Chapter II: Front Matter (2)

_#_Constitution: none; some pareatges and decrees, mostly custom and usage

_#_Legal system: based on French and Spanish civil codes; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Mare de Deu de Meritxell, 8 September

_#_Executive branch: two co-princes (president of France, bishop of Seo de Urgel in Spain), two designated representatives (French veguer, Episcopal veguer), two permanent delegates (French prefect for the department of Pyrenees-Orientales, Spanish vicar general for the Seo de Urgel diocese), president of government, Executive Council

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral General Council of the Valleys (Consell General de las Valls)

_#_Judicial branch: civil cases--Supreme Court of Andorra at Perpignan (France) or the Ecclesiastical Court of the bishop of Seo de Urgel (Spain); criminal cases--Tribunal of the Courts (Tribunal des Cortes)

_#_Leaders:

Chiefs of State--French Co-Prince Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981), represented by Veguer de Franca Jean Pierre COURTOIS; Spanish Episcopal Co-Prince Mgr. Joan MARTI y Alanis (since 31 January 1971), represented by Veguer Episcopal Francesc BADIA Batalla;

Head of Government--Oscar RIBAS Reig (since NA January 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: political parties not yet legally recognized; traditionally no political parties but partisans for particular independent candidates for the General Council on the basis of competence, personality, and orientation toward Spain or France; various small pressure groups developed in 1972; first formal political party, Andorran Democratic Association, was formed in 1976 and reorganized in 1979 as Andorran Democratic Party

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

General Council of the Valleys--last held 11 December 1989 (next to be held December 1993); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(28 total) number of seats by party NA

_#_Communists: negligible

_#_Member of: CSCE, INTERPOL, IOC

_#_Diplomatic representation: Andorra has no mission in the US;

US--includes Andorra within the Barcelona (Spain) Consular District and the US Consul General visits Andorra periodically; Consul General Ruth A. DAVIS; Consulate General at Via Layetana 33, Barcelona 3, Spain (mailing address APO NY 09286); telephone [34] (3) 319-9550

_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red with the national coat of arms centered in the yellow band; the coat of arms features a quartered shield; similar to the flags of Chad and Romania which do not have a national coat of arms in the center lar to the

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The mainstay of Andorra's economy is tourism. An estimated 12 million tourists visit annually, attracted by Andorra's duty-free status and by its summer and winter resorts. Agricultural production is limited by a scarcity of arable land, and most food has to be imported. The principal livestock activity is sheep raising. Manufacturing consists mainly of cigarettes, cigars, and furniture. The rapid pace of European economic integration is a potential threat to Andorra's advantages from its duty-free status.

_#_GDP: $727 million, per capita $14,000; real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

_#_Unemployment rate: none

_#_Budget: revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

_#_Exports: $0.017 million (f.o.b., 1986);

commodities--electricity;

partners--France, Spain

_#_Imports: $531 million (f.o.b., 1986);

commodities--consumer goods, food;

partners--France, Spain

_#_External debt: $NA

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%

_#_Electricity: 35,000 kW capacity; 140 million kWh produced, 2,800 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: tourism (particularly skiing), sheep, timber, tobacco, smuggling, banking

_#_Agriculture: sheep raising; small quantities of tobacco, rye, wheat, barley, oats, and some vegetables

_#_Economic aid: none

_#_Currency: French franc (plural--francs) and Spanish peseta (plural--pesetas); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes and 1 Spanish peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos

_#_Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1--5.1307 (January 1991), 5.4453 (1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852 (1985); Spanish pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--95.20 (January 1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 96 km

_#_Telecommunications: international digital microwave network; international landline circuits to France and Spain; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 17,700 telephones

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of France and Spain _%_ _@_Angola _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,246,700 km2; land area: 1,246,700 km2

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

_#_Land boundaries: 5,198 km total; Congo 201 km, Namibia 1,376 km, Zaire 2,511 km, Zambia 1,110 km

_#_Coastline: 1,600 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 20 nm

_#_Disputes: civil war since independence on 11 November 1975; on 31 May 1991 Angolan President Jose Eduardo dos SANTOS and Jonas SAVIMBI, leader of the National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA), signed a peace treaty that calls for multiparty elections between September and November 1992, an internationally monitored cease-fire, and termination of outside military assistance

_#_Climate: semiarid in south and along coast to Luanda; north has cool, dry season (May to October) and hot, rainy season (November to April)

_#_Terrain: narrow coastal plain rises abruptly to vast interior plateau

_#_Natural resources: petroleum, diamonds, iron ore, phosphates, copper, feldspar, gold, bauxite, uranium

_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 23%; forest and woodland 43%; other 32%

_#_Environment: locally heavy rainfall causes periodic flooding on plateau; desertification

_#_Note: Cabinda is separated from rest of country by Zaire

_*_People _#_Population: 8,668,281 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991)

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

_#_Death rate: 20 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Infant mortality rate: 151 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 42 years male, 46 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 6.7 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: Ovimbundu 37%, Kimbundu 25%, Bakongo 13%, Mestico 2%, European 1%, other 22%

_#_Religion: indigenous beliefs 47%, Roman Catholic 38%, Protestant 15% (est.)

_#_Language: Portuguese (official); various Bantu dialects

_#_Literacy: 42% (male 56%, female 28%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 2,783,000 economically active; agriculture 85%, industry 15% (1985 est.)

_#_Organized labor: about 450,695 (1980)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: People's Republic of Angola

_#_Type: in transition from a one-party Marxist state to a multiparty democracy with a strong presidential system

_#_Capital: Luanda

_#_Administrative divisions: 18 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Bengo, Benguela, Bie, Cabinda, Cuando Cubango, Cuanza Norte, Cuanza Sul, Cunene, Huambo, Huila, Luanda, Lunda Norte, Lunda Sul, Malanje, Moxico, Namibe, Uige, Zaire

_#_Independence: 11 November 1975 (from Portugal)

_#_Constitution: 11 November 1975; revised 7 January 1978, 11 August 1980, and 6 March 1991

_#_Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law; recently modified to accommodate multipartyism and increased use of free markets

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 11 November (1975)

_#_Executive branch: president, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Assembleia do Povo)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal da Relacao)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Jose Eduardo dos SANTOS (since 21 September 1979)

_#_Political parties and leaders: only one party exists--the Popular Movement for the Liberation of Angola-Labor Party (MPLA), Jose Eduardo dos SANTOS--although others are expected to form as legalization of a multiparty system proceeds; National Union for the Total Independence of Angola (UNITA) lost to the MPLA and Cuban military support forces in the immediate postindependence struggle, but is to receive recognition as a legal party

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections: first nationwide, multiparty elections to be held between September and November 1992

_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, CEEAC (observer), ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: none

_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and black with a centered yellow emblem consisting of a five-pointed star within half a cogwheel crossed by a machete (in the style of a hammer and sickle)

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Subsistence agriculture provides the main livelihood for 80 to 90% of the population, but accounts for less than 15% of GDP. Oil production is the most lucrative sector of the economy, contributing about 50% to GDP. In recent years, however, the impact of fighting an internal war has severely affected the nonoil economy, and food has to be imported. For the long run, Angola has the advantage of rich natural resources, notably gold, diamonds, and arable land. To realize its economic potential Angola not only must secure domestic peace but also must reform government policies that have led to distortions and imbalances throughout the economy.

_#_GDP: $7.9 billion, per capita $925; real growth rate 2.0% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23.2% (1988)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $2.6 billion; expenditures $4.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $963 million (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $3.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--oil,liquified petroleum gas, diamonds, coffee, sisal, fish and fish products, timber, cotton;

partners--US, USSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil, France

_#_Imports: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--capital equipment (machinery and electrical equipment), food, vehicles and spare parts, textiles and clothing, medicines; substantial military deliveries;

partners--US, USSR, Cuba, Portugal, Brazil

_#_External debt: $7.0 billion (1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for about 60% of GDP, including petroleum output

_#_Electricity: 506,000 kW capacity; 770 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: petroleum, diamonds, mining, fish processing, food processing, brewing, tobacco, sugar, textiles, cement, basic metal products

_#_Agriculture: cash crops--coffee, sisal, corn, cotton, sugar, manioc, tobacco; food crops--cassava, corn, vegetables, plantains, bananas; livestock production accounts for 20%, fishing 4%, forestry 2% of total agricultural output; disruptions caused by civil war and marketing deficiencies require food imports

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $265 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1,005 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $1.3 billion

_#_Currency: kwanza (plural--kwanza); 1 kwanza (Kz) = 100 lwei

_#_Exchange rates: kwanza (Kz) per US$1--29.62 (fixed rate since 1976)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 3,189 km total; 2,879 km 1.067-meter gauge, 310 km 0.600-meter gauge; limited trackage in use because of insurgent attacks; sections of the Benguela Railroad closed because of insurgency

_#_Highways: 73,828 km total; 8,577 km bituminous-surface treatment, 29,350 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth, remainder unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 1,295 km navigable

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 179 km

_#_Ports: Luanda, Lobito, Namibe, Cabinda

_#_Merchant marine: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 66,348 GRT/102,825 DWT; includes 11 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker

_#_Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 315 total, 183 usable; 28 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 58 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: fair system of wire, radio relay, and troposcatter routes; high frequency used extensively for military/Cuban links; 40,300 telephones; stations--17 AM, 13 FM, 2 TV; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force/Air Defense, People's Defense Organization and Territorial Troops, Frontier Guard

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 2,080,837; 1,047,500 fit for military service; 92,430 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP _%_ _@_Anguilla (dependent territory of the UK) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 91 km2; land area: 91 km2

_#_Comparative area: about half the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 61 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds

_#_Terrain: flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone

_#_Natural resources: negligible; salt, fish, lobster

_#_Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%; mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds

_#_Environment: frequent hurricanes, other tropical storms (July to October)

_#_Note: located 270 km east of Puerto Rico

_*_People _#_Population: 6,922 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 24 births/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 18 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 77 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 3.1 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: mainly of black African descent

_#_Religion: Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12%

_#_Language: English (official)

_#_Literacy: 95% (male 95%, female 95%) age 12 and over can read and write (1984)

_#_Labor force: 2,780 (1984)

_#_Organized labor: NA

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: dependent territory of the UK

_#_Capital: The Valley

_#_Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Constitution: 1 April 1982

_#_Legal system: based on English common law

_#_National holiday: Anguilla Day, 30 May

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

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly

_#_Judicial branch: High Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Brian G. J. CANTY (since NA 1989);

Head of Government--Chief Minister Emile GUMBS (since NA March 1984, served previously from February 1977 to May 1980)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Anguilla National Alliance (ANA), Emile GUMBS; Anguilla United Party (AUP), Ronald WEBSTER; Anguilla Democratic Party (ADP), Victor BANKS

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

House of Assembly--last held 27 February 1989 (next to be held February 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(11 total, 7 elected) ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP 1, independent 1

_#_Communists: none

_#_Member of: CARICOM (observer), CDB

_#_Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Flag: two horizontal bands of white (top, almost triple width) and light blue with three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design centered in the white band; a new flag may have been in use since 30 May 1990

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on lobster fishing, offshore banking, tourism, and remittances from emigrants. In recent years the economy has benefited from a boom in tourism. Development is planned to improve the infrastructure, particularly transport and tourist facilities, and also light industry. Improvement in the economy has reduced unemployment from 40% in 1984 to about 5% in 1988.

_#_GDP: $23 million, per capita $3,300; real growth rate 8.2% (1988 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1988 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $10.4 million; expenditures $11.0 million, including capital expenditures of $1.1 million (1989 est.)

_#_Exports: $NA;

commodities--lobster and salt;

partners--NA

_#_Imports: $NA;

commodities--NA;

partners --NA

_#_External debt: $NA

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%

_#_Electricity: 2,000 kW capacity; 6 million kWh produced, 870 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: tourism, boat building, salt, fishing (including lobster)

_#_Agriculture: pigeon peas, corn, sweet potatoes, sheep, goats, pigs, cattle, poultry

_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $38 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: NA

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 60 km surfaced

_#_Ports: Road Bay, Blowing Point

_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways of 1,100 m (Wallblake Airport)

_#_Telecommunications: modern internal telephone system; 890 telephones; stations--3 AM, 1 FM, no TV; radio relay link to island of Saint Martin

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Antarctica _*_Geography _#_Total area: about 14,000,000 km2; land area: about 14,000,000 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US; second-smallest continent (after Australia)

_#_Land boundaries: see entry on _#_Disputes

_#_Coastline: 17,968 km

_#_Maritime claims: see entry on _#_Disputes

_#_Disputes: Antarctic Treaty defers claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary below); sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France (Adelie Land), New Zealand (Ross Dependency), Norway (Queen Maud Land), and UK; Brazil has noted possible Latin claims; the US and USSR do not recognize the territorial claims of other nations and have made no claims themselves (but reserve the right to do so); no formal claims have been made in the sector between 90o west and 150o west

_#_Climate: severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has most moderate climate; warmest temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing

_#_Terrain: about 98% thick continental ice sheet, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to 4,897 meters high; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of coastline and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent

_#_Natural resources: none presently exploited; coal and iron ore; chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum, and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; pastures 0%; meadows and forest and woodland 0%; other 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%)

_#_Environment: mostly uninhabitable; katabatic (gravity) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise around the coast, as does a circumpolar ocean current; during summer more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; in April 1991 it was reported that the ozone shield, which protects the Earth's surface from harmful ultraviolet radiation, had dwindled to its lowest level ever over Antarctica; subject to active volcanism (Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica); other seismic activity rare and weak

_#_Note: the coldest, windiest, highest, and driest continent

_*_People _#_Population: no indigenous inhabitants; staffing of research stations varies seasonally;

Summer (January) population--4,120; Argentina 207, Australia 268, Belgium 13, Brazil 80, Chile 256, China NA, Ecuador NA, Finland 16, France 78, Germany 32, Greenpeace 12, India 60, Italy 210, Japan 59, South Korea 14, Netherlands 10, NZ 264, Norway 23, Peru 39, Poland NA, South Africa 79, Spain 43, Sweden 10, UK 116, Uruguay NA, US 1,666, USSR 565 (1989-90);

Winter (July) population--1,066 total; Argentina 150, Australia 71, Brazil 12, Chile 73, China NA, France 33, Germany 19, Greenpeace 5, India 21, Japan 38, South Korea 14, NZ 11, Poland NA, South Africa 12, UK 69, Uruguay NA, US 225, USSR 313 (1989-90);

Year-round stations--42 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France 1, Germany 2, Greenpeace 1, India 2, Japan 2, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Poland 1, South Africa 1, UK 5, Uruguay 1, US 3, USSR 6 (1990-91);

Summer only stations--34 total; Argentina 1, Australia 3, Chile 5, Finland 1, Germany 4, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, NZ 2, Norway 1, Peru 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 2, UK 1, US 3, USSR 5 (1989-90)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, established for at least 30 years a legal framework for peaceful use, scientific research, and deferral of legal questions regarding territorial claims. Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the last meeting was held in Madrid (Spain) in April 1991.

Consultative (voting) members include seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and nonclaimant nations. The US and other nations have made no claims, but have reserved the right to claim territory. The US does not recognize the claims of others. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are--Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), the US, and the USSR.

Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parenthesis, are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), and Switzerland (1990).

Antarctic Treaty Summary:

Article 1--area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for peaceful scientific and logistics purposes;

Article 2--freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue;

Article 3--free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and other international agencies;

Article 4--does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force;

Article 5--prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes;

Article 6--includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60o 00%19 south, but that the water areas be covered by international law;

Article 7--treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given;

Article 8--allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states;

Article 9--frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations;

Article 10--treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty;

Article 11--disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ;

Articles 12, 13, 14--deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.

Other agreements: more than 150 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include--Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected by some signatories and is likely to be replaced in 1991 by a comprehensive environmental protection agreement that defers minerals development for a long period.

_*_Economy _#_Overview: No economic activity at present except for fishing off the coast and small-scale tourism, both based abroad. Exploitation of mineral resources is unlikely because of technical difficulties, high costs, and objections by environmentalists.

_*_Communications _#_Airports: 37 total; 27 usable; none with permanent hard-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: none; Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty states that advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given _%_ _@_Antigua and Barbuda _*_Geography _#_Total area: 440 km2; land area: 440 km2; includes Redonda

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 153 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 24 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

_#_Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas

_#_Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism

_#_Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 59%

_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural harbors

_#_Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico

_*_People _#_Population: 63,917 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 74 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: almost entirely of black African origin; some of British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin

_#_Religion: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic

_#_Language: English (official), local dialects

_#_Literacy: 89% (male 90%, female 88%) age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)

_#_Labor force: 30,000; commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)

_#_Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members; Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: parliamentary democracy

_#_Capital: Saint John's

_#_Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip

_#_Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 1 November 1981

_#_Legal system: based on English common law

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

_#_Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November 1981, previously Governor since 1976);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor HEATH

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

House of Representatives--last held 9 March 1989 (next to be held 1994); results--percentage of vote by party NA; seats--(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1

_#_Communists: negligible

_#_Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) HECTOR; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS

_#_Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE; Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate in Miami;

US--the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant SALTER; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's (mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506

_#_Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important determinant of economic performance. During the period 1983-89, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 7%. Tourism's contribution to GDP, as measured by value added tax in hotels and restaurants, rose from about 14% in 1983 to 16% in 1989, and stimulated growth in other sectors--particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy.

_#_GDP: $350 million, per capita $5,470 (1989); real growth rate 3.0% (1991 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $92.8 million; expenditures $101 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $33.2 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17%;

partners--OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%

_#_Imports: $358.2 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);

commodities--food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil;

partners--US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%

_#_External debt: $250 million (1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 9% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 52,000 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,490 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock sector; other crops--bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, $10 million (1985-88); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $45 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 April-31 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane

_#_Highways: 240 km

_#_Ports: Saint John's

_#_Merchant marine: 86 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 319,477 GRT/497,194 DWT; includes 61 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large load carrier, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker; note--a flag of convenience registry

_#_Civil air: 10 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 1,220 m

_#_Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; stations--4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)

_#_Manpower availability: NA

_#_Defense expenditures: $1.4 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91) _%_ _@_Arctic Ocean _*_Geography _#_Total area: 14,056,000 km2; includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other tributary water bodies

_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean)

_#_Coastline: 45,389 km

_#_Climate: persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow

_#_Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack which averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin

_#_Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales)

_#_Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage

_#_Note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May; strategic location between North America and the USSR; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western USSR; floating research stations operated by the US and USSR

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, fishing, and sealing.

_*_Communications _#_Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (USSR), Prudhoe Bay (US)

_#_Telecommunications: no submarine cables

_#_Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Asia) are important waterways _%_ _@_Argentina _*_Geography _#_Total area: 2,766,890 km2; land area: 2,736,690 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Texas

_#_Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km

_#_Coastline: 4,989 km

_#_Maritime claims:

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

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

_#_Disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica

_#_Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest

_#_Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border

_#_Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium

_#_Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 52%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires

_#_Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

_*_People _#_Population: 32,663,983 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1991)

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

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

_#_Infant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: white 85%; mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%

_#_Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%

_#_Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French

_#_Literacy: 95% (male 96%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 10,900,000; agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)

_#_Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Argentine Republic

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Buenos Aires (tentative plans to move to Viedma by 1990 indefinitely postponed)

_#_Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia), 1 national territory* (territorio nacional), and 1 district** (distrito); Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Distrito Federal**, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur*, Tucuman; note--the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica

_#_Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)

_#_Constitution: 1 May 1853

_#_Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)

_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

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

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President Eduardo DUHALDE (since 8 July 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Raul ALFONSIN, moderately left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Alvaro ALSOGARAY, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist party; several provincial parties

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held May 1995); results--Carlos Saul MENEM was elected;

Chamber of Deputies--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held October 1991); results--JP 47%, UCR 30%, UCD 7%, other 16%; seats--(254 total); JP 122, UCR 93, UCD 11, other 28

_#_Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including a small nucleus of activists

_#_Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association), Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces

_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ortiz de ROZAS; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles;

US--Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years, leading to escalating inflation and a recession in 1988-90. A widening public-sector deficit and a multidigit inflation rate have dominated the economy over the past three years; retail prices rose nearly 5,000% in 1989 and another 1,345% in 1990. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $60 billion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders.

_#_GNP: $82.7 billion, per capita $2,560; real growth rate - 3.5% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,350% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 8.6% (May 1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $12.2 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (1989)

_#_Exports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool;

partners--US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands

_#_Imports: $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities--machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products;

partners--US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands

_#_External debt: $60 billion (December 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 16,749,000 kW capacity; 45,580 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops--wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.0 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million

_#_Currency: austral (plural--australes); 1 austral (2) = 100 centavos

_#_Exchange rates: australes (2) per US$1--9,900 (April 1991), 4,707 (1990), 423 (1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter gauge, and 0.750-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable

_#_Pipelines: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km natural gas

_#_Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe

_#_Merchant marine: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,663,884 GRT/2,689,645 DWT; includes 42 cargo, 7 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 47 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 18 bulk; additionally, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially

_#_Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 1,763 total, 1,575 usable; 135 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 336 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations--171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 stations

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 7,992,140; 6,478,730 fit for military service; 285,047 reach military age (20) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $700 million, 1% of GNP (1990) _%_ _@_Aruba (part of the Dutch realm) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 68.5 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation

_#_Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation

_#_Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%

_#_Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt

_#_Note: 28 km north of Venezuela

_*_People _#_Population: 64,052 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)

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

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

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

_#_Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1991)

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

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority

_#_Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish

_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)

_#_Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)

_#_Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles

_#_Capital: Oranjestad

_#_Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

_#_Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm); note--in 1990 Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996

_#_Constitution: 1 January 1986

_#_Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence

_#_National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March

_#_Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten)

_#_Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Nelson ODUBER (since NA February 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders: Electoral Movement Party (MEP), Nelson ODUBER; Aruban People's Party (AVP), Henny EMAN; National Democratic Action (ADN), Pedro Charro KELLY; New Patriotic Party (PPN), Eddy WERLEMEN; Aruban Patriotic Party (PPA), Leo CHANCE; Aruban Democratic Party (PDA), Leo BERLINSKI; Democratic Action '86 (AD'86), Arturo ODUBER; governing coalition includes the MEP, PPA, and ADN

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

Legislature--last held 6 January 1989 (next to be held by January 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(21 total) MEP 10, AVP 8, ADN 1, PPN 1, PPA 1

_#_Member of: ECLAC (associate), INTERPOL, IOC, UNESCO (associate), WCL, WTO (associate)

_#_Diplomatic representation: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)

_#_Flag: blue with two narrow horizontal yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Tourism is the mainstay of the economy, although offshore banking and oil refining and storage are also important. Hotel capacity expanded rapidly between 1985 and 1989 and nearly doubled in 1990 alone. Unemployment has steadily declined from about 20% in 1986 to about 2% in 1990. The reopening of the local oil refinery, once a major source of employment and foreign exchange earnings, promises to give the economy an additional boost.

_#_GDP: $730 million, per capita $11,600; real growth rate 8.8% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.8% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 1.6% (1990 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $145 million; expenditures $185 million, including capital expenditures of $42 million (1988)

_#_Exports: $131.6 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--mostly petroleum products;

partners--US 64%, EC

_#_Imports: $496 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--food, consumer goods, manufactures;

partners--US 8%, EC

_#_External debt: $81 million (1987)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA

_#_Electricity: 310,000 kW capacity; 945 million kWh produced, 15,000 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining

_#_Agriculture: poor quality soils and low rainfall limit agricultural activity to the cultivation of aloes, some livestock, and fishing

_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-1988), $200 million

_#_Currency: Aruban florin (plural--florins); 1 Aruban florin (Af.) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: Aruban florins (Af.) per US$1--1.7900 (fixed rate since 1986)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Ports: Oranjestad, Sint Nicolaas

_#_Airfield: government-owned airport east of Oranjestad

_#_Telecommunications: generally adequate; extensive interisland radio relay links; 72,168 telephones; stations--4 AM, 4 FM, 1 TV; 1 sea cable to Sint Maarten

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the Netherlands _%_ _@_Ashmore and Cartier Islands (territory of Australia) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 5 km2; land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

_#_Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 74.1 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

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

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

_#_Climate: tropical

_#_Terrain: low with sand and coral

_#_Natural resources: fish

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other--grass and sand 100%

_#_Environment: surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983

_#_Note: located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia

_*_People _#_Population: no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

_#_Type: territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry for Territories and Local Government

_#_Administrative divisions: none (territory of Australia)

_#_Legal system: relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia

_#_Note: administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories Roslyn KELLY

_#_Diplomatic representation: none (territory of Australia)

_*_Economy _#_Overview: no economic activity

_*_Communications _#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force _%_ _@_Atlantic Ocean _*_Geography _#_Total area: 82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)

_#_Coastline: 111,866 km

_#_Climate: tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

_#_Terrain: surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin; maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench

_#_Natural resources: oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

_#_Environment: endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from February to August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic

_#_Note: ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic from October to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can be a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic shipping lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural resources, especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and crude oil and natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).

_*_Communications _#_Ports: Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (Germany), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Saint Petersburg (formerly Leningrad; USSR), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden)

_#_Telecommunications: numerous submarine cables with most between continental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the Mediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via INTELSAT satellite network

_#_Note: Kiel Canal and Saint Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways _%_ _@_Australia _*_Geography _#_Total area: 7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island

_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than the US

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 25,760 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

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

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 3 nm

_#_Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)

_#_Climate: generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

_#_Terrain: mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

_#_Natural resources: bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil

_#_Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 58%; forest and woodland 14%; other 22%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification

_#_Note: world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country

_*_People _#_Population: 17,288,044 (July 1991), growth rate 1.5% (1991)

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

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

_#_Net migration rate: 7 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 80 years female (1991)

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

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: Caucasian 95%, Asian 4%, Aboriginal and other 1%

_#_Religion: Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26.0%, other Christian 24.3%

_#_Language: English, native languages

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

_#_Labor force: 7,700,000; finance and services 33.8%, public and community services 22.3%, wholesale and retail trade 20.1%, manufacturing and industry 16.2%, agriculture 6.1% (1987)

_#_Organized labor: 42% of labor force (1988)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Commonwealth of Australia

_#_Type: federal parliamentary state

_#_Capital: Canberra

_#_Administrative divisions: 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

_#_Dependent areas: Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

_#_Independence: 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

_#_Constitution: 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

_#_Legal system: based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29 January 1990

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

_#_Judicial branch: High Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since 11 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders:

government--Australian Labor Party, Robert James Lee HAWKE;

opposition--Liberal Party, John HEWSON; National Party, Timothy FISCHER; Australian Democratic Party, Janet POWELL

_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18

_#_Elections:

Senate--last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by July 1993); results--Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats--(76 total) Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7, independents 3;

House of Representatives--last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by November 1993); results--Labor 39.7%, Liberal-National 43%, Australian Democrats and independents 11.1%; seats--(148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1

_#_Communists: 4,000 members (est.)

_#_Other political or pressure groups: Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)

_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, G-8, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (guest), NEA, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIIMOG, UNTAG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco;

US--Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96404); telephone [61] (6) 270-5000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane

_#_Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GNP comparable to levels in industrialized West European countries. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that, as happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods but competition in international markets will be severe.

_#_GDP: $255.9 billion, per capita $15,000; real growth rate 2.2% (1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.9% (December 1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 9.2% (March 1991)

_#_Budget: revenues $74.2 billion; expenditures $67.9 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90)

_#_Exports: $39.8 billion (f.o.b., FY90);