemical tanker 39, combination ore/oil 2, container 15, liquefied gas tanker 30, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 98, passenger 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 51, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 7 (1997 est.)
Airports: 136 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 96 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 30 under 914 m: 12 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 40 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 18 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1997 est.)
@Italy:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 14,249,145 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 12,314,086 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 324,437 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $20.4 billion (1995)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.9% (1995)
@Italy:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Italy is negotiating with Slovenia over property and minority rights issues dating from World War II; Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from WWII over property and ethnic minority rights
Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market
______________________________________________________________________
@Jamaica:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 10,990 sq km land: 10,830 sq km water: 160 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use: arable land: 14% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 24% forests and woodland: 17% other: 39% (1993 est.) note: irrigated land-3% (350 sq km)(1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
Environment-current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and JamaicaChannel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
@Jamaica:People
Population: 2,634,678 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32% (male 425,233; female 406,529) 15-64 years: 62% (male 806,846; female 817,145) 65 years and over: 6% (male 79,125; female 99,800) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.7% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 20.91 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.47 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.37 years male: 73.01 years female: 77.84 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.33 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Jamaican(s) adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups: black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%
Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah's Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Languages: English, Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 85% male: 80.8% female: 89.1% (1995 est.)
@Jamaica:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jamaica
Data code: JM
Government type: parliamentary democracy
National capital: Kingston
Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston,Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, SaintElizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny,Westmoreland
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)
Constitution: 6 August 1962
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991) head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 50, JLP 10
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders: People's National Party (PNP), P. J.PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA; NationalDemocratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING
Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM)
International organization participation: ACP, C, Caricom, CCC, CDB,ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat,Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660 FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Stanley Louis MCLELLAND embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (809) 926-6743
Flag description: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles-green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and outer side)
@Jamaica:Economy
Economy-overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. Since assuming office in 1992, Prime Minister PATTERSON has eliminated most price controls, streamlined tax schedules, and privatized government enterprises. Continued tight monetary and fiscal policies have helped slow inflation and stabilize the exchange rate, but have resulted in the slow-down of economic growth (moving from 1.5% in 1992 to 0.5% in 1995. In 1996, GDP was in negative growth (-1.4%) and remained so in 1997. Serious problems include: high interest rates; increased foreign competition; the weak financial condition of business in general resulting in receiverships or closures and downsizings of companies; the shift in investment portfolios to non-productive, short-term high yield instruments; a pressured, sometimes sliding, exchange rate; a widening merchandise trade deficit; and a growing internal debt for government bailouts to various ailing sectors of the economy. Jamaica's medium-term prospects will depend upon encouraging investment in the productive sectors, maintaining a competitive exchange rate, stabilizing the labor environment, and implementing proper fiscal and monetary policies.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$9.5 billion (1996 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -1.4% (1996 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$3,660 (1996 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 8% industry: 37% services: 55% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 17% (1996 est.)
Labor force: total: 1.14 million (1996) by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $3 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.163 billion (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: tourism, bauxite, textiles, food processing, light manufactures
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 1.182 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 3.87 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,503 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; poultry, goats, milk
Exports: total value: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 37%, UK 13%, Canada 12%, Netherlands 9%, Norway 7%
Imports: total value: $2.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals partners: US 52%, Trinidad and Tobago 8%, Japan 6%, UK 4%, Canada 3%
Debt-external: $3.2 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $306 million (1996)
Currency: 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1-36.051 (November 1997), 37.120 (1996), 35.142 (1995), 33.086 (1994), 24.949 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 350,000 (1997 est.)
Telephone system: fully automatic domestic telephone network domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); 3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1997)
Radios: 1.973 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 8
Televisions: 330,000 (1992 est.)
@Jamaica:Transportation
Railways: total: 370 km standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge; note-207 km belong to the Jamaica Railway Corporation in common carrier service, but are no longer operational; the remaining track is privately owned and used to transport bauxite
Highways: total: 18,700 km paved: 13,100 km unpaved: 5,600 km (gravel 3,200 km; improved earth 2,400 km) (1997 est.)
Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km
Ports and harbors: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, MontegoBay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Rocky Point, Longswharf
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,931 GRT/10,545 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 36 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 25 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 23 (1997 est.)
@Jamaica:Military
Military branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces,Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 703,697 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 496,276 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 25,525 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $47.9 million (FY97/98 est.)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Jamaica:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active manual cannabis eradication program
______________________________________________________________________
(territory of Norway)
@Jan Mayen:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and theNorwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Geographic coordinates: 71 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Arctic Region
Area: total: 373 sq km land: 373 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 10 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 4 nm
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Norwegian Sea 0 m highest point: Haakon VII Toppen/Beerenberg 2,277 m
Natural resources: none
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography-note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
@Jan Mayen:People
Population: no permanent inhabitants note: there are personnel who operate the Long Range Navigation (Loran) C base and the weather and coastal services radio station
@Jan Mayen:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Data code: JN
Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered from Oslo through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard); however, authority has been delegated to a station commander of the Norwegian Defense Communication Service
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of Norway)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of Norway)
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used
@Jan Mayen:Economy
Economy-overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway's radio and meteorological stations located on the island.
Communications
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: radio and meteorological station
@Jan Mayen:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Jan Mayen:Military
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
@Jan Mayen:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
@Japan:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean Peninsula
Geographic coordinates: 36 00 N, 138 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 377,835 sq km land: 374,744 sq km water: 3,091 sq km note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okino-tori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the international straits-La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Hachiro-gata -4 m highest point: Fujiyama 3,776 m
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use: arable land: 11% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 67% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,820 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis
Environment-current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan's appetite for fish and tropical timber is contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
Environment-international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Desertification
Geography-note: strategic location in northeast Asia
@Japan:People
Population: 125,931,533 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 15% (male 9,802,921; female 9,342,254) 15-64 years: 69% (male 43,486,840; female 43,135,979) 65 years and over: 16% (male 8,388,242; female 11,775,297) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.2% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 10.26 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.94 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 80 years male: 76.91 years female: 83.25 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic groups: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (includingChristian 0.7%)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1970 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@Japan:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Japan
Data code: JA
Government type: constitutional monarchy
National capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba,Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido,Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi,Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara,Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane,Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama,Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system withEnglish-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in theSupreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Ryutaro HASHIMOTO (since 11 January 1996); note-an acting prime minister-determined upon a rotational basis-serves when Prime Minister HASHIMOTO is out of the country cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the emperor is a constitutional monarch; the Diet designates the prime minister; the constitution requires that the prime minister must command a parliamentary majority, therefore, following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition in the House of Representatives usually becomes prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet or Kokkai consists of the House of Councillors or Sangi-in (252 seats; one-half of the members elected every three years-76 seats of which are elected from the 47 multi-seat prefectural districts and 50 of which are elected from a single nationwide list with voters casting ballots by party; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Shugi-in (500 seats-200 of which are elected from 11 regional blocks on a proportional representation basis and 300 of which are elected from 300 single-seat districts; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: House of Councillors-last held 23 July 1995 (next to be held NA July 1998); House of Representatives-last held 20 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2000) election results: House of Councillors-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party - LDP 110, NFP 56, SDP 38, JCP 14, Sakigake 3, others 19, independents 12; note-the distribution of seats as of April 1998 is as follows-LDP 118, DPJ 41, Komei 24, SDP 21, JCP 14, Liberal Party 12, Sakigake 3, Reform Club 3, others 14, vacancies 2; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party-LDP 240, NFP 142, DPJ 52, JCP 26, SDP 15, Sun Party 10, others 15; note-the distribution of seats as of April 1998 is as follows - LDP 261, DPJ 93, Liberal Party 40, New Peace Party 37, JCP 26, SDP 15, Reform Club 9, Sakigake 2, others 17
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the emperor after designation by the cabinet, all other justices are appointed by the cabinet
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Ryutaro HASHIMOTO, president, Koichi KATO, secretary general; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Takako DOI, chairperson, Tadatoshi AKIBA, secretary general; Sakigake (Harbinger), Akiko DOMOTO, chairperson, Hiroyuki SONODA, secretary general; Democratic Party of Japan (DPJ), Naoto KAN, leader, Tsutomu HATA, secretary general; Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, chairman, Kazuo SHII, secretary general; Komei, Toshiko HAMAYOTSU, chief; Liberal Party, Ichiro OZAWA, president, Takeshi NODA, secretary general; New Peace Party, Takenori KANZAKI, leader, Tetsuzo FUYUBASHI, secretary general; Reform Club, Tatsuo OZAWA, leader, Katsuyuki ISHIDA, secretary general note: subsequent to the last legislative elections, the New Frontier Party (NFP) disbanded; the Sun Party was formed by former NFP members, but later disbanded; the DPJ was formed by former members of the SDP and Sakigake and, in April 1998, was joined by three additional parties which had formed after the NFP disbanded; Reform Club, New Peace Party, and Liberal Party were formed in January 1998 after the NFP disbanded
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), APEC,AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE (observer), CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO,G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS(observer), OECD, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UN Security Council(temporary), UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNRWA, UNU,UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kunihiko SAITO chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6700 FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187 consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas S. FOLEY embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, APO AP 96337-0001 telephone: [81] (3) 3224-5000 FAX: [81] (3) 3505-1862 consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag description: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
@Japan:Economy
Economy-overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (roughly 1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. One notable characteristic of the economy is the working together of manufacturers, suppliers, and distributors in closely knit groups called keiretsu. A second basic feature has been the guarantee of lifetime employment for a substantial portion of the urban labor force; this guarantee is eroding. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. The much smaller agricultural sector is highly subsidized and protected, with crop yields among the highest in the world. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world's largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. For three decades overall real economic growth had been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s, and a 4% average in the 1980s. Growth slowed markedly in 1992-95 largely because of the aftereffects of overinvestment during the late 1980s and contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth picked up to 3.9% in 1996, largely a reflection of stimulative fiscal and monetary policies as well as low rates of inflation. But in 1997 growth fell back to 1%. As a result of the expansionary fiscal policies and declining tax revenues due to the recession, Japan has one of the largest budget deficits as a percent of GDP among the industrialized countries. The crowding of habitable land area and the aging of the population are two other major long-run problems.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$3.08 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 0.9% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$24,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 41.5% services: 56.5% (1995)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 1.7% (1997)
Labor force: total: 67.23 million (March 1997) by occupation: trade and services 50%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, utilities and communication 7%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6%, government 3% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 3.4% (1997)
Budget: revenues: $497 billion expenditures: $621 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $72 billion (FY98/99 est.)
Industries: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of steel and nonferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment, machine tools, automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, ships, chemicals; textiles, processed foods
Industrial production growth rate: 4.3% (1997)
Electricity-capacity: 199.878 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 930.55 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 7,414 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; pork, poultry, dairy products, eggs; world's largest fish catch of 10 million metric tons in 1991
Exports: total value: $421 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: manufactures 96% (including machinery 50%, motor vehicles 19%, consumer electronics 3%) partners: US 27%, Southeast Asia 17%, EU 15%, China 5%
Imports: total value: $339 billion (c.i.f., 1997) commodities: manufactures 54%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%, fossil fuels 16% partners: US 22%, Southeast Asia 15%, EU 14%, China 12%
Debt-external: $NA
Economic aid: donor: ODA, $8.3 billion (1998 est.) note: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-94), $174 billion
Currency: yen (¥)
Exchange rates: yen (¥) per US$1-129.45 (January 1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 64 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: excellent domestic and international service domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations-5 Intelsat (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean region), and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific and Indian Ocean regions); submarine cables to China, Philippines, Russia, and US (via Guam)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0
Radios: 97 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12,350 (1 kW or greater 196)
Televisions: 100 million (1993 est.)
@Japan:Transportation
Railways: total: 23,670.7 km standard gauge: 2,893.1 km 1.435-m gauge (entirely electrified) narrow gauge: 89.8 km 1.372-m gauge (89.8 km electrified); 20,656.8 km 1.067-m gauge (10,383.6 km electrified); 31 km 0.762-m gauge (3.6 km electrified) (1994)
Highways: total: 1.16 million km paved: 859,560 km (including 6,070 km of expressways) unpaved: 300,440 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km
Ports and harbors: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate,Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro,Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo,Tomakomai
Merchant marine: total: 738 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 14,323,766 GRT/20,709,738 DWT ships by type: bulk 169, cargo 55, chemical tanker 6, combination bulk 11, combination ore/oil 6, container 32, liquefied gas tanker 39, oil tanker 244, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 2, refrigerated cargo 34, roll-on/roll-off cargo 46, short-sea passenger 16, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 70 note: Japan owns an additional 1,534 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 54,985,374 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Burma, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Honduras, Liberia, Marshall Islands, Norway, Panama, Philippines, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, and Vanuatu (1997 est.)
Airports: 167 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 137 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 38 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 31 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 28 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 14 (1997 est.)
@Japan:Military
Military branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), JapanMaritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (AirForce)
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 31,105,541 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 26,778,356 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 808,846 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $48.5 billion (FY96/97)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1% (FY96/97)
@Japan:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks (Takeshima/Tokdo) disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
______________________________________________________________________
(territory of the US)
@Jarvis Island:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands
Geographic coordinates: 0 22 S, 160 03 W
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 4.5 sq km land: 4.5 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: about eight times the size of The Mall inWashington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 23 m
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Environment-current issues: no natural fresh water resources
Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography-note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats
@Jarvis Island:People
Population: uninhabited note: Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators
@Jarvis Island:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Data code: DQ
Dependency status: unincorporated territory of the US; administered from Washington, DC by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Legal system: NA
Flag description: the flag of the US is used
@Jarvis Island:Economy
Economy-overview: no economic activity
@Jarvis Island:Transportation
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only; note-there is one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island
Transportation-note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
@Jarvis Island:Military
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
@Jarvis Island:Transnational Issues