@Senegal:Introduction
Background: Independent from France in 1960, Senegal joined with The Gambia to form the nominal confederation of Senegambia in 1982. However, the envisaged integration of the two countries was never carried out, and the union was dissolved in 1989. Despite peace talks, a southern separatist group sporadically has clashed with government forces since 1982. Senegal has a long history of participating in international peacekeeping.
@Senegal:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenGuinea-Bissau and Mauritania
Geographic coordinates: 14 00 N, 14 00 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 196,190 sq km land: 192,000 sq km water: 4,190 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Dakota
Land boundaries: total: 2,640 km border countries: The Gambia 740 km, Guinea 330 km, Guinea-Bissau 338 km, Mali 419 km, Mauritania 813 km
Coastline: 531 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; rainy season (May to November) has strong southeast winds; dry season (December to April) dominated by hot, dry, harmattan wind
Terrain: generally low, rolling, plains rising to foothills in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed feature near Nepen Diakha 581 m
Natural resources: fish, phosphates, iron ore
Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 16% forests and woodland: 54% other: 18% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 710 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: lowlands seasonally flooded; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues: wildlife populations threatened by poaching; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Marine Dumping
Geography - note: The Gambia is almost an enclave of Senegal
@Senegal:People
Population: 9,987,494 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 2,237,678; female 2,213,632) 15-64 years: 52% (male 2,501,649; female 2,729,412) 65 years and over: 3% (male 152,236; female 152,887) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.94% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 37.94 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 8.57 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 58.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 62.19 years male: 60.6 years female: 63.82 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.21 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Senegalese (singular and plural) adjective: Senegalese
Ethnic groups: Wolof 43.3%, Pular 23.8%, Serer 14.7%, Jola 3.7%,Mandinka 3%, Soninke 1.1%, European and Lebanese 1%, other 9.4%
Religions: Muslim 92%, indigenous beliefs 6%, Christian 2% (mostlyRoman Catholic)
Languages: French (official), Wolof, Pulaar, Jola, Mandinka
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 33.1% male: 43% female: 23.2% (1995 est.)
@Senegal:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Senegal conventional short form: Senegal local long form: Republique du Senegal local short form: Senegal
Data code: SG
Government type: republic under multiparty democratic rule
Capital: Dakar
Administrative divisions: 10 regions (regions, singular - region);Dakar, Diourbel, Fatick, Kaolack, Kolda, Louga, Saint-Louis,Tambacounda, Thies, Ziguinchor
Independence: 4 April 1960 from France; complete independence was achieved upon dissolution of federation with Mali on 20 August 1960 (The Gambia and Senegal signed an agreement on 12 December 1981 (constituted February 1982) that called for the creation of a loose confederation to be known as Senegambia, but the agreement was dissolved on 30 September 1989)
National holiday: Independence Day, 4 April (1960)
Constitution: 3 March 1963, revised 1991
Legal system: based on French civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Court; the Council of State audits the government's accounting office; Senegal has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Abdoulaye WADE (since NA 2000) head of government: Prime Minister Niasse MOUSTAPHA (since NA 2000) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister in consultation with the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 27 February 2000 (next to be held 27 February 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdoulaye WADE elected president; percent of vote in the second round of voting - Abdoulaye WADE (PDS) NA%, Abdou DIOUF (PS) NA%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (140 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 24 May 1998 (next to be held NA May 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 50%, PDS 19%, UDS-R 13%, And Jef 5%, LD-MPT 4%, CDP 2%, FSD 1%, PDS-R 1%, RND 1%, BGC 1%, PIT 1%, other 2%; seats by party - PS 93, PDS 23, UDS-R 11, And Jef 4, LD-MPT 3, CDP 1, FSD 1, PDS-R 1, RND 1, BGC 1, PIT 1
Judicial branch: under the terms of a reform of the judicial system implemented in 1992, the principal organs of the judiciary are as follows: Constitutional Court; Council of State; Court of Final Appeals or Cour de Cassation; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: African Party for Democracy andSocialism or And Jef (also known as PADS/AJ) [Landing SAVANE,secretary general]; African Party of Independence ;Democratic and Patriotic Convention or CDP (also known as Garab-Gi); Democratic League-Labor Party Movement or LD-MPT; Front for Socialism and Democracy or FSD; Gainde Centrist Bloc or BGC [Jean-PaulDIAS]; Independence and Labor Party or PIT ; NationalDemocratic Rally or RND ; Senegalese Democratic Party orPDS ; Senegalese Democratic Party-Renewal or PDS-R; Senegalese DemocraticUnion-Renewal or UDS-R ; Socialist Party or PS; Union for Democratic Renewal or URD [DjiboLeyti KA]; other small parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: labor; Muslim brotherhoods; students; teachers
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA,ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-15, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol,IOC, IOM, ITU, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNTAET, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mamadou Mansour SECK chancery: 2112 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-0540
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Harriet L. ELAM-THOMAS embassy: Avenue Jean XXIII at the corner of Avenue Kleber, Dakar mailing address: B. P. 49, Dakar telephone: 823-4296, 823-7384 FAX: 822-2991
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red with a small green five-pointed star centered in the yellow band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Senegal:Economy
Economy - overview: In January 1994, Senegal undertook a bold and ambitious economic reform program with the support of the international donor community. This reform began with a 50% devaluation of Senegal's currency, the CFA franc, which is linked at a fixed rate to the French franc. Government price controls and subsidies have been steadily dismantled. After seeing its economy contract by 2.1% in 1993, Senegal made an important turnaround, thanks to the reform program, with real growth in GDP averaging 5% annually in 1995-99. Annual inflation has been pushed down to 2%, and the fiscal deficit has been cut to less than 1.5% of GDP. Investment rose steadily from 13.8% of GDP in 1993 to 16.5% in 1997. As a member of the West African Economic and Monetary Union (UEMOA), Senegal is working toward greater regional integration with a unified external tariff. Senegal also realized full Internet connectivity in 1996, creating a miniboom in information technology-based services. Private activity now accounts for 82% of GDP. On the negative side, Senegal faces deep-seated urban problems of chronic unemployment, juvenile delinquency, and drug addiction. Real GDP growth is expected to rise above 6%, while inflation is likely to hold at 2% in 2000-2001.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $16.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,650 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19% industry: 20% services: 61% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 42.8% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1999 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 60%
Unemployment rate: NA%; urban youth 40%
Budget: revenues: $885 million expenditures: $885 million, including capital expenditures of $125 million (1996 est.)
Industries: agricultural and fish processing, phosphate mining, fertilizer production, petroleum refining, construction materials
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1998 est.)
Electricity - production: 1.2 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 1.116 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: peanuts, millet, corn, sorghum, rice, cotton, tomatoes, green vegetables; cattle, poultry, pigs; fish
Exports: $925 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: fish, ground nuts (peanuts), petroleum products, phosphates, cotton
Exports - partners: France 22%, Italy, India, Cote d'Ivoire, Mali (1998)
Imports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: foods and beverages, consumer goods, capital goods, petroleum products
Imports - partners: France 36%, other EU countries, Nigeria, Cameroon,Cote d'Ivoire, Algeria, US, China, Japan (1998)
Debt - external: $3.4 billion (1998 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $647.5 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 647.25 (January 2000), 615.70 (1999), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1966), 499.15 (1995) note: since 1 January 1999, the CFAF is pegged to the euro at a rate of 655.957 CFA francs per euro
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Senegal:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 82,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 122 (1995)
Telephone system: domestic: above-average urban system; microwave radio relay, coaxial cable and fiber-optic cable in trunk system international: 4 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 14, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: 1.24 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: 361,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 4 (1999)
@Senegal:Transportation
Railways: total: 906 km narrow gauge: 906 km 1.000-meter gauge (70 km double track)
Highways: total: 14,576 km paved: 4,271 km unpaved: 10,305 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 897 km total; 785 km on the Senegal river, and 112 km on the Saloum river
Ports and harbors: Dakar, Kaolack, Matam, Podor, Richard Toll,Saint-Louis, Ziguinchor
Airports: 20 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 10 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 10 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 1 (1999 est.)
@Senegal:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Gendarmerie,National Police (Surete Nationale)
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,218,920 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,158,893 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 109,381 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $68 million (FY97)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.4% (FY97)
@Senegal:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: short section of boundary with The Gambia is indefinite
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian heroin moving to Europe and North America; illicit cultivator of cannabis
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@Serbia and Montenegro:Introduction
Background: Serbia and Montenegro have asserted the formation of a joint independent state, but this entity has not been formally recognized as a state by the US. The US view is that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that none of the successor republics represents its continuation. In 1999, massive expulsions by Serbs of ethnic Albanians living in the autonomous republic of Kosovo provoked an international response, including the bombing of Serbia and the stationing of NATO and Russian peacekeepers in Kosovo.
@Serbia and Montenegro:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea, betweenAlbania and Bosnia and Herzegovina
Geographic coordinates: 44 00 N, 21 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area: total: 102,350 sq km (Serbia 88,412 sq km; Montenegro 13,938 sq km) land: 102,136 sq km (Serbia 88,412 sq km; Montenegro 13,724 sq km) water: 214 sq km (Serbia 0 sq km; Montenegro 214 sq km)
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Kentucky (Serbia is slightly larger than Maine; Montenegro is slightly smaller than Connecticut)
Land boundaries: total: 2,246 km border countries: Albania 287 km (114 km with Serbia, 173 km with Montenegro), Bosnia and Herzegovina 527 km (312 km with Serbia, 215 km with Montenegro), Bulgaria 318 km (with Serbia), Croatia (north) 241 km (with Serbia), Croatia (south) 25 km (with Montenegro), Hungary 151 km (with Serbia), The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 221 km (with Serbia), Romania 476 km (with Serbia) note: the internal boundary between Montenegro and Serbia is 211 km
Coastline: 199 km (Montenegro 199 km, Serbia 0 km)
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: in the north, continental climate (cold winters and hot, humid summers with well distributed rainfall); central portion, continental and Mediterranean climate; to the south, Adriatic climate along the coast, hot, dry summers and autumns and relatively cold winters with heavy snowfall inland
Terrain: extremely varied; to the north, rich fertile plains; to the east, limestone ranges and basins; to the southeast, ancient mountains and hills; to the southwest, extremely high shoreline with no islands off the coast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Daravica 2,656 m
Natural resources: oil, gas, coal, antimony, copper, lead, zinc, nickel, gold, pyrite, chrome, hydro power
Land use: arable land: NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: destructive earthquakes
Environment - current issues: pollution of coastal waters from sewage outlets, especially in tourist-related areas such as Kotor; air pollution around Belgrade and other industrial cities; water pollution from industrial wastes dumped into the Sava which flows into the Danube
Environment - international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: controls one of the major land routes from WesternEurope to Turkey and the Near East; strategic location along theAdriatic coast
@Serbia and Montenegro:People
Population: 10,662,087 (Serbia - 9,981,929; Montenegro - 680,158) note: all data dealing with population is subject to considerable error because of the dislocations caused by military action and ethnic cleansing (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: Serbia - 19.95% (male 1,028,355; female 963,366); Montenegro - 22.05% (male 77,582; female 72,395) 15-64 years: Serbia - 65.22% (male 3,187,746; female 3,322,425); Montenegro - 66.16% (male 222,095; female 227,923) 65 years and over: Serbia - 14.83% (male 638,204; female 841,833); Montenegro - 11.79% (male 32,400; female 47,763) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: Serbia - 0.739%; Montenegro - -12.22% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: Serbia - 12.20 births/1,000 population; Montenegro - 14.9 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: Serbia - 11.08 deaths/1,000 population; Montenegro - 7.9 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: Serbia - 6.26 migrants/1,000 population;Montenegro - -29.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: Serbia - 1.08 male(s)/female; Montenegro - 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: Serbia - 1.07 male(s)/female; Montenegro - 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: Serbia - 0.96 male(s)/female; Montenegro - 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: Serbia - 0.76 male(s)/female; Montenegro - 0.68 male(s)/female total population: Serbia - 0.95 male(s)/female; Montenegro - 0.95 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: Serbia - 20.13 deaths/1,000 live births;Montenegro - 10.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: Serbia - 72.39 years; Montenegro - 75.46 years male: Serbia - 69.31 years; Montenegro - 71.45 years female: Serbia - 75.72 years; Montenegro - 79.82 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: Serbia - 1.70 children born/woman; Montenegro - 1.96 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Serb(s); Montenegrin(s) adjective: Serbian; Montenegrin
Ethnic groups: Serb 62.6%, Albanian 16.5%, Montenegrin 5%, Yugoslav 3.4%, Hungarian 3.3%, other 9.2% (1991)
Religions: Orthodox 65%, Muslim 19%, Roman Catholic 4%, Protestant 1%, other 11%
Languages: Serbian 95%, Albanian 5%
Literacy: definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
@Serbia and Montenegro:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Serbia and Montenegro local long form: none local short form: Srbija-Crna Gora note: Serbia and Montenegro has self-proclaimed itself the "Federal Republic of Yugoslavia" (FRY) but the US view is that the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) has dissolved and that none of the successor republics represents its continuation
Data code: Serbia - SR; Montenegro - MW
Government type: republic
Capital: Belgrade (Serbia), Podgorica (Montenegro)
Administrative divisions: 2 republics (republike, singular - republika); and 2 nominally autonomous provinces* (autonomn pokrajine, singular - autonomna pokrajina); Kosovo*, Montenegro, Serbia, Vojvodina*
Independence: 11 April 1992 (Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or FRY formed as self-proclaimed successor to the Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia or SFRY)
National holiday: St. Vitus Day, 28 June
Constitution: 27 April 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 16 years of age, if employed; 18 years of age, universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Slobodan MILOSEVIC (since 23 July 1997); note - Milan MILUTINOVIC is president of Serbia (since 21 December 1997); Milo DJUKANOVIC is president of Montenegro (since 21 December 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Momir BULATOVIC (since 20 May 1998); Deputy Prime Ministers Nikola SAINOVIC (since 15 September 1995), Jovan ZEBIC (since 9 April 1998), and Vladan KUTLESIC (since 20 March 1997), Danilo VUKSANOVIC (since 20 May 1998), Tomislav NIKOLIC (since 12 August 1999), Maja Gojkovic (since 12 August 1999) cabinet: Federal Executive Council elections: president elected by the Federal Assembly for a four-year term; election last held 23 July 1997 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Slobodan MILOSEVIC elected president; percent of legislative vote - Slobodan MILOSEVIC 90%
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Savezna Skupstina consists of the Chamber of Republics or Vece Republika (40 seats - 20 Serbian, 20 Montenegrin; members distributed on the basis of party representation in the republican assemblies to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Citizens or Vece Gradjana (138 seats - 108 Serbian with half elected by constituency majorities and half by proportional representation, 30 Montenegrin with six elected by constituency and 24 proportionally; members serve four-year terms) elections: Chamber of Republics - last held 24 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Citizens - last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: Chamber of Republics - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; note - seats are filled on a proportional basis to reflect the composition of the legislatures of the republics of Montenegro and Serbia; note - since 1998 Serbia has effectively barred Montenegro from its constitutional right to delegate deputies to the Chamber of Republics; Chamber of Citizens - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SPS/JUL/ND 64, Zajedno coalition 22, DPS 20, SRS 16, NS 8, SVM 3, other 5; note - Zajedno coalition included SPO, DS, GSS
Judicial branch: Federal Court or Savezni Sud, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms; Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms
Political parties and leaders: Alliance of Vojvodina Hungarians or SVM; Civic Alliance of Serbia or GSS [Goran SVILANOVIC,chairman]; Democratic Alliance of Kosovo or LDK [Dr. Ibrahim RUGOVA,president]; Democratic Alliance of Vojvodina Croats or DSHV [BelaTONKOVIC]; Democratic Community of Vojvodina Hungarians or DZVM; Democratic League of Albanians ;Democratic Party or DS ; Democratic Party of Serbia orDSS ; Democratic Party of Socialists of Montenegroor DPS ; League of Social Democrats of Vojvodina orLSV ; Liberal Alliance of Montenegro ;New Democracy or ND ; Parliamentary Party of Kosovoor PPK ; Party for the Democratic Progress of Kosovo orPPDK ; Party of Democratic Action or SDA [Dr. SulejmanUGLJANIN]; People's Party of Montenegro or NS ;Reformist Democratic Party of Vojvodina or RDSV ;Serbian Radical Party or SRS ; Serbian RenewalMovement or SPO ; Serbian Socialist Party orSPS (former Communist Party) ; Social DemocraticParty of Montenegro or SDP ; Socialist People's Partyof Montenegro or SNP ; Yugoslav United Left or JULPolitical pressure groups and leaders: National Movement for theLiberation of Kosovo or LKCK ; The People's Movement forKosovo or LPK
International organization participation: ICFTU, IHO, IMO, Inmarsat,Intelsat, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, UNHCR
Diplomatic representation in the US: the Embassy of the Former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia ceased operations 25 March 1999
Diplomatic representation from the US: at present, the US has no diplomatic representation in Serbia and Montenegro; the US office in Pristina, Kosovo, was opened in 1999; its members are not accredited to a foreign government
@Serbia and Montenegro:Economy
Economy - overview: The swift collapse of the Yugoslav federation in 1991 has been followed by highly destructive warfare, the destabilization of republic boundaries, and the breakup of important interrepublic trade flows. Output in Serbia and Montenegro dropped by half in 1992-93. Like the other former Yugoslav republics, it had depended on its sister republics for large amounts of energy and manufactures. Wide differences in climate, mineral resources, and levels of technology among the republics accentuated this interdependence, as did the communist practice of concentrating much industrial output in a small number of giant plants. The breakup of many of the trade links, the sharp drop in output as industrial plants lost suppliers and markets, and the destruction of physical assets in the fighting all have contributed to the economic difficulties of the republics. One singular factor in the economic situation of Serbia is the continuation in office of a government that is primarily interested in political and military mastery, not economic reform. Hyperinflation ended with the establishment of a new currency unit in June 1993; prices were relatively stable from 1995 through 1997, but inflationary pressures resurged in 1998. Reliable statistics continue to be hard to come by, and the GDP estimate is extremely rough. The economic boom anticipated by the government after the suspension of UN sanctions in December 1995 has failed to materialize. Government mismanagement of the economy is largely to blame, but the damage to Serbia's infrastructure and industry by the NATO bombing during the war in Kosovo have added to problems. Also, sanctions continue to isolate Belgrade from international financial institutions; an investment ban and asset freeze imposed in 1998 and the oil embargo imposed during the NATO bombing remain in place.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $20.6 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -20% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,800 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 50% services: 30% (1998 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 42% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.6 million (1999 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, servicesNA%
Unemployment rate: 30% (1999 est.)
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate: -22% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production: 38.84 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 67.88% hydro: 32.12% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 36.141 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 20 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 40 million kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $1.5 billion (1999)
Exports - commodities: manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials
Exports - partners: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, The Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia, Germany (1998)
Imports: $3.3 billion (1999)
Imports - commodities: machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials
Imports - partners: Germany, Italy, Russia, The Former YugoslavRepublic of Macedonia (1998)
Debt - external: $14.1 billion (1999 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Yugoslav New Dinar (YD) = 100 paras; Montenegro made the German deutsche mark (1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige) legal tender alongside the Yugoslav dinar (1999)
Exchange rates: Yugoslav New Dinars (YD) per US $1 - official rate: 10.0 (December 1998), 5.85 (December 1997), 5.02 (September 1996), 1.5 (early 1995); black market rate: 14.5 (December 1998), 8.9 (December 1997), 2 to 3 (early 1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Serbia and Montenegro:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 2.017 million (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 38,552 (1999)
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 113, FM 194, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 3.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: more than 771 (including 86 strong stations and 685 low-power stations, plus 20 repeaters in the principal networks; also numerous local or private stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)
Televisions: 2.75 million (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 6 (1999)
@Serbia and Montenegro:Transportation
Railways: total: 4,095 km standard gauge: 4,095 km 1.435-m gauge (1,377 km partially electrified since 1992) note: during to the 1999 Kosovo conflict, the Serbian rail system suffered significant damage due to bridge destruction; many rail bridges have been rebuilt, but the bridge over the Danube at Novi Sad was still down in early 2000; however, a by-pass is available; Montenegrin rail lines remain intact
Highways: total: 48,603 km paved: 28,822 km (including 560 km of expressways) unpaved: 19,781 km (1998 est.) note: because of the 1999 Kosovo conflict, many road bridges were destroyed; since the end of the conflict in June 1999, Serbia has had a rapid reconstruction program to either reconstruct bridges or build by-pass routes
Waterways: 587 km; Danube River runs through Serbia connecting Europe with the Black Sea; in early 2000 the river was obstructed at Novi Sad due to a pontoon bridge; a canal system in north Serbia is available to by-pass damage, however, lock size is limited (1999)
Pipelines: crude oil 415 km; petroleum products 130 km; natural gas 2,110 km
Ports and harbors: Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Tivat,Zelenika
Airports: 48 (Serbia 43, Montenegro 5) (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 19 (Serbia 16, Montenegro 3) over 3,047 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 (Serbia 3, Montenegro 2) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (Serbia 4, Montenegro 1) 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) under 914 m: 5 (Serbia 5, Montenegro 0) (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 29 (Serbia 27, Montenegro 2) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) 914 to 1,523 m: 13 (Serbia 12, Montenegro 1) under 914 m: 14 (Serbia 13, Montenegro 1) (1999 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1999 est.)
@Serbia and Montenegro:Military
Military branches: Army (including ground forces with border troops, naval forces, air and air defense forces)
Military manpower - military age: Serbia - 19 years of age; Montenegro - 19 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,603,224 (Serbia - 2,424,990; Montenegro - 178,234) (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,089,191 (Serbia - 1,945,422; Montenegro - 143,769) (2000 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 82,553 (Serbia - 76,856; Montenegro - 5,697) (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $911 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 6.5% (FY99)
@Serbia and Montenegro:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: disputes with Bosnia and Herzegovina over Serbian populated areas; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbian republic; Serbia and Montenegro is disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka Peninsula in southern Croatia because it controls the entrance to Boka Kotorska in Montenegro; Prevlaka is currently under observation by the UN military observer mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP); the border commission formed by The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro in April 1996 to resolve differences in delineation of their border has made no progress so far
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route
______________________________________________________________________
@Seychelles:Introduction
Background: A lengthy struggle between France and Great Britain for the islands ended in 1814, when they were ceded to the latter. Independence came in 1976. Socialist rule was brought to a close with a new constitution and free elections in 1993.
@Seychelles:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 11% other: 74% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Environment - current issues: water supply depends on catchments to collect rain water
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
@Seychelles:People
Population: 79,326 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 11,499; female 11,338) 15-64 years: 65% (male 25,143; female 26,386) 65 years and over: 6% (male 1,674; female 3,286) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.49% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 17.99 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 6.74 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.51 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 17.74 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.41 years male: 64.87 years female: 76.12 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.85 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychelles
Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58% male: 56% female: 60% (1971 est.)
@Seychelles:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles
Data code: SE
Government type: republic
Capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins,Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, BaieSainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand'Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La RiviereAnglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, PortGlaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of the constitution)
Constitution: 18 June 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: France Albert RENE reelected president; percent of vote - France Albert RENE (SPPF) 66.7%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 19.5%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 13.8%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (35 seats - 25 elected by popular vote, 10 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least nine percent of the vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party (elected) - SPPF 24, DP 1; seats by party (awarded) - SPPF 6, DP 1, UO 3 note: the 10 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of each party in the total vote
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP ; New Democratic Party ; Seychelles People's Progressive Front or SPPF - the governing party; United Opposition or UO - a coalition of the following parties: Seychelles Party or PS [Wavel RAMKALAWAN], Seychelles Democratic Movement or MSPD , and Seychelles Liberal Party or SLP
Political pressure groups and leaders: Roman Catholic Church; trade unions
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA,FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO(correspondent), NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Harold Walter GEISEL chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017 telephone: (212) 972-1785 FAX: (212) 972-1786
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to Seychelles
Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
@Seychelles:Economy
Economy - overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget deficit and further privatization of public enterprises. Growth slowed in 1998-99, due to sluggish tourist and tuna sectors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $590 million (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.8% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $7,500 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 21% services: 75% (1996)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3% (1999)
Labor force: 26,000 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: industry 19%, services 57%, government 14%, fishing, agriculture, and forestry 10% (1989)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $220 million expenditures: $241 million, including capital expenditures of $36 million (1994 est.)
Industries: fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 125 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 116 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish
Exports: $91 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)
Exports - partners: France, UK, Netherlands, Italy, China, Germany,Japan
Imports: $403 million (c.i.f., 1998)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners: South Africa, UK, China, Singapore, France, Italy
Debt - external: $149 million (1997 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $16.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 5.3060 (September 1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Seychelles:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 17,844 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 2,249 (1997)
Telephone system: domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios: 42,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (plus 9 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 11,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (1999)
@Seychelles:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 280 km paved: 176 km unpaved: 104 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Victoria
Merchant marine: none (1999 est.)
Airports: 14 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 4 (1999 est.)
@Seychelles:Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, air wing, NationalGuard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 22,677 (2000 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 11,345 (2000 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13 million (FY93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.8% (FY93)
@Seychelles:Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims Chagos Archipelago in British IndianOcean Territory
______________________________________________________________________
@Sierra Leone:Introduction
Background: Since 1991, civil war between the government and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths and the displacement of more than 2 million people (well over one-third of the population) many of whom are now refugees in neighboring countries. A peace agreement, signed on 7 July 1999, offers hope that the country will be able to rebuild its devastated economy and infrastructure, but previous peace efforts have failed. As of late 1999, up to 6,000 UN peacekeepers were in the process of deploying to bolster the peace accord.
@Sierra Leone:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, betweenGuinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water: 120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 31% forests and woodland: 28% other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara(November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
@Sierra Leone:People
Population: 5,232,624 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 44.73% (male 1,148,264; female 1,192,533) 15-64 years: 52.16% (male 1,305,039; female 1,424,076) 65 years and over: 3.11% (male 81,291; female 81,421) (2000 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.67% (2000 est.)
Birth rate: 45.63 births/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Death rate: 19.58 deaths/1,000 population (2000 est.)
Net migration rate: 10.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2000 est.) note: by the end of 1999 refugees from Sierra Leone are assumed to be returning
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2000 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 148.66 deaths/1,000 live births (2000 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 45.25 years male: 42.37 years female: 48.21 years (2000 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.08 children born/woman (2000 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups: 20 native African tribes 90% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 30%), Creole 10% (descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area in the late-eighteenth century), refugees from Liberia's recent civil war, small numbers of Europeans, Lebanese, Pakistanis, and Indians
Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (English-based Creole, spoken by the descendants of freed Jamaican slaves who were settled in the Freetown area, a lingua franca and a first language for 10% of the population but understood by 95%)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 31.4% male: 45.4% female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Data code: SL
Government type: constitutional democracy
Capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern,Southern, Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (since 29 March 1996, reinstated 10 March 1998); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 26-27 February and 15 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to two five-year terms election results: Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of vote - Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (SLPP) 59.5%, John Karefa-Smart (UNPP) 40.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats - 68 elected by popular vote, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: percent of vote by party - SLPP 36.1%, UNPP 21.6%, PDP 15.3%, APC 5.7%, NUP 5.3%, DCP 4.8%, other 11.2%; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: All People's Congress or APC [EdwardMohammed TURAY, chairman]; Democratic Centre Party or DCP [Adu AiahKOROMA]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA ;National Republican Party or NRP ; National UnityParty or NUP ; People's Democratic Party orPDP ; People's Progressive Party or PPP; Revolutionary United Front Party orRUFP ; Sierra Leone People's Party or SLPP; United National People'sParty or UNPP [John KARIFA-SMART in exile, Raymond KAMARA, actingleader]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA,ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC,ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU,WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph MELROSE embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX: (22) 225471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
@Sierra Leone:Economy
Economy - overview: Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. About two-thirds of the working-age population engages in subsistence agriculture. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Bauxite and rutile mines have been shut down by civil strife. The major source of hard currency is found in the mining of diamonds, the large majority of which are smuggled out of the country. The resurgence of internal warfare in 1999 brought another substantial drop in GDP. The fate of the economy in 2000 depends on the mid-1999 peace accord holding and the rebels reopening territory under their control.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: -10% (1999 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $500 (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 52% industry: 16% services: 32% (1996)
Population below poverty line: 68% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 0.5% highest 10%: 43.6% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1999 est.)
Labor force: 1.369 million (1981 est.) note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture NA%, industry NA%, servicesNA%
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $96 million expenditures: $150 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)
Industries: mining (diamonds); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: 235 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1998)
Electricity - consumption: 219 million kWh (1998)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (1998)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (1998)
Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Exports: $41 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports - commodities: diamonds, rutile, cocoa, coffee, fish
Exports - partners: Benelux 49%, Spain 10%, US 8%, UK 3% (1997)
Imports: $166 million (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants, chemicals
Imports - partners: UK 24%, Cote d'Ivoire 14%, Benelux 10%, US 8% (1997)
Debt - external: $1.15 billion (1998)
Economic aid - recipient: $203.7 million (1995)
Currency: 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: leones (Le) per US$1 - 2,324.77 (January 2000), 1,804.20 (1999), 1,563.62 (1998), 981.48 (1997), 920.73 (1996), 755.22 (1995)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Sierra Leone:Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 17,000 (1995)
Telephones - mobile cellular: NA
Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by military activities international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 9, shortwave 1 (1999)
Radios: 1.12 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1999)
Televisions: 53,000 (1997)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
@Sierra Leone:Transportation
Railways: total: 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways: total: 11,300 km paved: 904 km unpaved: 10,396 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports and harbors: Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Merchant marine: total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,105 GRT/1,307 DWT ships by type: specialized tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 10 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 9 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (1999 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1999 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Military