Communications
Telephones: 3.02 million (1992 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: microwave radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran
international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region); HF radio and microwave radio relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan; submarine fiber-optic cable to UAE
Radio broadcast stations: AM 77, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 14.3 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 28
Televisions: 3.9 million (1992 est.)
@Iran:Transportation
Railways:
total: 7,286 km
broad gauge: 94 km 1.676-m gauge
standard gauge: 7,192 km 1.435-m gauge (146 km electrified) (1996 est.)
Highways:
total: 162,000 km
paved: 81,000 km (including 470 km of expressways) unpaved: 81,000 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 904 km; the Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 m and is in use
Pipelines: crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas 4,550 km
Ports and harbors: Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war), Ahvaz, Bandar ‘Abbas, Bandar-e Anzali, Bushehr, Bandar-e Khomeyni, Bandar-e Lengeh, Bandar-e Mahshahr, Bandar-e Torkaman, Chabahar (Bandar Beheshti), Jazireh-ye Khark, Jazireh-ye Lavan, Jazireh-ye Sirri, Khorramshahr (limited operation since November 1992), Now Shahr
Merchant marine:
total: 135 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,465,226 GRT/6,128,443 DWT
ships by type: bulk 47, cargo 34, chemical tanker 4, combination bulk 2, container 4, liquefied gas tanker 1, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 10, short-sea passenger 1
note: Iran owns an additional 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 245,742 DWT that operate under the registries of Cyprus, Honduras, and Panama (1997 est.)
Airports: 280 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 103
over 3,047 m: 36
2,438 to 3,047 m: 14
1,524 to 2,437 m: 27
914 to 1,523 m: 21
under 914 m: 5 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 177
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 14
914 to 1,523 m: 124
under 914 m: 34 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 11 (1997 est.)
@Iran:Military
Military branches: Islamic Republic of Iran regular forces (includes Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces), Revolutionary Guards (includes Ground, Air, Navy, Qods, and Basij-mobilization-forces), Law Enforcement Forces
Military manpower-military age: 21 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 16,270,295 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 9,672,021 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 671,734 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: according to official Iranian data, Iran budgeted 8,283.9 billion rials for defense in 1997; note-conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using current exchange rates could produce misleading results
@Iran:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; Iran occupies two islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE: 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); it jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian Gulf claimed by the UAE (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; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and international drug trade; net opiate importer but also a key transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin to Europe
______________________________________________________________________
IRAQ
@Iraq:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait
Geographic coordinates: 33 00 N, 44 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 437,072 sq km
land: 432,162 sq km
water: 4,910 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries:
total: 3,631 km
border countries: Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 181 km, Kuwait 242 km, Saudi Arabia 814 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline: 58 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: not specified
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers; northern mountainous regions along Iranian and Turkish borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy snows that melt in early spring, sometimes causing extensive flooding in central and southern Iraq
Terrain: mostly broad plains; reedy marshes along Iranian border in south with large flooded areas; mountains along borders with Iran and Turkey
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Gundah Zhur 3,608 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use:
arable land: 12%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 9%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 79% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 25,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dust storms, sandstorms, floods
Environment-current issues: government water control projects have drained most of the inhabited marsh areas east of An Nasiriyah by drying up or diverting the feeder streams and rivers; a once sizable population of Shi’a Muslims, who have inhabited these areas for thousands of years, has been displaced; furthermore, the destruction of the natural habitat poses serious threats to the area’s wildlife populations; inadequate supplies of potable water; development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent upon agreements with upstream riparian Turkey; air and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion; desertification
Environment-international agreements: party to: Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
@Iraq:People
Population: 21,722,287 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 4,865,820; female 4,711,791) 15-64 years: 53% (male 5,794,336; female 5,662,163) 65 years and over: 3% (male 320,672; female 367,505) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.2% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 38.58 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 6.57 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 62.41 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.52 years
male: 65.54 years
female: 67.56 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.23 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Iraqi(s)
adjective: Iraqi
Ethnic groups: Arab 75%-80%, Kurdish 15%-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions: Muslim 97% (Shi’a 60%-65%, Sunni 32%-37%), Christian or other 3%
Languages: Arabic, Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions), Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58%
male: 70.7%
female: 45% (1995 est.)
@Iraq:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Iraq conventional short form: Iraq
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Iraqiyah local short form: Al Iraq
Data code: IZ
Government type: republic
National capital: Baghdad
Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (muhafazat, singular-muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As Sulaymaniyah, At Ta’mim, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar, Diyala, Karbala’, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Independence: 3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Constitution: 22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (provisional Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not adopted
Legal system: based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991) head of government: Prime Minister SADDAM Husayn (since 29 May 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Mikhail AZIZ (since NA 1979); Deputy Prime Minister Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since NA May 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since NA May 1994) cabinet: Council of Ministers
note: there is also a Revolutionary Command Council; Chairman SADDAM Husayn, Vice Chairman Izzat IBRAHIM al-Duri elections: president and vice presidents elected by a two-thirds majority of the Revolutionary Command Council; election last held 17 October 1995 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: SADDAM Husayn reelected president; percent of vote-99%; Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF and Taha Yasin RAMADAN elected vice presidents; percent of vote – NA
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Majlis al-Watani (250 seats; 30 appointed by SADDAM Husayn to represent the three northern provinces of Dahuk, Arbil, and As Sulaymaniyah; 220 elected by popular vote; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 24 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA
Judicial branch: Court of Cassation
Political parties and leaders: Ba’th Party, SADDAM Husayn, central party leader
Political pressure groups and leaders: political parties and activity severely restricted; opposition to regime from disaffected members of the Ba’th Party, Army officers, tribes, and Shi’a religious and ethnic Kurdish dissidents; the Green Party (government-controlled)
International organization participation: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: none; note-Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy headed by Dr. Khairi AL ZUBAYDI; address: Iraqi Interests Section, Algerian Embassy, 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC 20036; telephone: [1] (202) 483-7500; FAX: [1] (202) 462-5066
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; note-the US has an Interests Section in the Polish Embassy in Baghdad, which is in the Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry Club); address: P. O. Box 2447 Alwiyah, Baghdad; telephone: [964] (1) 719-6138, 719-6139, 718-1840, 719-3791; FAX: [964] (1) 718-9297
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band; the phrase ALLAHU AKBAR (God is Great) in green Arabic script-Allahu to the right of the middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star-was added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis; similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band; also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
@Iraq:Economy
Economy-overview: The Ba’thist regime engages in extensive central planning and management of industrial production and foreign trade while leaving some small-scale industry and services and most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been dominated by the oil sector, which has traditionally provided about 95% of foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s, financial problems caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran led the government to implement austerity measures and to borrow heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments; Iraq suffered economic losses of at least $100 billion from the war. After the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually increased with the construction of new pipelines and restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and dislocations caused by previous land reform and collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although accorded high priority by the government, also was under financial constraints. Iraq’s seizure of Kuwait in August 1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and military action by an international coalition beginning in January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. The UN-sponsored economic embargo has reduced exports and imports and has contributed to the sharp rise in prices. The Iraqi Government has been unwilling to abide by UN resolutions so that the economic embargo could be removed. The government’s policies of supporting large military and internal security forces and of allocating resources to key supporters of the regime have exacerbated shortages. Industrial and transportation facilities, which suffered severe damage, have been partially restored. At current prices, oil exports are about one-third of their prewar level because of the implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 986-the UN’s oil-for-goods program-in December 1996. Shortages of spare parts continue. In accord with the oil-for-goods deal, Iraq is allowed to export $2 billion worth of oil in exchange for badly needed food and medicine. The first oil was pumped in December 1996, and the first supplies of food and medicine arrived in April 1997. Per capita output for 1995-97 and living standards are well below the 1989-90 level, but any estimates have a wide range of error.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$42.8 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 0% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,000 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
total: 4.4 million (1989)
by occupation: services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry 22% note: severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force was about 1,600,000 (July 1990); since then, it has declined substantially
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, textiles, construction materials, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 6.83 million kW (1996)
Electricity-production: 31.8 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,362 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture-products: wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other fruit, cotton; cattle, sheep
Exports: $NA
commodities: crude oil
partners: Jordan, Turkey (1996)
Imports: $NA
commodities: manufactures, food
partners: France, Turkey, Jordan, Vietnam, Australia (1996)
Debt-external: very heavy relative to GDP but amount unknown (1996)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1-0.3109 (fixed official rate since 1982); black market rate-Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1-1,530 (December 1997), 3,000 (December 1995); subject to wide fluctuations
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 632,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: reconstitution of damaged telecommunication facilities began after the Gulf war; most damaged facilities have been rebuilt
domestic: the network consists of coaxial cables and microwave radio relay links
international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) and 1 Arabsat (inoperative); coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey; Kuwait line is probably nonoperational
Radio broadcast stations: AM 16, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 4.02 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 13
Televisions: 1 million (1992 est.)
@Iraq:Transportation
Railways:
total: 2,032 km
standard gauge: 2,032 km 1.435-m gauge
Highways:
total: 47,400 km
paved: 40,764 km
unpaved: 6,636 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,015 km; Shatt al Arab is usually navigable by maritime traffic for about 130 km; channel has been dredged to 3 meters and is in use; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft; Shatt al Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft before closing in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf war
Pipelines: crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas 1,360 km
Ports and harbors: Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, and Al Basrah have limited functionality
Merchant marine:
total: 35 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 791,485 GRT/1,428,307 DWT ships by type: cargo 14, oil tanker 16, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1997 est.)
Airports: 111 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 76
over 3,047 m: 22
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 35
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 12
under 914 m: 10 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 4 (1997 est.)
@Iraq:Military
Military branches: Army, Republican Guard and Special Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Border Guard Force, Internal Security Forces
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 5,247,809 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 2,941,014 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 253,504 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Iraq:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are still trying to work out written agreements settling outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway; in November 1994, Iraq formally accepted the UN-demarcated border with Kuwait which had been spelled out in Security Council Resolutions 687 (1991), 773 (1993), and 883 (1993); this formally ends earlier claims to Kuwait and to Bubiyan and Warbah islands; dispute over water development plans by Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
______________________________________________________________________
IRELAND
@Ireland:Geography
Location: Western Europe, occupying five-sixths of the island of Ireland in the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Great Britain
Geographic coordinates: 53 00 N, 8 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 70,280 sq km
land: 68,890 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
total: 360 km
border countries: UK 360 km
Coastline: 1,448 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: not specified
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate maritime; modified by North Atlantic Current; mild winters, cool summers; consistently humid; overcast about half the time
Terrain: mostly level to rolling interior plain surrounded by rugged hills and low mountains; sea cliffs on west coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Carrauntoohill 1,041 m
Natural resources: zinc, lead, natural gas, barite, copper, gypsum, limestone, dolomite, peat, silver
Land use:
arable land: 13%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 68%
forests and woodland: 5%
other: 14% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment-current issues: water pollution, especially of lakes, from agricultural runoff
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Endangered Species, Marine Life Conservation, Tropical Timber 94
Geography-note: strategic location on major air and sea routes between North America and northern Europe; over 40% of the population resides within 60 miles of Dublin
@Ireland:People
Population: 3,619,480 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 406,741; female 384,459) 15-64 years: 67% (male 1,218,514; female 1,200,214) 65 years and over: 11% (male 173,978; female 235,574) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.36% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 13.49 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 8.51 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.04 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 76.19 years
male: 73.44 years
female: 79.11 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Irishman(men), Irishwoman(men), Irish (collective plural) adjective: Irish
Ethnic groups: Celtic, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 93%, Anglican 3%, none 1%, unknown 2%, other 1% (1981)
Languages: Irish (Gaelic), spoken mainly in areas located along the western seaboard, English is the language generally used
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% (1981 est.)
male: NA%
female: NA%
@Ireland:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ireland
Data code: EI
Government type: republic
National capital: Dublin
Administrative divisions: 26 counties; Carlow, Cavan, Clare, Cork, Donegal, Dublin, Galway, Kerry, Kildare, Kilkenny, Laois, Leitrim, Limerick, Longford, Louth, Mayo, Meath, Monaghan, Offaly, Roscommon, Sligo, Tipperary, Waterford, Westmeath, Wexford, Wicklow
Independence: 6 December 1921 (from UK)
National holiday: Saint Patrick’s Day, 17 March
Constitution: 29 December 1937; adopted 1 July 1937 by plebiscite
Legal system: based on English common law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Mary MCALEESE (since 11 November 1997) head of government: Prime Minister Bertie AHERN (since 26 June 1997) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president with previous nomination by the prime minister and approval of the House of Representatives elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 31 October 1997 (next to be held NA November 2001); prime minister nominated by the House of Representatives and appointed by the president
election results: Mary MCALEESE elected president; percent of vote-Mary MCALEESE 44.8%, Mary BANOTTI 29.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Oireachtas consists of the Senate or Seanad Eireann (60 seats, 49 elected by the universities and from candidates put forward by five vocational panels, 11 are nominated by the prime minister; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Dail Eireann (166 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote and proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
elections: Senate-last held NA August 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); House of Representatives-last held 6 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-NA; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Fianna Fail 77, Fine Gael 54, Labor Party 17, Progressive Democrats 4, Democratic Left 4, Greens 2, Sinn Fein 1, independents 7
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president on the advice of the government (prime minister and cabinet)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Left [Proinsias DE ROSSA]; Fianna Fail [Bertie AHERN]; Labor Party [Ruairi QUINN]; Fine Gael [John BRUTON]; Communist Party of Ireland [Michael O’RIORDAN]; Sinn Fein [Gerry ADAMS]; Progressive Democrats [Mary HARNEY]; The Workers’ Party [Marion DONNELLY]; Green Alliance [Patricia HOWARD] note: Prime Minister AHERN heads a two-party coalition consisting of Fianna Fail and the Progressive Democrats
International organization participation: Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NEA, NSG, OECD, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sean O’HUIGINN chancery: 2234 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3939
FAX: [1] (202) 232-5993
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jean Kennedy SMITH embassy: 42 Elgin Road, Ballsbridge, Dublin mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [353] (1) 6688777
FAX: [353] (1) 6689946
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and orange; similar to the flag of Cote d’Ivoire, which is shorter and has the colors reversed-orange (hoist side), white, and green; also similar to the flag of Italy, which is shorter and has colors of green (hoist side), white, and red
@Ireland:Economy
Economy-overview: The economy is small and trade dependent. Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now dwarfed by industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, about 80% of exports, and employs 27% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Ireland’s robust growth, the economy is also benefiting from a rise in consumer spending and recovery in both construction and business investment. Since the 1980s, inflation has fallen sharply and chronic trade deficits have been transformed into annual surpluses. Unemployment remains a serious problem, however, and job creation is the main focus of government policy. To ease unemployment, Dublin aggressively courts foreign investors and recently created a new industrial development agency to aid small indigenous firms.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$59.9 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 6% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$18,600 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.5%
industry: 38.3%
services: 53.2% (1995)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 1.6% (1997)
Labor force:
total: 1.52 million (1997 est.)
by occupation: services 62.1%, manufacturing and construction 27.0%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 10.0%, utilities 0.9% (1996 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11.8% (1997)
Budget:
revenues: $20.6 billion
expenditures: $20.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.2 billion (1997)
Industries: food products, brewing, textiles, clothing, chemicals, pharmaceuticals, machinery, transportation equipment, glass and crystal
Industrial production growth rate: 10.1% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 3.62 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 16.586 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 4,672 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: turnips, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, wheat; meat and dairy products
Exports:
total value: $54.8 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: chemicals, data processing equipment, industrial machinery, live animals, animal products partners: EU 66% (UK 22%, Germany 13%, France 8%), US 6%
Imports:
total value: $44.9 billion (c.i.f., 1997) commodities: food, animal feed, data processing equipment, petroleum and petroleum products, machinery, textiles, clothing partners: EU 52% (UK 29%, Germany 10.2%, France 4%), US 12%
Debt-external: $14 billion (1996)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $81 million (1993)
Currency: 1 Irish pound (£Ir) = 100 pence
Exchange rates: Irish pounds (£Ir) per US$1-0.7233 (January 1997), 0.6588 (1997), 0.6248 (1996), 0.6235 (1995), 0.6676 (1994), 0.6816 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 900,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: modern digital system using cable and microwave radio relay
domestic: microwave radio relay
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.2 million (1991 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 86 (1987 est.)
Televisions: 1.025 million (1990 est.)
@Ireland:Transportation
Railways:
total: 1,947 km
broad gauge: 1,947 km 1.600-m gauge (38 km electrified; 485 km double track) (1996)
Highways:
total: 92,500 km
paved: 87,042 km (including 80 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,458 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: limited for commercial traffic
Pipelines: natural gas 225 km
Ports and harbors: Arklow, Cork, Drogheda, Dublin, Foynes, Galway, Limerick, New Ross, Waterford
Merchant marine:
total: 39 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 116,059 GRT/149,149 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 30, chemical tanker 1, container 3, oil tanker 2, short-sea passenger 2 (1997 est.)
Airports: 44 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 29
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 25 (1997 est.)
@Ireland:Military
Military branches: Army (includes Naval Service and Air Corps), National Police (Garda Siochana)
Military manpower-military age: 17 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 967,621 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 784,766 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 35,338 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $618 million (1994)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.3% (1994)
@Ireland:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Northern Ireland question with the UK (historic peace agreement approved 10 April 1998); Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and the UK (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area)
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for and consumer of hashish from North Africa to the UK and Netherlands and of European-produced synthetic drugs; transshipment point for heroin and cocaine
______________________________________________________________________
ISRAEL
(also see separate
Introduction
Current issues: The territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war are not included in the data below, unless otherwise noted. In keeping with the framework established at the Madrid Conference in October 1991, bilateral negotiations are being conducted between Israel and Palestinian representatives, and Israel and Syria, to achieve a permanent settlement between them. On 25 April 1982, Israel withdrew from the Sinai pursuant to the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace treaty. Outstanding territorial and other disputes with Jordan were resolved in the 26 October 1994 Israel-Jordan Treaty of Peace.
@Israel:Geography
Location: Middle East, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Egypt and Lebanon
Geographic coordinates: 31 30 N, 34 45 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 20,770 sq km
land: 20,330 sq km
water: 440 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
total: 1,006 km
border countries: Egypt 255 km, Gaza Strip 51 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria 76 km, West Bank 307 km
Coastline: 273 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: to depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; hot and dry in southern and eastern desert areas
Terrain: Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m
highest point: Har Meron 1,208 m
Natural resources: copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur, asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude oil
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 4%
permanent pastures: 7%
forests and woodland: 6%
other: 66% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,800 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: sandstorms may occur during spring and summer
Environment-current issues: limited arable land and natural fresh water resources pose serious constraints; desertification; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; groundwater pollution from industrial and domestic waste, chemical fertilizers, and pesticides
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography-note: there are 207 Israeli settlements and civilian land use sites in the West Bank, 42 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 24 in the Gaza Strip, and 29 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
@Israel:People
Population: 5,643,966 (July 1998 est.) note: includes 155,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank, 17,000 in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 6,000 in the Gaza Strip, and 164,000 in East Jerusalem (August 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28% (male 814,558; female 776,630) 15-64 years: 62% (male 1,751,111; female 1,745,499) 65 years and over: 10% (male 239,658; female 316,510) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.91% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 19.99 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 6.19 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.25 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 8.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.41 years
male: 76.52 years
female: 80.39 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.71 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Israeli(s)
adjective: Israeli
Ethnic groups: Jewish 82% (Israel-born 50%, Europe/Americas/Oceania-born 20%, Africa-born 7%, Asia-born 5%), non-Jewish 18% (mostly Arab) (1993 est.)
Religions: Judaism 82%, Islam 14% (mostly Sunni Muslim), Christian 2%, Druze and other 2%
Languages: Hebrew (official), Arabic used officially for Arab minority, English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95%
male: 97%
female: 93% (1992 est.)
@Israel:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Israel conventional short form: Israel
local long form: Medinat Yisra’el
local short form: Yisra’el
Data code: IS
Government type: republic
National capital: Jerusalem
note: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions: 6 districts (mehozot, singular-mehoz); Central, Haifa, Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence: 14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British administration)
National holiday: Independence Day, 14 May 1948 (Israel declared independence on 14 May 1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may occur in April or May)
Constitution: no formal constitution; some of the functions of a constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment (1948), the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the Israeli citizenship law
Legal system: mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations, and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ezer WEIZMAN (since 13 May 1993) head of government: Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU (since 18 June 1996)
cabinet: Cabinet selected from and approved by the Knesset elections: president elected by the Knesset for a five-year term; election last held 4 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); prime minister elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 29 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); note-in March 1992, the Knesset approved legislation, effective in 1996, which allowed for the direct election of the prime minister; under the new law, each voter casts two ballots-one for the direct election of the prime minister and one for the party in the Knesset; the candidate that receives the largest percentage of the popular vote then works to form a coalition with other parties to achieve a parliamentary majority of 61 seats; finally, the candidate must submit his or her cabinet to the Knesset for approval and this must be done within 45 days of the election; in contrast to the old system, under the new law, the prime minister’s party need not be the single-largest party in the Knesset election results: Ezer WEIZMAN elected president by the Knesset with a total of 63 votes, other candidate, Shaul AMOR, received 49 votes (there were seven abstentions and one absence); Binyamin NETANYAHU elected prime minister; percent of vote – Binyamin NETANYAHU 50.4%, Shimon PERES 49.5%
Legislative branch: unicameral Knesset or parliament (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 29 May 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Labor Party 34, Likud Party 32, SHAS 10, MERETZ 9, National Religious Party 9, Yisra’el Ba’Aliya 7, Hadash-Balad 5, Third Way 4, United Arab List 4, United Jewish Torah 4, Moledet 2; note-Likud, Tzomet, and Gesher candidates ran on a joint list
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, appointed for life by the president
Political parties and leaders:
government coalition: Likud Party, Prime Minister Binyamin NETANYAHU; Tzomet, Rafael EITAN; SHAS, Arieh DERI; National Religious Party, Yitzhak LEVI; Yisra’el Ba’Aliya, Natan SHARANSKY; United Jewish Torah, Meir PORUSH; Third Way, Avigdor KAHALANI opposition: Labor Party, Ehud BARAK; MERETZ, Yossi SARID; United Arab List, Abd al-Malik DAHAMSHAH; Hadash-Balad, Hashim MAHAMID other: Moledet, Rehavam ZEEVI; Gesher, David LEVI
Political pressure groups and leaders: Gush Emunim, Israeli nationalists advocating Jewish settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now supports territorial concessions in the West Bank and is critical of government’s Lebanon policy
International organization participation: AG (observer), BSEC (observer), CCC, CE (observer), CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Zalman SHOVAL chancery: 3514 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 364-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 364-5607
consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward WALKER embassy: 71 Hayarkon Street, Tel Aviv
mailing address: PSC 98, Box 100, APO AE 09830 telephone: [972] (3) 519-7575
FAX: [972] (3) 517-3227
consulate(s) general: Jerusalem; note-an independent US mission, established in 1928, whose members are not accredited to a foreign government
Flag description: white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of the flag
@Israel:Economy
Economy-overview: Israel has a technologically advanced market economy with substantial government participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains, raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years. Manufacturing and construction employ about 28% of Israeli workers; agriculture, forestry, and fishing only 2.6%; and services the rest. Israel is largely self-sufficient in food production except for grains. Diamonds, high-technology equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables) are leading exports. Israel usually posts sizable current account deficits, which are covered by large transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly half of the government’s external debt is owed to the US, which is its major source of economic and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel has been targeting high-technology niches in international markets, such as medical scanning equipment. The influx of Jewish immigrants from the former USSR topped 750,000 during the period 1989-97, bringing the population of Israel from the former Soviet Union to one million, or one-sixth of the total population. Initially this great influx increased unemployment, intensified housing problems, and strained the government budget. At the same time, the immigrants bring to the economy scientific and professional expertise of substantial value for the future.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$96.7 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.9% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$17,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 17%
services: 81% (1997 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 9% (1997)
Labor force:
total: 2.3 million (1997)
by occupation: public services 31.3%, manufacturing 20.2%, finance and business 13.1%, commerce 12.8%, construction 7.5%, personal and other services 6.4%, transport, storage, and communications 6.2%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 2.6% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 7.7% (1997)
Budget:
revenues: $55 billion
expenditures: $58 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Industries: food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles and apparel, chemicals, metal products, military equipment, transport equipment, electrical equipment, potash mining, high-technology electronics, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.4% (1996)
Electricity-capacity: 7.736 million kW (1996)
Electricity-production: 32.5 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,387 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; beef, poultry, dairy products
Exports:
total value: $20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997) commodities: machinery and equipment, cut diamonds, chemicals, textiles and apparel, agricultural products, metals partners: EU 32%, US 31%, Japan 7% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $28.6 billion (c.i.f., 1997) commodities: military equipment, investment goods, rough diamonds, oil, consumer goods
partners: EU 52%, US 20%, Japan (1996)
Debt-external: $18.7 billion (1997)
Economic aid:
recipient: $1.2 billion (1997) from the US
Currency: 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates: new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1-3.5340 (December 1997), 3.4494 (1997), 3.1917 (1996), 3.0113 (1995), 3.0111 (1994), 2.8301 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
Communications
Telephones: 2.6 million (1996)
Telephone system: most highly developed system in the Middle East although not the largest
domestic: good system of coaxial cable and microwave radio relay international: 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 9, FM 45, shortwave 0
Radios: 2.25 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 20
Televisions: 1.5 million (1993 est.)
@Israel:Transportation
Railways:
total: 610 km
standard gauge: 610 km 1.435-m gauge (1996)
Highways:
total: 15,065 km
paved: 15,065 km (including 56 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996)
Pipelines: crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89 km
Ports and harbors: Ashdod, Ashqelon, Elat (Eilat), Hadera, Haifa, Tel Aviv-Yafo
Merchant marine:
total: 27 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 803,383 GRT/947,678 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, container 24, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1997 est.)
Airports: 54 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 31
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 23
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 18 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1997 est.)
@Israel:Military
Military branches: Israel Defense Forces (includes ground, naval, and air components), Pioneer Fighting Youth (Nahal), Frontier Guard, Chen (women); note-historically there have been no separate Israeli military services
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 1,446,634
females age 15-49: 1,414,898 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 1,183,989
females: 1,153,670 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 50,824
females: 48,661 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $9.3 billion (1997)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 9.5% (1997)
@Israel:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement-permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied; Israeli troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982
Illicit drugs: increasingly concerned about cocaine and heroin abuse and trafficking
______________________________________________________________________
ITALY
@Italy:Geography
Location: Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia
Geographic coordinates: 42 50 N, 12 50 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 301,230 sq km
land: 294,020 sq km
water: 7,210 sq km
note: includes Sardinia and Sicily
Area-comparative: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries:
total: 1,932.2 km
border countries: Austria 430 km, France 488 km, Holy See (Vatican City) 3.2 km, San Marino 39 km, Slovenia 232 km, Switzerland 740 km
Coastline: 7,600 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Mont Blanc 4,807 m
Natural resources: mercury, potash, marble, sulfur, dwindling natural gas and crude oil reserves, fish, coal
Land use:
arable land: 31%
permanent crops: 10%
permanent pastures: 15%
forests and woodland: 23%
other: 21% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 27,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: regional risks include landslides, mudflows, avalanches, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, flooding; land subsidence in Venice
Environment-current issues: air pollution from industrial emissions such as sulfur dioxide; coastal and inland rivers polluted from industrial and agricultural effluents; acid rain damaging lakes; inadequate industrial waste treatment and disposal facilities
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Tropical Timber 94
Geography-note: strategic location dominating central Mediterranean as well as southern sea and air approaches to Western Europe
@Italy:People
Population: 56,782,748 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14% (male 4,192,662; female 3,955,857) 15-64 years: 68% (male 19,265,714; female 19,369,554) 65 years and over: 18% (male 4,098,526; female 5,900,435) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.08% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.13 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 10.18 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.21 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 78.38 years
male: 75.26 years
female: 81.7 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.19 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Italian(s)
adjective: Italian
Ethnic groups: Italian (includes small clusters of German-, French-, and Slovene-Italians in the north and Albanian-Italians and Greek-Italians in the south)
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:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 96% (1990 est.)
@Italy:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Italian Republic conventional short form: Italy
local long form: Repubblica Italiana local short form: Italia
former: Kingdom of Italy
Data code: IT
Government type: republic
National 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) Romano PRODI (since 18 May 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president
elections: president elected by an electoral college consisting of both houses of Parliament and 58 regional representatives for a seven-year term; election last held 25 May 1992 (next to be held NA 1999); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Oscar Luigi SCALFARO elected president; percent of electoral college vote-NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlamento consists of the Senate or Senato della Repubblica (326 seats, 315 popularly elected of which 232 are directly elected and 83 by regional proportional representation, 11 appointed senators-for-life; members serve five-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camera dei Deputati (630 seats; 475 are directly elected, 155 by regional proportional representation; members serve five-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001); Chamber of Deputies-last held 21 April 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2001)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Olive Tree 157, Freedom Alliance 116, Northern League 27, Refounded Communists 10, regional lists 3, Social Movement-Tricolor Flames 1, Panella Reformers 1; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-Olive Tree 284, Freedom Alliance 246, Northern League 59, Refounded Communists 35, Southern Tyrol List 3, Autonomous List 2, other 1
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court or Corte Costituzionale, composed of 15 judges (one-third appointed by the president, one-third elected by Parliament, one-third elected by the ordinary and administrative supreme courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Olive Tree (Ulivo): Democratic Party of the Left or PDS [Massimo D’ALEMA]; Greens (Verdi) [Luigi MANCONI]; Italian Renewal or RI [Lamberto DINI]; Italian Popular Party or PPI [Franco MARINI-elected 12 January 1997]
Freedom Pole: Forza Italia or FI [Silvio BERLUSCONI]; National Alliance or AN [Gianfranco FINI]; Christian Democratic Center or CCD [Clemente MASTELLA]; Christian Democratic Union or CDU [Rocco BUTTIGLIONE]
other: Northern League or NL [Umberto BOSSI]; Communism Refoundation or RC [Fausto BERTINOTTI]; Italian Social Movement-Tricolor Flame or MSI-Fiamma Tricolore [Pino RAUTI]; Pannella-Sgarbi’s List (Lista Pannella-Sgarbi) [Marco PANNELLA]; Italian Socialists or SI (also called Radical Party or PR) [Ottaviano DEL TURCO]; Autonomous List (a group of minor parties); Southern Tyrols List or SVP (German speakers)
Political pressure groups and leaders: 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 centrist, and Unione Italiana del Lavoro or UIL which is center-right); Italian manufacturers and merchants associations (Confindustria, Confcommercio); organized farm groups (Confcoltivatori, Confagricoltura)
International organization participation: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE, CE (observer), CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, 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, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINUGUA, MINURSO, MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ferdinando SALLEO chancery: 1601 Fuller Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 and 2700 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009
telephone: [1] (202) 328-5500
FAX: [1] (202) 483-2187
consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New York, Los Angeles, Philadelphia, San Francisco
consulate(s): Detroit and New Orleans
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Thomas M. FOGLIETTA embassy: Via Veneto 119/A, 00187-Rome
mailing address: PSC 59, Box 100, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (6) 46741
FAX: [39] (6) 488-2672
consulate(s) general: Florence, Milan, Naples
Flag description: 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
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. This basically capitalistic economy is still divided into a developed industrial north, dominated by private companies, and a less developed agricultural south, with large public enterprises and more than 20% unemployment. Most raw materials needed by industry and over 75% of energy requirements must be imported. 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 inflationary wage indexation system, and started to scale back its generous social welfare programs, including pension and health care benefits. In November 1996 the lire rejoined the European monetary system, which it had left in September 1992 when under extreme pressure in currency markets. Italy faces the problem of restructuring its economy to meet Maastricht criteria for inclusion in the EMU, together with other problems of refurbishing a tottering communications system, curbing industrial pollution, and adjusting to new EU and global competitive forces.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$1.24 trillion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$21,500 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 3.3%
industry: 33%
services: 63.7% (1994)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 1.9% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 22.851 million
by occupation: services 61%, industry 32%, agriculture 7% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 12.2% (December 1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $416 billion
expenditures: $506 billion, including capital expenditures of $47 billion (1996 est.)
Industries: tourism, machinery, iron and steel, chemicals, food processing, textiles, motor vehicles, clothing, footwear, ceramics
Industrial production growth rate: 0.5% (1996 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 57.186 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 225.179 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 4,509 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: fruits, vegetables, grapes, potatoes, sugar beets, soybeans, grain, olives; meat and dairy products; fish catch of 525,000 metric tons in 1990
Exports:
total value: $250.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: metals, textiles and clothing, production machinery, motor vehicles, transportation equipment, chemicals partners: EU 53.4%, US 7.8%, OPEC 3.8%
Imports:
total value: $190 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: industrial machinery, chemicals, transport equipment, petroleum, metals, food, agricultural products partners: EU 45.5%, OPEC 4.8%, US 4.3%
Debt-external: $45 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid:
donor: ODA, $3.043 billion (1993)
Currency: 1 Italian lira (Lit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Italian lire (Lit) per US$1-1,787.7 (January 1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994), 1,573.7 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 25.6 million (1996 est.)
Telephone system: modern, well-developed, fast; fully automated telephone, telex, and data services
domestic: high-capacity cable and microwave radio relay trunks international: satellite earth stations-3 Intelsat (with a total of 5 antennas – 3 for Atlantic Ocean and 2 for Indian Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region), and NA Eutelsat; 21 submarine cables
Radio broadcast stations: AM 135, FM 28 (repeaters 1,840), shortwave 0
Radios: 45.7 million (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 83 (repeaters 1,000)
Televisions: 17 million (1996 est.)
@Italy:Transportation
Railways:
total: 19,437 km
standard gauge: 18,103 km 1.435-m gauge; Italian Railways (FS) operates 15,942 km of the total standard gauge routes (11,299 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 56 km 1.000-m gauge (56 km electrified); 1,278 km 0.950-m gauge (19 km electrified) (1996)
Highways:
total: 317,000 km
paved: 317,000 km (including 9,500 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
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 and harbors: Ancona, Augusta (Sicily), Bari, Cagliari (Sardinia), Catania (Sicily), Gaeta, Genoa, La Spezia, Livorno, Naples, Oristano (Sardinia), Palermo (Sicily), Piombino, Porto Torres (Sardinia), Ravenna, Savona, Trieste, Venice
Merchant marine:
total: 365 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,032,728 GRT/7,076,307 DWT
ships by type: bulk 29, cargo 47, chemical tanker 39, combination ore/oil 2, container 15, liquefied gas tanker 30, multifunction large-load carrier 1, oil tanker 98, passenger 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 51, short-sea passenger 30, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 7 (1997 est.)
Airports: 136 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 96
over 3,047 m: 5
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 16
914 to 1,523 m: 30
under 914 m: 12 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 40
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 18 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1997 est.)
@Italy:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Carabinieri
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 14,249,145 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 12,314,086 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 324,437 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $20.4 billion (1995)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 1.9% (1995)
@Italy:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: Italy is negotiating with Slovenia over property and minority rights issues dating from World War II; Croatia and Italy made progress toward resolving a bilateral issue dating from WWII over property and ethnic minority rights
Illicit drugs: important gateway for and consumer of Latin American cocaine and Southwest Asian heroin entering the European market
______________________________________________________________________
JAMAICA
@Jamaica:Geography
Location: Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, south of Cuba
Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 77 30 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 10,990 sq km
land: 10,830 sq km
water: 160 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,022 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; temperate interior
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow, discontinuous coastal plain
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Mountain Peak 2,256 m
Natural resources: bauxite, gypsum, limestone
Land use:
arable land: 14%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 24%
forests and woodland: 17%
other: 39% (1993 est.)
note: irrigated land-3% (350 sq km)(1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 350 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: hurricanes (especially July to November)
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
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography-note: strategic location between Cayman Trench and Jamaica Channel, the main sea lanes for Panama Canal
@Jamaica:People
Population: 2,634,678 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 425,233; female 406,529) 15-64 years: 62% (male 806,846; female 817,145) 65 years and over: 6% (male 79,125; female 99,800) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.7% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 20.91 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 5.45 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -8.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 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: 0.79 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 14.47 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.37 years
male: 73.01 years
female: 77.84 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.33 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Jamaican(s)
adjective: Jamaican
Ethnic groups: black 90.4%, East Indian 1.3%, white 0.2%, Chinese 0.2%, mixed 7.3%, other 0.6%
Religions: Protestant 61.3% (Church of God 21.2%, Baptist 8.8%, Anglican 5.5%, Seventh-Day Adventist 9%, Pentecostal 7.6%, Methodist 2.7%, United Church 2.7%, Brethren 1.1%, Jehovah’s Witness 1.6%, Moravian 1.1%), Roman Catholic 4%, other, including some spiritual cults 34.7%
Languages: English, Creole
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 85%
male: 80.8%
female: 89.1% (1995 est.)
@Jamaica:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Jamaica
Data code: JM
Government type: parliamentary democracy
National 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 of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Howard Felix COOKE (since 1 August 1991)
head of government: Prime Minister Percival James PATTERSON (since 30 March 1992) and Deputy Prime Minister Seymour MULLINGS (since NA 1993) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister
elections: none; 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 appointed by the governor general
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (a 21-member body appointed by the governor general on the recommendations of the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; ruling party 13 seats, opposition 8 seats) and the House of Representatives (60 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 18 December 1997 (next to be held by March 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 50, JLP 10
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges appointed by the governor general on advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders: People’s National Party (PNP), P. J. PATTERSON; Jamaica Labor Party (JLP), Edward SEAGA; National Democratic Movement (NDM), Bruce GOLDING
Political pressure groups and leaders: Rastafarians (black