Telephones: 9,000 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: the public telecommunications system was completely destroyed or dismantled by the civil war factions; all relief organizations depend on their own private systems domestic: recently, local cellular telephone systems have been established in Mogadishu and in several other population centers international: international connections are available from Mogadishu by satellite
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 5
Radios: 300,000
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 118,000 (1993 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 22,100 km paved: 2,608 km unpaved: 19,492 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 15 km
Ports and harbors: Bender Cassim (Boosaaso), Berbera, Chisimayu(Kismaayo), Merca, Mogadishu
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 61 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways:total: 7over 3,047 m: 42,438 to 3,047 m: 11,524 to 2,437 m: 1914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways:total: 542,438 to 3,047 m: 31,524 to 2,437 m: 13914 to 1,523 m: 28under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: NA; note—no functioning central government military forces; clan militias continue to battle for control of key economic or political prizes
Military manpower—availability:males age 15-49: 1,730,450 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:males age 15-49: 962,545 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: most of the southern half of the boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden
======================================================================
@South Africa ——————
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa
Geographic coordinates: 29 00 S, 24 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:total: 1,219,912 sq kmland: 1,219,912 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and PrinceEdward Island)
Area—comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
Land boundaries:total: 4,750 kmborder countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491km, Namibia 855 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km
Coastline: 2,798 km
Maritime claims:continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunnydays, cool nights
Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrowcoastal plain
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m
Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore,manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum,copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas
Land use:arable land: 10%permanent crops: 1%permanent pastures: 67%forests and woodland: 7%other: 15% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 12,700 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: prolonged droughts
Environment—current issues: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage threatens to outpace supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification
Environment—international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland
People
Population: 43,426,386 (July 1999 est.) note: South Africa took a census 10 October 1996 which showed a population of 37,859,000 (after a 6.8% adjustment for underenumeration based on a post-enumeration survey); this figure is still about 10% below projections from earlier censuses; since the full results of that census have not been released for analysis, the numbers shown for South Africa do not take into consideration the results of this 1996 census
Age structure:0-14 years: 34% (male 7,541,840; female 7,403,235)15-64 years: 61% (male 13,180,925; female 13,312,917)65 years and over: 5% (male 798,825; female 1,188,644) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.32% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 25.94 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 12.81 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.67 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 51.99 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 54.76 years male: 52.68 years female: 56.9 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.09 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: South African(s) adjective: South African
Ethnic groups: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%
Religions: Christian 68% (includes most whites and Coloreds, about 60% of blacks and about 40% of Indians), Muslim 2%, Hindu 1.5% (60% of Indians), traditional and animistic 28.5%
Languages: 11 official languages, including Afrikaans, English,Ndebele, Pedi, Sotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Tswana, Venda, Xhosa, Zulu
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 81.8%male: 81.9%female: 81.7% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of South Africaconventional short form: South Africaabbreviation: RSA
Data code: SF
Government type: republic
Capital: Pretoria (administrative); Cape Town (legislative);Bloemfontein (judicial)
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State,Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Mpumalanga, North-West, Northern Cape,Northern Province, Western Cape
Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)
National holiday: Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)
Constitution: 10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 3 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases
Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994);Executive Deputy President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note—thepresident is both the chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: President Nelson MANDELA (since 10 May 1994);Executive Deputy President Thabo MBEKI (since 10 May 1994); note—thepresident is both the chief of state and head of governmentcabinet: Cabinet appointed by the presidentelections: president and executive deputy presidents elected by theNational Assembly for five-year terms; election last held 9 May 1994(next scheduled for sometime between May and July 1999)election results: Nelson MANDELA elected president; percent ofNational Assembly vote—100% (by acclamation); Thabo MBEKI andFrederik W. DE KLERK elected executive deputy presidents; percent ofNational Assembly vote—100% (by acclamation)note: the initial governing coalition, made up of the ANC, the IFP,and the NP, which constituted a Government of National Unity or GNU,no longer includes the NP which was withdrawn by DE KLERK on 30 June1996 when he voluntarily gave up his position as executive deputypresident and distanced himself from the programs of the ANC
Legislative branch: bicameral parliament consisting of theNational Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular voteunder a system of proportional representation to serve five-yearterms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 memberselected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-yearterms; has special powers to protect regional interests, includingthe safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnicminorities); note—following the implementation of the newconstitution on 3 February 1997 the former Senate was disbanded andreplaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially nochange in membership and party affiliations, although the newinstitution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the newconstitutionelections: National Assembly and Senate—last held 26-29 April 1994(next to be held 2 June 1999); note—the Senate was disbanded andreplaced by the National Council of Provinces on 6 February 1997election results: National Assembly—percent of vote by party—ANC62.6%, NP 20.4%, IFP 10.5%, FF 2.2%, DP 1.7%, PAC 1.2%, ACDP 0.5%,other 0.9%; seats by party—ANC 252, NP 82, IFP 43, FF 9, DP 7, PAC5, ACDP 2; Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats by party—ANC61, NP 17, FF 4, IFP 5, DP 3
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals;High Courts; Magistrate Courts
Political parties and leaders: African Christian Democratic Party SCHALKWYK, executive director]; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC note: 11 other parties won votes in the April 1994 elections but not enough to gain seats in the National Assembly
Political pressure groups and leaders: Congress of South African secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO in a formal alliance with the ANC
International organization participation: AfDB, BIS, C, CCC, ECA,FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,ISO, ITU, MTCR, NAM, NSG, OAU, OPCW, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNHCR, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant)chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008consulate(s) general: Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, and NewYork
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador James A. JOSEPHembassy: 877 Pretorius St., Arcadia 0083mailing address: P.O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg
Flag description: two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side, embracing a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes note: prior to 26 April 1994, the flag was actually four flags in one—three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands, which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side
Economy
Economy—overview: South Africa is a middle-income, developing country with an abundant supply of resources, well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors, a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world, and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to cut into the 30% unemployment, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era, especially the problems of poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. Other problems are crime and corruption. The new government demonstrated its commitment to open markets, privatization, and a favorable investment climate with the release of its macroeconomic strategy in June 1996. Called "Growth, Employment and Redistribution," this policy framework includes the introduction of tax incentives to stimulate new investment in labor-intensive projects, expansion of basic infrastructure services, the restructuring and partial privatization of state assets, continued reduction of tariffs, subsidies to promote economic efficiency, improved services to the disadvantaged, and integration into the global economy. Serious structural rigidities remain, including a complicated and relatively protectionist trade regime, and concentration of wealth and economic control.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$290.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 0.3% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,800 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 5% industry: 39% services: 56% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 47.3% (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 15 million economically active (1997)
Labor force—by occupation: services 35%, agriculture 30%, industry 20%, mining 9%, other 6%
Unemployment rate: 30% (1998 est.)
Budget:revenues: $30.5 billionexpenditures: $38 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.6billion (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs
Industrial production growth rate: -1% (1998 est.)
Electricity—production: 186.949 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 93% hydro: 0.7% nuclear: 6.3% other: NA% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 181.404 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 5.575 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 30 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products
Exports: $28.7 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports—commodities: gold 20%, other minerals and metals 20%-25%, food 5%, chemicals 3% (1997)
Exports—partners: UK, Italy, Japan, US, Germany (1997)
Imports: $27.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports—commodities: machinery, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, textiles, scientific instruments (1997)
Imports—partners: Germany, US, UK, Japan (1997)
Debt—external: $23.5 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid—recipient: $676.3 million
Currency: 1 rand (R) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1—5.98380 (January 1999), 5.52828 (1998), 4.60796 (1997), 4.29935 (1996), 3.62709 (1995), 3.55080 (1994)
Fiscal year: 1 April—31 March
Communications
Telephones: 4.2 million (1997)
Telephone system: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, and radiotelephone communication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: 1 submarine cable; satellite earth stations—3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 164, shortwave 1
Radios: 7.5 million (1999 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 556 (includes 156 network stations and 400 privately-owned low-power stations; in addition, there are 144 network repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 7.5 million
Transportation
Railways:total: 21,431 kmnarrow gauge: 20,995 km 1.067-m gauge (9,087 km electrified); 436 km0.610-m gauge (1995)
Highways:total: 331,265 kmpaved: 137,475 km (including 1,142 km of expressways)unpaved: 193,790 km (1995 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 931 km; petroleum products 1,748 km; naturalgas 322 km
Ports and harbors: Cape Town, Durban, East London, Mosselbaai,Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha
Merchant marine:total: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 274,797 GRT/270,837 DWTships by type: container 6, oil tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1(1998 est.)
Airports: 749 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 144 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 45 914 to 1,523 m: 75 under 914 m: 10 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 605 1,524 to 2,437 m: 35 914 to 1,523 m: 304 under 914 m: 266 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: South African National Defense Force or SANDF (includes Army, Navy, Air Force, and Medical Services), South African Police Service or SAPS
Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower—availability:males age 15-49: 11,330,692 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:males age 15-49: 6,889,631 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:males: 453,610 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $2 billion (FY99/00)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.2% (FY95/96)
Military—note: the National Defense Force continues to integrate former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: Swaziland has asked South Africa to opennegotiations on reincorporating some nearby South Africanterritories that are populated by ethnic Swazis or that were longago part of the Swazi Kingdom
Illicit drugs: transshipment center for heroin and cocaine;cocaine consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicitmethaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through variouseast African countries; illicit cultivation of marijuana
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@South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands ——————————————————————
Geography
Location: Southern South America, islands in the South AtlanticOcean, east of the tip of South America
Geographic coordinates: 54 30 S, 37 00 W
Map references: Antarctic Region
Area:total: 4,066 sq kmland: 4,066 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes Shag Rocks, Clerke Rocks, Bird Island
Area—comparative: slightly larger than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: NA km
Maritime claims:exclusive fishing zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the yearinterspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls assnow
Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget 2,915 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:arable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%permanent pastures: 0%forests and woodland: 0%other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with somesparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Environment—current issues: NA
Environment—international agreements:party to: NAsigned, but not ratified: NA
Geography—note: the north coast of South Georgia has severallarge bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced earlyin this century, live on South Georgia
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there is a small military garrison on South Georgia, and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited
Government
Country name:conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islandsconventional short form: none
Data code: SX
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Island by a UK civil commissioner; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
Capital: none; Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town
Legal system: NA
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory ofthe UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territoryof the UK, also claimed by Argentina)
Flag description: the flag of the UK is used
Economy
Economy—overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters.There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish andkrill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced inthe UK.
Budget:revenues: $291,777expenditures: $451,000, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988est.)
Communications
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Transportation
Ports and harbors: Grytviken
Airports: none
Military
Military—note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: claimed by Argentina
======================================================================
@Spain ——-
Introduction
Background: A powerful world empire in the 16th and 17th centuries, Spain ultimately yielded command of the seas to England, beginning with the defeat of the Armada in 1588. Spain subsequently failed to embrace the mercantile and industrial revolutions and fell behind Britain, France, and Germany in economic and political power. Spain remained neutral in World Wars I and II. In the second half of the 20th century Spain played a catch-up role in the western international community. Continuing problems are large-scale unemployment and the Basque separatist movement.
Geography
Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the Bay of Biscay, Mediterranean Sea, North Atlantic Ocean, and Pyrenees Mountains, southwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 4 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:total: 504,750 sq kmland: 499,400 sq kmwater: 5,350 sq kmnote: includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places ofsovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast ofMorocco—Ceuta, Melilla, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, andPenon de Velez de la Gomera
Area—comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
Land boundaries:total: 1,919.1 kmborder countries: Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km,Portugal 1,214 km, Morocco (Ceuta) 6.3 km, Morocco (Melilla) 9.6 km
Coastline: 4,964 km
Maritime claims:exclusive economic zone: 200 nm (applies only to the Atlantic Ocean)territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderateand cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partlycloudy and cool along coast
Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by ruggedhills; Pyrenees in north
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 mhighest point: Pico de Teide (Tenerife) on Canary Islands 3,718 m
Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury,pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin,potash, hydropower
Land use:arable land: 30%permanent crops: 9%permanent pastures: 21%forests and woodland: 32%other: 8% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 34,530 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts
Environment—current issues: pollution of the Mediterranean Sea from raw sewage and effluents from the offshore production of oil and gas; water quality and quantity nationwide; air pollution; deforestation; desertification
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, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification,Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine LifeConservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, ShipPollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whalingsigned, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent OrganicPollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification
Geography—note: strategic location along approaches to Strait ofGibraltar
People
Population: 39,167,744 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 15% (male 3,012,907; female 2,835,455)15-64 years: 68% (male 13,411,046; female 13,406,214)65 years and over: 17% (male 2,702,654; female 3,799,468) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 9.99 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 9.69 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.07 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.41 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 77.71 years male: 73.97 years female: 81.71 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.24 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Spaniard(s) adjective: Spanish
Ethnic groups: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
Religions: Roman Catholic 99%, other 1%
Languages: Castilian Spanish 74%, Catalan 17%, Galician 7%,Basque 2%
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 96%male: 98%female: 94% (1986 est.)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Kingdom of Spainconventional short form: Spainlocal short form: Espana
Data code: SP
Government type: parliamentary monarchy
Capital: Madrid
Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidadesautonomas, singular—comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon,Asturias, Baleares (Balearic Islands), Canarias (Canary Islands),Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, CommunidadValencian, Extremadura, Galicia, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra,Pais Vasco (Basque Country)note: there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast ofMorocco: Ceuta and Melilla are administered as autonomouscommunities; Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon deVelez de la Gomera are under direct Spanish administration
Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
National holiday: National Day, 12 October
Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); HeirApparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968head of government: President of the Government Jose Maria AZNARLopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Francisco ALVAREZCASCOS Fernandez (since 5 May 1996) and Second Vice President (andMinister of Economy and Finance) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May1996)cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the presidentnote: there is also a Council of State that is the supremeconsultative organ of the governmentelections: the monarch is hereditary; president proposed by themonarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislativeelections; election last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NAApril 2000); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal ofthe presidentelection results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent ofNational Assembly vote—NA
Legislative branch: bicameral; the General Courts or NationalAssembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado(256 seats—208 members directly elected by popular vote and theother 48 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-yearterms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados(350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists byproportional representation to serve four-year terms)elections: Senate—last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by April2000); Congress of Deputies—last held 3 March 1996 (next to be heldby April 2000)election results: Senate—percent of vote by party—NA; seats byparty—PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9; Congress ofDeputies—percent of vote by party—PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%,CiU 4.6%; seats by party—PP 156, PSOE 141, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders:principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party or PPGonzalez]Soley, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence
Political pressure groups and leaders: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the unions (authorized in April 1977); Workers Confederation or CC.OO; the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, AustraliaGroup, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA,EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD,IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC,IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO,NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio OYARZABAL MARCHESIchancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami,New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Edward L. ROMEROembassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madridmailing address: APO AE 09642consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy
Economy—overview: Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is three-fourths that of the four leading West European economies. Its center-right government successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency on 1 January 1999. The deficit-to-GDP ratio is 2.1%, the debt-to-GDP ratio is around 68%, and inflation is approximately 2%. Moreover, the AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and has introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment, nonetheless, remains the highest in the EU at 20%. The government, for political reasons, has made only limited progress in changing labor laws or reforming pension schemes, which are key to the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances and its competitiveness in a single currency area. Adjustment to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe will pose difficult challenges to Spain in the next few years.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$645.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$16,500 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 3.4% industry: 33.3% services: 63.3% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 16.2 million
Labor force—by occupation: services 64%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1998 est.)
Budget:revenues: $113 billionexpenditures: $139 billion, including capital expenditures of $15billion (1995)
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.8% (1998)
Electricity—production: 163.468 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 43.17% hydro: 23.92% nuclear: 32.74% other: 0.17% (1996)
Electricity—consumption: 164.568 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—exports: 5.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—imports: 6.8 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture—products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Exports: $111.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports—commodities: cars and trucks, other machinery andmanufactured goods, foodstuffs, and other consumer goods
Exports—partners: EU 70% (France 20%, Germany 18%, Italy 10%,Portugal 9%, UK 8%), US 4.4% (1997)
Imports: $132.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports—commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels,semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals (1997)
Imports—partners: EU 65% (France 17%, Germany 15%, Italy 9%, UK8%, Benelux 7%), US 6%, Japan 3% (1997)
Debt—external: $90 billion (1993 est.)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1—143.39 (January 1999),149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96(1994)note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a commoncurrency that is now being used by financial institutions in somemember countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixedrate of 166.386 pesetas per euro; the euro will replace the localcurrency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 12.6 million (1990 est.)
Telephone system: generally adequate, modern facilitiesdomestic: NAinternational: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earthstations—2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NAEutelsat, NA Inmarsat, and NA Marecs; tropospheric scatter toadjacent countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 406 (repeaters 134),shortwave 0
Radios: 12 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 542 (382 network stations, 160 low-power stations, and one US Air Force Europe station) (1997)
Televisions: 15.7 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways:total: 15,079 kmbroad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,355 km electrified; 2,295 kmdouble track)standard gauge: 525 km 1.435-m gauge (480 km electrified)narrow gauge: 1,773 km 1.000-m gauge (594 km electrified) (1996)
Highways:total: 346,858 kmpaved: 343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways)unpaved: 3,469 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
Pipelines: crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; naturalgas 1,666 km
Ports and harbors: Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena,Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (CanaryIslands), Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife(Canary Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo
Merchant marine:total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,094,408GRT/1,695,708 DWTships by type: bulk 11, cargo 29, chemical tanker 10, container 10,liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 25, passenger 1, refrigeratedcargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 35, short-sea passenger 6,specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 99 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 66 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard,National Police, Coastal Civil Guard
Military manpower—military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower—availability:males age 15-49: 10,374,314 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:males age 15-49: 8,346,155 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:males: 311,350 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $6.3 billion (1995)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 1.4% (1995)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: Gibraltar issue with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco—the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Illicit drugs: key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin
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@Spratly Islands ———————-
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines
Geographic coordinates: 8 38 N, 111 55 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area:total: less than 5 sq kmland: less than 5 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmnote: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mountsscattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central SouthChina Sea
Area—comparative: NA
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 926 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gaspotential
Land use:arable land: 0%permanent crops: 0%permanent pastures: 0%forests and woodland: 0%other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
Environment—current issues: NA
Environment—international agreements:party to: none of the selected agreementssigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography—note: strategically located near several primaryshipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numeroussmall islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Data code: PG
Economy
Economy—overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 4 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military—note: Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island
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@Sri Lanka ————-
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south ofIndia
Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:total: 65,610 sq kmland: 64,740 sq kmwater: 870 sq km
Area—comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims:contiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental marginexclusive economic zone: 200 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March);southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains insouth-central interior
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems,phosphates, clay
Land use:arable land: 14%permanent crops: 15%permanent pastures: 7%forests and woodland: 32%other: 32% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment—current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
Environment—international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography—note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
People
Population: 19,144,875 (July 1999 est.) note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of late 1996, 63,068 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West
Age structure:0-14 years: 27% (male 2,650,135; female 2,535,092)15-64 years: 67% (male 6,231,987; female 6,500,782)65 years and over: 6% (male 592,539; female 634,340) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 18.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.13 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: 0.96 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.67 years male: 69.89 years female: 75.59 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Religions: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil(national language) 18%note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about10% of the population
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 90.2%male: 93.4%female: 87.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name:conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lankaconventional short form: Sri Lankaformer: Ceylon
Data code: CE
Government type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central,North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since12 November 1994); note—Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister;in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief ofstate and the head of the government, this is in contrast to themore common practice of dividing the roles between the president andthe prime minister when both offices existhead of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA(since 12 November 1994); note—Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the primeminister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both thechief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrastto the more common practice of dividing the roles between thepresident and the prime minister when both offices existcabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with theprime ministerelections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term;election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000)election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA electedpresident; percent of vote—Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA(People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party)37%, other 1%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party—PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party—PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by theJudicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTCBandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of TamilAPPUHAMY]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented ineither parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of TamilEelam or LTTE; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhistclergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP,ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN,UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAMchancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Shaun E. DONNELLYembassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
Economy
Economy—overview: In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic industries now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-98 with growth of 6.4% and 4.7%. For the next round of reforms, the central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more competition in the financial sector. A continuing cloud over the economy is the fighting between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils, which has cost 50,000 lives in the past 15 years. The global slowdown will temper growth in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$48.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 4.7% (1998 est.)