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Information on the Arab States - compiled for the CIA as of 2/28/
Combat Arms BBS
P.O. Box 913
Portland, Oregon 97207-0913
Voice: (503) 223-3160
BBS: (503) 221-1777
Fido 1:105/68
THE ARAB STATES
Demographics and other statistics
Compiled by
Richard Bash
for
Dr. Grant Farr
February 28, 1994
TABLE OF CONTENTS
MOROCCO. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .4
ALGERIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
TUNISIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
LIBYA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
EGYPT. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
ISRAEL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35
GAZA STRIP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
WEST BANK. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
JORDAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
LEBANON. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
SYRIA. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
IRAQ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
IRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
AFGHANISTAN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
KUWAIT . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93
BAHRAIN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
QATAR. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .109
SAUDI ARABIA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .114
YEMEN. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .119
OMAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .126
INTRODUCTION
The material in this document was taken from the
United States Central Intelligence Agency's document on
the Internet, entitled The World Factbook, 1992
edition. The benefit to the reader is that this
material provides a great deal of demographic data not
otherwise readily obtainable. This material is
minimally "political" (everything is political).
Together with the lecture materials, class handouts and
assigned reading, this information will heighten your
understanding of the region and people.
Naturally I am aware that putting the state of
Israel in a document entitled "The Arab States" is
tantamount to either heresy or a scholarly faux pas.
The inclusion of Israel is deliberate: the geographical
position of Israel, and the thousands of Arabs (Jewish
and Muslim alike) within her borders, demands her
inclusion in such a document. Additionally, the
political instability in the Middle East requires that
any student be cognizant of the demographics of one of
the major parties to the peace/war process there.
Additionally, this compilation is hardly
"complete." Many countries of Arab heritage, such as
Sudan, have been deliberately left out, both for the
sake of focusing the attention on the Middle East and
because they are insignificant players in the Middle
East drama. As the time passes, it may prove fruitful
to include other countries in this compilation.
This material has been compiled for the use of the
students in Dr. Grant Farr's class, Religion and
Politics of the Middle East (SOC 510). An ASCII version
of this material is available for download from the
bulletin board number listed below. The filename is
ARABSTAT.ZIP.
Richard Bash Graduate student
Combat Arms BBS Ph.D. program in Public Admin. & Policy
P.O. Box 913 School of Urban and Public Affairs
Portland, Oregon 97207-0913 Portland State University
Voice: (503) 223-3160 Portland, Oregon
BBS: (503) 221-1777
Fido 1:105/68
Internet: [email protected]
Also: [email protected]
MOROCCO
Morocco Geography
Total area:
446,550 km2
Land area:
446,300 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
2,002 km; Algeria 1,559 km, Western Sahara 443 km
Coastline:
1,835 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty is
unresolved; the UN is attempting to hold a referendum; the
UN-administered cease-fire has been currently in effect
since September 1991 Spain controls five places of
sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of
Morocco - the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which
Morocco contests as well as the islands of Penon de
Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Climate:
Mediterranean, becoming more extreme in the interior
Terrain:
mostly mountains with rich coastal plains
Natural resources:
phosphates, iron ore, manganese, lead, zinc, fish, salt
Land use:
arable land 18%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
28%; forest and woodland 12%; other 41%; includes irrigated
1%
Environment:
northern mountains geologically unstable and subject to
earthquakes; desertification
Note:
strategic location along Strait of Gibraltar
Morocco People
Population:
26,708,587 (July 1992), growth rate 2.1% (1992)
Birth rate:
29 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
- 1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
56 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
63 years male, 67 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.7 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Moroccan(s); adjective - Moroccan
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 99.1%, non-Moroccan 0.7%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions:
Muslim 98.7%, Christian 1.1%, Jewish 0.2%
Languages:
Arabic (official); several Berber dialects; French is often
the language of business, government, and diplomacy
Literacy:
50% (male 61%, female 38%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
7,400,000; agriculture 50%, services 26%, industry 15%,
other 9% (1985)
Organized labor:
about 5% of the labor force, mainly in the Union of Moroccan
Workers (UMT) and the Democratic Confederation of Labor
(CDT)
Morocco Government
Long-form name:
Kingdom of Morocco
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Rabat
Administrative divisions:
37 provinces and 5 municipalities* (wilayas, singular -
wilaya); Agadir, Al Hoceima, Azilal, Beni Mellal, Ben
Slimane, Boulemane, Casablanca*, Chaouen, El Jadida, El
Kelaa des Srarhna, Er Rachidia, Essaouira, Fes, Fes*,
Figuig, Guelmim, Ifrane, Kenitra, Khemisset, Khenifra,
Khouribga, Laayoune, Larache, Marrakech, Marrakech*, Meknes,
Meknes*, Nador, Ouarzazate, Oujda, Rabat-Sale*, Safi,
Settat, Sidi Kacem, Tanger, Tan-Tan, Taounate, Taroudannt,
Tata, Taza, Tetouan, Tiznit
Independence:
2 March 1956 (from France)
Constitution:
10 March 1972
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French and Spanish civil law
system; judicial review of legislative acts in
Constitutional Chamber of Supreme Court
National holiday:
National Day (anniversary of King Hassan II's accession to
the throne), 3 March (1961)
Executive branch:
monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Representatives (Majlis Nawab)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
King HASSAN II (since 3 March 1961)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Dr. Azzedine LARAKI (since 30 September 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Morocco has 15 political parties; the major ones are
Istiqlal, M'Hamed BOUCETTA; Socialist Union of Popular
Forces (USFP); Popular Movement (MP), Secretariat General;
National Assembly of Independents (RNI), Ahmed OSMAN;
National Democratic Party (PND), Mohamed Arsalane EL-JADIDI;
Party for Progress and Socialism (PPS); Constitutional Union
(UC), Maati BOUABID
Suffrage:
universal at age 21
Elections:
Chamber of Representatives:
last held on 14 September 1984 (were scheduled for September
1990, but postponed until NA 1992); results - percent of
vote by party NA; seats - (306 total, 206 elected) CU 83,
RNI 61, MP 47, Istiqlal 41, USFP 36, PND 24, other 14
Communists:
about 2,000
Member of:
ABEDA, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC,
EBRD, ECA, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IIB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, OAS (observer), NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Morocco Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Mohamed BELKHAYAT; Chancery at 1601 21st Street
NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-7979; there is
a Moroccan Consulate General in New York
US:
Ambassador Frederick VREELAND; Embassy at 2 Avenue de
Marrakech, Rabat (mailing address is P. O. Box 120, Rabat,
or PSC 74, APO AE 09718; telephone [212] (7) 76-22-65; FAX
[212] (7) 76-56-61; there is a US Consulate General in
Casablanca
Flag:
red with a green pentacle (five-pointed, linear star) known
as Solomon's seal in the center of the flag; green is the
traditional color of Islam
Morocco Economy
Overview:
The economy had recovered moderately in 1990 because of: the
resolution of a trade dispute with India over phosphoric
acid sales, a rebound in textile sales to the EC, lower
prices for food imports, a sharp increase in worker
remittances, increased Arab donor aid, and generous debt
rescheduling agreements. Economic performance in 1991 was
mixed. A record harvest helped real GDP advance by 4.2%,
although nonagricultural output grew by less than 1%.
Inflation accelerated slightly as easier financial policies
triggered rapid credit and monetary growth. Despite recovery
of domestic demand, import volume growth slowed while export
volume was adversely affected by phosphate marketing
difficulties. In January 1992, Morocco reached a new
12-month standby arrangement for $129 million with the IMF.
In February 1992, the Paris Club rescheduled $1.4 billion of
Morocco's commercial debt. This is thought to be Morocco's
last rescheduling. By 1993 the Moroccan authorities hope to
be in a position to meet all debt service obligations
without additional rescheduling. Servicing this large debt,
high unemployment, and Morocco's vulnerability to external
economic forces remain severe long-term problems.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $27.3 billion, per capita $1,060;
real growth rate 4.2% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (1991 )
Unemployment rate:
16% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $7.5 billion; expenditures $7.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $1.9 billion (1992)
Exports:
$4.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
food and beverages 30%, semiprocessed goods 23%, consumer
goods 21%, phosphates 17%
partners:
EC 58%, India 7%, Japan 5%, USSR 3%, US 2%
Imports:
$6.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
capital goods 24%, semiprocessed goods 22%, raw materials
16%, fuel and lubricants 16%, food and beverages 13%,
consumer goods 9%
partners:
EC 53%, US 11%, Canada 4%, Iraq 3%, USSR 3%, Japan 2%
External debt:
$20 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 4% (1989 est.); accounts for an estimated 20% of
GDP
Electricity:
2,270,000 kW capacity; 8,170 million kWh produced, 310 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
phosphate rock mining and processing, food processing,
leather goods, textiles, construction, tourism
Agriculture:
50% of employment and 30% of export value; not
self-sufficient in food; cereal farming and livestock
raising predominate; barley, wheat, citrus fruit, wine,
vegetables, olives; fishing catch of 491,000 metric tons in
1987
Morocco Economy
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of hashish; trafficking on the increase for
both domestic and international drug markets; shipments of
hashish mostly directed to Western Europe; occasional
transit point for cocaine from South America destined for
Western Europe.
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.3 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $7.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $4.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.5
billion; $2.8 billion debt canceled by Saudi Arabia (1991);
IMF standby agreement worth $13 million; World Bank, $450
million (1991)
Currency:
Moroccan dirham (plural - dirhams); 1 Moroccan dirham (DH) =
100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Moroccan dirhams (DH) per US$1 - 8.889 (March 1992), 8.707
(1991), 8.242 (1990), 8.488 (1989), 8.209 (1988), 8.359
(1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Morocco Communications
Railroads:
1,893 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (246 km double track,
974 km electrified)
Highways:
59,198 km total; 27,740 km paved, 31,458 km gravel, crushed
stone, improved earth, and unimproved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 362 km; petroleum products (abandoned) 491 km;
natural gas 241 km
Ports:
Agadir, Casablanca, El Jorf Lasfar, Kenitra, Mohammedia,
Nador, Safi, Tangier; also Spanish-controlled Ceuta and
Melilla
Merchant marine:
51 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 315,249 GRT/487,479
DWT; includes 10 cargo, 2 container, 12 refrigerated cargo,
6 roll-on/roll-off, 3 petroleum tanker, 11 chemical tanker,
4 bulk, 3 short-sea passenger
Civil air:
28 major transport aircraft
Airports:
75 total, 67 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; 2
with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 27
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
good system composed of wire lines, cables, and radio relay
links; principal centers are Casablanca and Rabat; secondary
centers are Fes, Marrakech, Oujda, Tangier, and Tetouan;
280,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 20 AM, 7 FM, 26 TV
and 26 additional rebroadcast sites; 5 submarine cables;
satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1
ARABSAT; radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western
Sahara; coaxial cable and microwave to Algeria; microwave
network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia,
Algeria, and Morocco
Morocco Defense Forces
Branches:
Royal Moroccan Army, Royal Moroccan Navy, Royal Moroccan Air
Force, Royal Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 6,604,712; 4,196,449 fit for military service;
293,204 reach military age (18) annually; limited
conscription
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.1 billion, 4.2% of GDP (1992
budget)
ALGERIA
Algeria Geography
Total area:
2,381,740 km2
Land area:
2,381,740 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas
Land boundaries:
6,343 km total; Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463
km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western
Sahara 42 km
Coastline:
998 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria; land
boundary disputes with Tunisia under discussion
Climate:
arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers
along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high
plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially
common in summer
Terrain:
mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow,
discontinuous coastal plain
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead,
zinc
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures
13%; forest and woodland 2%; other 82%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment:
mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes;
desertification
Note:
second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan)
Algeria People
Population:
26,666,921 (July 1992), growth rate 2.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
31 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
56 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.1 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Algerian(s); adjective - Algerian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Literacy:
50% (male 63%, female 36%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1987)
Labor force:
3,700,000; industry and commerce 40%, agriculture 24%,
government 17%, services 10% (1984)
Organized labor:
16-19% of labor force claimed; General Union of Algerian
Workers (UGTA) is the only labor organization and is
subordinate to the National Liberation Front
Algeria Government
Long-form name:
Democratic and Popular Republic of Algeria
Type:
republic
Capital:
Algiers
Administrative divisions:
48 provinces (wilayast, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain
Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna,
Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira,
Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El
Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel,
Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila,
Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi,
Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes,
Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf,
Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen
Independence:
5 July 1962 (from France)
Constitution:
19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised
February 1989
Legal system:
socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review
of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council
composed of various public officials, including several
Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 1 November (1954)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral National People's Assembly (Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi
Al-Watani)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Mohamed BOUDIAF; assassinated 29 June 1992
Head of Government:
Interim Prime Minister Sid Ahmed GHOZALI (since 6 June 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
National Liberation Front (FLN); Socialist Forces Front
(FFS), Hocine Ait AHMED, Secretary General; the government
established a multiparty system in September 1989, and, as
of 31 December 1990, over 30 legal parties existed
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
National People's Assembly:
first round held on 26 December 1991 (second round canceled
by the military after President BENJEDID resigned 11 January
1992); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (281
total); the fundamentalist FIS won 188 of the 231 seats
contested in the first round; note - elections (municipal
and wilaya) were held in June 1990, the first in Algerian
history; results - FIS 55%, FLN 27.5%, other 17.5%, with 65%
of the voters participating
President:
next election to be held December 1993
Communists:
400 (est.); Communist party banned 1962
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-24,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Algeria Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Abderrahmane BENSID; Chancery at 2118 Kalorama
Road NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 265-2800
US:
Ambassador Mary Ann CASEY; Embassy at 4 Chemin Cheich Bachir
El-Ibrahimi, Algiers (mailing address is B. P. Box 549,
Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers); telephone [213] (2) 601-425 or
255, 186; FAX [213] (2) 603979; there is a US Consulate in
Oran
Flag:
two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white
with a red five-pointed star within a red crescent; the
crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of
Islam (the state religion)
Algeria Economy
Overview:
The oil and natural gas sector forms the backbone of the
economy. Algeria depends on hydrocarbons for nearly all of
its export receipts, about 30% of government revenues, and
nearly 25% of GDP. In 1973-74 the sharp increase in oil
prices led to a booming economy and helped to finance an
ambitious program of industrialization. Plunging oil and gas
prices, combined with the mismanagement of Algeria's highly
centralized economy, has brought the nation to its most
serious social and economic crisis since independence in
1988. The government has promised far-reaching reforms,
including privatization of some public- sector companies,
encouraging private-sector activity, boosting gas and
nonhydrocarbon exports, and proposing a major overhaul of
the banking and financial systems, but to date it has made
only limited progress.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $54 billion, per capita $2,130;
real growth rate 2.5% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
30% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $16.7 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $6.6 billion (1990 est.)
Exports:
$11.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and natural gas 97%
partners:
Netherlands, Czechoslovakia, Romania, Italy, France, US
Imports:
$9 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
capital goods 29%, consumer goods 30%
partners:
France 25%, Italy 8%, FRG 8%, US 6-7%
External debt:
$26.4 billion
Industrial production:
growth rate --3% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP,
including petroleum
Electricity:
6,380,000 kW capacity; 16,700 million kWh produced, 640 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum, light industries, natural gas, mining,
electrical, petrochemical, food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GDP and employs 24% of labor force; net
importer of food - grain, vegetable oil, and sugar; farm
production includes wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives,
citrus, fruits, sheep, and cattle
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-85), $1.4 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $925 million; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $1.8 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.7
billion; net official disbursements (1985-89), --$375
million
Currency:
Algerian dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Algerian dinar (DA) =
100 centimes
Exchange rates:
Algerian dinars (DA) per US$1 - 21.862 (January 1992),
18.473 (1991), 8.958 (1990), 7.6086 (1989), 5.9148 (1988),
4.8497 (1987)
Algeria Economy
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Algeria Communications
Railroads:
4,060 km total; 2,616 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 1,188 km
1.055-meter gauge, 256 km 1.000-meter gauge; 300 km
electrified; 215 km double track
Highways:
80,000 km total; 60,000 km concrete or bituminous, 20,000 km
gravel, crushed stone, unimproved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas
2,948 km
Ports:
Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel,
Mers el Kebir, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda
Merchant marine:
75 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,179 GRT/1,064,246
DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 27 cargo, 12
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 petroleum tanker, 9 liquefied gas,
7 chemical tanker, 9 bulk, 1 specialized tanker
Civil air:
42 major transport aircraft
Airports:
141 total, 124 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 2
with runways over 3,659 m; 32 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 65
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
excellent domestic and international service in the north,
sparse in the south; 822,000 telephones; broadcast stations
- 26 AM, no FM, 18 TV; 1,600,000 TV sets; 5,200,000 radios;
5 submarine cables; radio relay to Italy, France, Spain,
Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, l ARABSAT, and 15
domestic
Algeria Defense Forces
Branches:
National Popular Army, Navy, Air Force, Territorial Air
Defense, National Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 6,386,157; 3,928,029 fit for military service;
283,068 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $867 million, approximately 1.8%
of GDP (1992)
TUNISIA
Tunisia Geography
Total area:
163,610 km2
Land area:
155,360 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
1,424 km total; Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Coastline:
1,148 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
maritime boundary dispute with Libya; land boundary disputes
with Algeria under discussion
Climate:
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry
summers; desert in south
Terrain:
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south
merges into the Sahara
Natural resources:
crude oil, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Land use:
arable land 20%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures
19%; forest and woodland 4%; other 47%; includes irrigated
1%
Environment:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note:
strategic location in central Mediterranean; only 144 km
from Italy across the Strait of Sicily; borders Libya on
east
Tunisia People
Population:
8,445,656 (July 1992), growth rate 2.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
25 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
70 years male, 74 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.2 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Tunisian(s); adjective - Tunisian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab-Berber 98%, European 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish less than 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official); Arabic and French (commerce)
Literacy:
65% (male 74%, female 56%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,250,000; agriculture 32%; shortage of skilled labor
Organized labor:
about 360,000 members claimed, roughly 20% of labor force;
General Union of Tunisian Workers (UGTT), quasi-independent
of Constitutional Democratic Party
Tunisia Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Tunisia; note - may be changed to Tunisian
Republic
Type:
republic
Capital:
Tunis
Administrative divisions:
23 governorates; Beja, Ben Arous, Bizerte, Gabes, Gafsa,
Jendouba, Kairouan, Kasserine, Kebili, L'Ariana, Le Kef,
Mahdia, Medenine, Monastir, Nabeul, Sfax, Sidi Bou Zid,
Siliana, Sousse, Tataouine, Tozeur, Tunis, Zaghouan
Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)
Constitution:
1 June 1959
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some
judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in
joint session
National holiday:
National Day, 20 March (1956)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies (Majlis al-Nuwaab)
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation (Cour de Cassation)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November
1987)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Hamed KAROUI (since 26 September 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (RCD), President BEN
ALI (official ruling party); Movement of Democratic
Socialists (MDS), Mohammed MOUAADA; five other political
parties are legal, including the Communist Party
Suffrage:
universal at age 20
Elections:
President:
last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA April 1994);
results - Gen. Zine el Abidine BEN ALI was reelected without
opposition
Chamber of Deputies:
last held 2 April 1989 (next to be held NA April 1994);
results - RCD 80.7%, independents/Islamists 13.7%, MDS 3.2%,
other 2.4%; seats - (141 total) RCD 141
Member of:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC,
ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Ismail KHELIL; Chancery at 1515 Massachusetts
Avenue NW, Washington DC 20005; telephone (202) 862-1850
US:
Ambassador John T. McCARTHY; Embassy at 144 Avenue de la
Liberte, 1002 Tunis-Belvedere; telephone [216] (1) 782-566;
FAX [216] (1) 789-719
Flag:
red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent
nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and
star are traditional symbols of Islam
Tunisia Economy
Overview:
The economy depends primarily on petroleum, phosphates,
tourism, and exports of light manufactures. Following two
years of drought-induced economic decline, the economy made
a strong recovery in 1990 as a result of a bountiful
harvest, continued export growth, and higher domestic
investment. Continued high inflation and unemployment have
eroded popular support for the government, however, and
forced Tunis to slow the pace of economic reform.
Nonetheless, the government appears committed to
implementing its IMF-supported structural adjustment program
and to servicing its foreign debt.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $10.9 billion, per capita $1,320;
real growth rate 3.5% (1991)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.2% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
15% (1991)
Budget:
revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $5.4 billion, including
capital expenditures of $970 million (1992 est.)
Exports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
hydrocarbons, agricultural products, phosphates and
chemicals
partners:
EC 74%, Middle East 11%, US 2%, Turkey, USSR
Imports:
$4.9 billion (f.o.b., 1991)
commodities:
industrial goods and equipment 57%, hydrocarbons 13%, food
12%, consumer goods
partners:
EC 67%, US 6%, Canada, Japan, Switzerland, Turkey, Algeria
External debt:
$8.6 billion (1991)
Industrial production:
growth rate 5% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP,
including petroleum
Electricity:
1,493,000 kW capacity; 4,210 million kWh produced, 530 kWh
per capita (1989)
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore),
tourism, textiles, footwear, food, beverages
Agriculture:
accounts for 16% of GDP and one-third of labor force; output
subject to severe fluctuations because of frequent droughts;
export crops - olives, dates, oranges, almonds; other
products - grain, sugar beets, wine grapes, poultry, beef,
dairy; not self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 99,200
metric tons (1987)
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $730 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $5.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $684 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $410
million
Currency:
Tunisian dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Tunisian dinar (TD) =
1,000 millimes
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TD) per US$1 - 0.9272 (March 1992), 0.9246
(1991), 0.8783 (1990), 0.9493 (1989), 0.8578 (1988), 0.8287
(1987)
Tunisia Economy
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Tunisia Communications
Railroads:
2,115 km total; 465 km 1.435-meter (standard) gauge; 1,650
km 1.000-meter gauge
Highways:
17,700 km total; 9,100 km bituminous; 8,600 km improved and
unimproved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 797 km, petroleum products 86 km, natural gas 742
km
Ports:
Bizerte, Gabes, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, La Goulette, Zarzis
Merchant marine:
21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 160,069 GRT/218,791
DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 4 cargo, 2
roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 petroleum tanker, 6 chemical
tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk
Civil air:
19 major transport aircraft
Airports:
29 total, 26 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
the system is above the African average; facilities consist
of open-wire lines, coaxial cable, and radio relay; key
centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; 233,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 7 AM, 8 FM, 19 TV; 5
submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic
Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT with back-up control station;
coaxial cable to Algeria and Libya; radio relay to Algeria,
and Libya
Tunisia Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary forces, National Guard
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 2,117,864; 1,217,819 fit for military service;
88,619 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $520 million, 5% of GDP (1992
budget)
LIBYA
Libya Geography
Total area:
1,759,540 km2
Land area:
1,759,540 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
4,383 km; Algeria 982 km, Chad 1,055 km, Egypt 1,150 km,
Niger 354 km, Sudan 383 km, Tunisia 459 km
Coastline:
1,770 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Gulf of Sidra closing line:
32 degrees 30 minutes N
Disputes:
claims and occupies the 100,000 km2 Aozou Strip in northern
Chad; maritime boundary dispute with Tunisia; Libya claims
about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; Libya claims about
19,400 km2 in southeastern Algeria
Climate:
Mediterranean along coast; dry, extreme desert interior
Terrain:
mostly barren, flat to undulating plains, plateaus,
depressions
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, gypsum
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 8%;
forest and woodland 0%; other 91%; includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
hot, dry, dust-laden ghibli is a southern wind lasting one
to four days in spring and fall; desertification; sparse
natural surface-water resources
Note:
the Great Manmade River Project, the largest water
development scheme in the world, is being built to bring
water from large aquifers under the Sahara to coastal cities
Libya People
Population:
4,484,795 (July 1992), growth rate 3.0% (1992)
Birth rate:
36 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
60 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Libyan(s); adjective - Libyan
Ethnic divisions:
Berber and Arab 97%; some Greeks, Maltese, Italians,
Egyptians, Pakistanis, Turks, Indians, and Tunisians
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 97%
Languages:
Arabic; Italian and English widely understood in major
cities
Literacy:
64% (male 75%, female 50%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
1,000,000, includes about 280,000 resident foreigners;
industry 31%, services 27%, government 24%, agriculture 18%
Organized labor:
National Trade Unions' Federation, 275,000 members; General
Union for Oil and Petrochemicals; Pan-Africa Federation of
Petroleum Energy and Allied Workers
Libya Government
Long-form name:
Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya
Digraph:
Tripoli Administration divisions *** 25 municipalities
(baladiyah, singular - baladiyat; Ajdabiya, Al `Aziziyah, Al
Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah,
An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati', Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi,
Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan, Misratah, Murzuq, Sabha,
Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus, Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan
Type:
Jamahiriya (a state of the masses); in theory, governed by
the populace through local councils; in fact, a military
dictatorship
Capital:
Tripoli Administration divisions
Administrative divisions:
25 municipalities (baladiyah, singular - baladiyat;
Ajdabiya, Al 'Aziziyah, Al Fatih, Al Jabal al Akhdar, Al
Jufrah, Al Khums, Al Kufrah, An Nuqat al Khams, Ash Shati',
Awbari, Az Zawiyah, Banghazi, Darnah, Ghadamis, Gharyan,
Misratah, Murzuq Sabha, Sawfajjin, Surt, Tarabulus,
Tarhunah, Tubruq, Yafran, Zlitan
Independence:
24 December 1951 (from Italy)
Constitution:
11 December 1969, amended 2 March 1977
Legal system:
based on Italian civil law system and Islamic law; separate
religious courts; no constitutional provision for judicial
review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Revolution Day, 1 September (1969)
Executive branch:
revolutionary leader, chairman of the General People's
Committee (premier), General People's Committee (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral General People's Congress
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Revolutionary Leader Col. Mu`ammar Abu Minyar al-QADHAFI
(since 1 September 1969)
Head of Government:
Chairman of the General People's Committee (Premier) Abu
Zayd `umar DURDA (since 7 October 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
national elections are indirect through a hierarchy of
peoples' committees
Other political or pressure groups:
various Arab nationalist movements and the Arab Socialist
Resurrection (Ba'th) party with almost negligible
memberships may be functioning clandestinely, as well as
some Islamic elements
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAU, OIC,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Libya Government
Diplomatic representation:
none
Flag:
plain green; green is the traditional color of Islam (the
state religion)
Libya Economy
Overview:
The socialist-oriented economy depends primarily upon
revenues from the oil sector, which contributes practically
all export earnings and about one-third of GDP. Since 1980,
however, the sharp drop in oil prices and the resulting
decline in export revenues have adversely affected economic
development. In 1988 per capita GDP was the highest in
Africa at $5,410, but GDP growth rates have slowed and
fluctuate sharply in response to changes in the world oil
market. Import restrictions and inefficient resource
allocations have led to shortages of basic goods and
foodstuffs, although the reopening of the Libyan-Tunisian
border in April 1988 and the Libyan-Egyptian border in
December 1989 have somewhat eased shortages. Austerity
budgets and a lack of trained technicians have undermined
the government's ability to implement a number of planned
infrastructure development projects. Windfall revenues from
the hike in world oil prices in late 1990 improved the
foreign payments position and resulted in a current account
surplus for the first time in five years. The nonoil
manufacturing and construction sectors, which account for
about 22% of GDP, have expanded from processing mostly
agricultural products to include petrochemicals, iron,
steel, and aluminum. Although agriculture accounts for about
5% of GDP, it employs about 20% of the labor force. Climatic
conditions and poor soils severely limit farm output, and
Libya imports about 75% of its food requirements.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $28.9 billion, per capita $6,800;
real growth rate 9% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2% (1988 est.)
Budget:
revenues $8.1 billion; expenditures $9.8 billion, including
capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (1989 est.)
Exports:
$11 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum, peanuts, hides
partners:
Italy, USSR, Germany, Spain, France, Belgium/Luxembourg,
Turkey
Imports:
$7.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
machinery, transport equipment, food, manufactured goods
partners:
Italy, USSR, Germany, UK, Japan
External debt:
$3.5 billion, excluding military debt (1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate - 4%; accounts for 22% of GDP (not including
oil) (1989)
Electricity:
4,700,000 kW capacity; 13,700 million kWh produced, 3,100
kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum, food processing, textiles, handicrafts, cement
Agriculture:
5% of GNP; cash crops - wheat, barley, olives, dates, citrus
fruits, peanuts; 75% of food is imported
Economic aid:
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-87), $242 million; no longer a recipient
Libya Economy
Currency:
Libyan dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Libyan dinar (LD) = 1,000
dirhams
Exchange rates:
Libyan dinars (LD) per US$1 - 0.2743 (March 1992), 0.2669
(1991), 0.2699 (1990), 0.2922 (1989), 0.2853 (1988), 0.2706
(1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Libya Communications
Pipelines:
crude oil 4,383 km; natural gas 1,947 km; petroleum products
443 km (includes liquid petroleum gas 256 km)
Ports:
Tobruk, Tripoli, Banghazi, Misratah, Marsa al Burayqah, Ra's
Lanuf
Merchant marine:
30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 684,969 GRT/1,209,084
DWT; includes 3 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo, 4
roll-on/roll-off, 10 petroleum tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1
liquefied gas
Civil air:
59 major transport aircraft
Airports:
133 total, 120 usable; 53 with permanent-surface runways; 9
with runways over 3,659 m; 28 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
modern telecommunications system using radio relay, coaxial
cable, tropospheric scatter, and domestic satellite
stations; 370,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 17 AM, 3
FM, 12 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 14 domestic;
submarine cables to France and Italy; radio relay to Tunisia
and Egypt; tropospheric scatter to Greece; planned ARABSAT
and Intersputnik satellite stations
Libya Defense Forces
Branches:
Armed Peoples of the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya (including Army,
Navy, Air and Air Defense Command), National Police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,056,686; 624,027 fit for military service;
50,916 reach military age (17) annually; conscription now
being implemented
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, 11.1% of GDP (1987)
EGYPT
Egypt Geography
Total area:
1,001,450 km2
Land area:
995,450 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than three times the size of New Mexico
Land boundaries:
2,689 km; Gaza Strip 11 km, Israel 255 km, Libya 1,150 km,
Sudan 1,273 km
Coastline:
2,450 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
Exclusive economic zone:
undefined
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with
international boundary
Climate:
desert; hot, dry summers with moderate winters
Terrain:
vast desert plateau interrupted by Nile valley and delta
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, manganese,
limestone, gypsum, talc, asbestos, lead, zinc
Land use:
arable land 3%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 0%;
forest and woodland NEGL%; other
95%; includes irrigated 5%
Environment:
Nile is only perennial water source; increasing soil
salinization below Aswan High Dam; hot, driving windstorm
called khamsin occurs in spring; water pollution;
desertification
Note:
controls Sinai Peninsula, only land bridge between Africa
and remainder of Eastern Hemisphere; controls Suez Canal,
shortest sea link between Indian Ocean and Mediterranean;
size and juxtaposition to Israel establish its major role in
Middle Eastern geopolitics
Egypt People
Population:
56,368,950 (July 1992), growth rate 2.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
33 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
80 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
58 years male, 62 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Egyptian(s); adjective - Egyptian
Ethnic divisions:
Eastern Hamitic stock 90%; Greek, Italian, Syro-Lebanese 10%
Religions:
(official estimate) Muslim (mostly Sunni) 94%; Coptic
Christian and other 6%
Languages:
Arabic (official); English and French widely understood by
educated classes
Literacy:
48% (male 63%, female 34%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
15,000,000 (1989 est.); government, public sector
enterprises, and armed forces 36%; agriculture 34%;
privately owned service and manufacturing enterprises 20%
(1984); shortage of skilled labor; 2,500,000 Egyptians work
abroad, mostly in Iraq and the Gulf Arab states (1988 est.)
Organized labor:
2,500,000 (est.)
Egypt Government
Long-form name:
Arab Republic of Egypt
Type:
republic
Capital:
Cairo
Administrative divisions:
26 governorates (muhafazah, singular - muhafazah); Ad
Daqahliyah, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buchayrah, Al Fayyum, Al
Gharbiyah, Al Iskandariyah, Al Isma`iliyah, Al Jizah, Al
Minufiyah, Al Minya, Al Qahirah, Al Qalyubiyah, Al Wadi al
Jadid, Ash Sharqiyah, As Suways, Aswan, Asyu`t, Bani Suwayf,
Bur Sa`id, Dumyat, Janub Sina, Kafr ash Shaykh, Matruh,
Qina, Shamal Sina, Suhaj
Independence:
28 February 1922 (from UK); formerly United Arab Republic
Constitution:
11 September 1971
Legal system:
based on English common law, Islamic law, and Napoleonic
codes; judicial review by Supreme Court and Council of State
(oversees validity of administrative decisions); accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 23 July (1952)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Assembly (Majlis al-Cha'b); note - there
is an Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura) that functions in a
consultative role
Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK (was made acting President
on 6 October 1981 upon the assassination of President SADAT
and sworn in as President on 14 October 1981)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Atef Mohammed Najib SEDKY (since 12 November
1986)
Political parties and leaders:
formation of political parties must be approved by
government; National Democratic Party (NDP), President
Mohammed Hosni MUBARAK, leader, is the dominant party; legal
opposition parties are Socialist Liberal Party (SLP), Kamal
MURAD; Socialist Labor Party, Ibrahim SHUKRI; National
Progressive Unionist Grouping (NPUG), Khalid MUHYI-AL-DIN;
Umma Party, Ahmad al-SABAHI; New Wafd Party (NWP), Fu'd
SIRAJ AL-DIN; Misr al-Fatah Party (Young Egypt Party), Ali
al-Din SALIH; The Greens Party, Hasan RAJAB; Nasserist Arab
Democratic Party, Dia' AL-DIN DAWOUD
Suffrage:
universal and compulsory at age 18
Elections:
Advisory Council:
last held 8 June 1989 (next to be held June 1995); results -
NDP 100%; seats - (258 total, 172 elected) NDP 172
People's Assembly:
last held 29 November 1990 (next to be held November 1995);
results - NDP 78.4%, NPUG 1.4%, independents 18.7%; seats -
(437 total, 444 elected) - including NDP 348, NPUG 6,
independents 83; note - most opposition parties boycotted
Egypt Government
President:
last held 5 October 1987 (next to be held October 1993);
results - President Hosni MUBARAK was reelected
Communists:
about 500 party members
Other political or pressure groups:
Islamic groups are illegal, but the largest one, the Muslim
Brotherhood, is tolerated by the government; trade unions
and professional associations are officially sanctioned
Member of:
ACC, ACCT (associate), AfDB, AFESD, AG (observer), AL, AMF,
CAEU, CCC, EBRD, ECA, ESCWA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77,
GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO,
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador El Sayed Abdel Raouf EL REEDY; Chancery at 2310
Decatur Place NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202)
232-5400; there are Egyptian Consulates General in Chicago,
Houston, New York, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Robert PELLETREAU; Embassy at Lazougi Street,
Garden City, Cairo (mailing address is APO AE 09839);
telephone [20] (2) 355-7371; FAX [20] (2) 355-7375; there is
a US Consulate General in Alexandria
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black
with the national emblem (a shield superimposed on a golden
eagle facing the hoist side above a scroll bearing the name
of the country in Arabic) centered in the white band;
similar to the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band;
also similar to the flag of Syria that has two green stars
and to the flag of Iraq, which has three green stars (plus
an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the
white band
Egypt Economy
Overview:
Egypt has one of the largest public sectors of all the Third
World economies, most industrial plants being owned by the
government. Overregulation holds back technical
modernization and foreign investment. Even so, the economy
grew rapidly during the late 1970s and early 1980s, but in
1986 the collapse of world oil prices and an increasingly
heavy burden of debt servicing led Egypt to begin
negotiations with the IMF for balance-of-payments support.
As part of the 1987 agreement with the IMF, the government
agreed to institute a reform program to reduce inflation,
promote economic growth, and improve its external position.
The reforms have been slow in coming, however, and the
economy has been largely stagnant for the past four years.
The addition of 1 million people every seven months to
Egypt's population exerts enormous pressure on the 5% of the
total land area available for agriculture.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $39.2 billion, per capita $720;
real growth rate 2% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
17% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $9.4 billion; expenditures $15.9 billion, including
capital expenditures of $6 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports:
$4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
crude oil and petroleum products, cotton yarn, raw cotton,
textiles, metal products, chemicals
partners:
EC, Eastern Europe, US, Japan
Imports:
$11.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
machinery and equipment, foods, fertilizers, wood products,
durable consumer goods, capital goods
partners:
EC, US, Japan, Eastern Europe
External debt:
$38 billion (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 7.3% (FY89 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP
Electricity:
13,500,000 kW capacity; 45,000 million kWh produced, 820 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
textiles, food processing, tourism, chemicals, petroleum,
construction, cement, metals
Agriculture:
accounts for 20% of GDP and employs more than one-third of
labor force; dependent on irrigation water from the Nile;
world's sixth-largest cotton exporter; other crops produced
include rice, corn, wheat, beans, fruit, vegetables; not
self-sufficient in food; livestock - cattle, water buffalo,
sheep, and goats; annual fish catch about 140,000 metric
tons
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $15.7 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-88), $10.1 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $2.9 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4
billion
Egypt Economy
Currency:
Egyptian pound (plural - pounds); 1 Egyptian pound (#E) =
100 piasters
Exchange rates:
Egyptian pounds (#E) per US$1 - 3.3310 (January 1992),
2.7072 (1990), 2.5171 (1989), 2.2233 (1988), 1.5183 (1987)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Egypt Communications
Railroads:
5,110 km total; 4,763 km 1,435-meter standard gauge, 347 km
0.750-meter gauge; 951 km double track; 25 km electrified
Highways:
51,925 km total; 17,900 km paved, 2,500 km gravel, 13,500 km
improved earth, 18,025 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo
Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta); Suez
Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by
oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 meters of water
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural gas
460 km
Ports:
Alexandria, Port Said, Suez, Bur Safajah, Damietta
Merchant marine:
150 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,019,182
GRT/1,499,880 DWT; includes 11 passenger, 5 short-sea
passenger, 2 passenger-cargo, 86 cargo, 3 refrigerated
cargo, 15 roll-on/roll-off, 12 petroleum tanker, 15 bulk, 1
container
Civil air:
50 major transport aircraft
Airports:
92 total, 82 usable; 66 with permanent-surface runways; 2
with runways over 3,659 m; 44 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 24
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
system is large but still inadequate for needs; principal
centers are Alexandria, Cairo, Al Mansurah, Ismailia, Suez
and Tanta; intercity connections by coaxial cable and
microwave; extensive upgrading in progress; 600,000
telephones (est.); broadcast stations - 39 AM, 6 FM, 41 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 INMARSAT, 1 ARABSAT; 5 submarine
coaxial cables; tropospheric scatter to Sudan; radio relay
to Libya, Israel, and Jordan
Egypt Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 13,911,006; 9,044,425 fit for military service;
563,321 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 6.4% of GDP (1991)
ISRAEL
Israel Header
Note:
The Arab territories occupied by Israel since the 1967 war
are not included in the data below. As stated in the 1978
Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Bush's
post-Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of the
West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with their
neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are
to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The Camp David
Accords further specify that these negotiations will resolve
the location of the respective boundaries. Pending the
completion of this process, it is US policy that the final
status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be
determined (see West Bank and Gaza Strip entries). On 25
April 1982 Israel relinquished control of the Sinai to
Egypt. Statistics for the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights are
included in the Syria entry.
Israel Geography
Total area:
20,770 km2
Land area:
20,330 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
1,006 km; Egypt 255 km, Jordan 238 km, Lebanon 79 km, Syria
76 km, West Bank 307, Gaza Strip 51 km
Coastline:
273 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
to depth of exploitation
Territorial sea:
6 nm
Disputes:
separated from Lebanon, Syria, and the West Bank by the 1949
Armistice Line; differences with Jordan over the location of
the 1949 Armistice Line that separates the two countries;
West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli occupied with status to
be determined; Golan Heights is Israeli occupied; Israeli
troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; water-sharing
issues with Jordan
Climate:
temperate; hot and dry in desert areas
Terrain:
Negev desert in the south; low coastal plain; central
mountains; Jordan Rift Valley
Natural resources:
copper, phosphates, bromide, potash, clay, sand, sulfur,
asphalt, manganese, small amounts of natural gas and crude
oil
Land use:
arable land 17%; permanent crops 5%; meadows and pastures
40%; forest and woodland 6%; other 32%; includes irrigated
11%
Environment:
sandstorms may occur during spring and summer; limited
arable land and natural water resources pose serious
constraints; deforestation
Note:
there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West Bank, 38 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 18 in the Gaza Strip, and 14
Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem
Israel People
Population:
4,748,059 (July 1992), growth rate 4.0% (1992); includes
95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank, 14,000 in the
Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, 4,000 in the Gaza Strip, and
132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
26 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
9 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
76 years male, 80 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Israeli(s); adjective - Israeli
Ethnic divisions:
Jewish 83%, non-Jewish (mostly Arab) 17%
Religions:
Judaism 82%, Islam (mostly Sunni Muslim) 14%, Christian 2%,
Druze and other 2%
Languages:
Hebrew (official); Arabic used officially for Arab minority;
English most commonly used foreign language
Literacy:
92% (male 95%, female 89%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1983)
Labor force:
1,400,000 (1984 est.); public services 29.3%; industry,
mining, and manufacturing 22.8%; commerce 12.8%; finance and
business 9.5%; transport, storage, and communications 6.8%;
construction and public works 6.5%; personal and other
services 5.8%; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 5.5%;
electricity and water 1.0% (1983)
Organized labor:
90% of labor force
Israel Government
Long-form name:
State of Israel
Type:
republic
Capital:
Israel proclaimed Jerusalem its capital in 1950, but the US,
like nearly all other countries, maintains its Embassy in
Tel Aviv
Administrative divisions:
6 districts (mehozot, singular - mehoz); Central, Haifa,
Jerusalem, Northern, Southern, Tel Aviv
Independence:
14 May 1948 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)
Constitution:
no formal constitution; some of the functions of a
constitution are filled by the Declaration of Establishment
(1948), the basic laws of the parliament (Knesset), and the
Israeli citizenship law
Legal system:
mixture of English common law, British Mandate regulations,
and, in personal matters, Jewish, Christian, and Muslim
legal systems; in December 1985, Israel informed the UN
Secretariat that it would no longer accept compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day; Israel declared independence on 14 May
1948, but the Jewish calendar is lunar and the holiday may
occur in April or May
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, vice prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament (Knesset)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Chaim HERZOG (since 5 May 1983)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR (since 20 October 1986)
Political parties and leaders:
Israel currently has a coalition government comprising 12
parties that hold 66 of the Knesset's 120 seats; currently
in state of flux; election held 23 June 1992
Members of the government:
Likud bloc, Prime Minister Yitzhak SHAMIR; Sephardic Torah
Guardians (SHAS), Minister of Interior Arieh DER'I; National
Religious Party, Minister of Education Shulamit ALONI;
Agudat Israel, Avraham SHAPIRA; Degel HaTorah, Avraham
RAVITZ; Moriya, Minister of Immigrant Absorption, Yair
TZABAN; Ge'ulat Israel, Eliezer MIZRAHI; New Liberal Party,
Minister of Finance, Avraham SHOCHAT; Tehiya Party, Minister
of Science Technology, Yuval NEEMAN; Tzomet Party Unity for
Peace and Aliyah, Rafael EITAN; Moledet Party, Rehavam ZEEVI
Opposition parties:
Labor Party, Shimon PERES; Citizens' Rights Movement,
Shulamit ALONI; United Workers' Party (MAPAM), Yair TZABAN;
Center Movement-Shinui, Amnon RUBENSTEIN; New Israeli
Communist Party (MAKI), Meir WILNER; Progressive List for
Peace, Muhammad MI'ARI; Arab Democratic Party, `Abd Al Wahab
DARAWSHAH; Black Panthers, Charlie BITON
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Israel Government
Elections:
President:
last held 23 February 1988 (next to be held February 1994);
results - Chaim HERZOG reelected by Knesset
Knesset:
last held June 1992 (next to be held by NA; results -
percent of vote by party NA; seats - (120 total) Labor Party
44, Likud bloc 12, SHAS 6, National Religious Party 6,
Meretz 12, Agudat Yisrael 4, PAZI 3, MAKI 3, Tehiya Party 3,
Tzomet Party 8, Moledet Party 3, Degel HaTorah 4, Center
Movement Progressive List for Peace 1, Arab Democratic Party
2; Black Panthers 1, Moriya 1, Ge'ulat Yisrael 1, Unity for
Peace and Aliyah 1
Communists:
Hadash (predominantly Arab but with Jews in its leadership)
has some 1,500 members
Other political or pressure groups:
Gush Emunim, Jewish nationalists advocating Jewish
settlement on the West Bank and Gaza Strip; Peace Now,
critical of government's West Bank/Gaza Strip and Lebanon
policies
Member of:
AG (observer), CCC, EBRD, FAO, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, OAS (observer), PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Zalman SHOVAL; Chancery at 3514 International
Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 364-5500;
there are Israeli Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston,
Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York,
Philadelphia, and San Francisco
US:
Ambassador William HARROP; Embassy at 71 Hayarkon Street,
Tel Aviv (mailing address is APO AE 09830; telephone [972]
(3) 654338; FAX [972] (3) 663449; there is a US Consulate
General in Jerusalem
Flag:
white with a blue hexagram (six-pointed linear star) known
as the Magen David (Shield of David) centered between two
equal horizontal blue bands near the top and bottom edges of
the flag
Israel Economy
Overview:
Israel has a market economy with substantial government
participation. It depends on imports of crude oil, grains,
raw materials, and military equipment. Despite limited
natural resources, Israel has intensively developed its
agricultural and industrial sectors over the past 20 years.
Industry employs about 20% of Israeli workers, agriculture
5%, and services most of the rest. Diamonds, high-technology
equipment, and agricultural products (fruits and vegetables)
are leading exports. Israel usually posts
balance-of-payments deficits, which are covered by large
transfer payments from abroad and by foreign loans. Roughly
half of the government's $17 billion external debt is owed
to the United States, which is its major source of economic
and military aid. To earn needed foreign exchange, Israel
has been targeting high-technology niches in international
markets, such as medical scanning equipment. Iraq's invasion
of Kuwait in August 1990 dealt a blow to Israel's economy.
Higher world oil prices added an estimated $300 million to
the oil import bill that year and helped keep annual
inflation at 18%. Regional tension and the continuing
Palestinian uprising (intifadah) have contributed to a sharp
drop in tourism - a key foreign exchange earner - to the
lowest level since the 1973 Arab-Israeli war. The influx of
Jewish immigrants from the former USSR, which topped 330,000
during the period 1990-91, will increase unemployment,
intensify housing problems, widen the government budget
deficit, and fuel inflation.
GDP:
purchasing power equivalent - $54.6 billion, per capita
$12,000; real growth rate 5% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
11% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $41.7 billion; expenditures $47.6 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Exports:
$12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
polished diamonds, citrus and other fruits, textiles and
clothing, processed foods, fertilizer and chemical products,
military hardware, electronics
partners:
US, EC, Japan, Hong Kong, Switzerland
Imports:
$18.1 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
military equipment, rough diamonds, oil, chemicals,
machinery, iron and steel, cereals, textiles, vehicles,
ships, aircraft
partners:
US, EC, Switzerland, Japan, South Africa, Canada, Hong Kong
External debt:
$24 billion, of which government debt is $17 billion
(December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate - 7% (1991 est.); accounts for about 20% of GDP
Electricity:
5,300,000 kWh capacity; 21,000 million kWh produced, 4,800
kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
food processing, diamond cutting and polishing, textiles,
clothing, chemicals, metal products, military equipment,
transport equipment, electrical equipment, miscellaneous
machinery, potash mining, high-technology electronics,
tourism
Israel Economy
Agriculture:
accounts for about 3% of GDP; largely self-sufficient in
food production, except for grains; principal products -
citrus and other fruits, vegetables, cotton; livestock
products - beef, dairy, and poultry
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-90), $18.2 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $2.8 billion
Currency:
new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel
(NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.4019 (March 1992),
2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988),
1.5946 (1987)
Fiscal year:
previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 31
December, and since 1 January 1992 the fiscal year has
conformed to the calendar year
Israel Communications
Railroads:
600 km 1.435-meter gauge, single track; diesel operated
Highways:
4,750 km; majority is bituminous surfaced
Pipelines:
crude oil 708 km; petroleum products 290 km; natural gas 89
km
Ports:
Ashdod, Haifa
Merchant marine:
34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 629,966 GRT/721,106
DWT; includes 8 cargo, 23 container, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1
roll-on/roll-off; note - Israel also maintains a significant
flag of convenience fleet, which is normally at least as
large as the Israeli flag fleet; the Israeli flag of
convenience fleet typically includes all of its petroleum
tankers
Civil air:
32 major transport aircraft
Airports:
51 total, 44 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
most highly developed in the Middle East although not the
largest; good system of coaxial cable and radio relay;
1,800,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 14 AM, 21 FM, 20
TV; 3 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
Israel Defense Forces
Branches:
Israel Defense Forces, including ground, naval, and air
components; historically, there have been no separate
Israeli military services
Manpower availability:
eligible 15-49, 2,357,195; of the 1,189,275 males 15-49,
977,332 are fit for military service; of the 1,167,920
females 15-49, 955,928 are fit for military service; 44,624
males and 42,705 females reach military age (18) annually;
both sexes are liable for military service; Nahal or Pioneer
Fighting Youth, Frontier Guard, Chen
Defense expenditures:
$7.5 billion, 12.1% of GNP (1992 budget); note - does not
include pay for reserve soldiers and other defense-related
categories; actual outlays would therefore be higher
GAZA STRIP
Gaza Strip Geography
Total area:
380 km2
Land area:
380 km2
Comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
62 km; Egypt 11 km, Israel 51 km
Coastline:
40 km
Maritime claims:
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Disputes:
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate:
temperate, mild winters, dry and warm to hot summers
Terrain:
flat to rolling, sand- and dune- covered coastal plain
Natural resources:
negligible
Land use:
arable land 13%, permanent crops 32%, meadows and pastures
0%, forest and woodland 0%, other 55%
Environment:
desertification
Note:
The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967
ended with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights. As stated in the
1978 Camp David accords and reaffirmed by President Bush's
post - Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their
neighbors, and a peace treaty be-tween Israel and Jordan are
to be negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David
further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the
respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this
process, it is US policy that the final status of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the US
view, the term West Bank describes all of the area west of
the Jordan River under Jordanian administration before the
1967 Arab-Israeli war. With respect to negotiations
envisaged in the framework agreement, however, it is US
policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and
the rest of the West Bank because of the city's special
status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution
for the final status of Jerusalem could be different in
character from that of the rest of the West Bank. The Gaza
Strip is currently governed by Israeli military authorities
and Israeli civil administration; it is US policy that the
final status of the Gaza Strip will be determined by
negotiations among the concerned parties; these negotiations
will determine how this area is to be governed. There are 18
Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza Strip People
Population:
681,026 (July 1992), growth rate 3.6% (1992); in addition,
there are 4,000 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip (1992
est.)
Birth rate:
46 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
- 4 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
41 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
NA
Ethnic divisions:
Palestinian Arab and other 99.8%, Jewish 0.2%
Religions:
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 99%, Christian 0.7%, Jewish
0.3%
Languages:
Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew; English widely
understood
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
(excluding Israeli Jewish settlers) small industry, commerce
and business 32.0%, construction 24.4%, service and other
25.5%, and agriculture 18.1% (1984)
Organized labor:
NA
Gaza Strip Government
Long-form name:
none
Gaza Strip Economy
Overview:
In 1990 roughly 40% of Gaza Strip workers were employed
across the border by Israeli industrial, construction, and
agricultural enterprises, with worker remittances accounting
for about one-third of GNP. The construction, agricultural,
and industrial sectors account for about 15%, 12%, and 8% of
GNP, respectively. Gaza depends upon Israel for some 90% of
its external trade. Unrest in the territory in 1988-92
(intifadah) has raised unemployment and substantially
lowered the standard of living of Gazans. The Persian Gulf
crisis and its aftershocks also have dealt severe blows to
Gaza since August 1990. Worker remittances from the Gulf
states have plunged, unemployment has increased, and exports
have fallen dramatically. The area's economic outlook
remains bleak.
GNP:
exchange rate conversion - $380 million, per capita $590;
real growth rate - 30% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues $33.8 million; expenditures $33.3 million,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports:
$30 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
citrus
partners:
Israel, Egypt
Imports:
$255 million (c.i.f., 1989)
commodities:
food, consumer goods, construction materials
partners:
Israel, Egypt
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for about 8% of GNP
Electricity:
power supplied by Israel
Industries:
generally small family businesses that produce textiles,
soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs;
the Israelis have established some small-scale modern
industries in an industrial center
Agriculture:
accounts for about 12% of GNP; olives, citrus and other
fruits, vegetables, beef, dairy products
Economic aid:
NA
Currency:
new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels); 1 new Israeli shekel
(NIS) = 100 new agorot
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.2984 (January 1992),
2.2792 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988),
1.5946 (1987)
Fiscal year:
previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 3l
December, and since 1 January 1992 the fiscal year has
conformed to the calendar year
Gaza Strip Communications
Railroads:
one line, abandoned and in disrepair, some trackage remains
Highways:
small, poorly developed indigenous road network
Ports:
facilities for small boats to service the city of Gaza
Airports:
1 with permanent-surface runway less than 1,220 m
Telecommunications:
broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV
Gaza Strip Defense Forces
Branches:
NA
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 136,311; NA fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
WEST BANK
West Bank Header
Note:
The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967
ended with Israel in control of the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip, the Sinai, and the Golan Heights. As stated in the
1978 Camp David Accords and reaffirmed by President Bush's
post-Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status of the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip, their relationship with their
neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and Jordan are
to be negotiated among the concerned parties. Camp David
further specifies that these negotiations will resolve the
respective boundaries. Pending the completion of this
process, it is US policy that the final status of the West
Bank and the Gaza Strip has yet to be determined. In the
view of the US, the term West Bank describes all of the area
west of the Jordan River under Jordanian administration
before the 1967 Arab-Israeli war. However, with respect to
negotiations envisaged in the framework agreement, it is US
policy that a distinction must be made between Jerusalem and
the rest of the West Bank because of the city's special
status and circumstances. Therefore, a negotiated solution
for the final status of Jerusalem could
West Bank Geography
Total area:
5,860 km2
Land area:
5,640 km2; includes West Bank, East Jerusalem, Latrun
Salient, Jerusalem No Man's Land, and the northwest quarter
of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Delaware
Land boundaries:
404 km total; Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Israeli occupied with status to be determined
Climate:
temperate, temperature and precipitation vary with altitude,
warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Terrain:
mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but
barren in east
Natural resources:
negligible
Land use:
arable land 27%, permanent crops 0%, meadows and pastures
32%, forest and woodland 1%, other 40%
Environment:
highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal
aquifers
Note:
landlocked; there are 175 Jewish settlements in the West
Bank and 14 Israeli-built Jewish neighborhoods in East
Jerusalem
West Bank People
Population:
1,362,464 (July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992); in addition,
there are 95,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and
132,000 in East Jerusalem (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
35 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
37 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
68 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
NA
Ethnic divisions:
Palestinian Arab and other 88%, Jewish 12%
Religions:
Muslim (predominantly Sunni) 80%, Jewish 12%, Christian and
other 8%
Languages:
Arabic, Israeli settlers speak Hebrew, English widely
understood
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
NA; excluding Israeli Jewish settlers - small industry,
commerce, and business 29.8%, construction 24.2%,
agriculture 22.4%, service and other 23.6% (1984)
Organized labor:
NA
West Bank Government
Long-form name:
none
Note:
The West Bank is currently governed by Israeli military
authorities and Israeli civil administration. It is US
policy that the final status of the West Bank will be
determined by negotiations among the concerned parties.
These negotiations will determine how the area is to
governed.
West Bank Economy
Overview:
Economic progress in the West Bank has been hampered by
Israeli military administration and the effects of the
Palestinian uprising (intifadah). Industries using advanced
technology or requiring sizable investment have been
discouraged by a lack of local capital and restrictive
Israeli policies. Capital investment consists largely of
residential housing, not productive assets that would enable
local firms to compete with Israeli industry. A major share
of GNP is derived from remittances of workers employed in
Israel and Persian Gulf states, but such transfers from the
Gulf dropped dramatically after Iraq invaded Kuwait in
August 1990. In the wake of the Persian Gulf crisis, many
Palestinians have returned to the West Bank, increasing
unemployment, and export revenues have plunged because of
the loss of markets in Jordan and the Gulf states. Israeli
measures to curtail the intifadah also have pushed
unemployment up and lowered living standards. The area's
economic outlook remains bleak.
GNP:
exchange rate conversion - $1.3 billion, per capita $1,200;
real growth rate -10% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
15% (1990 est.)
Budget:
revenues $31.0 million; expenditures $36.1 million,
including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88)
Exports:
$150 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.)
commodities:
NA
partners:
Jordan, Israel
Imports:
$410 million (c.i.f., 1988 est.)
commodities:
NA
partners:
Jordan, Israel
External debt:
$NA
Industrial production:
growth rate 1% (1989); accounts for about 4% of GNP
Electricity:
power supplied by Israel
Industries:
generally small family businesses that produce cement,
textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl
souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale
modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Agriculture:
accounts for about 15% of GNP; olives, citrus and other
fruits, vegetables, beef, and dairy products
Economic aid:
NA
Currency:
new Israeli shekel (plural - shekels) and Jordanian dinar
(plural - dinars); 1 new Israeli shekel (NIS) = 100 new
agorot and 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) = 1,000 fils
West Bank Economy
Exchange rates:
new Israeli shekels (NIS) per US$1 - 2.4019 (March 1992),
2.2791 (1991), 2.0162 (1990), 1.9164 (1989), 1.5989 (1988),
1.5946 (1987); Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6760
(January 1992), 0.6810 (1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989),
0.3709 (1988), 0.3387 (1987)
Fiscal year:
previously 1 April - 31 March; FY91 was 1 April - 31
December, and since 1 January 1992 the fiscal year has
conformed to the calendar year
West Bank Communications
Highways:
small road network, Israelis developing east-west axial
highways to service new settlements
Airports:
2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
open-wire telephone system currently being upgraded;
broadcast stations - no AM, no FM, no TV
West Bank Defense Forces
Branches:
NA
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GDP
JORDAN
Jordan Geography
Total area:
91,880 km2
Land area:
91,540 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Indiana
Land boundaries:
1,586 km; Iraq 134 km, Israel 238 km, Saudi Arabia 742 km,
Syria 375 km, West Bank 97 km
Coastline:
26 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
differences with Israel over the location of the 1949
Armistice Line that separates the two countries
Climate:
mostly arid desert; rainy season in west (November to April)
Terrain:
mostly desert plateau in east, highland area in west; Great
Rift Valley separates East and West Banks of the Jordan
River
Natural resources:
phosphates, potash, shale oil
Land use:
arable land 4%; permanent crops 0.5%; meadows and pastures
1%; forest and woodland 0.5%; other 94%; includes irrigated
0.5%
Environment:
lack of natural water resources; deforestation; overgrazing;
soil erosion; desertification
Note:
The war between Israel and the Arab states in June 1967
ended with Israel in control of the West Bank. As stated in
the 1978 Camp David accords and reaffirmed by President
Bush's post - Gulf crisis peace initiative, the final status
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, their relationship with
their neighbors, and a peace treaty between Israel and
Jordan are to be negotiated among the concerned parties. The
Camp David accords also specify that these negotiations will
resolve the location of the respective boundaries. Pending
the completion of this process, it is US policy that the
final status of the West Bank and Gaza Strip has yet to be
determined.
Jordan People
Population:
3,557,304 (July 1992), growth rate 4.1% (1992); Palestinians
now constitute roughly two-thirds of the population; most
are Jordanian citizens
Birth rate:
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
5 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
38 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
70 years male, 73 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Jordanian(s); adjective - Jordanian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 98%, Circassian 1%, Armenian 1%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 92%, Christian 8%
Languages:
Arabic (official); English widely understood among upper and
middle classes
Literacy:
80% (male 89%, female 70%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
572,000 (1988); agriculture 20%, manufacturing and mining
20% (1987 est.)
Organized labor:
about 10% of labor force
Jordan Government
Long-form name:
Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan
Type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Amman
Administrative divisions:
8 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Balqa',
Al Karak, Al Mafraq, `Amman, At Tafilah, Az Zarqa', Irbid,
Ma`an
Independence:
25 May 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration; formerly Transjordan)
Constitution:
8 January 1952
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and French codes; judicial review of
legislative acts in a specially provided High Tribunal; has
not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 25 May (1946)
Executive branch:
monarch, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-`Umma) consists of an
upper house or House of Notables (Majlis al-A`ayan) and a
lower house or House of Representatives (Majlis al-Nuwaab);
note - the House of Representatives has been convened and
dissolved by the King several times since 1974 and in
November 1989 the first parliamentary elections in 22 years
were held
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation
Leaders:
Chief of State:
King HUSSEIN Ibn Talal Al Hashemi (since 11 August 1952)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Zayd bin SHAKIR (since 21 November 1991)
Political parties and leaders:
approximately 24 parties have been formed since the National
Charter, but the number fluctuates; after the 1989
parliamentary elections, King Hussein promised to allow the
formation of political parties; a national charter that sets
forth the ground rules for democracy in Jordan - including
the creation of political parties - was approved in
principle by the special National Conference on 9 June 1991,
but its specific provisions have yet to be passed by
National Assembly
Suffrage:
universal at age 20
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held 8 November 1989 (next to be held November 1993);
results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (80 total)
Muslim Brotherhood (fundamentalist) 22, Independent Islamic
bloc (generally traditionalist) 6, Democratic bloc (mostly
leftist) 9, Constitutionalist bloc (traditionalist) 17,
Nationalist bloc (traditionalist) 16, independent 10
Member of:
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, LORCS,
NAM, OIC, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Jordan Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Hussein A. HAMMAMI; Chancery at 3504
International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone
(202) 966-2664
US:
Ambassador Roger Gram HARRISON; Embassy on Jebel Amman,
Amman (mailing address is P. O. Box 354, Amman, or APO AE
09892); telephone [962] (6) 644-371
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of black (top), white, and
green with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
bearing a small white seven-pointed star; the seven points
on the star represent the seven fundamental laws of the
Koran
Jordan Economy
Overview:
Jordan benefited from increased Arab aid during the oil boom
of the late 1970s and early 1980s, when its annual GNP
growth averaged more than 10%. In the remainder of the
1980s, however, reductions in both Arab aid and worker
remittances slowed economic growth to an average of roughly
2% per year. Imports - mainly oil, capital goods, consumer
durables, and food - have been outstripping exports, with
the difference covered by aid, remittances, and borrowing.
In mid-1989, the Jordanian Government began
debt-rescheduling negotiations and agreed to implement an
IMF program designed to gradually reduce the budget deficit
and implement badly needed structural reforms. The Persian
Gulf crisis that began in August 1990, however, aggravated
Jordan's already serious economic problems, forcing the
government to shelve the IMF program, stop most debt
payments, and suspend rescheduling negotiations. Aid from
Gulf Arab states and worker remittances have plunged, and
refugees have flooded the country, straining government
resources. Economic recovery is unlikely without substantial
foreign aid, debt relief, and economic reform.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3.6 billion, per capita $1,100;
real growth rate 3% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
40% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.9 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
$1.0 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
phosphates, fertilizers, potash, agricultural products,
manufactures
partners:
India, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Indonesia, Ethiopia, UAE, China
Imports:
$2.3 billion (c.i.f., 1991 est.)
commodities:
crude oil, machinery, transport equipment, food, live
animals, manufactured goods
partners:
EC, US, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Turkey
External debt:
$9 billion (December 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 1% (1991 est.); accounts for 20% of GDP
Electricity:
1,025,000 kW capacity; 3,900 million kWh produced, 1,150 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
phosphate mining, petroleum refining, cement, potash, light
manufacturing
Agriculture:
accounts for about 7% of GDP; principal products are wheat,
barley, citrus fruit, tomatoes, melons, olives; livestock -
sheep, goats, poultry; large net importer of food
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.7 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $1.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $9.5 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $44
million
Currency:
Jordanian dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Jordanian dinar (JD) =
1,000 fils
Jordan Economy
Exchange rates:
Jordanian dinars (JD) per US$1 - 0.6861 (March 1992), 0.6807
1991), 0.6636 (1990), 0.5704 (1989), 0.3709 (1988), 0.3387
(1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Jordan Communications
Railroads:
619 km 1.050-meter gauge, single track
Highways:
7,500 km; 5,500 km asphalt, 2,000 km gravel and crushed
stone
Pipelines:
crude oil 209 km
Ports:
Al `Aqabah
Merchant marine:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 60,378 GRT/113,557 DWT;
includes 1 cargo and 1 petroleum tanker
Civil air:
23 major transport aircraft
Airports:
19 total, 15 usable; 14 with permanent-surface runways; 1
with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
adequate telephone system of microwave, cable, and radio
links; 81,500 telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM, 7 FM, 8
TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 domestic TV
receive-only; coaxial cable and microwave to Iraq, Saudi
Arabia, and Syria; microwave link to Lebanon is inactive;
participates in a microwave network linking Syria, Jordan,
Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria, and Morocco
Jordan Defense Forces
Branches:
Jordan Arab Army, Royal Jordanian Air Force, Royal Jordanian
Navy, Public Security Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 808,725; 576,934 fit for military service;
39,310 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $404 million, 9.5% of GDP (1990)
LEBANON
Lebanon Geography
Total area:
10,400 km2
Land area:
10,230 km2
Comparative area:
about 0.8 times the size of Connecticut
Land boundaries:
454 km; Israel 79 km, Syria 375 km
Coastline:
225 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Israeli
troops in southern Lebanon since June 1982; Syrian troops in
northern Lebanon since October 1976
Climate:
Mediterranean; mild to cool, wet winters with hot, dry
summers
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain; Al Biqa` (Bekaa Valley) separates
Lebanon and Anti-Lebanon Mountains
Natural resources:
limestone, iron ore, salt; water-surplus state in a
water-deficit region
Land use:
arable land 21%; permanent crops 9%; meadows and pastures
1%; forest and woodland 8%; other 61%; includes irrigated 7%
Environment:
rugged terrain historically helped isolate, protect, and
develop numerous factional groups based on religion, clan,
ethnicity; deforestation; soil erosion; air and water
pollution; desertification
Note:
Nahr al Litani only major river in Near East not crossing an
international boundary
Lebanon People
Population:
3,439,115 (July 1992), growth rate 1.6% (1992)
Birth rate:
28 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-5 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
43 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
66 years male, 71 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
3.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Lebanese (singular and plural); adjective - Lebanese
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 95%, Armenian 4%, other 1%
Religions:
Islam 75%, Christian 25%, Judaism NEGL%; 17 legally
recognized groups - 5 Islam (Alawite or Nusayri, Druze,
Isma`ilite, Shi`a, Sunni); 11 Christian, consisting of 4
Orthodox Christian (Armenian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox,
Nestorean, Syriac Orthodox), 6 Catholic (Armenian Catholic,
Caldean, Greek Catholic, Maronite, Roman Catholic, and
Syrian Catholic) and the Protestants; 1 Jewish
Languages:
Arabic and French (both official); Armenian, English
Literacy:
80% (male 88%, female 73%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
650,000; industry, commerce, and services 79%, agriculture
11%, government 10% (1985)
Organized labor:
250,000 members (est.)
Lebanon Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Lebanon; note - may be changed to Lebanese
Republic
Type:
republic
Capital:
Beirut
Administrative divisions:
5 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Biqa,
`Al Janub, Ash Shamal, Bayrut, Jabal Lubnan
Independence:
22 November 1943 (from League of Nations mandate under
French administration)
Constitution:
26 May 1926 (amended)
Legal system:
mixture of Ottoman law, canon law, Napoleonic code, and
civil law; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Independence Day, 22 November (1943)
Executive branch:
president, prime minister, Cabinet; note - by custom, the
president is a Maronite Christian, the prime minister is a
Sunni Muslim, and the speaker of the legislature is a Shi`a
Muslim
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Arabic - Majlis Alnuwab,
French - Assemblee Nationale)
Judicial branch:
four Courts of Cassation (three courts for civil and
commercial cases and one court for criminal cases)
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Ilyas HARAWI (since 24 November 1989)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Rashid SULH (since 13 May 1992)
Political parties and leaders:
political party activity is organized along largely
sectarian lines; numerous political groupings exist,
consisting of individual political figures and followers
motivated by religious, clan, and economic considerations;
most parties have well-armed militias, which are still
involved in occasional clashes
Suffrage:
compulsory for all males at age 21; authorized for women at
age 21 with elementary education
Elections:
National Assembly:
elections should be held every four years, but security
conditions have prevented elections since May 1972; in June
1991, the Cabinet appointed 40 new deputies to fill
vacancies and balance Christian and Muslim representation;
the legislature's mandate expires in 1994
Communists:
the Lebanese Communist Party was legalized in 1970; members
and sympathizers estimated at 2,000-3,000
Member of:
ABEDA, ACCT, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WTO
Lebanon Government
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador - no ambassador at present; Mission is headed by
Charge; Chancery at 2560 28th Street NW, Washington, DC
20008; telephone (202) 939-6300; there are Lebanese
Consulates General in Detroit, New York, and Los Angeles
US:
Ambassador Ryan C. CROCKER; Embassy at Antelias, Beirut
(mailing address is P. O. Box 70-840, Beirut, or Box B, FPO
AE 09836); telephone [961] 417774 or 415802, 415803, 402200,
403300
Flag:
three horizontal bands of red (top), white (double width),
and red with a green and brown cedar tree centered in the
white band
Lebanon Government
Note:
Between early 1975 and late 1976 Lebanon was torn by civil
war between its Christians - then aided by Syrian troops -
and its Muslims and their Palestinian allies. The cease-fire
established in October 1976 between the domestic political
groups generally held for about six years, despite
occasional fighting. Syrian troops constituted as the Arab
Deterrent Force by the Arab League have remained in Lebanon.
Syria's move toward supporting the Lebanese Muslims, and the
Palestinians and Israel's growing support for Lebanese
Christians, brought the two sides into rough equilibrium,
but no progress was made toward national reconciliation or
political reforms - the original cause of the war.
Continuing Israeli concern about the Palestinian presence in
Lebanon led to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in June 1982.
Israeli forces occupied all of the southern portion of the
country and mounted a summer-long siege of Beirut, which
resulted in the evacuation of the PLO from Beirut in
September under the supervision of a multinational force
(MNF) made up of US, French, and Italian troops. Within days
of the departure of the MNF, Lebanon's newly elected
president, Bashir Gemayel, was assassinated; his elder
brother Amin was elected to succeed him. In the immediate
wake of Bashir's death, however, Christian militiamen
massacred hundreds of Palestinian refugees in two Beirut
camps. This prompted the return of the MNF to ease the
security burden on Lebanon's weak Army and security forces.
In late March 1984 the last MNF units withdrew. In 1988,
President Gemayel completed his term of office. Because
parliamentarians failed to elect a presidential successor,
Gemayel appointed then Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) Commander
Gen. Michel Awn acting president. Lebanese parliamentarians
met in Ta'if, Saudi Arabia, in late 1989 and concluded a
national reconciliation pact that codified a new
power-sharing formula, specifying reduced powers for the
Christian president and giving Muslims more authority. Rene
MUAWAD was subsequently elected president on 4 November
1989, ending a 13-month period during which Lebanon had no
president and rival Muslim and Christian governments. MUAWAD
was assassinated 17 days later, on 22 November; on 24
November, Ilyas Harawi was elected to succeed MUAWAD. In
October 1990, the civil war was apparently brought to a
conclusion when Syrian and Lebanese forces ousted renegade
Christian General Awn from his stronghold in East Beirut.
Awn had defied the legitimate government and established a
separate ministate within East Beirut after being appointed
acting Prime Minister by outgoing President Gemayel in 1988.
Awn and his supporters feared Ta'if would diminish Christian
power in Lebanon and increase the influence of Syria. Awn
was granted amnesty and allowed to travel in France in
August 199l. Since the removal of Awn, the Lebanese
Government has made substantial progress in strengthening
the central government, rebuilding government institutions,
and extending its authority throughout the nation. The LAF
has deployed from Beirut north along the coast road to
Tripoli, southeast into the Shuf mountains, and south to
Sidon and Tyre. Many militiamen from Christian and Muslim
groups have evacuated Beirut for their strongholds in the
north, south, and east of the country. Some heavy weapons
possessed by the militias have been turned over to the
government, or sold outside the country, which has begun a
plan to integrate some militiamen into the military and the
internal security forces. Lebanon and Syria signed a treaty
of friendship and cooperation in May 1991. Lebanon continues
to be partially occupied by Syrian troops, which are
deployed in Beirut, its southern suburbs, the Bekaa Valley,
and northern Lebanon. Iran also maintains a small contingent
of revolutionary guards in the Bekaa Valley to support
Lebanese Islamic fundamentalist groups. Israel withdrew the
bulk of its forces from the south in 1985, although it still
retains troops in a 10-km-deep security zone north of its
border with Lebanon. Israel arms and trains the Army of
South Lebanon (ASL), which also occupies the security zone
and is Israel's first line of defense against attacks on its
northern border. The following description is based on the
present constitutional and customary practices of the
Lebanese system.
Lebanon Economy
Overview:
Since 1975 civil war has seriously damaged Lebanon's
economic infrastructure, cut national output by half, and
all but ended Lebanon's position as a Middle Eastern
entrepot and banking hub. Following October 1990, however, a
tentative peace has enabled the central government to begin
restoring control in Beirut, collect taxes, and regain
access to key port and government facilities. The battered
economy has also been propped up by a financially sound
banking system and resilient small- and medium-scale
manufacturers. Family remittances, banking transactions,
manufactured and farm exports, the narcotics trade, and
international emergency aid are main sources of foreign
exchange. In the relatively settled year of 1991, industrial
production, agricultural output, and exports showed
substantial gains. The further rebuilding of the war-ravaged
country could provide a major stimulus to the economy in
1992, provided that the political and military situation
remains reasonably calm.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $4.8 billion, per capita $1,400;
real growth rate NA (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
30% (1991)
Unemployment rate:
35% (1991 est.)
Budget:
revenues $533 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1991 est.)
Exports:
$700 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
agricultural products, chemicals, textiles, precious and
semiprecious metals and jewelry, metals and metal products
partners:
Saudi Arabia 16%, Switzerland 8%, Jordan 6%, Kuwait 6%, US
5%
Imports:
$1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.)
commodities:
NA
partners:
Italy 14%, France 12%, US 6%, Turkey 5%, Saudi Arabia 3%
External debt:
$900 million (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
1,381,000 kW capacity; 3,870 million kWh produced, 1,170 kWh
per capita (1989)
Industries:
banking, food processing, textiles, cement, oil refining,
chemicals, jewelry, some metal fabricating
Agriculture:
accounts for about one-third of GDP; principal products -
citrus fruits, vegetables, potatoes, olives, tobacco, hemp
(hashish), sheep, and goats; not self-sufficient in grain
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of opium and hashish for the international
drug trade; opium poppy production in Al Biqa` is
increasing; hashish production is shipped to Western Europe,
Israel, US, and the Middle East
Lebanon Economy
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $356 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $664 million; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $962 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $9
million
Currency:
Lebanese pound (plural - pounds); 1 Lebanese pound (#L) =
100 piasters
Exchange rates:
Lebanese pounds (#L) per US$1 - 879.00 (January 1992),
928.23 (1991), 695.09 (1990), 496.69 (1989), 409.23 (1988),
224.60 (1987)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Lebanon Communications
Railroads:
system in disrepair, considered inoperable
Highways:
7,300 km total; 6,200 km paved, 450 km gravel and crushed
stone, 650 km improved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 72 km (none in operation)
Ports:
Beirut, Tripoli, Ra'Sil`ata, Juniyah, Sidon, Az Zahrani,
Tyre
Merchant marine:
56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 236,196 GRT/346,760
DWT; includes 36 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 2 vehicle
carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off, 1 container, 8 livestock
carrier, 1 chemical tanker, 1 specialized tanker, 3 bulk, 1
combination bulk
Civil air:
19 major transport aircraft
Airports:
9 total, 8 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 3 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m; none under the direct control of
the Lebanese Government
Telecommunications:
rebuilding program disrupted; had fair system of microwave
relay, cable; 325,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 5 AM,
3 FM (numerous AM and FM radio stations are operated
inconsistently by various factions), 13 TV; 1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth
station, erratic operations; 3 submarine coaxial cables;
radio relay to Jordan inoperable, but operational to Syria,
coaxial cable to Syria
Lebanon Defense Forces
Branches:
Lebanese Armed Forces (LAF) (including Army, Navy, and Air
Force)
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 750,319; 465,938 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $271 million, 8.2% of GDP (1992
budget)
SYRIA
Syria Geography
Total area:
185,180 km2
Land area:
184,050 km2 (including 1,295 km2 of Israeli-occupied
territory)
Comparative area:
slightly larger than North Dakota
Land boundaries:
2,253 km total; Iraq 605 km, Israel 76 km, Jordan 375 km,
Lebanon 375 km, Turkey 822 km
Coastline:
193 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
6 nm beyond territorial sea limit
Territorial sea:
35 nm
Disputes:
separated from Israel by the 1949 Armistice Line; Golan
Heights is Israeli occupied; Hatay question with Turkey;
periodic disputes with Iraq over Euphrates water rights;
ongoing dispute over water development plans by Turkey for
the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate:
mostly desert; hot, dry, sunny summers (June to August) and
mild, rainy winters (December to February) along coast
Terrain:
primarily semiarid and desert plateau; narrow coastal plain;
mountains in west
Natural resources:
crude oil, phosphates, chrome and manganese ores, asphalt,
iron ore, rock salt, marble, gypsum
Land use:
arable land 28%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures
46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 20%; includes irrigated
3%
Environment:
deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Note:
there are 38 Jewish settlements in the Israeli-occupied
Golan Heights
Syria People
Population:
13,730,436 (July 1992), growth rate 3.8% (1992); in
addition, there are at least 14,500 Druze and 14,000 Jewish
settlers in the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights (1992 est.)
Birth rate:
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
7 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
45 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
65 years male, 67 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.9 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Syrian(s); adjective - Syrian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 90.3%; Kurds, Armenians, and other 9.7%
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 74%, Alawite, Druze, and other Muslim sects
16%, Christian (various sects) 10%, tiny Jewish communities
in Damascus, Al Qamishli, and Aleppo
Languages:
Arabic (official), Kurdish, Armenian, Aramaic, Circassian;
French widely understood
Literacy:
64% (male 78%, female 51%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
2,400,000; miscellaneous and government services 36%,
agriculture 32%, industry and construction 32%; majority
unskilled; shortage of skilled labor (1984)
Organized labor:
5% of labor force
Syria Government
Long-form name:
Syrian Arab Republic
Type:
republic; under leftwing military regime since March 1963
Capital:
Damascus
Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah,
Al Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar`a,
Dayr az Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif
Dimashq, Tartus
Independence:
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration); formerly United Arab Republic
Constitution:
13 March 1973
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and civil law system; special religious
courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 17 April (1946)
Executive branch:
president, three vice presidents, prime minister, three
deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council (Majlis al-Chaab)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court, High Judicial Council, Court
of Cassation, State Security Courts
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Hafiz al-ASAD (since 22 February 1971); Vice
Presidents `Abd al-Halim KHADDAM, Vice President Rif`at
al-ASAD, and Vice President Muhammad Zuhayr MASHARIQA (since
11 March 1984)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Mahmud ZU`BI (since 1 November 1987); Deputy
Prime Minister Lt. Gen. Mustafa TALAS (since 11 March 1984);
Deputy Prime Minister Salim YASIN (since NA December 1981);
Deputy Prime Minister Mahmud QADDUR (since NA May 1985)
Political parties and leaders:
ruling party is the Arab Socialist Resurrectionist (Ba`th)
Party; the Progressive National Front is dominated by
Ba`thists but includes independents and members of the
Syrian Arab Socialist Party (ASP), Arab Socialist Union
(ASU), Syrian Communist Party (SCP), Arab Socialist Unionist
Movement, and Democratic Socialist Union Party
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 2 December 1991 (next to be held December 1998);
results - President Hafiz al-ASAD was reelected for a fourth
seven-year term with 99.98% of the vote
People's Council:
last held 22-23 May 1990 (next to be held NA May 1994);
results - Ba`th 53.6%, ASU 3.2%, SCP 3.2%, Arab Socialist
Unionist Movement 2.8%, ASP 2%, Democratic Socialist Union
Party 1.6%, independents 33.6%; seats - (250 total) Ba`th
134, ASU 8, SCP 8, Arab Socialist Unionist Movement 7, ASP
5, Democratic Socialist Union Party 4, independents 84; note
- the People's Council was expanded to 250 seats total prior
to the May 1990 election
Syria Government
Communists:
Syrian Communist Party (SCP)
Other political or pressure groups:
non-Ba`th parties have little effective political influence;
Communist party ineffective; conservative religious leaders;
Muslim Brotherhood
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-24, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Walid MOUALEM; Chancery at 2215 Wyoming Avenue
NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-6313
US:
Ambassador Christopher W. S. ROSS; Embassy at Abu Rumaneh,
Al Mansur Street No. 2, Damascus (mailing address is P. O.
Box 29, Damascus); telephone [963] (11) 333052 or 332557,
330416, 332814, 332315, 714108, 337178, 333232; FAX [963]
(11) 718-687
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black
with two small green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line
centered in the white band; similar to the flag of Yemen,
which has a plain white band and of Iraq, which has three
green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal
line centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of
Egypt, which has a symbolic eagle centered in the white band
Syria Economy
Overview:
Syria's state-dominated Ba`thist economy has benefited from
the Gulf war, increased oil production, good weather, and
economic deregulation. Economic growth averaged nearly 12%
annually in 1990-91, buoyed by increased oil production and
improved agricultural performance. The Gulf war of early
1991 provided Syria an aid windfall of several billion
dollars from Arab, European, and Japanese donors. These
inflows more than offset Damascus's war-related costs and
will help Syria cover some of its debt arrears, restore
suspended credit lines, and initiate selected military and
civilian purchases. For the long run, Syria's economy is
still saddled with a large number of poorly performing
public sector firms; investment levels remain low; and
industrial and agricultural productivity is poor. A major
long-term concern is the additional drain of upstream
Euphrates water by Turkey when its vast dam and irrigation
projects are completed by mid-decade.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $30 billion, per capita $2,300;
real growth rate 11% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
25% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $5.4 billion; expenditures $7.5 billion, including
capital expenditures of $2.9 billion (1991 est.)
Exports:
$3.6 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
petroleum 40%, farm products 13%, textiles, phosphates
(1989)
partners:
USSR and Eastern Europe 42%, EC 31%, Arab countries 17%,
US/Canada 2% (1989)
Imports:
$2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1991 est.)
commodities:
foodstuffs and beverages 21%, metal and metal products 16%,
machinery 14%, textiles, petroleum products (1989)
partners:
EC 42%, USSR and Eastern Europe 13%, other Europe 13%,
US/Canada 8%, Arab countries 6% (1989)
External debt:
$5.2 billion in hard currency (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 6% (1991 est.); accounts for 17% of GDP
Electricity:
3,005,000 kW capacity; 8,800 million kWh produced, 680 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate
rock mining, petroleum
Agriculture:
accounts for 27% of GDP and one-third of labor force; all
major crops (wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas)
grown mainly on rainfed land causing wide swings in
production; animal products - beef, lamb, eggs, poultry,
milk; not self-sufficient in grain or livestock products
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $538 million;
Western (non-US) ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $1.23 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89),
$12.3 billion; former Communist countries (1970-89), $3.3
billion
Currency:
Syrian pound (plural - pounds); 1 Syrian pound (#S) = 100
piasters
Syria Economy
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds (#S) per US$1 - 22.0 (promotional rate since
1991), 11.2250 (fixed rate 1987-90), 3.9250 (fixed rate
1976-87)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Syria Communications
Railroads:
2,350 km total; 2,035 km standard gauge, 315 km 1.050-meter
(narrow) gauge
Highways:
28,000 km total; 22,000 km paved, 3,000 km gravel or crushed
stone, 3,000 km improved earth
Inland waterways:
672 km; minimal economic importance
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,304 km, petroleum products 515 km
Ports:
Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas
Merchant marine:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 85,417 GRT/138,078
DWT; includes 25 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle
carrier, 2 bulk
Civil air:
35 major transport aircraft
Airports:
104 total, 100 usable; 24 with permanent-surface runways;
none with runways over 3,659 m; 21 with runways 2,440-3,659
m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system currently undergoing significant improvement;
512,600 telephones; broadcast stations - 9 AM, 1 FM, 17 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1
Intersputnik, 1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and radio
relay to Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey
Syria Defense Forces
Branches:
Syrian Arab Army, Syrian Arab Navy, Syrian Arab Air Force,
Syrian Arab Air Defense Forces, Police and Security Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 3,012,671; 1,691,660 fit for military service;
145,976 reach military age (19) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, 8% of GDP (1989)
IRAQ
Iraq Geography
Total area:
436,245 km2
Land area:
435,292 km2 (est.)
Comparative area:
slightly more than twice the size of Idaho
Land boundaries:
3,576 km; Iran 1,458 km, Jordan 134 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi
Arabia 808 km, Syria 605 km, Turkey 331 km
Coastline:
58 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are
still trying to work out written agreements settling
outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning
border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt-al-Arab waterway;
in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security
Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept the
inviolability of the boundary set forth in its 1963
agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and
Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; a United Nations
Boundary Demarcation Commission is demarcating the
Iraq-Kuwait boundary persuant to Resolution 687, and, on 17
June 1992, the UN Security Council reaffirmed the finality
of the Boundary Demarcation Commission's decisions; periodic
disputes with upstream riparian Syria over Euphrates water
rights; potential dispute over water development plans by
Turkey for the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers
Climate:
mostly desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless
summers; northernmost regions along Iranian and Turkish
borders experience cold winters with occasionally heavy
snows
Terrain:
mostly broad plains; reedy marshes in southeast; mountains
along borders with Iran and Turkey
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, phosphates, sulfur
Land use:
arable land 12%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures
9%; forest and woodland 3%; other 75%; includes irrigated 4%
Environment:
development of Tigris-Euphrates Rivers system contingent
upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air
and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and
erosion; desertification
Iraq People
Population:
18,445,847 (July 1992), growth rate 3.7% (1992)
Birth rate:
45 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
84 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
62 years male, 64 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Iraqi(s); adjective - Iraqi
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%
Religions:
Muslim 97%, (Shi`a 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other
3%
Languages:
Arabic (official), Kurdish (official in Kurdish regions),
Assyrian, Armenian
Literacy:
60% (male 70%, female 49%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
4,400,000 (1989); services 48%, agriculture 30%, industry
22%, severe labor shortage; expatriate labor force about
1,600,000 (July 1990)
Organized labor:
less than 10% of the labor force
Iraq Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Iraq
Type:
republic
Capital:
Baghdad
Administrative divisions:
18 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Anbar, Al
Basrah, Al Muthanna, Al Qadisiyah, An Najaf, Arbil, As
Sulaymaniyah, At Ta'im, Babil, Baghdad, Dahuk, Dhi Qar,
Diyala, Karbala, Maysan, Ninawa, Salah ad Din, Wasit
Independence:
3 October 1932 (from League of Nations mandate under British
administration)
Constitution:
22 September 1968, effective 16 July 1970 (interim
Constitution); new constitution drafted in 1990 but not
adopted
Legal system:
based on Islamic law in special religious courts, civil law
system elsewhere; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Anniversary of the Revolution, 17 July (1968)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, chairman of the Revolutionary
Command Council, vice chairman of the Revolutionary Command
Council, prime minister, first deputy prime minister,
Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (Majlis al-Watani)
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President SADDAM Husayn (since 16 July 1979); Vice President
Taha Muhyi al-Din MA'RUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice
President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since 13 September
1991); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq `AZIZ (since NA 1979)
Suffrage:
universal adult at age 18
Elections:
National Assembly:
last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA); results -
Sunni Arabs 53%, Shi`a Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians 2%
est.; seats - (250 total) number of seats by party NA
Other political or pressure groups:
political parties and activity severely restricted; possibly
some opposition to regime from disaffected members of the
regime, Army officers, and Shi`a religious and Kurdish
ethnic dissidents
Member of:
ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19,
G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM,
OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Iraq has an Interest Section in the Algerian Embassy in
Washington, DC; Chancery at 1801 P Street NW, Washington, DC
20036; telephone (202) 483-7500
Iraq Government
US:
no US representative in Baghdad since mid-January 1991;
Embassy in Masbah Quarter (opposite the Foreign Ministry
Club), Baghdad (mailing address is P. O. Box 2447 Alwiyah,
Baghdad); telephone [964] (1) 719-6138 or 719-6139,
718-1840, 719-3791
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black
with three green five-pointed stars in a horizontal line
centered in the white band; the phrase Allahu Akbar (God is
Great) in green Arabic script - Allahu to the right of the
middle star and Akbar to the left of the middle star - was
added in January 1991 during the Persian Gulf crisis;
similar to the flag of Syria that has two stars but no
script and the flag of Yemen that has a plain white band;
also similar to the flag of Egypt that has a symbolic eagle
centered in the white band
Iraq Economy
Overview:
The Ba`thist regime engages in extensive central planning
and management of industrial production and foreign trade
while leaving some small-scale industry and services and
most agriculture to private enterprise. The economy has been
dominated by the oil sector, which has provided about 95% of
foreign exchange earnings. In the 1980s financial problems,
caused by massive expenditures in the eight-year war with
Iran and damage to oil export facilities by Iran, led the
government to implement austerity measures and to borrow
heavily and later reschedule foreign debt payments. After
the end of hostilities in 1988, oil exports gradually
increased with the construction of new pipelines and
restoration of damaged facilities. Agricultural development
remained hampered by labor shortages, salinization, and
dislocations caused by previous land reform and
collectivization programs. The industrial sector, although
accorded high priority by the government, also was under
financial constraints. Iraq's seizure of Kuwait in August
1990, subsequent international economic embargoes, and
military actions by an international coalition beginning in
January 1991 drastically changed the economic picture. Oil
exports were cut to near zero, and industrial and
transportation facilities were severely damaged. Throughout
1991, the UN's economic embargo worked to reduce exports and
imports and to increase prices for most goods. The
government's policy to allocate goods to key supporters of
the regime exacerbated shortages.
GNP:
$35 billion, per capita $1,940; real growth rate 10% (1989
est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
45% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
less than 5% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $NA billion; expenditures $NA billion, including
capital expenditures of NA (1989)
Exports:
$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
crude oil and refined products, fertilizer, sulfur
partners:
US, Brazil, Turkey, Japan, Netherlands, Spain (1990)
Imports:
$6.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
manufactures, food
partners:
FRG, US, Turkey, France, UK (1990)
External debt:
$45 billion (1989 est.), excluding debt of about $35 billion
owed to Arab Gulf states
Industrial production:
NA%; manufacturing accounts for 10% of GNP (1989)
Electricity:
3,800,000 kW available out of 9,902,000 kw capacity due to
Gulf war; 7,700 million kWh produced, 430 kWh per capita
(1991)
Industries:
petroleum production and refining, chemicals, textiles,
construction materials, food processing
Agriculture:
accounts for 11% of GNP but 30% of labor force; principal
products - wheat, barley, rice, vegetables, dates, other
fruit, cotton, wool; livestock - cattle, sheep; not
self-sufficient in food output
Iraq Economy
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $3 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $647 million; Communist countries
(1970-89), $3.9 billion
Currency:
Iraqi dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Iraqi dinar (ID) = 1,000
fils
Exchange rates:
Iraqi dinars (ID) per US$1 - 3.1 (fixed official rate since
1982); black-market rate (December 1991) US$1 = 12 Iraqi
dinars
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Iraq Communications
Railroads:
2,457 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
34,700 km total; 17,500 km paved, 5,500 km improved earth,
11,700 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways:
1,015 km; Shatt-al-Arab usually navigable by maritime
traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980
because of Iran-Iraq war; Tigris and Euphrates Rivers have
navigable sections for shallow-draft watercraft;
Shatt-al-Basrah canal was navigable by shallow-draft craft
before closing in 1991 because of the Persian Gulf war
Pipelines:
crude oil 4,350 km; petroleum products 725 km; natural gas
1,360 km
Ports:
Umm Qasr, Khawr az Zubayr, Al Basrah (closed since 1980)
Merchant marine:
42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 936,665 GRT/1,683,212
DWT; includes 1 passenger, 1 passenger-cargo, 16 cargo, 1
refrigerated cargo, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 19 petroleum
tanker, 1 chemical tanker; note - since the 2 August 1990
invasion of Kuwait by Iraqi forces, Iraq has sought to
register at least part of its merchant fleet under
convenience flags; none of the Iraqi flag merchant fleet was
trading internationally as of 1 January 1992
Civil air:
34 major transport aircraft (including 7 grounded in Iran;
excluding 12 IL-76s and 7 Kuwait Airlines)
Airports:
113 total, 98 usable; 73 with permanent-surface runways; 8
with runways over 3,659 m; 52 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
reconstitution of damaged telecommunication infrastructure
began after Desert Storm; the network consists of coaxial
cables and microwave links; 632,000 telephones; the network
is operational; broadcast stations - 16 AM, 1 FM, 13 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 GORIZONT Atlantic Ocean in the
Intersputnik system and 1 ARABSAT; coaxial cable and
microwave to Jordan, Kuwait, Syria, and Turkey
Iraq Defense Forces
Branches:
Army and Republican Guard, Navy, Air Force, Border Guard
Force, Internal Security Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 4,042,374; 2,272,578 fit for military service;
213,788 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA% of GNP
IRAN
Iran Geography
Total area:
1,648,000 km2
Land area:
1,636,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than Alaska
Land boundaries:
5,440 km; Afghanistan 936 km, Armenia 35 km, Azerbaijan
(north) 432 km, Azerbaijan (northwest) 179 km, Iraq 1,458
km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, Turkmenistan 992 km
Coastline:
2,440 km
note:
Iran also borders the Caspian Sea (740 km)
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Exclusive fishing zone:
50 nm in the Sea of Oman; continental shelf limit,
continental shelf boundaries, or median lines in the Persian
Gulf
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
Iran and Iraq restored diplomatic relations in 1990 but are
still trying to work out written agreements settling
outstanding disputes from their eight-year war concerning
border demarcation, prisoners-of-war, and freedom of
navigation and sovereignty over the Shatt-al-Arab waterway;
Iran occupies two islands in the Persian Gulf claimed by the
UAE: Tunb as Sughra (Arabic), Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek
(Persian) or Lesser Tunb, and Tunb al Kubra (Arabic),
Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg (Persian) or Greater Tunb; it
jointly administers with the UAE an island in the Persian
Gulf claimed by the UAE, Abu Musa (Arabic) or Jazireh-ye Abu
Musa (Persian)
Climate:
mostly arid or semiarid, subtropical along Caspian coast
Terrain:
rugged, mountainous rim; high, central basin with deserts,
mountains; small, discontinuous plains along both coasts
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, iron ore,
lead, manganese, zinc, sulfur
Land use:
arable land 8%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures
27%; forest and woodland 11%; other 54%; includes irrigated
2%
Environment:
deforestation; overgrazing; desertification
Iran People
Population:
61,183,138 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
64 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
64 years male, 66 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.5 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Iranian(s); adjective - Iranian
Ethnic divisions:
Persian 51%, Azerbaijani 25%, Kurd 9%, Gilaki and
Mazandarani 8%, Lur 2%, Baloch 1%, Arab 1%, other 3%
Religions:
Shi`a Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish,
Christian, and Baha'i 1%
Languages:
58% Persian and Persian dialects, 26% Turkic and Turkic
dialects, 9% Kurdish, 2% Luri, 1% Baloch, 1% Arabic, 1%
Turkish, 2% other
Literacy:
54% (male 64%, female 43%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
15,400,000; agriculture 33%, manufacturing 21%; shortage of
skilled labor (1988 est.)
Organized labor:
none
Iran Government
Long-form name:
Islamic Republic of Iran
Type:
theocratic republic
Capital:
Tehran
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (ostanha, singular - ostan); Azarbayjan-e
Bakhtari, Azarbayjan-e Khavari, Bakhtaran, Bushehr, Chahar
Machall va Bakhtiari, Ecsfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan,
Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va
Buyer Achmadi, Kordestan, Lorestan, Markazi, Mazandaran,
Semnan, Sistan va Baluchestan, Tehran, Yazd, Zanjan
Independence:
1 April 1979, Islamic Republic of Iran proclaimed
Constitution:
2-3 December 1979; revised 1989 to expand powers of the
presidency and eliminate the prime ministership
Legal system:
the Constitution codifies Islamic principles of government
National holiday:
Islamic Republic Day, 1 April (1979)
Executive branch:
cleric (faqih), president, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral Islamic Consultative Assembly
(Majles-e-Shura-ye-Eslami)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Cleric and functional Chief of State:
Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Ali
HOSEINI-KHAMENEI (since 4 June 1989)
Head of Government:
President Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI (since 3 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
there are at least 18 licensed parties; the three most
important are - Tehran Militant Clergy Association, Mohammad
Reza MAHDAVI-KANI; Militant Clerics Association, Mehdi
MAHDAVI-KARUBI and Mohammad Asqar MUSAVI-KHOINIHA; Fedaiyin
Islam Organization, Sadeq KHALKHALI
Suffrage:
universal at age 15
Elections:
President:
last held July 1989 (next to be held April 1993); results -
Ali Akbar HASHEMI-RAFSANJANI was elected with only token
opposition
Islamic Consultative Assembly:
last held 8 April 1992 (next to be held April 1996); results
- percent of vote by party NA; seats - (270 seats total)
number of seats by party NA
Communists:
1,000 to 2,000 est. hardcore; 15,000 to 20,000 est.
sympathizers; crackdown in 1983 crippled the party; trials
of captured leaders began in late 1983
Other political or pressure groups:
groups that generally support the Islamic Republic include
Hizballah, Hojjatiyeh Society, Mojahedin of the Islamic
Revolution, Muslim Students Following the Line of the Imam;
armed political groups that have been almost completely
repressed by the government include Mojahedin-e Khalq
Organization (MEK), People's Fedayeen, Kurdish Democratic
Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom
Iran Government
Member of:
CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, PCA, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
none; protecting power in the US is Pakistan - Iranian
Interests Section, 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6200
US:
protecting power in Iran is Switzerland
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red;
the national emblem (a stylized representation of the word
Allah) in red is centered in the white band; Allah Alkbar
(God is Great) in white Arabic script is repeated 11 times
along the bottom edge of the green band and 11 times along
the top edge of the red band
Iran Economy
Overview:
Iran's economy is a mixture of central planning, state
ownership of oil and other large enterprises, village
agriculture, and small-scale private trading and service
ventures. After a decade of economic decline, Iran's GNP
grew roughly 4% in FY90 and 10% in FY91. An oil windfall in
1990 combined with a substantial increase in imports
contributed to Iran's recent economic growth. Iran has also
begun implementing a number of economic reforms to reduce
government intervention (including subsidies) and has
allocated substantial resources to development projects in
the hope of stimulating the economy. Nevertheless, lower oil
revenues in 1991 - oil accounts for more than 90% of export
revenues and provides roughly 65% of the financing for the
five-year economic development plan - and dramatic increases
in external debt are threatening development plans and could
prompt Iran to cut imports, thus limiting economic growth in
the medium term.
GNP:
exchange rate conversion - $90 billion, per capita $1,500;
real growth rate 10% (FY91 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
18% (FY91 est.)
Unemployment rate:
30% (1989)
Budget:
revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including
capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)
Exports:
$17.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides
partners:
Japan, Italy, France, Netherlands, Belgium/Luxembourg,
Spain, and Germany
Imports:
$15.9 billion (c.i.f., 1990)
commodities:
machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs,
pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products
partners:
Germany, Japan, Italy, UK, France
External debt:
$10 billion (1990 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate NA%
Electricity:
14,579,000 kW capacity; 40,000 million kWh produced, 740 kWh
per capita (1989)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, textiles, cement and other
building materials, food processing (particularly sugar
refining and vegetable oil production), metal fabricating
(steel and copper)
Agriculture:
principal products - wheat, rice, other grains, sugar beets,
fruits, nuts, cotton, dairy products, wool, caviar; not
self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs:
illicit producer of opium poppy for the domestic and
international drug trade
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-80), $1.0 billion;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $1.675 billion; Communist countries
(1970-89), $976 million; note - aid fell sharply following
the 1979 revolution
Iran Economy
Currency:
Iranian rial (plural - rials); 1 Iranian rial (IR) = 100
dinars; note - domestic figures are generally referred to in
terms of the toman (plural - tomans), which equals 10 rials
Exchange rates:
Iranian rials (IR) per US$1 - 65.515 (January 1992), 67.505
(1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988), 71.460
(1987); note - black-market rate 1,400 (January 1991)
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Iran Communications
Railroads:
4,850 km total; 4,760 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km
1.676-meter gauge; 480 km under construction from Bafq to
Bandar Abbas, rail construction from Bafq to Sirjan has been
completed and is operational
Highways:
140,072 km total; 42,694 km paved surfaces; 46,866 km gravel
and crushed stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 1,200 km (est.)
rural road network
Inland waterways:
904 km; the Shatt-al-Arab is usually navigable by maritime
traffic for about 130 km, but closed since September 1980
because of Iran-Iraq war
Pipelines:
crude oil 5,900 km; petroleum products 3,900 km; natural gas
4,550 km
Ports:
Abadan (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war),
Bandar Beheshti, Bandar-e Abbas, Bandar-e Bushehr, Bandar-e
Khomeyni, Bandar-e Shahid Raja, Khorramshahr (largely
destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)
Merchant marine:
134 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,466,395
GRT/8,329,760 DWT; includes 38 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off
cargo, 32 oil tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 refrigerated
cargo, 47 bulk, 2 combination bulk, 1 liquefied gas
Civil air:
48 major transport aircraft
Airports:
214 total, 188 usable; 81 with permanent-surface runways; 16
with runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 71
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in
Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 77 AM, 3
FM, 28 TV; satellite earth stations - 2 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF radio and radio
relay to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, Tajikistan, and
Uzbekistan
Iran Defense Forces
Branches:
Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, and
Revolutionary Guard Corps (includes Basij militia and own
ground, air, and naval forces); Law Enforcement Forces
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 13,267,810; 7,895,591 fit for military service;
552,408 reach military age (21) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $13 billion, 14-15% of GNP (1991
est.)
AFGHANISTAN
Afghanistan Geography
Total area:
647,500 km2
Land area:
647,500 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
5,529 km total; China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km,
Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Coastline:
none - landlocked
Maritime claims:
none - landlocked
Disputes:
Pashtunistan issue over the North-West Frontier Province
with Pakistan; periodic disputes with Iran over Helmand
water rights; Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, and Iran continue to
support clients in country; power struggles among various
groups for control of Kabul, regional rivalries among
emerging warlords, and traditional tribal disputes continue
Climate:
arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Terrain:
mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Natural resources:
natural gas, crude oil, coal, copper, talc, barites,
sulphur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and
semiprecious stones
Land use:
arable land 12%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures
46%; forest and woodland 3%; other 39%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment:
damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; soil
degradation, desertification, overgrazing, deforestation,
pollution
Note: landlocked
Afghanistan People
Population:
US Bureau of the Census - 16,095,664 (July 1992), growth
rate 2.4% (1992) and excludes 3,750,796 refugees in Pakistan
and 1,607,281 refugees in Iran; note - another report
indicates a July 1990 population of 16,904,904, including
3,271,580 refugees in Pakistan and 1,277,700 refugees in
Iran
Birth rate:
44 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
20 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992); note - there are flows
across the border in both directions, but data are
fragmentary and unreliable
Infant mortality rate:
162 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
45 years male, 43 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Afghan(s); adjective - Afghan
Ethnic divisions:
Pashtun 38%, Tajik 25%, Uzbek 6%, Hazara 19%; minor ethnic
groups include Chahar Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi`a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Languages:
Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages
(primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages
(primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%; much bilingualism
Literacy:
29% (male 44%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
4,980,000; agriculture and animal husbandry 67.8%, industry
10.2%, construction 6.3%, commerce 5.0%, services and other
10.7%, (1980 est.)
Organized labor:
some small government-controlled unions existed under the
former regime but probably now have disbanded
Afghanistan Government
Long-form name:
Islamic State of Afghanistan
Type:
transitional
Capital:
Kabul
Administrative divisions:
30 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan,
Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni,
Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa,
Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Oruzgan,
Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar,
Vardak, Zabol; note - there may be a new province of
Nurestan (Nuristan)
Independence:
19 August 1919 (from UK)
Constitution:
the old Communist-era constitution probably will be replaced
with an Islamic constitution
Legal system:
a new legal system has not been adopted but the transitional
government has declared it will follow Islamic law (Shari`a)
National holiday:
28 April, Victory of the Muslim Nation; 4 May, Remembrance
Day for Martyrs and Disabled; 19 August, Independence Day
Executive branch:
a 51-member transitional council headed by Sibghatullah
MOJADDEDI rules Kabul; this body is to turn over power to a
leadership council, which will function as the government
and organize elections; Burhanuddin RABBANI will serve as
interim President
Legislative branch:
previous bicameral legislature has been abolished
Judicial branch:
an interim Chief Justice of the Supreme Court has been
appointed, but a new court system has not yet been organized
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
Interim President Burhanuddin RABBANI; First Vice President
Abdul Wahed SORABI (since 7 January 1991); Prime Minister
Fazil Haq KHALIQYAR (since 21 May 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
the former resistance parties represent the only current
political organizations and include Jamiat-i-Islami (Islamic
Society), Burhanuddin RABBANI; Hizbi Islami-Gulbuddin
(Islamic Party), Gulbuddin Hikmatyar Faction; Hizbi
Islami-Khalis (Islamic Party) Yunis Khalis Faction;
Ittihad-i-Islami Barai Azadi Afghanistan (Islamic Union for
the Liberation of Afghanistan), Abdul Rasul SAYYAF;
Harakat-Inqilab-i-Islami (Islamic Revolutionary Movement),
Mohammad Nabi MOHAMMADI; Jabha-i-Najat-i-Milli Afghanistan
(Afghanistan National Liberation Front), Sibghatullah
MOJADDEDI; Mahaz-i-Milli-Islami (National Islamic Front),
Sayed Ahamad GAILANI; Jonbesh-i-Milli Islami (National
Islamic Movement), Ahmad Shah MASOOD and Rashid DOSTAM;
Hizbi Wahdat (Islamic Unity Party), and a number of minor
resistance parties; the former ruling Watan Party has been
disbanded
Suffrage:
undetermined; previously universal, male ages 15-50
Elections:
the transition government has promised elections in October
1992
Communists:
the former ruling Watan (Homeland) Party has been disbanded
Afghanistan Government
Other political or pressure groups:
the former resistance commanders are the major power brokers
in the countryside; shuras (councils) of commanders are now
administering most cities outside Kabul; ulema (religious
scholars); tribal elders
Member of:
Has previously been a member of AsDB, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT,
IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO; note - the new government has not yet
announced whether it will continue to be a member of these
bodies; the former resistance government in exile (Afghan
Interim Government) was given membership in the OIC in 1989
Diplomatic representation:
previous Minister-Counselor, Charge d'Affaires Abdul Ghafur
JOUSHAN; Chancery at 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC
20008; telephone (202) 234-3770 or 3771; a new
representative has not yet been named
US:
Charge d'Affaires (vacant); Embassy at Ansari Wat, Wazir
Akbar Khan Mina, Kabul; telephone 62230 through 62235 or
62436; note - US Embassy in Kabul was closed in January 1989
Flag:
a new flag of unknown description reportedly has been
adopted; previous flag consisted of three equal horizontal
bands of black (top), red, and green, with the national coat
of arms superimposed on the hoist side of the black and red
bands; similar to the flag of Malawi, which is shorter and
bears a radiant, rising red sun centered in the black band
Afghanistan Economy
Overview:
Fundamentally, Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked
country, highly dependent on farming (wheat especially) and
livestock raising (sheep and goats). Economic
considerations, however, have played second fiddle to
political and military upheavals during more than 13 years
of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military
occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). Over the past
decade, one-third of the population fled the country, with
Pakistan sheltering more than 3 million refugees and Iran
about 1.3 million. Another 1 million probably moved into and
around urban areas within Afghanistan. Although reliable
data are unavailable, gross domestic product is lower than
12 years ago because of the loss of labor and capital and
the disruption of trade and transport.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $3 billion, per capita $200; real
growth rate 0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
over 90% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues NA; expenditures NA, including capital expenditures
of NA
Exports:
$236 million (f.o.b., FY91 est.)
commodities:
natural gas 55%, fruits and nuts 24%, handwoven carpets,
wool, cotton, hides, and pelts
partners:
mostly former USSR
Imports:
$874 million (c.i.f., FY91 est.)
commodities:
food and petroleum products
partners:
mostly former USSR
External debt:
$2.3 billion (March 1991 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 2.3% (FY91 est.); accounts for about 25% of GDP
Electricity:
480,000 kW capacity; 1,450 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per
capita (1991)
Industries:
small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes,
fertilizer, and cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil,
coal, copper
Agriculture:
largely subsistence farming and nomadic animal husbandry;
cash products - wheat, fruits, nuts, karakul pelts, wool,
mutton
Illicit drugs:
an illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the
international drug trade; world's second-largest opium
producer (after Burma) and a major source of hashish
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $510 million; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $57 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4.1
billion; net official Western disbursements (1985-89), $270
million
Currency:
afghani (plural - afghanis); 1 afghani (Af) = 100 puls
Afghanistan Economy
Exchange rates:
afghanis (Af) per US$1 - 550 (May 1992, free market exchange
rate), 900 (free market exchange rate as of November 1991),
850 (1991), 700 (1989-90), 220 (1988-89); note - these rates
reflect the bazaar rates rather than the official exchange
rates
Fiscal year:
21 March - 20 March
Afghanistan Communications
Railroads:
9.6 km (single track) 1.524-meter gauge from Kushka
(Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi and 15.0 km from Termez
(Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank
of Amu Darya
Highways:
21,000 km total (1984); 2,800 km hard surface, 1,650 km
bituminous-treated gravel and improved earth, 16,550 km
unimproved earth and tracks
Inland waterways:
total navigability 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which
handles steamers up to about 500 metric tons
Pipelines:
petroleum products - former USSR to Bagram and former USSR
to Shindand; natural gas 180 km
Ports:
Shir Khan and Kheyrabad (river ports)
Civil air:
2 Tu-154, 2 Boeing 727, 4 Yak-40, assorted smaller
transports
Airports:
41 total, 37 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
limited telephone, telegraph, and radiobroadcast services;
television introduced in 1980; 31,200 telephones; broadcast
stations - 5 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 satellite earth station
Afghanistan Defense Forces
Branches:
the military currently is being reorganized by the new
government and does not yet exist on a national scale; some
elements of the former Army, Air and Air Defense Forces,
National Guard, Border Guard Forces, National Police Force
(Sarandoi), and Tribal Militias remain intact and are
supporting the new government; the government has asked all
military personnel to return to their stations; a large
number of former resistance groups also field irregular
military forces; the Ministry of State Security (WAD) has
been disbanded
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 3,989,232; 2,139,771 fit for military service;
150,572 reach military age (22) annually
Defense expenditures:
the new government has not yet adopted a defense budget
KUWAIT
Kuwait Geography
Total area:
17,820 km2
Land area:
17,820 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than New Jersey
Land boundaries:
462 km; Iraq 240 km, Saudi Arabia 222 km
Coastline:
499 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security
Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept the
inviolability of the boundary set forth in its 1963
agreement with Kuwait, ending earlier claims to Bubiyan and
Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; a UN Boundary
Demarcation Commission is demarcating the Iraq-Kuwait
boundary persuant to Resolution 687, and, on 17 June 1992,
the UN Security Council reaffirmed the finality of the
Boundary Demarcation Commission's decisions; ownership of
Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate:
dry desert; intensely hot summers; short, cool winters
Terrain:
flat to slightly undulating desert plain
Natural resources:
petroleum, fish, shrimp, natural gas
Land use:
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
8%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 92%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment:
some of world's largest and most sophisticated desalination
facilities provide most of water; air and water pollution;
desertification
Note:
strategic location at head of Persian Gulf
Kuwait People
Population:
1,378,613 (July 1992), growth rate NA (1992)
Birth rate:
32 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
2 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
NA migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
14 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
72 years male, 76 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.4 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Kuwaiti(s); adjective - Kuwaiti
Ethnic divisions:
Kuwaiti 50%, other Arab 35%, South Asian 9%, Iranian 4%,
other 2%
Religions:
Muslim 85% (Shi`a 30%, Sunni 45%, other 10%), Christian,
Hindu, Parsi, and other 15%
Languages:
Arabic (official); English widely spoken
Literacy:
74% (male 78%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1985)
Labor force:
566,000 (1986); services 45.0%, construction 20.0%, trade
12.0%, manufacturing 8.6%, finance and real estate 2.6%,
agriculture 1.9%, power and water 1.7%, mining and quarrying
1.4%; 70% of labor force was non-Kuwaiti
Organized labor:
labor unions exist in oil industry and among government
personnel
Kuwait Government
Long-form name:
State of Kuwait
Type:
nominal constitutional monarchy
Capital:
Kuwait
Administrative divisions:
5 governorates (mu'hafaz'at, singular - muh'afaz'ah); Al
Ah'madi, Al Jahrah, Al Kuwayt, 'Hawalli; Farwaniyah
Independence:
19 June 1961 (from UK)
Constitution:
16 November 1962 (some provisions suspended since 29 August
1962)
Legal system:
civil law system with Islamic law significant in personal
matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 25 February
Executive branch:
amir, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Council of
Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
National Assembly (Majlis al `umma) dissolved 3 July 1986;
elections for new Assembly scheduled for October 1992
Judicial branch:
High Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Amir Shaykh JABIR al-Ahmad al-Jabir al-Sabah (since 31
December 1977)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister and Crown Prince SA`UD al-`Abdallah al-Salim
al-Sabah (since 8 February 1978); Deputy Prime Minister
SALIM al-Sabah al-Salim al-Sabah
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
adult males who resided in Kuwait before 1920 and their male
descendants at age 21; note - out of all citizens, only 10%
are eligible to vote and only 5% actually vote
Elections:
National Assembly:
dissolved 3 July 1986; new elections are scheduled for
October 1992
Other political or pressure groups:
40,000 Palestinian community; small, clandestine leftist and
Shi`a fundamentalist groups are active; several groups
critical of government policies are active
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, BDEAC, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77,
GATT, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent),
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Shaykh Sa`ud Nasir al-SABAH; Chancery at 2940
Tilden Street NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202)
966-0702
US:
Ambassador Edward (Skip) GNEHM, Jr.; Embassy at Bneid al-Gar
(opposite the Kuwait International Hotel), Kuwait City
(mailing address is P.O. Box 77 SAFAT, 13001 SAFAT, Kuwait;
APO AE 09880); telephone [965] 242-4151 through 4159; FAX
[956] 244-2855
Kuwait Government
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red
with a black trapezoid based on the hoist side
Kuwait Economy
Overview:
Up to the invasion by Iraq in August 1990, the oil sector
had dominated the economy. Kuwait has the third-largest oil
reserves in the world after Saudi Arabia and Iraq. Earnings
from hydrocarbons have generated over 90% of both export and
government revenues and contributed about 40% to GDP. Most
of the nonoil sector has traditionally been dependent upon
oil-derived government revenues. Iraq's destruction of
Kuwait's oil industry during the Gulf war has devastated the
economy. Iraq destroyed or damaged more than 80% of Kuwait's
950 operating oil wells, as well as sabotaged key surface
facilities. Firefighters brought all of the roughly 750 oil
well fires and blowouts under control by November 1991. By
yearend, production had been brought back to 400,000 barrels
per day; it could take two to three years to restore
Kuwait's oil production to its prewar level of about 2.0
million barrels per day. Meanwhile, population had been
greatly reduced because of the war, from 2.1 million to 1.4
million.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $8.75 billion, per capita $6,200;
real growth rate -50% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA
Unemployment rate:
NA
Budget:
revenues $7.1 billion; expenditures $10.5 billion, including
capital expenditures of $3.1 billion (FY88)
Exports:
$11.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
oil 90%
partners:
Japan 19%, Netherlands 9%, US 8%, Pakistan 6%
Imports:
$6.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
food, construction materials, vehicles and parts, clothing
partners:
US 15%, Japan 12%, FRG 8%, UK 7%
External debt:
$7.2 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3% (1988); accounts for 52% of GDP
Electricity:
3,100,000 kW available out of 8,290,000 kW capacity due to
Persian Gulf war; 7,300 million kWh produced, 3,311 kWh per
capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum, petrochemicals, desalination, food processing,
building materials, salt, construction
Agriculture:
virtually none; dependent on imports for food; about 75% of
potable water must be distilled or imported
Economic aid:
donor - pledged $18.3 billion in bilateral aid to less
developed countries (1979-89)
Currency:
Kuwaiti dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Kuwaiti dinar (KD) =
1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
Kuwaiti dinars (KD) per US$1 - 0.2950 (March 1992), 0.2843
(1991), 0.2915 (1990), 0.2937 (1989), 0.2790 (1988), 0.2786
(1987)
Kuwait Economy
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Kuwait Communications
Railroads:
6,456 km total track length (1990); over 700 km double
track; government owned
Highways:
3,900 km total; 3,000 km bituminous; 900 km earth, sand,
light gravel
Pipelines:
crude oil 877 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 165
km
Ports:
Ash Shu`aybah, Ash Shuwaykh, Mina' al 'Ahmadi
Merchant marine:
29 ships (1,000 GRT or over), totaling 1,196,435
GRT/1,957,216 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 4 livestock carrier, 18
oil tanker, 4 liquefied gas; note - all Kuwaiti ships
greater than 1,000 GRT were outside Kuwaiti waters at the
time of the Iraqi invasion; many of these ships transferred
to the Liberian flag or to the flags of other Persian Gulf
states; only 1 has returned to Kuwaiti flag since the
liberation of Kuwait
Civil air:
9 major transport aircraft
Airports:
7 total, 4 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
none with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
civil network suffered extensive damage as a result of
Desert Storm; reconstruction is under way with some restored
international and domestic capabilities; broadcast stations
- 3 AM, 0 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations - destroyed
during Persian Gulf war; temporary mobile satellite ground
stations provide international telecommunications; coaxial
cable and radio relay to Saudi Arabia; service to Iraq is
nonoperational
Kuwait Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police Force, National Guard
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 389,770; 234,609 fit for military service;
12,773 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $9.17 billion, 20.4% of GDP (1992
budget)
BAHRAIN
Bahrain Geography
Total area:
620 km2
Land area:
620 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
161 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
3 nm
Disputes:
territorial dispute with Qatar over the Hawar Islands;
maritime boundary with Qatar
Climate:
arid; mild, pleasant winters; very hot, humid summers
Terrain:
mostly low desert plain rising gently to low central
escarpment
Natural resources:
oil, associated and nonassociated natural gas, fish
Land use:
arable land 2%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 6%;
forest and woodland 0%; other 90%, includes irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
subsurface water sources being rapidly depleted (requires
development of desalination facilities); dust storms;
desertification
Note:
close to primary Middle Eastern crude oil sources; strategic
location in Persian Gulf through which much of Western
world's crude oil must transit to reach open ocean
Bahrain People
Population:
551,513 (July 1992), growth rate 3.1% (1992)
Birth rate:
27 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
4 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
7 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
21 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
70 years male, 75 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Bahraini(s); adjective - Bahraini
Ethnic divisions:
Bahraini 63%, Asian 13%, other Arab 10%, Iranian 8%, other
6%
Religions:
Muslim (Shi`a 70%, Sunni 30%)
Languages:
Arabic (official); English also widely spoken; Farsi, Urdu
Literacy:
77% (male 82%, female 69%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
140,000; 42% of labor force is Bahraini; industry and
commerce 85%, agriculture 5%, services 5%, government 3%
(1982)
Organized labor:
General Committee for Bahrain Workers exists in only eight
major designated companies
Bahrain Government
Long-form name:
State of Bahrain
Type:
traditional monarchy
Capital:
Manama
Administrative divisions:
12 districts (manatiq, singular - mintaqah); Al Hadd, Al
Manamah, Al Mintaqah al Gharbiyah, Al Mintaqah al Wusta, Al
Mintaqah ash Shamaliyah, Al Muharraq, Ar Rifa`wa al Mintaqah
al Janubiyah, Jidd Hafs, Madinat Hamad, Madinat `Isa,
Mintaqat Juzur Hawar, Sitrah
Independence:
15 August 1971 (from UK)
Constitution:
26 May 1973, effective 6 December 1973
Legal system:
based on Islamic law and English common law
National holiday:
Independence Day, 16 December
Executive branch:
amir, crown prince and heir apparent, prime minister,
Cabinet
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly was dissolved 26 August 1975
and legislative powers were assumed by the Cabinet
Judicial branch:
High Civil Appeals Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
Amir `ISA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 2 November 1961);
Heir Apparent HAMAD bin `Isa Al Khalifa (son of Amir; born
28 January 1950)
Head of Government:
Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Salman Al Khalifa (since 19
January 1970)
Political parties and leaders:
political parties prohibited; several small, clandestine
leftist and Islamic fundamentalist groups are active
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
none
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
IDB, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO
(correspondent), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador `Abd al-Rahman Faris Al KHALIFA; Chancery at 3502
International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone
(202) 342-0741 or 342-0742; there is a Bahraini Consulate
General in New York
US:
Ambassador Dr. Charles W. HOSTLER; Embassy at Road No. 3119
(next to Alahli Sports Club), Zinj; (mailing address is P.
O. 26431, Manama, or FPO AE 09834-6210); telephone [973]
273-300; FAX (973) 272-594
Flag:
red with a white serrated band (eight white points) on the
hoist side
Bahrain Economy
Overview:
Petroleum production and processing account for about 80% of
export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 31% of GDP.
Economic conditions have fluctuated with the changing
fortunes of oil since 1985, for example, the Gulf crisis of
1990-91. The liberation of Kuwait in early 1991 has improved
short- to medium-term prospects and has raised investors'
confidence. Bahrain with its highly developed communication
and transport facilities is home to numerous multinational
firms with business in the Gulf. A large share of exports is
petroleum products made from imported crude.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $4.0 billion, per capita $7,500
(1990); real growth rate 6.7% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
8-10% (1989)
Budget:
revenues $1.2 billion; expenditures $1.32 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989)
Exports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%
partners:
UAE 18%, Japan 12%, India 11%, US 6%
Imports:
$3.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%
partners:
Saudi Arabia 41%, US 23%, Japan 8%, UK 8%
External debt:
$1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 3.8% (1988); accounts for 44% of GDP
Electricity:
3,600,000 kW capacity; 10,500 million kWh produced, 21,000
kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting,
offshore banking, ship repairing
Agriculture:
including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP; not
self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized
sector produces fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products,
shrimp, and fish; fish catch 9,000 metric tons in 1987
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $45 million; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $9.8 billion
Currency:
Bahraini dinar (plural - dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) =
1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1 - 0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Bahrain Communications
Highways:
200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km bridge-causeway
to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km natural
surface tracks
Pipelines:
crude oil 56 km; petroleum products 16 km; natural gas 32 km
Ports:
Mina' Salman, Manama, Sitrah
Merchant marine:
9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 186,367 GRT/249,441
DWT; includes 5 cargo, 2 container, 1 liquefied gas, 1 bulk
Civil air:
27 major transport aircraft
Airports:
3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with
runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
excellent international telecommunications; good domestic
services; 98,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3
FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean
INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric
scatter to Qatar, UAE, and microwave to Saudi Arabia;
submarine cable to Qatar, UAE, and Saudi Arabia
Bahrain Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 190,937; 105,857 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $194 million, 6% of GDP (1990)
QATAR
Qatar Geography
Total area:
11,000 km2
Land area:
11,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
60 km total; Saudi Arabia 40 km, UAE 20 km
Coastline:
563 km
Maritime claims:
*** No entry for this item ***
Continental shelf:
not specific
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
location and status of Qatar's southern boundaries with
Saudi Arabia and UAE are unresolved; territorial dispute
with Bahrain over the Hawar Islands; maritime boundary with
Bahrain
Climate:
desert; hot, dry; humid and sultry in summer
Terrain:
mostly flat and barren desert covered with loose sand and
gravel
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, fish
Land use:
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures
5%; forest and woodland 0%; other 95%
Environment:
haze, duststorms, sandstorms common; limited freshwater
resources mean increasing dependence on large-scale
desalination facilities
Note:
strategic location in central Persian Gulf near major crude
oil sources
Qatar People
Population:
484,387 (July 1992), growth rate 3.2% (1992)
Birth rate:
21 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
4 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
15 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
24 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
69 years male, 74 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Qatari(s); adjective - Qatari
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 40%, Pakistani 18%, Indian 18%, Iranian 10%, other 14%
Religions:
Muslim 95%
Languages:
Arabic (official); English is commonly used as second
language
Literacy:
76% (male 77%, female 72%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1986)
Labor force:
104,000; 85% non-Qatari in private sector (1983)
Organized labor:
trade unions are illegal
Qatar Government
Long-form name:
State of Qatar
Type:
traditional monarchy
Capital:
Doha
Administrative divisions:
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined
by the US Government, but there are 9 municipalities
(baladiyat, singular - baladiyah); Ad Dawhah, Al
Ghuwayriyah, Al Jumayliyah, Al Khawr, Al Rayyan, Al Wakrah,
Ash Shamal, Jarayan al Batnah, Umm Salal
Independence:
3 September 1971 (from UK)
Constitution:
provisional constitution enacted 2 April 1970
Legal system:
discretionary system of law controlled by the amir, although
civil codes are being implemented; Islamic law is
significant in personal matters
National holiday:
Independence Day, 3 September (1971)
Executive branch:
amir, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch:
unicameral Advisory Council (Majlis al-Shura)
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
Amir and Prime Minister KHALIFA bin Hamad Al Thani (since 22
February 1972); Heir Apparent HAMAD bin Khalifa Al Thani
(appointed 31 May 1977; son of Amir)
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
Advisory Council:
constitution calls for elections for part of this
consultative body, but no elections have been held; seats -
(30 total)
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Hamad `Abd al-`Aziz AL-KAWARI, Chancery at Suite
1180, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037;
telephone (202) 338-0111
US:
Ambassador Kenton W. KEITH; Embassy at 149 Ali Bin Ahmed
St., Farig Bin Omran (opposite the television station), Doha
(mailing address is P.O. Box 2399, Doha); telephone (0974)
864701 through 864703; FAX (0974) 861669
Flag:
maroon with a broad white serrated band (nine white points)
on the hoist side
Qatar Economy
Overview:
Oil is the backbone of the economy and accounts for more
than 85% of export earnings and roughly 75% of government
revenues. Proved oil reserves of 3.3 billion barrels should
ensure continued output at current levels for about 25
years. Oil has given Qatar a per capita GDP of about
$15,000, comparable to the leading industrial countries.
Production and export of natural gas is becoming
increasingly important.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $7.4 billion, per capita $15,000;
real growth rate NA (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.9% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $2.1 billion; expenditures $3.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $490 million (FY91 est.)
Exports:
$3.2 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
petroleum products 85%, steel, fertilizers
partners:
Japan 61%, Brazil 9%, UAE 3%, Singapore 3%
Imports:
$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
foodstuffs, beverages, animal and vegetable oils, chemicals,
machinery and equipment
partners:
UK 13%, Japan 11%, US 8%, Italy 8%
External debt:
$1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 0.6% (1987); accounts for 64% of GDP, including
oil
Electricity:
1,520,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 8,080 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production and refining, fertilizers,
petrochemicals, steel, cement
Agriculture:
farming and grazing on small scale, less than 2% of GDP;
commercial fishing increasing in importance; most food
imported
Economic aid:
donor - pledged $2.7 billion in ODA to less developed
countries (1979-88)
Currency:
Qatari riyal (plural - riyals); 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
Highways:
1,500 km total; 1,000 km paved, 500 km gravel or natural
surface (est.)
Pipelines:
crude oil 235 km, natural gas 400 km
Ports:
Doha, Umm Sa'id, Halul Island
Merchant marine:
23 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 473,042 GRT/716,039
DWT; includes 14 cargo, 5 container, 3 petroleum tanker, 1
refrigerated cargo
Civil air:
3 major transport aircraft
Airports:
4 total, 4 usable; 1 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with
runways over 3,659 m; none with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
modern system centered in Doha; 110,000 telephones;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; radio relay to Saudi Arabia
and UAE; submarine cable to Bahrain and UAE; broadcast
stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 3 TV; satellite earth stations - 1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT
Qatar Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Public Security
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 211,812; 112,250 fit for military service;
3,414 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $NA, NA%, of GDP
UNITED ARAB EMIRATES
United Arab Emirates Geography
Total area:
83,600 km2
Land area:
83,600 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries:
1,016 km total; Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 586 km, Qatar 20
km
Coastline:
1,448 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
defined by bilateral boundaries or equidistant line
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
3 nm (assumed), 12 nm for Ash Shariqah (Sharjah)
Disputes:
boundary with Qatar is unresolved; no defined boundary with
Saudi Arabia; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but
Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the
Persian Gulf occupied by Iran (Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg or
Greater Tunb, and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek or Lesser Tunb);
claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with
Iran (Jazireh-ye Abu Musa or Abu Musa,)
Climate:
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes
of vast desert waste- land; mountains in east
Natural resources:
crude oil and natural gas
Land use:
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 2%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 98%; includes
irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
frequent dust and sand storms; lack of natural freshwater
resources being overcome by desalination plants;
desertification
Note:
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of
Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
United Arab Emirates People
Population:
2,522,315 (July 1992), growth rate 5.4% (1992)
Birth rate:
29 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
3 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
27 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
23 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
70 years male, 74 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
4.7 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Emirian(s), adjective - Emirian
Ethnic divisions:
Emirian 19%, other Arab 23%, South Asian (fluctuating) 50%,
other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8%;
less than 20% of the population are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi`a 16%); Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages:
Arabic (official); Persian and English widely spoken in
major cities; Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
68% (male 70%, female 63%) age 10 and over but definition of
literacy not available (1980)
Labor force:
580,000 (1986 est.); industry and commerce 85%, agriculture
5%, services 5%, government 5%; 80% of labor force is
foreign
Organized labor:
trade unions are illegal
United Arab Emirates Government
Long-form name:
United Arab Emirates (no short-form name); abbreviated UAE
Type:
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE
central government and other powers reserved to member
emirates
Capital:
Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions:
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu
Dhabi), `Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, Ra's al
Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence:
2 December 1971 (from UK; formerly Trucial States)
Constitution:
2 December 1971 (provisional)
Legal system:
secular codes are being introduced by the UAE Government and
in several member shaykhdoms; Islamic law remains
influential
National holiday:
National Day, 2 December (1971)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Supreme Council of Rulers, prime
minister, deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihad)
Judicial branch:
Union Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State:
President Shaykh Zayid bin Sultan Al NUHAYYAN, (since 2
December 1971), ruler of Abu Dhabi; Vice President Shaykh
Maktum bin Rashid al-MAKTUM (since 8 October 1990), ruler of
Dubayy
Head of Government:
Prime Minister Shaykh Maktum bin Rashid al-MAKTUM (since 8
October 1990), ruler of Dubayy; Deputy Prime Minister Sultan
bin Zayid Al NUHAYYAN (since 20 November 1990)
Political parties and leaders:
none
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
none
Other political or pressure groups:
a few small clandestine groups may be active
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO,
INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU,
LORCS, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO,
UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn Al SHAALI; Chancery at Suite
740, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037;
telephone (202) 338-6500
US:
Ambassador Edward S. WALKER, Jr.; Embassy at Al-Sudan
Street, Abu Dhabi (mailing address is P. O. Box 4009, Abu
Dhabi); telephone [971] (2) 336691, afterhours 338730; FAX
[971] (2) 318441; there is a US Consulate General in Dubayy
(Dubai)
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and
black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
United Arab Emirates Economy
Overview:
The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest
incomes per capita outside the OECD nations. This wealth is
based on oil and gas, and the fortunes of the economy
fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973,
when petroleum prices shot up, the UAE has undergone a
profound transformation from an impoverished region of small
desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard
of living. At present levels of production, crude oil
reserves should last for over 100 years.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $33.7 billion, per capita $14,100
(1990); real growth rate 11% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (1990 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NEGL (1988)
Budget:
revenues $3.8 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion, including
capital expenditures of $NA (1989 est.)
Exports:
$21.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
crude oil 65%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
partners:
Japan 35%, Singapore 6%, US 4%, Korea 3%
Imports:
$11.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.)
commodities:
food, consumer and capital goods
partners:
Japan 14%, UK 10%, US 9%, Germany 9%
External debt:
$11.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
NA
Electricity:
5,800,000 kW capacity; 17,000 million kWh produced, 7,115
kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials,
some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Agriculture:
accounts for 2% of GDP and 5% of labor force; cash crop -
dates; food products - vegetables, watermelons, poultry,
eggs, dairy, fish; only 25% self-sufficient in food
Economic aid:
donor - pledged $9.1 billion in bilateral aid to less
developed countries (1979-89)
Currency:
Emirian dirham (plural - dirhams); 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) =
100 fils
Exchange rates:
Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 - 3.6710 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
United Arab Emirates Communications
Highways:
2,000 km total; 1,800 km bituminous, 200 km gravel and
graded earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 830 km, natural gas, including natural gas
liquids, 870 km
Ports:
Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal `Ali, Mina' Khalid,
Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid
Merchant marine:
55 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,033,866
GRT/1,772,646 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 8 container, 3
roll-on/roll-off, 20 petroleum tanker, 4 bulk, 1
refrigerated cargo, 1 vehicle carrier
Civil air:
10 major transport aircraft
Airports:
37 total, 34 usable; 20 with permanent-surface runways; 7
with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 5
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
adequate system of microwave and coaxial cable; key centers
are Abu Dhabi and Dubayy; 386,600 telephones; broadcast
stations - 8 AM, 3 FM, 12 TV; satellite communications
ground stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain,
India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain;
microwave to Saudi Arabia
United Arab Emirates Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Police Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 974,288; 533,673 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.47 billion, 5.3% of GDP (1989
est.)
SAUDI ARABIA
Saudi Arabia Geography
Total area:
1,945,000 km2
Land area:
1,945,000 km2
Comparative area:
slightly less than one-fourth the size of the US
Land boundaries:
4,532 km total; Iraq 808 km, Jordan 742 km, Kuwait 222 km,
Oman 676 km, Qatar 40 km, UAE 586 km, Yemen 1,458 km
Coastline:
2,510 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
18 nm
Continental shelf:
not specific
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
no defined boundaries with Yemen; location and status of
Saudi Arabia's boundaries with Qatar and UAE are unresolved;
Kuwaiti ownership of Qaruh and Umm al Maradim Islands is
disputed by Saudi Arabia
Climate:
harsh, dry desert with great extremes of temperature
Terrain:
mostly uninhabited, sandy desert
Natural resources:
crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper
Land use:
arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures
39%; forest and woodland 1%; other 59%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment:
no perennial rivers or permanent water bodies; developing
extensive coastal seawater desalination facilities;
desertification
Note:
extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide
great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through
Persian Gulf and Suez Canal
Saudi Arabia People
Population:
17,050,934 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992); note - the
population figure is based on growth since
the last official Saudi census of 1974 that reported a total
of 7 million persons and included foreign workers; estimates
from other sources may be 15-30% lower
Birth rate:
39 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
59 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
65 years male, 68 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.7 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Saudi(s); adjective - Saudi or Saudi Arabian
Ethnic divisions:
Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%
Religions:
Muslim 100%
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
62% (male 73%, female 48%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
5,000,000; about 60% are foreign workers; government 34%,
industry and oil 28%, services 22%, and agriculture 16%
Organized labor:
trade unions are illegal
Saudi Arabia Government
Long-form name:
Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Type:
monarchy
Capital:
Riyadh
Administrative divisions:
14 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud
ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Al Qurayyat,
Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah, `Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah,
Najran, Tabuk
Independence:
23 September 1932 (unification)
Constitution:
none; governed according to Shari`a (Islamic law)
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been
introduced; commercial disputes handled by special
committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)
Executive branch:
monarch and prime minister, crown prince and deputy prime
minister, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch:
none
Judicial branch:
Supreme Council of Justice
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
King and Prime Minister FAHD bin `Abd al-`Aziz Al Sa`ud
(since 13 June 1982); Crown Prince and Deputy Prime Minister
`ABDALLAH bin `Abd al-`Aziz Al Sa`ud (half-brother to the
King, appointed heir to the throne 13 June 1982)
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
none
Member of:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-19, G-77,
GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF,
IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS,
NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador BANDAR Bin Sultan; Chancery at 601 New Hampshire
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-3800;
there are Saudi Arabian Consulates General in Houston, Los
Angeles, and New York
US:
Ambassador Charles W. FREEMAN, Jr.; Embassy at Collector
Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh (mailing address is
American Embassy, Unit 61307, Riyadh; International Mail: P.
O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693; or APO AE 09803-1307); telephone
[966] (1) 488-3800; Telex 406866; there are US Consulates
General in Dhahran and Jiddah (Jeddah)
Flag:
green with large white Arabic script (that may be translated
as There is no God but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of
God) above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the
hoist side); green is the traditional color of Islam
Saudi Arabia Economy
Overview:
The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 70% of budget
revenues, 37% of GDP, and almost all export earnings. Saudi
Arabia has the largest reserves of petroleum in the world,
ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a
leading role in OPEC. For the 1990s the government intends
to encourage private economic activity and to foster the
gradual process of turning Saudi Arabia into a modern
industrial state that retains traditional Islamic values.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $104 billion, per capita $5,800;
real growth rate 1.5% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3% (1991 est.)
Unemployment rate:
0% (1989 est.)
Budget:
revenues $40.3 billion; expenditures $48.3 billion,
including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)
Exports:
$44.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products 85%
partners:
US 22%, Japan 22%, Singapore 7%, France 6%
Imports:
$21.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
manufactured goods, transportation equipment, construction
materials, processed food products
partners:
US 16%, UK 14%, Japan 14%, FRG 7%
External debt:
$18.9 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -1.1% (1989 est.); accounts for 37% of GDP,
including petroleum
Electricity:
30,000,000 kW capacity; 60,000 million kWh produced, 3,300
kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic
petrochemicals, cement, small steel-rolling mill,
construction, fertilizer, plastic
Agriculture:
accounts for about 10% of GDP, 16% of labor force; fastest
growing economic sector; subsidized by government; products
- wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus fruit,
mutton, chickens, eggs, milk; approaching self-sufficiency
in food
Economic aid:
donor - pledged $64.7 billion in bilateral aid (1979-89)
Currency:
Saudi riyal (plural - riyals); 1 Saudi riyal (SR) = 100
halalas
Exchange rates:
Saudi riyals (SR) per US$1 - 3.7450 (fixed rate since late
1986), 3.7033 (1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Saudi Arabia Communications
Railroads:
886 km 1.435-meter standard gauge
Highways:
74,000 km total; 35,000 km paved, 39,000 km gravel and
improved earth
Pipelines:
crude oil 6,400 km, petroleum products 150 km, natural gas
2,200 km, includes natural gas liquids 1,600 km
Ports:
Jiddah, Ad Dammam, Ras Tanura, Jizan, Al Jubayl, Yanbu al
Bahr, Yanbu al Sinaiyah
Merchant marine:
8l ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 884,470 GRT/1,254,882
DWT; includes 1 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 11 cargo,
14 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 container, 6 refrigerated
cargo, 5 livestock carrier, 24 petroleum tanker, 7 chemical
tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 1 specialized tanker, 1 bulk
Civil air:
104 major transport aircraft available
Airports:
211 total, 191 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 14
with runways over 3,659 m; 37 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
105 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
good system with extensive microwave and coaxial and fiber
optic cable systems; 1,624,000 telephones; broadcast
stations - 43 AM, 13 FM, 80 TV; radio relay to Bahrain,
Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable
to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and
Bahrain; earth stations - 3 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 2
Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, 1 INMARSAT
Saudi Arabia Defense Forces
Branches:
Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force,
National Guard, Coast Guard, Frontier Forces, Special
Security Force, Public Security Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 5,619,147; 3,118,261 fit for military service;
133,314 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $14.5 billion, 13% of GDP (1992
budget)
YEMEN
Yemen Geography
Total area:
527,970 km2
Land area:
527,970 km2; includes Perim, Socotra, the former Yemen Arab
Republic (YAR or North Yemen), and the former People's
Democratic Republic of Yemen (PDRY or South Yemen)
Comparative area:
slightly larger than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
1,746 km total; Oman 288 km, Saudi Arabia 1,458 km
Coastline:
1,906 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
North - 18 nm; South - 24 nm
Continental shelf:
North - 200 meters (depth); South - edge of continental
margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
undefined section of boundary with Saudi Arabia;
Administrative Line with Oman; there is a proposed treaty
with Oman (which has not yet been formerly accepted) to
settle the Yemeni-Omani boundary
Climate:
mostly desert; hot and humid along west coast; temperate in
western mountains affected by seasonal monsoon;
extraordinarily hot, dry, harsh desert in east
Terrain:
narrow coastal plain backed by flat-topped hills and rugged
mountains; dissected upland desert plains in center slope
into the desert interior of the Arabian Peninsula
Natural resources:
crude oil, fish, rock salt, marble; small deposits of coal,
gold, lead, nickel, and copper; fertile soil in west
Land use:
arable land 6%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures
30%; forest and woodland 7%; other 57%; includes irrigated
NEGL%
Environment:
subject to sand and dust storms in summer; scarcity of
natural freshwater resources; overgrazing; soil erosion;
desertification
Note:
controls Bab el Mandeb, the strait linking the Red Sea and
the Gulf of Aden, one of world's most active shipping lanes
Yemen People
Population:
10,394,749 (July 1992), growth rate 3.3% (1992)
Birth rate:
51 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
16 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-3 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
118 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
49 years male, 52 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
7.3 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Yemeni(s); adjective - Yemeni
Ethnic divisions:
North - Arab 90%, Afro-Arab (mixed) 10%; South - almost all
Arabs; a few Indians, Somalis, and Europeans
Religions:
North - Muslim almost 100% (45% Sunni and 55% Zaydi Shi`a);
NEGL Jewish; South - Sunni Muslim, some Christian and Hindu
Languages:
Arabic
Literacy:
38% (male 53%, female 26%) age 15 and over can read and
write (1990 est.)
Labor force:
North - NA number of workers with agriculture and herding
70%, and expatriate laborers 30% (est.); South - 477,000
with agriculture 45.2%, services 21.2%, construction 13.4%,
industry 10.6%, commerce and other 9.6% (1983)
Organized labor:
North - NA; South - 348,200 and the General Confederation of
Workers of the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen had
35,000 members
Yemen Government
Long-form name:
Republic of Yemen
Type:
republic
Capital:
Sanaa
Administrative divisions:
17 governorates (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Abyan,
`Adan, Al Bayda', Al Hudaydah, Al Jawf, Al Mahrah, Al
Mahwit, Dhamar, Hadramawt, Hajjah, Ibb, Lahij, Ma'rib,
Sa`dah, San`a', Shabwah, Ta`izz
Independence:
Republic of Yemen was established on 22 May 1990 with the
merger of the Yemen Arab Republic {Yemen (Sanaa) or North
Yemen} and the Marxist-dominated People's Democratic
Republic of Yemen {Yemen (Aden) or South Yemen}; previously
North Yemen had become independent on NA November 1918 (from
the Ottoman Empire) and South Yemen had become independent
on 30 November 1967 (from the UK); the union is to be
solidified during a 30-month transition period, which
coincides with the remainder of the five-year terms of both
legislatures
Constitution:
16 April 1991
Legal system:
based on Islamic law, Turkish law, English common law, and
local customary law; does not accept compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction
National holiday:
Proclamation of the Republic, 22 May (1990)
Executive branch:
five-member Presidential Council (president, vice president,
two members from northern Yemen and one member from southern
Yemen), prime minister
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
North - State Security Court; South - Federal High Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President `Ali `Abdallah SALIH (since 22 May 1990, the
former president of North Yemen); Vice President Ali Salim
al-BIDH (since 22 May 1990, and Secretary General of the
Yemeni Socialist Party); Presidential Council Member Salim
Salih MUHAMMED; Presidential Council Member Kadi Abdul-Karim
al-ARASHI; Presidential Council Member Abdul-Aziz
ABDUL-GHANI; Prime Minister Haydar Abu Bakr al-`ATTAS (since
22 May 1990, former president of South Yemen)
Political parties and leaders:
General People's Congress, `Ali `Abdallah SALIH; Yemeni
Socialist Party (YSP; formerly South Yemen's ruling party -
a coalition of National Front, Ba`th, and Communist
Parties), Ali Salim al-BIDH; Yemen Grouping for Reform or
Islaah, Abdallah Husayn AHMAR
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
House of Representatives:
last held NA (next to be held NA November 1992); results -
percent of vote NA; seats - (301); number of seats by party
NA; note - the 301 members of the new House of
Representatives come from North Yemen's Consultative
Assembly (159 members), South Yemen's Supreme People's
Council (111 members), and appointments by the New
Presidential Council (31 members)
Communists:
small number in North, greater but unknown number in South
Yemen Government
Other political or pressure groups:
conservative tribal groups, Muslim Brotherhood, leftist
factions - pro-Iraqi Ba`thists, Nasirists, National
Democratic Front (NDF)
Member of:
ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC,
ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Muhsin Ahmad al-AYNI; Chancery at Suite 840, 600
New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037; telephone
(202) 965-4760 or 4761; there is a Yemeni Consulate General
in Detroit and a Consulate in San Francisco
US:
Ambassador Arthur H. HUGHES; Embassy at Dhahr Himyar Zone,
Sheraton Hotel District, Sanaa (mailing address is P. O. Box
22347 Sanaa, Republic of Yemen or Sanaa - Department of
State, Washington, DC 20521-6330); telephone [967] (2)
238-842 through 238-852; FAX [967] (2) 251-563
Flag:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black;
similar to the flag of Syria which has two green stars and
of Iraq which has three green stars (plus an Arabic
inscription) in a horizontal line centered in the white
band; also similar to the flag of Egypt which has a symbolic
eagle centered in the white band
Yemen Economy
Overview:
Whereas the northern city Sanaa is the political capital of
a united Yemen, the southern city Aden, with its refinery
and port facilities, is the economic and commercial capital.
Future economic development depends heavily on
Western-assisted development of promising oil resources.
South Yemen's willingness to merge stemmed partly from the
steady decline in Soviet economic support.
Overview:
North:
The low level of domestic industry and agriculture have made
northern Yemen dependent on imports for virtually all of its
essential needs. Large trade deficits have been made up for
by remittances from Yemenis working abroad and foreign aid.
Once self-sufficient in food production, northern Yemen has
become a major importer. Land once used for export crops -
cotton, fruit, and vegetables - has been turned over to
growing qat, a mildly narcotic shrub chewed by Yemenis which
has no significant export market. Oil export revenues
started flowing in late 1987 and boosted 1988 earnings by
about $800 million.
South:
This has been one of the poorest Arab countries, with a per
capita GNP of about $500. A shortage of natural resources, a
widely dispersed population, and an arid climate have made
economic development difficult. The economy has grown at an
average annual rate of only 2-3% since the mid-1970s. The
economy had been organized along socialist lines, dominated
by the public sector. Economic growth has been constrained
by a lack of incentives, partly stemming from centralized
control over production decisions, investment allocation,
and import choices.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $5.3 billion, per capita $545;
real growth rate NA% (1990 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
North:
16.9% (1988)
South:
0% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
North:
13% (1986)
South:
NA%
Budget:
North:
revenues $1.4 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including
capital expenditures of $590 million (1988 est.)
South:
revenues and grants $435 million; expenditures $1.0 billion,
including capital expenditure of $460 million (1988 est.)
Exports:
North:
$606 million (f.o.b., 1989)
commodities:
crude oil, cotton, coffee, hides, vegetables
partners:
FRG 29%, US 26%, Netherlands 12%
South:
$113.8 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
cotton, hides, skins, dried and salted fish
Yemen Economy
partners:
Japan, North Yemen, Italy
Imports:
North:
$1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1988)
Imports:
commodities:
textiles and other manufactured consumer goods, petroleum
products, sugar, grain, flour, other foodstuffs, and cement
partners:
Saudi Arabia 12%, France 6%, US 5%, Australia 5% (1985)
South:
$553.9 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.)
commodities:
grain, consumer goods, crude oil, machinery, chemicals
partners:
USSR, UK, Ethiopia
External debt:
$5.75 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
North:
growth rate 2% in manufacturing (1988)
South:
growth rate NA% in manufacturing
Electricity:
700,000 kW capacity; 1,200 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per
capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production and petroleum refining; small-scale
production of cotton textiles and leather goods; food
processing; handicrafts; fishing; small aluminum products
factory; cement
Agriculture:
North:
accounted for 26% of GDP and 70% of labor force; farm
products - grain, fruits, vegetables, qat (mildly narcotic
shrub), coffee, cotton, dairy, poultry, meat, goat meat; not
self-sufficient in grain
South:
accounted for 17% of GNP and 45% of labor force; products -
grain, qat (mildly narcotic shrub), coffee, fish, livestock;
fish and honey major exports; most food imported
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $389 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $2.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $3.2 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $2.4
billion
Currency:
North Yemeni riyal (plural - riyals); 1 North Yemeni riyal
(YR) = 100 fils; South Yemeni dinar (plural - dinars); 1
South Yemeni dinar (YD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates:
North Yemeni riyals (YR) per US$1 - 12,1000 (June 1992),
12.0000 (1991), 9.7600 (1990), 9.7600 (January 1989), 9.7717
(1988), 10.3417 (1987); South Yemeni dinars (YD) per US$1 -
0.3454 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Yemen Communications
Highways:
15,500 km; 4,000 km paved, 11,500 km natural surface (est.)
Pipelines:
crude oil 644 km, petroleum products 32 km
Ports:
Aden, Al Hudaydah, Al Khalf, Mocha, Nishtun, Ra's Kathib,
Salif
Merchant marine:
3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,309 GRT/6,568 DWT;
includes 2 cargo, 1 petroleum tanker
Civil air:
11 major transport aircraft
Airports:
46 total, 40 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none
with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 11
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
since unification in 1990, efforts are being made to create
a national domestic civil telecommunications network and to
revitalize the infrastructure of a united Yemen; the network
consists of microwave, cable and troposcatter; 65,000
telephones (est.); broadcast stations - 4 AM, 1 FM, 10 TV;
satellite earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1
Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Intersputnik, 2 ARABSAT;
microwave to Saudi Arabia, and Djibouti
Yemen Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,981,710; 1,127,391 fit for military service;
130,405 reach military age (14) annually
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.06 billion, 20% of GDP (1990)
OMAN
Oman Geography
Total area:
212,460 km2
Land area:
212,460 km2
Comparative area:
slightly smaller than Kansas
Land boundaries:
1,374 km total; Saudi Arabia 676 km, UAE 410 km, Yemen 288
km
Coastline:
2,092 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf:
to be defined
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
no defined boundary with most of UAE; Administrative Line
with UAE in far north; there is a proposed treaty with Yemen
(which has not yet been formally accepted) to settle the
Omani-Yemeni boundary
Climate:
dry desert; hot, humid along coast; hot, dry interior;
strong southwest summer monsoon (May to September) in far
south
Terrain:
vast central desert plain, rugged mountains in north and
south
Natural resources:
crude oil, copper, asbestos, some marble, limestone,
chromium, gypsum, natural gas
Land use:
arable land NEGL%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
pastures 5%; forest and woodland NEGL%; other 95%; includes
irrigated NEGL%
Environment:
summer winds often raise large sandstorms and duststorms in
interior; sparse natural freshwater resources
Note:
strategic location with small foothold on Musandam Peninsula
controlling Strait of Hormuz (17% of world's oil production
transits this point going from Persian Gulf to Arabian Sea)
Oman People
Population:
1,587,581 (July 1992), growth rate 3.5% (1992)
Birth rate:
41 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
0 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
40 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
65 years male, 69 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
6.6 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Omani(s); adjective - Omani
Ethnic divisions:
mostly Arab, with small Balochi, Zanzibari, and South Asian
(Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi) groups
Religions:
Ibadhi Muslim 75%; remainder Sunni Muslim, Shi`a Muslim,
some Hindu
Languages:
Arabic (official); English, Balochi, Urdu, Indian dialects
Literacy:
NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
Labor force:
430,000; agriculture 60% (est.); 58% are non-Omani
Organized labor:
trade unions are illegal
Oman Government
Long-form name:
Sultanate of Oman
Type:
absolute monarchy; independent, with residual UK influence
Capital:
Muscat
Administrative divisions:
there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined
by the US Government, but there are 3 governorates
(muhafazah, singular - muhafazat); Musqat, Musandam, Zufar
Independence:
1650, expulsion of the Portuguese
Constitution:
none
Legal system:
based on English common law and Islamic law; ultimate appeal
to the sultan; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday:
National Day, 18 November
Executive branch:
sultan, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
National Assembly
Judicial branch:
none; traditional Islamic judges and a nascent civil court
system
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
Sultan and Prime Minister QABOOS bin Sa`id Al Sa`id (since
23 July 1970)
Suffrage:
none
Elections:
elections scheduled for October 1992
Other political or pressure groups:
outlawed Popular Front for the Liberation of Oman (PFLO),
based in Yemen
Member of:
ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IBRD, ICAO,
IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL,
IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Awadh bin Badr AL-SHANFARI; Chancery at 2342
Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone
(202) 387-1980 through 1982
US:
Ambassador Richard W. BOEHM; Embassy at address NA, Muscat
(mailing address is P. O. Box 50202 Madinat Qaboos, Muscat);
telephone [968] 698-989; FAX [968] 604-316
Flag:
three horizontal bands of white (top, double width), red,
and green (double width) with a broad, vertical, red band on
the hoist side; the national emblem (a khanjar dagger in its
sheath superimposed on two crossed swords in scabbards) in
white is centered at the top of the vertical band
Oman Economy
Overview:
Economic performance is closely tied to the fortunes of the
oil industry. Petroleum accounts for more than 90% of export
earnings, about 80% of government revenues, and roughly 40%
of GDP. Oman has proved oil reserves of 4 billion barrels,
equivalent to about 20 years' supply at the current rate of
extraction. Although agriculture employs a majority of the
population, urban centers depend on imported food.
GDP:
exchange rate conversion - $10.6 billion, per capita $6,925
(1990); real growth rate 0.5% (1989)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.3% (1989)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Budget:
revenues $4.9 billion; expenditures $4.9 billion, including
capital expenditures of $825 million (1990)
Exports:
$5.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
commodities:
petroleum, reexports, fish, processed copper, fruits and
vegetables
partners:
Japan 35%, South Korea 21%, Singapore 7%, US 6%
Imports:
$2.5 billion (f.o.b, 1990)
commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods,
food, livestock, lubricants
partners:
UK 20%, UAE 20%, Japan 17%, US 7%
External debt:
$3.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate 10% (1989), including petroleum sector
Electricity:
1,120,000 kW capacity; 5,000 million kWh produced, 3,800 kWh
per capita (1991)
Industries:
crude oil production and refining, natural gas production,
construction, cement, copper
Agriculture:
accounts for 6% of GDP and 60% of the labor force (including
fishing); less than 2% of land cultivated; largely
subsistence farming (dates, limes, bananas, alfalfa,
vegetables, camels, cattle); not self-sufficient in food;
annual fish catch averages 100,000 metric tons
Economic aid:
US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $137 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
commitments (1970-89), $148 million; OPEC bilateral aid
(1979-89), $797 million
Currency:
Omani rial (plural - rials); 1 Omani rial (RO) = 1,000 baiza
Exchange rates:
Omani rials (RO) per US$1 - 0.3845 (fixed rate since 1986)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Oman Communications
Highways:
26,000 km total; 6,000 km paved, 20,000 km motorable track
Pipelines:
crude oil 1,300 km; natural gas 1,030 km
Ports:
Mina' Qabus, Mina' Raysut
Merchant marine:
1 passenger ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,442
GRT/1,320 DWT
Civil air:
19 major transport aircraft
Airports:
134 total, 127 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1
with runways over 3,659 m; 8 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 73
with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications:
fair system of open-wire, microwave, and radio
communications stations; limited coaxial cable 50,000
telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; satellite
earth stations - 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT, and 8
domestic
Oman Defense Forces
Branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Royal Oman Police
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 359,394; 204,006 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $1.73 billion, 16% of GDP (1992
budget)
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