with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
@Norfolk Island:Communications
Telephone system: 987 telephones (1983) local: NA
intercity: NA
international: radio link service with Sydney
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: 1,000 (1987 est.)
Television:
broadcast stations: 0
televisions: NA
@Norfolk Island:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia
________________________________________________________________________
NORTHERN MARIANA ISLANDS
(commonwealth in political union with the US)
@Northern Mariana Islands:Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the North Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to the Philippines
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 477 sq km
land area: 477 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
note: includes 14 islands including Saipan, Rota, and Tinian
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,482 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical marine; moderated by northeast trade winds, little seasonal temperature variation; dry season December to June, rainy season July to October
Terrain: southern islands are limestone with level terraces and fringing coral reefs; northern islands are volcanic; highest elevation is 471 m (Mt. Okso’ Takpochao on Saipan)
Natural resources: arable land, fish
Land use:
arable land: 5% on Saipan
permanent crops: NA%
meadows and pastures: 19%
forest and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: contamination of groundwater on Saipan by raw sewage contributes to disease
natural hazards: active volcanoes on Pagan and Agrihan; typhoons (especially August to November)
international agreements: NA
Note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean
@Northern Mariana Islands:People
Population: 51,033 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 3.04% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 33.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.61 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 37.96 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.43 years
male: 65.53 years
female: 69.48 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: NA
adjective: NA
Ethnic divisions: Chamorro, Carolinians and other Micronesians, Caucasian, Japanese, Chinese, Korean
Religions: Christian (Roman Catholic majority, although traditional beliefs and taboos may still be found)
Languages: English, Chamorro, Carolinian note: 86% of population speaks a language other than English at home
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 97%
male: 97%
female: 96%
Labor force: 7,476 total indigenous labor force, 2,699 unemployed; 21,188 foreign workers (1990)
by occupation: NA
@Northern Mariana Islands:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands conventional short form: Northern Mariana Islands
Digraph: CQ
Type: commonwealth in political union with the US; self-governing with locally elected governor, lieutenant governor, and legislature; federal funds to the Commonwealth administered by the US Department of the Interior, Office of Territorial and International Affairs
Capital: Saipan
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: none (commonwealth in political union with the US)
National holiday: Commonwealth Day, 8 January (1978)
Constitution: Covenant Agreement effective 3 November 1986 and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands
Legal system: based on US system except for customs, wages, immigration laws, and taxation
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state: President William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993) head of government: Governor Froilan C. TENORIO (since January 1994); Lieutenant Governor Jesus C. BORJA (since January 1994); election last held in NA November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1997); results – Froilan C. TENORIO (Democrat) was elected governor with 56% of the vote
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislature Senate: elections last held NA November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1995); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (9 total) Republicans retained a majority of the seats House of Representatives: elections last held NA November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1995); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (18 total) Republicans retained a majority of the seats US House of Representatives: the Commonwealth does not have a nonvoting delegate in Congress; instead, it has an elected official “resident representative” located in Washington, DC; seats – (1 total) Juan N. BABAUTA (Republican)
Judicial branch: Commonwealth Supreme Court, Superior Court, Federal District Court
Political parties and leaders: Republican Party, Benigno R. FITIAL, Leader; Democratic Party, Dr. Carlos S. CAMACHO, Chairman
Member of: ESCAP (associate), INTERPOL (subbureau), SPC
Flag: blue with a white five-pointed star superimposed on the gray silhouette of a latte stone (a traditional foundation stone used in building) in the center
@Northern Mariana Islands:Economy
Overview: The economy benefits substantially from financial assistance from the US. The rate of funding has declined as locally generated government revenues have grown. An agreement for the years 1986 to 1992 entitled the islands to $228 million for capital development, government operations, and special programs. A rapidly growing major source of income is the tourist industry, which now employs about 50% of the work force. Japanese tourists predominate. The agricultural sector is of minor importance and is made up of cattle ranches and small farms producing coconuts, breadfruit, tomatoes, and melons. Industry is small scale, mostly handicrafts, light manufacturing, and garment production.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $524 million (1994 est.)
note: GDP numbers reflect US spending
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $10,500 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $190.4 million
expenditures: $190.4 million, including capital expenditures of $19.1 million (FY94/95)
Exports: $263.4 million (f.o.b. 1991 est.) commodities: garments
partners: NA
Imports: $392.4 million (c.i.f. 1991 est.) commodities: food, construction equipment and materials, petroleum products
partners: US, Japan
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 105,000 kW
production: NA kWh
consumption per capita: NA kWh
Industries: tourism, construction, light industry, handicrafts
Agriculture: coconuts, fruits, cattle, vegetables; food is a major import
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October – 30 September
@Northern Mariana Islands:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 381.5 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA
undifferentiated: primary 134.5 km; secondary 55 km; local 192 km (1991)
Inland waterways: none
Ports: Saipan, Tinian
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 8
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
with paved runways under 914 m: 3
with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
@Northern Mariana Islands:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 2 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1984) radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 1; note – there are 2 cable TV stations televisions: NA
@Northern Mariana Islands:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
________________________________________________________________________
NORWAY
@Norway:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, bordering the North Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Sweden
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 324,220 sq km
land area: 307,860 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: total 2,515 km, Finland 729 km, Sweden 1,619 km, Russia 167 km
Coastline: 21,925 km (includes mainland 3,419 km, large islands 2,413 km, long fjords, numerous small islands, and minor indentations 16,093 km)
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 4 nm
International disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Queen Maud Land); maritime boundary dispute with Russia over portion of Barents Sea
Climate: temperate along coast, modified by North Atlantic Current; colder interior; rainy year-round on west coast
Terrain: glaciated; mostly high plateaus and rugged mountains broken by fertile valleys; small, scattered plains; coastline deeply indented by fjords; arctic tundra in north
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, natural gas, pyrites, nickel, iron ore, zinc, lead, fish, timber, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 27%
other: 70%
Irrigated land: 950 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: water pollution; acid rain damaging forests and adversely affecting lakes, threatening fish stocks; air pollution from vehicle emissions
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to – Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified – Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Tropical Timber 94
Note: about two-thirds mountains; some 50,000 islands off its much indented coastline; strategic location adjacent to sea lanes and air routes in North Atlantic; one of most rugged and longest coastlines in world; Norway and Turkey only NATO members having a land boundary with Russia
@Norway:People
Population: 4,330,951 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (female 390,344; male 444,570) 15-64 years: 65% (female 1,375,493; male 1,424,027) 65 years and over: 16% (female 408,675; male 287,842) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.37% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.86 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 10.35 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.61 years
male: 74.26 years
female: 81.15 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.76 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Norwegian(s)
adjective: Norwegian
Ethnic divisions: Germanic (Nordic, Alpine, Baltic), Lapps (Sami) 20,000
Religions: Evangelical Lutheran 87.8% (state church), other Protestant and Roman Catholic 3.8%, none 3.2%, unknown 5.2% (1980)
Languages: Norwegian (official)
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1976 est.) total population: 99%
Labor force: 2.13 million
by occupation: services 71%, industry 23%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 6% (1992)
@Norway:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Norway conventional short form: Norway
local long form: Kongeriket Norge
local short form: Norge
Digraph: NO
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Oslo
Administrative divisions: 19 provinces (fylker, singular – fylke); Akershus, Aust-Agder, Buskerud, Finnmark, Hedmark, Hordaland, More og Romsdal, Nordland, Nord-Trondelag, Oppland, Oslo, Ostfold, Rogaland, Sogn og Fjordane, Sor-Trondelag, Telemark, Troms, Vest-Agder, Vestfold
Dependent areas: Bouvet Island, Jan Mayen, Svalbard
Independence: 26 October 1905 (from Sweden)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 17 May (1814)
Constitution: 17 May 1814, modified in 1884
Legal system: mixture of customary law, civil law system, and common law traditions; Supreme Court renders advisory opinions to legislature when asked; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HARALD V (since 17 January 1991); Heir Apparent Crown Prince HAAKON MAGNUS (born 20 July 1973) head of government: Prime Minister Gro Harlem BRUNDTLAND (since 3 November 1990)
cabinet: State Council; appointed by the king in accordance with the will of the Storting
Legislative branch: modified unicameral Parliament (Storting) which, for certain purposes, divides itself into two chambers Storting: elections last held 13 September 1993 (next to be held September 1997); results – Labor 37.1%, Center Party 18.5%, Conservatives 15.6%, Christian People’s 8.4%, Socialist Left 7.9%, Progress 6%, Left Party 3.6%, Red Electoral Alliance 1.2%; seats – (165 total) Labor 67, Center Party 32, Consevatives 18, Christian People’s 13, Socialist Left 13, Progress 10, Left Party 1, Red Electoral Alliance 1, unawarded 10
note: for certain purposes, the Storting divides itself into two chambers and elects one-fourth of its membership to an upper house or Lagting
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Hoyesterett)
Political parties and leaders: Labor Party, Thorbjorn JAGLUND; Conservative Party, Jan PETERSEN; Center Party, Anne ENGER LAHNSTEIN; Christian People’s Party, Kjell Magne BONDEVIK; Socialist Left, Kjellbjorg LUNDE; Norwegian Communist, Kare Andre NILSEN; Progress Party, Carl I. HAGEN; Liberal, Odd Einar DORUM; Left Party; Red Electoral Alliance, Erling FOLKVORD
Member of: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, EFTA, ESA, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Kjeld VIBE chancery: 2720 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6000
FAX: [1] (202) 337-0870
consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and San Francisco
consulate(s): Miami
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas A. LOFTUS embassy: Drammensveien 18, 0244 Oslo
mailing address: PSC 69, Box 1000, APO AE 09707 telephone: [47] 22 44 85 50
FAX: [47] 22 44 33 63
Flag: red with a blue cross outlined in white that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag)
@Norway:Economy
Overview: Norway has a mixed economy involving a combination of free market activity and government intervention. The government controls key areas, such as the vital petroleum sector (through large-scale state enterprises) and extensively subsidizes agriculture, fishing, and areas with sparse resources. Norway also maintains an extensive welfare system that helps propel public sector expenditures to slightly more than 50% of the GDP and results in one of the highest average tax burdens in the world (54%). A small country with a high dependence on international trade, Norway is basically an exporter of raw materials and semiprocessed goods, with an abundance of small- and medium-sized firms, and is ranked among the major shipping nations. The country is richly endowed with natural resources – petroleum, hydropower, fish, forests, and minerals – and is highly dependent on its oil sector to keep its economy afloat. Norway imports more than half its food needs. Although one of the government’s main priorities is to reduce this dependency, this situation is not likely to improve for years to come. The government also hopes to reduce unemployment and strengthen and diversify the economy through tax reform and a series of expansionary budgets. The budget deficit is expected to hit a record 8% of GDP because of welfare spending and bail-outs of the banking system. Unemployment is currently running at 8.4% – including those in job programs – because of the weakness of the economy outside the oil sector. Economic growth, only 1.6% in 1993, moved up to 5.5% in 1994. Oslo opted to stay out of the EU during a referendum in November 1994.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $95.7 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 5.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $22,170 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (including people in job-training programs; 1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $50.9 billion
expenditures: $55.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports: $36.6 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: petroleum and petroleum products 40%, metals and products 10.6%, fish and fish products 6.9%, chemicals 6.4%, natural gas 6.0%, ships 5.4%
partners: EC 66.3%, Nordic countries 16.3%, developing countries 8.4%, US 6.0%, Japan 1.8% (1993)
Imports: $29.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: machinery and equipment 38.9%, chemicals and other industrial inputs 26.6%, manufactured consumer goods 17.8%, foodstuffs 6.4%
partners: EC 48.6%, Nordic countries 25.1%, developing countries 9.6%, US 8.1%, Japan 8.0% (1993)
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 4.6% (1994); accounts for 14% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 27,280,000 kW
production: 118 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 23,735 kWh (1993)
Industries: petroleum and gas, food processing, shipbuilding, pulp and paper products, metals, chemicals, timber, mining, textiles, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP and about 6% of labor force; among world’s top 10 fishing nations; livestock output exceeds value of crops; fish catch of 1.76 million metric tons in 1989
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for drugs shipped via the CIS and Baltic states for the European market
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $4.4 billion
Currency: 1 Norwegian krone (NKr) = 100 oere
Exchange rates: Norwegian kroner (NKr) per US$1 – 6.7014 (January 1995), 7.0469 (1994), 7.0941 (1993), 6.2145 (1992), 6.4829 (1991), 6.2597 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Norway:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 4,026 km
standard gauge: 4,026 km 1.435-m gauge (2,422 km electrified; 96 km double track) (1994)
Highways:
total: 88,922 km
paved: 61,356 km (75 km of expressway) unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, earth 27,566 km (1990)
Inland waterways: 1,577 km along west coast; 2.4 m draft vessels maximum
Pipelines: refined products 53 km
Ports: Bergen, Drammen, Flora, Hammerfest, Harstad, Haugesund, Kristiansand, Larvik, Narvik, Oslo, Porsgrunn, Stavanger, Tromso, Trondheim
Merchant marine:
total: 764 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,793,968 GRT/35,409,472 DWT
ships by type: bulk 159, cargo 92, chemical tanker 85, combination bulk 8, combination ore/oil 28, container 17, liquefied gas tanker 81, oil tanker 162, passenger 13, passenger-cargo 2, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 13, roll-on/roll-off cargo 54, short-sea passenger 21, vehicle carrier 28
note: the government has created a captive register, the Norwegian International Ship Register (NIS), as a subset of the Norwegian register; ships on the NIS enjoy many benefits of flags of convenience and do not have to be crewed by Norwegians
Airports:
total: 104
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 10
with paved runways under 914 m: 62 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 6
@Norway:Communications
Telephone system: 3,102,000 telephones; high-quality domestic and international telephone, telegraph, and telex services local: NA
intercity: domestic earth stations international: 2 buried coaxial cable systems; 4 coaxial submarine cables; EUTELSAT, INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean), and MARISAT earth stations
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 46, FM 493 (350 private and 143 government), shortwave 0
radios: 3.3 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 54 (repeaters 2,100) televisions: 1.5 million
@Norway:Defense Forces
Branches: Norwegian Army, Royal Norwegian Navy, Royal Norwegian Air Force, Home Guard
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 1,116,130; males fit for military service 928,774; males reach military age (20) annually 29,123 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $3.4 billion, 3.2% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
OMAN
@Oman:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, and Persian Gulf, between Yemen and the United Arab Emirates
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 212,460 sq km
land area: 212,460 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries: total 1,374 km, Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288 km
Coastline: 2,092 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: no defined boundary with most of UAE; Administrative Line with UAE in far north
Climate: dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior; strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far south
Terrain: vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and south
Natural resources: petroleum, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone, chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: less than 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 5%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 93%
Irrigated land: 410 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: rising soil salinity; beach pollution from oil spills; very limited natural fresh water resources natural hazards: summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in interior; periodic droughts international agreements: party to – Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ship Pollution, Whaling; signed, but not ratified – Biodiversity, Climate Change
Note: strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula controlling Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
@Oman:People
Population: 2,125,089 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 46% (female 480,974; male 498,619) 15-64 years: 51% (female 493,685; male 593,740) 65 years and over: 3% (female 31,826; male 26,245) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.71% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 38.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 34.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.25 years
male: 68.31 years
female: 72.29 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.16 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Omani(s)
adjective: Omani
Ethnic divisions: Arab, Baluchi, South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Sri Lankan, Bangladeshi)
Religions: Ibadhi Muslim 75%, Sunni Muslim, Shi’a Muslim, Hindu
Languages: Arabic (official), English, Baluchi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: 430,000 (est.)
by occupation: agriculture 40% (est.)
@Oman:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Sultanate of Oman conventional short form: Oman
local long form: Saltanat Uman
local short form: Uman
Digraph: MU
Type: monarchy
Capital: Muscat
Administrative divisions: 6 regions (mintaqah, singular – mintaqat) and 2 governorates* (muhafazah, singular – muhafazat) Ad Dakhiliyah, Al Batinah, Al Wusta, Ash Sharqiyah, Az Zahirah, Masqat, Musandam*, Zufar*
Independence: 1650 (expulsion of the Portuguese)
National holiday: National Day, 18 November (1940)
Constitution: none
Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Said Al Said (since 23 July 1970) cabinet: Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral Consultative Council
Judicial branch: none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court system
Political parties and leaders: none
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Abdallah bin Muhammad bin Aqil al-DHAHAB chancery: 2535 Belmont Rd. NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 387-1980 through 1982 FAX: [1] (202) 745-4933
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador David J. DUNFORD embassy: address NA, Muscat
mailing address: P. O. Box 202, Code No. 115, Muscat telephone: [968] 698989
FAX: [968] 699779
Flag: three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red, and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in white is centered at the top of the vertical band
@Oman:Economy
Overview: Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the oil industry, including trends in international oil prices and the ability of OPEC producers to agree on output quotas. Petroleum accounts for more than 85% of export earnings, about 80% of government revenues, and roughly 40% of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels, equivalent to about 20 years’ supply at the current rate of extraction. Agriculture is carried on at a subsistence level and the general population depends on imported food. The government is encouraging private investment, both domestic and foreign, as a prime force for further economic development.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $17 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 0.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $10,020 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.2% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $4.4 billion
expenditures: $5.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1994 est.)
Exports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: petroleum 87%, re-exports, fish, processed copper, textiles
partners: UAE 33%, Japan 20%, South Korea 14%, China 7% (1993)
Imports: $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, livestock, lubricants
partners: UAE 24% (largely re-exports), Japan 21%, UK 12%, US 7%, France 6% (1993)
External debt: $3 billion (1993)
Industrial production: growth rate 8.6% (1991); accounts for almost 60% of GDP, including petroleum
Electricity:
capacity: 1,540,000 kW
production: 6 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 3,407 kWh (1993)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, natural gas production, construction, cement, copper
Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP and 40% of the labor force (including fishing); less than 2% of land cultivated; largely subsistence farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa, vegetables, camels, cattle); not self-sufficient in food; annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $137 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $148 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $797 million
Currency: 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates: Omani rials (RO) per US$1 – 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Oman:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 26,000 km
paved: 5,000 km
unpaved: 21,000 km (1992 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports: Mina’ al Fahl, Mina’ Qabus, Mina’ Raysut
Merchant marine:
total: 1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,442 GRT/1,320 DWT
Airports:
total: 140
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 4 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 36
with unpaved runways over 3,047 m: 3 with unpaved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 61 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 31
@Oman:Communications
Telephone system: 50,000 telephones; modern system consisting of open-wire, microwave, and radio communications stations; limited coaxial cable
local: NA
intercity: open wire, microwave, radio communications, and 8 domestic satellite links
international: 2 INTELSAT (Indian Ocean) and 1 ARABSAT earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 7
televisions: NA
@Oman:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 520,428; males fit for military service 294,993; males reach military age (14) annually 26,065 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $1.7 billion, 14.2% of GDP (1995 est.)
________________________________________________________________________
PACIFIC OCEAN
@Pacific Ocean:Geography
Location: body of water between Antarctica, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere
Map references: World
Area:
total area: 165.384 million sq km
comparative area: about 18 times the size of the US; the largest ocean (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and the Arctic Ocean); covers about one-third of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world
note: includes Bali Sea, Bellingshausen Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Flores Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Java Sea, Philippine Sea, Ross Sea, Savu Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, Timor Sea, and other tributary water bodies
Coastline: 135,663 km
International disputes: some maritime disputes (see littoral states)
Climate: the western Pacific is monsoonal – a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian land mass back to the ocean
Terrain: surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the world’s deepest, the 10,924 meter Marianas Trench
Natural resources: oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish
Environment:
current issues: endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea
natural hazards: surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the Pacific Ring of Fire; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); southern shipping lanes subject to icebergs from Antarctica; occasional El Nino phenomenon occurs off the coast of Peru when the trade winds slacken and the warm Equatorial Countercurrent moves south, killing the plankton that is the primary food source for anchovies; consequently, the anchovies move to better feeding grounds, causing resident marine birds to starve by the thousands because of their lost food source; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May and in extreme south from May to October; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December
international agreements: NA
Note: the major choke points are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean
@Pacific Ocean:Government
Digraph: ZN
@Pacific Ocean:Economy
Overview: The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1985 over half (54%) of the world’s fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean, which is the only ocean where the fish catch has increased every year since 1978. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of Australia, NZ, China, US, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has slowed but not stopped new drillings.
Industries: fishing, oil and gas production
@Pacific Ocean:Transportation
Ports: Bangkok (Thailand), Hong Kong, Los Angeles (US), Manila (Philippines), Pusan (South Korea), San Francisco (US), Seattle (US), Shanghai (China), Singapore, Sydney (Australia), Vladivostok (Russia), Wellington (NZ), Yokohama (Japan)
@Pacific Ocean:Communications
Telephone system:
international: several submarine cables with network nodal points on Guam and Hawaii
________________________________________________________________________
PAKISTAN
@Pakistan:Geography
Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Arabian Sea, between India and Iran
Map references: Asia
Area:
total area: 803,940 sq km
land area: 778,720 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: total 6,774 km, Afghanistan 2,430 km, China 523 km, India 2,912 km, Iran 909 km
Coastline: 1,046 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
International disputes: status of Kashmir with India; border question with Afghanistan (Durand Line); water-sharing problems (Wular Barrage) over the Indus with upstream riparian India
Climate: mostly hot, dry desert; temperate in northwest; arctic in north
Terrain: flat Indus plain in east; mountains in north and northwest; Balochistan plateau in west
Natural resources: land, extensive natural gas reserves, limited petroleum, poor quality coal, iron ore, copper, salt, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 23%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 6%
forest and woodland: 4%
other: 67% (1993)
Irrigated land: 170,000 sq km (1992)
Environment:
current issues: water pollution from raw sewage, industrial wastes, and agricultural runoff; limited natural fresh water resources; a majority of the population does not have access to potable water; deforestation; soil erosion; desertification natural hazards: frequent earthquakes, occasionally severe especially in north and west; flooding along the Indus after heavy rains (July and August)
international agreements: party to – Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified – Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Note: controls Khyber Pass and Bolan Pass, traditional invasion routes between Central Asia and the Indian Subcontinent
@Pakistan:People
Population: 131,541,920 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 28,033,354; male 29,777,818) 15-64 years: 52% (female 33,456,410; male 35,109,482) 65 years and over: 4% (female 2,556,846; male 2,608,010) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.28% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 41.8 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 12.07 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -16.93 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 99.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.86 years
male: 57.18 years
female: 58.56 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.35 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Pakistani(s)
adjective: Pakistani
Ethnic divisions: Punjabi, Sindhi, Pashtun (Pathan), Baloch, Muhajir (immigrants from India and their descendents)
Religions: Muslim 97% (Sunni 77%, Shi’a 20%), Christian, Hindu, and other 3%
Languages: Urdu (official), English (official; lingua franca of Pakistani elite and most government ministries), Punjabi 64%, Sindhi 12%, Pashtu 8%, Urdu 7%, Balochi and other 9%
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 35%
male: 47%
female: 21%
Labor force: 36 million
by occupation: agriculture 46%, mining and manufacturing 18%, services 17%, other 19%
note: extensive export of labor
@Pakistan:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Islamic Republic of Pakistan conventional short form: Pakistan
former: West Pakistan
Digraph: PK
Type: republic
Capital: Islamabad
Administrative divisions: 4 provinces, 1 territory*, and 1 capital territory**; Balochistan, Federally Administered Tribal Areas*, Islamabad Capital Territory**, North-West Frontier, Punjab, Sindh note: the Pakistani-administered portion of the disputed Jammu and Kashmir region includes Azad Kashmir and the Northern Areas
Independence: 14 August 1947 (from UK)
National holiday: Pakistan Day, 23 March (1956) (proclamation of the republic)
Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments 30 December 1985
Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan’s stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal; separate electorates and reserved parliamentary seats for non-Muslims
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Sardar Farooq LEGHARI; election last held 13 November 1993 (next to be held no later than 14 October 1998); results – LEGHARI was elected by Parliament and the four provincial assemblies
head of government: Prime Minister Benazir BHUTTO cabinet: Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Majlis-e-Shoora) Senate: elections last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA March 1997); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (87 total) PPP 22, PML/N 17; Tribal Area Representatives (nonparty) 8, ANP 6, PML/J 5, JWP 5, MQM/A 5, JUI/F 2, PKMAP 2, JI 2, NPP 2, BNM/H 1, BNM/M 1, JUP/NI 1, JUP/NO 1, JAH 1, JUI/S 1, PML/F 1, PNP 1, independents 2, vacant 1
National Assembly: elections last held 6 October 1993 (next to be held by October 1998); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (217 total) PPP 92, PML/N 75, PML/J 6, IJM-Islamic Democratic Front 4, ANP 3, PKMAP 4, PIF 3, JWP 2, MDM 2, BNM/H 1, BNM/M 1, NDA 1, NPP 1, PKQP 1, Religious minorities 10 reserved seats, independents 9, results pending 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shari’at) Court
Political parties and leaders:
government: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), Benazir BHUTTO; Pakistan Muslim League, Junejo faction (PML/J), Hamid Nasir CHATTHA; National People’s Party (NPP), Ghulam Mustapha JATOI; Pakhtun Khwa Milli Awami Party (PKMAP), Mahmood Khan ACHAKZAI; Balochistan National Movement, Hayee Group (BNM/H), Dr. HAYEE Baluch; National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Maulana Kausar NIAZI; Pakhtun Quami Party (PKQP), Mohammed AFZAL Khan; Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Akbar Khan BUGTI opposition: Pakistan Muslim League, Nawaz Sharif faction (PML/N), Nawaz SHARIF; Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul WALI KHAN; Pakistan Islamic Front (PIF), Qazi Hussain AHMED; Balochistan National Movement, Mengal Group (BNM/M), Sardar Akhtar MENGAL; Mohajir Quami Movement, Altaf faction (MQM/A), Altaf HUSSAIN; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain AHMED; Jamiat-al-Hadith (JAH) frequently shifting: Mutaheda Deeni Mahaz (MDM), Maulana Sami-ul-HAQ, the MDM includes Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Niazi faction (JUP/NI) and Anjuman Sepah-i-Sahaba Pakistan (ASSP); Islami-Jamhoori-Mahaz (IJM-Islamic Democratic Party), the IJM includes Jamiat Ulema-i-Islami, Fazlur Rehman group (JUI/F); Jamiat Ulema-i-Pakistan, Noorani faction (JUP/NO); Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Sami-ul-Haq faction (JUI/S); Pakistan Muslim League, Functional Group (PML/F); Pakistan National Party (PNP)
note: political alliances in Pakistan can shift frequently
Other political or pressure groups: military remains important political force; ulema (clergy), landowners, industrialists, and small merchants also influential
Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMIL, UNOSOM, UNPROFOR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Maleeha LODHI chancery: 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6200
FAX: [1] (202) 387-0484
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador John C. MONJO embassy: Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad mailing address: P. O. Box 1048, PSC 1212, Box 2000, Unit 6220, Islamabad; APO AE 09812-2000
telephone: [92] (51) 826161 through 826179 FAX: [92] (51) 214222
consulate(s) general: Karachi, Lahore consulate(s): Peshawar
Flag: green with a vertical white band (symbolizing the role of religious minorities) on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam
@Pakistan:Economy
Overview: The Pakistani economy has made progress in several key areas since Benazir BHUTTO became Prime Minister in October 1993. She has been under pressure from international donors and the IMF – which gave Pakistan a $1.3 billion structural adjustment credit in February 1994 – to continue the economic reforms and austerity measures begun by her predecessor, caretaker Prime Minister Moeen QURESHI (July-October 1993). Foreign exchange reserves climbed to more than $3 billion in 1994, and the budget deficit was substantially reduced. Real GDP growth was 4% in FY93/94, up from 2.3% in FY92/93. Foreign direct and portfolio investment also have increased. Privatization of large public sector utilities began in 1994 with the sale of 12% of the Pakistan Telecommunications Corporation (PTC) and the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA); the sale of state-owned banks and other large units are planned for 1995. Still, the government must cope with long-standing economic vulnerabilities – high levels of debt service and defense spending, a small tax base, a huge population, and dependence on cotton-based exports – which hamper its ability to create a stable economic environment. In addition, Pakistan’s infrastructure is inadequate and deteriorating, low levels of literacy constrain industrial growth, and increasing sectarian, ethnic, and tribal violence disrupt production.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $248.5 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $1,930 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (FY93/94)
Unemployment rate: 10% (FY90/91 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $10.5 billion
expenditures: $11.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY93/94)
Exports: $6.7 billion (1993)
commodities: cotton, textiles, clothing, rice, leather, carpets partners: US, Japan, Hong Kong, Germany, UK, UAE, France
Imports: $9.5 billion (1993)
commodities: petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals partners: Japan, US, Germany, UK, Saudi Arabia, Malaysia, South Korea
External debt: $24 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.6% (FY93/94); accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 10,800,000 kW (1994)
production: 52.4 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 389 kWh (1993)
Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, construction materials, clothing, paper products, shrimp
Agriculture: 24% of GDP; world’s largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops – cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; livestock products – milk, beef, mutton, eggs
Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international drug trade; remains world’s third largest opium producer (160 metric tons in 1994); major center for processing Afghan heroin and key transit area for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western market
Economic aid:
recipient: $2.5 billion (FY91/92); $2.5 billion (FY92/93); $2.5 billion (FY93/94); no US commitments, includes bi- and multilateral aid
Currency: 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa
Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1 – 30.860 (January 1995), 30.570 (1994), 28.107 (1993), 25.083 (1992), 23.801 (1991), 21.707 (1990)
Fiscal year: 1 July – 30 June
@Pakistan:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 8,773 km
broad gauge: 7,718 km 1.676-m gauge (286 km electrified; 1,037 double track)
narrow gauge: 445 km 1.000-m gauge; 610 km less than 1.000-m gauge (1985)
Highways:
total: 177,410 km
paved: 94,027 km
unpaved: 83,383 km (1991 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 885 km; natural gas 4,044 km (1987)
Ports: Gwadar, Karachi, Ormaro (under construction), Port Muhammad bin Qasim
Merchant marine:
total: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 352,189 GRT/532,782 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 25, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 3
Airports:
total: 119
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 12 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 21 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 33 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 14
with paved runways under 914 m: 24 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 7 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 8
@Pakistan:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; about 7 telephones/1,000 persons; the domestic telephone system is poor, adequate only for government and business use; the system for international traffic is better local: NA
intercity: microwave radio relay
international: 3 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) earth stations; microwave radio relay
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 19, FM 8, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 29
televisions: NA
@Pakistan:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard, paramilitary/security forces
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 30,219,551; males fit for military service 18,544,008; males reach military age (17) annually 1,429,719 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $3.2 billion, 5.6% of GDP (FY94/95)
________________________________________________________________________
PALAU
@Palau:Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 458 sq km
land area: 458 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,519 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid
Terrain: about 200 islands varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs
Natural resources: forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals
Land use:
arable land: NA%
permanent crops: NA%
meadows and pastures: NA%
forest and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging and illegal fishing practices that involve the use of dynamite natural hazards: typhoons (June to December) international agreements: NA
Note: includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands; archipelago of six island groups totaling over 200 islands in the Caroline chain
@Palau:People
Population: 16,661 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: 1.76% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 22.11 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 6.61 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 25.07 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.01 years
male: 69.14 years
female: 73.02 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.85 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Palauan(s)
adjective: Palauan
Ethnic divisions: Palauans are a composite of Polynesian, Malayan, and Melanesian races
Religions: Christian (Catholics, Seventh-Day Adventists, Jehovah’s Witnesses, the Assembly of God, the Liebenzell Mission, and Latter-Day Saints), Modekngei religion (one-third of the population observes this religion which is indigenous to Palau)
Languages: English (official in all of Palau’s 16 states), Sonsorolese (official in the state of Sonsoral), Angaur and Japanese (in the state of Anguar), Tobi (in the state of Tobi), Palauan (in the other 13 states)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1980) total population: 92%
male: 93%
female: 90%
Labor force: NA
by occupation: NA
@Palau:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Palau conventional short form: Palau
former: Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands
Digraph: PS
Type: self-governing territory in free association with the US pursuant to Compact of Free Association which entered into force 1 October 1994; Palau is fully responsible for internal affairs; US retains responsibility for external affairs
Capital: Koror
note: a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast in eastern Babelthuap
Administrative divisions: there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 16 states: Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngardmau, Ngaremlengui, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngerchelong, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol, Tobi
Independence: 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 9 July (1979)
Constitution: 1 January 1981
Legal system: based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Kuniwo NAKAMURA (since 1 January 1993), Vice-President Tommy E. REMENGESAU Jr. (since 1 January 1993); election last held 4 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results – Kuniwo NAKAMURA 50.7%, Johnson TORIBIONG 49.3%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Olbiil Era Kelulau or OEK) Senate: elections last held 4 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (14 total) number of seats by party NA
House of Delegates: elections last held 4 November 1992 (next to be held NA November 1996); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (16 total) number of seats by party NA
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, National Court, Court of Common Pleas
Member of: ESCAP (associate), SPC, SPF (observer), UN
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Liaison Officer NA liaison office: 444 North Capital Street NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: (202) 624-7793
FAX: NA
note: relationship of free association with the US pursuant to compact of free association which entered into force 1 October 1994
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Liaison Officer Lloyd W. MOSS liaison office: Erenguul Street, Koror, Republic of Palau mailing address: P.O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940 telephone: [680] 488-2920
FAX: [680] 488-2911
note: relationship of free association with the US pursuant to compact of free association which entered into force 1 October 1994
Flag: light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side
@Palau:Economy
Overview: The economy consists primarily of subsistence agriculture and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. The compact of “free association” with the United States, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with $500 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing some military facilities. The population, in effect, enjoys a per capita income of $5,000, twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific and the rapidly rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $81.8 million (1994 est.)
note: GDP numbers reflect US spending
National product real growth rate: NA%
National product per capita: $5,000 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Unemployment rate: 20% (1986)
Budget:
revenues: $6 million
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986 est.)
Exports: $600,000 (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities: trochus (type of shellfish), tuna, copra, handicrafts partners: US, Japan
Imports: $24.6 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities: NA
partners: US
External debt: about $100 million (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 16,000 kW
production: 22 million kWh
consumption per capita: 1,540 kWh (1990)
Industries: tourism, craft items (shell, wood, pearl), some commercial fishing and agriculture
Agriculture: subsistence-level production of coconut, copra, cassava, sweet potatoes
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $2.56 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $92 million
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 October – 30 September
@Palau:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 61 km
paved: 36 km
unpaved: gravel 25 km
Ports: Koror
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 3
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2
@Palau:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 1 INTELSAT (Pacific Ocean) earth station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 2
televisions: NA
@Palau:Defense Forces
Branches: NA
Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US pursuant to Compact of Free Association which entered into force 1 October 1994
________________________________________________________________________
PALMYRA ATOLL
(territory of the US)
@Palmyra Atoll:Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to American Samoa
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 11.9 sq km
land area: 11.9 sq km
comparative area: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 14.5 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: equatorial, hot, and very rainy
Terrain: low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 100%
other: 0%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: NA
Note: about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall
@Palmyra Atoll:People
Population: uninhabited
@Palmyra Atoll:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Palmyra Atoll
Digraph: LQ
Type: incorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
@Palmyra Atoll:Economy
Overview: no economic activity
@Palmyra Atoll:Transportation
Highways: much of the road and many causeways built during the war are unserviceable and overgrown
Ports: West Lagoon
Airports:
total: 1
with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 1
@Palmyra Atoll:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
________________________________________________________________________
PANAMA
@Panama:Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Colombia and Costa Rica
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 78,200 sq km
land area: 75,990 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total 555 km, Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km
Coastline: 2,490 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 200 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)
Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills
Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp
Land use:
arable land: 6%
permanent crops: 2%
meadows and pastures: 15%
forest and woodland: 54%
other: 23%
Irrigated land: 320 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: water pollution from agricultural runoff threatens fishery resources; deforestation of tropical rain forest; land degradation
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to – Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified – Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean
@Panama:People
Population: 2,680,903 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34% (female 439,491; male 458,817) 15-64 years: 61% (female 812,876; male 823,124) 65 years and over: 5% (female 74,672; male 71,923) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.9% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 24.12 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.79 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.8 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.2 years
male: 72.57 years
female: 77.97 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.8 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Panamanian(s)
adjective: Panamanian
Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%
Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant 15%
Languages: Spanish (official), English 14% note: many Panamanians bilingual
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 89%
male: 89%
female: 88%
Labor force: 979,000 (1994 est.)
by occupation: government and community services 31.8%, agriculture, hunting, and fishing 26.8%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16.4%, manufacturing and mining 9.4%, construction 3.2%, transportation and communications 6.2%, finance, insurance, and real estate 4.3% note: shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor
@Panama:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Panama conventional short form: Panama
local long form: Republica de Panama local short form: Panama
Digraph: PM
Type: constitutional republic
Capital: Panama
Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (provincias, singular – provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, Veraguas
Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1903)
Constitution: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state and head of government: President Ernesto PEREZ BALLADARES Gonzalez Revilla (since 1 September 1994, elected 8 May 1994); First Vice President Tomas Gabriel ALTAMIRANO DUQUE (since 1 September 1994); Second Vice President Felipe Alejandro VIRZI Lopez (since 1 September 1994 election last held 8 May 1994 (next to be held 9 May 1999); results – Ernesto PEREZ BALLADARES (PRD) 33%, Mireya MOSCOSO DE GRUBER (PA) 29%, Ruben BLADES (MPE) 17%, Ruben Dario CARLES (MOLIRENA) 16%
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral
Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa): legislators from outlying rural districts are chosen on a plurality basis while districts located in more populous towns and cities elect multiple legislators by means of a proportion-based formula; elections last held 8 May 1994 (next to be held 9 May 1999); results – percent of vote by party NA ; seats – (72 total) PRD 32, PS 4, PALA 1, PA 14, MPE 6, MOLIRENA 4, PLA 3, PRC 3, PL 2, PDC 1, UDI 1, MORENA 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia), 5 superior courts, 3 courts of appeal