TUVALU
@Tuvalu:Geography
Location: Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 8 00 S, 178 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total : 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area – comparative: 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 24 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea : 12 nm
Climate: tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November); westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Terrain: very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other : 100% (1993 est.)
note: Tuvalu’s nine coral atolls have enough soil to grow coconuts and support subsistence agriculture
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: severe tropical storms are rare
Environment – current issues: since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable, all water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage facilities; beachhead erosion because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread of the crown of thorns starfish
Environment – international agreements: party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
@Tuvalu:People
Population: 10,297 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 36% (male 1,871; female 1,803) 15-64 years : 59% (male 2,903; female 3,226) 65 years and over: 5% (male 229; female 265) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.45% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 23.31 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 8.84 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years : 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 26.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.61 years
male: 62.44 years
female : 64.84 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan
Ethnic groups: Polynesian 96%
Religions: Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1.4%, Baha’i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages: Tuvaluan, English
Literacy: NA; note – education is free and compulsory from ages 6 through 13
@Tuvalu:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
Data code: TV
Government type: democracy; began debating republic status in 1992
National capital: Funafuti
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 1 October 1978 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution: 1 October 1978
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Manuella TULAGA (since NA June 1994) head of government : Prime Minister Bikenibeu PAENIU (since 23 December 1996) and Deputy Prime Minister Ionatana IONATANA (since 23 December 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members of Parliament; election last held NA December 1996 (next to be held by NA 1997)
election results: Bikenibeu PAENIU elected prime minister; percent of Parliament vote – NA; Ionatana IONATANA elected deputy prime minister; percent of Parliament vote – NA
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono (12 seats – two from each island with more than 1,000 inhabitants, one from all the other inhabited islands; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 25 November 1993 (next to be held by NA 1997) election results : percent of vote – NA; seats – independents 12
Judicial branch: High Court; note – a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over sessions of the High Court
Political parties and leaders: none
International organization participation: AsDB, C (special), ESCAP, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
Flag description: light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands
Economy
Economy – overview: Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. The islands are too small and too remote for development of a large-scale tourist industry. Government revenues largely come from the sale of stamps and coins and worker remittances. About 1,000 Tuvaluans work in Nauru in the phosphate mining industry. Nauru has begun repatriating Tuvaluans, however, as phosphate resources decline, which will present additional problems for Tuvalu’s already stretched economy. Substantial income is received annually from an international trust fund established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and South Korea. In an effort to reduce its dependence on foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts of up to 7%.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $7.8 million (1995 est.)
GDP – real growth rate: 8.7% (1995)
GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity – $800 (1995 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture : NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate – consumer price index: 2.9% (1989)
Labor force: NA
by occupation : NA
note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those working abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $4.3 million
expenditures: $4.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Industries: fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity – capacity: 2,600 kW (1995)
Electricity – production: 3 million kWh (1995)
Electricity – consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture – products: coconuts; fish
Exports:
total value: $165,000 (f.o.b., 1989) commodities: copra
partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ
Imports:
total value: $4.4 million (c.i.f., 1989) commodities : food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
partners: Fiji, Australia, NZ
Debt – external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $1.725 million from Australia (FY96/97 est.); $1.7 million from NZ (FY95/96)
Currency: 1 Tuvaluan dollar ($T) or 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Tuvaluan dollars ($T) or Australian dollars ($A) per US$1 – 1.2835 (January 1997), 1.2773 (1996), 1.3486 (1995), 1.3667 (1994), 1.4704 (1993), 1.3600 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Tuvalu:Communications
Telephones: 130 (1983 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 4,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 0
Televisions: NA
@Tuvalu:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 8 km (1995 est.)
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: Funafuti, Nukufetau
Merchant marine:
total: 13 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 49,488 GRT/80,968 DWT ships by type: cargo 7, chemical tanker 4, oil tanker 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports – with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: no regular military forces; Police Force (consists of full-time personnel 45, part-time personnel 16)
Military manpower – availability:
males age 15-49: NA
Military manpower – fit for military service: males: NA
Military expenditures – dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures – percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes – international: none
______________________________________________________________________
UGANDA
@Uganda:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Geographic coordinates: 1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933 km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain: mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita (Mount Stanley) 5,110 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, limestone, salt
Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops : 9%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 28%
other: 29% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 90 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment – current issues: draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; poaching is widespread
Environment – international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified : Desertification, Environmental Modification
Geography – note: landlocked
@Uganda:People
Population: 20,604,874 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 5,126,249; female 5,092,583) 15-64 years : 48% (male 4,948,859; female 4,963,718) 65 years and over: 2% (male 234,351; female 239,114) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.14% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 45.08 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 20.98 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) note : Uganda is host to refugees from a number of neighboring countries, including Sudan, Rwanda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; probably in excess of 100,000 southern Sudanese fled to Uganda during the past year; many of the 10,000 Rwandans who took refuge in Uganda have returned home
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.98 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 98.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 39.69 years
male: 39.3 years
female: 40.1 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.52 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups: Baganda 17%, Karamojong 12%, Basogo 8%, Iteso 8%, Langi 6%, Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Bunyoro 3%, Batobo 3%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 23%
Religions: Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs 18%
Languages: English (official), Luganda, Swahili, Bantu languages, Nilotic languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 61.8%
male: 73.7%
female: 50.2% (1995 est.)
@Uganda:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uganda conventional short form: Uganda
Data code: UG
Government type: republic
National capital: Kampala
Administrative divisions: 39 districts; Apac, Arua, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kapchorwa, Kasese, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mbale, Mbarara, Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Soroti, Tororo
Independence: 9 October 1962 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution: 8 October 1995; adopted by the interim, 284-member Constituent Assembly, charged with debating the draft constitution that had been proposed in May 1993; the Constituent Assembly was dissolved on promulgation of the constitution in October 1995
Legal system: in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on English common law and customary law and reinstituted a normal judicial system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); note – the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Kintu MUSOKE (since 18 November 1994) note – the president is both chief of state and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected legislators
elections: president elected by popular vote; election last held 9 May 1996 (next to be held by 31 May 2001); note – first popular election for president since independence in 1962; prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president; percent of vote – Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 74%, Paul Kawanga SSEMOGERERE 24%, Muhammad MAYANJA 2%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (276 members serve five-year terms; 214 directly elected by universal suffrage, but 62 are nominated by legally established special interest groups and approved by the president – women 39, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 3)
elections: elections to the National Assembly (formerly the National Resistance Council) took place on 27 June 1996 (next election to be held in 2001);
election results: NA; note – election campaigning by party was not permitted
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court
Political parties and leaders: only one political organization, the National Resistance Movement or NRM [Dr. Samson KISEKKA, chairman] is recognized; note – this is the party of President MUSEVENI; the president maintains that the NRM is not a political party, but a movement which claims the loyalty of all Ugandans note: of the political parties which exist but are prohibited from sponsoring candidates, the most important are the Ugandan People’s Congress or UPC [Milton OBOTE], Democratic Party or DP [Paul SSEMOGERERE], and Conservative Party or CP [Joshua S. MAYANJA-NKANGI]; the new constitution confirms the suspension of political party activity until 2000
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, EADB, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edith Grace SSEMPALA chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416 FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador E. Michael SOUTHWICK embassy : Parliament Avenue, Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala telephone: [256] (41) 259792, 259793, 259795 FAX: [256] (41) 259794
Flag description: six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black, yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist side
Economy
Economy – overview: Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils, regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing over 80% of the work force. Coffee is the major export crop and accounts for the bulk of export revenues. Since 1986 the government – with the support of foreign countries and international agencies – has acted to rehabilitate and stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and export earnings. In 1990-94, the economy turned in a solid performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports, and gradually improving domestic security. The economy again prospered in 1995 with rapid growth, low inflation, growing foreign investment, a trimmed bureaucracy, and the continued return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $16.8 billion (1995 est.)
GDP – real growth rate: 7.1% (1995 est.)
GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity – $900 (1995 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture: 55%
industry : 12%
services: 33% (1995)
Inflation rate – consumer price index: 7.3% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 8.361 million (1993 est.)
by occupation: agriculture 86%, industry 4%, services 10% (1980 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $766.5 million
expenditures : $894.3 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles, cement
Industrial production growth rate: 15% (1994)
Electricity – capacity: 155,000 kW (1995)
Electricity – production: 611 million kWh (1995)
Electricity – consumption per capita: 31 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture – products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Exports:
total value: $555 million (f.o.b., FY94/95) commodities : gold, cotton, coffee, tea, corn, fish partners: Spain 23%, France 14%, Germany 14%, Italy 10%, Netherlands 8%
Imports:
total value: $1.18 billion (c.i.f., FY94/95) commodities: petroleum products, machinery, metals, transportation equipment, cotton piece goods, food
partners: Kenya 26%, UK 12%, Japan 8%, Germany 8%, India 5.5%
Debt – external: $3.4 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Ugandan shilling (USh) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Ugandan shillings (USh) per US$1 – 1,030.3 (December 1996), 1,046.1 (1996), 968.9 (1995), 979.4 (1994), 1,195.0 (1993), 1,133.8 (1992)
Fiscal year: 1 July – 30 June
@Uganda:Communications
Telephones: 54,900 (1989 est.)
Telephone system: fair system
domestic: microwave radio relay and radiotelephone communications stations
international: satellite earth station – 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.04 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 9 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 193,000 (1992 est.)
@Uganda:Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,241 km
narrow gauge: 1,241 km 1.000-m gauge note : a program to rehabilitate the railroad is underway (1995)
Highways:
total: 27,000 km
paved: 1,800 km
unpaved: 25,200 km (of which about 4,800 km are all-weather roads) (1990 est.)
Waterways: Lake Victoria, Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, Lake George, Lake Edward; Victoria Nile, Albert Nile
Ports and harbors: Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Merchant marine:
total: 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,091 GRT/5,943 DWT (1996 est.)
Airports: 21 (1996 est.)
Airports – with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m : 1
under 914 m: 7 (1996 est.)
Airports – with unpaved runways:
total: 11
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m : 5
914 to 1,523 m: 5 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Wing
Military manpower – availability:
males age 15-49: 4,466,851 (1997 est.)
Military manpower – fit for military service: males: 2,423,556 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures – dollar figure: $56 million (FY93/94)
Military expenditures – percent of GDP: 1.7% (FY93/94)
Transnational Issues
Disputes – international: none
______________________________________________________________________
UKRAINE
@Ukraine:Geography
Location: Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland and Russia
Geographic coordinates: 49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,558 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km, Poland 428 km, Romania (southwest) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia 1,576 km, Slovakia 90 km
Coastline: 2,782 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea : 12 nm
Climate: temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Terrain: most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus, mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur, graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber
Land use:
arable land: 58%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures : 13%
forests and woodland: 18%
other: 9% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 26,050 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment – current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution; deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986 accident at Chornobyl’ Nuclear Power Plant
Environment – international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Climate Change, Law of the Sea
Geography – note: strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia; second-largest country in Europe
@Ukraine:People
Population: 50,447,719 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 5,000,518; female 4,802,193) 15-64 years: 67% (male 16,087,147; female 17,429,313) 65 years and over: 14% (male 2,308,354; female 4,820,194) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.65% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 9.55 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 16.26 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 0.48 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 21.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 65.77 years
male: 59.93 years
female: 71.91 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic groups: Ukrainian 73%, Russian 22%, Jewish 1%, other 4%
Religions: Ukrainian Orthodox – Moscow Patriarchate, Ukrainian Orthodox – Kiev Patriarchate, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox, Ukrainian Catholic (Uniate), Protestant, Jewish
Languages: Ukrainian, Russian, Romanian, Polish, Hungarian
Literacy:
definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98%
male: 100%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Ukraine:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UP
Government type: republic
National capital: Kiev (Kyyiv)
Administrative divisions: 24 oblasti (singular – oblast’), 1 autonomous republic* (avtomnaya respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular – misto) with oblast status**; Cherkas’ka (Cherkasy), Chernihivs’ka (Chernihiv), Chernivets’ka (Chernivtsi), Dnipropetrovs’ka (Dnipropetrovs’k), Donets’ka (Donets’k), Ivano-Frankivs’ka (Ivano-Frankivs’k), Kharkivs’ka (Kharkiv), Khersons’ka (Kherson), Khmel’nyts’ka (Khmel’nyts’kyy), Kirovohrads’ka (Kirovohrad), Kyyiv**, Kyyivs’ka (Kiev), Luhans’ka (Luhans’k), L’vivs’ka (L’viv), Mykolayivs’ka (Mykolayiv), Odes’ka (Odesa), Poltavs’ka (Poltava), Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol’), Rivnens’ka (Rivne), Sevastopol’**, Sums’ka (Sumy), Ternopil’s’ka (Ternopil’), Vinnyts’ka (Vinnytsya), Volyns’ka (Luts’k), Zakarpats’ka (Uzhhorod), Zaporiz’ka (Zaporizhzhya), Zhytomyrs’ka (Zhytomyr) note: oblasts have the administrative center name following in parentheses
Independence: 1 December 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 24 August (1991)
Constitution: adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state : President Leonid D. KUCHMA (since 19 July 1994) head of government: Prime Minister Pavlo LAZARENKO (since NA May 1996), First Deputy Prime Minister Vasyl DURDYNETS (since NA July 1996), and three deputy prime ministers
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council, but significantly revamped and strengthened under President KUCHMA; the NSDC includes the president, prime minister, ministers of defense, internal affairs, foreign relations, and chairman of the security service; the NSC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters and advising the president; a Presidential Administration that helps draft presidential edicts and provides policy support to the president; and a Council of Regions that serves as an advisory body created by President KUCHMA in September 1994 that includes the Kiev and Sevastopol City Supreme Councils and the chairmen of Oblast
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 26 June and 10 July 1994 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister and deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and approved by the Supreme Council
election results: Leonid D. KUCHMA elected president; percent of vote – Leonid KUCHMA 52.15%, Leonid KRAVCHUK 45.06%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; members are elected by popular vote from one-member districts by complex procedures to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 March 1994 with repeat elections continuing through December 1998 to fill empty seats (next to be held NA March 1998)
election results: percent of vote by party – NA; seats by party – Communists 91, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialists 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democrats 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, independents 225; note – most recent repeat election held in April 1996 filling 422 of 450 seats as follows: independents 238, Communist 95, Rukh 22, Agrarians 18, Socialist 15, Republicans 11, Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists 5, Labor 5, Party of Democratic Revival 4, Democratic Party of Ukraine 2, Social Democrats 2, Civil Congress 2, Conservative Republicans 1, Party of Economic Revival of Crimea 1, Christian Democrats 1, vacant 28 (in February 1997 there were 35 vacant seats)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders: Green Party of Ukraine [Vitaliy KONONOV, leader]; Liberal Party of Ukraine; Liberal Democratic Party of Ukraine [Volodymyr KLYMCHUK, chairman]; Democratic Party of Ukraine [Volodymyr Oleksandrovych YAVORIVSKIY, chairman]; People’s Party of Ukraine; Peasants’ Party of Ukraine; Party of Democratic Rebirth or Revival of Ukraine [Volodymyr FILENKO, chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Ukraine [Vasyl ONOPENKO, chairman]; Socialist Party of Ukraine [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman]; Ukrainian Christian Democratic Party [Vitaliy ZHURAVSKYY, chairman]; Ukrainian Conservative Republican Party [Stepan KHMARA, chairman]; Ukrainian Labor Party [Valentyn LANDYK, chairman]; Ukrainian Party of Justice [Yuriy ZUBKO, chairman]; Ukrainian Peasants’ Democratic Party [Serhiy PLACHINDA, chairman]; Ukrainian Republican Party [Bondan YAROSHPSKYY, chairman]; Ukrainian National Conservative Party; Ukrainian People’s Movement for Restructuring or Rukh [Vyacheslav CHORNOVIL, chairman]; Ukrainian Communist Party [Petr SYMONENKO]; Agrarian Party; Congress of Ukrainian Nationalists [Slava STESTKO]; Civil Congress [O. BAZYLUK]; Party of Economic Revival of Crimea; Progressive Socialist Party of Ukraine [Nataliya VITRENKO and Volodymyr MARCHENKO, leaders]; People’s Democratic Party [Anatoliy MATVIYENKO, chairman]
Political pressure groups and leaders: New Ukraine (Nova Ukrayina); Congress of National Democratic Forces
International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, CIS, EBRD, ECE, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNMOT, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission : Ambassador Yuriy Mikolayevych SHCHERBAK chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general : Chicago and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William Green MILLER embassy: 10 Yuria Kotsyubinskovo, 254053 Kiev 53 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [380] (44) 244-7345
FAX: [380] (44) 244-7350
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow represent grainfields under a blue sky
Economy
Economy – overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied equipment and raw materials to industrial and mining sites in other regions of the former USSR. Shortly after the implosion of the USSR in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output in 1992-96 fell precipitously to less than half the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Since his election in July 1994, President KUCHMA has pushed a comprehensive economic reform program, maintained financial discipline, and tried to remove almost all remaining controls over prices and foreign trade. Implementation of KUCHMA’s economic agenda is encountering considerable resistance from parliament, entrenched bureaucrats, and industrial interests. However, if KUCHMA succeeds in implementing aggressive market reforms during 1997, the economy should reverse its downward trend, with real growth occurring by late 1997 and into 1998.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $161.1 billion (1996 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP – real growth rate: -10% (1996 est.)
GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity – $3,170 (1996 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture : 14%
industry: 45%
services: 41% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate – consumer price index: 40% (yearend 1996)
Labor force:
total: 23 million (January 1996)
by occupation: industry and construction 33%, agriculture and forestry 21%, health, education, and culture 16%, trade and distribution 7%, transport and communication 7%, other 16% (1992)
Unemployment rate: 1% officially registered; large number of unregistered or underemployed workers (December 1996)
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food-processing (especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate: -5.1% (1996 est.)
Electricity – capacity: 54.24 million kW (1994)
Electricity – production: 181 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity – consumption per capita: 3,487 kWh (1996)
Agriculture – products: grain, sugar beets, vegetables; meat, milk
Exports:
total value : $18.6 billion (1996 est.) commodities: coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, grain, meat partners: Russia, Belarus, US, Germany, China (1995)
Imports:
total value : $19.4 billion (1996 est.) commodities: energy, machinery and parts, transportation equipment, chemicals, textiles
partners: Russia, Turkmenistan, Belarus, Germany, Switzerland
Debt – external: $8.8 billion (including $4.5 billion to Russia) (late 1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $220 million (1993) note : commitments, 1992-95, $4.5 billion ($4.1 billion drawn)
Currency: on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited hryvnia (plural hryvni) as its national currency, replacing the karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of 100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1 – 1.8592 (November 1996), 1.4731 (1995), 0.3275 (1994), 0.0453 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Ukraine:Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: system is unsatisfactory both for business and for personal use; 3.56 million applications for telephones had not been satisfied as of January 1991; electronic mail services have been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans’k by Sprint domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls through Kiev’s digital exchange
international: calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline or microwave radio relay; calls to 167 other countries are carried by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations – NA Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: 2 radio broadcast stations of NA type
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 2
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
@Ukraine:Transportation
Railways:
total : 23,350 km
broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 172,257 km
paved: 163,300 km (including 1,875 km of expressways); note – these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced
unpaved: 8,957 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on the Pryp”yat’ and Dnistr (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural gas 7,800 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Berdyans’k, Illichivs’k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol’, Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni
Merchant marine:
total : 301 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,507,463 GRT/3,156,522 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 5, bulk 21, cargo 192, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 10, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 23, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 4, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 20, short-sea passenger 6 note : Ukraine owns an additional 61 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,283,735 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, Panama, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (1996 est.)
Airports: 706 (1994 est.)
Airports – with paved runways:
total: 163
over 3,047 m: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 55
1,524 to 2,437 m : 34
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m : 57 (1994 est.)
Airports – with unpaved runways:
total: 543
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m : 16
914 to 1,523 m: 37
under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops
Military manpower – military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower – availability:
males age 15-49: 12,408,912 (1997 est.)
Military manpower – fit for military service: males: 9,720,351 (1997 est.)
Military manpower – reaching military age annually: males: 366,086 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures – dollar figure: 1.35 billion hryvni (Ukrainian Government’s forecast for 1996); note – conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
Military expenditures – percent of GDP: less than 2% (Ukrainian Government’s forecast for 1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes – international: dispute with Romania over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice; potential dispute with Russia over Crimea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point for opiates and other illicit drugs to Western Europe and Russia
______________________________________________________________________
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
@United Arab Emirates:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
total: 867 km
border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland : 0%
other: 98% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms
Environment – current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment – international agreements: party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified : Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geography – note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
@United Arab Emirates:People
Population: 2,262,309 (July 1997 est.) note: includes 1,546,547 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years : 32% (male 375,709; female 360,199) 15-64 years: 66% (male 975,868; female 511,692) 65 years and over: 2% (male 25,869; female 12,972) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.79% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 18.46 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 3.01 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.91 male(s)/female
65 years and over : 1.99 male(s)/female total population: 1.56 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 15.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population : 74.64 years
male: 73.18 years
female : 76.17 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.62 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Emiri(s)
adjective: Emiri
Ethnic groups: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi’a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of literacy not available
total population: 79.2%
male : 78.9%
female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none
former: Trucial States
abbreviation : UAE
Data code: TC
Government type: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal government and other powers reserved to member emirates
National capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular – imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra’s al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ras al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai)
head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) and Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note : there is also a Supreme Council of Rulers which is composed of the seven emirate rulers; the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; meets four times a year elections : president and vice president elected by the Supreme Council of Rulers (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held NA October 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of Supreme Council of Rulers vote – NA, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of Supreme Council of Rulers vote – NA, but believed to be unanimous
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: none
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: none
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI chancery: Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 338-6500
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador David C. LITT embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch); note – work week is Saturday through Wednesday
telephone: [971] (2) 436691, 436692 FAX: [971] (2) 435441
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Economy
Economy – overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the world’s highest incomes per capita and with a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, crude oil reserves should last for over 100 years. The UAE Government is encouraging increased privatization within the economy, and industrial development is expected to pick up in 1997.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $72.9 billion (1996 est.)
GDP – real growth rate: 1.4% (1996 est.)
GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity – $23,800 (1996 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 43%
services : 55% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate – consumer price index: 5.2% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total: 794,400 (1993 est.)
by occupation: industry and commerce 56%, services 38%, agriculture 6% (1990 est.)
note: 75.73% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $5.1 billion
expenditures: $5.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity – capacity: 5.29 million kW (1994)
Electricity – production: 17.74 billion kWh (1994)
Electricity – consumption per capita: 5,724 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture – products: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Exports:
total value: $31.3 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: crude oil 66%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates partners: Japan 38%, India 6%, South Korea 6%, Singapore 5%, Iran 4%, Oman 4% (1995)
Imports:
total value: $22.3 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, food
partners : Japan 9%, US 8%, UK 8%, Italy 7%, Germany 7%, South Korea 5% (1995)
Debt – external: $14 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 – 3.6710 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@United Arab Emirates:Communications
Telephones: 677,793 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations – 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 545,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12
Televisions: 170,000 (1993 est.)
@United Arab Emirates:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 4,750 km
paved: 4,750 km
unpaved : 0 km (1995 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km
Ports and harbors: ‘Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina’ Jabal ‘Ali, Mina’ Khalid, Mina’ Rashid, Mina’ Saqr, Mina’ Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
Merchant marine:
total: 60 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,128,495 GRT/1,955,344 DWT
ships by type: bulk 3, cargo 18, chemical tanker 3, container 6, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5 (1996 est.)
Airports: 36 (1996 est.)
Airports – with paved runways:
total: 27
over 3,047 m : 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 10 (1996 est.)
Airports – with unpaved runways:
total : 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force)
Military manpower – military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower – availability:
males age 15-49 : 790,838 (1997 est.)
Military manpower – fit for military service: males: 424,962 (1997 est.)
Military manpower – reaching military age annually: males: 20,584 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures – dollar figure: $1.59 billion (1994)
Military expenditures – percent of GDP: 4.3% (1994)
Transnational Issues
Disputes – international: location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, de facto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran) – over which Iran has taken steps to exert unilateral control since 1992, including access restrictions and a military build-up on the island; the UAE has garnered significant diplomatic support in the region in protesting these Iranian actions
Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center due to its proximity to southwest Asian producing countries and the bustling free trade zone in Dubai ______________________________________________________________________
UNITED KINGDOM
@United Kingdom:Geography
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 244,820 sq km
land: 241,590 sq km
water : 3,230 sq km
note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Area – comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries : Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf : as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point : Fenland -4 m
highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
Land use:
arable land: 25%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 46%
forests and woodland : 10%
other: 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,080 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment – current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes and coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at sea
Environment – international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography – note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
@United Kingdom:People
Population: 57,591,677 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 5,647,549; female 5,386,750) 15-64 years : 65% (male 18,532,243; female 18,757,168) 65 years and over: 16% (male 3,808,399; female 5,459,568) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.24% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 11.83 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 10.77 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.25 years
male: 74.67 years
female: 79.96 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British
Ethnic groups: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.)
note: the UK does not include a question on religion in its census
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling
total population: 99% (1978 est.)
male: NA%
female : NA%
@United Kingdom:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland
conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK
Data code: UK
Government type: constitutional monarchy
National capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas; England – 39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, Buckingham, Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*, Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Hertford, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*, West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire; Northern Ireland – 26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane; Scotland – 9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles*; Wales – 8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 1 July 1997), Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence: 1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister Tony BLAIR (since 2 May 1997) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; prime minister is the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons and must have the consent of the monarch
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of House of Lords (1,200 seats; four-fifths of the members are hereditary peers, two archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers) and House of Commons (659 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Lords – no elections; House of Commons – last held 1 May 1997 (next to be held by NA May 2002) election results: House of Commons – percent of vote by party – Labor 44.5%, Conservative 31%, Liberal Democratic 17%, other 7.5%; seats by party – Labor 418, Conservative 165, Liberal Democratic 46, other 30
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life
Political parties and leaders: Conservative and Unionist Party [John MAJOR]; Labor Party [Anthony (Tony) Blair]; Liberal Democrats or LD [Jeremy (Paddy) ASHDOWN]; Scottish National Party [Alex SALMOND]; Welsh National Party (Plaid Cymru) [Dafydd Iwan WIGLEY]; Ulster Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [David TRIMBLE]; Democratic Unionist Party (Northern Ireland) [Rev. Ian PAISLEY]; Social Democratic and Labor Party or SDLP (Northern Ireland) [John HUME]; Sinn Fein (Northern Ireland) [Gerry ADAMS]; Alliance Party (Northern Ireland) [Lord ALDERDICE]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Trades Union Congress; Confederation of British Industry; National Farmers’ Union; Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CERN, EBRD, ECA (associate), ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, ESCAP, EU, FAO, G- 5, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MTCR, NACC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNTAES, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sir John Olav KERR (will return to London in late 1997)
chancery: 3100 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone : [1] (202) 588-6500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-7870
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco consulate(s): Dallas, Miami, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William J. CROWE, Jr. embassy: 24/31 Grosvenor Square, London, W. 1A1AE mailing address: PSC 801, Box 40, London; FPO AE 09498-4040 telephone: [44] (71) 499-9000
FAX : [44] (71) 409-1637
consulate(s) general: Belfast, Edinburgh
Flag description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
Economy
Economy – overview: The UK is one of the world’s great trading powers and financial centers, and its essentially capitalistic economy ranks among the four largest in Western Europe. Over the past 17 years the ruling Tories have greatly reduced public ownership and contained the growth of social welfare programs. Agriculture is intensive, highly mechanized, and efficient by European standards, producing about 60% of food needs with only about 1% of the labor force. The UK has large coal, natural gas, and oil reserves; primary energy production accounts for 12% of GDP, one of the highest shares of any industrial nation. Services, particularly banking, insurance, and business services, account by far for the largest proportion of GDP while industry continues to decline in importance, now employing only 25% of the work force. The economy registered 3.9% GDP growth in 1994, the best rate for six years, but slipped back to 2.7% in 1995 and 2.4% in 1996. Exports and manufacturing output have been the primary engines of growth. Unemployment is gradually falling. Inflation is a comfortable 2.6%. A major economic policy question for the UK in the late 1990s is the terms on which it participates in the financial and economic integration of Europe.
GDP: purchasing power parity – $1.19 trillion (1996 est.)
GDP – real growth rate: 2.4% (1996 est.)
GDP – per capita: purchasing power parity – $20,400 (1996 est.)
GDP – composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.9%
industry: 34.1%
services : 64% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate – consumer price index: 2.6% (1996 est.)
Labor force:
total : 28.1 million (September 1996) by occupation: services 62.8%, manufacturing and construction 25.0%, government 9.1%, energy 1.9%, agriculture 1.2% (June 1992)
Unemployment rate: 6.7% (December 1996)
Budget:
revenues : $421.5 billion
expenditures: $474.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY95/96 est.)
Industries: production machinery including machine tools, electric power equipment, automation equipment, railroad equipment, shipbuilding, aircraft, motor vehicles and parts, electronics and communications equipment, metals, chemicals, coal, petroleum, paper and paper products, food processing, textiles, clothing, and other consumer goods
Industrial production growth rate: 1% (1996 est.)
Electricity – capacity: 66.15 million kW (1994)
Electricity – production: 327.7 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity – consumption per capita: 5,178 kWh (1995 est.)
Agriculture – products: cereals, oilseed, potatoes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, poultry; fish
Exports:
total value: $240.4 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities : manufactured goods, machinery, fuels, chemicals, semifinished goods, transport equipment
partners: EU countries 56.4% (Germany 12.7%, France 9.9%, Netherlands 7.0%), US 13.1% (1994)
Imports:
total value : $258.8 billion (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods
partners: EU countries 54.9% (Germany 14.6%, France 10.0%, Netherlands 6.7%), US 12.2% (1994)
Debt – external: $16.2 billion (June 1992)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $2.908 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 British pound (£) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: British pounds (£) per US$1 – 0.6023 (January 1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994), 0.6658 (1993), 0.5664 (1992)
Fiscal year: 1 April – 31 March
@United Kingdom:Communications
Telephones: 29.5 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system: technologically advanced domestic and international system
domestic: equal mix of buried cables, microwave radio relay, and fiber-optic systems
international: 40 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations – 10 Intelsat (7 Atlantic Ocean and 3 Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and 1 Eutelsat; at least 8 large international switching centers
Radio broadcast stations: AM 225, FM 525 (mostly repeaters), shortwave 0
Radios: 70 million
Television broadcast stations: 207 (repeaters 3,210)
Televisions: 20 million
@United Kingdom:Transportation
Railways:
total : 17,561 km
broad gauge: 434 km 1.600-m gauge (190 km double track); note – all 1.600-m gauge track, of which 357 km is in common carrier use, is in Northern Ireland
standard gauge: 16,892 km 1.435-m gauge (4,928 km electrified; 12,591 km double or multiple track); note – 16,532 km of 1.435-m routes are in common carrier service; the remaining 360 km are operated by a total of 40 tourist or other private companies narrow gauge: 235 km 0.260-m, 0.311-m, 0.381-m, 0.600-m, 0.610-m, 0.686-m, 0.760-m, 0.762-m, 0.800-m, 0.825-m, 0.914-m and 1.067-m gauges; note – these short, narrow-gage lines are operated by a total of 25 tourist and other private firms (1995)
Highways:
total: 388,831 km (1994 est.)
paved: NA km (including 3,284 km of expressways) unpaved: NA km
Waterways: 3,200 km under British Waterways Board
Pipelines: crude oil (almost all insignificant) 933 km; petroleum products 2,993 km; natural gas 12,800 km
Ports and harbors: Aberdeen, Belfast, Bristol, Cardiff, Grangemouth, Hull, Leith, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Sullom Voe, Tees, Tyne
Merchant marine:
total: 150 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,719,891 GRT/3,246,718 DWT
ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 28, chemical tanker 2, container 21, liquefied gas tanker 2, oil tanker 54, passenger 8, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated tanker 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 12, short-sea passenger 12, specialized tanker 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 387 (1996 est.)
Airports – with paved runways:
total: 366
over 3,047 m: 9
2,438 to 3,047 m: 29
1,524 to 2,437 m: 103
914 to 1,523 m: 59
under 914 m: 166 (1996 est.)
Airports – with unpaved runways:
total : 21
914 to 1,523 m: 21 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 12 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Royal Navy (includes Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Military manpower – availability:
males age 15-49: 13,829,704 (1997 est.)