Part 4
Winter (July) population--1,066 total; Argentina 150, Australia 71, Brazil 12, Chile 73, China NA, France 33, Germany 19, Greenpeace 5, India 21, Japan 38, South Korea 14, NZ 11, Poland NA, South Africa 12, UK 69, Uruguay NA, US 225, USSR 313 (1989-90);
Year-round stations--42 total; Argentina 6, Australia 3, Brazil 1, Chile 3, China 2, France 1, Germany 2, Greenpeace 1, India 2, Japan 2, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Poland 1, South Africa 1, UK 5, Uruguay 1, US 3, USSR 6 (1990-91);
Summer only stations--34 total; Argentina 1, Australia 3, Chile 5, Finland 1, Germany 4, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, NZ 2, Norway 1, Peru 1, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Sweden 2, UK 1, US 3, USSR 5 (1989-90)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, established for at least 30 years a legal framework for peaceful use, scientific research, and deferral of legal questions regarding territorial claims. Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the last meeting was held in Madrid (Spain) in April 1991.
Consultative (voting) members include seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and nonclaimant nations. The US and other nations have made no claims, but have reserved the right to claim territory. The US does not recognize the claims of others. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are--Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), the US, and the USSR.
Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parenthesis, are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), and Switzerland (1990).
Antarctic Treaty Summary:
Article 1--area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military
## activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel
and equipment may be used for peaceful scientific and logistics purposes;
Article 2--freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue;
Article 3--free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and other international agencies;
Article 4--does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force;
Article 5--prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes;
Article 6--includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60o 00%19 south, but that the water areas be covered by international law;
Article 7--treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given;
Article 8--allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states;
Article 9--frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations;
Article 10--treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty;
Article 11--disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ;
Articles 12, 13, 14--deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations.
Other agreements: more than 150 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include--Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected by some signatories and is likely to be replaced in 1991 by a comprehensive environmental protection agreement that defers minerals development for a long period.
_*_Economy _#_Overview: No economic activity at present except for fishing off the coast and small-scale tourism, both based abroad. Exploitation of mineral resources is unlikely because of technical difficulties, high costs, and objections by environmentalists.
_*_Communications _#_Airports: 37 total; 27 usable; none with permanent hard-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: none; Article 7 of the Antarctic Treaty states that advance notice of all activities and the introduction of military personnel must be given _%_ _@_Antigua and Barbuda _*_Geography _#_Total area: 440 km2; land area: 440 km2; includes Redonda
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 153 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
_#_Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas
_#_Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism
_#_Land use: arable land 18%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 16%; other 59%
_#_Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural harbors
_#_Note: 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico
_*_People _#_Population: 63,917 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 9 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 22 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 74 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Antiguan(s); adjective--Antiguan
_#_Ethnic divisions: almost entirely of black African origin; some of British, Portuguese, Lebanese, and Syrian origin
_#_Religion: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic
_#_Language: English (official), local dialects
_#_Literacy: 89% (male 90%, female 88%) age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960)
_#_Labor force: 30,000; commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)
_#_Organized labor: Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association (ABPSA), membership 500; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), 10,000 members; Antigua Workers Union (AWU), 10,000 members (1986 est.)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: parliamentary democracy
_#_Capital: Saint John's
_#_Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip
_#_Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 1 November 1981
_#_Legal system: based on English common law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981)
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November 1981, previously Governor since 1976);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere C. BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD; United National Democratic Party (UNDP), Dr. Ivor HEATH
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives--last held 9 March 1989 (next to be held 1994); results--percentage of vote by party NA; seats--(17 total) ALP 15, UNDP 1, independent 1
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM), a small leftist nationalist group led by Leonard (Tim) HECTOR; Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS
_#_Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Edmund Hawkins LAKE; Chancery at Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225; there is an Antiguan Consulate in Miami;
US--the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant SALTER; Embassy at Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's (mailing address is FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 462-3505 or 3506
_#_Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important determinant of economic performance. During the period 1983-89, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 7%. Tourism's contribution to GDP, as measured by value added tax in hotels and restaurants, rose from about 14% in 1983 to 16% in 1989, and stimulated growth in other sectors--particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities. Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy.
_#_GDP: $350 million, per capita $5,470 (1989); real growth rate 3.0% (1991 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.0% (1988 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $92.8 million; expenditures $101 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $33.2 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17%;
partners--OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3%
_#_Imports: $358.2 million (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities--food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil;
partners--US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50%
_#_External debt: $250 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 9% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 52,000 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,490 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances)
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock sector; other crops--bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, $10 million (1985-88); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $45 million
_#_Currency: East Caribbean dollar (plural--dollars); 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1--2.70 (fixed rate since 1976)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane
_#_Highways: 240 km
_#_Ports: Saint John's
_#_Merchant marine: 86 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 319,477 GRT/497,194 DWT; includes 61 cargo, 5 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large load carrier, 3 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 6 chemical tanker; note--a flag of convenience registry
_#_Civil air: 10 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways less than 1,220 m
_#_Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; stations--4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (includes the Coast Guard)
_#_Manpower availability: NA
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.4 million, less than 1% of GDP (FY91) _%_ _@_Arctic Ocean _*_Geography _#_Total area: 14,056,000 km2; includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other tributary water bodies
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean)
_#_Coastline: 45,389 km
_#_Climate: persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow
_#_Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack which averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (USSR) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin
_#_Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals, whales)
_#_Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage
_#_Note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May; strategic location between North America and the USSR; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western USSR; floating research stations operated by the US and USSR
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including crude oil, natural gas, fishing, and sealing.
_*_Communications _#_Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (USSR), Prudhoe Bay (US)
_#_Telecommunications: no submarine cables
_#_Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Asia) are important waterways _%_ _@_Argentina _*_Geography _#_Total area: 2,766,890 km2; land area: 2,736,690 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than four times the size of Texas
_#_Land boundaries: 9,665 km total; Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km
_#_Coastline: 4,989 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 200 nm (overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm)
_#_Disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica
_#_Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest
_#_Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border
_#_Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, crude oil, uranium
_#_Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 4%; meadows and pastures 52%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated 1%
_#_Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires
_#_Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)
_*_People _#_Population: 32,663,983 (July 1991), growth rate 1.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 31 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 68 years male, 74 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Argentine(s); adjective--Argentine
_#_Ethnic divisions: white 85%; mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15%
_#_Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
_#_Language: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French
_#_Literacy: 95% (male 96%, female 95%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 10,900,000; agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)
_#_Organized labor: 3,000,000; 28% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Argentine Republic
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Buenos Aires (tentative plans to move to Viedma by 1990 indefinitely postponed)
_#_Administrative divisions: 22 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia), 1 national territory* (territorio nacional), and 1 district** (distrito); Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Distrito Federal**, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur*, Tucuman; note--the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
_#_Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain)
_#_Constitution: 1 May 1853
_#_Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810)
_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, 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 (Corte Suprema)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Saul MENEM (since 8 July 1989); Vice President Eduardo DUHALDE (since 8 July 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Raul ALFONSIN, moderately left of center; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Alvaro ALSOGARAY, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist party; several provincial parties
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held May 1995); results--Carlos Saul MENEM was elected;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held October 1991); results--JP 47%, UCR 30%, UCD 7%, other 16%; seats--(254 total); JP 122, UCR 93, UCD 11, other 28
_#_Communists: some 70,000 members in various party organizations, including a small nucleus of activists
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement, General Confederation of Labor (Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization), Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association), Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association), business organizations, students, the Roman Catholic Church, the Armed Forces
_#_Member of: AfDB, AG (observer), CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-6, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, PCA, RG, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ortiz de ROZAS; Chancery at 1600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-6400 through 6403; there are Argentine Consulates General in Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico), and Consulates in Baltimore, Chicago, and Los Angeles;
US--Ambassador Terence A. TODMAN; Embassy at 4300 Colombia, 1425 Buenos Aires (mailing address is APO Miami 34034); telephone [54] (1) 774-7611 or 8811, 9911
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light blue (top), white, and light blue; centered in the white band is a radiant yellow sun with a human face known as the Sun of May
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Argentina is rich in natural resources and has a highly literate population, an export-oriented agricultural sector, and a diversified industrial base. Nevertheless, following decades of mismanagement and statist policies, the economy has encountered major problems in recent years, leading to escalating inflation and a recession in 1988-90. A widening public-sector deficit and a multidigit inflation rate have dominated the economy over the past three years; retail prices rose nearly 5,000% in 1989 and another 1,345% in 1990. Since 1978, Argentina's external debt has nearly doubled to $60 billion, creating severe debt-servicing difficulties and hurting the country's creditworthiness with international lenders.
_#_GNP: $82.7 billion, per capita $2,560; real growth rate - 3.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1,350% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 8.6% (May 1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $12.2 billion; expenditures $17.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.8 billion (1989)
_#_Exports: $12.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--meat, wheat, corn, oilseed, hides, wool;
partners--US 12%, USSR, Italy, Brazil, Japan, Netherlands
_#_Imports: $4.1 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--machinery and equipment, chemicals, metals, fuels and lubricants, agricultural products;
partners--US 22%, Brazil, FRG, Bolivia, Japan, Italy, Netherlands
_#_External debt: $60 billion (December 1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1991 est.); accounts for 30% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 16,749,000 kW capacity; 45,580 million kWh produced, 1,410 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: food processing, motor vehicles, consumer durables, textiles, chemicals and petrochemicals, printing, metallurgy, steel
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (including fishing); produces abundant food for both domestic consumption and exports; among world's top five exporters of grain and beef; principal crops--wheat, corn, sorghum, soybeans, sugar beets; 1987 fish catch estimated at 500,000 tons
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.0 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $718 million
_#_Currency: austral (plural--australes); 1 austral (2) = 100 centavos
_#_Exchange rates: australes (2) per US$1--9,900 (April 1991), 4,707 (1990), 423 (1989), 8.7526 (1988), 2.1443 (1987), 0.9430 (1986), 0.6018 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 34,172 km total (includes 169 km electrified); includes a mixture of 1.435-meter standard gauge, 1.676-meter broad gauge, 1.000-meter gauge, and 0.750-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 208,350 km total; 47,550 km paved, 39,500 km gravel, 101,000 km improved earth, 20,300 km unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 11,000 km navigable
_#_Pipelines: 4,090 km crude oil; 2,900 km refined products; 9,918 km natural gas
_#_Ports: Bahia Blanca, Buenos Aires, Necochea, Rio Gallegos, Rosario, Santa Fe
_#_Merchant marine: 129 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,663,884 GRT/2,689,645 DWT; includes 42 cargo, 7 refrigerated cargo, 6 container, 1 railcar carrier, 47 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 4 chemical tanker, 4 liquefied gas, 18 bulk; additionally, 2 naval tankers and 1 military transport are sometimes used commercially
_#_Civil air: 54 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 1,763 total, 1,575 usable; 135 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 336 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: extensive modern system; 2,650,000 telephones (12,000 public telephones); radio relay widely used; stations--171 AM, no FM, 231 TV, 13 shortwave; 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth stations; domestic satellite network has 40 stations
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Argentine Army, Navy of the Argentine Republic, Argentine Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Argentine Naval Prefecture (Coast Guard only), National Aeronautical Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 7,992,140; 6,478,730 fit for military service; 285,047 reach military age (20) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $700 million, 1% of GNP (1990) _%_ _@_Aruba (part of the Dutch realm) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 193 km2; land area: 193 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 68.5 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation
_#_Terrain: flat with a few hills; scant vegetation
_#_Natural resources: negligible; white sandy beaches
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt
_#_Note: 28 km north of Venezuela
_*_People _#_Population: 64,052 (July 1991), growth rate 0.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 80 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Aruban(s); adjective--Aruban
_#_Ethnic divisions: mixed European/Caribbean Indian 80%
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, also small Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, and Jewish minority
_#_Language: Dutch (official), Papiamento (a Spanish, Portuguese, Dutch, English dialect), English (widely spoken), Spanish
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: NA, but most employment is in the tourist industry (1986)
_#_Organized labor: Aruban Workers' Federation (FTA)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: part of the Dutch realm--full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles
_#_Capital: Oranjestad
_#_Administrative divisions: none (self-governing part of the Netherlands)
_#_Independence: none (part of the Dutch realm); note--in 1990 Aruba requested and received from the Netherlands cancellation of the agreement to automatically give independence to the island in 1996
_#_Constitution: 1 January 1986
_#_Legal system: based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence
_#_National holiday: Flag Day, 18 March
_#_Executive branch: Dutch monarch, governor, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral legislature (Staten)
_#_Judicial branch: Joint High Court of Justice
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen BEATRIX Wilhelmina Armgard (since 30 April 1980), represented by Governor General Felipe B. TROMP (since 1 January 1986);