GDP: purchasing power parity-$3 billion (1996 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4% (1996 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,300 (1996 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%
Labor force: total: 242,169 (1993) by occupation: agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 35% (1994)
Budget: revenues: $856.7 million expenditures: $2.2437 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1993)
Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 299,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 1.105 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,659 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Exports: total value: $171.776 million (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar
Imports: total value: $2.354 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar
Debt-external: $NA
Economic aid: recipient: substantial annual subsidies from France
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1-6.0836 (January 1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 191,647 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 13, shortwave 0
Radios: 155,000 (1993)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (repeaters 18)
Televisions: 116,181 (1992 est.)
@Reunion:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 2,784 km paved: 2,187 km unpaved: 597 km (1987 est.)
Ports and harbors: Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Reunion:Military
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, andGendarmerie)
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 182,620 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 93,572 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 5,780 (1998 est.)
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of France
@Reunion:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
@Romania:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, betweenBulgaria and Ukraine
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water: 7,160 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain: central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land use: arable land: 41% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 21% forests and woodland: 29% other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 31,020 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Environment-current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography-note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine
@Romania:People
Population: 22,395,848 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 2,169,581; female 2,078,515) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,571,619; female 7,668,689) 65 years and over: 13% (male 1,213,406; female 1,694,038) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.32% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.33 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 11.62 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 18.83 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.47 years male: 66.67 years female: 74.47 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian
Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian,Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Religions: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% areUniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%
Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 98% female: 95% (1992 est.)
@Romania:Government
Country name: conventional long form : none conventional short form: Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania
Data code: RO
Government type: republic
National capital: Bucharest
Administrative divisions: 40 counties (judete, singular-judet) and 1municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor,Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau,Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj,Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures,Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu,Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
Constitution: 8 December 1991
Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Emil CONSTANTINESCU (since 29 November 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Radu VASILE (since 17 April 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 3 November 1996, with runoff between the top two candidates held 17 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote-Emil CONSTANTINESCU 54.4%, Ion ILIESCU 45.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (143 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (343 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Deputies-last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-CDR 30.7%, PDSR 23.1%, USD 13.2%, UDMR 6.8%, PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.2%, others 17.5%; seats by party-CDR 53, PDSR 41, USD 23, UDMR 11, PRM 8, PUNR 7; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-CDR 30.2%, PDSR 21.5%, USD 12.9%, UDMR 6.6% PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party-CDR 122, PDSR 91, USD 53, UDMR 25, PRM 19, PUNR 18, ethnic minorities 15
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or PD [Petre ROMAN];Romanian Social Democratic Party or PSDR [Sergiu CUNESCU]; Party ofSocial Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Ion ILIESCU]; Democratic Union ofHungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party orPNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; National Peasants' Christian andDemocratic Party or PNTCD [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romanian National UnityParty or PUNR [Valeriu TABARA]; Socialist Labor Party or PSM [IlieVERDET]; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania or PDAR [Victor SURDU];The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romania Mare Party(Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Civic AllianceParty or PAC [Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman]; Liberal Party '93 or PL-93[Dinu PATRICIU]; National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention orPNL-CD [Nicolae CERVENI]; Socialist Party or PS [Tudor MOHORA]note: to increase their voting strength several of the above-mentionedparties united under umbrella organizations: PNTCD, PNL, and PNL-CDform the bulk of the Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; PDand PSDR form the Union of Social Democrats or USD [Petre ROMAN]; andPAC and PL-93 form the National Liberal Alliance or ANL [NicolaeMANOLESCU]; PSM, PS, ANL, and numerous other small parties failed togain representation in the most recent election
Political pressure groups and leaders: various human rights and professional associations
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE,CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA chancery : 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James C. ROSAPEPE embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch) telephone: [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42 FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95 branch office: Cluj-Napoca
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad
@Romania:Economy
Economy-overview: Romania, one of the poorer countries in the region, is continuing its difficult transition to a market-based economy. After the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989-91, Romania was left with an obsolete industrial base and a pattern of industrial capacity wholly unsuited to its needs. For the next few years the country lagged behind most of its neighbors in the pace of restructuring. Then in February 1997, Romania embarked on a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform program. The domestic foreign exchange market was freed, and controls on current-account convertibility were removed in October. Restructuring programs include liquidating large energy-intensive industries, and agricultural and financial sector reform. The private sector share of GDP rose to an estimated 58% in 1997, however, this total includes firms with government-held minority stakes. Although progress has been made in privatizing small- and medium-sized firms, delays in structural reforms-including the postponement of sales of large state-owned enterprises - threaten plans to revive GDP growth. In 1998, GDP will likely be unchanged; and inflation is projected to fall to 45% from 151% in 1997.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$114.2 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -6.6% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$5,300 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 19% industry: 36% services: 45% (1996)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 151% (1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 10.1 million (1996 est.) by occupation: industry 28.6%, agriculture 34.4%, trade 10.4%, construction 5.1%, other 21.5% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $10 billion expenditures: $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.3 billion (1997 est.)
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining
Industrial production growth rate: -5.9% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 22.06 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 55.19 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 2,412 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat
Exports: total value: $8.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: textiles and footwear 27.5%, metals and metal products 16.2%, mineral products 9.0%, chemicals 11.2%, other 36.1% (1996) partners: Germany 18.1%, Italy 16.7%, France 5.6%, Turkey 5%, Netherlands 4.2%, China 3.0% (1996)
Imports: total value: $10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: fuels and minerals 24%, machinery and transport equipment 25%, food and agricultural goods 7.6%, chemicals 12.5%, other 30.9% (1996) partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 15.6%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.0%, US 3.8%, Egypt 3.8% (1996)
Debt-external: $10 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1-8,293.40 (January 1998), 7,167.94 (1997), 3,084.22 (1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2.6 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system: domestic: poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.) international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0 note: in 1995, 135 local radio stations were registered
Radios: 4.64 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 436 cable TV stations, 66 local TV stations
Televisions: 4.58 million (1992 est.)
@Romania:Transportation
Railways: total: 11,365 km broad gauge: 45 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060 km double track) narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)
Highways: total: 153,170 km paved: 78,117 km (including 113 km of expressways) unpaved: 75,053 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea
Merchant marine: total: 227 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,332,117 GRT/3,464,613 DWT ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 160, container 2, oil tanker 12, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 10 note: Romania owns an additional 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 827,625 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia, and Malta (1997 est.)
Airports: 24 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 19 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
@Romania:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces,Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense
Military manpower-military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 5,888,775 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 4,951,586 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 197,036 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $650 million (1996)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.5% (1996)
@Romania:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice
Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
@Russia:Geography
Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US
Land boundaries: total: 19,917 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km
Coastline: 37,653 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Mount El'brus 5,633 m
Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources
Land use: arable land: 8% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 46% other: 42% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Environment-current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination
Environment-international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, AntarcticTreaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species,Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, MarineDumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution,Tropical Timber 83, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94
Geography-note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture
@Russia:People
Population: 146,861,022 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 14,756,787; female 14,189,564) 15-64 years: 68% (male 48,138,173; female 51,366,412) 65 years and over: 12% (male 5,699,334; female 12,710,752) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.31% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.57 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 14.89 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.97 years male: 58.61 years female: 71.64 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%,Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%
Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages: Russian, other
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 100% female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Russia:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya former: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Data code: RS
Government type: federation
National capital: Moscow
Administrative divisions: oblasts (oblastey, singular-oblast'), 21 autonomous republics* (avtonomnyk respublik, singular-avtonomnaya respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular-avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular-kray), 2 federal cities (singular-gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzkskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutsk)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***, Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*, Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya, Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**, Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note-when using a place name with an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy,' the word Oblast' or Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name note: the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetiya were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are federal cities; administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (1990)
Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN (since 12 June 1991) head of government: Premier and Chairman of the Russian Federation Government Sergey Vladilenovich KIRIYENKO (since 23 March 1998), Deputy Premiers and Deputy Chairmen of the Government Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 28 April 1998), Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV (since 28 April 1998), Oleg Nikolayevich SYSUYEV (since 17 March 1997) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" appointed by the president note: there is also a Presidential Administration that drafts presidential edicts and provides staff and policy support to the entire executive branch; a Security Council that was originally established as a presidential advisory body in June 1991 with responsibility for managing individual and state security; a Defense Council and a Foreign Policy Council formed in July 1996 and October 1996 respectively elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 16 June 1996 with runoff election on 3 July 1996 (next to be held NA June 2000); note-no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier and deputy premiers appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN elected president; percent of vote in runoff - YEL'TSIN 54%, Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV 40%
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federal'noye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats, filled ex-officio by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units-oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats, half elected in single-member districts and half elected from national party lists; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma-last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held NA December 1999) election results: State Duma-percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats-Communist Party of the Russian Federation 22.3%, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 11.2%, Our Home Is Russia 10.1%, Yabloko Bloc 6.9%; seats by party-Communist Party of the Russian Federation 157, independents 78, Our Home Is Russia 55, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 51, Yabloko Bloc 45, Agrarian Party of Russia 20, Russia's Democratic Choice 9, Power To the People 9, Congress of Russian Communities 5, Forward, Russia! 3, Women of Russia 3, other parties 15
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Superior Court of Arbitration, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders: pro-market democrats: Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]; Russia's Democratic Choice Party [Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR]; Forward, Russia! [Boris Grigor'yevich FEDOROV] centrists/special interest parties: Our Home Is Russia [Viktor Stepanovich CHERNOMYRDIN]; Russian People's Republican Party [Aleksandr Ivanovich LEBED]; Congress of Russian Communities [Dmitriy Olegovich ROGOZIN]; Women of Russia [Alevtina Vasil'yevna FEDULOVA and Yekaterina Filippovna LAKHOVA] anti-market and/or ultranationalist: Communist Party of the Russian Federation [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia [Vladimir Vol'fovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Agrarian Party [Mikhail Ivanovich LAPSHIN]; Power To the People [Nikolay Ivanovich RYZHKOV and Sergey Nikolayevich BABURIN]; Russian Communist Workers' Party [Viktor Ivanovich ANPILOV and Viktor Arkad'yevich TYUL'KIN] note: some 269 political parties, blocs, and associations tried to gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 17 December 1995 Duma elections; 43 succeeded
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS (pending member), BSEC,CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA,IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat,Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer),MINUGUA, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNSecurity Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR,UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuliy Mikhaylovich VORONTSOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700 through 5704 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James F. COLLINS embassy: Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, Moscow mailing address: APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (095) 252-24-51 through 59 FAX: [7] (095) 956-42-61 consulate(s) general: St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
@Russia:Economy
Economy-overview: Russia, a vast country with a wealth of natural resources, a well-educated population, and a diverse, but declining, industrial base, continues to experience formidable difficulties in moving from its old centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. After seven consecutive years of contraction 1990-96 in which GDP fell by one-third, GDP grew by 0.4% in 1997, according to official statistics. Moscow continued to make strides in its battle against inflation, which fell to 11%, half the 1996 rate. The central government made good on most back wages owed public-sector employees-including the military-although the stock of wage arrears to employees of private enterprises remained large. Privatization revenues increased significantly, largely on the strength of a few high-profile tenders, such as that of telecommunications giant Svyazinvest. On the downside, Moscow continued to struggle with a severe fiscal imbalance. Lagging tax collections led the government to adopt a revised budget in spring 1997 that cut spending by about 20% despite protests from the legislature. Russia's traditional trade surplus continued to contract-largely because of soft international commodity prices-and Moscow's WTrO accession made only halting progress. Although President YEL'TSIN brought in a new economic team early in 1997, key structural reform initiatives continue to move slowly. A revised tax code remains stuck in the Duma, while little progress is being made on agricultural land reform. Small business development has lagged. Prospects for a return to robust growth have been set back by the spillover from Asia's financial turmoil, which hit Russia hard during the last quarter of 1997. Moscow at first tried to both support the ruble and keep interest rates down, but this policy proved unsustainable, and in early December 1997 the Central Bank let interest rates rise sharply. As the year ended, Russian authorities were attempting to put the best face on the financial situation, while at the same time scaling back their previous optimistic growth projections for 1998 to 1%-2%. Because of Russia's severe macroeconomic constraints, resources allocated to the military sector have declined sharply since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$692 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 0.4% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,700 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 7% industry: 39% services: 54% (1996)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 11% (1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 66 million (1997) by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 9% (1997 est.) with considerable additional underemployment
Budget: revenues: $59 billion expenditures: $70 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 214.687 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 834 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,508 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits (because of its northern location does not grow citrus, cotton, tea, and other warm climate products); meat, milk
Exports: total value: $86.7 billion (1997) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries
Imports: total value: $66.9 billion (1997) commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries
Debt-external: $135 billion (yearend 1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $15 billion drawn (1990-97) note: US commitments, including Ex-Im, $15 billion (1990-96); other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1990-96), $125 billion
Currency: 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
Exchange rates: rubles per US$1-5,941 (December 1997), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996), 4,559 (1995), 2,191 (1994), 992 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 25.4 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system: total pay phones for long distant calls 34,100; enlisting foreign help, by means of joint ventures, to speed up the modernization of its telecommunications system; in 1992, only 661,000 new telephones were installed compared with 855,000 in 1991, and in 1992 the number of unsatisfied applications for telephones reached 11,000,000; expanded access to international electronic mail service available via Sprint network; the inadequacy of Russian telecommunications is a severe handicap to the economy, especially with respect to international connections domestic: NMT-450 analog cellular telephone networks are operational and growing in Moscow and St. Petersburg; intercity fiber-optic cable installation remains limited international: international traffic is inadequately handled by a system of satellites, landlines, microwave radio relay, and outdated submarine cables; much of this traffic passes through the international gateway switch in Moscow which carries most of the international traffic for the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States; a new Russian Intersputnik satellite will link Moscow and St. Petersburg with Rome from whence calls will be relayed to destinations in Europe and overseas; satellite earth stations-NA Intelsat, 4 Intersputnik (2 Atlantic Ocean region and 2 Indian Ocean region), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region), and NA Orbita
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note-there are about 1,050 (including AM, FM, and shortwave) radio broadcast stations throughout the country
Radios: 50 million (1993 est.)(radio receivers with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion 74,300,000)
Television broadcast stations: 7,183
Televisions: 54.85 million (1992 est.)
@Russia:Transportation
Railways: total: 154,000 km; note-87,000 km in common carrier service (38,000 km electrified); 67,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use broad gauge: 154,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1 January 1994)
Highways: total: 948,000 km (including 416,000 km which serve specific industries or farms and are not maintained by governmental highway maintenance departments) paved: 336,000 km unpaved: 612,000 km (including 411,000 km of graveled or other forms of macadam surface and 201,000 km of unstabilized earth) (1995 est.)
Waterways: total navigable routes in general use 101,000 km; routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids 60,400 km; man-made navigable routes 16,900 km (1 January 1994)
Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (30 June 1993)
Ports and harbors: Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan',Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka,Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Sochi,Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine: total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,531,937 GRT/6,253,940 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 18, cargo 291, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 12, container 24, multifunction large-load carrier 2, oil tanker 107, passenger 2, passenger-cargo 4, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 28, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 1 note: Russia owns an additional 176 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,240,776 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cambodia, Cyprus, Honduras, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Singapore (1997 est.)
Airports: 2,517 (1994 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 630 over 3,047 m: 54 2,438 to 3,047 m: 202 1,524 to 2,437 m: 108 914 to 1,523 m: 115 under 914 m: 151 (1994 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 1,887 over 3,047 m: 25 2,438 to 3,047 m: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 134 914 to 1,523 m: 291 under 914 m: 1,392 (1994 est.)
@Russia:Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces note: the air force and air defense force are to merge in mid-1998
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 38,585,841 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 30,098,346 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 1,128,416 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA note: the Intelligence Community estimates that defense spending in Russia fell by about 10% in real terms in 1996, reducing Russian defense outlays to about one-sixth of peak Soviet levels in the late 1980s (1997 est.)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Russia:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: two disputed sections of the boundary with China remain to be settled; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996 which has not been ratified; Estonia claimed over 2,000 sq km of territory in the Narva and Pechora regions of Russia - based on boundary established under the 1920 Peace Treaty of Tartu; based on the 1920 Treaty of Riga, Latvia had claimed the Abrene/Pytalovo section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia in 1944; draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; 1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, the US, and growing domestic market
______________________________________________________________________
Introduction
in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1,300,000 Hutus returned to Rwanda; of these, 720,000 returned from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 480,000 from Tanzania, 88,000 from Burundi, and 10,000 from Uganda.
@Rwanda:Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 26,340 sq km land: 24,950 sq km water: 1,390 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November toJanuary); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 35% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures: 18% forests and woodland: 22% other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment-current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: landlocked; predominantly rural population
@Rwanda:People
Population: 7,956,172 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 1,785,650; female 1,772,609) 15-64 years: 53% (male 2,070,401; female 2,106,809) 65 years and over: 2% (male 90,941; female 129,762) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.5% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 38.99 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 19 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) note: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; according to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1,300,000 Hutus returned to Rwanda; of these 720,000 returned from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 480,000 from Tanzania, 88,000 from Burundi, and 10,000 from Uganda; probably fewer than 100,000 Rwandans remained outside of Rwanda at the end of 1997
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 113.31 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 41.93 years male: 41.49 years female: 42.4 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Rwandan(s) adjective: Rwandan
Ethnic groups: Hutu 80%, Tutsi 19%, Twa (Pygmoid) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 65%, Protestant 9%, Muslim 1%, indigenous beliefs and other 25%
Languages: Kinyarwanda (official) universal Bantu vernacular, French (official), English (official), Kiswahili (Swahili) used in commercial centers
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 60.5% male: 69.8% female: 51.6% (1995 est.)
@Rwanda:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Rwandese Republic conventional short form: Rwanda local long form: Republika y'u Rwanda local short form: Rwanda
Data code: RW
Government type: republic; presidential, multiparty system
National capital: Kigali
Administrative divisions: 12 prefectures (prefectures,singular-prefecture in French; plural - NA, singular-prefegitura inKinyarwanda); Butare, Byumba, Cyangugu, Gikongoro, Gisenyi, Gitarama,Kibungo, Kibuye, Kigali, Kigaliville, Umutara, Ruhengeri
Independence: 1 July 1962 (from Belgium-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 July (1962)
Constitution: on 5 May 1995, the Transitional National Assembly adopted a new constitution which included elements of the constitution of 18 June 1991 as well as provisions of the 1993 Arusha peace accord and the November 1994 multi-party protocol of understanding
Legal system: based on German and Belgian civil law systems and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Pasteur BIZIMUNGU (since 19 July 1994); Vice President Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME (since 19 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Celestin RWIGEMA (since 1 September 1995) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: normally the president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held in December 1988 (next to be held NA); prime minister is appointed by the president election results: Juvenal HABYARIMANA elected president; percent of vote-99.98% (HABYARIMANA was the sole candidate) note: President HABYARIMANA was assassinated on 6 April 1994 and replaced by President BIZIMUNGU who was installed by the military forces of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front on 19 July 1994
Legislative branch: unicameral Transitional National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale de Transition (70 seats; members were predetermined by the Arusha peace accord to serve NA-year terms) elections: last held 26 December 1988 (next to be held NA); note-the Transitional National Assembly is a power-sharing body established on 12 December 1994 following a multi-party protocol of understanding election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-RPF 19, MDR 13, PSD 13, PL 13, PDC 6, PSR 2, PDI 2, other 2; note-the distribution of seats was predetermined
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, consists of the Court ofCassation and the Council of State in joint session
Political parties and leaders: significant parties include: RwandanPatriotic Front or RPF [Alexis KANYARENGWE, chairman]; DemocraticRepublican Movement or MDR; Liberal Party or PL; Democratic andSocialist Party or PSD; Christian Democratic Party or PDC; IslamicDemocratic Party or PDI; Rwandan Socialist Party or PSR; NationalMovement for Democracy and Development or MRND (former ruling party)
Political pressure groups and leaders: Rwanda Patriotic Army or RPA, the RPF military wing [Maj. Gen. Paul KAGAME, commander]; Rally for the Democracy and Return (RDR)
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEEAC,CEPGL, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Theogene N. RUDASINGWA chancery: (temporary) 1814 New Hampshire Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 232-2882 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4544
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Robert GRIBBIN III embassy: Boulevard de la Revolution, Kigali mailing address: B. P. 28, Kigali telephone: [250] 756 01 through 03, 721 26, 771 47 FAX: [250] 721 28
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of red (hoist side), yellow, and green with a large black letter R centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Guinea, which has a plain yellow band
@Rwanda:Economy
Economy-overview: Rwanda is a poor African nation that has suffered bitterly from ethnic-based civil war. The agricultural sector dominates the economy; coffee and tea normally make up 80%-90% of exports. The amount of fertile land is limited, however, and deforestation and soil erosion continue to reduce the production potential. Manufacturing focuses mainly on the processing of agricultural products. A structural adjustment program with the World Bank began in October 1990. Civil war in 1990 devastated wide areas, especially in the north, and displaced hundreds of thousands of people. A peace accord in mid-1993 temporarily ended most of the fighting, but resumption of large-scale violence and genocide in April 1994 in the capital city Kigali and elsewhere took 500,000 lives in that year alone and severely damaged already poor economic prospects. In 1994-96, peace was restored throughout much of the country. In 1996-97 most of the refugees who fled the war returned to Rwanda. Sketchy data suggest that GDP dropped 50% in 1994 and came back partially, by 25%, in 1995. Plentiful rains helped agriculture in 1996, and outside aid continued to support this desperately poor economy. The economy continues to face significant challenges in rehabilitating infrastructure, agriculture, health care facilities, and capital plant. Recovery of domestic production will proceed slowly.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$3 billion (1996 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 13.3% (1996)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$440 (1996 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 37% industry: 17% services: 46% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 7.4% (1996)
Labor force: total: 3.6 million by occupation: agriculture 93%, government and services 5%, industry and commerce 2%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $231 million expenditures: $319 million, including capital expenditures of $13 million (1996 est.)
Industries: mining of cassiterite (tin ore) and wolframite (tungsten ore), tin, cement, processing of agricultural products, small-scale beverage production, soap, furniture, shoes, plastic goods, textiles, cigarettes
Industrial production growth rate: 4.9% (1995 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 34,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 169 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 21 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: coffee, tea, pyrethrum (insecticide made from chrysanthemums), bananas, beans, sorghum, potatoes; livestock
Exports: total value: $62.3 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: coffee 74%, tea, cassiterite, wolframite, pyrethrum (1995) partners: Brazil, EU
Imports: total value: $202.4 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: foodstuffs 35%, machines and equipment, capital goods, steel, petroleum products, cement and construction material (1995) partners: US, EU, Kenya, Tanzania
Debt-external: $1 billion (December 1995)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA note: in October 1990 Rwanda launched a Structural Adjustment Program with the IMF; since September 1991, the EU has given $46 million and the US $25 million in support of this program (1993)
Currency: 1 Rwandan franc (RF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Rwandan francs (RF) per US$1-302.28 (January 1998), 301.53 (1997), 306.82 (1996), 262.20 (1995), 144.31 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 6,400 (1983 est.)
Telephone system: telephone system does not provide service to the general public but is intended for business and government use domestic: the capital, Kigali, is connected to the centers of the prefectures by microwave radio relay; the remainder of the network depends on wire and HF radiotelephone international: international connections employ microwave radio relay to neighboring countries and satellite communications to more distant countries; satellite earth stations-1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) in Kigali (includes telex and telefax service)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 630,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: NA
@Rwanda:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 12,000 km paved: 1,000 km unpaved: 11,000 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: Lac Kivu navigable by shallow-draft barges and native craft
Ports and harbors: Cyangugu, Gisenyi, Kibuye
Airports: 7 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 4 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1997 est.)
@Rwanda:Military
Military branches: Army, Gendarmerie
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 1,892,503 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 963,218 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $112.5 million (1992)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 7% (1992)
@Rwanda:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
(dependent territory of the UK)
@Saint Helena:Geography
Location: islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about mid-way betweenSouth America and Africa
Geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 410 sq km land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ascension, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, Nightingale Island, and Tristan da Cunha Island
Area-comparative: slightly more than two times the size of Washington,DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 60 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: Saint Helena-tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha-temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Terrain: Saint Helena-rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak 2,060 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 6% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: 6% forests and woodland: 6% other: 82% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA
Geography-note: Napoleon Bonaparte's place of exile and burial (his remains were taken to Paris in 1840); harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
@Saint Helena:People
Population: 7,091 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 718; female 694) 15-64 years: 71% (male 2,643; female 2,423) 65 years and over: 9% (male 249; female 364) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.76% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 14.1 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 6.49 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 28.81 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.73 years male: 72.66 years female: 78.96 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian
Ethnic groups: African descent, white
Religions: Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, RomanCatholic
Languages: English
Literacy: definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)
@Saint Helena:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Data code: SH
Dependency status: dependent territory of the UK
Government type: NA
National capital: Jamestown
Administrative divisions: 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*;Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen, 10 June 1989 (second Saturday in June)
Constitution: 1 January 1989
Legal system: NA