Irrigated land: 90 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching is widespread
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography-note: landlocked
@Uganda:People
Population: 22,167,195 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 51% (male 5,682,510; female 5,643,962) 15-64 years: 47% (male 5,157,818; female 5,199,080) 65 years and over: 2% (male 236,374; female 247,451) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.85% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 49.21 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 18.95 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) note: Uganda is host to refugees from a number of neighboring countries, including: Sudan 175,000, Rwanda possibly 10,000, and Democratic Republic of the Congo about 5,000
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 92.86 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 42.6 years male: 41.81 years female: 43.41 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.09 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ugandan(s) adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Karamojong 12%, Basogo 8%, Iteso 8%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Bunyoro 3%, Batobo 3%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 23%
Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
Languages: English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts), Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages, preferred for native language publications and may be taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan languages, Swahili, Arabic
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.8% male: 73.7% female: 50.2% (1995 est.)
@Uganda:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda
Data code: UG
Government type: republic
National capital: Kampala
Administrative divisions: 39 districts; Apac, Arua, Bundibugyo,Bushenyi, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala,Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum,Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto,Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai,Rukungiri, Soroti, Tororo
Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved on promulgation of the constitution in October 1995
Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law and reinstituted a normal judicial system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); note-the president is both chief of state and head of government head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Kintu MUSOKE (since 18 November 1994) note-the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators elections: president elected by popular vote; election last held 9 May 1996 (next to be held by 31 May 2001); note-first popular election for president since independence in 1962; prime minister appointed by the president election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 74%, Paul Kawanga SSEMOGERERE 24%, Muhammad MAYANJA 2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (276 members serve five-year terms; 214 directly elected by universal suffrage, but 62 are nominated by legally established special interest groups and approved by the president-women 39, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 3) elections: elections to the National Assembly (formerly the National Resistance Council) took place on 27 June 1996 (next election to be held in 2001); election results: NA; note-election campaigning by party was not permitted
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; High Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: only one political organization, the National Resistance Movement or NRM [Dr. Samson KISEKKA, chairman] is recognized; note-this is the party of President MUSEVENI; the president maintains that the NRM is not a political party, but a movement which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans note: of the political parties that exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People's Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE], Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE], and Conservative Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; the new constitution requires the suspension of political party activity until a referendum is held on the matter in 2000
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB,ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO(correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nancy J. POWELL embassy: Parliament Avenue, Kampala mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795 FAX: [256] (41) 259794
Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side
@Uganda:Economy
Economy-overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986, the government-with the support of foreign countries and international agencies-has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. In 1990-97, the economy turned in a solid performance based on: continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$34.6 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$1,700 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 49% industry: 13% services: 38% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 6% (1997)
Labor force: total: 8.361 million (1993 est.) by occupation: agriculture 86%, industry 4%, services 10% (1980 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $869 million expenditures: $985 million, including capital expenditures of $69 million (FY95/96)
Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
Industrial production growth rate: 19.7% (FY95/96)
Electricity-capacity: 162,000 kW (1998)
Electricity-production: 807 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 35 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Exports: total value: $604 million (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: coffee, gold, cotton, tea, corn, fish partners: Spain 23%, France 14%, Germany 14%, Italy 10%, Netherlands 8% (1995)
Imports: total value: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: machinery, chemicals, fuel, cotton piece goods, transportation equipment, food partners: Kenya 26%, UK 12%, Japan 8%, Germany 8%, India 5.5% (1995)
Debt-external: $3.5 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1-1,148.1 (January 1998), 1,083.0 (1997), 1,046.1 (1996), 968.9 (1995), 979.4 (1994), 1,195.0 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 61,600 (1990 est.)
Telephone system: fair system domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communications stations, cellular system international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.13 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 9 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 220,000 (1993 est.)
@Uganda:Transportation
Railways: total: 1,241 km narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge note: a program to rehabilitate the railroad is underway (1995)
Highways: total: 27,000 km paved: 1,800 km unpaved: 25,200 km (of which about 4,800 km are all-weather roads) (1990 est.)
Waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, LakeEdward, Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Merchant marine: total: 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/8,229 DWT (1997 est.)
Airports: 29 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 24 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 8 (1997 est.)
@Uganda:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Wing
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 4,672,307 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 2,534,993 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $56 million (FY93/94)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY93/94)
@Uganda:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
@Ukraine:Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland andRussia
Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 603,700 sq km land: 603,700 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries: total: 4,558 km border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber
Land use: arable land: 58% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 13% forests and woodland: 18% other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
Environment-international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, OzoneLayer Protection, Ship Pollutionsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, AirPollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-EnvironmentalProtocol, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
@Ukraine:People
Population: 50,125,108 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 4,852,461; female 4,656,688) 15-64 years: 67% (male 16,096,737; female 17,481,600) 65 years and over: 14% (male 2,284,960; female 4,752,662) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.64% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.53 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 16.31 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.43 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: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.48 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 65.84 years male: 60.08 years female: 71.89 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ukrainian(s) adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%
Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox-Moscow Patriarchate, UkrainianOrthodox-Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox,Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 100% female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Ukraine:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Ukraine local long form: none local short form: Ukrayina former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UP
Government type: republic
National capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular-oblast'), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular-misto) with oblast status**; Cherkas'ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs'ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets'ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs'ka (Dnipropetrovs'k), Donets'ka (Donets'k), Ivano-Frankivs'ka (Ivano-Frankivs'k), Kharkivs'ka (Kharkiv), Khersons'ka (Kherson), Khmel'nyts'ka (Khmel'nyts'kyy), Kirovohrads'ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs'ka (Kiev), Luhans'ka (Luhans'k), L'vivs'ka (L'viv), Mykolayivs'ka (Mykolayiv), Odes'ka (Odesa), Poltavs'ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Rivnens'ka (Rivne), Sevastopol'**, Sums'ka (Sumy), Ternopil's'ka (Ternopil'), Vinnyts'ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns'ka (Luts'k), Zakarpats'ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz'ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs'ka (Zhytomyr) note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Valeriy PUSTOVOYTENKO (since 16 July 1997), First Deputy Prime Minister Anatoliy HOLUBCHENKO (since 8 August 1997), and three deputy prime ministers cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes chairmen of the Kiev and Sevastopol city councils and the chairmen of Oblast elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA October 1999); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the People's Council election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote-Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Council (before 1996 the Supreme Council) or Narodna Rada (450 seats; under Ukraine's new election law, half of the Rada's seats are allocated on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 4% of the national electoral vote; the other 225 members are elected by popular vote in single mandate constituencies; all serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 March 1994 with repeat elections continuing through December 1996 to fill empty seats (next to be held 29 March 1998) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225; note-most recent repeat election held in April 1996 filling 422 of 450 seats as follows: independents 238, Communist 95, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialist 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democratic Party of Ukraine 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant 28 (in February 1997 there were 35 vacant seats)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Communist Party of Ukraine [PetroSYMONENKO]; Hromad [Pavlo LAZARENKO]; Ukrainian Popular Movement orRukh [Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL, chairman]; Socialist Party of Ukraine orSPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Peasant Party of Ukraine or SelPU[Serhiy DOVAN]; People's Democratic Party or NDPU [ValeriyPUSTOVOYTENKO, chairman]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK];United Social-Democratic Party of Ukraine [Vasyl ONONENKO]; ChristianDemocratic Party of Ukraine [Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY]; Christian People'sUnion [Victor MUSIYAKA]; Ukrainian National Assembly [Oleh VITOVYCH];Democratic Party of Ukraine or DPU [Volodymyr OleksandrovychYAVORIVSKYY, chairman]; Agrarian Party of Ukraine or APU [KaterynaVASHCHUK]; Liberal Party of Ukraine or LPU [Volodymyr SHCHERBAN];Party of Labor [Valentyn LANDYK, chairman]; Social Democratic Party ofUkraine or SDPU [Yuriy BUZDUHAN]; Interregional Reforms Bloc[Volodymyr HRYNYOV; Republic Christian Party [Mykola POROVSKYY];Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists or KUN [Yaroslava-Anna STETSKO];Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party or UKRP [Yuriy VOSKOVNYUK,chairman]; Ukrainian Republican Party [Bohdan YAROSHYNSKYY]; GreenParty of Ukraine or PZU [Vitaliy KONONOV, leader]; ProgressiveSocialist Party [Natalya VITRENKO]; State Independence of Ukraine[Roman KOVAL]; All-Ukrainian Labor Party [Leonid VERNIYHORA]; RegionalRevival Party of Ukraine [Volodymyr RYBAK]; Liberal Democratic Partyof Ukraine or LDPU [Andriy KOVAL, chairman]; Ukrainian PeasantDemocratic Party or USDP [Viktor PRYSYAZHNYUK]; Ukraine RegionalRevival Party [Volodymyr RYBAK]note: approximately 30 parties are registered to take part in the 29March 1998 elections
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina);Congress of National Democratic Forces
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS,EAPC, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer),ISO, ITU, MINUGUA, NSG, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO(applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Yuriy Mykolayovych SHCHERBAK chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606 FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817 consulate(s) general: Chicago and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Steven Karl PIFER embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsubynskoho, 254053 Kiev 53 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [380] (44) 244-7345 FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
@Ukraine:Economy
Economy-overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied equipment and raw materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas. Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output in 1992-97 fell to less than half the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has pushed economic reforms, maintained financial discipline, and tried to remove almost all remaining controls over prices and foreign trade. Implementation of KUCHMA's economic agenda is encountering considerable resistance from parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and industrial interests; and an environment of corruption continues to discourage foreign investors. One signal achievement has been the reduction of the inflation rate to 10% by yearend 1997. If KUCHMA succeeds in implementing aggressive market reforms during 1998, the economy should reverse its downward trend, with real growth occurring by late 1998 and into 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$124.9 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -3.2% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 14% industry: 30% services: 56% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 10% (yearend 1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 22.8 million (yearend 1997) by occupation: industry and construction 32%, agriculture and forestry 24%, health, education, and culture 17%, trade and distribution 8%, transport and communication 7%, other 12% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 2.6% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1997)
Budget: revenues: $18 billion expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing (especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: -1.8% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 52 million kW (1997)
Electricity-production: 177 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 3,431 kWh (1997)
Agriculture-products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports: total value: $15.2 billion (1997 est.) commodities: ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products partners: Russia, China, Belarus, Turkey, Germany (1997)
Imports: total value: $20.2 billion (1997 est.) commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals, plastics and rubber partners: Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Germany, China
Debt-external: $9.6 billion (including $2.1 billion to Russia) (yearend 1997 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $220 million (1993) note: commitments, 1992-95, $4.5 billion ($4.1 billion drawn)
Currency: on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited hryvnia as its national currency, replacing the karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of 100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1-1.9359 (February 1998), 1.8617 (1997), 1.8295 (1996), 1.4731 (1995), 0.3275 (1994), 0.0453 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: system is unsatisfactory both for business and for personal use; 3.56 million applications for telephones had not been satisfied as of January 1991; electronic mail services have been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans'k by Sprint domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls through Kiev's digital exchange international: calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline or microwave radio relay; calls to 167 other countries are carried by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations-NA Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: 2 radio broadcast stations of NA type
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 2
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
@Ukraine:Transportation
Railways: total: 23,350 km broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways: total: 172,565 km paved: 163,937 km (including 1,875 km of expressways); note-these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced unpaved: 8,628 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on thePryp''yat' and Dnistr (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural gas 7,800 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson,Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni
Merchant marine: total: 202 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,498,653 GRT/1,709,393 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 13, cargo 122, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 3, multifunction large-load carrier 2, oil tanker 19, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 4, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 5 note: Ukraine owns an additional 41 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 515,743 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, Panama, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997 est.)
Airports: 706 (1994 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 163 over 3,047 m: 14 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 57 (1994 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 543 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 37 under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
@Ukraine:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, InternalTroops, National Guard, Border Troops
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 12,431,318 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 9,733,193 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 367,160 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: 1.71 billion hryvni (Ukrainian Government's forecast for 1998); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Ukraine:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: dispute with Romania 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; 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; certain territory of Moldova and Ukraine-including Bessarabia and Northern Bukovina-are considered by Bucharest as historically a part of Romania; this territory was incorporated into the former Soviet Union following the Molotov-Ribbentrop Pact in 1940
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs to Western Europe and Russia
______________________________________________________________________
@United Arab Emirates:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the PersianGulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 0% other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment-current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment-international agreements: party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
@United Arab Emirates:People
Population: 2,303,088 (July 1998 est.) note: includes 1,561,840 non-nationals (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32% (male 372,413; female 356,834) 15-64 years: 66% (male 995,798; female 535,014) 65 years and over: 2% (male 29,169; female 13,860) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.78% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 18.61 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 3.06 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.25 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: 1.86 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.1 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.77 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.93 years male: 73.5 years female: 76.44 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.56 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Emirian(s) adjective: Emirian
Ethnic groups: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of literacy not available total population: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial States abbreviation: UAE
Data code: TC
Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
National capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular-imarah); AbuZaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy(Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) which is composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of FSC vote - NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote-NA, but believed to be unanimous
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF,CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD,UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI chancery: Suite 700, 1255 22nd Street NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 955-7999
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David C. LITT embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch); note-work week is Saturday through Wednesday telephone: [971] (2) 436691, 436692 FAX: [971] (2) 434771 consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
@United Arab Emirates:Economy
Economy-overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest per capita incomes and with a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for over 100 years. The UAE Government is encouraging increased privatization within the economy, and industrial development is expected to pick up in 1997-98.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$54.2 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$24,000 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 3% industry: 55% services: 42% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 3.6% (1997 est.)
Labor force: total: 1.05 million (1996 est.) by occupation: services 65%, industry and commerce 30%, agriculture 5% (1996 est.) note: 75% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $5.1 billion expenditures: $5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $294 million (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate: 6.1% (1995 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 5.29 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 18 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 6,155 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Exports: total value: $33.2 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: crude oil 66%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates partners: Japan 38%, South Korea 7%, Singapore 7%, India 6%, Oman 4%, Iran 3% (1996)
Imports: total value: $23.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food partners: US 10%, Japan 9%, UK 8%, Italy 6%, South Korea 6%, India 6% (1996)
Debt-external: $14 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1-3.6710 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 677,793 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 545,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12
Televisions: 170,000 (1993 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 4,835 km paved: 4,835 km unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km
Ports and harbors: 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan,Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid,Umm al Qaywayn
Merchant marine: total: 67 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 945,320 GRT/1,592,164 DWT ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 27, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 6 (1997 est.)
Airports: 40 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 4 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includesFederal Police Force)
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 791,770 (1998 est.) note: includes non-nationals
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 425,373 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 22,040 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $1.59 billion (1994)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 4.3% (1994)
@United Arab Emirates:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran)-over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions
Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center due to its proximity to southwest Asian producing countries and the bustling free trade zone in Dubai
______________________________________________________________________
@United Kingdom:Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 244,820 sq km land: 241,590 sq km water: 3,230 sq km note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border countries: Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over theNorth Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Fenland -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
Land use: arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 10% other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,080 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes and coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at sea
Environment-international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 94, 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, MarineLife Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
@United Kingdom:People
Population: 58,970,119 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 5,832,086; female 5,530,679) 15-64 years: 65% (male 19,304,762; female 19,032,024) 65 years and over: 16% (male 3,807,710; female 5,462,858) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.25% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 12.01 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.72 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.2 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: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.87 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.19 years male: 74.57 years female: 79.96 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%,Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.) note: the UK does not include a question on religion in its census
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales),Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling total population: 99% (1978 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@United Kingdom:Government
Country name: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK
Data code: UK
Government type: constitutional monarchy
National capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas; England-39 counties, 7metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, Buckingham,Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon,Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*,Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Hertford,Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln,Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North Yorkshire,Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford,Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*, West Sussex,West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire; Northern Ireland - 26 districts; Antrim,Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast,Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down,Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry,Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh,Strabane; Scotland-9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central,Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*,Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*; Wales-8 counties;Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan,West Glamorgannote: The Statesman's Yearbook claims that England has 35 counties andWales 9 counties
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory,British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar,Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, SaintHelena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and CaicosIslands
Independence: England has existed as a unified entity since the 10th century; the union between England and Wales was enacted under the Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284; in the Act of Union of 1707, England and Scotland agreed to permanent union as Great Britain; the legislative union of Great Britain and Ireland was implemented in 1801 adopting the name the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland; the Anglo-Irish treaty of 1921 formalized a partition of Ireland; six northern Irish counties remained part of the United Kingdom as Northern Ireland and the current name of the country, the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, was adopted in 1927
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (secondSaturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Tony BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and must have the consent of the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (1,200 seats; four-fifths of the members are hereditary peers, two archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Lords-no elections; House of Commons-last held 1 May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002) election results: House of Commons-percent of vote by party-Labor 44.5%, Conservative 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7.5%; seats by party-Labor 418, Conservative 165, Liberal Democratic 46, other 30
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life
Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party[William HAGUE]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democratsor LD [Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN]; Scottish National Party [AlexSALMOND]; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY];Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]; DemocraticUnionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; SocialDemocratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME];Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Alliance Party (NorthernIreland) [Lord ALDERDICE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Trades Union Congress; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers' Union; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB,Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, CP, EAPC,EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, 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(observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNSecurity Council, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH,UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher MEYER chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-6500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Philip LADER embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, London; FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (171) 499-9000 FAX: [44] (171) 409-1637 consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
@United Kingdom:Economy
Economy-overview: The UK is one of the world's great trading powers and financial centers, and its essentially capitalistic economy ranks among the four largest in Western Europe. Over the past two decades the government has greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only about 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance, now employing only 18% of the work force. Exports and manufacturing output have been the primary engines of growth. Unemployment is gradually falling. Inflation is a moderate 3.1%. A major economic policy question for the UK in the late 1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and economic integration of Europe.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.242 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$21,200 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 31.4% services: 66.8% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 3.1% (1997)
Labor force: total: 28.2 million (1997) by occupation: services 68.9%, manufacturing and construction 17.5%, government 11.3%, energy 1.2%, agriculture 1.1% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $416.1 billion expenditures: $470 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 2% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 66.149 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 306.62 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,546 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports: total value: $268 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment partners: EU countries 53.2% (Germany 12.4%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 7.8%), US 11.4% (1996)
Imports: total value: $283.5 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods partners: EU countries 50.2% (Germany 14.2%, France 9.0%, Netherlands 6.5%), US 13.9% (1996)
Debt-external: $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Economic aid: donor: ODA, $2.908 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 British pound (£) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds (£) per US$1-0.6115 (January 1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international system domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations-10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0
Radios: 70 million
Television broadcast stations: 207 (repeaters 3,210)
Televisions: 20 million
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railways: total: 16,878 km broad gauge: 342 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note-all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 342 km is in common carrier use, is in Northern Ireland standard gauge: 16,536 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track) (1996)
Highways: total: 372,000 km paved: 372,000 km (including 3,270 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 3,200 km under British Waterways Board
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Dover,Falmouth, Felixstowe, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London,Manchester, Peterhead, Plymouth, Scapa Flow, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine: total: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,192,956 GRT/2,224,715 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 26, chemical tanker 5, combination ore/oil 1, container 21, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 47, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 13, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 1 note: UK owns 337 additional ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,511,240 DWT that operate under the registries of Bermuda, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cyprus, Hong Kong, Isle of Man, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Singapore, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1997 est.)
Airports: 497 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 356 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 32 1,524 to 2,437 m: 170 914 to 1,523 m: 90 under 914 m: 54 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 141 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 24 under 914 m: 116 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1997 est.)
@United Kingdom:Military
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), RoyalAir Force