Part 23
_#_Religion: Protestant 45%, Roman Catholic 37%, unaffiliated or other 18%
_#_Language: German
_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970 est.)
_#_Labor force: 36,750,000; industry 41%, agriculture 6%, other 53% (1987)
_#_Organized labor: 47% of labor force (1986 est.)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Federal Republic of Germany
_#_Type: federal republic
_#_Capital: Berlin; note--the shift from Bonn to Berlin will take place over a period of years with Bonn retaining many administrative functions
_#_Administrative divisions: 16 states (lander, singular--land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, Berlin, Brandenburg, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Sachsen, Sachsen-Anhalt, Schleswig-Holstein, Thuringen
_#_Independence: 18 January 1871 (German Empire unification); divided into four zones of occupation (UK, US, USSR, and later, France) in 1945 following World War II; Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) proclaimed 23 May 1949 and included the former UK, US, and French zones; German Democratic Republic (GDR or East Germany) proclaimed 7 October 1949 and included the former USSR zone; unification of West Germany and East Germany took place 3 October 1990; all four power rights formally relinquished 15 March 1991
_#_Constitution: 23 May 1949, provisional constitution known as Basic Law
_#_Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: 3 October 1990, German Unity Day
_#_Executive branch: president, chancellor, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral parliament (no official name for the two chambers as a whole) consists of an upper chamber or Federal Council (Bundesrat) and a lower chamber or Federal Diet (Bundestag)
_#_Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
_#_Leaders: Chief of State--President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984);
Head of Government--Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut KOHL, chairman; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo WAIGEL; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Otto Count LAMBSDORFF, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Bjoern ENGHOLM, chairman; Green Party--Volmer LUDGER, Christine WEISKE, co-chairmen (after the 2 December 1990 election the East and West German Green Parties united); Alliance 90 includes three parties--New Forum, Jens REICH, Sebastian PFLUGBEIL, spokespersons; Democracy Now, Konrad WEISS, spokesperson; and Initiative, Peace, and Human Rights Party, Gerd POPPE; Party of Democratic Socialism (PDS, formerly the East German Communist Party), Gregor GYSI, chairman; Republikaner, Franz SCHONHUBER; National Democratic Party (NPD), Martin MUSSGNUG; Communist Party (DKP), Herbert MIES
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections: Federal Diet--last held 2 December 1990 (next to be held by December 1994); results--CDU 36.7%, SPD 33.5%, FDP 11.0%, CSU 7.1%, Green Party (West Germany) 3.9%, PDS 2.4%, Republikaner 2.1%, Alliance 90/Green Party (East Germany) 1.2%, other 2.1%; seats--(662 total, 656 statutory with special rules to allow for slight expansion) CDU 268, SPD 239, FDP 79, CSU 51, PDS 17, Alliance 90/Green Party (East Germany) 8; note--special rules for this election allowed former East German parties to win seats if they received at least 5% of vote in eastern Germany
_#_Communists: West--about 40,000 members and supporters; East--284,000 party members (December 1990)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), AsDB, BDEAC, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, COCOM, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-5, G-7, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNHCR, UPU, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation:
Ambassador Jeurgen RUHFUS; Chancery at 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 298-4000; there are German Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, and Consulates in Miami and New Orleans;
US--Ambassador-designate Robert M. KIMMITT; Embassy at Deichmanns Avenue, 5300 Bonn 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09080); telephone [49] (228) 3391; there is a US Branch Office in Berlin and US Consulates General in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Leipzig, Munich, and Stuttgart
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The newly unified German economy presents a starkly contrasting picture. Western Germany has an advanced market economy and is a leading exporter. It experienced faster-than-projected real growth largely because of demand in eastern Germany for western German goods. Western Germany has a highly urbanized and skilled population which enjoys excellent living standards, abundant leisure time, and comprehensive social welfare benefits. Western Germany is relatively poor in natural resources, coal being the most important mineral. Western Germany's world-class companies manufacture technologically advanced goods. The region's economy is mature: manufacturing and service industries account for the dominant share of economic activity, and raw materials and semimanufactured products constitute a large proportion of imports. In 1989 manufacturing accounted for 31% of GDP, with other sectors contributing lesser amounts. In recent years, gross fixed investment has accounted for about 21% of GDP. In 1990 GDP in the western region was an estimated $16,300 per capita.
In contrast, eastern Germany's obsolete command economy, once dominated by smokestack heavy industries, has been undergoing a wrenching change to a market economy. Industrial production in early 1991 is down 50% from the same period last year, due largely to the slump in domestic demand for eastern German-made goods and the ongoing economic restructuring. The FRG's legal, social welfare, and economic systems have been extended to the east, but economic restructuring--privatizing industry, establishing clear property rights, clarifying responsibility for environmental clean-up, and removing Communist-era holdovers from management--is proceeding slowly so far, deterring outside investors. The region is one of the world's largest producers of low-grade lignite coal, but has few other resources. The quality of statistics from eastern Germany remains poor; Bonn is still trying to bring statistics for the region in line with West German practices.
The most challenging economic problem of a united Germany is the reconstruction of eastern Germany's economy--specifically, finding the right mix of fiscal, regulatory, monetary, and tax policies that will spur investment in the east without derailing western Germany's healthy economy or damaging relations with Western partners. The biggest danger is that soaring unemployment in eastern Germany, which could climb to the 30 to 40% range, could touch off labor disputes or renewed mass relocation to western Germany and erode investor confidence in eastern Germany. Overall economic activity grew an estimated 4.6% in western Germany in 1990, while dropping roughly 15% in eastern Germany. Per capita GDP in the eastern region was approximately $8,700 in 1990.
_#_GDP: $1,157.2 billion, per capita $14,600; real growth rate 1.7% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): West--3.0% (1989); East--0.8% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: West--7.1% (1990); East--1% (1989); 3% (first half, 1990)
_#_Budget: West--revenues $539 billion; expenditures $563 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.5 billion (1988); East--revenues $147.0 billion; expenditures $153.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1988)
_#_Exports:
West--$324.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--manufactures 86.6% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 4.9%, raw materials 2.3%, fuels 1.3%;
partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 9%, Italy 9%, UK 9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 18%, US 10%, Eastern Europe 4%, OPEC 3% (1987);
East--$32.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--machinery and transport equipment 47%, fuels and metals 16%, consumer goods 16%, chemical products and building materials 13%, semimanufactured goods and processed foodstuffs 8%;
partners--USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, FRG, Hungary, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Romania, EC, US (1989)
_#_Imports:
West--$247.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--manufactures 68.5%, agricultural products 12.0%, fuels 9.7%, raw materials 7.1%;
partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 11%, Italy 10%, UK 7%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 15%, US 6%, Japan 6%, Eastern Europe 5%, OPEC 3% (1987);
East--$30.0 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--fuels and metals 40%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, chemical products and building materials 9%;
partners--USSR and Eastern Europe 65%, FRG 12.7%, EC 6.0%, US 0.3% (1989)
_#_External debt: West--$500 million (June 1988); East--$20.6 billion (1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rates, West--3.3% (1988); East--2.7% (1989 est.)
_#_Electricity: 133,000,000 kW capacity; 580,000 million kWh produced, 7,390 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: West--among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, vehicles, machine tools, electronics; food and beverages; East--metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum
_#_Agriculture: West--accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net importer of food; fish catch of 202,000 metric tons in 1987; East--accounts for about 10% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); principal crops--wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net importer of food; fish catch of 193,600 metric tons in 1987
_#_Economic aid: West--donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $75.5 billion; East--donor--$4.0 billion extended bilaterally to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-88)
_#_Currency: deutsche mark (plural--marks); 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
_#_Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1--1.5100 (January 1991), 1.6157 (1990), 1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988), 1.7974 (1987), 2.1715 (1986), 2.9440 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: West--31,443 km total; 27,421 km government owned, 1.435-meter standard gauge (12,491 km double track, 11,501 km electrified); 4,022 km nongovernment owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (214 km electrified) and 424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km electrified); East--14,025 km total; 13,750 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 275 km 1.000-meter or other narrow gauge; 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter double-track standard gauge; 3,475 km overhead electrified (1988)
_#_Highways: West--466,305 km total; 169,568 km primary, includes 6,435 km autobahn, 32,460 km national highways (Bundesstrassen), 65,425 km state highways (Landesstrassen), 65,248 km county roads (Kreisstrassen); 296,737 km of secondary communal roads (Gemeindestrassen); East--124,604 km total; 47,203 km concrete, asphalt, stone block, of which 1,855 km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,326 are trunk roads, and 34,022 are regional roads; 77,401 municipal roads (1988)
_#_Inland waterways: West--5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and North Sea; East--2,319 km (1988)
_#_Pipelines: crude oil 3,644 km, refined products 3,946 km, natural gas 97,564 km (1988)
_#_Ports: maritime--Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Cuxhaven, Emden, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, Lubeck, Wilhelmshaven, Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz; inland--31 major
_#_Merchant marine: 598 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,029,615 GRT/6,391,875 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 5 short-sea passenger, 315 cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 126 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 33 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 6 barge carrier, 11 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 27 chemical tanker, 21 liquefied gas tanker, 5 combination ore/oil, 14 combination bulk, 15 bulk; note--the German register includes ships of the former East Germany and West Germany; during 1991 the fleet is expected to undergo major restructuring as now-surplus ships are sold off
_#_Civil air: 239 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 655 total, 647 usable; 312 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 86 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 95 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: West--highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the country; fully adequate in all respects; 41,740,000 telephones; stations--70 AM, 205 (370 relays) FM, 300 (6,422 relays) TV; 6 submarine coaxial cables; earth stations operating in INTELSAT (12 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and domestic systems;
East--3,970,000 telephones; stations--23 AM, 17 FM, 21 TV (15 Soviet TV relays); 6,181,860 TVs; 6,700,000 radios; at least 1 earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Federal Border Police
_#_Manpower availability:--males 15-49, 20,219,289; 17,557,807 fit for military service; 415,108 reach military age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $47.1 billion, 4.7% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Ghana _*_Geography _#_Total area: 238,540 km2; land area: 230,020 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
_#_Land boundaries: 2,093 km total; Burkina 548 km, Ivory Coast 668 km, Togo 877 km
_#_Coastline: 539 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
_#_Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
_#_Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber
_#_Land use: arable land 5%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 37%; other 36%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry, northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
_#_Note: Lake Volta is world's largest artificial lake
_*_People _#_Population: 15,616,934 (July 1991), growth rate 3.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 86 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 53 years male, 56 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.3 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Ghanaian(s); adjective--Ghanaian
_#_Ethnic divisions: black African 99.8% (major tribes--Akan 44%, Moshi-Dagomba 16%, Ewe 13%, Ga 8%), European and other 0.2%
_#_Religion: indigenous beliefs 38%, Muslim 30%, Christian 24%, other 8%
_#_Language: English (official); African languages include Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
_#_Literacy: 60% (male 70%, female 51%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 3,700,000; agriculture and fishing 54.7%, industry 18.7%, sales and clerical 15.2%, services, transportation, and communications 7.7%, professional 3.7%; 48% of population of working age (1983)
_#_Organized labor: 467,000 (about 13% of labor force)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Ghana
_#_Type: military
_#_Capital: Accra
_#_Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
_#_Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)
_#_Constitution: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981
_#_Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
_#_Executive branch: chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), PNDC, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly dissolved after 31 December 1981 coup, and legislative powers were assumed by the Provisional National Defense Council
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)
_#_Political parties and leaders: none; political parties outlawed after 31 December 1981 coup
_#_Suffrage: none
_#_Elections: none
_#_Communists: a small number of Communists and sympathizers
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Joseph ABBEY; Chancery at 2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Raymond C. EWING; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra); telephone [233] (21) 775347 through 775349
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983, including moves toward privatization and relaxation of government controls. Heavily dependent on cocoa, gold, and timber exports, economic growth is threatened by a poor cocoa harvest and higher oil prices in 1991. Rising inflation--unofficially estimated at 50%--could undermine Ghana's relationships with multilateral lenders. Civil service wage increases and the cost of peacekeeping forces sent to Liberia are boosting government expenditures and undercutting structural adjustment reforms. Ghana opened a stock exchange in 1990.
_#_GNP: $5.8 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 2.7% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 50% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 1.9% (1989)
_#_Budget: revenues $821 million; expenditures $782 million, including capital expenditures of $151 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $826 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--cocoa 45%, gold, timber, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum;
partners--US 23%, UK, other EC
_#_Imports: $1.2 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities--petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment;
partners--US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR
_#_External debt: $3.1 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 7.4% in manufacturing (1989); accounts for almost 1.5% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,110 million kWh produced, 280 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, fishing, aluminum, food processing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for more than 50% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); the major cash crop is cocoa; other principal crops--rice, coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn, shea nuts, timber; normally self-sufficient in food
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $455 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.3 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $78 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $106 million
_#_Currency: cedi (plural--cedis); 1 cedi (C) = 100 pesewas
_#_Exchange rates: cedis (C) per US$1--342.91 (November 1990), 270.00 (1989), 202.35 (1988), 153.73 (1987), 89.20 (1986), 54.37 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 953 km, all 1.067-meter gauge; 32 km double track; railroads undergoing major renovation
_#_Highways: 28,300 km total; 6,000 km concrete or bituminous surface, 22,300 km gravel, laterite, and improved earth surfaces
_#_Inland waterways: Volta, Ankobra, and Tano Rivers provide 155 km of perennial navigation for launches and lighters; Lake Volta provides 1,125 km of arterial and feeder waterways
_#_Pipelines: none
_#_Ports: Tema, Takoradi
_#_Merchant marine: 4 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 52,016 GRT/66,627 DWT
_#_Civil air: 6 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 10 total, 9 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: poor to fair system of open-wire and cable, radio relay links; 38,000 telephones; stations--6 AM, no FM, 9 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force, paramilitary Palace Guard, National Civil Defense Organization
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 3,538,503; 1,983,493 fit for military service; 169,698 reach military age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $23 million, 0.5% of GNP (1988) _%_ _@_Gibraltar (dependent territory of the UK) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 6.5 km2; land area: 6.5 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: 1.2 km with Spain
_#_Coastline: 12 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 3 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Disputes: source of occasional friction between Spain and the UK
_#_Climate: Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers
_#_Terrain: a narrow coastal lowland borders The Rock
_#_Natural resources: negligible
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: natural freshwater sources are meager so large water catchments (concrete or natural rock) collect rain water
_#_Note: strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea
_*_People _#_Population: 29,613 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Gibraltarian; adjective--Gibraltar
_#_Ethnic divisions: mostly Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, and Spanish descent
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 74%, Protestant 11% (Church of England 8%, other 3%), Moslem 8%, Jewish 2%, none or other 5% (1981)
_#_Language: English and Spanish are primary languages; Italian, Portuguese, and Russian also spoken; English used in the schools and for official purposes
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: about 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers); UK military establishments and civil government employ nearly 50% of the labor force
_#_Organized labor: over 6,000
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: dependent territory of the UK
_#_Capital: Gibraltar
_#_Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
_#_Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
_#_Constitution: 30 May 1969
_#_Legal system: English law
_#_National holiday: Commonwealth Day (second Monday of March), 12 March 1990
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor, chief minister, Gibraltar Council, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Assembly
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander in Chief Adm. Sir Derek REFFELL (since NA 1989);
Head of Government--Chief Minister Joe BOSSANO (since 25 March 1988)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Socialist Labor Party (SL), Joe BOSSANO; Gibraltar Labor Party/Association for the Advancement of Civil Rights (GCL/AACR), Adolfo CANEPA; Independent Democratic Party, Joe PITALUGA
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18, plus other UK subjects resident six months or more
_#_Elections:
House of Assembly: last held on 24 March 1988 (next to be held March 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(18 total, 15 elected) SL 8, GCL/AACR 7
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Housewives Association, Chamber of Commerce, Gibraltar Representatives Organization
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (dependent territory of the UK)
_#_Flag: two horizontal bands of white (top, double-width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy depends heavily on British defense expenditures, revenue from tourists, fees for services to shipping, and revenues from banking and finance activities. Because more than 70% of the economy is in the public sector, changes in government spending have a major impact on the level of employment. Construction workers are
## particularly affected when government expenditures are cut.
_#_GNP: $182 million, per capita $4,600; real growth rate 5% (FY87)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.6% (1988)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $136 million; expenditures $139 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY88)
_#_Exports: $82 million (1988);
commodities--(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%;
partners--UK, Morocco, Portugal, Netherlands, Spain, US, FRG
_#_Imports: $258 million (1988);
commodities--fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs;
partners--UK, Spain, Japan, Netherlands
_#_External debt: $318 million (1987)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 47,000 kW capacity; 200 million kWh produced, 6,670 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tourism, banking and finance, construction, commerce; support to large UK naval and air bases; transit trade and supply depot in the port; light manufacturing of tobacco, roasted coffee, ice, mineral waters, candy, beer, and canned fish
_#_Agriculture: NA
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $0.8 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $187 million
_#_Currency: Gibraltar pound (plural--pounds); 1 Gibraltar pound (5G) = 100 pence
_#_Exchange rates: Gibraltar pounds (5G) per US$1--0.5171 (January 1991), 0.5603 (1990), 0.6099 (1989), 0.5614 (1988), 0.6102 (1987), 0.6817 (1986), 0.7714 (1985); note--the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 1.000-meter-gauge system in dockyard area only
_#_Highways: 50 km, mostly good bitumen and concrete
_#_Ports: Gibraltar
_#_Merchant marine: 30 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,399,594 GRT/2,667,656 DWT; includes 6 cargo, 2 refrigerated cargo, 1 container, 10 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 1 combination oil/ore, 9 bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry
_#_Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate international radiocommunication facilities; automatic telephone system with 14,000 telephones; stations--1 AM, 6 FM, 4 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: British Army, Royal Navy, Royal Air Force
_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Glorioso Islands (French possession) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 5 km2; land area: 5 km2; includes Ile Glorieuse, Ile du Lys, Verte Rocks, Wreck Rock, and South Rock
_#_Comparative area: about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 35.2 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claimed by Madagascar
_#_Climate: tropical
_#_Terrain: undetermined
_#_Natural resources: guano, coconuts
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other--lush vegetation and coconut palms 100%
_#_Environment: subject to periodic cyclones
_#_Note: located in the Indian Ocean just north of the Mozambique Channel between Africa and Madagascar
_*_People _#_Population: uninhabited
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none