Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, betweenEgypt and Israel
Geographic coordinates: 31 25 N, 34 20 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:total: 360 sq kmland: 360 sq kmwater: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly more than twice the size ofWashington, DC
Land boundaries: total: 62 km border countries: Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline: 40 km
Maritime claims: Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement—permanent status to be determined through further negotiation
Climate: temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain: flat to rolling, sand- and dune-covered coastal plain
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Abu 'Awdah (Joz Abu 'Auda) 105 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:arable land: 24%permanent crops: 39%permanent pastures: 0%forests and woodland: 11%other: 26% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 120 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment—current issues: desertification; salination of fresh water; sewage treatment
Environment—international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: there are 24 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the Gaza Strip (August 1998 est.)
People
Population: 1,112,654 (July 1999 est.)note: in addition, there are some 6,000 Israeli settlers in the GazaStrip (August 1998 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 52% (male 294,196; female 280,017)15-64 years: 46% (male 255,209; female 251,317)65 years and over: 2% (male 13,475; female 18,440) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.44% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 48.24 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 3.8 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.02 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 22.92 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.44 years male: 72.01 years female: 74.95 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 7.46 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: NA adjective: NA
Ethnic groups: Palestinian Arab and other 99.4%, Jewish 0.6%
Religions: Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 98.7%, Christian 0.7%,Jewish 0.6%
Languages: Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and manyPalestinians), English (widely understood)
Literacy: NA
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gaza Strip local long form: none local short form: Qita Ghazzah
Data code: GZ
Economy
Economy—overview: Economic conditions in the Gaza Strip?under the responsibility of the Palestinian Authority since the Cairo Agreement of May 1994—have deteriorated since the early 1990s. Real per capita GDP for the West Bank and Gaza Strip (WBGS) declined 36% between 1992 and 1996 owing to the combined effect of falling aggregate incomes and robust population growth. The downturn in economic activity was largely the result of Israeli closure policies—the imposition of generalized border closures in response to security incidents in Israel—which disrupted previously established labor and commodity market relationships between Israel and the WBGS. The most serious negative social effect of this downturn has been the emergence of chronic unemployment; average unemployment rates in the WBGS during the 1980s were generally under 5%, by the mid-1990s this level had risen to over 20%. Since 1997 Israel's use of comprehensive closures has decreased and, in 1998, Israel implemented new policies to reduce the impact of closures and other security procedures on the movement of Palestinian goods and labor. These positive changes to the conduct of economic activity, combined with international donor pledges of over $3 billion made to the Palestinian Authority in November, may fuel a moderate economic recovery in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 2.2% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,000 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 33% industry: 25% services: 42% (1995 est., includes West Bank)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.8% (1997 est.)
Labor force: NAnote: excluding Israeli settlers
Labor force—by occupation: services 66%, industry 21%,agriculture 13% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 26.8% (1997 est.)
Budget:revenues: $816 millionexpenditures: $866 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(1997 est.)note: includes West Bank
Industries: generally small family businesses that produce textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale modern industries in an industrial center
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity—production: NA kWh note: electricity supplied by Israel
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA%
Electricity—consumption: NA kWh
Electricity—exports: NA kWh
Electricity—imports: NA kWh
Agriculture—products: olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Exports—commodities: citrus
Exports—partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1997 est.) (includes West Bank)
Imports—commodities: food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports—partners: Israel, Egypt, West Bank
Debt—external: $108 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1—4.2260 (November 1998), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Communications
Telephones: NA; 3.1% of Palestinian households have telephones
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 0, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA; note—95% of Palestinian households have radios (1992est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (operated by the PalestinianBroadcasting Corp.) (1997)
Televisions: NA; note—59% of Palestinian households havetelevisions (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:total: NA km; note—one line, abandoned and in disrepair, littletrackage remains
Highways: total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: small, poorly developed road network
Ports and harbors: Gaza
Airports: 2 (1998 est.)note: includes Gaza International Airport that opened on 24 November1998 as part of agreements stipulated in the 23 October 1998 WyeRiver Memorandum
Airports—with paved runways:total: 1over 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:total: 1under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: West Bank and Gaza Strip areIsraeli-occupied with current status subject to theIsraeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement—permanent status to bedetermined through further negotiation
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@Georgia ———-
Introduction
Background: Beset by ethnic and civil strife since independence from the Soviet Union in December 1991, Georgia began to stabilize in 1994. Political settlements for separatist conflicts in South Ossetia and Abkhazia remain elusive. The conflict in South Ossetia has been dormant since spring 1994, but sporadic violence continues between Abkhaz forces and Georgian partisans in western Georgia. Russian peacekeepers are deployed in both regions and a UN Observer Mission is operating in Abkhazia. As a result of these conflicts, Georgia still has about 250,000 internally displaced people. In 1995, Georgia adopted a new constitution and conducted generally free and fair nationwide presidential and parliamentary elections. In 1996, the government focused its attention on implementing an ambitious economic reform program and professionalizing its parliament. Violence and organized crime were sharply curtailed in 1995 and 1996, but corruption remains rife. Georgia has taken some steps to reduce its dependence on Russia, acquiring coastal patrol boats in 1997 to replace Russian border units along the Black Sea coast. In 1998, Georgia assumed control of its Black Sea coast and about half of its land border with Turkey in line with a June 1998 agreement with Russia. Since 1997, Georgia's parliament has sharpened its rhetoric against Russia's continued military presence on Georgian territory. In February 1998 an assassination attempt was made against President SHEVARDNADZE by supporters of the late former president Zviad GAMSAKHURDIA. In October 1998, a disaffected military officer led a failed mutiny in western Georgia; the armed forces continue to feel the ripple effect of the uprising. Georgia faces parliamentary elections this fall, and presidential elections next spring. After two years of robust growth, the economy, hurt by the financial crisis in Russia, slowed in 1998.
Geography
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Black Sea, betweenTurkey and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 42 00 N, 43 30 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area:total: 69,700 sq kmland: 69,700 sq kmwater: 0 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries:total: 1,461 kmborder countries: Armenia 164 km, Azerbaijan 322 km, Russia 723 km,Turkey 252 km
Coastline: 310 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: warm and pleasant; Mediterranean-like on Black Sea coast
Terrain: largely mountainous with Great Caucasus Mountains in the north and Lesser Caucasus Mountains in the south; Kolkhet'is Dablobi (Kolkhida Lowland) opens to the Black Sea in the west; Mtkvari River Basin in the east; good soils in river valley flood plains, foothills of Kolkhida Lowland
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Black Sea 0 mhighest point: Mt'a Mqinvartsveri (Gora Kazbek) 5,048 m
Natural resources: forests, hydropower, manganese deposits, ironore, copper, minor coal and oil deposits; coastal climate and soilsallow for important tea and citrus growth
Land use:arable land: 9%permanent crops: 4%permanent pastures: 25%forests and woodland: 34%other: 28% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes
Environment—current issues: air pollution, particularly inRust'avi; heavy pollution of Mtkvari River and the Black Sea;inadequate supplies of potable water; soil pollution from toxicchemicals
Environment—international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of theSea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: Desertification
People
Population: 5,066,499 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 21% (male 544,055; female 522,491)15-64 years: 67% (male 1,628,993; female 1,753,527)65 years and over: 12% (male 236,124; female 381,309) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.74% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 11.64 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 14.3 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.69 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.91 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 52.01 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.63 years male: 61.13 years female: 68.32 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.53 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Georgian(s) adjective: Georgian
Ethnic groups: Georgian 70.1%, Armenian 8.1%, Russian 6.3%, Azeri5.7%, Ossetian 3%, Abkhaz 1.8%, other 5%
Religions: Christian Orthodox 75% (Georgian Orthodox 65%, RussianOrthodox 10%), Muslim 11%, Armenian Apostolic 8%, unknown 6%
Languages: Georgian 71% (official), Russian 9%, Armenian 7%,Azeri 6%, other 7%note: Abkhaz (official in Abkhazia)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99%male: 100%female: 98% (1989 est.)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: noneconventional short form: Georgialocal long form: nonelocal short form: Sak'art'veloformer: Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: GG
Government type: republic
Capital: T'bilisi
Administrative divisions: 53 rayons (raionebi, singular—raioni), 9 cities* (k'alak'ebi, singular—k'alak'i), and 2 autonomous republics** (avtomnoy respubliki, singular—avtom respublika); Abashis, Abkhazia or Ap'khazet'is Avtonomiuri Respublika** (Sokhumi), Adigenis, Ajaria or Acharis Avtonomiuri Respublika** (Bat'umi), Akhalgoris, Akhalk'alak'is, Akhalts'ikhis, Akhmetis, Ambrolauris, Aspindzis, Baghdat'is, Bolnisis, Borjomis, Chiat'ura*, Ch'khorotsqus, Ch'okhatauris, Dedop'listsqaros, Dmanisis, Dushet'is, Gardabanis, Gori*, Goris, Gurjaanis, Javis, K'arelis, Kaspis, Kharagaulis, Khashuris, Khobis, Khonis, K'ut'aisi*, Lagodekhis, Lanch'khut'is, Lentekhis, Marneulis, Martvilis, Mestiis, Mts'khet'is, Ninotsmindis, Onis, Ozurget'is, P'ot'i*, Qazbegis, Qvarlis, Rust'avi*, Sach'kheris, Sagarejos, Samtrediis, Senakis, Sighnaghis, T'bilisi*, T'elavis, T'erjolis, T'et'ritsqaros, T'ianet'is, Tqibuli*, Ts'ageris, Tsalenjikhis, Tsalkis, Tsqaltubo*, Vanis, Zestap'onis, Zugdidi*, Zugdidis note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 9 April 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 May (1991)
Constitution: adopted 17 October 1995
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE(previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March1992, Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairmanof Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995;note—the president is both the chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: President Eduard Amvrosiyevich SHEVARDNADZE(previously elected chairman of the Government Council 10 March1992, Council has since been disbanded; previously elected chairmanof Parliament 11 October 1992; president since 26 November 1995;note—the president is both the chief of state and head of governmentcabinet: Cabinet of Ministerselections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;election last held 5 November 1995 (next to be held NA 2000)election results: Eduard SHEVARDNADZE elected president; percent ofvote—Eduard SHEVARDNADZE 74%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council (commonly referred to as Parliament) or Umaghiesi Sabcho (235 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 5 November 1995 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: percent of vote by party—CUG 24%, NDP 8%, AGUR 7%, all other parties received less than 5% each; seats by party—CUG 107, NDP 34, AGUR 32, Progress Bloc 4, SPG 4, others 9, Abkazian deputies 12, independents 29, not filled 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges elected by the SupremeCouncil on the president's recommendation; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Citizen's Union of Georgia or CUGgroups: Democratic Union of Georgia or DUG, Political Association"Georgian Proprietors"—Electoral Association "T'bilisi", PoliticalUnion of Young Democrats "Our Choice", Political Union Tanadgoma)
Political pressure groups and leaders: supporters of the lateousted President Zviad GAMSAKHURDYA remain a source of opposition;separatist elements in the breakaway region of Abkhazia; Georgianrefugees from Abkhazia (Abkhaz faction in Georgian Parliament)
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest),CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO(correspondent), ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Tedo JAPARIDZEchancery: Suite 300, 1615 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC20009
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth S. YALOWITZembassy: #25 Antoneli Street, T'bilisi 380026mailing address: use embassy street address
Flag description: maroon field with small rectangle in upper hoist side corner; rectangle divided horizontally with black on top, white below
Economy
Economy—overview: Georgia's economy has traditionally revolved around Black Sea tourism; cultivation of citrus fruits, tea, and grapes; mining of manganese and copper; and output of a small industrial sector producing wine, metals, machinery, chemicals, and textiles. The country imports the bulk of its energy needs, including natural gas and oil products. Its only sizable internal energy resource is hydropower. Despite the severe damage the economy has suffered due to civil strife, Georgia, with the help of the IMF and World Bank, made substantial economic gains since 1995, increasing GDP growth and slashing inflation. The Georgian economy suffered some setbacks in late 1998, including a large budget deficit due to a failure to collect tax revenue and to the impact of the Russian economic crisis. Georgia also still suffers from energy shortages; it privatized the distribution network in 1998, and deliveries are steadily improving. Georgia is pinning its hopes for long-term recovery on the development of an international transportation corridor through the key Black Sea ports of P'ot'i and Bat'umi. The construction of a Caspian oil pipeline through Georgia—scheduled to open in early 1999—should spur greater Western investment in the economy. The global economic slowdown, a growing trade deficit, continuing problems with corruption, and political uncertainties cloud the short-term economic picture.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$11.2 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,200 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 29% industry: 16% services: 55% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:lowest 10%: NA%highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.5% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 3.08 million (1997)
Labor force—by occupation: industry and construction 31%, agriculture and forestry 25%, other 44% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1996 est.)
Budget:revenues: $364 millionexpenditures: $568 million, including capital expenditures of $NA(1998)
Industries: steel, aircraft, machine tools, foundry equipment, electric locomotives, tower cranes, electric welding equipment, machinery for food preparation and meat packing, electric motors, process control equipment, trucks, tractors, textiles, shoes, chemicals, wood products, wine
Industrial production growth rate: -0.3% (1998 est.)
Electricity—production: 6.845 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 29.88% hydro: 70.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 6.949 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 300 million kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 404 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: citrus, grapes, tea, vegetables, potatoes; livestock
Exports: $230 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.)
Exports—commodities: citrus fruits, tea, wine, other agricultural products; diverse types of machinery; ferrous and nonferrous metals; textiles; chemicals; fuel reexports
Exports—partners: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Ukraine, Armenia,Bulgaria, Turkey, US, UK, Italy, Germany, Romania (1997)
Imports: $931 million (c.i.f., 1997 est.)
Imports—commodities: fuel, grain and other foods, machinery andparts, transport equipment
Imports—partners: Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan (1996); note?EU andUS send humanitarian food shipments
Debt—external: $1.3 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $212.7 million (1995)
Currency: lari introduced September 1995 replacing the coupon
Exchange rates: lari per US$1 (end of period)—1.82 (December 1998), 1.32 (December 1997), 1.28 (December 1996), 1.24 (December 1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 760,000 (1996 est.)
Telephone system:domestic: local—T'bilisi and K'ut'aisi have cellular telephonenetworks with about 10,000 customers total; urban areas 20telephones/100 people; rural areas 4 phones/100 people; intercity—afiber-optic line connects T'bilisi to K'ut'aisi (Georgia's secondlargest city); nationwide pager serviceinternational: Georgia and Russia are working on a fiber-optic linebetween P'ot'i and Sochi (Russia); present international service isavailable by microwave, land line, and satellite through the Moscowswitch; international electronic mail and telex service available
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note 2national broadcast stations, 3 regional broadcast stations
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 3
Televisions: NA
Transportation
Railways:total: 1,583 km in common carrier service; does not includeindustrial linesbroad gauge: 1,583 km 1.520-m gauge (1993)
Highways:total: 20,700 kmpaved: 19,354 kmunpaved: 1,346 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 370 km; refined products 300 km; natural gas440 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Bat'umi, P'ot'i, Sokhumi
Merchant marine:total: 8 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 86,667 GRT/121,679 DWTships by type: cargo 2, oil tanker 5, short-sea passenger 1 (1998est.)
Airports: 28 (1994 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:total: 14over 3,047 m: 12,438 to 3,047 m: 71,524 to 2,437 m: 4914 to 1,523 m: 1under 914 m: 1 (1994 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:total: 14over 3,047 m: 12,438 to 3,047 m: 11,524 to 2,437 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 5under 914 m: 6 (1994 est.)
Transportation—note: transportation network is in poor condition and disrupted by ethnic conflict, criminal activities, and fuel shortages; network lacks maintenance and repair
Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, National Guard, Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops)
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability:males age 15-49: 1,287,225 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:males age 15-49: 1,018,309 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:males: 40,604 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $57 million (1998)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1% (1998)
Military—note: a CIS peacekeeping force consisting of Russian troops is deployed in the Abkhazia region of Georgia together with a UN military observer group; a Russian peacekeeping battalion is deployed in South Ossetia
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; used as transshipment point for opiates via Central Asia to Western Europe
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@Germany ———-
Introduction
Background: Germany—first united in 1871?suffered defeats in successive world wars and was occupied by the victorious Allied powers of the US, UK, France, and the Soviet Union in 1945. With the beginning of the Cold War and increasing tension between the US and Soviet Union, two German states were formed in 1949: the western Federal Republic of Germany (FRG) and the eastern German Democratic Republic (GDR). The newly democratic FRG embedded itself in key Western economic and security organizations, the EU and NATO, while the Communist GDR was on the front line of the Soviet-led Warsaw Pact. The decline of the Soviet Union and end of the Cold War cleared the path for the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 and German re-unification in 1990. Germany has expended considerable funds—roughly $100 billion a year—in subsequent years working to bring eastern productivity and wages up to western standards, with mixed results. Unemployment—which in the east is nearly double that in the west—has grown over the last several years, primarily as a result of structural problems like an inflexible labor market. In January 1999, Germany and 10 other members of the EU formed a common European currency, the euro, and the German government is now looking toward reform of the EU budget and enlargement of the Union into Central Europe.
Geography
Location: Central Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and the NorthSea, between the Netherlands and Poland, south of Denmark
Geographic coordinates: 51 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:total: 356,910 sq kmland: 349,520 sq kmwater: 7,390 sq kmnote: includes the formerly separate Federal Republic of Germany,the German Democratic Republic, and Berlin, following formalunification on 3 October 1990
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Montana
Land boundaries:total: 3,621 kmborder countries: Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czech Republic 646km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577km, Poland 456 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 2,389 km
Maritime claims:continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters andsummers; occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps insouth
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Freepsum Lake -2 m highest point: Zugspitze 2,962 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber, lignite,uranium, copper, natural gas, salt, nickel
Land use:arable land: 33%permanent crops: 1%permanent pastures: 15%forests and woodland: 31%other: 20% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 4,750 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: flooding
Environment—current issues: emissions from coal-burning utilities and industries and lead emissions from vehicle exhausts (the result of continued use of leaded fuels) contribute to air pollution; acid rain, resulting from sulfur dioxide emissions, is damaging forests; pollution in the Baltic Sea from raw sewage and industrial effluents from rivers in eastern Germany; hazardous waste disposal
Environment—international agreements:party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, AirPollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, AirPollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-EnvironmentalProtocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change,Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban,Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, TropicalTimber 94, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent OrganicPollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography—note: strategic location on North European Plain andalong the entrance to the Baltic Sea
People
Population: 82,087,361 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 15% (male 6,495,882; female 6,172,359)15-64 years: 69% (male 28,687,267; female 27,526,698)65 years and over: 16% (male 4,990,090; female 8,215,065) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.01% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 8.68 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.76 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.06 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.14 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.17 years male: 74.01 years female: 80.5 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.26 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality:noun: German(s)adjective: German
Ethnic groups: German 91.5%, Turkish 2.4%, Italians 0.7%, Greeks0.4%, Poles 0.4%, other 4.6% (made up largely of people fleeing thewar in the former Yugoslavia)
Religions: Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 34%, Muslim 1.7%,unaffiliated or other 26.3%
Languages: German
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99% (1977 est.)male: NA%female: NA%
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Federal Republic of Germanyconventional short form: Germanylocal long form: Bundesrepublik Deutschlandlocal short form: Deutschland
Data code: GM
Government type: federal republic
Capital: Berlinnote: the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period ofyears, with Bonn retaining many administrative functions and severalministries even after parliament moves in 1999
Administrative divisions: 16 states (Laender, singular—Land);Baden-Wuerttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg,Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen,Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt,Schleswig-Holstein, Thueringen
Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four powers formally relinquished rights 15 March 1991
National holiday: German Unity Day (Day of Unity), 3 October(1990)
Constitution: 23 May 1949, known as Basic Law; becameconstitution of the united German people 3 October 1990
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Roman HERZOG (since 1 July 1994)head of government: Chancellor Gerhard SCHROEDER (since 27 October1998)cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president upon the proposal of thechancellorelections: president elected for a five-year term by a FederalConvention including all members of the Federal Assembly and anequal number of delegates elected by the Land Parliaments; electionlast held 23 May 1994 (next to be held 23 May 1999); chancellorelected by an absolute majority of the Federal Assembly for afour-year term; election last held 27 September 1998 (next to beheld in the fall of 2002)election results: Roman HERZOG elected president; percent of FederalConvention vote—52.6%; Gerhard SCHROEDER elected chancellor; percentof Federal Assembly—52.8%
Legislative branch: bicameral chamber (no official name for the two chambers as a whole) consists of the Federal Assembly or Bundestag (656 seats usually, but 669 for the 1998 term; elected by popular vote under a system combining direct and proportional representation; a party must win 5% of the national vote or three direct mandates to gain representation; members serve four-year terms) and the Federal Council or Bundesrat (69 votes; state governments are directly represented by votes; each has 3 to 6 votes depending on population and are required to vote as a block) elections: Federal Assembly—last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by the fall of 2002); note—there are no elections for the Bundesrat; composition is determined by the composition of the state-level governments; the composition of the Bundesrat has the potential to change any time one of the 16 states holds an election election results: Federal Assembly—percent of vote by party—SPD 40.9%, Alliance 90/Greens 6.7%, CDU/CSU 35.1%, FDP 6.2%, PDS 5.1%; seats by party—SPD 298, Alliance 90/Greens 47, CDU/CSU 245, FDP 43, PDS 36; Federal Council—current composition—votes by party—SPD-led states 45, CDU-led states 24
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court orBundesverfassungsgericht, half the judges are elected by theBundestag and half by the Bundesrat
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union or CDU
Political pressure groups and leaders: employers' organizations,expellee, refugee, trade unions, and veterans groups
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, AustraliaGroup, BDEAC, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EAPC,EBRD, ECE, EIB, EMU, ESA, 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, ISO, ITU, MTCR,NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA,UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNOMIG, UPU, WEU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Juergen CHROBOG chancery: 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington, DC 20007 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco, Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John C. KORNBLUM embassy: Deichmanns Aue 29, 53170 Bonn mailing address: PSC 117, APO AE 09080 branch office: Berlin; mailing address: Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse consulate(s) general: Dusseldorf, Frankfurt am Main, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and gold
Economy
Economy—overview: Germany possesses the world's third most powerful economy, with its capitalist market system tempered by generous welfare benefits. On 1 January 1999, Germany and 10 other European Union countries launched the European Monetary Union (EMU) by permanently fixing their bilateral exchange rates and giving the new European Central Bank control over the zone's monetary policy. Germans expect to have the new European currency, the euro, in pocket by 2002. Domestic demand contributed to a moderate economic upswing in early 1998, although unemployment remains high. Job-creation measures have helped superficially, but structural rigidities—like high wages and costly benefits—make unemployment a long-term, not just a cyclical, problem. Although minimally affected by the Asian crisis in 1998, Germany revised its 1999 forecast downward at the beginning of the year to reflect anticipated effects from the global economic slowdown. Over the long term, Germany faces budgetary problems—lower tax revenues and higher pension outlays—as its population ages. Meanwhile, the German nation continues to wrestle with the integration of eastern Germany, whose adjustment may take decades to complete despite annual transfers from the west of roughly $100 billion a year.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$1.813 trillion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 2.7% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,100 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 1.1% industry: 33.1% services: 65.8% (1998)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 38.2 million (1998)
Labor force—by occupation: industry 33.7%, agriculture 2.7%, services 63.6% (1998)
Unemployment rate: 10.6% (1998 est.)
Budget:revenues: $977 billionexpenditures: $1.024 trillion, including capital expenditures of $NA(1998 est.)
Industries: western: among world's largest and technologically advanced producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics, food and beverages; eastern: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1998)
Electricity—production: 515.058 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 66.23% hydro: 3.5% nuclear: 29.81% other: 0.46% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 509.458 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 42.5 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 36.9 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: western?potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbages; cattle, pigs, poultry; eastern—wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; pork, beef, chickens, milk, hides
Exports: $510 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports—commodities: machinery 31%, vehicles 17%, chemicals 13%, metals and manufactures, foodstuffs, textiles (1997)
Exports—partners: EU 55.5% (France 10.7%, UK 8.5%, Italy 7.4%, Netherlands 7.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.8%), US 8.6%, Japan 2.3% (1997 est.)
Imports: $426 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports—commodities: machinery 22%, vehicles 10%, chemicals 9%,foodstuffs 8%, textiles, metals (1997)
Imports—partners: EU 54.3% (France 10.5%, Netherlands 8.5%, Italy7.8%, UK 7.0%, Belgium-Luxembourg 6.2%), US 7.7%, Japan 4.9% (1997)
Debt—external: $NA
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $7.5 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1—1.69 (January 1999),1.7597 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228(1994)note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a commoncurrency that is now being used by financial institutions in somemember countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixedrate of 1.95583 deutsche marks per euro; the euro will replace thelocal currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 44 million
Telephone system: Germany has one of the world's most technologically advanced telecommunications systems; as a result of intensive capital expenditures since reunification, the formerly backward system of the eastern part of the country has been modernized and integrated with that of the western part domestic: the region which was formerly West Germany is served by an extensive system of automatic telephone exchanges connected by modern networks of fiber-optic cable, coaxial cable, microwave radio relay, and a domestic satellite system; cellular telephone service is widely available and includes roaming service to many foreign countries; since the reunification of Germany, the telephone system of the eastern region has been upgraded and enjoys all of the advantages of the national system international: satellite earth stations—14 Intelsat (12 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), 2 Intersputnik (1 Atlantic Ocean region and 1 Indian Ocean region); 7 submarine cable connections; 2 HF radiotelephone communication centers; tropospheric scatter links
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 1,621, shortwave 37, digital audio broadcasting 130
Radios: 47.1 million (1998 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 9,513 (including repeaters)
Televisions: 51.4 million (1998 est.)
Transportation
Railways:total: 46,300 km including 18,866 km electrified and 14,768 kmdouble- or multiple-tracked (1996)note: since privatization in 1994, Deutsche Bahn AG (DBAG) no longerpublishes details of the tracks it owns; in addition to the DBAGsystem there are 102 privately owned railway companies which own anapproximate 3,000 km to 4,000 km of the total tracks
Highways:total: 656,074 kmpaved: 650,169 km (including 11,309 km of expressways)unpaved: 5,905 km all-weather (1997 est.)
Waterways: 7,467 km (1997); major rivers include the Rhine andElbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Seaand North Sea
Pipelines: crude oil 2,460 km (1997)
Ports and harbors: Berlin, Bonn, Brake, Bremen, Bremerhaven,Cologne, Dresden, Duisburg, Emden, Hamburg, Karlsruhe, Kiel, Lubeck,Magdeburg, Mannheim, Rostock, Stuttgart
Merchant marine:total: 594 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,699,596GRT/9,629,163 DWTships by type: cargo 227, chemical tanker 15, combination bulk 1,container 306, liquefied gas tanker 5, multifunction large-loadcarrier 5, oil tanker 7, passenger 3, railcar carrier 2,refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 14, short-sea passenger7 (1998 est.)
Airports: 618 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:total: 319over 3,047 m: 142,438 to 3,047 m: 621,524 to 2,437 m: 68914 to 1,523 m: 54under 914 m: 121 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:total: 299over 3,047 m: 22,438 to 3,047 m: 61,524 to 2,437 m: 6914 to 1,523 m: 58under 914 m: 227 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 61 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm), AirForce, Medical Corps, Border Police, Coast Guard
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability:males age 15-49: 20,860,710 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:males age 15-49: 17,799,070 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:males: 472,708 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $32.8 billion (1998)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.5% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: individual Sudeten German claims for restitution of property confiscated in connection with their expulsion after World War II
Illicit drugs: source of precursor chemicals for South Americancocaine processors; transshipment point for and consumer ofSouthwest Asian heroin and hashish, Latin American cocaine, andEuropean-produced synthetic drugs
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@Ghana ——-
Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Gulf of Guinea, betweenCote d'Ivoire and Togo
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area:total: 238,540 sq kmland: 230,020 sq kmwater: 8,520 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:total: 2,093 kmborder countries: Burkina Faso 548 km, Cote d'Ivoire 668 km, Togo877 km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeastcoast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau insouth-central area
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Afadjato 880 m
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite,manganese, fish, rubber
Land use:arable land: 12%permanent crops: 7%permanent pastures: 22%forests and woodland: 35%other: 24% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, dusty, harmattan winds occur from January to March; droughts
Environment—current issues: recent drought in north severely affecting agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching and habitat destruction threatens wildlife populations; water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water
Environment—international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, EndangeredSpecies, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear TestBan, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83,Tropical Timber 94signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography—note: Lake Volta is the world's largest artificiallake; northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
People
Population: 18,887,626 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 42% (male 4,020,493; female 3,982,816)15-64 years: 54% (male 5,050,736; female 5,231,951)65 years and over: 4% (male 284,423; female 317,207) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.05% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 31.79 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 10.4 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 76.15 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 57.14 years male: 55.08 years female: 59.27 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.11 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ghanaian(s) adjective: Ghanaian
Ethnic groups: black African 99.8% (major tribes—Akan 44%,Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%,other 8%
Languages: English (official), African languages (including Akan,Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga)
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 64.5%male: 75.9%female: 53.5% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Ghanaconventional short form: Ghanaformer: Gold Coast
Data code: GH
Government type: constitutional democracy
Capital: Accra
Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo,Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West,Volta, Western
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Constitution: new constitution approved 28 April 1992
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 7 January1993); Vice President John Evans Atta MILLS (since 7 January 1993);note—the president is both the chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: President Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 7 January1993); Vice President John Evans Atta MILLS (since 7 January 1993);note—the president is both the chief of state and head of governmentcabinet: Council of Ministers; president nominates members subjectto approval by the Parliamentelections: president and vice president elected on the same ticketby popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 7 December1996 (next to be held NA 2000)election results: Jerry John RAWLINGS reelected president; percentof vote—RAWLINGS 57%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (200 seats; members areelected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)elections: last held 7 December 1996 (next to be held NA December2000)election results: percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—NDC133, NPP 61, PCP 5, PNC 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: National Democratic Congress or
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM(observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNU, UPU,WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Kobena KOOMSONchancery: 3512 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Kathryn Dee ROBINSONembassy: Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accramailing address: P. O. Box 194, Accra
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia, which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
Economy
Economy—overview: Well endowed with natural resources, Ghana has twice the per capita output of the poorer countries in West Africa. Even so, Ghana remains heavily dependent on international financial and technical assistance. Gold, timber, and cocoa production are major sources of foreign exchange. The domestic economy continues to revolve around subsistence agriculture, which accounts for 41% of GDP and employs 60% of the work force, mainly small landholders. In 1995-97, Ghana made mixed progress under a three-year structural adjustment program in cooperation with the IMF. On the minus side, public sector wage increases and regional peacekeeping commitments have led to continued inflationary deficit financing, depreciation of the cedi, and rising public discontent with Ghana's austerity measures. Power shortages also helped slow growth in 1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$33.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,800 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 41% industry: 14% services: 45% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: 31.4% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 27.3% (1992)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 27.7% (1997 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force—by occupation: agriculture and fishing 61%, industry 10%, services 29% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1997 est.)
Budget:revenues: $1.39 billionexpenditures: $1.47 billion, including capital expenditures of $370million (1996 est.)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, aluminumsmelting, food processing