Part 61
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament; note--the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of custom and land
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State--President Frederick TIMAKATA (since 30 January 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Father Walter Hadye LINI (since 30 July 1980); Deputy Prime Minister (vacant)
Political parties and leaders: National Party (Vanua'aku Pati), Walter Lini; Union of Moderate Parties, Maxine Carlot; Melanesian Progressive Party, Barak Sope
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: Parliament--last held 30 November 1987 (next to be held NA); byelections were held NA December 1988 to fill vacancies resulting from the expulsion of opposition members for boycotting sessions; results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(46 total) National Party 26, Union of Moderate Parties 19, independent 1
Member of: ACP, ADB, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, ITU, NAM, SPF, UN, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Vanuatu does not have a mission in Washington; US--the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green (bottom) with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
- Economy Overview: The economy is based primarily on subsistence farming that provides a living for about 80% of the population. Fishing and tourism are the other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light-industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties.
GDP: $120 million, per capita $820; real growth rate 0.7% (1987 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.0% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $80.1 million; expenditures $86.6 million, including capital expenditures of $27.1 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $16 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--copra 37%, cocoa 11%, meat 9%, fish 8%, timber 4%; partners--Netherlands 34%, France 27%, Japan 17%, Belgium 4%, New Caledonia 3%, Singapore 2% (1987)
Imports: $58 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--machines and vehicles 25%, food and beverages 23%, basic manufactures 18%, raw materials and fuels 11%, chemicals 6%; partners--Australia 36%, Japan 13%, NZ 10%, France 8%, Fiji 5% (1987)
External debt: $57 million (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate NA%
Electricity: 10,000 kW capacity; 20 million kWh produced, 125 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food and fish freezing, forestry processing, meat canning
Agriculture: export crops--copra, cocoa, coffee, and fish; subsistence crops--copra, taro, yams, coconuts, fruits, and vegetables
Aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $541 million
Currency: vatu (plural--vatu); 1 vatu (VT) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: vatu (VT) per US$1--107.17 (January 1990), 116.04 (1989), 104.43 (1988), 109.85 (1987), 106.08 (1986), 106.03 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: none
Highways: 1,027 km total; at least 240 km sealed or all-weather roads
Ports: Port-Vila, Luganville, Palikoulo, Santu
Merchant marine: 65 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 885,668 GRT/1,473,443 DWT; includes 26 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 5 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 21 bulk, 1 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry
Civil air: no major transport aircraft
Airports: 33 total, 28 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations--2 AM, no FM, no TV; 3,000 telephones; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: a paramilitary force is responsible for internal and external security; no military forces
Military manpower: NA
Defense expenditures: NA ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Vatican City - Geography Total area: 0.438 km2; land area: 0.438 km2
Comparative area: about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundary: 3.2 km with Italy
Coastline: none--landlocked
Maritime claims: none--landlocked
Climate: temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to mid-May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Terrain: low hill
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: urban
Note: landlocked; enclave of Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; outside the Vatican City, 13 buildings in Rome and Castel Gandolfo (the pope's summer residence) enjoy extraterritorial rights
- People Population: 774 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Nationality: no noun or adjectival forms
Ethnic divisions: primarily Italians but also many other nationalities
Religion: Roman Catholic
Language: Italian, Latin, and various other languages
Literacy: 100%
Labor force: about 1,500; Vatican City employees divided into three categories--executives, office workers, and salaried employees
Organized labor: Association of Vatican Lay Workers, 1,800 members (1987)
- Government Long-form name: State of the Vatican City; note--the Vatican City is the physical seat of the Holy See which is the central government of the Roman Catholic Church
Type: monarchical-sacerdotal state
Capital: Vatican City
Independence: 11 February 1929 (from Italy)
Constitution: Apostolic Constitution of 1967 (effective 1 March 1968)
National holiday: Installation Day of the Pope (John Paul II), 22 October (1978); note--Pope John Paul II was elected on 16 October 1978
Executive branch: pope
Legislative branch: unicameral Pontifical Commission
Judicial branch: none; normally handled by Italy
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--Pope JOHN PAUL II (Karol WOJTYLA; since 16 October 1978)
Political parties and leaders: none
Suffrage: limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Elections: Pope--last held 16 October 1978 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); results--Karol Wojtyla was elected for life by the College of Cardinals
Communists: NA
Other political or pressure groups: none (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Member: IAEA, INTELSAT, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, UPU, WIPO, WTO; permanent observer status at FAO, OAS, UN, and UNESCO
Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Pio LAGHI; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121; US--Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone [396] 639-0558
Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of St. Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white band
- Economy Overview: The economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps, tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications.
Budget: revenues $57 million; expenditures $113.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986)
Electricity: 5,000 kW standby capacity (1989); power supplied by Italy
Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
Currency: Vatican lira (plural--lire); 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi
Exchange rates: Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1--1,262.5 (January 1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987), 1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985); note--the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates freely
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 850 m, 750 mm gauge (links with Italian network near the Rome station of St. Peter's)
Highways: none; all city streets
Telecommunications: stations--3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line automatic telephone exchange; no communications satellite systems
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Venezuela - Geography Total area: 912,050 km2; land area: 882,050 km2
Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California
Land boundaries: 4,993 km total; Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
Coastline: 2,800 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 15 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claims Essequibo area of Guyana; maritime boundary disputes with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela and with Trinidad and Tobago in the Gulf of Paria
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
Terrain: Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guyana highlands in southeast
Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
Land use: 3% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures; 39% forest and woodland; 37% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo
Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America
- People Population: 19,698,104 (July 1990), growth rate 2.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 27 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan
Ethnic divisions: 67% mestizo, 21% white, 10% black, 2% Indian
Religion: 96% nominally Roman Catholic, 2% Protestant
Language: Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior
Literacy: 85.6%
Labor force: 5,800,000; 56% services, 28% industry, 16% agriculture (1985)
Organized labor: 32% of labor force
- Government Long-form name: Republic of Venezuela
Type: republic
Capital: Caracas
Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular--estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (dependencia federal); Amazonas*, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro*, Dependencias Federales***, Distrito Federal**, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia; note--the federal dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
Constitution: 23 January 1961
Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress (Congreso Nacional) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI), Eduardo Fernandez, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD), Gonzalo Barrios, president, and Humberto Celli, secretary general; Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Teodoro Petkoff, president, and Freddy Munoz, secretary general
Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced
Elections: President--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--Carlos Andres Perez (AD) 53%, Eduardo Fernandez (COPEI) 40%, others 7%;
Senate--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(49 total) AD 23, COPEI 22, others 4;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--AD 43.7%, COPEI 31.4%, MAS 10.3%, others 14.6%; seats--(201 total) AD 97, COPEI 67, MAS 18, others 19
Communists: 10,000 members (est.)
Other political or pressure groups: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic
## Action-dominated labor organization
Member of: Andean Pact, AIOEC, FAO, G-77, Group of Eight, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, IRC, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, LAIA, NAM, OAS, OPEC, PAHO, SELA, WFTU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro; Chancery at 2445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-3800; there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico); US--Ambassador-designate Eric JAVITS; Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34037); telephone [58] (2) 284-6111 or 7111; there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
- Economy Overview: Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 17% of GDP, 52% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1988. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP.
GDP: $52.0 billion, per capita $2,700; real growth rate - 8.1% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 80.7% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 7.0% (1988)
Budget: revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)
Exports: $10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures; partners--US 50.3%, FRG 5.3%, Japan 4.1% (1988)
Imports: $10.9 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment; partners--US 44%, FRG 8.5%, Japan 6%, Italy 5%, Brazil 4.4% (1987)
External debt: $33.6 billion (1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.7%, excluding oil (1988)
Electricity: 19,110,000 kW capacity; 54,516 million kWh produced, 2,830 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 15% of labor force; products--corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine and marijuana do transit the country
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $10 million
Currency: bolivar (plural--bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1--43.42 (January 1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 542 km total; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned
Highways: 77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth
Inland waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels
Pipelines: 6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas
Ports: Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz
Merchant marine: 70 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 997,458 GRT/1,615,155 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 28 cargo, 2 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 11 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk, 1 combination ore/oil
Civil air: 58 major transport aircraft
Airports: 306 total, 278 usable; 134 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 92 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: modern and expanding; 1,440,000 telephones; stations--181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
- Defense Forces Branches: Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard)
Military manpower: males 15-49, 5,073,913; 3,680,176 fit for military service; 211,269 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 1.1% of GDP, or $570 million (1990 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Vietnam - Geography Total area: 329,560 km2; land area: 325,360
Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
Land boundaries: 3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km
Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; occupied Cambodia on 25 December 1978; sporadic border clashes with China; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan
Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)
Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests
Land use: 22% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 1% meadows and pastures; 40% forest and woodland; 35% other; includes 5% irrigated
Environment: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
- People Population: 66,170,889 (July 1990), growth rate 2.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 30 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 50 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 62 years male, 66 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Vietnamese
Ethnic divisions: 85-90% predominantly Vietnamese; 3% Chinese; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
Language: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
Literacy: 78%
Labor force: 35,000,000 (1989 est.)
Organized labor: reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
- Government Long-form name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV
Type: Communist state
Capital: Hanoi
Administrative divisions: 37 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Tri Thien, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dac Lac, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Cong Tum, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam Ninh, Ha Noi*, Ha Son Binh, Ha Tuyen, Hau Giang, Hoang Lien Son, Ho Chi Minh*, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai, Nghe Tinh, Nghia Binh, Phu Khanh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ninh, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Pu, Vung Tau-Con Dao; note--diacritical marks are not included; the number of provinces may have been changed with the elimination of Binh Tri Thien, Nghia Binh, and Phu Khanh and the addition of Binh Dinh, Khanh Hoa, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Ngai, Quang Tri, and Thua Thien
Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
Constitution: 18 December 1980
Legal system: based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system
National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
Executive branch: chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Quoc Hoi)
Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
Leaders: Chief of State--Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi CONG (since 18 June 1987);
Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) Do MUOI (since 22 June 1988)
Political parties and leaders: only party-- Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van Linh
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: National Assembly--last held 19 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results--VCP is the only party; seats--(496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496
Communists: nearly 2 million
Member of: ADB, CEMA, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IRC, ITU, Mekong Committee, NAM, UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: none
Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
- Economy Overview: This is a centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural, employing about 65% of the labor force and accounting for almost half of GNP. Rice is the staple crop; substantial amounts of maize, sorghum, cassava, and sweet potatoes are also grown. The government permits sale of surplus grain on the open market. Most of the mineral resources are located in the north, including coal, which is an important export item. Following the end of the war in 1975, heavy handed government measures undermined efforts at an efficient merger of the agricultural resources of the south and the industrial resources of the north. The economy remains heavily dependent on foreign aid and has received assistance from Communist countries, Sweden, and UN agencies. Inflation, although down from recent triple-digit levels, is still a major weakness, and per capita output is among the world's lowest. Since early 1989 the government has sponsored a broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to the private sector.
GNP: $14.2 billion, per capita $215; real growth rate 8% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40% (1989 est.)
Unemployment rate: 25% (1989 est.)
Budget: revenues $3.2 billion; expenditures $4.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $528 million (1987 est.)
Exports: $1.1 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, ores; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
Imports: $2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--petroleum, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain; partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
External debt: $16 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989)
Electricity: 2,465,000 kW capacity; 6,730 million kWh produced, 100 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
Agriculture: accounts for half of GNP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas) and animal products other 50%; not self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 900,000 metric tons (1988 est.)
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $2.7 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $10.9 million
Currency: new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1--4,000 (March 1990), 900 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note--1985-89 figures are end of year
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service
Highways: about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
Pipelines: 150 km, refined products
Inland waterways: about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City
Merchant marine: 71 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 290,123 GRT/432,152 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 55 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 bulk; note--Vietnam owns 10 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 111,028 DWT under the registry of Panama and Malta
Civil air: controlled by military
Airports: 100 total, 100 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones in Ho Chi Minh City (1984); stations--16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio receivers; at least 2 satellite earth stations, including 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 15,707,629; 10,030,563 fit for military service; 787,444 reach military age (17) annually
Defense expenditures: 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Virgin Islands (territory of the US) - Geography Total area: 352 km2; land area: 349 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 188 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
Land use: 15% arable land; 6% permanent crops; 26% meadows and pastures; 6% forest and woodland; 47% other
Environment: rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent severe droughts, floods, earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater resources
Note: important location 1,770 km southeast of Miami and 65 km east of Puerto Rico, along the Anegada Passage--a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; St. Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
- People Population: 99,200 (July 1990), growth rate - 0.3% (1990)
Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1990)