Chapter VIII: Part 8

Chamber of Deputies--last held 24 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results--RPP is the only party; seats--(65 total) RPP 65

Communists: NA

Member of: ACP, AfDB, Arab League, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Roble OLHAYE; Chancery (temporary) at the Djiboutian Permanent Mission to the UN; 866 United Nations Plaza, Suite 4011, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 753-3163; US--Ambassador Robert S. BARRETT IV; Embassy at Villa Plateau du Serpent Boulevard, Marechal Joffre, Djibouti (mailing address is B. P. 185, Djibouti); telephone [253] 35-38-49 or 35-39-95, 35-29-16, 35-29-17

Flag: two equal horizontal bands of light blue (top) and light green with a white isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bearing a red five-pointed star in the center

- Economy Overview: The economy is based on service activities connected with the country's strategic location and status as a free trade zone. Djibouti provides services as both a transit port for the region and an international transshipment and refueling center. It has few natural resources and little industry. The nation is, therefore, heavily dependent on foreign assistance to help support its balance of payments and to finance development projects. An unemployment rate of over 50% continues to be a major problem.

GNP: $333 million, $1,070 per capita; real growth rate - 0.7% (1986)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1987)

Unemployment rate: over 50% (1987)

Budget: revenues $117 million; expenditures $163 billion, including capital expenditures of $52 million (1987 est.)

Exports: $128 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--hides and skins, coffee (in transit); partners--Middle East 50%, Africa 43%, Western Europe 7%

Imports: $198 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities--foods, beverages, transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum products; partners--EC 36%, Africa 21%, Bahrain 14%, Asia 12%, US 2%

External debt: $250 million (December 1988)

Industrial production: growth rate - 1.6% (1986)

Electricity: 110,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 580 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: limited to a few small-scale enterprises, such as dairy products and mineral-water bottling

Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; scanty rainfall limits crop production to mostly fruit and vegetables; half of population pastoral nomads herding goats, sheep, and camels; imports bulk of food needs

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-88), $36 million; Western (non-US) countries, including ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $962 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $149 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $35 million

Currency: Djiboutian franc (plural--francs); 1 Djiboutian franc (DF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Djiboutian francs (DF) per US$1--177.721 (fixed rate since 1973)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: the Ethiopian-Djibouti railroad extends for 97 km through Djibouti

Highways: 2,900 km total; 280 km bituminous surface, 2,620 km improved or unimproved earth (1982)

Ports: Djibouti

Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

Airports: 12 total, 9 usable; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: fair system of urban facilities in Djibouti and radio relay stations at outlying places; 7,300 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 ARABSAT; 1 submarine cable to Saudi Arabia

- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary National Security Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 88,132; 51,260 fit for military service

Defense expenditures: $29.9 million, 23% of central government budget (1986) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Dominica - Geography Total area: 750 km2; land area: 750 km2

Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries: none

Coastline: 148 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds; heavy rainfall

Terrain: rugged mountains of volcanic origin

Natural resources: timber

Land use: 9% arable land; 13% permanent crops; 3% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 34% other

Environment: flash floods a constant hazard; occasional hurricanes

Note: located 550 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea

- People Population: 84,854 (July 1990), growth rate 1.7% (1990)

Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 13 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 79 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.6 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican

Ethnic divisions: mostly black; some Carib indians

Religion: 80% Roman Catholic; Anglican, Methodist

Language: English (official); French patois widely spoken

Literacy: 80% (est.)

Labor force: 25,000; 40% agriculture, 32% industry and commerce, 28% services (1984)

Organized labor: 25% of labor force

- Government Long-form name: Commonwealth of Dominica

Type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Roseau

Administrative divisions: 10 parishes; Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Luke, Saint Mark, Saint Patrick, Saint Paul, Saint Peter

Independence: 3 November 1978 (from UK)

Constitution: 3 November 1978

Legal system: based on English common law

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1978)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly (includes 9 appointed senators and 21 elected representatives)

Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State--President Sir Clarence Augustus SEIGNORET (since 19 December 1983);

Head of Government--Prime Minister (Mary) Eugenia CHARLES (since 21 July 1980)

Political parties and leaders: Dominica Freedom Party (DFP), (Mary) Eugenia Charles; Labor Party of Dominica (LPD, a leftist-dominated coalition), Michael Douglas; United Workers Party (UWP), Edison James

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President--last held 20 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); the president is elected by the House of Assembly;

House of Assembly--last held 1 July 1985 (next to be held July 1990); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(21 total) DFP 17, LPD 4

Communists: negligible

Other political or pressure groups: Dominica Liberation Movement (DLM), a small leftist group

Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, GATT (de facto), G-77, IBRD, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, OAS, OECS, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation: there is no Chancery in the US; US--no official presence since the Ambassador resides in Bridgetown (Barbados), but travels frequently to Dominica

Flag: green with a centered cross of three equal bands--the vertical part is yellow (hoist side), black, and white--the horizontal part is yellow (top), black, and white; superimposed in the center of the cross is a red disk bearing a sisserou parrot encircled by 10 green five-pointed stars edged in yellow; the 10 stars represent the 10 administrative divisions (parishes)

- Economy Overview: The economy is dependent on agriculture and thus is highly vulnerable to climatic conditions. Agriculture accounts for about 30% of GDP and employs 40% of the labor force. Principal products include bananas, coconuts, citrus, and root crops. In 1988 the economy achieved a 5.6% growth in real GDP on the strength of a boost in construction, higher agricultural production, and growth of the small manufacturing sector based on soap and garment industries. The tourist industry remains undeveloped because of a rugged coastline and the lack of an international-class airport.

GDP: $137 million, per capita $1,408; real growth rate 5.6% (1988 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.9% (1987)

Unemployment rate: 10% (1989 est.)

Budget: revenues $60 million; expenditures $52 million, including capital expenditures of $18 million (FY88)

Exports: $46 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--bananas, coconuts, grapefruit, soap, galvanized sheets; partners--UK 72%, Jamaica 10%, OECS 6%, US 3%, other 9%

Imports: $66.0 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--food, oils and fats, chemicals, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment; partners--US 23%, UK 18%, CARICOM 15%, OECS 15%, Japan 5%, Canada 3%, other 21%

External debt: $63.6 million (December 1987)

Industrial production: growth rate 5.9% in manufacturing (1987)

Electricity: 7,000 kW capacity; 16 million kWh produced, 190 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: agricultural processing, tourism, soap and other coconut-based products, cigars, pumice mining

Agriculture: accounts for 30% of GDP; principal crops--bananas, citrus fruit, coconuts, root crops; bananas provide the bulk of export earnings; forestry and fisheries potential not exploited

Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $109 million

Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

- Communications Highways: 750 km total; 370 km paved, 380 km gravel and earth

Ports: Roseau, Portsmouth

Civil air: NA

Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: 4,600 telephones in fully automatic network; VHF and UHF link to St. Lucia; new SHF links to Martinique and Guadeloupe; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 1 cable TV

- Defense Forces Branches: Commonwealth of Dominica Police Force

Military manpower: NA

Defense expenditures: NA ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Dominican Republic - Geography Total area: 48,730 km2; land area: 48,380 km2

Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of New Hampshire

Land boundary 275 km with Haiti

Coastline: 1,288 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Continental shelf: outer edge of continental margin or 200 nm;

Extended economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 6 nm

Climate: tropical maritime; little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: rugged highlands and mountains with fertile valleys interspersed

Natural resources: nickel, bauxite, gold, silver

Land use: 23% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 43% meadows and pastures; 13% forest and woodland; 14% other; includes 4% irrigated

Environment: subject to occasional hurricanes (July to October); deforestation

Note: shares island of Hispaniola with Haiti (western one-third is Haiti, eastern two-thirds is the Dominican Republic)

- People Population: 7,240,793 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)

Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 62 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 69 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Dominican(s); adjective--Dominican

Ethnic divisions: 73% mixed, 16% white, 11% black

Religion: 95% Roman Catholic

Language: Spanish

Literacy: 74%

Labor force: 2,300,000-2,600,000; 49% agriculture, 33% services, 18% industry (1986)

Organized labor: 12% of labor force (1989 est.)

- Government Long-form name: Dominican Republic (no short-form name)

Type: republic

Capital: Santo Domingo

Administrative divisions: 29 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 district* (distrito); Azua, Baoruco, Barahona, Dajabon, Distrito Nacional*, Duarte, Elias Pina, El Seibo, Espaillat, Hato Mayor, Independencia, La Altagracia, La Romana, La Vega, Maria Trinidad Sanchez, Monsenor Nouel, Monte Cristi, Monte Plata, Pedernales, Peravia, Puerto Plata, Salcedo, Samana, Sanchez Ramirez, San Cristobal, San Juan, San Pedro De Macoris, Santiago, Santiago Rodriguez, Valverde

Independence: 27 February 1844 (from Haiti)

Constitution: 28 November 1966

Legal system: based on French civil codes

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 February (1844)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Joaquin BALAGUER Ricardo (since 16 August 1986); Vice President Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (since 16 August 1986)

Political parties and leaders:

Major parties--Social Christian Reformist Party (PRSC), Joaquin Balaguer Ricardo; Dominican Revolutionary Party (PRD), which fractured in May 1989 with the understanding that leading rivals Jacobo Majluta and Jose Francisco Pena Gomez would run separately for president at the head of the Independent Revolutionary Party (PRI) and the Social Democratic Institutional Bloc (BIS), respectively, and try to reconstitute the PRD after the election; Dominican Liberation Party (PLD), Juan Bosch Gavino;

Minor parties--National Veterans and Civilian Party (PNVC), Juan Rene Beauchanps Javier; The Structure (LE), Andres Van Der Horst; Democratic Quisqueyan Party (PQD), Elias Wessin Chavez; Constitutional Action Party (PAC), Luis Arzeno Rodriguez; National Progressive Force (FNP), Marino Vinicio Castillo; Popular Christian Party (PPC), Rogelio Delgado Bogaert; Dominican Communist Party (PCD), Narciso Isa Conde; Anti-Imperialist Patriotic Union (UPA), Ivan Rodriguez; in 1983 several leftist parties, including the PCD, joined to form the Dominican Leftist Front (FID); however, they still retain individual party structures

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 or if married; members of the armed forces and police cannot vote

Elections: President--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990); results--Joaquin Balaguer (PRSC) 41.8%, Jacobo Majluta (PRD) 39.7%, Juan Bosch Gavino (PLD) 18.5%;

Senate--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(30 total) PRSC 21, PRD 7, PLD 2;

Chamber of Deputies--last held 16 May 1986 (next to be held May 1990); results--PRSC 40.6%, PRD 33.5%, PLD 18.3%, LE 5.3%, other 2.3%; seats--(120 total) PRSC 56, PRD 48, PLD 16

Communists: an estimated 8,000 to 10,000 members in several legal and illegal factions; effectiveness limited by ideological differences and organizational inadequacies

Member of: FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IRC, ISO, ITU, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Carlos A. MORALES Troncoso (serves concurrently as Vice President); Chancery at 1715 22nd Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-6280; there are Dominican Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Mayaguez (Puerto Rico), Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Charlotte Amalie (Virgin Islands), Detroit, Houston, Jacksonville, Minneapolis, Mobile, Ponce (Puerto Rico), and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Paul D. TAYLOR; Embassy at the corner of Calle Cesar Nicolas Penson and Calle Leopoldo Navarro, Santo Domingo (mailing address is APO Miami 34041-0008); telephone [809] 541-2171

Flag: a centered white cross that extends to the edges, divides the flag into four rectangles--the top ones are blue (hoist side) and red, the bottom ones are red (hoist side) and blue; a small coat of arms is at the center of the cross

- Economy Overview: The economy is largely dependent on the agricultural sector, which employs 50% of the labor force and provides about half of export revenues. The principal commercial crop is sugarcane, followed by coffee, cocoa, and tobacco. Industry is based on the processing of agricultural products, durable consumer goods, minerals, and chemicals. Rapid growth of free trade zones has established a significant expansion of manufacturing for export, especially wearing apparel. Over the past decade tourism has also increased in importance and is a significant earner of foreign exchange and a source of new jobs. Unemployment is officially reported at about 25%, but underemployment may be much higher.

GDP: $5.1 billion, per capita $790; real growth rate 0.5% (1988)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 57.6% (1988)

Unemployment rate: 25% (1988)

Budget: revenues $413 million; expenditures $522 million, including capital expenditures of $218 million (1988)

Exports: $711 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--sugar, coffee, cocoa, gold, ferronickel; partners--US, including Puerto Rico, 74%

Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum, cotton and fabrics, chemicals and pharmaceuticals; partners--US, including Puerto Rico, 37% (1985)

External debt: $3.6 billion (1989) est.

Industrial production: growth rate 30% (1987 est.)

Electricity: 1,376,000 kW capacity; 4,000 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: tourism, sugar processing, ferronickel and gold mining, textiles, cement, tobacco

Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and employs 49% of labor force; sugarcane most important commercial crop, followed by coffee, cotton, and cocoa; food crops--rice, beans, potatoes, corn, bananas; animal output--cattle, hogs, dairy products, meat, eggs; not self-sufficient in food

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $529 million

Currency: Dominican peso (plural--pesos); 1 Dominican peso (RD$) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: Dominican pesos per US$1--6.3400 (January 1990), 6.3400 (1989), 6.1125 (1988), 3.8448 (1987), 2.9043 (1986), 3.1126 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 1,655 km total in numerous segments; 4 different gauges from 0.558 m to 1.435 m

Highways: 12,000 km total; 5,800 km paved, 5,600 km gravel and improved earth, 600 km unimproved

Pipelines: crude oil, 96 km; refined products, 8 km

Ports: Santo Domingo, Haina, San Pedro de Macoris, Puerto Plata

Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 23,335 GRT/40,297 DWT

Civil air: 14 major transport aircraft

Airports: 44 total, 30 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: relatively efficient domestic system based on islandwide radio relay network; 190,000 telephones; stations--120 AM, no FM, 18 TV, 6 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,912,101; 1,210,172 fit for military service; 80,290 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: 1.2% of GDP, or $61 million (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Ecuador - Geography Total area: 283,560 km2; land area: 276,840 km2; includes Galapagos Islands

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Nevada

Land boundaries: 2,010 km total; Colombia 590 km, Peru 1,420 km

Coastline: 2,237 km

Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 m;

Territorial sea: 200 nm

Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Peru are in dispute

Climate: tropical along coast becoming cooler inland

Terrain: coastal plain (Costa), inter-Andean central highlands (Sierra), and flat to rolling eastern jungle (Oriente)

Natural resources: petroleum, fish, timber

Land use: 6% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures; 51% forest and woodland; 23% other; includes 2% irrigated

Environment: subject to frequent earthquakes, landslides, volcanic activity; deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; periodic droughts

Note: Cotopaxi in Andes is highest active volcano in world

- People Population: 10,506,668 (July 1990), growth rate 2.3% (1990)

Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 61 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 68 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Ecuadorian(s); adjective--Ecuadorian

Ethnic divisions: 55% mestizo (mixed Indian and Spanish), 25% Indian, 10% Spanish, 10% black

Religion: 95% Roman Catholic

Language: Spanish (official); Indian languages, especially Quechua

Literacy: 85% (1981)

Labor force: 2,800,000; 35% agriculture, 21% manufacturing, 16% commerce, 28% services and other activities (1982)

Organized labor: less than 15% of labor force

- Government Long-form name: Republic of Ecuador

Type: republic

Capital: Quito

Administrative divisions: 21 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Azuay, Bolivar, Canar, Carchi, Chimborazo, Cotopaxi, El Oro, Esmeraldas, Galapagos, Guayas, Imbabura, Loja, Los Rios, Manabi, Morona-Santiago, Napo, Pastaza, Pichincha, Sucumbios, Tungurahua, Zamora-Chinchipe

Independence: 24 May 1822 (from Spain; Battle of Pichincha)

Constitution: 10 August 1979

Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: Independence Day, 10 August (1809, independence of Quito)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of Representatives (Camara de Representantes)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rodrigo BORJA Cevallos (since 10 August 1988); Vice President Luis PARODI Valverde (since 10 August 1988)

Political parties and leaders: Right to center parties--Social Christian Party (PSC), Camilio Ponce, president; Conservative Party (PC), Jose Teran Varea, director; Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Blasco Penaherrera, director;

Centrist parties--Concentration of Popular Forces (CFP), Averroes Bucaram Saxida, director; Radical Alfarist Front (FRA), Cecilia Calderon de Castro, leader; People, Change, and Democracy (PCD), Aquiles Rigail Santistevan, director; Revolutionary Nationalist Party (PNR), Carlos Julio Arosemena Monroy, leader;

Center-left parties--Democratic Left (ID), President Rodrigo Borja, leader; Roldosist Party of Ecuador (PRE), Abdala Bucaram, director; Popular Democracy (DP), Vladimiro Alvarez, leader; Christian Democratic (CD), Julio Cesar Trujillo; Democratic Party (PD), Francisco Huerta Montalvo, leader;

Far-left parties--Broad Leftist Front (FADI), Rene Mauge Mosquera, director; Socialist Party (PSE), Victor Granda Aguilar, secretary general; Democratic Popular Movement (MPD), Jaime Hurtado Gonzalez, leader; Ecuadorian National Liberation (LN), Alfredo Castillo; Popular Revolutionary Action Party (APRE), Lt. Gen. Frank Vargas Pazzos, leader

Suffrage: universal at age 18; compulsory for literate persons ages 18-65, optional for other eligible voters

Elections: President--first round held 31 January 1988 and second round on 8 May 1988 (next first round to be held January 1992 and second round May 1992); results--Rodrigo Borja Cevallos (ID) 54%, Abdala Bucaram Ortiz (PRE) 46%;

Chamber of Representatives--last held 31 January 1988 (next to be held June 1990); results--ID 42%, PSC 11%, PRE 11%, DP 9%, others 27%; seats--(71 total) ID 30, PRE 8, PSC 8, DP 7, CFP 6, PSE 4, FADI 2, MPD 2, FRA 2, PCE 1, PLR 1; note--with the addition of the new province of Sucumbios there will be 72 seats in the August 1990 election

Communists: Communist Party of Ecuador (PCE, pro-Moscow), Rene Mauge Mosquera, secretary general, 5,000 members; Communist Party of Ecuador/Marxist Leninist (PCMLE, Maoist), 3,000 members; Socialist Party of Ecuador (PSE, pro-Cuba), 5,000 members (est.); National Liberation Party (PLN, Communist), 5,000 members (est.)

Member of: Andean Pact, ECOSOC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPEC, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPEB, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime MONCAYO; Chancery at 2535 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 234-7200; there are Ecuadorian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, and a Consulate in San Diego; US--Ambassador-designate Paul C. LAMBERT; Embassy at Avenida Patria 120, on the corner of Avenida 12 de Octubre, Quito (mailing address is P. O. Box 538, Quito, or APO Miami 34039); telephone [593] (2) 562-890; there is a US Consulate General in Guayaquil

Flag: three horizontal bands of yellow (top, double width), blue, and red with the coat of arms superimposed at the center of the flag; similar to the flag of Colombia which is shorter and does not bear a coat of arms

- Economy Overview: Ecuador continues to recover from a 1986 drop in international oil prices and a major earthquake in 1987 that interrupted oil exports for six months and forced Ecuador to suspend foreign debt payments. In 1988-89 oil exports recovered--accounting for nearly half of Ecuador's total export revenues--and Quito resumed full interest payments on its official debt, and partial payments on its commercial debt. The Borja administration has pursued austere economic policies that have helped reduce inflation and restore international reserves. Ecuador was granted an IMF standby agreement worth $135 million in 1989, and Quito will seek to reschedule its foreign commercial debt in 1990.

GDP: $9.8 billion, per capita $935; real growth rate 0.5% (1989)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 54% (1989)

Unemployment rate: 14.3% (1988)

Budget: revenues $2.2 billion; expenditures $2.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $601 million (1988 est.)

Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum 47%, coffee, bananas, cocoa products, shrimp, fish products; partners--US 58%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC countries

Imports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--transport equipment, vehicles, machinery, chemical, petroleum; partners--US 28%, Latin America, Caribbean, EC, Japan

External debt: $10.9 billion (1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 0.7% (1988)

Electricity: 1,953,000 kW capacity; 5,725 million kWh produced, 560 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: food processing, textiles, chemicals, fishing, timber, petroleum

Agriculture: accounts for 18% of GDP and 35% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); leading producer and exporter of bananas and balsawood; other exports--coffee, cocoa, fish, shrimp; crop production--rice, potatoes, manioc, plantains, sugarcane; livestock sector--cattle, sheep, hogs, beef, pork, dairy products; net importer of foodgrain, dairy products, and sugar

Illicit drugs: relatively small producer of coca following the successful eradication campaign of 1985-87; significant transit country, however, for derivatives of coca originating in Colombia, Bolivia, and Peru

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $457 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.4 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $64 million

Currency: sucre (plural--sucres); 1 sucre (S/) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: sucres (S/) per US$1--526.35 (1989), 301.61 (1988), 170.46 (1987), 122.78 (1986), 69.56 (1985)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 965 km total; all 1.067-meter-gauge single track

Highways: 28,000 km total; 3,600 km paved, 17,400 km gravel and improved earth, 7,000 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways: 1,500 km

Pipelines: crude oil, 800 km; refined products, 1,358 km

Ports: Guayaquil, Manta, Puerto Bolivar, Esmeraldas

Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 340,446 GRT/492,670 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 2 container, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk

Civil air: 44 major transport aircraft

Airports: 179 total, 178 usable; 43 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: domestic facilities generally adequate; 318,000 telephones; stations--272 AM, no FM, 33 TV, 39 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces Branches: Ecuadorean Army (Ejercito Ecuatoriano), Ecuadorean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea Ecuatoriana), Ecuadorean Navy (Armada Ecuatoriana)

Military manpower: males 15-49, 2,635,543; 1,786,068 fit for military service; 114,976 reach military age (20) annually

Defense expenditures: 1% of GDP, or $100 million (1988 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Egypt - Geography Total area: 1,001,450 km2; land area: 995,450 km2

Comparative area: slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico

Land boundaries: 2,689 km total; Gaza Strip 11, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km, Sudan 1,273 km

Coastline: 2,450 km

Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;

Extended economic zone: undefined;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: Administrative Boundary and international boundary with Sudan

Climate: desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters

Terrain: vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta

Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese, limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc

Land use: 3% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; NEGL% forest and woodland; 95% other; includes 5% irrigated

Environment: Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot, driving windstorm called khamsin occurs in spring; water pollution; desertification

Note: controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal, shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean; size and juxtaposition to Israel establish its major role in Middle Eastern geopolitics

- People Population: 54,705,746 (July 1990), growth rate 2.5% (1990)

Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 90 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 61 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Egyptian(s); adjective--Egyptian

Ethnic divisions: 90% Eastern Hamitic stock; 10% Greek, Italian, Syro-Lebanese

Religion: (official estimate) 94% Muslim (mostly Sunni), 6% Coptic Christian and other

Language: Arabic (official); English and French widely understood by educated classes

Literacy: 45%

Labor force: 15,000,000 (1989 est.); 36% government, public sector enterprises, and armed forces; 34% agriculture; 20% privately owned service and manufacturing enterprises (1984); shortage of skilled labor; 2,500,000 Egyptians work abroad, mostly in Iraq and the Gulf Arab states (1988 est.)

Organized labor: 2,500,000 (est.)

- Government Long-form name: Arab Republic of Egypt

Type: republic

Capital: Cairo

Administrative divisions: 26 governorates (muhafazat, singular--muhafazah); Ad Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrah, Al Fayyum, Al Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Ismailiyah, Al Jizah, Al Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyut, Bani Suwayf, Bur Said, Dumyat, Janub Sina, Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh, Qina, Shamal Sina, Suhaj

Independence: 28 February 1922 (from UK); formerly United Arab Republic

Constitution: 11 September 1971

Legal system: based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State (oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Majlis al-Shaab); note--there is an Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura) that functions in a consultative role

Judicial branch: Supreme Constitutional Court

Leaders: Chief of State--President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (was made acting President on 6 October 1981 upon the assassination of President Sadat and sworn in as President on 14 October 1981);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Atef Mohammed Najib SEDKY (since 12 November 1986)

Political parties and leaders: formation of political parties must be approved by government; National Democratic Party (NDP), President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak, leader, is the dominant party; legal opposition parties are Socialist Liberal Party (SLP), Kamal Murad; Socialist Labor Party, Ibrahim Shukri; National Progressive Unionist Grouping, Khalid Muhyi-al-Din; Umma Party, Ahmad al-Sabahi; and New Wafd Party (NWP), Fuad Siraj al-Din

Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18

Elections: President--last held 5 October 1987 (next to be held October 1993); results--President Hosni Mubarek was reelected;

People's Assembly--last held 6 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results--NDP 69.3%, Socialist Labor Party Coalition 17%, NWP 10.9%; seats--(458 total, 448 elected)--NDP 346, Socialist Labor Party Coalition 60, Labor-Liberal-Muslim Brotherhood Alliance 60 (37 belong to the Muslim Brotherhood), NWP 36, independents 7;

Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)--last held October 1986 (next to be held October 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(210 total, 140 elected)

Communists: about 500 party members

Other political or pressure groups: Islamic groups are illegal, but the largest one, the Muslim Brotherhood, is tolerated by the government and recently gained a sizable presence in the new People's Assembly; trade unions and professional associations are officially sanctioned

Member of: ACC, AfDB, Arab League, CCC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WPC, WSG, WTO; Egypt was suspended from Arab League and OAPEC in April 1979 and readmitted in May 1989

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador El Sayed Abdel Raouf EL REEDY; Chancery at 2310 Decatur Place NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-5400; there are Egyptian Consulates General in Chicago, Houston, New York, and San Francisco; US--Ambassador Frank G. WISNER; Embassy at 5 Sharia Latin America, Garden City, Cairo (mailing address is FPO New York 09527); telephone [20] [2] 355-7371; there is a US Consulate General in Alexandria

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band; similar to the flags of the YAR which has one star, Syria which has two stars, and Iraq which has three stars--all green and five-pointed in a horizontal line centered in the white band

- Economy Overview: Egypt has one of the largest public sectors of all the Third World economies, most industrial plants being owned by the government. Overregulation holds back technical modernization and foreign investment. Even so, the economy grew rapidly during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in 1986 the collapse of world oil prices and an increasingly heavy burden of debt servicing led Egypt to begin negotiations with the IMF for balance-of-payments support. As part of the 1987 agreement with the IMF, the government agreed to institute a reform program to reduce inflation, promote economic growth, and improve its external position. The reforms have been slow in coming, however, and the economy has been largely stagnant for the past three years. With 1 million people being added every eight months to Egypt's population, urban growth exerts enormous pressure on the 5% of the total land area available for agriculture.

GDP: $38.3 billion, per capita $700; real growth rate 1.0% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1989 est.)

Unemployment rate: 15% (1989 est.)

Budget: revenues $7 billion; expenditures $11.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $4 billion (FY89 est.)

Exports: $2.55 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--raw cotton, crude and refined petroleum, cotton yarn, textiles; partners--US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe

Imports: $10.1 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foods, machinery and equipment, fertilizers, wood products, durable consumer goods, capital goods; partners--US, EC, Japan, Eastern Europe

External debt: $45 billion (December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 2-4% (1989 est.)

Electricity: 11,273,000 kW capacity; 42,500 million kWh produced, 780 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum, construction, cement, metals

Agriculture: accounts for 20% of GNP and employs more than one-third of labor force; dependent on irrigation water from the Nile; world's fifth-largest cotton exporter; other crops produced include rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruit, vegetables; not self-sufficient in food; livestock--cattle, water buffalo, sheep, and goats; annual fish catch about 140,000 metric tons

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $14.7 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $7.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $2.4 billion

Currency: Egyptian pound (plural--pounds); 1 Egyptian pound (LE) = 100 piasters

Exchange rates: Egyptian pounds (LE) per US$1--2.5790 (January 1990), 2.5171 (1989), 2.2128 (1988), 1.5015 (1987), 1.3503 (1986), 1.3010 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

- Communications Railroads: 5,110 km total; 4,763 km 1,435-meter standard gauge, 347 km 0.750-meter gauge; 951 km double track; 25 km electrified

Highways: 51,925 km total; 17,900 km paved, 2,500 km gravel, 13,500 km improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta); Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 meters of water

Pipelines: crude oil, 1,171 km; refined products, 596 km; natural gas, 460 km

Ports: Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Bur Safajah, Damietta

Merchant marine: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,141,799 GRT/1,754,181 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 88 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 14 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 15 bulk

Civil air: 43 major transport aircraft

Airports: 97 total, 87 usable; 67 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 46 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 21 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: system is large but still inadequate for needs; principal centers are Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, and Tanta; intercity connections by coaxial cable and microwave; extensive upgrading in progress; 600,000 telephones (est.); stations--25 AM, 5 FM, 47 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 INMARSAT; 4 submarine coaxial cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; radio relay to Libya (may not be operational); new radio relay to Jordan

- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command

Military manpower: males 15-49, 13,271,942; 8,642,075 fit for military service; 547,084 reach military age (20) annually

Defense expenditures: 7.2% of GDP, or $2.8 billion (FY90 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: El Salvador - Geography Total area: 21,040 km2; land area: 20,720 km2

Comparative area: slightly smaller than Massachusetts

Land boundaries: 545 km total; Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km

Coastline: 307 km

Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)

Disputes: several sections of the boundary with Honduras are in dispute

Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April)

Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau

Natural resources: hydropower and geothermal power, crude oil

Land use: 27% arable land; 8% permanent crops; 29% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 30% other; includes 5% irrigated

Environment: The Land of Volcanoes; subject to frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

Note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea

- People Population: 5,309,865 (July 1990), growth rate 2.0% (1990)

Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: - 7 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 49 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 68 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 4.1 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Salvadoran(s); adjective--Salvadoran

Ethnic divisions: 89% mestizo, 10% Indian, 1% white

Religion: about 97% Roman Catholic, with activity by Protestant groups throughout the country

Language: Spanish, Nahua (among some Indians)

Literacy: 65%

Labor force: 1,700,000 (1982 est.); 40% agriculture, 16% commerce, 15% manufacturing, 13% government, 9% financial services, 6% transportation; shortage of skilled labor and a large pool of unskilled labor, but manpower training programs improving situation (1984 est.)

Organized labor: 15% total labor force; 10% agricultural labor force; 7% urban labor force (1987 est.)

- Government Long-form name: Republic of El Salvador

Type: republic

Capital: San Salvador

Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan

Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

Constitution: 20 December 1983

Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Alfredo CRISTIANI (since 1 June 1989); Vice President Jose Francisco MERINO (since 1 June 1989)

Political parties and leaders: National Republican Alliance (ARENA), Armando Calderon Sol; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jose Antonio Morales Erlich; National Conciliation Party (PCN), Ciro Cruz Zepeda; Democratic Action (AD), Ricardo Gonzalez Camacho; Salvadoran Authentic Institutional Party (PAISA), Roberto Escobar Garcia; Patria Libre (PL), Hugo Barrera; Authentic Christian Movement (MAC), Julio Rey Prendes; Salvadoran Popular Party (PPS), Francisco Quinonez; Democratic Convergence (CD), a coalition composed of the Social Democratic Party (PSD), Mario Rene Roldan; the National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), Guillermo Ungo; and the Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC), Ruben Zamora

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President--last held 19 March 1989 (next to be held March 1994); results--Alfredo Cristiani (ARENA) 53.8%, Fidel Chavez Mena (PDC) 36.6%, other 9.6%;

Legislative Assembly--last held 20 March 1988 (next to be held March 1991); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(60 total) ARENA 32, MAC 13, PDC 9, PCN 6

Other political or pressure groups:

Leftist revolutionary movement--Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front (FMLN), leadership body of the insurgency; Popular Liberation Forces (FPL), Armed Forces of National Resistance (FARN), People's Revolutionary Army (ERP), Salvadoran Communist Party/Armed Forces of Liberation (PCES/FAL), and Central American Workers' Revolutionary Party (PRTC)/Popular Liberation Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARLP);

Militant front organizations--Revolutionary Coordinator of Masses (CRM; alliance of front groups), Popular Revolutionary Bloc (BPR), Unified Popular Action Front (FAPU), Popular Leagues of 28 February (LP-28), National Democratic Union (UDN), and Popular Liberation Movement (MLP); Revolutionary Democratic Front (FDR), coalition of CRM and Democratic Front (FD); FD consists of moderate leftist groups--Independent Movement of Professionals and Technicians of El Salvador (MIPTES), National Revolutionary Movement (MNR), and Popular Social Christian Movement (MPSC);

Extreme rightist vigilante organizations--Anti-Communist Army (ESA); Maximiliano Hernandez Brigade; Organization for Liberation From Communism (OLC);

Labor organizations--Federation of Construction and Transport Workers Unions (FESINCONSTRANS), independent; Salvadoran Communal Union (UCS), peasant association; Unitary Federation of Salvadoran Unions (FUSS), leftist; National Federation of Salvadoran Workers (FENASTRAS), leftist; Democratic Workers Central (CTD), moderate; General Confederation of Workers (CGT), moderate; Popular Democratic Unity (UPD), moderate labor coalition which includes FESINCONSTRANS, and other democratic labor organizations; National Unity of Salvadoran Workers (UNTS), leftist; National Union of Workers and Peasants (UNOC), moderate labor coalition of democratic labor organizations;

Business organizations--National Association of Private Enterprise (ANEP), conservative; Productive Alliance (AP), conservative; National Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen (FENAPES), conservative

Member of: CACM, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, OAS, ODECA, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Miguel Angel SALAVERRIA; Chancery at 2308 California Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-3480 through 3482; there are Salvadoran Consulates General in Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco, US--Ambassador William G. WALKER; Embassy at 25 Avenida Norte No. 1230, San Salvador (mailing address is APO Miami 34023); telephone [503] 26-7100

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band--it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

- Economy Overview: The economy experienced a modest recovery during the period 1983-86, after a sharp decline in the early 1980s. Real GDP grew by 1.5% a year on the strength of value added by the manufacturing and service sectors. In 1987 the economy expanded by 2.5% as agricultural output recovered from the 1986 drought. The agricultural sector accounts for 25% of GDP, employs about 40% of the labor force, and contributes about 66% to total exports. Coffee is the major commercial crop, contributing 60% to export earnings. The manufacturing sector, based largely on food and beverage processing, accounts for 17% of GDP and 16% of employment. Economic losses due to guerrilla sabotage total more than $2.0 billion since 1979. The costs of maintaining a large military seriously constrain the government's ability to provide essential social services.

GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $1,020 (1988); real growth rate 0.9% (1989 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 16.8% (September 1989)

Unemployment rate: 10% (1989)

Budget: revenues $688 million; expenditures $725 million, including capital expenditures of $112 million (1988)

Exports: $497 million (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--coffee 60%, sugar, cotton, shrimp; partners--US 49%, FRG 24%, Guatemala 7%, Costa Rica 4%, Japan 4%

Imports: $1.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989); commodities--petroleum products, consumer goods, foodstuffs, machinery, construction materials, fertilizer; partners--US 40%, Guatemala 12%, Venezuela 7%, Mexico 7%, FRG 5%, Japan 4%

External debt: $1.7 billion (December 1989)

Industrial production: growth rate 2.9% (1989)

Electricity: 669,000 kW capacity; 1,813 million kWh produced, 350 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: food processing, textiles, clothing, petroleum products, cement

Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and 40% of labor force (including fishing and forestry); coffee most important commercial crop; other products--sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseeds, beef, dairy products, shrimp; not self-sufficient in food

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $2.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $353 million

Currency: Salvadoran colon (plural--colones); 1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1--5.0000 (fixed rate since 1986)

Fiscal year: calendar year

- Communications Railroads: 602 km 0.914-meter gauge, single track

Highways: 10,000 km total; 1,500 km paved, 4,100 km gravel, 4,400 km improved and unimproved earth

Inland waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable

Ports: Acajutla, Cutuco

Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft

Airports: 125 total, 84 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: nationwide trunk radio relay system; connection into Central American Microwave System; 116,000 telephones; stations--77 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Guard, National Police, Treasury Police

Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,180,751; 754,350 fit for military service; 68,805 reach military age (18) annually

Defense expenditures: 4% of GDP, or $220 million (1990 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Equatorial Guinea - Geography Total area: 28,050 km2; land area: 28,050 km2

Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland

Land boundaries: 539 km total; Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km

Coastline: 296 km

Maritime claims:

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: maritime boundary dispute with Gabon

Climate: tropical; always hot, humid

Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic

Natural resources: timber, crude oil, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium

Land use: 8% arable land; 4% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 51% forest and woodland; 33% other

Environment: subject to violent windstorms

Note: insular and continental regions rather widely separated

- People Population: 368,935 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Birth rate: 43 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 118 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 52 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s); adjective--Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean

Ethnic divisions: indigenous population of Bioko, primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos; Rio Muni, primarily Fang; less than 1,000 Europeans, mostly Spanish

Religion: natives all nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic; some pagan practices retained

Language: Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo

Literacy: 40%

Labor force: 172,000 (1986 est.); 66% agriculture, 23% services, 11% industry (1980); labor shortages on plantations; 58% of population of working age (1985)

Organized labor: no formal trade unions

- Government Long-form name: Republic of Equatorial Guinea

Type: republic

Capital: Malabo

Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Bioko, Rio Muni; note--there may now be 6 provinces named Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele Nzas

Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain; formerly Spanish Guinea)

Constitution: 15 August 1982

Legal system: in transition; partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom

National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)

Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

Legislative branch: unicameral Chamber of People's Representatives (Camara de Representantes del Pueblo)

Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal

Leaders: Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Cristino SERICHE Bioko Malabo (since 15 August 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Isidoro Eyi Monsuy Andeme (since 15 August 1989)

Political parties and leaders: only party--Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea (PDEG), Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, party leader

Suffrage: universal adult at age NA

Elections: President--last held 25 June 1989 (next to be held 25 June 1996); results--President Brig. Gen. Obiang Nguema Mbasogo was reelected without opposition;

Chamber of Deputies--last held 10 July 1988 (next to be held 10 July 1993); results--PDEG is the only party; seats--(41 total) PDEG 41

Communists: no significant number but some sympathizers

Member of: ACP, AfDB, Conference of East and Central African States, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Damaso OBIANG NDONG; Chancery at 801 Second Avenue, Suite 1403, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 599-1523; US--Ambassador Chester E. NORRIS, Jr.; Embassy at Calle de Los Ministros, Malabo (mailing address is P. O. Box 597, Malabo); telephone 2406 or 2507

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)

- Economy Overview: The economy, destroyed during the regime of former President Macias Nguema, is now based on agriculture, forestry, and fishing, which account for about 60% of GNP and nearly all exports. Subsistence agriculture predominates, with cocoa, coffee, and wood products providing income, foreign exchange, and government revenues. There is little industry. Commerce accounts for about 10% of GNP, and the construction, public works, and service sectors for about 34%. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration is taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms.

GNP: $103 million, per capita $293; real growth rate NA% (1987)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 6.0% (1988 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues $23 million; expenditures $31 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1988)

Exports: $30 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--coffee, timber, cocoa beans; partners--Spain 44%, FRG 19%, Italy 12%, Netherlands 11% (1987)

Imports: $50 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery; partners--Spain 34%, Italy 16%, France 14%, Netherlands 8% (1987)

External debt: $191 million (December 1988)

Industrial production: growth rate NA%

Electricity: 23,000 kW capacity; 60 million kWh produced, 170 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries: fishing, sawmilling

Agriculture: cash crops--timber and coffee from Rio Muni, cocoa from Bioko; food crops--rice, yams, cassava, bananas, oil palm nuts, manioc, livestock

Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY81-88), $11 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $100 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $55 million

Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--287.99 (January 1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

- Communications Highways: Rio Muni--1,024 km; Bioko--216 km

Ports: Malabo, Bata

Merchant marine: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,413 GRT/6,699 DWT; includes 1 cargo and 1 passenger-cargo

Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft

Airports: 4 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Telecommunications: poor system with adequate government services; international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; 2,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, and possibly Air Force

Military manpower: males 15-49, 77,363; 39,174 fit for military service

Defense expenditures: 11% of GNP (FY81 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Ethiopia - Geography Total area: 1,221,900 km2; land area: 1,101,000 km2

Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Land boundaries: 5,141 km total; Djibouti 459 km, Kenya 861 km, Somalia 1,600 km, Sudan 2,221 km

Coastline: 1,094 km

Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 12 nm

Disputes: southern half of the boundary with Somalia is a Provisional Administrative Line; possible claim by Somalia based on unification of ethnic Somalis; territorial dispute with Somalia over the Ogaden; separatist movement in Eritrea; antigovernment insurgencies in Tigray and other areas

Climate: tropical monsoon with wide topographic-induced variation; prone to extended droughts

Terrain: high plateau with central mountain range divided by Great Rift Valley

Natural resources: small reserves of gold, platinum, copper, potash

Land use: 12% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 41% meadows and pastures; 24% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

Environment: geologically active Great Rift Valley susceptible to earthquakes, volcanic eruptions; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; frequent droughts; famine

Note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes and close to Arabian oilfields; major resettlement project ongoing in rural areas will significantly alter population distribution and settlement patterns over the next several decades

- People Population: 51,666,622 (July 1990), growth rate 3.5% (1990)

Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 52 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Ethiopian(s); adjective--Ethiopian

Ethnic divisions: 40% Oromo, 32% Amhara and Tigrean, 9% Sidamo, 6% Shankella, 6% Somali, 4% Afar, 2% Gurage, 1% other

Religion: 40-45% Muslim, 35-40% Ethiopian Orthodox, 15-20% animist, 5% other

Language: Amharic (official), Tigrinya, Orominga, Arabic, English (major foreign language taught in schools)

Literacy: 55.2%

Labor force: 18,000,000; 80% agriculture and animal husbandry, 12% government and services, 8% industry and construction (1985)

Organized labor: All Ethiopian Trade Union formed by the government in January 1977 to represent 273,000 registered trade union members

- Government Long-form name: People's Democratic Republic of Ethiopia

Type: Communist state

Capital: Addis Ababa

Administrative divisions: 14 administrative regions (plural--NA, singular--kifle hager); Arsi, Bale, Eritrea, Gamo Gofa, Gojam, Gonder, Harerge, Ilubabor, Kefa, Shewa, Sidamo, Tigray, Welega, Welo; note--the administrative structure may be changing to 25 administrative regions (astedader akababiwach, singular--astedader akababee) and 5 autonomous regions* (rasgez akababiwach, singular--rasgez akababee); Addis Ababa, Arsi, Aseb*, Asosa, Bale, Borena, Dire Dawa*, East Gojam, East Harerge, Eritrea*, Gambela, Gamo Gofa, Ilubabor, Kefa, Metekel, Nazaret, North Gonder, North Shewa, North Welo, Ogaden*, Omo, Sidamo, South Gonder, South Shewa, South Welo, Tigray*, Welega, West Gojam, West Harerge, West Shewa

Independence: oldest independent country in Africa and one of the oldest in the world--at least 2,000 years

Constitution: 12 September 1987

Legal system: complex structure with civil, Islamic, common, and customary law influences; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

National holiday: National Revolution Day, 12 September (1974)

Executive branch: president, vice president, Council of State prime minister, five deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Shengo)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court

Leaders: Chief of State--President MENGISTU Haile-Mariam (Chairman from 11 September 1977 until becoming President on 10 September 1987); Vice President FISSEHA Desta (since 10 September 1987);

Head of Government--Prime Minister (Acting) and Deputy Prime Minister HAILU Yimenu (since 7 November 1989); Deputy Prime Minister WOLLE Chekol (since 21 November 1989); Deputy Prime Minister ALEMU Abebe (since 10 September 1987); Deputy Prime Minister TESFAYE Dinka (since 10 September 1987); Deputy Prime Minister ASHAGRE Yigletu (since 21 November 1989)

Political parties and leaders: only party--Workers' Party of Ethiopia (WPE), Mengistu Haile-Mariam, secretary general

Suffrage: universal at age 18

Elections: President--last held 10 September 1987 (next to be held September 1992); results--National Assembly elected President Mengistu Haile-Mariam;

National Assembly--last held 14 June 1987 (next to be held June 1992); results--WPE is the only party; seats--(835 total) WPE 835

Other political or pressure groups: important dissident groups include Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) in Eritrea; Tigrean People's Liberation Front (TPLF) and Ethiopian Peoples Democratic Movement in Tigray, Welo, and border regions; Oromo Liberation Front in Welega and Harerge regions

Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICO, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation: Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim GIRMA Amare; Chancery at 2134 Kalorama Road NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-2281 or 2282; US--Charge d'Affaires Robert G. HOUDEK; Embassy at Entoto Street, Addis Ababa (mailing address is P.O. Box 1014, Addis Ababa); telephone 254-233-4141

Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), yellow, and red; Ethiopia is the oldest independent country in Africa and the colors of her flag were so often adopted by other African countries upon independence that they became known as the pan-African colors