Chapter XVII: Front Matter (17)

_#_Labor force: 4,900,000; 90% nonsalaried family workers engaged in subsistence agriculture; 175,000 wage earners--agriculture 26%, domestic service 17%, industry 15%, commerce 14%, construction 11%, services 9%, transportation 6%, other 2%; 51% of population of working age (1985)

_#_Organized labor: 4% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Democratic Republic of Madagascar

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Antananarivo

_#_Administrative divisions: 6 provinces (plural--NA, singular--faritanin); Antananarivo, Antsiranana, Fianarantsoa, Mahajanga, Toamasina, Toliara

_#_Independence: 26 June 1960 (from France; formerly Malagasy Republic)

_#_Constitution: 21 December 1975

_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and traditional Malagasy law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 June (1960)

_#_Executive branch: president, Supreme Council of the Revolution, prime minister, Council of Ministers

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Popular National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale Populaire)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme), High Constitutional Court (Haute Cour Constitutionnelle)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Adm. Didier RATSIRAKA (since 15 June 1975);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Guy RASANAMAZY (since 8 August 1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders: a presidential decree issued early last year, legalized the existence of political parties outside of the Ruling Front; some thirty political parties now exist in Madagascar, the most important of which are the Advance Guard of the Malagasy Revolution (AREMA), Didier RATSIRAKA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence (AKFM), RAKOTOVAO-ANDRIATIANA; Congress Party for Malagasy Independence-Revival (AKFM-R), Pastor Richard ANDRIAMANJATO; Movement for National Unity (VONJY), Dr. Marojama RAZANABAHINY; Malagasy Christian Democratic Union (UDECMA), Norbert ANDRIAMORASATA; Militants for the Establishment of a Proletarian Regime (MFM), Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA; National Movement for the Independence of Madagascar (MONIMA), Monja JAONA; Socialist Organization Monima (VSM, an offshoot of MONIMA), Tsihozony MAHARANGA

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 12 March 1989 (next to be held March 1996); results--Didier RATSIRAKA (AREMA) 62%, Manandafy RAKOTONIRINA (MFM/MFT) 20%, Dr. Jerome Marojama RAZANABAHINY (VONJY) 15%, Monja JAONA (MONIMA) 3%;

Popular National Assembly--last held on 28 May 1989 (next to be held May 1994); results--AREMA 88.2%, MFM 5.1%, AKFM 3.7%, VONJY 2.2%, other 0.8%; seats--(137 total) AREMA 120, MFM 7, AKFM 5, VONJY 4, MONIMA 1

_#_Communists: Communist party of virtually no importance; small and vocal group of Communists has gained strong position in leadership of AKFM, the rank and file of which is non-Communist

_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Pierrot Jocelyn RAJAONARIVELO; Chancery at 2374 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-5525 or 5526; there is a Malagasy Consulate General in New York;

US--Ambassador Howard K. WALKER; Embassy at 14 and 16 Rue Rainitovo, Antsahavola, Antananarivo (mailing address is B. P. 620, Antananarivo); telephone 212-57, 209-56, 200-89, 207-18

_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a vertical white band of the same width on hoist side

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Madagascar is one of the poorest countries in the world. During the period 1980-85 it had a population growth of 3% a year and a - 0.4% GDP growth rate. Agriculture, including fishing and forestry, is the mainstay of the economy, accounting for over 40% of GDP, employing about 80% of the labor force, and contributing to more than 70% of total export earnings. Industry is largely confined to the processing of agricultural products and textile manufacturing; in 1990 it accounted for only 16% of GDP and employed 3% of the labor force. In 1986 the government introduced a five-year development plan that stresses self-sufficiency in food (mainly rice) by 1990, increased production for exports, and reduced energy imports.

_#_GDP: $2.4 billion, per capita $200; real growth rate 3.8% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 12% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $390 million; expenditures $525 million, including capital expenditures of $240 million (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $290 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--coffee 45%, vanilla 15%, cloves 11%, sugar, petroleum products;

partners--France, Japan, Italy, FRG, US

_#_Imports: $436 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--intermediate manufactures 30%, capital goods 28%, petroleum 15%, consumer goods 14%, food 13%;

partners--France, FRG, UK, other EC, US

_#_External debt: $3.6 billion (1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5.2% (1990 est.); accounts for 16% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 119,000 kW capacity; 430 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: agricultural processing (meat canneries, soap factories, breweries, tanneries, sugar refining plants), light consumer goods industries (textiles, glassware), cement, automobile assembly plant, paper, petroleum

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--coffee, vanilla, sugarcane, cloves, cocoa; food crops--rice, cassava, beans, bananas, peanuts; cattle raising widespread; almost self-sufficient in rice

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis (cultivated and wild varieties) used mostly for domestic consumption

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $136 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $491 million

_#_Currency: Malagasy franc (plural--francs); 1 Malagasy franc (FMG) = 100 centimes

_#_Exchange rates: Malagasy francs (FMG) per US$1--1,454.6 (December 1990), 1,494.1 (1990), 1,603.4 (1989), 1,407.1 (1988), 1,069.2 (1987), 676.3 (1986), 662.5 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 1,020 km 1.000-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 40,000 km total; 4,694 km paved, 811 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil, 34,495 km improved and unimproved earth (est.)

_#_Inland waterways: of local importance only; isolated streams and small portions of Canal des Pangalanes

_#_Ports: Toamasina, Antsiranana, Mahajanga, Toliara

_#_Merchant marine: 14 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 59,416 GRT/82,869 DWT; includes 9 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas

_#_Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 148 total, 115 usable; 30 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 42 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: above average system includes open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay, and troposcatter links; submarine cable to Bahrain; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT; over 38,200 telephones; stations--14 AM, 1 FM, 7 (30 repeaters) TV

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Popular Armed Forces (includes Intervention Forces, Development Forces, Aeronaval Forces--includes Navy and Air Force), Gendarmerie, Presidential Security Regiment

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,637,866; 1,570,393 fit for military service; 119,882 reach military age (20) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $37 million, 2.2% of GDP (1989 est.) _%_ _@_Malawi _*_Geography _#_Total area: 118,480 km2; land area: 94,080 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Pennsylvania

_#_Land boundaries: 2,881 km total; Mozambique 1,569 km, Tanzania 475 km, Zambia 837 km

_#_Coastline: none--landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked

_#_Disputes: dispute with Tanzania over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

_#_Climate: tropical; rainy season (November to May); dry season (May to November)

_#_Terrain: narrow elongated plateau with rolling plains, rounded hills, some mountains

_#_Natural resources: limestone; unexploited deposits of uranium, coal, and bauxite

_#_Land use: arable land 25%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 50%; other 5%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: deforestation

_#_Note: landlocked

_*_People _#_Population: 9,438,462 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991); note--900,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1990 est.)

_#_Birth rate: 52 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 18 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: - 17 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 48 years male, 51 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Malawian(s); adjective--Malawian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Chewa, Nyanja, Tumbuko, Yao, Lomwe, Sena, Tonga, Ngoni, Ngonde, Asian, European

_#_Religion: Protestant 55%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 20%; traditional indigenous beliefs are also practiced

_#_Language: English and Chichewa (official); other languages important regionally

_#_Literacy: 22% (male 34%, female 12%) age 15 and over can read and write (1966)

_#_Labor force: 428,000 wage earners; agriculture 43%, manufacturing 16%, personal services 15%, commerce 9%, construction 7%, miscellaneous services 4%, other permanently employed 6% (1986)

_#_Organized labor: small minority of wage earners are unionized

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Malawi

_#_Type: one-party state

_#_Capital: Lilongwe

_#_Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Blantyre, Chikwawa, Chiradzulu, Chitipa, Dedza, Dowa, Karonga, Kasungu, Lilongwe, Machinga (Kasupe), Mangochi, Mchinji, Mulanje, Mwanza, Mzimba, Ncheu, Nkhata Bay, Nkhota Kota, Nsanje, Ntchisi, Rumphi, Salima, Thyolo, Zomba

_#_Independence: 6 July 1964 (from UK; formerly Nyasaland)

_#_Constitution: 6 July 1964; republished as amended January 1974

_#_Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Appeal; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 6 July (1964)

_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly

_#_Judicial branch: High Court, Supreme Court of Appeal

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Dr. Hastings Kamuzu BANDA (since 6 July 1966; sworn in as President for Life 6 July 1971)

_#_Political parties and leaders: only party--Malawi Congress Party (MCP), Maxwell PASHANE, administrative secretary; John TEMBO, treasurer general; top party position of secretary general vacant since 1983

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

President--President BANDA sworn in as President for Life on 6 July 1971;

National Assembly--last held 27-28 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results--MCP is the only party; seats--(133 total, 112 elected) MCP 133

_#_Communists: no Communist party

_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Robert B. MBAYA; Chancery at 2408 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-1007;

US--Ambassador George A. TRAIL, III; Embassy in new capital city development area, address NA (mailing address is P. O. Box 30016, Lilongwe); telephone [265] 730-166

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and green with a radiant, rising, red sun centered in the black band; similar to the flag of Afghanistan which is longer and has the national coat of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red bands

_*_Economy _#_Overview: A landlocked country, Malawi ranks among the world's least developed with a per capita GDP of $175. The economy is predominately agricultural and operates under a relatively free enterprise environment, with about 90% of the population living in rural areas. Agriculture accounts for 40% of GDP and 90% of export revenues. After two years of weak performance, economic growth improved significantly in 1988-90 as a result of good weather and a broadly based economic adjustment effort by the government. The economy depends on substantial inflows of economic assistance from the IMF, the World Bank, and individual donor nations. The closure of traditional trade routes through Mozambique continues to be a constraint on the economy.

_#_GDP: $1.6 billion, per capita $175; growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11.7% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $398 million; expenditures $510 million, including capital expenditures of $154 million (FY91 est.)

_#_Exports: $390 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--tobacco, tea, sugar, coffee, peanuts;

partners--US, UK, Zambia, South Africa, FRG

_#_Imports: $560 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);

commodities--food, petroleum, semimanufactures, consumer goods, transportation equipment;

partners--South Africa, Japan, US, UK, Zimbabwe

_#_External debt: $1.4 billion (December 1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.9% (1989 est.); accounts for about 18% of GDP (1988)

_#_Electricity: 181,000 kW capacity; 535 million kWh produced, 60 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: agricultural processing (tea, tobacco, sugar), sawmilling, cement, consumer goods

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 40% of GDP; cash crops--tobacco, sugarcane, cotton, tea, and corn; subsistence crops--potatoes, cassava, sorghum, pulses; livestock--cattle and goats

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $215 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.0 billion

_#_Currency: Malawian kwacha (plural--kwacha); 1 Malawian kwacha (MK) = 100 tambala

_#_Exchange rates: Malawian kwacha (MK) per US$1--2.6300 (January 1991), 2.7289 (1990), 2.7595 (1989), 2.5613 (1988), 2.2087 (1987), 1.8611 (1986), 1.7191 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 789 km 1.067-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 13,135 km total; 2,364 km paved; 251 km crushed stone, gravel, or stabilized soil; 10,520 km earth and improved earth

_#_Inland waterways: Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi); Shire River, 144 km

_#_Ports: Chipoka, Monkey Bay, Nkhata Bay, and Nkotakota--all on Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

_#_Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 48 total, 46 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 9 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: fair system of open-wire lines, radio relay links, and radio communication stations; 36,800 telephones; stations--8 AM, 4 FM, no TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

_#_Note: a majority of exports would normally go through Mozambique on the Beira or Nacala railroads, but now most go through South Africa because of insurgent activity and damage to rail lines

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army (includes Air Wing and Naval Detachment), Police (includes paramilitary Mobile Force Unit), paramilitary Malawi Young Pioneers

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,960,082; 995,864 fit for military service

_#_Defense expenditures: $22 million, 1.6% of GDP (1989 est.) _%_ _@_Malaysia _*_Geography _#_Total area: 329,750 km2; land area: 328,550 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico

_#_Land boundaries: 2,669 km total; Brunei 381 km, Indonesia 1,782, Thailand 506 km

_#_Coastline: 4,675 km total (2,068 km Peninsular Malaysia, 2,607 km East Malaysia)

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation, specified boundary in the South China Sea;

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam; state of Sabah claimed by the Philippines; Brunei may wish to purchase the Malaysian salient that divides Brunei into two parts

_#_Climate: tropical; annual southwest (April to October) and northeast (October to February) monsoons

_#_Terrain: coastal plains rising to hills and mountains

_#_Natural resources: tin, crude oil, timber, copper, iron ore, natural gas, bauxite

_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 63%; other 24%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: subject to flooding; air and water pollution

_#_Note: strategic location along Strait of Malacca and southern South China Sea

_*_People _#_Population: 17,981,698 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 29 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 71 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Malaysian(s); adjective--Malaysian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Malay and other indigenous 59%, Chinese 32%, Indian 9%

_#_Religion: Peninsular Malaysia--Malays nearly all Muslim, Chinese predominantly Buddhists, Indians predominantly Hindu; Sabah--Muslim 38%, Christian 17%, other 45%; Sarawak--tribal religion 35%, Buddhist and Confucianist 24%, Muslim 20%, Christian 16%, other 5%

_#_Language: Peninsular Malaysia--Malay (official); English, Chinese dialects, Tamil; Sabah--English, Malay, numerous tribal dialects, Mandarin and Hakka dialects predominate among Chinese; Sarawak--English, Malay, Mandarin, numerous tribal languages

_#_Literacy: 78% (male 86%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 6,800,000; agriculture 30.8%, manufacturing 17%, government 13.6%, construction 5.8%, finance 4.3%, business services, transport and communications 3.4%, mining 0.6%, other 24.5% (1989 est.)

_#_Organized labor: 660,000, 10% of total labor force (1988)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: Federation of Malaysia formed 9 July 1963; constitutional monarchy nominally headed by the paramount ruler (king) and a bicameral Parliament; Peninsular Malaysian states--hereditary rulers in all but Penang and Melaka, where governors are appointed by Malaysian Government; powers of state governments are limited by federal Constitution; Sabah--self-governing state, holds 20 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government; Sarawak--self-governing state within Malaysia, holds 27 seats in House of Representatives, with foreign affairs, defense, internal security, and other powers delegated to federal government

_#_Capital: Kuala Lumpur

_#_Administrative divisions: 13 states (negeri-negeri, singular--negeri) and 2 federal territories* (wilayah-wilayah persekutuan, singular--wilayah persekutuan); Johor, Kedah, Kelantan, Labuan*, Melaka, Negeri Sembilan, Pahang, Perak, Perlis, Pulau Pinang, Sabah, Sarawak, Selangor, Terengganu, Wilayah Persekutuan*

_#_Independence: 31 August 1957 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 31 August 1957, amended 16 September 1963 when Federation of Malaya became Federation of Malaysia

_#_Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court at request of supreme head of the federation; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: National Day, 31 August (1957)

_#_Executive branch: paramount ruler, deputy paramount ruler, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlimen) consists of an upper house or Senate (Dewan Negara) and a lower house or House of Representatives (Dewan Rakyat)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Paramount Ruler AZLAN Muhibbuddin Shah ibni Sultan Yusof Izzudin (since 26 April 1989); Deputy Paramount Ruler JA'AFAR ibni Abdul Rahman (since 26 April 1989);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. MAHATHIR bin Mohamad (since 16 July 1981); Deputy Prime Minister Abdul GHAFAR Baba (since 7 May 1986)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Peninsular Malaysia-- National Front, a confederation of 13 political parties dominated by United Malays National Organization Baru (UMNO Baru), MAHATHIR bin Mohamad; Malaysian Chinese Association (MCA), LING Liong Sik; Gerakan Rakyat Malaysia, Datuk LIM Keng Yaik; Malaysian Indian Congress (MIC), Datuk S. Samy VELLU;

Sabah--Berjaya Party, Datuk Haji Mohammed NOOR Mansor; Bersatu Sabah (PBS), Joseph Pairin KITINGAN; United Sabah National Organizaton (USNO), Tun Datu Haji MUSTAPHA;

Sarawak--coalition Sarawak National Front composed of the Party Pesaka Bumiputra Bersatu (PBB), Datuk Patinggi Amar Haji Abdul TAIB Mahmud; Sarawak United People's Party (SUPP), Datuk Amar Stephen YONG Kuet Tze; Sarawak National Party (SNAP), Datuk James WONG Kim Min; Parti Bansa Dayak Sarawak (PBDS), Datuk Leo MOGGIE; major opposition parties are Democratic Action Party (DAP), LIM Kit Siang and Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party (PAS), Fadzil NOOR

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

House of Representatives--last held 21 October 1990 (next to be held by August 1995); results--National Front 52%, other 48%; seats--(180 total) National Front 127, DAP 20, PAS 7, independents 4, other 22; note--within the National Front, UMNO got 71 seats and MCA 18 seats

_#_Communists: Peninsular Malaysia--about 1,000 armed insurgents on Thailand side of international boundary and about 200 full time inside Malaysia surrendered on 2 December 1989; about 50 Communist insurgents in Sarawak surrendered on 17 October 1990

_#_Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdul MAJID Mohamed; Chancery at 2401 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-2700; there are Malaysian Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York;

US--Ambassador Paul M. CLEVELAND; Embassy at 376 Jalan Tun Razak, 50400 Kuala Lumpur (mailing address is P. O. Box No. 10035, 50700 Kuala Lumpur); telephone [60] (3) 248-9011

_#_Flag: fourteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top) alternating with white (bottom); there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing a yellow crescent and a yellow fourteen-pointed star; the crescent and the star are traditional symbols of Islam; the design was based on the flag of the US

_*_Economy _#_Overview: In 1988-90 booming exports helped Malaysia continue to recover from the severe 1985-86 recession. Real output grew by 8.8% in 1989 and 10% in 1990, helped by vigorous growth in manufacturing output, further increases in foreign direct investment, particularly from Japanese and Taiwanese firms facing higher costs at home, and increased oil production in 1990. Malaysia has become the world's third-largest producer of semiconductor devices (after the US and Japan) and the world's largest exporter of semiconductor devices. Inflation remained low as unemployment stood at 6% of the labor force and as the government followed prudent fiscal/monetary policies. The country is not self-sufficient in food, and some of the rural population subsists at the poverty level. Malaysia's high export dependence leaves it vulnerable to a recession in the OECD countries or a fall in world commodity prices.

_#_GDP: $43.1 billion, per capita $2,460; real growth rate 10% (1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.1% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 6% (1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $12.6 billion; expenditures $11.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.2 billion (1991 est.)

_#_Exports: $28.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--natural rubber, palm oil, tin, timber, petroleum, electronics, light manufactures;

partners--Singapore, US, Japan, EC

_#_Imports: $26.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--food, crude oil, consumer goods, intermediate goods, capital equipment, chemicals;

partners--Japan, US, Singapore, FRG, UK

_#_External debt: $20.0 billion (1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 15.8% (1990 est.); accounts for 27% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 5,600,000 kW capacity; 16,500 million kWh produced, 940 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries:

Peninsular Malaysia--rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber;

Sabah--logging, petroleum production;

Sarawak--agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging

_#_Agriculture:

Peninsular Malaysia--natural rubber, palm oil, rice;

Sabah--mainly subsistence, but also rubber, timber, coconut, rice;

Sarawak--rubber, timber, pepper; there is a deficit of rice in all areas; fish catch of 608,000 metric tons in 1987

_#_Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, Western Europe, and the Third World

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $170 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $42 million

_#_Currency: ringgit (plural--ringgits); 1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen

_#_Exchange rates: ringgits (M$) per US$1--2.7151 (January 1991), 1.7048 (1990), 2.7088 (1989), 2.6188 (1988), 2.5196 (1987), 2.5814 (1986), 2.4830 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads:

Peninsular Malaysia--1,665 km 1.04-meter gauge; 13 km double track, government owned;

Sabah--136 km 1.000-meter gauge

_#_Highways:

Peninsular Malaysia--23,600 km (19,352 km hard surfaced, mostly bituminous-surface treatment, and 4,248 km unpaved);

Sabah--3,782 km;

Sarawak--1,644 km

_#_Inland waterways:

Peninsular Malaysia--3,209 km;

Sabah--1,569 km;

Sarawak--2,518 km

_#_Ports: Tanjong Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Tawau

_#_Merchant marine: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,530,756 GRT/2,246,358 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 65 cargo, 22 container, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 1 passenger-cargo, 23 bulk

_#_Civil air: 53 major transport aircraft

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 1,307 km; natural gas, 379 km

_#_Airports: 125 total, 119 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: good intercity service provided to peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave relay, adequate intercity radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 994,860 telephones (1984); stations--28 AM, 3 FM, 33 TV; submarine cables extend to India and Sarawak; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 domestic

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Royal Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,620,418; 2,815,910 fit for military service; 180,991 reach military age (21) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 3.9% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Maldives _*_Geography _#_Total area: 300 km2; land area: 300 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 644 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive economic zone: 35-310 nm (defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with maritime boundary with India);

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)

_#_Terrain: flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters

_#_Natural resources: fish

_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 3%; other 84%

_#_Environment: 1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls

_#_Note: archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean

_*_People _#_Population: 226,200 (July 1991), growth rate 3.7% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 72 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 65 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Maldivian(s); adjective--Maldivian

_#_Ethnic divisions: admixtures of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, and black

_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim

_#_Language: Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic); English spoken by most government officials

_#_Literacy: 92% (male 92%, female 92%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)

_#_Labor force: 66,000 (est.); 25% engaged in fishing industry

_#_Organized labor: none

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Maldives

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Male

_#_Administrative divisions: 19 district (atolls); Aliff, Baa, Daalu, Faafu, Gaafu Aliff, Gaafu Daalu, Haa Aliff, Haa Daalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Laviyani, Meemu, Naviyani, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Waavu

_#_Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 4 June 1964

_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)

_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Citizens' Council (Majlis)

_#_Judicial branch: High Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978)

_#_Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

President--last held 23 September 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results--President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected;

Citizens' Council--last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(48 total, 40 elected)

_#_Communists: negligible

_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Maldives does not maintain an embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York;

US--the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there; US Consular Agency, Midhath Hilmy, Male; telephone 2581

_#_Flag: red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and shipping. Agriculture is limited to the production of a few subsistence crops that provide only 10% of food requirements. Fishing is the largest industry, employing 25% of the work force and accounting for over 60% of exports; it is also an important source of government revenue. During the 1980s tourism has become one of the most important and highest growth sectors of the economy. In 1988 industry accounted for about 5% of GDP. Real GDP is officially estimated to have increased by about 10% annually during the period 1974-87, and GDP estimates for 1988 show a further growth of 9% on the strength of a record fish catch and an improved tourist season.

_#_GDP: $136 million, per capita $670; real growth rate 9.2% (1988)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1988 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: NEGL%

_#_Budget: revenues $51 million; expenditures $50 million, including capital expenditures of $25 million (1988 est.)

_#_Exports: $39.4 million (f.o.b., 1988);

commodities--fish 57%, clothing 39%;

partners--Thailand, Western Europe, Sri Lanka

_#_Imports: $105.7 million (c.i.f., 1988);

commodities--intermediate and capital goods 47%, consumer goods 42%, petroleum products 11%;

partners--Japan, Western Europe, Thailand

_#_External debt: $70 million (December 1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 5.0% (1988); accounts for 5% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 5,000 kW capacity; 11 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: fishing and fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, some coconut processing, garments, woven mats, coir (rope), handicrafts

_#_Agriculture: accounts for almost 30% of GDP (including fishing); fishing more important than farming; limited production of coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; most staple foods must be imported; fish catch of 63,000 tons (1988 est.)

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $28 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $105 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $14 million

_#_Currency: rufiyaa (plural--rufiyaa); 1 rufiyaa (Rf) = 100 laaris

_#_Exchange rates: rufiyaa (Rf) per US$1--9.937 (January 1991), 9.509 (1990), 9.0408 (1989), 8.7846 (1988), 9.2230 (1987), 7.1507 (1986), 7.0981 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Highways: Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city

_#_Ports: Male, Gan

_#_Merchant marine: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,131 GRT/85,770 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 bulk

_#_Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 2 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

_#_Telecommunications: minimal domestic and international facilities; 2,804 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: National Security Service (paramilitary police force)

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,788; 28,378 fit for military service

_#_Defense expenditures: $1.8 million, NA% of GDP (1984 est.) _%_ _@_Mali _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,240,000 km2; land area: 1,220,000 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas

_#_Land boundaries: 7,243 km total; Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Ivory Coast 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km

_#_Coastline: none--landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked

_#_Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

_#_Climate: subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February

_#_Terrain: mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast

_#_Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium; bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited

_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 25%; forest and woodland 7%; other 66%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; desertification

_#_Note: landlocked

_*_People _#_Population: 8,338,542 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 51 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 21 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 114 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 47 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Malian(s); adjective--Malian

_#_Ethnic divisions: Mande (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole) 50%, Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 5%, other 10%

_#_Religion: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%

_#_Language: French (official); Bambara spoken by about 80% of the population; numerous African languages

_#_Literacy: 32% (male 41%, female 24%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 2,666,000 (1986 est.); agriculture 80%, services 19%, industry and commerce 1% (1981); 50% of population of working age (1985)

_#_Organized labor: National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM) is umbrella organization for over 13 national unions

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Mali

_#_Type: republic; the single-party constitutional government was overthrown on 26 March 1991; the new ruling National Reconciliation Council has promised a multiparty democracy

_#_Capital: Bamako

_#_Administrative divisions: 7 regions (regions, singular--region); Gao, Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou; note--there may be a new capital district of Bamako

_#_Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France; formerly French Sudan)

_#_Constitution: 2 June 1974, effective 19 June 1979; amended September 1981 and March 1985; suspended following the coup of 26 March 1991

_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Section of Court of State; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 22 September (1960)

_#_Executive branch: National Conciliation Council led by the military, following the coup of 26 March 1991

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemble Nationale)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--following the military coup of 26 March 1991 President Gen. Moussa TRAORE was deposed and the National Reconciliation Council, led by Lt. Col. Amadou Toumani TOURE and Lt. Col. Kafougouna KONE, was installed;

Head of Government--Interim Premier Soumana SACKO (since 2 April 1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders: formerly the only party, the Democratic Union of Malian People (UDPM), was disbanded after the coup of 26 March 1991, and the new regime legalized the formation of political parties on 5 April 1991; new political parties are--Union of Democratic Forces (UFD), Demba DIALLO; Union for Democracy and Development (UDD), Moussa Bala COULIBALY; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally (US-RDA), Mamadou Madeira KEITA; African Party for Solidarity and Justice (ADEMA), Alpha Oumar KONARE; Party for Democracy and Progress (PDP), Idrissa TRAORE; Democratic Party for Justice (PDJ), Abdul BA; Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Almany SYLLA; Party for the Unity of Malian People (PUPM), Nock AGATTIA; Hisboulah al Islamiya, Hamidou DRAMERA; Union of Progressive Forces (UFP), Yacouba SIDIBE; National Congress of Democratic Initiative (CNID), Mountaga TALL; Assembly for Justice and Progress, Kady DRAME; other parties forming

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 9 June 1985 (next to be held June 1991); results--General Moussa TRAORE was reelected without opposition;

National Assembly--last held on 26 June 1988 (next to be held June 1991); results--UDPM is the only party; seats--(82 total) UDPM 82; note--following the military coup of 26 March 1991 President TRAORE was deposed and the UDPM was disbanded; the new ruling National Reconciliation Council, formed of 17 soldiers, has promised to institute a multiparty democracy and is expected to hold elections by December 1991

_#_Communists: a few Communists and some sympathizers (no legal Communist party)

_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohamed Alhousseyni TOURE; Chancery at 2130 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-2249 or 939-8950;

US--Ambassador Herbert D. GELBER; Embassy at Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V., Bamako (mailing address is B. P. 34, Bamako); telephone [223] 223712

_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities.

_#_GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $250; real growth rate 9.9% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% (1987)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $329 million; expenditures $519 million, including capital expenditures of $178 (1989 est.)

_#_Exports: $285 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities--livestock, peanuts, dried fish, cotton, skins;

partners--mostly franc zone and Western Europe

_#_Imports: $513 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities--textiles, vehicles, petroleum products, machinery, sugar, cereals;

partners--mostly franc zone and Western Europe

_#_External debt: $2.2 billion (1989 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 19.9% (1989 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 253,000 kW capacity; 730 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate, gold, fishing

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; most production based on small subsistence farms; cotton and livestock products account for over 70% of exports; other crops--millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, and goats

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $349 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.65 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $92 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $190 million

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

_#_Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 642 km 1.000-meter gauge; linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes

_#_Highways: about 15,700 km total; 1,670 km bituminous, 3,670 km gravel and improved earth, 10,360 km unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 1,815 km navigable

_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 37 total, 29 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service with radio relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of radio relay in progress; 11,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,631,445; 940,954 fit for military service; no conscription

_#_Defense expenditures: $45 million, 2.4% of GDP (1988) _%_ _@_Malta _*_Geography _#_Total area: 320 km2; land area: 320 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 140 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;

Exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

_#_Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

_#_Natural resources: limestone, salt

_#_Land use: arable land 38%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 59%; includes irrigated 3%

_#_Environment: numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce--increasing reliance on desalination

_#_Note: strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily, 290 km north of Libya

_*_People _#_Population: 356,427 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Maltese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Maltese

_#_Ethnic divisions: mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 98%

_#_Language: Maltese and English (official)

_#_Literacy: 84% (male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)

_#_Labor force: 126,135; government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1989)

_#_Organized labor: about 40% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Malta

_#_Type: parliamentary democracy

_#_Capital: Valletta

_#_Administrative divisions: none (administration directly from Valletta)

_#_Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 26 April 1974, effective 2 June 1974

_#_Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Freedom Day, 31 March

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives

_#_Judicial branch: Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April 1989);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party, Edward FENECH ADAMI; Malta Labor Party, Karmenu MIFSUD BONNICI

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

House of Representatives--last held on 9 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results--NP 51.1%, MLP 48.9%; seats--(usually 65 total, but additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current total 69) MLP 34, NP 31 before popular vote adjustment; MLP 34, NP 35 after adjustment

_#_Communists: fewer than 100 (est.)

_#_Member of: C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Salvatore J. STELLINI; Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3611 or 3612; there is a Maltese Consulate General in New York;

US--Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE; Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535, Valletta); telephone [356] 240424, 240425, 243216, 243217, 243653, 223654

_#_Flag: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. Consequently, the economy is highly dependent on foreign trade and services. Manufacturing and tourism are the largest contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 27% of GDP, with the electronics and textile industries major contributors. In 1989 inflation was held to a low 0.9%. Per capita GDP at $5,500 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's nations.

_#_GDP: $1.9 billion, per capita $5,500 (1988); real growth rate 6.4% (1989)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: 3.7% (1989)

_#_Budget: revenues $1,020 million; expenditures $1,230 million, including capital expenditures of $380 million (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $866 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--clothing, textiles, footwear, ships;

partners--Italy 30%, FRG 22%, UK 11%

_#_Imports: $1,328 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods;

partners--Italy 30%, UK 16%, FRG 13%, US 4%

_#_External debt: $90 million, medium and long-term (December 1987)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 19.2% (1989); accounts for 27% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; overall, 20% self-sufficient; main products--potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers, hogs, poultry, eggs; generally adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, pork products; seasonal or periodic shortages in grain, animal fodder, fruits, other basic foodstuffs

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $333 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million

_#_Currency: Maltese lira (plural--liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: Maltese liri (LM) per US$1--0.3004 (January 1991), 0.3172 (1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987), 0.3924 (1986), 0.4676 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth

_#_Ports: Valletta, Marsaxlokk

_#_Merchant marine: 415 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,005,791 GRT/8,644,369 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 8 short-sea passenger, 160 cargo, 5 container, 2 passenger-cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 vehicle carrier, 1 barge carrier, 6 refrigerated cargo, 9 chemical tanker, 8 combination ore/oil, 2 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 79 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 104 bulk, 11 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; China owns 1 ship, USSR owns 7, Cuba owns 7, and Vietnam owns 1

_#_Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

_#_Telecommunications: modern automatic system centered in Valletta; 163,800 telephones; stations--9 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; 1 submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 94,081; 75,222 fit for military service

_#_Defense expenditures: $21.9 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.) _%_ _@_Man, Isle of (British crown dependency) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 588 km2; land area: 588 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 113 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

_#_Climate: cool summers and mild winters; humid; overcast about half the time

_#_Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley

_#_Natural resources: lead, iron ore

_#_Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%; extensive arable land and forests

_#_Environment: strong westerly winds prevail

_#_Note: located in Irish Sea equidistant from England, Scotland, and Ireland

_*_People _#_Population: 64,075 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Manxman, Manxwoman, adjective--Manx

_#_Ethnic divisions: native Manx of Norse-Celtic descent; British

_#_Religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends

_#_Language: English, Manx Gaelic

_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education age 5 to 16

_#_Labor force: 25,864 (1981)

_#_Organized labor: 22 labor unions patterned along British lines

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: British crown dependency

_#_Capital: Douglas

_#_Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)

_#_Independence: none (British crown dependency)

_#_Constitution: 1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

_#_Legal system: English law and local statute

_#_National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, lieutenant governor, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Tynwald consists of an upper house or Legislative Council and a lower house or House of Keys

_#_Judicial branch: High Court of Justice

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Air Marshal Sir Laurence JONES (since NA 1990);

Head of Government--President of the Legislative Council Sir Charles KERRUISH (since NA 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: there is no party system and members sit as independents

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

House of Keys--last held in 1986 (next to be held 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(24 total) independents 24

_#_Communists: probably none

_#_Member of: none

_#_Diplomatic representation: none (British crown dependency)

_#_Flag: red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GNP. Banking now contributes over 20% to GNP and manufacturing about 15%. Trade is mostly with the UK.

_#_GNP: $490 million, per capita $7,573; real growth rate NA% (1988)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

_#_Unemployment rate: 1.5% (1988)

_#_Budget: revenues $130.4 million; expenditures $114.4 million, including capital expenditures of $18.1 million (FY85 est.)

_#_Exports: $NA;

commodities--tweeds, herring, processed shellfish meat;

partners--UK

_#_Imports: $NA;

commodities--timber, fertilizers, fish;

partners--UK

_#_External debt: $NA

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%

_#_Electricity: 61,000 kW capacity; 190 million kWh produced, 2,930 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: an important offshore financial center; financial services, light manufacturing, tourism

_#_Agriculture: cereals and vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry

_#_Economic aid: NA

_#_Currency: Manx pound (plural--pounds); 1 Manx pound (5M) = 100 pence

_#_Exchange rates: Manx pounds (5M) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 36 km electric track, 24 km steam track

_#_Highways: 640 km motorable roads

_#_Ports: Douglas, Ramsey, Peel

_#_Merchant marine: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,634,471 GRT/2,906,039 DWT; includes 8 cargo, 6 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 2 combination ore/oil, 3 liquefied gas, 13 bulk; note--a captive register of the United Kingdom, although not all ships on the register are British-owned

_#_Airports: 2 total; 1 usable with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: 24,435 telephones; stations--1 AM, 4 FM, 4 TV

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Marshall Islands _*_Geography _#_Total area: 181.3 km2; land area: 181.3 km2; includes the atolls of Bikini, Eniwetak, and Kwajalein

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 370.4 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: claims US territory of Wake Island

_#_Climate: wet season May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt

_#_Terrain: low coral limestone and sand islands

_#_Natural resources: phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 60%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 40%

_#_Environment: occasionally subject to typhoons; two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands

_#_Note: located 3,825 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way between Hawaii and Papua New Guinea; Bikini and Eniwetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range

_*_People _#_Population: 48,091 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 47 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 53 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 64 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.1 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Marshallese; adjective--Marshallese

_#_Ethnic divisions: almost entirely Micronesian

_#_Religion: predominantly Christian, mostly Protestant

_#_Language: English universally spoken and is the official language; two major Marshallese dialects from Malayo-Polynesian family; Japanese

_#_Literacy: 93% (male 100%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

_#_Labor force: 4,800 (1986)

_#_Organized labor: none

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of the Marshall Islands

_#_Type: constitutional government in free association with the US; the Compact of Free Association entered into force 21 October 1986

_#_Capital: Majuro

_#_Administrative divisions: none

_#_Independence: 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship; formerly the Marshall Islands District of the Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)

_#_Constitution: 1 May 1979

_#_Legal system: based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws

_#_National holiday: Proclamation of the Republic of the Marshall Islands, 1 May (1979)

_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Nitijela

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Amata KABUA (since 1979)

_#_Political parties and leaders: no formal parties; President KABUA is chief political (and traditional) leader

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results--President Amata KABUA was reelected;

Parliament--last held NA November 1987 (next to be held November 1991); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(33 total)

_#_Communists: none

_#_Member of: ESCAP (associate), ICAO, SPC, SPF, UN

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Wilfred I. KENDALL; Chancery at 2433 Massachusetts Avenue, NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 234-5414;

US--Ambassador William BODDE, Jr.; Embassy at NA address (mailing address is P. O. Box 680, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-4380); telephone 692-4011

_#_Flag: blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner--orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Agriculture and tourism are the mainstays of the economy. Agricultural production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important commercial crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. A few cattle ranches supply the domestic meat market. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry is the primary source of foreign exchange and employs about 10% of the labor force. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. In 1987 the US Government provided grants of $40 million out of the Marshallese budget of $55 million.

_#_GDP: $63 million, per capita $1,500; real growth rate NA% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.6% (1981)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $55 million; expenditures NA, including capital expenditures of NA (1987 est.)

_#_Exports: $2.5 million (f.o.b., 1985);

commodities--copra, copra oil, agricultural products, handicrafts;

partners--NA

_#_Imports: $29.2 million (c.i.f., 1985);

commodities--foodstuffs, beverages, building materials;

partners--NA

_#_External debt: $NA

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%

_#_Electricity: 42,000 kW capacity; 80 million kWh produced, 1,840 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: copra, fish, tourism; craft items from shell, wood, and pearl; offshore banking (embryonic)

_#_Agriculture: coconuts, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits, copra; pigs, chickens

_#_Economic aid: under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US is to provide approximately $40 million in aid annually

_#_Currency: US currency is used

_#_Exchange rates: US currency is used

_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September

_*_Communications _#_Highways: macadam and concrete roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks

_#_Ports: Majuro

_#_Merchant marine: 23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,654,871 GRT/3,236,549 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 3 container, 7 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 11 bulk carrier; note--a flag of convenience registry

_#_Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: telephone network--570 lines (Majuro) and 186 (Ebeye); telex services; islands interconnected by shortwave radio (used mostly for government purposes); stations--1 AM, 2 FM, 1 TV, 1 shortwave; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Martinique (overseas department of France) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,100 km2; land area: 1,060 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly more than six times the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 290 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; rainy season (June to October)

_#_Terrain: mountainous with indented coastline; dormant volcano

_#_Natural resources: coastal scenery and beaches, cultivable land

_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 8%; meadows and pastures 30%; forest and woodland 26%; other 26%; includes irrigated 5%

_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes, flooding, and volcanic activity that result in an average of one major natural disaster every five years

_#_Note: located 625 km southeast of Puerto Rico in the Caribbean Sea

_*_People _#_Population: 345,180 (July 1991), growth rate 0.9% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Martiniquais (sing. and pl.); adjective--Martiniquais

_#_Ethnic divisions: African and African-Caucasian-Indian mixture 90%, Caucasian 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 5%

_#_Language: French, Creole patois

_#_Literacy: 93% (male 92%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1982)

_#_Labor force: 100,000; service industry 31.7%, construction and public works 29.4%, agriculture 13.1%, industry 7.3%, fisheries 2.2%, other 16.3%

_#_Organized labor: 11% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Department of Martinique

_#_Type: overseas department of France

_#_Capital: Fort-de-France

_#_Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France)