Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian
Ethnic divisions: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south), Sicilians, Sardinians
Religions: Roman Catholic 98%, other 2%
Languages: Italian, German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d’Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.) total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 96%
Labor force: 23.988 million
by occupation: services 58%, industry 32.2%, agriculture 9.8% (1988)
@Italy:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Digraph: IT
Type: republic
Capital: Rome
Administrative divisions: 20 regions (regioni, singular – regione); Abruzzi, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Lazio, Liguria, Lombardia, Marche, Molise, Piemonte, Puglia, Sardegna, Sicilia, Toscana, Trentino-Alto Adige, Umbria, Valle d’Aosta, Veneto
Independence: 17 March 1861 (Kingdom of Italy proclaimed)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Republic, 2 June (1946)
Constitution: 1 January 1948
Legal system: based on civil law system, with ecclesiastical law influence; appeals treated as trials de novo; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal (except in senatorial elections, where minimum age is 25)
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Oscar Luigi SCALFARO (since 28 May 1992) head of government: Prime Minister (referred to in Italy as the President of the Council of Ministers) Lamberto DINI (since 1 February 1995)
cabinet: Council of Ministers; nominated by the President of the Council (i.e., Prime Minister) and approved by the President of the Republic
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlamento) Senate (Senato della Repubblica): elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next must be held by spring 1999, but may be held by end of 1995); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (326 total, 315 elected, 11 appointed senators-for-life) PDS 61, Northern League 60, National Alliance 48, Forza Italia 36, Italian Popular Party 31, Communist Refoundation 18, Greens and The Network 13, Italian Socialists 13, Christian Democratic Center 12, Democratic Alliance 8, Christian Socialists 5, Pact for Italy 4, Radical Party (Pannella List) 1, others 5
Chamber of Deputies (Camera dei Deputati): elections last held 27-28 March 1994 (next must be held by spring 1999, but may be held by end of 1995); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (630 total) Northern League 117, PDS 114, Forza Italia 113, National Alliance 109, Communist Refoundation 39, Christian Democratic Center 33, Italian Popular Party 33, Greens and The Network 20, Democratic Alliance 18, Italian Socialists 16, Pact for Italy 13, Christian Socialists 5
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court (Corte Costituzionale)
Political parties and leaders: Forza Italia (FI), Silvio BERLUSCONI; National Alliance, Gianfranco FINI, party secretary; Northern League – Federal Italy (NL), Umberto BOSSI, president; Italian Social Movement, Pino RAUTI; Democratic Party of the Left (PDS, Massimo D’ALEMA, secretary; Communist Refoundation (RC), Fausto BERTINOTTI; Greens, Gianni MATTIOLI; Italian Socialists, Ottaviano DELTURCO; Rete (The Network), Leoluca ORLANDO; Christian Socialists, Ermanno GORRIERI; Pact for Italy, Mario SEGNI; Italian Popular Party (PPI), Rocco BUTTIGLIONE, Gerardo BIANCO; Christian Democratic Center (CCD), Pier Ferdinando CASINI; Union of the Democratic Center (UDC), Raffaele COSTA; Pannella List, Marco PANNELLA
Other political or pressure groups: the Roman Catholic Church; three major trade union confederations (Confederazione Generale Italiana del Lavoro or CGIL which is PDS-dominated, Confederazione Italiana dei Sindacati Lavoratori or CISL which is centerist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-left); Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CEI, CERN, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G- 7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUSAL, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMOGIP, UNOMOZ, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Boris BIANCHERI-CHIAPPORI chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Reginald BARTHOLOMEW embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, Rome; APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (6) 46741
FAX: [39] (6) 4882672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and red; similar to the flag of Ireland, which is longer and is green (hoist side), white, and orange; also similar to the flag of the Cote d’Ivoire, which has the colors reversed – orange (hoist side), white, and green
@Italy:Economy
Overview: Since World War II the Italian economy has changed from one based on agriculture into a ranking industrial economy, with approximately the same total and per capita output as France and the UK. The country is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and an undeveloped agricultural south, dominated by large public enterprises. Services account for 48% of GDP, industry 35%, agriculture 4%, and public administration 13%. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. After growing at an average annual rate of 3% in 1983-90, growth slowed to about 1% in 1991 and 1992, fell by 0.7% in 1993, and recovered to 2% in 1994. In the second half of 1992, Rome became unsettled by the prospect of not qualifying to participate in EU plans for economic and monetary union later in the decade; thus it finally began to address its huge fiscal imbalances. Subsequently, the government has adopted fairly stringent budgets, abandoned its highly inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its extremely generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care benefits. Monetary officials were forced to withdraw the lira from the European monetary system in September 1992 when it came under extreme pressure in currency markets. For the 1990s, Italy faces the problems of pushing ahead with fiscal reform, refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing pollution in major industrial centers, and adjusting to the new competitive forces accompanying the ongoing expansion and economic integration of the European Union.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $998.9 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 2.2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $17,180 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.9% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 12.2% (January 1995)
Budget:
revenues: $339 billion
expenditures: $431 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1994 est.)
Exports: $190.8 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals, other partners: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8% (1994)
Imports: $168.7 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products partners: EU 56.3%, OPEC 5.3%, US 4.6% (1994)
External debt: $67 billion (1993 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 4.3% (1994 est.); accounts for 35% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 61,630,000 kW
production: 209 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 4,033 kWh (1993)
Industries: machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Agriculture: accounts for about 4% of GDP; self-sufficient in foods other than meat, dairy products, and cereals; principal crops – fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990
Illicit drugs: important gateway country for Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $25.9 billion
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1 – 1,609.5 (January 1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993), 1,232.4 (1992), 1,240.6 (1991), 1,198.1 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Italy:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 19,503 km
standard gauge: 18,230 km 1.435-m gauge (10,499 km electrified; 2,112 km privately owned)
narrow gauge: 1,273 km 0.950-m to 1.000-m gauge (224 km electrified; 1,273 km privately owned)
Highways:
total: 305,388 km
paved: 277,388 km (6,940 km of expressways) unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 23,000 km; earth 5,000 km (1992)
Inland waterways: 2,400 km for various types of commercial traffic, although of limited overall value
Pipelines: crude oil 1,703 km; petroleum products 2,148 km; natural gas 19,400 km
Ports: Ancona, Augusta, Bari, Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania, Gaeta, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo (Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona, Trieste, Venice
Merchant marine:
total: 441 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,767,969 GRT/8,547,221 DWT
ships by type: bulk 40, cargo 62, chemical tanker 34, combination ore/oil 3, container 18, liquefied gas tanker 37, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 136, passenger 7, roll-on/roll-off cargo 54, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 8
Airports:
total: 138
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 5 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 34 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 15 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 26
with paved runways under 914 m: 34 with unpaved runways 1,524 to 2,438 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 22
@Italy:Communications
Telephone system: 25,600,000 telephones; modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services local: NA
intercity: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: international service by 21 submarine cables, 3 satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT with 3 Atlantic Ocean antennas and 2 Indian Ocean antennas; also participates in INMARSAT and EUTELSAT systems
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave 0 radios: 16 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 83 (repeaters 1,000) televisions: 18 million
@Italy:Defense Forces
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 14,934,657; males fit for military service 12,962,594; males reach military age (18) annually 382,142 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $21.5 billion, 2% of GDP (1994)
________________________________________________________________________
JAMAICA
@Jamaica:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 10,990 sq km
land area: 10,830 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 19%
permanent crops: 6%
meadows and pastures: 18%
forest and woodland: 28%
other: 29%
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: deforestation; coastal waters polluted by industrial waste, sewage, and oil spills; damage to coral reefs; air pollution in Kingston results from vehicle emissions natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November) international agreements: party to – Biodiversity, Climate Change, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
Note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
@Jamaica:People
Population: 2,574,291 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33% (female 412,565; male 431,043) 15-64 years: 60% (female 786,700; male 770,681) 65 years and over: 7% (female 96,348; male 76,954) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.78% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 22.03 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 5.62 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.1 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.65 years
male: 72.39 years
female: 77.01 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.42 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic divisions: African 76.3%, Afro-European 15.1%, East Indian and Afro-East Indian 3%, white 3.2%, Chinese and Afro-Chinese 1.2%, other 1.2%
Religions: Protestant 55.9% (Church of God 18.4%, Baptist 10%, Anglican 7.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.9%, Pentecostal 5.2%, Methodist 3.1%, United Church 2.7%, other 2.5%), Roman Catholic 5%, other, including some spiritual cults 39.1% (1982)
Languages: English, Creole
Literacy: age 15 and over has ever attended school (1987) total population: 82%
male: 77%
female: 86%
Labor force: 1,062,100
by occupation: services 41%, agriculture 22.5%, industry 19%, unemployed 17.5% (1989)
@Jamaica:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Digraph: JM
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Kingston
Administrative divisions: 14 parishes; Clarendon, Hanover, Kingston, Manchester, Portland, Saint Andrew, Saint Ann, Saint Catherine, Saint Elizabeth, Saint James, Saint Mary, Saint Thomas, Trelawny, Westmoreland
Independence: 6 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day (first Monday in August) (1962)
Constitution: 6 August 1962
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister P. J. PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992); Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament Senate: consists of a 21-member body appointed by the governor general
House of Representatives: elections last held 30 March 1993 (next to be held by March 1998); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (60 total) PNP 52, JLP 8
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: People’s National Party (PNP) P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA
Other political or pressure groups: Rastafarians (black religious/racial cultists, pan-Africanists); New Beginnings Movement (NBM)
Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CCC, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard Leighton BERNAL chancery: 1520 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 452-0660
FAX: [1] (202) 452-0081
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador J. Gary COOPER (since October 1994) embassy: Jamaica Mutual Life Center, 2 Oxford Road, 3rd floor, Kingston
mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [1] (809) 929-4850 through 4859 FAX: [1] (809) 926-6743
Flag: diagonal yellow cross divides the flag into four triangles – green (top and bottom) and black (hoist side and fly side)
@Jamaica:Economy
Overview: Key sectors in this island economy are bauxite (alumina and bauxite account for more than half of exports) and tourism. The government’s tight fiscal and monetary policies, which have been partially successful in curbing inflation, have held growth to 1.2% in 1993 and 2.0% in 1994.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $7.8 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 2% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $3,050 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 26.7% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 15.7% (1992)
Budget:
revenues: $600 million
expenditures: $736 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90/91 est.)
Exports: $1.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: alumina, bauxite, sugar, bananas, rum partners: US 47%, UK 11%, Canada 9%, Norway 7%; France 4% (1993)
Imports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, construction materials, fuel, food, chemicals
partners: US 54%, Japan 4.0%, Mexico 6%, UK 4%, Venezuela 3% (1993)
External debt: $3.6 billion (1994 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.4% (1992); accounts for almost 30% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 730,000 kW
production: 2.6 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 988 kWh (1993)
Industries: bauxite mining, tourism, textiles, food processing, light manufactures
Agriculture: accounts for about 7% of GDP, 22% of work force, and 17% of exports; commercial crops – sugarcane, bananas, coffee, citrus, potatoes, vegetables; livestock and livestock products include poultry, goats, milk; not self-sufficient in grain, meat, and dairy products
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine from Central and South America to North America and Europe; illicit cultivation of cannabis; government has an active cannabis eradication program
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.2 billion; other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.6 billion
Currency: 1 Jamaican dollar (J$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Jamaican dollars (J$) per US$1 – 33.195 (December 1994), 33.986 (1994), 24.949 (1993), 22.960 (1992), 12.116 (1991), 7.184 (1990)
Fiscal year: 1 April – 31 March
@Jamaica:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 370 km
standard gauge: 370 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 18,200 km
paved: 12,600 km
unpaved: gravel 3,200 km; improved earth 2,400 km
Pipelines: petroleum products 10 km
Ports: Alligator Pond, Discovery Bay, Kingston, Montego Bay, Ocho Rios, Port Antonio, Longs Wharf, Rocky Point
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,931 GRT/10,545 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, oil tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1
Airports:
total: 41
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 31
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 4
@Jamaica:Communications
Telephone system: 127,000 telephones; fully automatic domestic telephone network
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 2 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 8
televisions: NA
@Jamaica:Defense Forces
Branches: Jamaica Defense Force (includes Ground Forces, Coast Guard and Air Wing), Jamaica Constabulary Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 670,958; males fit for military service 475,235; males reach military age (18) annually 26,244 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $19.3 million, 1% of GDP (FY91/92)
________________________________________________________________________
JAN MAYEN
(territory of Norway)
@Jan Mayen:Geography
Location: Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the Norwegian Sea, northeast of Iceland
Map references: Arctic Region
Area:
total area: 373 sq km
land area: 373 sq km
comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 124.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 10 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 4 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: arctic maritime with frequent storms and persistent fog
Terrain: volcanic island, partly covered by glaciers; Beerenberg is the highest peak, with an elevation of 2,277 meters
Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: dominated by the volcano Beerenberg; volcanic activity resumed in 1970
international agreements: NA
Note: barren volcanic island with some moss and grass
@Jan Mayen:People
Population: no permanent inhabitants; note – there are personnel who man the LORAN C base and the weather and coastal services radio station
@Jan Mayen:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jan Mayen
Digraph: JN
Type: territory of Norway
Capital: none; administered from Oslo, Norway, through a governor (sysselmann) resident in Longyearbyen (Svalbard)
Independence: none (territory of Norway)
@Jan Mayen:Economy
Overview: Jan Mayen is a volcanic island with no exploitable natural resources. Economic activity is limited to providing services for employees of Norway’s radio and meteorological stations located on the island.
Electricity:
capacity: 15,000 kW
production: 40 million kWh
consumption per capita: NA kWh (1992)
@Jan Mayen:Transportation
Highways:
total: NA
paved: NA
unpaved: NA
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports:
total: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Jan Mayen:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: NA
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA
note: radio and meteorological station
Television:
broadcast stations: NA
televisions: NA
@Jan Mayen:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
________________________________________________________________________
JAPAN
@Japan:Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, island chain between the North Pacific Ocean and the Sea of Japan, east of the Korean peninsula
Map references: Asia
Area:
total area: 377,835 sq km
land area: 374,744 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than California note: includes Bonin Islands (Ogasawara-gunto), Daito-shoto, Minami-jima, Okinotori-shima, Ryukyu Islands (Nansei-shoto), and Volcano Islands (Kazan-retto)
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29,751 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm; 3 nm in the international straits – La Perouse or Soya, Tsugaru, Osumi, and Eastern and Western Channels of the Korea or Tsushima Strait
International disputes: islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, Shikotan, and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Liancourt Rocks disputed with South Korea; Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands) claimed by China and Taiwan
Climate: varies from tropical in south to cool temperate in north
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous
Natural resources: negligible mineral resources, fish
Land use:
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 1%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 67%
other: 18%
Irrigated land: 28,680 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: air pollution from power plant emissions results in acid rain; acidification of lakes and reservoirs degrading water quality and threatening aquatic life; Japan’s appetite for fish and tropical timber is contributing to the depletion of these resources in Asia and elsewhere
natural hazards: many dormant and some active volcanoes; about 1,500 seismic occurrences (mostly tremors) every year; tsunamis international agreements: party to – Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified – Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Note: strategic location in northeast Asia
@Japan:People
Population: 125,506,492 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 16% (female 9,955,603; male 10,542,973) 15-64 years: 69% (female 43,377,425; male 43,843,645) 65 years and over: 15% (female 10,514,017; male 7,272,829) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.32% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 10.66 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.46 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 79.44 years
male: 76.6 years
female: 82.42 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.56 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Japanese (singular and plural) adjective: Japanese
Ethnic divisions: Japanese 99.4%, other 0.6% (mostly Korean)
Religions: observe both Shinto and Buddhist 84%, other 16% (including 0.7% Christian)
Languages: Japanese
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.) total population: 99%
Labor force: 65.87 million (December 1994) by occupation: trade and services 54%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 33%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 7%, government 3% (1988)
@Japan:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Japan
Digraph: JA
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Tokyo
Administrative divisions: 47 prefectures; Aichi, Akita, Aomori, Chiba, Ehime, Fukui, Fukuoka, Fukushima, Gifu, Gumma, Hiroshima, Hokkaido, Hyogo, Ibaraki, Ishikawa, Iwate, Kagawa, Kagoshima, Kanagawa, Kochi, Kumamoto, Kyoto, Mie, Miyagi, Miyazaki, Nagano, Nagasaki, Nara, Niigata, Oita, Okayama, Okinawa, Osaka, Saga, Saitama, Shiga, Shimane, Shizuoka, Tochigi, Tokushima, Tokyo, Tottori, Toyama, Wakayama, Yamagata, Yamaguchi, Yamanashi
Independence: 660 BC (traditional founding by Emperor Jimmu)
National holiday: Birthday of the Emperor, 23 December (1933)
Constitution: 3 May 1947
Legal system: modeled after European civil law system with English-American influence; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Emperor AKIHITO (since 7 January 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Tomiichi MURAYAMA (since 30 June 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Yohei KONO (since 30 June 1994) cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Diet (Kokkai) consists of an upper house or House of Councillors and a lower house or House of Representatives House of Councillors (Sangi-in): half of the members elected every three years to six-year terms; elections last held on 26 July 1992 (next set to be held 23 July 1995); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (252 total) LDP 106, SDPJ 73, Komeito 24, DSP 12, JCP 11, JNP 4, others 16, independents 6; note – the distribution of seats as of 1 April 1995 is as follows – LDP 94, SDPJ 68, Heisei-kai 47, Shin Ryokufu-kai 16, JCP 11, others 15, vacant 1 House of Representatives (Shugi-in): all members elected every four years to four-year terms; elections last held on 18 July 1993 (next to be held by 1997); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (511 total) LDP 223, SDPJ 70, Shinseito 55, Komeito 51, JNP 35, JCP 15, DSP 15, Sakigake 13, others 4, independents 30; note – the distribution of seats as of 1 April 1995 is as follows – LDP 207, Shinshinto 173, SDPJ 70, Sakigake 21, JCP 15, others 19, vacant 6
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Yohei KONO, president and Yoshiro MORI, secretary general; Social Democratic Party of Japan (SDPJ), Tomiichi MURAYAMA; Japan Communist Party (JCP), Tetsuzo FUWA, Presidium chairman; Sakigake (Harbinger), Masayoshi TAKEMURA, chairman; Shinshinto (New Frontier Party, NFP), Toshiki KAIFU, chairman and Ichiro OZAWA, secretary general note: Shinshinto was formed in December 1994 by the merger of Shinseito (Japan Renewal Party, JRP), Komeito (Clean Government Party, CGP), Japan New Party (JNP), Democratic Socialist Party (DSP), and several minor groups; Shin Ryokufu-kai is a parliamentary alliance which exists only in the upper house, it includes remnants of Shinseito, JNP, DSP, and a minor labor group; Heisei-kai is a joint bloc of Shinshinto and Komei members; Komei is a group formed from what remains of Komeito in the upper house
Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), APEC, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G- 2, G- 5, G- 7, G- 8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNOMOZ, UNRWA, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Takakazu KURIYAMA chancery: 2520 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 328-2187
consulate(s) general: Agana (Guam), Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Honolulu, Houston, Kansas City (Missouri), Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Portland (Oregon), San Francisco, and Seattle
consulate(s): Saipan (Northern Mariana Islands)
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Walter F. MONDALE embassy: 10-5, Akasaka 1-chome, Minato-ku (107), Tokyo mailing address: Unit 45004, Box 258, Tokyo; APO AP 96337-0001 telephone: [81] (3) 3224-5000
FAX: [81] (3) 3505-1862
consulate(s) general: Naha (Okinawa), Osaka-Kobe, Sapporo consulate(s): Fukuoka, Nagoya
Flag: white with a large red disk (representing the sun without rays) in the center
@Japan:Economy
Overview: Government-industry cooperation, a strong work ethic, mastery of high technology, and a comparatively small defense allocation (roughly 1% of GDP) have helped Japan advance with extraordinary rapidity to the rank of second most powerful economy in the world. Industry, the most important sector of the economy, is heavily dependent on imported raw materials and fuels. Usually self-sufficient in rice, Japan must import about 50% of its requirements of other grain and fodder crops. Japan maintains one of the world’s largest fishing fleets and accounts for nearly 15% of the global catch. Overall economic growth has been spectacular: a 10% average in the 1960s, a 5% average in the 1970s and 1980s. Economic growth came to a halt in 1992-93 largely because of contractionary domestic policies intended to wring speculative excesses from the stock and real estate markets. Growth resumed at a 0.6% pace in 1994 largely because of consumer demand. As for foreign trade, the stronger yen and slower global growth are containing export growth. Unemployment and inflation remain remarkably low in comparison with the other industrialized nations. Japan continues to run a huge trade surplus – $121 billion in 1994, roughly the same size as in 1993 – which supports extensive investment in foreign assets. Prime Minister MURAYAMA has yet to formalize his government’s plans for administrative and economic reform, including reduction in the trade surplus. As leader of a coalition government, he has softened his own socialist positions. The crowding of the habitable land area and the aging of the population are two major long-run problems.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $2.5274 trillion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 0.6% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $20,200 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.7% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 2.9% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $569 billion
expenditures: $671 billion, including capital expenditures (public works only) of about $126 billion (1994 est.)
Exports: $395.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactures 97% (including machinery 46%, motor vehicles 20%, consumer electronics 10%)
partners: Southeast Asia 33%, US 29%, Western Europe 18%, China 5%
Imports: $274.3 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: manufactures 52%, fossil fuels 20%, foodstuffs and raw materials 28%
partners: Southeast Asia 25%, US 23%, Western Europe 15%, China 9%
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate 1% (1994); accounts for 30% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 205,140,000 kW
production: 840 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 6,262 kWh (1993)
Industries: steel and non-ferrous metallurgy, heavy electrical equipment, construction and mining equipment, motor vehicles and parts, electronic and telecommunication equipment and components, machine tools and automated production systems, locomotives and railroad rolling stock, shipbuilding, chemicals, textiles, food processing
Agriculture: accounts for only 2% of GDP; highly subsidized and protected sector, with crop yields among highest in world; principal crops – rice, sugar beets, vegetables, fruit; animal products include pork, poultry, dairy and eggs; about 50% self-sufficient in food production; shortages of wheat, corn, soybeans; world’s largest fish catch of 10 million metric tons in 1991
Economic aid:
donor: ODA and OOF commitments (1970-94), $132 billion note: ODA outlay of $9.9 billion in 1994 (est.)
Currency: yen (Y)
Exchange rates: yen (Y) per US$1 – 99.75 (January 1995), 102.21 (1994), 111.20 (1993), 126.65 (1992), 134.71 (1991), 144.79 (1990)
Fiscal year: 1 April – 31 March
@Japan:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 27,327 km (5,724 km double track and multitrack sections) standard gauge: 2,012 km 1.435-m gauge (2,012 km electrified) narrow gauge: 25,315 km predominantly 1.067-m gauge (9,038 km electrified) (1987)
Highways:
total: 1,111,974 km
paved: 754,102 km (including 4,869 km of national expressways) unpaved: gravel, crushed stone, or earth 357,872 km (1991)
Inland waterways: about 1,770 km; seagoing craft ply all coastal inland seas
Pipelines: crude oil 84 km; petroleum products 322 km; natural gas 1,800 km
Ports: Akita, Amagasaki, Chiba, Hachinohe, Hakodate, Higashi-Harima, Himeji, Hiroshima, Kawasaki, Kinuura, Kobe, Kushiro, Mizushima, Moji, Nagoya, Osaka, Sakai, Sakaide, Shimizu, Tokyo, Tomakomai
Merchant marine:
total: 851 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,195,386 GRT/27,292,044 DWT
ships by type: bulk 210, cargo 63, chemical tanker 7, combination ore/oil 7, container 41, liquefied gas tanker 41, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 264, passenger 10, passenger-cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 48, roll-on/roll-off cargo 43, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 79 note: Japan owns an additional 1,537 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 45,490,202 DWT that operate under Panamanian, Liberian, Vanuatu, Bahamian, Singaporian, Cypriot, Philippines, Hong Kong, and Maltese registry
Airports:
total: 175
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 6 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 31 with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 36 with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 30
with paved runways under 914 m: 70 with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 2
@Japan:Communications
Telephone system: 64,000,000 telephones; excellent domestic and international service
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 5 INTELSAT (4 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) earth stations; submarine cables to US (via Guam), Philippines, China, and Russia
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 318, FM 58, shortwave 0 radios: 95 million
Television:
broadcast stations: 12,350 (1 kW or greater 196) televisions: 100 million
@Japan:Defense Forces
Branches: Japan Ground Self-Defense Force (Army), Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (Navy), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (Air Force)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 31,947,532; males fit for military service 27,494,758; males reach military age (18) annually 910,970 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $47.2 billion, 1% of GDP (FY95/96)
________________________________________________________________________
JARVIS ISLAND
(territory of the US)
@Jarvis Island:Geography
Location: Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to the Cook Islands
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 4.5 sq km
land area: 4.5 sq km
comparative area: about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 8 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: sandy, coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until late 1800s)
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: no natural fresh water resources natural hazards: the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
international agreements: NA
Note: sparse bunch grass, prostrate vines, and low-growing shrubs; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife; feral cats
@Jarvis Island:People
Population: uninhabited; note – Millersville settlement on western side of island occasionally used as a weather station from 1935 until World War II, when it was abandoned; reoccupied in 1957 during the International Geophysical Year by scientists who left in 1958; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators
@Jarvis Island:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jarvis Island
Digraph: DQ
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge System
Capital: none; administered from Washington, DC
@Jarvis Island:Economy
Overview: no economic activity
@Jarvis Island:Transportation
Ports: none; offshore anchorage only; note – there is one boat landing area in the middle of the west coast and another near the southwest corner of the island
Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
@Jarvis Island:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard
________________________________________________________________________
JERSEY
(British crown dependency)
@Jersey:Geography
Location: Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France
Map references: Europe
Area:
total area: 117 sq km
land area: 117 sq km
comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 70 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: temperate; mild winters and cool summers
Terrain: gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast
Natural resources: agricultural land
Land use:
arable land: 57%
permanent crops: NA%
meadows and pastures: NA%
forest and woodland: NA%
other: NA%
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: NA
Note: largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier
@Jersey:People
Population: 86,649 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 17% (female 7,029; male 7,450) 15-64 years: 69% (female 30,156; male 29,916) 65 years and over: 14% (female 7,202; male 4,896) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.7% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 12.83 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 9.97 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 4.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 4.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.9 years
male: 73.81 years
female: 80.32 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.44 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander
Ethnic divisions: UK and Norman-French descent
Religions: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian
Languages: English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts
Literacy: NA%
Labor force: NA
@Jersey:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey
Digraph: JE
Type: British crown dependency
Capital: Saint Helier
Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)
Independence: none (British crown dependency)
National holiday: Liberation Day, 9 May (1945)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: English law and local statute
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) Head of Government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Marshal Sir John SUTTON (since NA 1990); Bailiff Sir Peter L. CRILL (since NA)
cabinet: committees; appointed by the States
Legislative branch: unicameral
Assembly of the States: elections last held NA (next to be held NA); results – no percent of vote by party since all are independents; seats – (56 total, 52 elected) 52 independents
Judicial branch: Royal Court
Political parties and leaders: none; all independents
Member of: none
Diplomatic representation in US: none (British crown dependency)
US diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency)
Flag: white with the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) extending to the corners of the flag
@Jersey:Economy
Overview: The economy is based largely on financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1986 the finance sector overtook tourism as the main contributor to GDP, accounting for 40% of the island’s output. In recent years the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey’s food needs.
National product: GDP $NA
National product real growth rate: 8% (1987 est.)
National product per capita: $NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $308 million
expenditures: $284.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1985)
Exports: $NA
commodities: light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles
partners: UK
Imports: $NA
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals
partners: UK
External debt: $NA
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity:
capacity: 50,000 kW standby
production: power supplied by France consumption per capita: NA kWh (1992)
Industries: tourism, banking and finance, dairy
Agriculture: potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes; dairy and cattle farming
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 Jersey pound (#J) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Jersey pounds (#J) per US$1 – 0.6250 (January 1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992), 0.5652 (1991), 0.5603 (1990); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound
Fiscal year: 1 April – 31 March
@Jersey:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: NA
paved: NA
unpaved: NA
Ports: Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier
Merchant marine: none
Airports:
total: 1
with paved runways 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
@Jersey:Communications
Telephone system: 63,700 telephones
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: 3 submarine cables
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 1
televisions: NA
@Jersey:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
________________________________________________________________________
JOHNSTON ATOLL
(territory of the US)
@Johnston Atoll:Geography
Location: Oceania, atoll in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-third of the way from Hawaii to the Marshall Islands
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total area: 2.8 sq km
land area: 2.8 sq km
comparative area: about 4.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 10 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical, but generally dry; consistent northeast trade winds with little seasonal temperature variation
Terrain: mostly flat with a maximum elevation of 4 meters
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until about 1890)
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: no natural fresh water resources natural hazards: NA
international agreements: NA
Note: strategic location in the North Pacific Ocean; Johnston Island and Sand Island are natural islands; North Island (Akau) and East Island (Hikina) are manmade islands formed from coral dredging; closed to the public; former nuclear weapons test site; site of Johnston Atoll Chemical Agent Disposal System (JACADS); some low-growing vegetation
@Johnston Atoll:People
Population: 327 (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: NA
Death rate: NA
Net migration rate: NA
Infant mortality rate: NA
Life expectancy at birth: NA
Total fertility rate: NA
@Johnston Atoll:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Johnston Atoll
Digraph: JQ
Type: unincorportated territory of the US administered by the US Defense Nuclear Agency (DNA) and managed cooperatively by DNA and the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
Capital: none
Diplomatic representation in US: none (territory of the US)
US diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
Flag: the flag of the US is used
@Johnston Atoll:Economy
Overview: Economic activity is limited to providing services to US military personnel and contractors located on the island. All food and manufactured goods must be imported.
Electricity: supplied by the management and operations contractor
@Johnston Atoll:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: NA
paved: NA
unpaved: NA
Ports: Johnston Island
Airports:
total: 1
with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
@Johnston Atoll:Communications
Telephone system: NA telephones; excellent system including 60-channel submarine cable, Autodin/SRT terminal, digital telephone switch, Military Affiliated Radio System (MARS station), and UHF/VHF air-ground radio
local: NA
intercity: NA
international: NA
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: commercial satellite television system televisions: NA
@Johnston Atoll:Defense Forces
Note: defense is the responsibility of the US
________________________________________________________________________
JORDAN
(also see separate West Bank entry)
@Jordan:Geography
Location: Middle East, northwest of Saudi Arabia
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total area: 89,213 sq km
land area: 88,884 sq km
comparative area: slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries: total 1,619 km, Iraq 181 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 728 km, Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline: 26 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain: mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan River
Natural resources: phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use:
arable land: 4%
permanent crops: 0.5%
meadows and pastures: 1%
forest and woodland: 0.5%
other: 94%
Irrigated land: 570 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment:
current issues: limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to – Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
@Jordan:People
Population: 4,100,709 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (female 884,462; male 930,266) 15-64 years: 53% (female 1,058,060; male 1,119,347) 65 years and over: 3% (female 53,709; male 54,865) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.69% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 37.32 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 4.02 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 32.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.27 years
male: 70.43 years
female: 74.21 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.25 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jordanian(s)
adjective: Jordanian
Ethnic divisions: Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions: Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
Languages: Arabic (official), English widely understood among upper and middle classes
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1991) total population: 83%
male: 91%
female: 75%
Labor force: 600,000 (1992)
by occupation: industry 11.4%, commerce, restaurants, and hotels 10.5%, construction 10.0%, transport and communications 8.7%, agriculture 7.4%, other services 52.0% (1992)
@Jordan:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan conventional short form: Jordan
local long form: Al Mamlakah al Urduniyah al Hashimiyah local short form: Al Urdun
former: Transjordan
Digraph: JO
Type: constitutional monarchy
Capital: Amman
Administrative divisions: 8 governorates (muhafazat, singular – muhafazah); Al Balqa’, Al Karak, Al Mafraq, ‘Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa’, Irbid, Ma’an
Independence: 25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Constitution: 8 January 1952
Legal system: based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King HUSSEIN Bin Talal Al Hashimi (since 11 August 1952)
head of government: Prime Minister Zayd BIN SHAKIR (since 8 January 1995)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-‘Umma) House of Notables (Majlis al-A’ayan): consists of a 40-member body appointed by the king from designated categories of public figures House of Representatives: elections last held 8 November 1993 (next to be held NA November 1997); results – percent of vote by party NA; seats – (80 total) Muslim Brotherhood (fundamentalist) 16, Independent Islamic bloc (generally traditionalist) 6, Radical leftist 3, pro-government 55
note: the House of Representatives has been convened and dissolved by the King several times since 1974 and in November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years were held
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Al-‘Ahd (Pledge) Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Abd al-Hadi al-MAJALI; Al-Ahrar (Liberals) Party, Sec. Gen. Ahmad al-ZU’BI; Al-Hurriyah (Freedom) Party, Sec. Gen. Fawwaz al-ZUBI; Al-Watan (Homeland) Party, leader ‘Akif al-FAYIZ; Al-Yaqazah (Awakening) Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Abd al-Ra’uf al-RAWABIDAH; Constitutional Jordanian Arab Front Party, leader Milhim al-TALL; Democratic Arab Islamic Movement Party-Du’a’, Sec. Gen. Yusuf Abu BAKR; Democratic Arab Unionist Party-Wad, Sec. Gen. Anis al-MU’ASHIR; Islamic Action Front (IAF), Sec. Gen. Ishaq al-FARHAN; Jordanian Arab Democratic Party, Sec. Gen. Mu’nis al-RAZZAZ; Jordanian Arab Masses Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Abd al-Khaliq SHATAT; Jordanian Arab Socialist Ba’th Party, Command First Secretary Taysir al-HIMSI; Jordanian Communist Party (JCP), Sec. Gen. Ya’qub ZAYADIN; Jordanian Democratic Popular Unity Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Azmi al-KHAWAJA; Jordanian Democratic Progressive Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Ali ‘AMIR; Jordanian National Alliance Party, Sec. Gen. Mijhim al-KHURAYSHAH; Jordanian People’s Democratic Party-Hashd, Sec. Gen. Taysir al-ZIBRI; Jordanian Socialist Democratic Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Isa MADANAT; Pan-Arab Action Front Party, Sec. Gen. Muhammad al-ZU’BI; Popular Unity Party-the Unionists, Sec. Gen. Talal al-RAMAHI; Progress and Justice Party, Sec. Gen. ‘Ali al-SA’D; Progressive Arab Ba’th Party, Command Secretary Mahmud al-MA’AYITAH; Al-Mustaqbal (Future) Party, Sec. Gen. Sulayman ‘ARAR
Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN, UNAVEM II, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIL, UNOMOZ, UNPROFOR, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Fayiz A. TARAWNEH chancery: 3504 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 966-2664
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3110
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Wesley E. EGAN, Jr. embassy: Jabel Amman, Amman
mailing address: P. O. Box 354, Amman 11118 Jordan; APO AE 09892-0200 telephone: [962] (6) 820101
FAX: [962] (6) 820159
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the Koran
@Jordan:Economy
Overview: Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual real GNP growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the 1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker remittances slowed real economic growth to an average of roughly 2% per year. Imports – mainly oil, capital goods, consumer durables, and food – outstripped exports, with the difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing. In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began debt-rescheduling negotiations and agreed to implement an IMF-supported program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit and implement badly needed structural reforms. The Persian Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated Jordan’s already serious economic problems, forcing the government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from Gulf Arab states, worker remittances, and trade contracted; and refugees flooded the country, producing serious balance-of-payments problems, stunting GDP growth, and straining government resources. The economy rebounded in 1992, largely due to the influx of capital repatriated by workers returning from the Gulf, but the recovery was uneven throughout 1994. The government is implementing the reform program adopted in 1992 and continues to secure rescheduling and write-offs of its heavy foreign debt. Debt, poverty, and unemployment remain Jordan’s biggest on-going problems.
National product: GDP – purchasing power parity – $17 billion (1994 est.)
National product real growth rate: 5.5% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $4,280 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 16% (1994 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2 billion
expenditures: $2.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $630 million (1995 est.)
Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products, manufactures
partners: India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, EU, Indonesia, UAE
Imports: $3.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live animals, manufactured goods
partners: EU, US, Iraq, Japan, Turkey
External debt: $6 billion (March 1995 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1993 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 1,050,000 kW
production: 4.2 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,072 kWh (1993)
Industries: phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light manufacturing
Agriculture: accounts for about 8% of GDP; wheat, barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $1.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $44 million
Currency: 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 – 0.6994 (January 1995), 0.5987 (1994), 0.6928 (1993), 0.6797 (1992), 0.6808 (1991), 0.6636 (1990)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Jordan:Transportation
Railroads:
total: 789 km
narrow gauge: 789 km 1.050-m gauge
Highways:
total: 7,500 km
paved: asphalt 5,500 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 2,000 km
Pipelines: crude oil 209 km
Ports: Al’Aqabah
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 61,678 GRT/113,080 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, oil tanker 1
Airports:
total: 17
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 9 with paved runways 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
with paved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1 with paved runways under 914 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1,523 m: 1
@Jordan:Communications
Telephone system: 81,500 telephones; adequate telephone system local: NA microwave, cable, and radio links intercity: NA
international: 2 INTELSAT (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 ARABSAT earth station; coaxial cable and microwave to Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Syria; microwave link to Lebanon is inactive; participant in MEDARABTEL, a microwave radio relay network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 5, FM 7, shortwave 0 radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 8 and 1 TV receive-only satellite link televisions: NA
@Jordan:Defense Forces
Branches: Jordanian Armed Forces (JAF; includes Royal Jordanian Land Force, Royal Naval Force, and Royal Jordanian Air Force); Ministry of the Interior’s Public Security Force (falls under JAF only in wartime or crisis situations)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 981,004; males fit for military service 699,891; males reach military age (18) annually 45,494 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion – $564.2 million, 9.1% of GDP (1995 est.)
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JUAN DE NOVA ISLAND
(possession of France)
@Juan De Nova Island:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique
Map references: Africa
Area:
total area: 4.4 sq km
land area: 4.4 sq km
comparative area: about 7.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 24.1 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: claimed by Madagascar
Climate: tropical
Terrain: NA
Natural resources: guano deposits and other fertilizers
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 90%
other: 10%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km
Environment:
current issues: NA
natural hazards: periodic cyclones international agreements: NA
Note: wildlife sanctuary
@Juan De Nova Island:People
Population: uninhabited
@Juan De Nova Island:Government
Names:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Juan de Nova Island local long form: none
local short form: Ile Juan de Nova
Digraph: JU
Type: French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Capital: none; administered by France from Reunion
Independence: none (possession of France)