Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 65 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 10 914 to 1,523 m : 32 under 914 m: 18 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Force

Military manpower - military age: 19 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 10,321,399 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 8,030,056 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 327,862 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.46 billion (1997)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.3% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

Illicit drugs: major illicit producer of amphetamines for the international market; transshipment point for Asian and Latin American illicit drugs to Western Europe

PORTUGAL

@Portugal:Geography

Location: Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain

Geographic coordinates: 39 30 N, 8 00 W

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 92,391 sq km land: 91,951 sq km water: 440 sq km note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Indiana

Land boundaries: total: 1,214 km border countries: Spain 1,214 km

Coastline: 1,793 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south

Terrain: mountainous north of the Tagus, rolling plains in south

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Ponta do Pico in Azores 2,351 m

Natural resources: fish, forests (cork), tungsten, iron ore, uranium ore, marble

Land use: arable land : 26% permanent crops: 9% permanent pastures: 9% forests and woodland: 36% other : 20% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 6,300 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: Azores subject to severe earthquakes

Environment - current issues: soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands signed, but not ratified : Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Tropical Timber 94

Geography - note: Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar

@Portugal:People

Population: 9,931,045 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 17% (male 895,294; female 848,133) 15-64 years: 68% (male 3,280,015; female 3,429,007) 65 years and over: 15% (male 605,074; female 873,522) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.01% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 10.75 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 10.3 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over : 0.69 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.42 years male: 72.02 years female: 79.04 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.36 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Portuguese (singular and plural) adjective: Portuguese

Ethnic groups: homogeneous Mediterranean stock in mainland, Azores, Madeira Islands; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000

Religions: Roman Catholic 97%, Protestant denominations 1%, other 2%

Languages: Portuguese

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 85% male: 89% female: 82% (1990 est.)

@Portugal:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Portuguese Republic conventional short form: Portugal local long form: Republica Portuguesa local short form: Portugal

Data code: PO

Government type: parliamentary democracy

National capital: Lisbon

Administrative divisions: 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa, Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu

Dependent areas: Macau (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 20 December 1999)

Independence: 1140 (independent republic proclaimed 5 October 1910)

National holiday: Day of Portugal, 10 June (1580)

Constitution: 25 April 1976, revised 30 October 1982, 1 June 1989, and 5 November 1992

Legal system: civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jorge SAMPAIO (since 9 March 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Antonio Manuel de Oliviera GUTERRES (since 28 October 1995) cabinet : Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 14 January 1996 (next to be held NA January 2001); following assembly elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president election results: Jorge SAMPAIO elected president; percent of vote - Jorge SAMPAIO (Socialist) 53.8%, Anibal CAVACO SILVA (Conservative) 46.2%

Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections : last held 1 October 1995 (next to be held by NA October 1999) election results: percent of vote by party - PSD 34.0%, PS 43.8%, CDU 8.6%, CDS/PP 9.1%; seats by party - PSD 88, PS 112, CDU 15, CDS/PP 15

Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Supremo Tribunal de Justica, judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura

Political parties and leaders: Social Democratic Party or PSD [Marcelo Rebelo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Antonio GUTERRES]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Carlos CARVALHAS]; Popular Party or PP [Manuel MONTEIRO], may have joined the CDS for the election; National Solidarity Party or PSN [Manuel SERGIO]; Center Democratic Party or CDS; United Democratic Coalition or CDU (communists)

International organization participation: AfDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OSCE, PCA, UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNMOP, UPU, WCL, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Fernando Antonio de Lacerda ANDRESEN GUIMARAES chancery: 2125 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone : [1] (202) 328-8610 FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726 consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), and San Francisco consulate(s): Los Angeles, New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island), Washington, DC

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Elizabeth Frawley BAGLEY embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600 Lisbon mailing address : PSC 83, APO AE 09726 telephone: [351] (1) 7266600, 7266659, 7268670, 7268880 FAX: [351] (1) 7269109 consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)

Flag description: two vertical bands of green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line

Economy

Economy - overview: Portugal's short-term economic fundamentals remain strong: the economy has grown by more than 2% during the past two years, with similar growth expected in 1997. The Socialist government's primary economic goal is to place Portugal in the first group of countries adopting the single European currency, and it has instituted a disciplined 1997 budget to bolster Lisbon's chances. Portuguese government forecasts suggest that it is likely to meet partially the Maastricht monetary convergence criteria by lowering its budget deficit from 4% of GDP in 1996 to 2.9% in 1997, although the government predicts that government debt will be cut only to 68% of GDP, overshooting Maastricht's 60% target. Social programs - a priority for the Socialists - will still grow slightly faster than GDP in 1997, mandating strict budget discipline in other areas. As for the long run, Portugal is increasing its infrastructure spending - much of it in anticipation of hosting the world's International Exposition in 1998 - while working to modernize its capital plant and increase competitiveness in hopes of increasing Portugal's GDP, which remains below 65% of the EU's average GDP per capita.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $122.1 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,400 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture : 6% industry: 36% services: 58% (1995 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 3.4% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total: 4.53 million (1996 est.) by occupation : services 54.5%, manufacturing 24.4%, agriculture, forestry, fisheries 11.2%, construction 8.3%, utilities 1.0%, mining 0.5% (1992)

Unemployment rate: 7% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $48 billion expenditures: $52 billion, including capital expenditures of $7.4 billion (1996 est.)

Industries: textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; wine; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 2.2% (1996 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 8.83 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 33.1 billion kWh (1995)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,863 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: grain, potatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, poultry, meat, dairy products

Exports: total value: $25.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: clothing and footwear, machinery, cork and paper products, hides partners : EU 80%, other developed countries 9% (US 4.5%)

Imports: total value: $34.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, agricultural products, chemicals, petroleum, textiles partners: EU 72%, other developed countries 8% (US 3%), less developed countries 17%

Debt - external: $13.6 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid: donor: ODA, $248 million (1993) recipient : ODA, $70 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Portuguese escudo (Esc) = 100 centavos

Exchange rates: Portuguese escudos (Esc) per US$1 - 160.35 (January 1997), 154.24 (1996), 151.11 (1995), 165.99 (1994), 160.80 (1993), 135.00 (1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Portugal:Communications

Telephones: 3,444,300 (1994 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: generally adequate integrated network of coaxial cables, open wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations international: 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean Region) is planned

Radio broadcast stations: AM 57, FM 66 (repeaters 22), shortwave 0

Radios: 2.2 million (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 66 (repeaters 23)

Televisions: 2,970,892 (1993 est.)

@Portugal:Transportation

Railways: total: 3,068 km broad gauge: 2,761 km 1.668-m gauge (464 km electrified; 426 km double track) narrow gauge: 307 km 1.000-m gauge note : in 1994, Portugal had 3,520 km of track of which 464 km were electrified

Highways: total: 68,732 km paved: 59,110 km (including 587 km of expressways) unpaved: 9,622 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 820 km navigable; relatively unimportant to national economy, used by shallow-draft craft limited to 300 metric-ton cargo capacity

Pipelines: crude oil 22 km; petroleum products 58 km note: there is a 700 km natural gas pipeline which connects with one in Spain carrying Algerian natural gas which is to open in 1997; the secondary lines that will be 300 km long have not yet been built

Ports and harbors: Aveiro, Funchal (Madeira Islands), Horta (Azores), Leixoes, Lisbon, Porto, Ponta Delgada (Azores), Praia da Vitoria (Azores), Setubal, Viana do Castelo

Merchant marine: total: 84 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 556,069 GRT/906,790 DWT ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 47, chemical tanker 6, container 5, liquefied gas tanker 4, oil tanker 7, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 2 note: Portugal has created a captive register on Madeira for Portuguese-owned ships; ships on the Madeira Register (MAR) will have taxation and crewing benefits of a flag of convenience; Portugal owns an additional 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 322,887 DWT operating under the registries of Cyprus, Liberia, and Panama (1996 est.)

Airports: 67 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total : 66 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 32 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Marines), Air Force, National Republican Guard, Fiscal Guard, Public Security Police

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,543,502 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 2,049,806 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 80,494 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.07 billion (1996)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 1.9% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor province) disputed with Indonesia and not recognized by the UN

Illicit drugs: important gateway country for Latin American cocaine entering the European market; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin

PUERTO RICO

(commonwealth associated with the US)

@Puerto Rico:Geography

Location: Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic

Geographic coordinates: 18 15 N, 66 30 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area: total: 9,104 sq km land: 8,959 sq km water: 145 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 501 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea : 12 nm

Climate: tropical marine, mild, little seasonal temperature variation

Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m

Natural resources: some copper and nickel, potential for onshore and offshore oil

Land use: arable land: 4% permanent crops : 5% permanent pastures: 26% forests and woodland: 16% other: 49% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 390 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts

Environment - current issues: the recent drought has caused water levels in reservoirs to drop and prompted water rationing for more than one-half of the population

Environment - international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

Geography - note: important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north

@Puerto Rico:People

Population: 3,828,506 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 25% (male 485,782; female 463,226) 15-64 years: 65% (male 1,192,306; female 1,298,256) 65 years and over : 10% (male 170,170; female 218,766) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.93% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 17.21 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 7.87 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth : 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 11.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.49 years male : 70.04 years female: 79.22 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.08 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens) adjective: Puerto Rican

Ethnic groups: Hispanic

Religions: Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant denominations and other 15%

Languages: Spanish, English

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1980 est.)

@Puerto Rico:Government

Country name: conventional long form : Commonwealth of Puerto Rico conventional short form: Puerto Rico

Data code: RQ

Dependency status: commonwealth associated with the US

Government type: commonwealth

National capital: San Juan

Administrative divisions: none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities

Independence: none (commonwealth associated with the US)

National holiday: US Independence Day, 4 July (1776)

Constitution: ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952

Legal system: based on Spanish civil code

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections

Executive branch: chief of state: President of the US William Jefferson CLINTON (since 20 January 1993); Vice President Albert GORE, Jr. (since 20 January 1993) head of government : Governor Pedro ROSSELLO (since 2 January 1993) cabinet: NA elections : governor of Puerto Rico elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Pedro ROSSELLO reelected governor of Puerto Rico; percent of vote - NA

Legislative branch: bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (54 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections : Senate - last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); House of Representatives - last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 19, PPD 8, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 37, PPD 16, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects one representative to the US House of Representatives; elections last held 5 November 1996 (next to be held 7 November 2000); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PNP 1 (Carlos Romero BARCELO)

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Superior Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate; Municipal Courts, justices appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate

Political parties and leaders: National Republican Party of Puerto Rico, Luis FERRE; Popular Democratic Party (PPD), Hector ACEVEDO; New Progressive Party (PNP), Pedro ROSSELLO; Puerto Rican Independence Party (PIP), Ruben BERRIOS Martinez; Puerto Rican Communist Party (PCP), leader(s) unknown

Political pressure groups and leaders: Armed Forces for National Liberation (FALN); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Armed Forces of Popular Resistance

International organization participation: Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate), WToO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (commonwealth associated with the US)

Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the US flag

Economy

Economy - overview: Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income for the island, with estimated arrivals of nearly 3.9 million tourists in 1993.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $31.6 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $8,200 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5.1% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total: 1.3 million (1996) by occupation: government 22%, manufacturing 17%, trade 20%, construction 6%, communications and transportation 5%, other 30% (1993)

Unemployment rate: 14% (FY95/96 est.)

Budget: revenues : $5.1 billion expenditures: $5.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95)

Industries: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism

Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1994 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 4.47 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 16.82 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 4,231 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: livestock products, chickens; sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas

Exports: total value : $22.9 billion (f.o.b. 1996) commodities: pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment partners: US 88% (1995 est.)

Imports: total value: $19.1 billion (c.i.f. 1996) commodities: chemicals, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products partners : US 62% (1995 est.)

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid: none

Currency: 1 US dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: US currency is used

Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June

@Puerto Rico:Communications

Telephones: 1,166,231 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability domestic: digital telephone system with about 1 million lines (1990 est.); cellular telephone service international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US

Radio broadcast stations: AM 50, FM 63, shortwave 0

Radios: 2.565 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 9 note: cable television available with US programs (1990 est.)

Televisions: 952,000 (1992 est.)

@Puerto Rico:Transportation

Railways: total: 96 km narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service

Highways: total: 14,100 km paved : 14,100 km unpaved: 0 km (1995 est.

Ports and harbors: Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 22 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 20 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m : 7 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: paramilitary National Guard, Police Force

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the US

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

QATAR

@Qatar:Geography

Location: Middle East, peninsula bordering the Persian Gulf and Saudi Arabia

Geographic coordinates: 25 30 N, 51 15 E

Map references: Middle East

Area: total: 11,437 sq km land: 11,437 sq km water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Connecticut

Land boundaries: total: 60 km border countries: Saudi Arabia 60 km

Coastline: 563 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone : 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer

Terrain: mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and gravel

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Qurayn Aba al Bawl 103 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, fish

Land use: arable land: 1% permanent crops : NA% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: NA% other: 94% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 80 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: haze, dust storms, sandstorms common

Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources are increasing dependence on large-scale desalination facilities

Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note: strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major petroleum deposits

@Qatar:People

Population: 670,274 (July 1997 est.) note : includes 516,508 non-nationals (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 95,145; female 91,338) 15-64 years : 70% (male 339,892; female 131,429) 65 years and over: 2% (male 8,567; female 3,903) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 4.04% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 17.26 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 3.5 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 26.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth : 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 2.59 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.2 male(s)/female total population: 1.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 73.56 years male: 71.06 years female: 76.18 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.57 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Qatari(s) adjective: Qatari

Ethnic groups: Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%

Religions: Muslim 95%

Languages: Arabic (official), English commonly used as a second language

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79.4% male : 79.2% female: 79.9% (1995 est.)

@Qatar:Government

Country name: conventional long form: State of Qatar conventional short form : Qatar local long form: Dawlat Qatar local short form: Qatar note: closest approximation of the native pronunciation falls between cutter and gutter, but not like ka-tar (rhymes with guitar)

Data code: QA

Government type: traditional monarchy

National capital: Doha

Administrative divisions: 9 municipalities (baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Wakrah, Ar Rayyan, Jarayan al Batnah, Ash Shamal, Umm Salal

Independence: 3 September 1971 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 3 September (1971)

Constitution: provisional constitution enacted 19 April 1972

Legal system: discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is significant in personal matters

Suffrage: none

Executive branch: chief of state: Amir HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani (since 27 June 1995 when, as crown prince, he ousted his father, Amir KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani, in a bloodless coup); Crown Prince JASSIM bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani, third son of the amir (selected crown prince by the amir 22 October 1996); note - Amir HAMAD also holds the positions of minister of defense and commander-in-chief of the armed forces head of government: Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Khalifa Al Thani, brother of the amir (since 30 October 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the amir elections: none; the amir is an absolute monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Advisory Council or Majlis al-Shura (35 seats; members appointed by the amir) note: the constitution calls for elections for part of this consultative body, but no elections have been held since 1970, when there were partial elections to the body; Council members have had their terms extended every four years since

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO (pending member), ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador-designate Saad Muhammad al-KUBAYSI chancery: Suite 200, 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 274-1600

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick N. THEROS embassy: 149 Ahmed Bin Ali St., Fariq Bin Omran (opposite the television station), Doha mailing address: P. O. Box 2399, Doha; pouch address - AMEMB Doha, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6130 telephone: [974] 864701 through 864703 FAX: [974] 861669

Flag description: maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points) on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview: Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for more than 30% of GDP, roughly 80% of export earnings, and 66% of government revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.7 billion barrels should ensure continued output at current levels for about 23 years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP comparable to the leading West European industrial countries. Qatar's proved reserves of natural gas exceed 7 trillion cubic meters, more than 5% of the world total, third largest in the world. Production and export of natural gas are becoming increasingly important. Long-term goals feature the development of off-shore petroleum and the diversification of the economy.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.5% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,300 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1% industry: 45% services: 54% (1993 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.2% (1995)

Labor force: total: 233,000 (1993 est.) note: 83.49% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget: revenues : $3 billion expenditures: $3.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97)

Industries: crude oil production and refining, fertilizers, petrochemicals, steel reinforcing bars, cement

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: 1.3 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 5.5 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 10,095 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: fruits, vegetables; poultry, dairy products, beef; fish (all on small scale)

Exports: total value: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: petroleum products 80%, steel, fertilizers partners: Japan 54%, Singapore 7%, South Korea 6%, Australia 3%, UAE 3% (1995 est.)

Imports: total value: $4.4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities : machinery and equipment, consumer goods, food, chemicals partners: Italy 16%, Germany 11%, Japan 10%, UK 9%, France 9% (1995 est.)

Debt - external: $5.7 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid: $NA

Currency: 1 Qatari riyal (QR) = 100 dirhams

Exchange rates: Qatari riyals (QR) per US$1 - 3.6400 riyals (fixed rate)

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

@Qatar:Communications

Telephones: 160,717 (1992 est.)

Telephone system: modern system centered in Doha domestic: NA international : tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 3, shortwave 0

Radios: 201,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (1988 est.)

Televisions: 205,000 (1992 est.)

@Qatar:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 1,210 km paved : 1,089 km unpaved: 121 km (1995 est.)

Pipelines: crude oil 235 km; natural gas 400 km

Ports and harbors: Doha, Halul Island, Umm Sa'id

Merchant marine: total: 19 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 512,456 GRT/850,858 DWT ships by type : combination ore/oil 2, container 3, cargo 11, oil tanker 3 (1996 est.)

Airports: 3 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m : 1 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 286,178 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 150,398 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 5,432 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $400 million (1996 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.5% (1996 est.)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: territorial dispute with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary with Bahrain; in 1996, agreed with Saudi Arabia to demarcate border per 1992 accord; that process is ongoing

REUNION

(overseas department of France)

@Reunion:Geography

Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar

Geographic coordinates: 21 06 S, 55 36 E

Map references: World

Area: total: 2,510 sq km land: 2,500 sq km water : 10 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Rhode Island

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 201 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea : 12 nm

Climate: tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

Terrain: mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m

Natural resources: fish, arable land

Land use: arable land: 17% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland : 35% other: 41% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 60 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano

Environment - current issues: NA

Environment - international agreements: party to: NA signed, but not ratified: NA

@Reunion:People

Population: 692,204 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 32% (male 114,655; female 109,301) 15-64 years: 62% (male 211,112; female 217,897) 65 years and over: 6% (male 16,211; female 23,028) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 1.87% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 23.4 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 4.71 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years : 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.08 years male: 72.03 years female: 78.29 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.69 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Reunionese (singular and plural) adjective : Reunionese

Ethnic groups: French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian

Religions: Roman Catholic 94%, Hindu, Islam, Buddhist

Languages: French (official), Creole widely used

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 79% male: 76% female: 80% (1982 est.)

@Reunion:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Department of Reunion conventional short form: Reunion local long form: none local short form : Ile de la Reunion

Data code: RE

Dependency status: overseas department of France

Government type: NA

National capital: Saint-Denis

Administrative divisions: none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US government, but there are four arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons

Independence: none (overseas department of France)

National holiday: National Day, Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

Legal system: French law

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President of France Jacques CHIRAC (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Robert POMMIES (since NA 1996) head of government : President of the General Council Christophe PAYET (since 4 April 1994) and President of the Regional Council Margarite SUDRE (since 25 June 1993) cabinet: NA elections: prefect appointed by the president of France on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils, who vote on party lines

Legislative branch: unicameral General Council (47 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) and unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve six-year terms) elections : General Council - last held NA March 1994 (next to be held NA 2000); Regional Council - last held 25 June 1993 (next to be held NA 1999) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PCR 12, PS 12, UDF 11, RPR 5, others 7; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UPF 17, Free-Dom Movement 13, PCR 9, PS 6 note : Reunion elects 3 representatives to the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 1992 (next to be held NA); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FRA 1, independent 1; Reunion also elects 5 deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 21 and 28 March 1993 (next to be held as a special election on 25 May - 1 June 1997); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PS 1, PCR 1, UPF 1, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel

Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre' Maurice PIHOUEE]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Ibrahim DINDAN]; Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; France-Reunion Future or FRA [Andre THIEN AH KOON]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Social Democrats or CDS; Union for France or UPF (includes RPR and UDF); Free-DOM Movement [Marguerite SUDRE]; National Front (FN), Alix MOREL

International organization participation: FZ, WFTU

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas department of France)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas department of France)

Flag description: the flag of France is used

Economy

Economy - overview: The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which recently amounted to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas indigenous groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $2.9 billion (1995 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 2.7% (1995 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $4,300 (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry : NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate - consumer price index: NA%

Labor force: total: 242,169 (1993) by occupation: agriculture 30%, industry 21%, services 49% (1981)

Unemployment rate: 35% (1994)

Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA

Industries: sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity - capacity: NA kW

Electricity - production: 1.09 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,670 kWh (1994)

Agriculture - products: sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn

Exports: total value: $171.776 million (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar

Imports: total value: $2.354 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities : manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products partners: France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy, Madagascar

Debt - external: $NA

Economic aid: recipient: substantial annual subsidies from France

Currency: 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Exchange rates: French francs (F) per US$1 - 5.4169 (January 1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994), 5.6632 (1993), 5.2938 (1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Reunion:Communications

Telephones: 191,647 (1993 est.)

Telephone system: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis domestic : modern open wire and microwave radio relay network international: radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 13, shortwave 0

Radios: 151,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (repeaters 18)

Televisions: 116,181 (1992 est.)

@Reunion:Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways: total: 2,784 km paved: 2,187 km unpaved: 597 km (1987 est.)

Ports and harbors: Le Port, Pointe des Galets

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 2 (1996)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: French forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie)

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 176,600 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 92,170 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 5,724 (1997 est.)

Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none

ROMANIA

@Romania:Geography

Location: Southeastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Ukraine

Geographic coordinates: 46 00 N, 25 00 E

Map references: Europe

Area: total: 237,500 sq km land: 230,340 sq km water : 7,160 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries: total : 2,508 km border countries: Bulgaria 608 km, Hungary 443 km, Moldova 450 km, Serbia and Montenegro 476 km (all with Serbia), Ukraine (north) 362 km, Ukraine (south) 169 km

Coastline: 225 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone : 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: temperate; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow and fog; sunny summers with frequent showers and thunderstorms

Terrain: central Transylvanian Basin is separated from the Plain of Moldavia on the east by the Carpathian Mountains and separated from the Walachian Plain on the south by the Transylvanian Alps

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Black Sea 0 m highest point : Moldoveanu 2,544 m

Natural resources: petroleum (reserves declining), timber, natural gas, coal, iron ore, salt

Land use: arable land: 41% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures : 21% forests and woodland: 29% other: 6% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 31,020 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: earthquakes most severe in south and southwest; geologic structure and climate promote landslides

Environment - current issues: soil erosion and degradation; water pollution; air pollution in south from industrial effluents; contamination of Danube delta wetlands

Environment - international agreements: party to : Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol

Geography - note: controls most easily traversable land route between the Balkans, Moldova, and Ukraine

@Romania:People

Population: 22,463,077 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 19% (male 2,223,136; female 2,130,497) 15-64 years : 68% (male 7,586,237; female 7,679,992) 65 years and over: 13% (male 1,186,948; female 1,656,267) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.28% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 9.8 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 11.75 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: -0.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 19.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.11 years male : 66.28 years female: 74.13 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.23 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Romanian(s) adjective: Romanian

Ethnic groups: Romanian 89.1%, Hungarian 8.9%, German 0.4%, Ukrainian, Serb, Croat, Russian, Turk, and Gypsy 1.6%

Religions: Romanian Orthodox 70%, Roman Catholic 6% (of which 3% are Uniate), Protestant 6%, unaffiliated 18%

Languages: Romanian, Hungarian, German

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male : 98% female: 95% (1992 est.)

@Romania:Government

Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form : Romania local long form: none local short form: Romania

Data code: RO

Government type: republic

National capital: Bucharest

Administrative divisions: 40 counties (judete, singular - judet) and 1 municipality* (municipiu); Alba, Arad, Arges, Bacau, Bihor, Bistrita-Nasaud, Botosani, Braila, Brasov, Bucuresti*, Buzau, Calarasi, Caras-Severin, Cluj, Constanta, Covasna, Dimbovita, Dolj, Galati, Gorj, Giurgiu, Harghita, Hunedoara, Ialomita, Iasi, Maramures, Mehedinti, Mures, Neamt, Olt, Prahova, Salaj, Satu Mare, Sibiu, Suceava, Teleorman, Timis, Tulcea, Vaslui, Vilcea, Vrancea

Independence: 1881 (from Turkey; republic proclaimed 30 December 1947)

National holiday: National Day of Romania, 1 December (1990)

Constitution: 8 December 1991

Legal system: former mixture of civil law system and communist legal theory; is now based on the Constitution of France's Fifth Republic

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state : President Emil CONSTANTINESCU (since 29 November 1996) head of government: Prime Minister Victor CIORBEA (since 12 December 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 3 November 1996, with runoff between the top two candidates held 17 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); prime minister appointed by the president election results: percent of vote - Emil CONSTANTINESCU 54.4%, Ion ILIESCU 45.6%

Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlament consists of the Senate or Senat (143 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Deputies or Adunarea Deputatilor (343 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote on a proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate - last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Deputies - last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - CDR 30.7%, PDSR 23.1%, USD 13.2%, UDMR 6.8%, PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.2%, others 17.5%; seats by party - CDR 53, PDSR 41, USD 23, UDMR 11, PRM 8, PUNR 7; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - CDR 30.2%, PDSR 21.5%, USD 12.9%, UDMR 6.6% PRM 4.5%, PUNR 4.4%, others 19.9%; seats by party - CDR 122, PDSR 91, USD 53, UDMR 25, PRM 19, PUNR 18, ethnic minorities 15

Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice, judges are appointed by the president on recommendation of the Superior Council of Magistrates

Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party or DP [Petre ROMAN]; Romanian Social Democratic Party or PSDR [Sergiu CUNESCU]; Party of Social Democracy in Romania or PDSR [Adrian NASTASE]; Democratic Union of Hungarians in Romania or UDMR [Bela MARKO]; National Liberal Party or PNL [Mircea IONESCU-QUINTUS]; National Peasants' Christian and Democratic Party or PNTCD [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romanian National Unity Party or PUNR [Valeriu TABARA]; Socialist Labor Party or PSM [Ilie VERDET]; Agrarian Democratic Party of Romania or PDAR [Victor SURDU]; The Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; Romania Mare Party (Greater Romanian Party) or PRM [Corneliu Vadim TUDOR]; Civic Alliance Party or PAC [Nicolae MANOLESCU, chairman]; Liberal Party '93 or PL-93 [Dinu PATRICIU]; National Liberal Party-Democratic Convention or PNL-CD [Nicolae CERVENI]; Socialist Party or PS [Tudor MOHORA] note: to increase their voting strength several of the above-mentioned parties united under umbrella organizations: PNTCD, PNL, and PNL-CD form the bulk of the Democratic Convention or CDR [Ion DIACONESCU]; PD and PSDR form the Union of Social Democrats or USD [Petre ROMAN]; and PAC and PL-93 form the National Liberal Alliance or ANL [Nicolae MANOLESCU]; PSM, PS, ANL, and numerous other small parties failed to gain representation in the most recent election

Political pressure groups and leaders: various human rights and professional associations

International organization participation: ACCT, BIS, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC, NAM (guest), NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UPU, WCL, WEU (associate partner), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mircea Dan GEOANA chancery: 1607 23rd Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 332-4846, 4848, 4851 FAX : [1] (202) 232-4748 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Alfred H. MOSES embassy: Strada Tudor Arghezi 7-9, Bucharest mailing address: American Consulate General (Bucharest), Unit 1315, APO AE 09213-1315 telephone: [40] (1) 210 01 49, 210 40 42 FAX: [40] (1) 210 03 95 branch office: Cluj-Napoca

Flag description: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and red; the national coat of arms that used to be centered in the yellow band has been removed; now similar to the flags of Andorra and Chad

Economy

Economy - overview: Romania, one of the poorer countries in Central and Eastern Europe, began the transition from Communism with a largely obsolete industrial base and a pattern of output unsuited to the country's needs. Over the past seven years, economic restructuring has lagged behind most other countries in the region. Consequently, economic performance is declining, with slowing GDP growth, ballooning budget deficits, accelerating inflation, a plunging exchange rate, and anemic foreign investment. Unemployment was low at about 6% at the end of 1996, but the rate will rise when restructuring gets underway. A new government elected in November 1996 promises to accelerate economic reform, restructuring, and privatization, introduce fiscal and monetary austerity, reduce the state's role in the economy, and open Romania to foreign investment. The government will tackle its formidable economic problems in two stages, with an emergency plan over the winter of 1996/97 to ensure social and political stability, followed by a radical structural reform program over its remaining three-and-one-half years aimed eventually at EU accession. At the same time, it wants to keep campaign promises to increase benefits to disadvantaged groups. Bucharest hopes to receive financial and technical assistance from international financial institutions and western governments and negotiations over a new IMF standby agreement are underway. If reform stalls, however, Romania's bond rating - just below investment grade - could fall and needed capital from both public and private sources could quickly dry up. Rich agricultural and oil resources are strengths for the future.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $113.2 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4.1% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,200 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20% industry: 33.4% services: 46.6% (1995)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 56.9% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total : 10.1 million (1996 est.) by occupation: industry 28.8%, agriculture 36.4%, other 34.8% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 6.1% (1996 est.)

Budget: revenues: $6 billion expenditures: $7.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)

Industries: mining, timber, construction materials, metallurgy, chemicals, machine building, food processing, petroleum production and refining

Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1996 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 22.06 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 52.48 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 2,245 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: wheat, corn, sugar beets, sunflower seed, potatoes, grapes; milk, eggs, meat

Exports: total value: $7.7 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: textiles and footwear 25.2%, metals and metal products 19.4%, fuels and mineral products 10.0%, chemicals 9.4%, other 36.0% (1995) partners : Germany 17.8%, Italy 15.6%, France 5.7%, Turkey 4.5%, Netherlands 3.0%, China 3.0% (1995)

Imports: total value : $93.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: fuels and minerals 25.1%, machinery and transport equipment 19.4%, food and agricultural goods 6.1%, chemicals 9.0%, other 40.4% (1995) partners: Germany 17.1%, Italy 13.2%, Russia 12.6%, France 5.2%, US 4.2%, Egypt 4.1% (1995)

Debt - external: $7.8 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $81 million (1993)

Currency: 1 leu (L) = 100 bani

Exchange rates: lei (L) per US$1 - 5,970 (January 1997), 3,085.39 (1996), 2,033.28 (1995), 1,655.09 (1994), 760.05 (1993), 307.95 (1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Romania:Communications

Telephones: 2.6 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system: domestic: poor service; 89% of telephone network is automatic; trunk network is microwave radio relay; roughly 3,300 villages with no service (February 1990 est.) international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; new digital international direct-dial exchanges are in Bucharest (1993 est.)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0 note: in 1995, 135 local radio stations were registered

Radios: 4.64 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 436 cable TV stations, 66 local TV stations

Televisions: 4.58 million (1992 est.)

@Romania:Transportation

Railways: total : 11,365 km broad gauge: 45 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 10,893 km 1.435-m gauge (3,723 km electrified; 3,060 km double track) narrow gauge: 427 km 0.760-m gauge (1994)

Highways: total : 153,170 km paved: 78,117 km (including 113 km of expressways) unpaved: 75,053 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 1,724 km (1984)

Pipelines: crude oil 2,800 km; petroleum products 1,429 km; natural gas 6,400 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: Braila, Constanta, Galati, Mangalia, Sulina, Tulcea

Merchant marine: total: 234 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,445,810 GRT/3,654,660 DWT ships by type: bulk 39, cargo 167, container 2, oil tanker 13, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1, railcar carrier 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 9 note : Romania owns an additional 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,025,108 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Bermuda, Cyprus, Liberia, Malta, and Syria (1996 est.)

Airports: 156 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 27 over 3,047 m: 4 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 129 2,438 to 3,047 m : 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 108 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Paramilitary Forces, Civil Defense

Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,884,704 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 4,955,267 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 201,752 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $650 million (1996)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.5% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: dispute with Ukraine over continental shelf of the Black Sea under which significant gas and oil deposits may exist; agreed to two-year negotiating period, after which either party can refer dispute to the International Court of Justice

Illicit drugs: important transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin transiting the Balkan route and small amounts of Latin American cocaine bound for Western Europe

RUSSIA

@Russia:Geography

Location: Northern Asia (that part west of the Urals is sometimes included with Europe), bordering the Arctic Ocean, between Europe and the North Pacific Ocean

Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references: Asia

Area: total: 17,075,200 sq km land: 16,995,800 sq km water: 79,400 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly less than 1.8 times the size of the US

Land boundaries: total : 19,917 km border countries: Azerbaijan 284 km, Belarus 959 km, China (southeast) 3,605 km, China (south) 40 km, Estonia 294 km, Finland 1,313 km, Georgia 723 km, Kazakstan 6,846 km, North Korea 19 km, Latvia 217 km, Lithuania (Kaliningrad Oblast) 227 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 167 km, Poland (Kaliningrad Oblast) 206 km, Ukraine 1,576 km

Coastline: 37,653 km

Maritime claims: continental shelf : 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: ranges from steppes in the south through humid continental in much of European Russia; subarctic in Siberia to tundra climate in the polar north; winters vary from cool along Black Sea coast to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from warm in the steppes to cool along Arctic coast

Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia; uplands and mountains along southern border regions

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m highest point: Mount El'brus 5,633 m

Natural resources: wide natural resource base including major deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and many strategic minerals, timber note: formidable obstacles of climate, terrain, and distance hinder exploitation of natural resources

Land use: arable land : 8% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 46% other: 42% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development; volcanic activity in the Kuril Islands; volcanoes and earthquakes on the Kamchatka Peninsula

Environment - current issues: air pollution from heavy industry, emissions of coal-fired electric plants, and transportation in major cities; industrial and agricultural pollution of inland waterways and sea coasts; deforestation; soil erosion; soil contamination from improper application of agricultural chemicals; scattered areas of sometimes intense radioactive contamination

Environment - international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography - note: largest country in the world in terms of area but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of the world; despite its size, much of the country lacks proper soils and climates (either too cold or too dry) for agriculture

@Russia:People

Population: 147,305,569 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years : 20% (male 15,258,810; female 14,683,485) 15-64 years: 67% (male 47,945,470; female 51,067,792) 65 years and over: 13% (male 5,645,915; female 12,704,097) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: -0.29% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 9.52 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 14.84 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 2.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.44 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 23.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 64.81 years male: 58.39 years female: 71.56 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.35 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Russian(s) adjective: Russian

Ethnic groups: Russian 81.5%, Tatar 3.8%, Ukrainian 3%, Chuvash 1.2%, Bashkir 0.9%, Byelorussian 0.8%, Moldavian 0.7%, other 8.1%

Religions: Russian Orthodox, Muslim, other

Languages: Russian, other

Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male : 100% female: 97% (1989 est.)

@Russia:Government

Country name: conventional long form : Russian Federation conventional short form: Russia local long form: Rossiyskaya Federatsiya local short form: Rossiya former: Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic

Data code: RS

Government type: federation

National capital: Moscow

Administrative divisions: 49 oblasts (oblastey, singular - oblast'), 21 autonomous republics* (avtonomnyk respublik, singular - avtonomnaya respublika), 10 autonomous okrugs**(avtonomnykh okrugov, singular - avtonomnyy okrug), 6 krays*** (krayev, singular - kray), 2 federal cities (singular - gorod)****, and 1 autonomous oblast*****(avtonomnaya oblast'); Adygeya (Maykop)*, Aginskiy Buryatskiy (Aginskoye)**, Altay (Gorno-Altaysk)*, Altayskiy (Barnaul)***, Amurskaya (Blagoveshchensk), Arkhangel'skaya, Astrakhanskaya, Bashkortostan (Ufa)*, Belgorodskaya, Bryanskaya, Buryatiya (Ulan-Ude)*, Chechnya (Groznyy)*, Chelyabinskaya, Chitinskaya, Chukotskiy (Anadyr')**, Chuvashiya (Cheboksary)*, Dagestan (Makhachkala)*, Evenkiyskiy (Tura)**, Ingushetiya (Nazran')*, Irkutskaya, Ivanovskaya, Kabardino-Balkariya (Nal'chik)*, Kaliningradskaya, Kalmykiya (Elista)*, Kaluzkskaya, Kamchatskaya (Petropavlovsk-Kamchatskiy), Karachayevo-Cherkesiya (Cherkessk)*, Kareliya (Petrozavodsk)*, Kemerovskaya, Khabarovskiy***, Khakasiya (Abakan)*, Khanty-Mansiyskiy (Khanty-Mansiysk)**, Kirovskaya, Komi (Syktyvkar)*, Koryakskiy (Palana)**, Kostromskaya, Krasnodarskiy***, Krasnoyarskiy***, Kurganskaya, Kurskaya, Leningradskaya, Lipetskaya, Magadanskaya, Mariy-El (Yoshkar-Ola)*, Mordoviya (Saransk)*, Moskovskaya, Moskva****, Murmanskaya, Nenetskiy (Nar'yan-Mar)**, Nizhegorodskaya, Novgorodskaya, Novosibirskaya, Omskaya, Orenburgskaya, Penzenskaya, Permskaya, Komi-Permyatskiy (Kudymkar)**, Primorskiy (Vladivostok)***, Pskovskaya, Rostovskaya, Ryazanskaya, Sakha (Yakutiya)*, Sakhalinskaya (Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk), Samarskaya, Sankt-Peterburg****, Saratovskaya, Severnaya Osetiya-Alaniya (Vladikavkaz)*, Smolenskaya, Stavropol'skiy***, Sverdlovskaya (Yekaterinburg), Tambovskaya, Tatarstan (Kazan')*, Taymyrskiy (Dudinka)**, Tomskaya, Tul'skaya, Tverskaya, Tyumenskaya, Tyva (Kyzyl)*, Udmurtiya (Izhevsk)*, Ul'yanovskaya, Ust'-Ordynskiy Buryatskiy (Ust'-Ordynskiy)**, Vladimirskaya, Volgogradskaya, Vologodskaya, Voronezhskaya, Yamalo-Nenetskiy (Salekhard)**, Yaroslavskaya, Yevreyskaya*****; note - when using a place name with an adjectival ending 'skaya' or 'skiy', the word Oblast' or Avonomnyy Okrug or Kray should be added to the place name note : the autonomous republics of Chechnya and Ingushetia were formerly the autonomous republic of Checheno-Ingushetia (the boundary between Chechnya and Ingushetia has yet to be determined); the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg are federal cities; administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)

Independence: 24 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday: Independence Day, June 12 (1990)

Constitution: adopted 12 December 1993

Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state : President Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN (since 12 June 1991) head of government: Premier and Chairman of the Russian Federation Government Viktor Stepanovich CHERNOMYRDIN (since 14 December 1992), First Deputy Premiers and First Deputy Chairmen of the Government Anatoliy Borisovich CHUBAYS (since NA March 1997), Boris Y. NEMTSOV (since NA March 1997) cabinet: Ministries of the Government or "Government" appointed by the president note: there is also a Presidential Administration that drafts presidential edicts and provides staff and policy support to the entire executive branch; a Security Council that was originally established as a presidential advisory body in June 1991 with responsibility for managing individual and state security; a Defense Council and a Foreign Policy Council formed in July 1996 and October 1996 respectively elections: president elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 16 June 1996 with runoff election on 3 July 1996 (next to be held NA June 2000); note - no vice president; if the president dies in office, cannot exercise his powers because of ill health, is impeached, or resigns, the premier succeeds him; the premier serves as acting president until a new presidential election is held, which must be within three months; premier and deputy premiers appointed by the president with the approval of the Duma election results: Boris Nikolayevich YEL'TSIN elected president; percent of vote in runoff - YEL'TSIN 54%, Gennadiy ZYUGANOV 40%

Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Federalnoe Sobranie consists of the Federation Council or Sovet Federatsii (178 seats, filled ex-officio by the top executive and legislative officials in each of the 89 federal administrative units - oblasts, krays, republics, autonomous okrugs and oblasts, and the cities of Moscow and St. Petersburg; members serve four-year terms) and the State Duma or Gosudarstvennaya Duma (450 seats, half elected in single-member districts and half elected from national party lists; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections : State Duma - last held 17 December 1995 (next to be held NA December 1999) election results: State Duma - percent of vote received by parties clearing the 5% threshold entitling them to a proportional share of the 225 party list seats - Communist Party of the Russian Federation 22.3%, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 11.2%, Our Home Is Russia 10.1%, Yabloko Bloc 6.9%; seats by party - Communist Party of the Russian Federation 157, independents 78, Our Home Is Russia 55, Liberal Democratic Party of Russia 51, Yabloko Bloc 45, Agrarian Party of Russia 20, Russia's Democratic Choice 9, Power To the People 9, Congress of Russian Communities 5, Forward, Russia! 3, Women of Russia 3, other parties 15

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president; Superior Court of Arbitration, judges are appointed by the Federation Council on recommendation of the president

Political parties and leaders: pro-market democrats : Yabloko Bloc [Grigoriy YAVLINSKIY]; Russia's Democratic Choice Party [Yegor GAYDAR]; Forward, Russia! [Boris FEDOROV] centrists/special interest parties: Our Home Is Russia [Viktor CHERNOMYRDIN]; Russian People's Republican Party [Aleksandr LEBED]; Congress of Russian Communities [Dmitriy ROGOZIN]; Women of Russia [Alevtina FEDULOVA and Yekaterina LAKHOVA] anti-market and/or ultranationalist : Communist Party of the Russian Federation [Gennadiy ZYUGANOV]; Liberal Democratic Party of Russia [Vladimir ZHIRINOVSKIY]; Agrarian Party [Mikhail LAPSHIN]; Power To the People [Nikolay RYZHKOV and Sergey BABURIN]; Russian Communist Workers' Party [Viktor ANPILOV and Viktor TYULKIN] note: some 269 political parties, blocs, and associations tried to gather enough signatures to run slates of candidates in the 17 December 1995 Duma elections; 43 succeeded

Political pressure groups and leaders: NA

International organization participation: BIS (pending member), BSEC, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN (observer), CIS, EBRD, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, MINURSO, MTCR, NACC, NSG, OAS (observer), OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UN Security Council, UNAVEM III, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMIH, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNPREDEP, UNTAES, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Yuliy Mikhaylovich VORONTSOV chancery: 2650 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone : [1] (202) 298-5700 through 5704 FAX: [1] (202) 298-5735 consulate(s) general: New York, San Francisco, and Seattle

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires John F. TEFFT embassy : Novinskiy Bul'var 19/23, Moscow mailing address: APO AE 09721 telephone: [7] (095) 252-24-51 through 59 FAX: [7] (095) 956-42-61 consulate(s) general: St. Petersburg, Vladivostok, Yekaterinburg

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of white (top), blue, and red

Economy

Economy - overview: Russia, a vast country with a wealth of natural resources, a well-educated population, and a diverse, but declining, industrial base, continues to experience formidable difficulties in moving from its old centrally planned economy to a modern market economy. Most of 1996 was a lost year for economic reforms, with government officials focused in the first half of the year on President YEL'TSIN's reelection and then on his medical problems. The only major success was in the fight against inflation, which fell from 131% in 1995 to 22% in 1996. Russia failed to make any progress in restructuring its social welfare programs to target the most needy - among whom are many of the old pensioners - or to pass needed tax reform. While approximately 75% of industry has now been privatized, the agricultural sector has undergone little reform since the break-up of the Soviet Union. Stockholder rights remain weak while crime and corruption are rampant in much of the economy. Many enterprises continue to operate without hard budget constraints, resulting in barter trade and increased inter-enterprise debts. According to official statistics, the Russian economy declined for the fifth straight year since the beginning of reforms, with GDP in 1996 falling by 6% and industrial output by 5%. The true size of the Russian economy remains controversial, however, with estimates of unreported economic activity ranging from 20%-50% of GDP. Indeed, according to Russian statistics, the Russian consumer has seen a small improvement in the last several years, with real average incomes growing by about 8% from early 1993 to late 1996. The share of the Russian population living below the poverty line is said to have dropped from one-third in early 1993 to one-fifth in late 1996. Few Russians lack basic necessities, and ownership of consumer goods such as VCRs and automobiles has increased markedly. The growth of wage and pension arrears slowed in the second half of 1996, and the government pledged to clear all budget-funded wage and pension arrears by the end of 1997. The government continued to be plagued with tax collection problems during 1996, forcing it to cut its planned spending by 18%. A crackdown on major tax debtors at the end of the year had only limited success. Spending by all levels of government remains high, between 40%-45% of GDP. The economy is continuing its integration into world markets. Russia's trade surplus, after adjustment for unreported "shuttle" trade, grew to a record $28.5 billion in 1996, according to official Russian statistics. Export growth, which slowed from 18% to 9%, was due mostly to increased raw material prices. After increasing by 15% in 1995, imports dipped by 2% in 1996 as Russian demand for Western consumer goods slackened. Russia is continuing to make progress in its WTrO negotiations; the government has made quick accession one of its major policy goals. The continued unsettled economic and political situation has discouraged foreign investment, which totaled only $6.5 billion in 1996, including $2.1 billion in direct investment; furthermore, capital flight continues to exceed in volume the inflow of foreign capital. The central bank estimates that $30 billion in US currency circulates in the Russian economy. In March 1997, YEL'TSIN signaled his intention to restart stalled economic reforms by reorganizing the cabinet, bringing in a new team of ministers with strong reform credentials.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $767 billion (1996 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)

GDP - real growth rate: -6% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,200 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 22% (1996)

Labor force: total: 73 million (1996) by occupation : NA

Unemployment rate: 9.3% (December 1996) (according to ILO definition) with considerable additional underemployment

Budget: revenues : $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: complete range of mining and extractive industries producing coal, oil, gas, chemicals, and metals; all forms of machine building from rolling mills to high-performance aircraft and space vehicles; shipbuilding; road and rail transportation equipment; communications equipment; agricultural machinery, tractors, and construction equipment; electric power generating and transmitting equipment; medical and scientific instruments; consumer durables, textiles, foodstuffs, handicrafts

Industrial production growth rate: -5% (1996)

Electricity - capacity: 214.69 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 833.16 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 5,114 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: grain, sugar beets, sunflower seed, vegetables, fruits (because of its northern location does not grow citrus, cotton, tea, and other warm climate products); meat, milk

Exports: total value: $88.3 billion (1996) commodities : petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, wood and wood products, metals, chemicals, and a wide variety of civilian and military manufactures partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries

Imports: total value: $59.8 billion (1996) commodities : machinery and equipment, consumer goods, medicines, meat, grain, sugar, semifinished metal products partners: Europe, North America, Japan, Third World countries

Debt - external: $130 billion (yearend 1996)

Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $13 billion (1990-96) note : US commitments, including Ex-Im, $15 billion (1990-96); other countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1990-96), $125 billion

Currency: 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks

Exchange rates: rubles per US$1 - 5,727 (March 1997), 5,121 (1996), 4,559 (1995), 2,191 (1994), 992 (1993)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Russia:Communications

Telephones: 25.4 million (1993 est.)

Telephone system: total pay phones for long distant calls 34,100; enlisting foreign help, by means of joint ventures, to speed up the modernization of its telecommunications system; in 1992, only 661,000 new telephones were installed compared with 855,000 in 1991, and in 1992 the number of unsatisfied applications for telephones reached 11,000,000; expanded access to international electronic mail service available via Sprint network; the inadequacy of Russian telecommunications is a severe handicap to the economy, especially with respect to international connections domestic: NMT-450 analog cellular telephone networks are operational and growing in Moscow and St. Petersburg; intercity fiber-optic cable installation remains limited international: international traffic is inadequately handled by a system of satellites, landlines, microwave radio relay, and outdated submarine cables; much of this traffic passes through the international gateway switch in Moscow which carries most of the international traffic for the other countries of the Commonwealth of Independent States; a new Russian Intersputnik satellite will link Moscow and St. Petersburg with Rome from whence calls will be relayed to destinations in Europe and overseas; satellite earth stations - NA Intelsat, 4 Intersputnik (2 Atlantic Ocean Region and 2 Indian Ocean Region), NA Eutelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean Region), and NA Orbita

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there are about 1,050 (including AM, FM, and shortwave) radio broadcast stations throughout the country

Radios: 50 million (1993 est.)(radio receivers with multiple speaker systems for program diffusion 74,300,000)

Television broadcast stations: 7,183

Televisions: 54.85 million (1992 est.)

@Russia:Transportation

Railways: total: 154,000 km; note - 87,000 km in common carrier service (38,000 km electrified); 67,000 km serve specific industries and are not available for common carrier use broad gauge: 154,000 km 1.520-m gauge (1 January 1994)

Highways: total : 948,000 km (including 416,000 km which serve specific industries or farms and are not maintained by governmental highway maintenance departments) paved: 336,000 km unpaved: 612,000 km (including 411,000 km of graveled or other forms of macadam surface and 201,000 km of unstabilized earth) (1995 est.)

Waterways: total navigable routes in general use 101,000 km; routes with navigation guides serving the Russian River Fleet 95,900 km; routes with night navigational aids 60,400 km; man-made navigable routes 16,900 km (1 January 1994)

Pipelines: crude oil 48,000 km; petroleum products 15,000 km; natural gas 140,000 km (30 June 1993)

Ports and harbors: Arkhangel'sk, Astrakhan', Kaliningrad, Kazan', Khabarovsk, Kholmsk, Krasnoyarsk, Moscow, Murmansk, Nakhodka, Nevel'sk, Novorossiysk, Petropavlovsk, St. Petersburg, Rostov, Sochi, Tuapse, Vladivostok, Volgograd, Vostochnyy, Vyborg

Merchant marine: total: 660 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,731,677 GRT/7,940,756 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 24, cargo 348, chemical tanker 1, combination bulk 21, combination ore/oil 15, container 28, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 136, passenger 6, passenger-cargo 4, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 38, short-sea passenger 13, specialized tanker 2 note: Russia owns an additional 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,466,872 DWT operating under the registries of The Bahamas, Cyprus, Honduras, Liberia, Malta, Panama, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Singapore, and Vanuatu (1996 est.)

Airports: 2,517 (1994 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 630 over 3,047 m : 54 2,438 to 3,047 m: 202 1,524 to 2,437 m : 108 914 to 1,523 m: 115 under 914 m: 151 (1994 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1,887 over 3,047 m : 25 2,438 to 3,047 m: 45 1,524 to 2,437 m: 134 914 to 1,523 m: 291 under 914 m: 1,392 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 38,449,126 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 29,996,967 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 1,115,858 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA note : the Intelligence Community estimates that defense spending in Russia fell by about 10% in real terms in 1996, reducing Russian defense outlays to about one-sixth of peak Soviet levels in the late 1980s (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: inherited disputes from former USSR including sections of the boundary with China; islands of Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan and the Habomai group occupied by the Soviet Union in 1945, administered by Russia, claimed by Japan; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan; potential dispute with Ukraine over Crimea; Estonian and Russian negotiators reached a technical order agreement in December 1996, which Estonia is prepared to sign and ratify in January 1997; Estonia had claimed over 2,000 sq km of Russian territory in the Narva and Pechora regions - based on boundary established under the 1920 Peace Treaty of Tartu; based on the 1920 Treaty of Riga, Latvia had claimed the Abrene/Pytalovo section of the border ceded by the Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic to Russia in 1944; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; dispute with Lithuania over the position of the riparian and maritime boundary with Kaliningrad Oblast; Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute in the Barents Sea between Norway and Russia

Illicit drugs: limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has active eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for Southwest and Southeast Asian opiates and cannabis and Latin American cocaine to Western Europe and the US

RWANDA

Introduction

Current issues: following the outbreak of genocidal strife in Rwanda in April 1994 between Tutsi and Hutu factions, more than 2 million refugees fled to neighboring Burundi, Tanzania, Uganda and Democratic Republic of the Congo, formerly Zaire; according to the UN High Commission on Refugees, in 1996 and early 1997 nearly 1,300,000 Hutus returned to Rwanda; of these, 720,000 returned from Zaire, 480,000 from Tanzania, 88,000 from Burundi, and 10,000 from Uganda

@Rwanda:Geography

Location: Central Africa, east of Democratic Republic of the Congo

Geographic coordinates: 2 00 S, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 26,340 sq km land: 24,950 sq km water: 1,390 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland

Land boundaries: total: 893 km border countries: Burundi 290 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 217 km, Tanzania 217 km, Uganda 169 km

Coastline: 0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims: none (landlocked)

Climate: temperate; two rainy seasons (February to April, November to January); mild in mountains with frost and snow possible

Terrain: mostly grassy uplands and hills; relief is mountainous with altitude declining from west to east

Elevation extremes: lowest point: Rusizi River 950 m highest point : Volcan Karisimbi 4,519 m

Natural resources: gold, cassiterite (tin ore), wolframite (tungsten ore), natural gas, hydropower

Land use: arable land: 35% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures : 18% forests and woodland: 22% other: 12% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 40 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: periodic droughts; the volcanic Virunga mountains are in the northwest along the border with Democratic Republic of the Congo

Environment - current issues: deforestation results from uncontrolled cutting of trees for fuel; overgrazing; soil exhaustion; soil erosion

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified : Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea

Geography - note: landlocked; predominantly rural population

@Rwanda:People

Population: 7,737,537 (July 1997 est.) note : genocide and civil war in 1994 killed more than 1 million Rwandans and forced more than 2 million to flee to neighboring countries