@Puerto Rico:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conventional short form: Puerto Rico
Data code: RQ
Dependency status: commonwealth associated with the US
Government type: commonwealth
National capital: San Juan
Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities
Independence: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
National holiday: US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952
Legal system: based on Spanish civil code
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of the US William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993)
head of government: Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since 2 January 1993) cabinet: NA
elections: governor of Puerto Rico elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: Pedro ROSSELLO reelected governor of Puerto Rico; percent of vote – NA
Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (54 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate-last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); House of Representatives-last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 19, PPD 8, PIP 1; House of Representatives-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 37, PPD 16, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US House of Representatives; elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); results – percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PNP 1 (Carlos Romero BARCELO)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Superior Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Municipal Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate
Political parties and leaders: National Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Luis FERRE; Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Hector ACEVEDO; New Progressive Party (PNP), Pedro ROSSELLO; Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), Ruben BERRIOS Martinez; Puerto Rican Communist Party (PCP), leader(s) unknown
Political pressure groups and leaders: Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Armed Forces of Popular Resistance
International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WToO (associate)
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (commonwealth associated with the US)
Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag
@Puerto Rico:Economy
Economy-overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income for the island, with estimated arrivals of nearly 4 million tourists in 1993. The construction sector has been a key factor in recent economic growth.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$32.9 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 3% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$8,600 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 5.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 1.3 million (1996)
by occupation: government 19%, manufacturing 13%, trade 17%, construction 5%, other 32%, unemployed 14% (1996)
Unemployment rate: 13% (FY96/97 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $5.1 billion
expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)
Industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 4.465 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 17.34 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 4,548 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: livestock products, chickens; sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas
Exports:
total value: $22.9 billion (f.o.b. 1996) commodities: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment partners: US 88% (1995 est.)
Imports:
total value: $19.1 billion (c.i.f. 1996) commodities: chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products partners: US 62% (1995 est.)
Debt-external: $NA
Economic aid: none
Currency: 1 US dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: US currency is used
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 1.315 million (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system with about 1 million lines (1990 est.); cellular telephone service
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US
Radio broadcast stations: AM 50, FM 63, shortwave 0 note: there were 118 radio stations in 1995
Radios: 2.6 million (1994 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 15 (1995) note: cable television available with US programs (1990 est.)
Televisions: 973,000 (1994 est.)
@Puerto Rico:Transportation
Railways:
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service
Highways:
total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 30 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 21
over 3,047 m: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 6 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 7 (1997 est.)
@Puerto Rico:Military
Military branches: paramilitary National Guard, Police Force
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of the US
@Puerto Rico:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
QATAR
@Qatar:Geography
Location: Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N, 51 15 E
Map references: Middle East
Area:
total: 11,437 sq km
land: 11,437 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 60 km
border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km
Coastline: 563 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Qurayn Aba al Bawl 103 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish
Land use:
arable land: 1%
permanent crops: NA%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: NA%
other: 94% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 80 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common
Environment-current issues: limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography-note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits
@Qatar:People
Population: 697,126 (July 1998 est.)
note: includes 516,508 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 97,317; female 93,532) 15-64 years: 71% (male 353,700; female 138,564) 65 years and over: 2% (male 9,731; female 4,282) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.82% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 16.97 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 3.53 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 24.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 2.55 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.27 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 18.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.89 years
male: 71.38 years
female: 76.54 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.5 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Qatari(s)
adjective: Qatari
Ethnic groups: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%
Religions: Muslim 95%
Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.4%
male: 79.2%
female: 79.9% (1995 est.)
@Qatar:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form: Qatar
local long form: Dawlat Qatar
local short form: Qatar
note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like guitar
Data code: QA
Government type: traditional monarchy
National capital: Doha
Administrative divisions: 9 municipalities (baladiyat, singular-baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batnah, Ash Shamal, Umm Salal
Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 3 September (1971)
Constitution: provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972
Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters
Suffrage: none
Executive branch:
chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince JASSIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the amir (selected crown prince by the amir 22 October 1996); note-Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the amir (since 30 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the amir (since 20 January 1998)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amir elections: none; the amir is an absolute monarch
Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed by the amir)
note: the constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held since 1970, when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: none
International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Saad Muhammad al-KUBAYSI chancery: Suite 200, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick N. THEROS embassy: 149 Ahmed Bin Ali St., Fariq Bin Omran (opposite the television station), Doha
mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha; pouch address-AMEMB Doha, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6130 telephone: [974] 864701 through 864703
FAX: [974] 861669
note: work week is Saturday-Wednesday
Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side
@Qatar:Economy
Economy-overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for more than 30% of GDP, roughly 70% of export earnings, and 66% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.7 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for 23 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to the leading West European industrial countries. Qatar’s proved reserves of natural gas exceed 7 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total, third largest in the world. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important. Long-term goals feature the development of off-shore petroleum and the diversification of the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$11.2 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 10% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$16,700 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 1%
industry: 49%
services: 50% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 2.5% (1996)
Labor force:
total: 233,000 (1993 est.)
note: 83% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $3.7 billion
expenditures: $4.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $700 million (FY97/98 est.)
Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement
Industrial production growth rate: -4% (1995)
Electricity-capacity: 1.303 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 5.8 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 10,863 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish (all on small scale)
Exports:
total value: $5.8 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: petroleum products 80%, fertilizers, steel partners: Japan 55%, Singapore 11%, South Korea 6%, Australia 3%, UAE 3% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $5 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemicals partners: Italy 14%, UK 12%, France 11%, Japan 10%, Germany 9% (1996)
Debt-external: $11 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams
Exchange rates: Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1-3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
Communications
Telephones: 160,717 (1992 est.)
Telephone system: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA
international: tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 201,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (1988 est.)
Televisions: 205,000 (1992 est.)
@Qatar:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,230 km
paved: 1,107 km
unpaved: 123 km (1996 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km
Ports and harbors: Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa’id
Merchant marine:
total: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 618,447 GRT/1,031,135 DWT ships by type: combination ore/oil 2, container 3, cargo 11, oil tanker 5 (1997 est.)
Airports: 4 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
@Qatar:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 294,205 (1998 est.) note: includes non-nationals
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 154,436 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 5,777 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $400 million (1996 est.)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 3.5% (1996 est.)
@Qatar:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: territorial dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands and maritime boundary dispute with Bahrain currently before the International Court of Justice (ICJ); in 1996, agreed with Saudi Arabia to demarcate border per 1992 accord; that process is ongoing
______________________________________________________________________
REUNION
(overseas department of France)
@Reunion:Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 21 06 S, 55 36 E
Map references: World
Area:
total: 2,510 sq km
land: 2,500 sq km
water: 10 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 201 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April
Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
Natural resources: fish, arable land
Land use:
arable land: 17%
permanent crops: 2%
permanent pastures: 5%
forests and woodland: 35%
other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano
Environment-current issues: NA
Environment-international agreements: party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA
@Reunion:People
Population: 705,053 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 32% (male 116,705; female 111,262) 15-64 years: 62% (male 214,914; female 221,502) 65 years and over: 6% (male 16,846; female 23,824) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.81% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 22.78 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 4.67 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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.4 years
male: 72.36 years
female: 78.6 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective: Reunionese
Ethnic groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian
Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Hindu, Islam, Buddhist
Languages: French (official), Creole widely used
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79%
male: 76%
female: 80% (1982 est.)
@Reunion:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion
local long form: none
local short form: Ile de la Reunion
Data code: RE
Dependency status: overseas department of France
Government type: NA
National capital: Saint-Denis
Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but there are four arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons
Independence: none (overseas department of France)
National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996) head of government: President of the General Council Christophe PAYET (since 4 April 1994) and President of the Regional Council Margarite SUDRE (since 25 June 1993)
cabinet: NA
elections: prefect appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils, who vote on party lines
Legislative branch: unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council-last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council-last held 25 June 1993 (next to be held NA 1999)
election results: General Council-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-UPF 17, Free-Dom Movement 13, PCR 9, PS 6
note: Reunion elects 3 representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 1992 (next to be held NA); results-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-RPR 1, FRA 1, independent 1; Reunion also elects 5 deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May and 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA); results-percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-PCR 3, PS 1, and RPR-UDF 1
Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d’Appel
Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Ibrahim DINDAN]; Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; France-Reunion Future or FRA [Andre THIEN AH KOON]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Center of Social Democrats or CDS; Union for France or UPF (includes RPR and UDF); Free-DOM Movement [Marguerite SUDRE]; National Front or FN [Alix MOREL, leader]
International organization participation: FZ, InOC, WFTU
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France)
Flag description: the flag of France is used
@Reunion:Economy
Economy-overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$3 billion (1996 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 4% (1996 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,300 (1996 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Inflation rate-consumer price index: NA%
Labor force:
total: 242,169 (1993)
by occupation: agriculture 8%, industry 19%, services 73% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 35% (1994)
Budget:
revenues: $856.7 million
expenditures: $2.2437 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1993)
Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 299,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 1.105 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 1,659 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn
Exports:
total value: $171.776 million (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993)
partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar
Imports:
total value: $2.354 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar
Debt-external: $NA
Economic aid:
recipient: substantial annual subsidies from France
Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1-6.0836 (January 1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 191,647 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic: modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station-1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 13, shortwave 0
Radios: 155,000 (1993)
Television broadcast stations: 3 (repeaters 18)
Televisions: 116,181 (1992 est.)
@Reunion:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 2,784 km
paved: 2,187 km
unpaved: 597 km (1987 est.)
Ports and harbors: Le Port, Pointe des Galets
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 2 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1997 est.)
@Reunion:Military
Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 182,620 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 93,572 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 5,780 (1998 est.)
Military-note: defense is the responsibility of France
@Reunion:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: none
______________________________________________________________________
ROMANIA
@Romania:Geography
Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine
Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E
Map references: Europe
Area:
total: 237,500 sq km
land: 230,340 sq km
water: 7,160 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,508 km
border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (east) 169 km
Coastline: 225 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms
Terrain: central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Moldoveanu 2,544 m
Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt
Land use:
arable land: 41%
permanent crops: 3%
permanent pastures: 21%
forests and woodland: 29%
other: 6% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 31,020 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides
Environment-current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol
Geography-note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine
@Romania:People
Population: 22,395,848 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 2,169,581; female 2,078,515) 15-64 years: 68% (male 7,571,619; female 7,668,689) 65 years and over: 13% (male 1,213,406; female 1,694,038) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.32% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.33 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 11.62 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 18.83 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.47 years
male: 66.67 years
female: 74.47 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.17 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Romanian(s)
adjective: Romanian
Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%
Religions: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%
Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97%
male: 98%
female: 95% (1992 est.)
@Romania:Government
Country name:
conventional long form : none
conventional short form: Romania
local long form: none
local short form: Romania
Data code: RO
Government type: republic
National capital: Bucharest
Administrative divisions: 40 counties (judete, singular-judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea
Independence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)
National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)
Constitution: 8 December 1991
Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France’s Fifth Republic
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emil CONSTANTINESCU (since 29 November 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Radu VASILE (since 17 April 1998) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 3 November 1996, with runoff between the top two candidates held 17 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: percent of vote-Emil CONSTANTINESCU 54.4%, Ion ILIESCU 45.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (143 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (343 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate-last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Deputies-last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000)
election results: Senate-percent of vote by party-CDR 30.7%, PDSR 23.1%, USD 13.2%, UDMR 6.8%, PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.2%, others 17.5%; seats by party-CDR 53, PDSR 41, USD 23, UDMR 11, PRM 8, PUNR 7; Chamber of Deputies-percent of vote by party-CDR 30.2%, PDSR 21.5%, USD 12.9%, UDMR 6.6% PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party-CDR 122, PDSR 91, USD 53, UDMR 25, PRM 19, PUNR 18, ethnic minorities 15
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or PD [Petre ROMAN]; Romanian Social Democratic Party or PSDR [Sergiu CUNESCU]; Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Ion ILIESCU]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; National Peasants’ Christian and Democratic Party or PNTCD [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romanian National Unity Party or PUNR [Valeriu TABARA]; Socialist Labor Party or PSM [Ilie VERDET]; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania or PDAR [Victor SURDU]; The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Civic Alliance Party or PAC [Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman]; Liberal Party ’93 or PL-93 [Dinu PATRICIU]; National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention or PNL-CD [Nicolae CERVENI]; Socialist Party or PS [Tudor MOHORA] note: to increase their voting strength several of the above-mentioned parties united under umbrella organizations: PNTCD, PNL, and PNL-CD form the bulk of the Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; PD and PSDR form the Union of Social Democrats or USD [Petre ROMAN]; and PAC and PL-93 form the National Liberal Alliance or ANL [Nicolae MANOLESCU]; PSM, PS, ANL, and numerous other small parties failed to gain representation in the most recent election
Political pressure groups and leaders: various human rights and professional associations
International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA chancery : 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 FAX: [1] (202) 232-4748
consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James C. ROSAPEPE embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Embassy Bucharest, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5260 (pouch)
telephone: [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42 FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95
branch office: Cluj-Napoca
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad
@Romania:Economy
Economy-overview: Romania, one of the poorer countries in the region, is continuing its difficult transition to a market-based economy. After the collapse of the Soviet Bloc in 1989-91, Romania was left with an obsolete industrial base and a pattern of industrial capacity wholly unsuited to its needs. For the next few years the country lagged behind most of its neighbors in the pace of restructuring. Then in February 1997, Romania embarked on a comprehensive macroeconomic stabilization and structural reform program. The domestic foreign exchange market was freed, and controls on current-account convertibility were removed in October. Restructuring programs include liquidating large energy-intensive industries, and agricultural and financial sector reform. The private sector share of GDP rose to an estimated 58% in 1997, however, this total includes firms with government-held minority stakes. Although progress has been made in privatizing small- and medium-sized firms, delays in structural reforms-including the postponement of sales of large state-owned enterprises – threaten plans to revive GDP growth. In 1998, GDP will likely be unchanged; and inflation is projected to fall to 45% from 151% in 1997.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$114.2 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: -6.6% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$5,300 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 19%
industry: 36%
services: 45% (1996)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 151% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 10.1 million (1996 est.)
by occupation: industry 28.6%, agriculture 34.4%, trade 10.4%, construction 5.1%, other 21.5% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 8.8% (1997 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $10 billion
expenditures: $11.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.3 billion (1997 est.)
Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining
Industrial production growth rate: -5.9% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 22.06 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 55.19 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 2,412 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat
Exports:
total value: $8.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: textiles and footwear 27.5%, metals and metal products 16.2%, mineral products 9.0%, chemicals 11.2%, other 36.1% (1996) partners: Germany 18.1%, Italy 16.7%, France 5.6%, Turkey 5%, Netherlands 4.2%, China 3.0% (1996)
Imports:
total value: $10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1997 est.) commodities: fuels and minerals 24%, machinery and transport equipment 25%, food and agricultural goods 7.6%, chemicals 12.5%, other 30.9% (1996)
partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 15.6%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.0%, US 3.8%, Egypt 3.8% (1996)
Debt-external: $10 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 leu (L) = 100 bani
Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1-8,293.40 (January 1998), 7,167.94 (1997), 3,084.22 (1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 2.6 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.)
international: satellite earth station-1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0 note: in 1995, 135 local radio stations were registered
Radios: 4.64 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 436 cable TV stations, 66 local TV stations
Televisions: 4.58 million (1992 est.)
@Romania:Transportation
Railways:
total: 11,365 km
broad gauge: 45 km 1.524-m gauge
standard gauge: 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060 km double track)
narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)
Highways:
total: 153,170 km
paved: 78,117 km (including 113 km of expressways) unpaved: 75,053 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea
Merchant marine:
total: 227 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,332,117 GRT/3,464,613 DWT
ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 160, container 2, oil tanker 12, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 10
note: Romania owns an additional 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 827,625 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Liberia, and Malta (1997 est.)
Airports: 24 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 19
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1997 est.)
@Romania:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense
Military manpower-military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 5,888,775 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 4,951,586 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 197,036 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $650 million (1996)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: 2.5% (1996)
@Romania:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed in 1997 to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice
Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe
______________________________________________________________________
RUSSIA
@Russia:Geography
Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area:
total: 17,075,200 sq km
land: 16,995,800 sq km
water: 79,400 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US
Land boundaries:
total: 19,917 km
border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakhstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km
Coastline: 37,653 km
Maritime claims:
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast
Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Mount El’brus 5,633 m
Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources
Land use:
arable land: 8%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 42% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula
Environment-current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94
Geography-note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture
@Russia:People
Population: 146,861,022 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20% (male 14,756,787; female 14,189,564) 15-64 years: 68% (male 48,138,173; female 51,366,412) 65 years and over: 12% (male 5,699,334; female 12,710,752) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.31% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 9.57 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 14.89 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 2.21 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: 0.93 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 23.26 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.97 years
male: 58.61 years
female: 71.64 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.34 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Russian(s)
adjective: Russian
Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%
Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other
Languages: Russian, other
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98%
male: 100%
female: 97% (1989 est.)
@Russia:Government
Country name:
conventional long form: Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia
local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya
former: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic
Data code: RS
Government type: federation
National capital: Moscow
Administrative divisions: oblasts (oblastey, singular-oblast’), 21 autonomous republics* (avtonomnyk respublik, singular-avtonomnaya respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular-avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular-kray), 2 federal cities (singular-gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast’); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel’skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr’)**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran’)*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal’chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzkskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar’yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Orlovskaya (Orel), Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutsk)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol’skiy***, Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan’)*, Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul’skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul’yanovskaya, Ust’-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy (Ust’-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya, Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**, Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note-when using a place name with an adjectival ending ‘skaya’ or ‘skiy,’ the word Oblast’ or Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name
note: the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetiya were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are federal cities; administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (1990)
Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993
Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Boris Nikolayevich YEL’TSIN (since 12 June 1991)
head of government: Premier and Chairman of the Russian Federation Government Sergey Vladilenovich KIRIYENKO (since 23 March 1998), Deputy Premiers and Deputy Chairmen of the Government Viktor Borisovich KHRISTENKO (since 28 April 1998), Boris Yefimovich NEMTSOV (since 28 April 1998), Oleg Nikolayevich SYSUYEV (since 17 March 1997) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or “Government” appointed by the president
note: there is also a Presidential Administration that drafts presidential edicts and provides staff and policy support to the entire executive branch; a Security Council that was originally established as a presidential advisory body in June 1991 with responsibility for managing individual and state security; a Defense Council and a Foreign Policy Council formed in July 1996 and October 1996 respectively
elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 16 June 1996 with runoff election on 3 July 1996 (next to be held NA June 2000); note-no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier and deputy premiers appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Boris Nikolayevich YEL’TSIN elected president; percent of vote in runoff – YEL’TSIN 54%, Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV 40%
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federal’noye Sobraniye consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats, filled ex-officio by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units-oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats, half elected in single-member districts and half elected from national party lists; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: State Duma-last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held NA December 1999)
election results: State Duma-percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats-Communist Party of the Russian Federation 22.3%, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 11.2%, Our Home Is Russia 10.1%, Yabloko Bloc 6.9%; seats by party-Communist Party of the Russian Federation 157, independents 78, Our Home Is Russia 55, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 51, Yabloko Bloc 45, Agrarian Party of Russia 20, Russia’s Democratic Choice 9, Power To the People 9, Congress of Russian Communities 5, Forward, Russia! 3, Women of Russia 3, other parties 15
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Superior Court of Arbitration, judges are appointed for life by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president
Political parties and leaders:
pro-market democrats: Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy Alekseyevich YAVLINSKIY]; Russia’s Democratic Choice Party [Yegor Timurovich GAYDAR]; Forward, Russia! [Boris Grigor’yevich FEDOROV]
centrists/special interest parties: Our Home Is Russia [Viktor Stepanovich CHERNOMYRDIN]; Russian People’s Republican Party [Aleksandr Ivanovich LEBED]; Congress of Russian Communities [Dmitriy Olegovich ROGOZIN]; Women of Russia [Alevtina Vasil’yevna FEDULOVA and Yekaterina Filippovna LAKHOVA]
anti-market and/or ultranationalist: Communist Party of the Russian Federation [Gennadiy Andreyevich ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia [Vladimir Vol’fovich ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Agrarian Party [Mikhail Ivanovich LAPSHIN]; Power To the People [Nikolay Ivanovich RYZHKOV and Sergey Nikolayevich BABURIN]; Russian Communist Workers’ Party [Viktor Ivanovich ANPILOV and Viktor Arkad’yevich TYUL’KIN] note: some 269 political parties, blocs, and associations tried to gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 17 December 1995 Duma elections; 43 succeeded
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: BIS (pending member), BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINUGUA, MINURSO, MTCR, NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Yuliy Mikhaylovich VORONTSOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 298-5700 through 5704 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735
consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James F. COLLINS embassy: Novinskiy Bul’var 19/23, Moscow mailing address: APO AE 09721
telephone: [7] (095) 252-24-51 through 59 FAX: [7] (095) 956-42-61
consulate(s) general: St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red
@Russia:Economy
Economy-overview: Russia, a vast country with a wealth of natural resources, a well-educated population, and a diverse, but declining, industrial base, continues to experience formidable difficulties in moving from its old centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. After seven consecutive years of contraction 1990-96 in which GDP fell by one-third, GDP grew by 0.4% in 1997, according to official statistics. Moscow continued to make strides in its battle against inflation, which fell to 11%, half the 1996 rate. The central government made good on most back wages owed public-sector employees-including the military-although the stock of wage arrears to employees of private enterprises remained large. Privatization revenues increased significantly, largely on the strength of a few high-profile tenders, such as that of telecommunications giant Svyazinvest. On the downside, Moscow continued to struggle with a severe fiscal imbalance. Lagging tax collections led the government to adopt a revised budget in spring 1997 that cut spending by about 20% despite protests from the legislature. Russia’s traditional trade surplus continued to contract-largely because of soft international commodity prices-and Moscow’s WTrO accession made only halting progress. Although President YEL’TSIN brought in a new economic team early in 1997, key structural reform initiatives continue to move slowly. A revised tax code remains stuck in the Duma, while little progress is being made on agricultural land reform. Small business development has lagged. Prospects for a return to robust growth have been set back by the spillover from Asia’s financial turmoil, which hit Russia hard during the last quarter of 1997. Moscow at first tried to both support the ruble and keep interest rates down, but this policy proved unsustainable, and in early December 1997 the Central Bank let interest rates rise sharply. As the year ended, Russian authorities were attempting to put the best face on the financial situation, while at the same time scaling back their previous optimistic growth projections for 1998 to 1%-2%. Because of Russia’s severe macroeconomic constraints, resources allocated to the military sector have declined sharply since the implosion of the USSR in December 1991.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$692 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 0.4% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$4,700 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector:
agriculture: 7%
industry: 39%
services: 54% (1996)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 11% (1997 est.)
Labor force:
total: 66 million (1997)
by occupation: NA
Unemployment rate: 9% (1997 est.) with considerable additional underemployment
Budget:
revenues: $59 billion
expenditures: $70 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.)
Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts
Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (1997 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 214.687 million kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 834 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 5,508 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits (because of its northern location does not grow citrus, cotton, tea, and other warm climate products); meat, milk
Exports:
total value: $86.7 billion (1997)
commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures
partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries
Imports:
total value: $66.9 billion (1997)
commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries
Debt-external: $135 billion (yearend 1996)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $15 billion drawn (1990-97) note: US commitments, including Ex-Im, $15 billion (1990-96); other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1990-96), $125 billion
Currency: 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
Exchange rates: rubles per US$1-5,941 (December 1997), 5,785 (1997), 5,121 (1996), 4,559 (1995), 2,191 (1994), 992 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 25.4 million (1993 est.)
Telephone system: total pay phones for long distant calls 34,100; enlisting foreign help, by means of joint ventures, to speed up the modernization of its telecommunications system; in 1992, only 661,000 new telephones were installed compared with 855,000 in 1991, and in 1992 the number of unsatisfied applications for telephones reached 11,000,000; expanded access to international electronic mail service available via Sprint network; the inadequacy of Russian telecommunications is a severe handicap to the economy, especially with respect to international connections domestic: NMT-450 analog cellular telephone networks are operational and growing in Moscow and St. Petersburg; intercity fiber-optic cable installation remains limited
international: international traffic is inadequately handled by a system of satellites, landlines, microwave radio relay, and outdated submarine cables; much of this traffic passes through the international gateway switch in Moscow which carries most of the international traffic for the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States; a new Russian Intersputnik satellite will link Moscow and St. Petersburg with Rome from whence calls will be relayed to destinations in Europe and overseas; satellite earth stations-NA Intelsat, 4 Intersputnik (2 Atlantic Ocean region and 2 Indian Ocean region), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region), and NA Orbita
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note-there are about 1,050 (including AM, FM, and shortwave) radio broadcast stations throughout the country
Radios: 50 million (1993 est.)(radio receivers with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion 74,300,000)
Television broadcast stations: 7,183
Televisions: 54.85 million (1992 est.)
@Russia:Transportation
Railways:
total: 154,000 km; note-87,000 km in common carrier service (38,000 km electrified); 67,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use
broad gauge: 154,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1 January 1994)
Highways:
total: 948,000 km (including 416,000 km which serve specific industries or farms and are not maintained by governmental highway maintenance departments)
paved: 336,000 km
unpaved: 612,000 km (including 411,000 km of graveled or other forms of macadam surface and 201,000 km of unstabilized earth) (1995 est.)
Waterways: total navigable routes in general use 101,000 km; routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids 60,400 km; man-made navigable routes 16,900 km (1 January 1994)
Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (30 June 1993)
Ports and harbors: Arkhangel’sk, Astrakhan’, Kaliningrad, Kazan’, Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Nevel’sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg
Merchant marine:
total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,531,937 GRT/6,253,940 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 18, cargo 291, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 12, container 24, multifunction large-load carrier 2, oil tanker 107, passenger 2, passenger-cargo 4, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 28, short-sea passenger 9, specialized tanker 1
note: Russia owns an additional 176 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,240,776 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cambodia, Cyprus, Honduras, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Singapore (1997 est.)
Airports: 2,517 (1994 est.)
Airports-with paved runways:
total: 630
over 3,047 m: 54
2,438 to 3,047 m: 202
1,524 to 2,437 m: 108
914 to 1,523 m: 115
under 914 m: 151 (1994 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways:
total: 1,887
over 3,047 m: 25
2,438 to 3,047 m: 45
1,524 to 2,437 m: 134
914 to 1,523 m: 291
under 914 m: 1,392 (1994 est.)
@Russia:Military
Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces
note: the air force and air defense force are to merge in mid-1998
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability:
males age 15-49: 38,585,841 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 30,098,346 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 1,128,416 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $NA note: the Intelligence Community estimates that defense spending in Russia fell by about 10% in real terms in 1996, reducing Russian defense outlays to about one-sixth of peak Soviet levels in the late 1980s (1997 est.)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Russia:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: two disputed sections of the boundary with China remain to be settled; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, now administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical border agreement in December 1996 which has not been ratified; Estonia claimed over 2,000 sq km of territory in the Narva and Pechora regions of Russia – based on boundary established under the 1920 Peace Treaty of Tartu; based on the 1920 Treaty of Riga, Latvia had claimed the Abrene/Pytalovo section of border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia in 1944; draft treaty delimiting the boundary with Latvia has not been signed; 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; 1997 border agreement with Lithuania not yet ratified; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia
Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe, the US, and growing domestic market
______________________________________________________________________
RWANDA
Introduction
in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Zaire, now called Democratic Republic of the Congo. According to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1,300,000 Hutus returned to Rwanda; of these, 720,000 returned from Democratic Republic of the Congo, 480,000 from Tanzania, 88,000 from Burundi, and 10,000 from Uganda.
@Rwanda:Geography
Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area:
total: 26,340 sq km
land: 24,950 sq km
water: 1,390 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries:
total: 893 km
border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km
Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible
Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m
highest point: Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m
Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 35%
permanent crops: 13%
permanent pastures: 18%
forests and woodland: 22%
other: 12% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo
Environment-current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography-note: landlocked; predominantly rural population
@Rwanda:People
Population: 7,956,172 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 45% (male 1,785,650; female 1,772,609) 15-64 years: 53% (male 2,070,401; female 2,106,809) 65 years and over: 2% (male 90,941; female 129,762) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.5% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 38.99 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 19 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 5.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.) note: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda, and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; according to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1,300,000 Hutus returned to