Chapter 29 of 72 · 3990 words · ~20 min read

Part 29

## particularly marine life, minerals, oil and gas production, fishing, sand

and gravel aggregates, placer deposits

_*_Communications _#_Ports: Bombay (India), Calcutta (India), Madras (India), Colombo (Sri Lanka), Durban (South Africa), Fremantle (Australia), Jakarta (Indonesia), Melbourne (Australia), Richard's Bay (South Africa)

_#_Telecommunications: no submarine cables _%_ _@_Indonesia _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,919,440 km2; land area: 1,826,440 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than three times the size of Texas

_#_Land boundaries: 2,602 km total; Malaysia 1,782 km, Papua New Guinea 820 km

_#_Coastline: 54,716 km

_#_Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: sovereignty over Timor Timur (East Timor Province) disputed with Portugal

_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands

_#_Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands; larger islands have interior mountains

_#_Natural resources: crude oil, tin, natural gas liquids, nickel, timber, bauxite, copper, fertile soils, coal, gold, silver

_#_Land use: arable land 8%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 67%; other 15%; includes irrigated 3%

_#_Environment: archipelago of 13,500 islands (6,000 inhabited); occasional floods, severe droughts, and tsunamis; deforestation

_#_Note: straddles Equator; strategic location astride or along major sea lanes from Indian Ocean to Pacific Ocean

_*_People _#_Population: 193,560,494 (July 1991), growth rate 1.8% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 26 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 73 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 59 years male, 63 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 3.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Indonesian(s); adjective--Indonesian

_#_Ethnic divisions: majority of Malay stock comprising Javanese 45.0%, Sundanese 14.0%, Madurese 7.5%, coastal Malays 7.5%, other 26.0%

_#_Religion: Muslim 87%, Protestant 6%, Roman Catholic 3%, Hindu 2%, Buddhist 1%, other 1% (1985)

_#_Language: Bahasa Indonesia (modified form of Malay; official); English and Dutch leading foreign languages; local dialects, the most widely spoken of which is Javanese

_#_Literacy: 77% (male 84%, female 68%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 67,000,000; agriculture 55%, manufacturing 10%, construction 4%, transport and communications 3% (1985 est.)

_#_Organized labor: 3,000,000 members (claimed); about 5% of labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Indonesia

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Jakarta

_#_Administrative divisions: 24 provinces (propinsi-propinsi, singular--propinsi), 2 special regions* (daerah-daerah istimewa, singular--daerah istimewa), and 1 special capital city district** (daerah khusus ibukota); Aceh*, Bali, Bengkulu, Irian Jaya, Jakarta Raya**, Jambi, Jawa Barat, Jawa Tengah, Jawa Timur, Kalimantan Barat, Kalimantan Selatan, Kalimantan Tengah, Kalimantan Timur, Lampung, Maluku, Nusa Tenggara Barat, Nusa Tenggara Timur, Riau, Sulawesi Selatan, Sulawesi Tengah, Sulawesi Tenggara, Sulawesi Utara, Sumatera Barat, Sumatera Selatan, Sumatera Utara, Timor Timur, Yogyakarta*

_#_Independence: 17 August 1945 (from Netherlands; formerly Netherlands or Dutch East Indies)

_#_Constitution: August 1945, abrogated by Federal Constitution of 1949 and Provisional Constitution of 1950, restored 5 July 1959

_#_Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law, substantially modified by indigenous concepts and by new criminal procedures code; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 17 August (1945)

_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat or DPR); note--the People's Consultative Assembly (Majelis Permusyawaratan Rakyat or MPR) includes the DPR plus 500 indirectly elected members who meet every five years to elect the president and vice president and, theoretically, to determine national policy

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Mahkamah Agung)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. (Ret.) SOEHARTO (since 27 March 1968); Vice President Lt. Gen. (Ret.) SUDHARMONO (since 11 March 1983)

_#_Political parties and leaders: GOLKAR (quasi-official party based on functional groups), Lt. Gen. (Ret.) WAHONO, general chairman; Indonesia Democracy Party (PDI--federation of former Nationalist and Christian Parties), SOERYADI, chairman; Development Unity Party (PPP, federation of former Islamic parties), Ismail Hasan METAREUM, chairman

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 17 and married persons regardless of age

_#_Elections:

House of Representatives--last held on 23 April 1987 (next to be held 23 April 1992); results--Golkar 73%, UDP 16%, PDI 11%; seats--(500 total--400 elected, 100 appointed) Golkar 299, UDP 61, PDI 40

_#_Communists: Communist Party (PKI) was officially banned in March 1966; current strength about 1,000-3,000, with less than 10% engaged in organized activity; pre-October 1965 hardcore membership about 1.5 million

_#_Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Abdul Rachman RAMLY; Chancery at 2020 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 775-5200; there are Indonesian Consulates General in Houston, New York, and Los Angeles, and Consulates in Chicago and San Francisco;

US--Ambassador John C. MONJO; Embassy at Medan Merdeka Selatan 5, Jakarta (mailing address is APO San Francisco 96356); telephone [62] (21) 360-360; there are US Consulates in Medan and Surabaya

_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; similar to the flag of Monaco which is shorter; also similar to the flag of Poland which is white (top) and red

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Indonesia is a mixed economy with many socialist institutions and central planning but with a recent emphasis on deregulation and private enterprise. Indonesia has extensive natural wealth yet, with a large and rapidly increasing population, it remains a poor country. GDP growth in 1985-89 averaged about 4%, somewhat short of the more than 5% rate needed to absorb the 2.3 million workers annually entering the labor force. Agriculture, including forestry and fishing, is an important sector, accounting for 21% of GDP and over 50% of the labor force. The staple crop is rice. Once the world's largest rice importer, Indonesia is now nearly self-sufficient. Plantation crops--rubber and palm oil--and textiles and plywood are being encouraged for both export and job generation. Industrial output now accounts for 30% of GDP based on a supply of diverse natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, timber, metals, and coal. Of these, the oil sector dominates the external economy, generating more than 20% of the government's revenues and 40% of export earnings in 1989. However, the economy's growth is very dependent on the continuing expansion of nonoil exports. Japan is Indonesia's most important customer and supplier of aid.

_#_GDP: $94 billion, per capita $490; real growth rate 6.0% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.8% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 3%; underemployment 44% (1989 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $17.2 billion; expenditures $23.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $8.9 billion (FY91)

_#_Exports: $25.7 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--petroleum and liquefied natural gas 40%, timber 15%, textiles 7%, rubber 5%, coffee 3%;

partners--Japan 40%, US 14%, Singapore 7%, Europe 16% (1990)

_#_Imports: $21.8 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--machinery 39%, chemical products 19%, manufactured goods 16%;

partners--Japan 23%, US 13%, EC, Singapore

_#_External debt: $58.5 billion (1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 11.6% (1989 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 11,600,000 kW capacity; 38,000 million kWh produced, 200 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: petroleum, textiles, mining, cement, chemical fertilizers, plywood, food, rubber

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP, subsistence food production; small-holder and plantation production for export; rice, cassava, peanuts, rubber, cocoa, coffee, oil palm, copra, other tropical products; products--poultry meat, beef, pork, eggs

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade, but not a major player; government actively eradicating plantings and prosecuting traffickers

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.4 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $22.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $213 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $175 million

_#_Currency: Indonesian rupiah (plural--rupiahs); 1 Indonesian rupiah (Rp) = 100 sen (sen no longer used)

_#_Exchange rates: Indonesian rupiahs (Rp) per US$1--1,907.5 (January 1991), 1,842.8 (1990), 1,770.1 (1989), 1,685.7 (1988), 1,643.8 (1987), 1,282.6 (1986), 1,110.6 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 6,964 km total; 6,389 km 1.067-meter gauge, 497 km 0.750-meter gauge, 78 km 0.600-meter gauge; 211 km double track; 101 km electrified; all government owned

_#_Highways: 119,500 km total; 11,812 km state, 34,180 km provincial, and 73,508 km district roads

_#_Inland waterways: 21,579 km total; Sumatra 5,471 km, Java and Madura 820 km, Kalimantan 10,460 km, Celebes 241 km, Irian Jaya 4,587 km

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 2,505 km; refined products, 456 km; natural gas, 1,703 km (1989)

_#_Ports: Cilacap, Cirebon, Jakarta, Kupang, Palembang, Ujungpandang, Semarang, Surabaya

_#_Merchant marine: 365 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,647,632 GRT/2,481,432 DWT; includes 5 short-sea passenger, 13 passenger-cargo, 215 cargo, 7 container, 3 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 80 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 6 specialized tanker, 1 livestock carrier, 25 bulk

_#_Civil air: about 216 commercial transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 470 total, 436 usable; 111 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 63 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: interisland microwave system and HF police net; domestic service fair, international service good; radiobroadcast coverage good; 763,000 telephones (1986); stations--618 AM, 38 FM, 9 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station; and 1 domestic satellite communications system

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, National Police

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,572,652; 29,893,127 fit for military service; 2,149,673 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $1.4 billion, 1.8% of GNP (1988) _%_ _@_Iran _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,648,000 km2; land area: 1,636,000 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Alaska

_#_Land boundaries: 5,492 km total; Afghanistan 936 km, Iraq 1,458 km, Pakistan 909 km, Turkey 499 km, USSR 1,690 km

_#_Coastline: 3,180 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

_#_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

_*_People _#_Population: 59,051,082 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 44 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 65 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)

_#_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%

_#_Religion: Shia Muslim 95%, Sunni Muslim 4%, Zoroastrian, Jewish, Christian, and Bahai 1%

_#_Language: 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

_*_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 Mahall va Bakhtiari, Esfahan, Fars, Gilan, Hamadan, Hormozgan, Ilam, Kerman, Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kohkiluyeh va Buyer Ahmadi, 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 new 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 14 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 NA 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 1988 (next to be held June 1992); 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 and remain incomplete

_#_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 Khalq Organization (MKO), People's Fedayeen, and Kurdish Democratic Party; the Society for the Defense of Freedom is a group of liberal nationalists that has been repressed by the government for accusing it of corruption

_#_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 Algeria--Iranian Interests Section, 2209 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 965-4990;

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 Akbar (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

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Since the 1979 revolution, the banks, petroleum industry, transportation, utilities, and mining have been nationalized, but the new five-year plan--the first since the revolution--passed in January 1990, calls for the transfer of many government-controlled enterprises to the private sector. Disruptions from the bitter war with Iraq, massive corruption, mismanagement, demographic pressures, and ideological rigidities have kept economic growth at depressed levels. Oil accounts for over 90% of export revenues. A combination of war damage and low oil prices brought a 2% drop in GNP in 1988. GNP probably rose slightly in 1989, considerably short of the 3.2% population growth rate in 1989. Heating oil and gasoline are rationed. Agriculture has suffered from the war, land reform, and shortages of equipment and materials. The five-year plan seeks to reinvigorate the economy by increasing the role of the private sector, boosting nonoil income, and securing foreign loans. The plan is overly ambitious but probably will generate some short-term relief.

_#_GNP: $80.0 billion, per capita $1,400; real growth rate 0.5% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 30-50% (1989 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 30% (1989)

_#_Budget: revenues $63 billion; expenditures $80 billion, including capital expenditures of $23 billion (FY90 est.)

_#_Exports: $12.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--petroleum 90%, carpets, fruits, nuts, hides;

partners--Japan, Turkey, Italy, Netherlands, Spain, France, FRG

_#_Imports: $11.6 billion (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--machinery, military supplies, metal works, foodstuffs, pharmaceuticals, technical services, refined oil products;

partners--FRG, Japan, Turkey, UK, Italy

_#_External debt: $4-5 billion (1989)

_#_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 (1970-88), $1.6 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $976 million; note--aid fell sharply following the 1979 revolution

_#_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--64.941 (January 1991), 68.096 (1990), 72.015 (1989), 68.683 (1988), 71.460 (1987), 78.760 (1986), 91.052 (1985) at the official rate; black market rate 1,400 (January 1991)

_#_Fiscal year: 21 March-20 March

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 4,601 km total; 4,509 km 1.432-meter gauge, 92 km 1.676-meter gauge; 730 km under construction from Bafq to Bandar Abbas

_#_Highways: 140,072 km total; 46,866 km gravel and crushed stone; 49,440 km improved earth; 42,566 km bituminous and bituminous-treated surfaces; 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; refined products, 3,900 km; natural gas, 3,300 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 Rajai, Khorramshahr (largely destroyed in fighting during 1980-88 war)

_#_Merchant marine: 133 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,634,204 GRT/8,671,769 DWT; includes 36 cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 33 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 49 bulk, 2 combination bulk

_#_Civil air: 42 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 214 total, 186 usable; 80 with permanent-surface runways; 17 with runways over 3,659 m; 16 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 70 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: radio relay extends throughout country; system centered in Tehran; 2,143,000 telephones; stations--62 AM, 30 FM, 250 TV; satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT; HF and microwave to Turkey, Pakistan, Syria, Kuwait, and USSR

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Islamic Republic of Iran Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense, and Revolutionary Guard Corps (includes Basij militia and own ground, air, and naval forces); a merger of the Komiteh, Police, and Gendarmerie has produced a new Security Forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 12,750,593; 7,588,711 fit for military service; 576,321 reach military age (21) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $13 billion, 13.3% of GNP (1991 est.) _%_ _@_Iraq _*_Geography _#_Total area: 434,920 km2; land area: 433,970 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Idaho

_#_Land boundaries: 3,454 km total; Iran 1,458 km, Iraq - Saudi Arabia Neutral Zone 191 km, Jordan 134 km, Kuwait 240 km, Saudi Arabia 495 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 on 14 October 1990 following the end of the war that began on 22 September 1980; progress had been made on the major issues of contention--troop withdrawal, prisoner-of-war exchanges, demarcation of the border, freedom of navigation, and sovereignty over the Shatt al Arab waterway--but written agreements had yet to be drawn up when frictions reemerged in March 1991 in the wake of Shia and Kurdish revolts in Iraq that Baghdad accused Tehran of supporting; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR; shares Neutral Zone with Saudi Arabia--in December 1981, Iraq and Saudi Arabia signed a boundary agreement that divides the zone between them, but the agreement must be ratified before it becomes effective; Iraqi forces invaded and occupied Kuwait from 2 August 1990 until 27 February 1991; in April 1991 official Iraqi acceptance of UN Security Council Resolution 687, which demands that Iraq accept its internationally recognized border with Kuwait, ended earlier claims to Bubiyan and Warbah Islands or to all of Kuwait; 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: desert; mild to cool winters with dry, hot, cloudless summers

_#_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 river systems contingent upon agreements with upstream riparians (Syria, Turkey); air and water pollution; soil degradation (salinization) and erosion; desertification

_*_People _#_Population: 19,524,718 (July 1991), growth rate 3.9% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 66 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 66 years male, 68 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Iraqi(s); adjective--Iraqi

_#_Ethnic divisions: Arab 75-80%, Kurdish 15-20%, Turkoman, Assyrian or other 5%

_#_Religion: Muslim 97%, (Shia 60-65%, Sunni 32-37%), Christian or other 3%

_#_Language: 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

_*_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 Tamim, 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 Watani)

_#_Judicial branch: Court of Cassation

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Saddam HUSAYN (since 16 July 1979); Vice President Taha Muhyi al-Din MARUF (since 21 April 1974); Vice President Taha Yasin RAMADAN (since 23 March 1991);

_#_Head of Government--Prime Minister Sadun HAMMADI (since 27 March 1991); Deputy Prime Minister Tariq AZIZ (since NA 1979); Deputy Prime Minister Muhammad Hamza al-ZUBAYDI (since 27 March 1991)

_#_Political parties: National Progressive Front is a coalition of the Arab Bath Socialist Party, Kurdistan Democratic Party, and Kurdistan Revolutionary Party

_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age 18

_#_Elections:

National Assembly--last held on 1 April 1989 (next to be held NA); results--Sunni Arabs 53%, Shia Arabs 30%, Kurds 15%, Christians 2% est.; seats--(250 total) number of seats by party NA

_#_Communists: about 1,500 hardcore members

_#_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 religious and ethnic dissidents

_#_Member of: ABEDA, ACC, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, 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: no Iraqi representative in Washington; Chancery at 1801 P Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 483-7500;

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