Part 46
- Communications Highways: 19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized-soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 10,940 km
Ports: Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul
Merchant marine: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,675 GRT/27,954 DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 combination ore/oil, 2 bulk
Civil air: about 15 major transport aircraft
Airports: 575 total, 455 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 38 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services; submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; 51,700 telephones (1985); stations--31 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 952,454; 529,570 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.3% of GDP, or $42 million (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Paracel Islands - Geography Total area: undetermined
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 518 km
Maritime claims: undetermined
Disputes: occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam
Climate: tropical
Terrain: undetermined
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: subject to typhoons
Note: located 400 km east of Vietnam in the South China Sea about one-third of the way between Vietnam and the Philippines
- People Population: no permanent inhabitants
- Government Long-form name: none
- Economy Overview: no economic activity
- Communications Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces Note: occupied by China ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Paraguay - Geography Total area: 406,750 km2; land area: 397,300 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than California
Land boundaries: 3,920 km total; Argentina 1,880 km, Bolivia 750 km, Brazil 1,290 km
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Disputes: short section of the boundary with Brazil (just west of Guaira Falls on the Rio Parana) is in dispute
Climate: varies from temperate in east to semiarid in far west
Terrain: grassy plains and wooded hills east of Rio Paraguay; Gran Chaco region west of Rio Paraguay mostly low, marshy plain near the river, and dry forest and thorny scrub elsewhere
Natural resources: iron ore, manganese, limestone, hydropower, timber
Land use: 20% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 39% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 5% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: local flooding in southeast (early September to June); poorly drained plains may become boggy (early October to June)
Note: landlocked; buffer between Argentina and Brazil
- People Population: 4,660,270 (July 1990), growth rate 3.0% (1990)
Birth rate: 36 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Paraguayan(s); adjective--Paraguayan
Ethnic divisions: 95% mestizo (Spanish and Indian), 5% white and Indian
Religion: 90% Roman Catholic; Mennonite and other Protestant denominations
Language: Spanish (official) and Guarani
Literacy: 81%
Labor force: 1,300,000; 44% agriculture, 34% industry and commerce, 18% services, 4% government (1986)
Organized labor: about 2% of labor force
- Government Long-form name: Republic of Paraguay
Type: republic
Capital: Asuncion
Administrative divisions: 19 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento); Alto Paraguay, Alto Parana, Amambay, Boqueron, Caaguazu, Caazapa, Canendiyu, Central, Chaco, Concepcion, Cordillera, Guaira, Itapua, Misiones, Neembucu, Nueva Asuncion, Paraguari, Presidente Hayes, San Pedro
Independence: 14 May 1811 (from Spain)
Constitution 25 August 1967
Legal system: based on Argentine codes, Roman law, and French codes; judicial review of legislative acts in Supreme Court of Justice; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Days, 14-15 May (1811)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Andres RODRIGUEZ Pedotti (since 15 May 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Colorado Party, Juan Ramon Chaves; Authentic Radical Liberal Party (PLRA), Domingo Laino; Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Jorge Dario Cristaldo; Febrerista Revolutionary Party (PRF), Euclides Acevedo; Liberal Party (PL), Reinaldo Odone; Popular Colorado Movement (MOPOCO), Miguel Angel Gonzalez Casabianca; Radical Liberal Party (PLR), Emilio Forestieri; Popular Democratic Movement (MDP)
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18 and up to age 60
Elections: President--last held 1 May 1989 (next to be held February 1993); results--Gen. Rodriguez 75.8%, Domingo Laino 19.4%;
Senate--last held 1 May 1989 (next to be held by May 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(36 total) Colorado Party 24, PLRA 10, PLR 1, PRF 1;
Chamber of Deputies--last held on 1 May 1989 (next to be held by May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(72 total) Colorado Party 48, PLRA 19, PRF 2, PDC 1, PL 1, PLR 1
Communists: Oscar Creydt faction and Miguel Angel Soler faction (both illegal); 3,000 to 4,000 (est.) party members and sympathizers in Paraguay, very few are hard core; party beginning to return from exile is small and deeply divided
Other political or pressure groups: Febrerista; Authentic Radical Liberal; Christian Democratic Parties; Confederation of Workers (CUT); Roman Catholic Church
Member of: CCC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, LAIA, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WSG
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Marcos MARTINEZ MENDIETA; Chancery at 2400 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-6960 through 6962; there are Paraguayan Consulates General in New Orleans and New York, and a Consulate in Houston; US--Ambassador Timothy L. TOWELL; Embassy at 1776 Avenida Mariscal Lopez, Asuncion (mailing address is C. P. 402, Asuncion, or APO Miami 34036-0001); telephone [595] (21) 201-041 or 049
Flag: three equal, horizontal bands of red (top), white, and blue with an emblem centered in the white band; unusual flag in that the emblem is different on each side; the obverse (hoist side at the left) bears the national coat of arms (a yellow five-pointed star within a green wreath capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles); the reverse (hoist side at the right) bears the seal of the treasury (a yellow lion below a red Cap of Liberty and the words Paz y Justica (Peace and Justice) capped by the words REPUBLICA DEL PARAGUAY, all within two circles)
- Economy Overview: The economy is predominantly agricultural. Agriculture, including forestry, accounts for about 25% of GNP, employs about 45% of the labor force, and provides the bulk of exports. Paraguay has no known significant mineral or petroleum resources, but does have a large hydropower potential. Since 1981 economic performance has declined compared with the boom period of 1976-81, when real GDP grew at an average annual rate of nearly 11%. During 1982-86 real GDP fell three out of five years, inflation jumped to an annual rate of 32%, and foreign debt rose. Factors responsible for the erratic behavior of the economy were the completion of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, bad weather for crops, and weak international commodity prices for agricultural exports. In 1987 the economy experienced a modest recovery because of improved weather conditions and stronger international prices for key agricultural exports. The recovery continued through 1988, with a bumper soybean crop and record cotton production. The government, however, must follow through on promises of reforms needed to deal with large fiscal deficits, growing debt arrearages, and falling reserves.
GDP: $8.9 billion, per capita $1,970; real growth rate 5.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 12% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $609 million; expenditures $909 million, including capital expenditures of $401 million (1988)
Exports: $1,020 million (registered f.o.b., 1989 est.); commodities--cotton, soybean, timber, vegetable oils, coffee, tung oil, meat products; partners--EC 37%, Brazil 25%, Argentina 10%, Chile 6%, US 6%
Imports: $1,010 million (registered c.i.f., 1989 est.); commodities--capital goods 35%, consumer goods 20%, fuels and lubricants 19%, raw materials 16%, foodstuffs, beverages, and tobacco 10%; partners--Brazil 30%, EC 20%, US 18%, Argentina 8%, Japan 7%
External debt: $2.9 billion (1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 2% (1987)
Electricity: 5,169,000 kW capacity; 15,140 million kWh produced, 3,350 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: meat packing, oilseed crushing, milling, brewing, textiles, other light consumer goods, cement, construction
Agriculture: accounts for 25% of GDP and 50% of labor force; cash crops--cotton, sugarcane; other crops--corn, wheat, tobacco, soybeans, cassava, fruits, and vegetables; animal products--beef, pork, eggs, milk; surplus producer of timber; self-sufficient in most foods
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade with an estimated 300 hectares cultivated in 1988; important transshipment point for Bolivian cocaine headed for the US and Europe
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $168 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $994 million
Currency: guarani (plural--guaranies); 1 guarani (G) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: guaranies (G) per US$1--1,200.20 (November 1989; floated in February 1989), 550.00 (fixed rate 1986-February 1989), 339.17 (1986), 306.67 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 970 km total; 440 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 60 km 1.000-meter gauge, 470 km various narrow gauge (privately owned)
Highways: 21,960 km total; 1,788 km paved, 474 km gravel, and 19,698 km earth
Inland waterways: 3,100 km
Ports: Asuncion
Merchant marine: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,735 GRT/26,043 DWT; includes 13 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker; note--1 naval cargo ship is sometimes used commercially
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airports: 873 total, 753 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 52 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: principal center in Asuncion; fair intercity microwave net; 78,300 telephones; stations--40 AM, no FM, 5 TV, 7 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: Paraguayan Army, Paraguayan Navy, Paraguayan Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 1,096,227; 798,750 fit for military service; 49,791 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: NA ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Peru - Geography Total area: 1,285,220 km2; land area: 1,280,000 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Alaska
Land boundaries: 6,940 km total; Bolivia 900 km, Brazil 1,560 km, Chile 160 km, Colombia 2,900 km, Ecuador 1,420 km
Coastline: 2,414 km
Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
Disputes: two sections of the boundary with Ecuador are in dispute
Climate: varies from tropical in east to dry desert in west
Terrain: western coastal plain (costa), high and rugged Andes in center (sierra), eastern lowland jungle of Amazon Basin (selva)
Natural resources: copper, silver, gold, petroleum, timber, fish, iron ore, coal, phosphate, potash
Land use: 3% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 21% meadows and pastures; 55% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: subject to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, mild volcanic
## activity; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification; air
pollution in Lima
Note: shares control of Lago Titicaca, world's highest navigable lake, with Bolivia
- People Population: 21,905,605 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 67 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Peruvian(s); adjective--Peruvian
Ethnic divisions: 45% Indian; 37% mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry); 15% white; 3% black, Japanese, Chinese, and other
Religion: predominantly Roman Catholic
Language: Spanish and Quechua (official), Aymara
Literacy: 80% (est.)
Labor force: 6,800,000 (1986); 44% government and other services, 37% agriculture, 19% industry (1988 est.)
Organized labor: about 40% of salaried workers (1983 est.)
- Government Long-form name: Republic of Peru
Type: republic
Capital: Lima
Administrative divisions: 24 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento) and 1 constitutional province* (provincia constitucional); Amazonas, Ancash, Apurimac, Arequipa, Ayacucho, Cajamarca, Callao*, Cusco, Huancavelica, Huanuco, Ica, Junin, La Libertad, Lambayeque, Lima, Loreto, Madre de Dios, Moquegua, Pasco, Piura, Puno, San Martin, Tacna, Tumbes, Ucayali
Independence: 28 July 1821 (from Spain)
Constitution: 28 July 1980 (often referred to as the 1979 Constitution because constituent assembly met in 1979, but Constitution actually took effect the following year); reestablished civilian government with a popularly elected president and bicameral legislature
Legal system: based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 28 July (1821)
Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress (Congreso) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia)
Leaders: Chief of State--President-elect Alberto FUJIMORI (since 10 June 1990; Vice President-elect Maximo San ROMAN (since 10 June 1990); Vice President-elect Carlos GARCIA; President Alan GARCIA Perez (since 28 July 1985); First Vice President Luis Alberto SANCHEZ Sanchez (since 28 July 1985); Second Vice President Luis Juan ALVA Castro (since 28 July 1985);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Guillermo LARCO Cox (since 3 October 1989)
Political parties and leaders: American Popular Revolutionary Alliance (APRA), Alan Garcia Perez; United Left (IU), run by committee; Democratic Front (FREDEMO), headed by Mario Vargas Llosa of the Liberty Movement (ML), coalition also includes the Popular Christian Party (PPC), Luis Bedoya Reyes and the Popular Action Party (AP), Fernando Belaunde Terry; Socialist Left (ISO), Alfonso Barrantes Lingan
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President--last held on 10 June 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--Alberto Fujimori xx%, Mario Vargas Llosa xx%, others xx%;
Senate--last held on 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(60 total) APRA 32, IU 15, AP 5, others 8;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 8 April 1990 (next to be held April 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(180 total) APRA 107, IU 48, AP 10, others 15
Communists: Peruvian Communist Party-Unity (PCP-U), pro-Soviet, 2,000; other minor Communist parties
Other political or pressure groups: NA
Member of: Andean Pact, AIOEC, ASSIMER, CCC, CIPEC, FAO, G-77, GATT, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IATP, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, ILZSG, INTERPOL, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Cesar G. ATALA; Chancery at 1700 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 833-9860 through 9869); Peruvian Consulates General are located in Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Paterson (New Jersey), San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador Anthony QUAINTON; Embassy at the corner of Avenida Inca Garcilaso de la Vega and Avenida Espana, Lima (mailing address is P. O. Box 1995, Lima 1010, or APO Miami 34031); telephone [51] (14) 338-000
Flag: three equal, vertical bands of red (hoist side), white, and red with the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a shield bearing a llama, cinchona tree (the source of quinine), and a yellow cornucopia spilling out gold coins, all framed by a green wreath
- Economy Overview: The economy is verging on hyperinflation and economic activity is contracting rapidly. Deficit spending is at the root of domestic economic problems, but poor relations with international lenders--the result of curtailing debt payments since 1985--are preventing an inflow of funds to generate a recovery. Reduced standards of living have increased labor tensions, and strikes, particularly in the key mining sector, have cut production and exports. Foreign exchange shortages have forced reductions in vital consumer imports such as food and industrial inputs. Peru is the world's leading producer of coca, from which the drug cocaine is produced.
GDP: $18.9 billion, per capita $880; real growth rate - 12.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2,775% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 15.0%; underemployment estimated at 60% (1989)
Budget: revenues $3.2 billion; expenditures $3.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $796 million (1986)
Exports: $3.55 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--fishmeal, cotton, sugar, coffee, copper, iron ore, refined silver, lead, zinc, crude petroleum and byproducts; partners--EC 22%, US 20%, Japan 11%, Latin America 8%, USSR 4%
Imports: $2.50 billion (f.o.b., 1989); commodities--foodstuffs, machinery, transport equipment, iron and steel semimanufactures, chemicals, pharmaceuticals; partners--US 23%, Latin America 16%, EC 12%, Japan 7%, Switzerland 3%
External debt: $17.7 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate - 25.0% (1988 est.)
Electricity: 4,867,000 kW capacity; 15,540 million kWh produced, 725 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining of metals, petroleum, fishing, textiles, clothing, food processing, cement, auto assembly, steel, shipbuilding, metal fabrication
Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP, 37% of labor force; commercial crops--coffee, cotton, sugarcane; other crops--rice, wheat, potatoes, plantains, coca; animal products--poultry, red meats, dairy, wool; not self-sufficient in grain or vegetable oil; fish catch of 4.6 million metric tons (1987), world's fifth-largest
Illicit drugs: world's largest coca producer and source of supply for coca paste and cocaine base; about 85% of cultivation is for illicit production; most of coca base is shipped to Colombian drug dealers for processing into cocaine for the international drug market
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $1.6 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.7 billion; Communist countries (1970-88), $577 million
Currency: inti (plural--intis); 1 inti (I/) = 1,000 soles
Exchange rates: intis (I/) per US$1--5,261.40 (December 1989), 128.83 (1988), 16.84 (1987), 13.95 (1986), 10.97 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 1,876 km total; 1,576 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 300 km 0.914-meter gauge
Highways: 56,645 km total; 6,030 km paved, 11,865 km gravel, 14,610 km improved earth, 24,140 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 8,600 km of navigable tributaries of Amazon system and 208 km Lago Titicaca
Pipelines: crude oil, 800 km; natural gas and natural gas liquids, 64 km
Ports: Callao, Ilo, Iquitos, Matarani, Talara
Merchant marine: 32 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 341,213 GRT/535,215 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 8 bulk; note--in addition, 7 naval tankers and 1 naval cargo are sometimes used commercially
Civil air: 27 major transport aircraft
Airports: 242 total, 226 usable; 35 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 24 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 39 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: fairly adequate for most requirements; nationwide radio relay system; 544,000 telephones; stations--273 AM, no FM, 140 TV, 144 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations, 12 domestic antennas
- Defense Forces Branches: Peruvian Army (Ejercito Peruano), Peruvian Navy (Marina de Guerra del Peru), Peruvian Air Force (Fuerza Aerea del Peru)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,543,166; 3,751,077 fit for military service; 236,814 reach military age (20) annually
Defense expenditures: 4.9% of GNP (1987) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Philippines - Geography Total area: 300,000 km2; land area: 298,170 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Arizona
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 36,289 km
Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Continental shelf: to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: irregular polygon extending up to 100 nm from coastline as defined by 1898 treaty; since late 1970s has also claimed polygonal-shaped area in South China Sea up to 285 nm in breadth
Disputes: involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Taiwan, and Vietnam; claims Malaysian state of Sabah
Climate: tropical marine; northeast monsoon (November to April); southwest monsoon (May to October)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow to extensive coastal lowlands
Natural resources: timber, crude oil, nickel, cobalt, silver, gold, salt, copper
Land use: 26% arable land; 11% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 19% other; includes 5% irrigated
Environment: astride typhoon belt, usually affected by 15 and struck by five to six cyclonic storms per year; subject to landslides, active volcanoes, destructive earthquakes, tsunami; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
- People Population: 66,117,284 (July 1990), growth rate 2.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 32 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 69 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 4.3 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Filipino(s); adjective--Philippine
Ethnic divisions: 91.5% Christian Malay, 4% Muslim Malay, 1.5% Chinese, 3% other
Religion: 83% Roman Catholic, 9% Protestant, 5% Muslim, 3% Buddhist and other
Language: Pilipino (based on Tagalog) and English; both official
Literacy: 88% (est.)
Labor force: 22,889,000; 47% agriculture, 20% industry and commerce, 13.5% services, 10% government, 9.5% other (1987)
Organized labor: 2,064 registered unions; total membership 4.8 million (includes 2.7 million members of the National Congress of Farmers Organizations)
- Government Long-form name: Republic of the Philippines
Type: republic
Capital: Manila
Administrative divisions: 73 provinces and 61 chartered cities*; Abra, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Aklan, Albay, Angeles*, Antique, Aurora, Bacolod*, Bago*, Baguio*, Bais*, Basilan, Basilan City*, Bataan, Batanes, Batangas, Batangas City*, Benguet, Bohol, Bukidnon, Bulacan, Butuan*, Cabanatuan*, Cadiz*, Cagayan, Cagayan de Oro*, Calbayog*, Caloocan*, Camarines Norte, Camarines Sur, Camiguin, Canlaon*, Capiz, Catanduanes, Cavite, Cavite City*, Cebu, Cebu City*, Cotabato*, Dagupan*, Danao*, Dapitan*, Davao City* Davao, Davao del Sur, Davao Oriental, Dipolog*, Dumaguete*, Eastern Samar, General Santos*, Gingoog*, Ifugao, Iligan*, Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, Iloilo, Iloilo City*, Iriga*, Isabela, Kalinga-Apayao, La Carlota*, Laguna, Lanao del Norte, Lanao del Sur, Laoag*, Lapu-Lapu*, La Union, Legaspi*, Leyte, Lipa*, Lucena*, Maguindanao, Mandaue*, Manila*, Marawi*, Marinduque, Masbate, Mindoro Occidental, Mindoro Oriental, Misamis Occidental, Misamis Oriental, Mountain, Naga*, Negros Occidental, Negros Oriental, North Cotabato, Northern Samar, Nueva Ecija, Nueva Vizcaya, Olongapo*, Ormoc*, Oroquieta*, Ozamis*, Pagadian*, Palawan, Palayan*, Pampanga, Pangasinan, Pasay*, Puerto Princesa*, Quezon, Quezon City*, Quirino, Rizal, Romblon, Roxas*, Samar, San Carlos* (in Negros Occidental), San Carlos* (in Pangasinan), San Jose*, San Pablo*, Silay*, Siquijor, Sorsogon, South Cotabato, Southern Leyte, Sultan Kudarat, Sulu, Surigao*, Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Tacloban*, Tagaytay*, Tagbilaran*, Tangub*, Tarlac, Tawitawi, Toledo*, Trece Martires*, Zambales, Zamboanga*, Zamboanga del Norte, Zamboanga del Sur
Independence: 4 July 1946 (from US)
Constitution: 2 February 1987, effective 11 February 1987
Legal system: based on Spanish and Anglo-American law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday: Independence Day (from Spain), 12 June (1898)
Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Corazon C. AQUINO (since 25 February 1986); Vice President Salvador H. LAUREL (since 25 February 1986)
Political parties and leaders: PDP-Laban, Aquilino Pimentel; Struggle of Philippine Democrats (LDP), Neptali Gonzales; Nationalista Party, Salvador Laurel, Juan Ponce Enrile; Liberal Party, Jovito Salonga
Suffrage: universal at age 15
Elections: President--last held 7 February 1986 (next election to be held May 1992); results--Corazon C. Aquino elected after the fall of the Marcos regime;
Senate--last held 11 May 1987 (next to be held May 1993); results--Pro-Aquino LDP 63%, Liberals LDP and PDP-Laban (Pimentel wing) 25%, Opposition Nationalista Party 4%, independents 8%; seats--(24 total) Pro-Aquino LDP 15, Liberals LDP-Laban (Pimentel wing) 6, Opposition 1, independents 2;
House of Representatives--last held on 11 May 1987 (next to be held May 1992); results--Pro-Aquino LDP 73%, Liberals LDP and PDP-Laban (Pimentel wing) 10%, Opposition Nationalista Party 17%; seats--(250 total, 180 elected) number of seats by party NA
Communists: the Communist Party of the Philippines (CPP) controls about 18,000-23,000 full-time insurgents and is not recognized as a legal party; a second Communist party, the pro-Soviet Philippine Communist Party (PKP), has quasi-legal status
Member of: ADB, ASEAN, ASPAC, CCC, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Emmanuel PELAEZ; Chancery at 1617 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 483-1414; there are Philippine Consulates General in Agana (Guam), Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle; US--Ambassador Nicholas PLATT; Embassy at 1201 Roxas Boulevard, Manila (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96528); telephone [63] (2) 521-7116; there is a US Consulate in Cebu