Part 42
_#_Telecommunications: good system composed of wire lines, cables, and radio relay links; principal centers are Casablanca and Rabat, secondary centers are Fes, Marrakech, Oujda, Tangier, and Tetouan; 280,000 telephones; stations--14 AM, 6 FM, 47 TV; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations--2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 ARABSAT; radio relay to Gibraltar, Spain, and Western Sahara; coaxial cable to Algeria; microwave network linking Syria, Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Royal Moroccan Army, Royal Moroccan Navy, Royal Moroccan Air Force, Royal Gendarmerie, Auxiliary Forces
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 6,437,152; 4,092,027 fit for military service; 299,535 reach military age (18) annually; limited conscription
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.4 billion, 5.2% of GDP _%_ _@_Mozambique _*_Geography _#_Total area: 801,590 km2; land area: 784,090 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of California
_#_Land boundaries: 4,571 km total; Malawi 1,569 km, South Africa 491 km, Swaziland 105 km, Tanzania 756 km, Zambia 419 km, Zimbabwe 1,231 km
_#_Coastline: 2,470 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical to subtropical
_#_Terrain: mostly coastal lowlands, uplands in center, high plateaus in northwest, mountains in west
_#_Natural resources: coal, titanium
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 56%; forest and woodland 20%; other 20%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: severe drought and floods occur in south; desertification
_*_People _#_Population: 15,113,282 (July 1991), growth rate 4.6% (1991); note--900,000 Mozambican refugees in Malawi (1990 est.)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 17 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 17 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 134 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 46 years male, 49 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Mozambican(s); adjective--Mozambican
_#_Ethnic divisions: majority from indigenous tribal groups; Europeans about 10,000, Euro-Africans 35,000, Indians 15,000
_#_Religion: indigenous beliefs 60%, Christian 30%, Muslim 10%
_#_Language: Portuguese (official); many indigenous dialects
_#_Literacy: 33% (male 45%, female 21%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: NA, but 90% engaged in agriculture
_#_Organized labor: 225,000 workers belong to a single union, the Mozambique Workers' Organization (OTM)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Mozambique
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Maputo
_#_Administrative divisions: 10 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia); Cabo Delgado, Gaza, Inhambane, Manica, Maputo, Nampula, Niassa, Sofala, Tete, Zambezia
_#_Independence: 25 June 1975 (from Portugal)
_#_Constitution: 30 November 1990
_#_Legal system: based on Portuguese civil law system and customary law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 25 June (1975)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Assembly of the Republic (Assembleia da Republica)
_#_Judicial branch: People's Courts at all levels
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President Joaquim Alberto CHISSANO (since 6 November 1986);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Mario da Graca MACHUNGO (since 17 July 1986)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Front for the Liberation of Mozambique (FRELIMO)--formerly a Marxist organization with close ties to the USSR--was the only legal party before 30 November 1990 when the new Constitution went into effect establishing a multiparty system; note--the government has announced that multiparty elections will be held in 1991; parties such as the Liberal Democratic Party of Mozambique (PALMO), the Mozambique National Union (UNAMO), and the Mozambique National Movement (MONAMO) have already emerged
_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age 18
_#_Elections: electoral law--to be ratified in 1991--will provide for periodic, direct presidential and Assembly elections
_#_Communists: about 200,000 FRELIMO members; note--FRELIMO no longer considers itself a Communist party
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, FLS, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Hipolito PATRICIO; Chancery at Suite 570, 1990 M Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 293-7146;
US--Ambassador Townsend B. FRIEDMAN, Jr.; Embassy at Avenida Kenneth Kuanda, 193 Maputo (mailing address is P. O. Box 783, Maputo); telephone [258] (1) 49-27-97, 49-01-67, 49-03-50
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), black, and yellow with a red isosceles triangle based on the hoist side; the black band is edged in white; centered in the triangle is a yellow five-pointed star bearing a crossed rifle and hoe in black superimposed on an open white book
_*_Economy _#_Overview: One of Africa's poorest countries, with a per capita GDP of little more than $100, Mozambique has failed to exploit the economic potential of its sizable agricultural, hydropower, and transportation resources. Indeed, national output, consumption, and investment declined throughout the first half of the 1980s because of internal disorders, lack of government administrative control, and a growing foreign debt. A sharp increase in foreign aid, attracted by an economic reform policy, has resulted in successive years of economic growth since 1985. Agricultural output, nevertheless, is at about only 75% of its 1981 level, and grain has to be imported. Industry operates at only 20-40% of capacity. The economy depends heavily on foreign assistance to keep afloat.
_#_GDP: $1.6 billion, per capita $110; real growth rate 5.0% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 22.9% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 50% (1989 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $186 million; expenditures $239 million, including capital expenditures of $208 million (1988 est.)
_#_Exports: $90 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--shrimp 48%, cashews 21%, sugar 10%, copra 3%, citrus 3%;
partners--US, Western Europe, GDR, Japan
_#_Imports: $764 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.), including aid;
commodities--food, clothing, farm equipment, petroleum;
partners--US, Western Europe, USSR
_#_External debt: $5.1 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 5% (1989 est.)
_#_Electricity: 2,265,000 kW capacity; 1,740 million kWh produced, 120 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: food, beverages, chemicals (fertilizer, soap, paints), petroleum products, textiles, nonmetallic mineral products (cement, glass, asbestos), tobacco
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 90% of the labor force, 50% of GDP, and about 90% of exports; cash crops--cotton, cashew nuts, sugarcane, tea, shrimp; other crops--cassava, corn, rice, tropical fruits; not self-sufficient in food
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $350 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $37 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $890 million
_#_Currency: metical (plural--meticais); 1 metical (Mt) = 100 centavos
_#_Exchange rates: meticais (Mt) per US$1--1,700 (November 1990), 800.00 (1989), 528.60 (1988), 289.44 (1987), 40.43 (1986), 43.18 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 3,288 km total; 3,140 km 1.067-meter gauge; 148 km 0.762-meter narrow gauge; Malawi-Nacala, Malawi-Beira, and Zimbabwe-Maputo lines are subject to closure because of insurgency
_#_Highways: 26,498 km total; 4,593 km paved; 829 km gravel, crushed stone, stabilized soil; 21,076 km unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: about 3,750 km of navigable routes
_#_Pipelines: 306 km crude oil (not operating); 289 km refined products
_#_Ports: Maputo, Beira, Nacala
_#_Merchant marine: 5 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,806 GRT/12,873 DWT
_#_Civil air: 5 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 197 total, 145 usable; 27 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 27 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: fair system of troposcatter, open-wire lines, and radio relay; 57,400 telephones; stations--15 AM, 3 FM, 1 TV; earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Mozambique Armed Forces (including Army, Naval Command, Air Defense Forces, Border Guards), Militia
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 3,407,234; 1,957,123 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, 8.4% of GDP (1987) _%_ _@_Namibia _*_Geography _#_Total area: 824,290 km2; land area: 823,290 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
_#_Land boundaries: 3,935 km total; Angola 1,376 km, Botswana 1,360 km, South Africa 966 km, Zambia 233 km
_#_Coastline: 1,489 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite; quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement; claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa
_#_Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
_#_Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari Desert in east
_#_Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin, zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil, natural gas, coal, and iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 64%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: inhospitable with very limited natural water resources; desertification
_#_Note: Walvis Bay area is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia
_*_People _#_Population: 1,520,504 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 58 years male, 63 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Namibian(s); adjective--Namibian
_#_Ethnic divisions: black 86%, white 6.6%, mixed 7.4%; about 50% of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% from the Kavangos tribe
_#_Religion: predominantly Christian
_#_Language: English is official language; Afrikaans is common language of most of population and about 60% of white population, German 32%, English 7%; several indigenous languages
_#_Literacy: 38% (male 45%, female 31%) age 15 and over can read and write (1960)
_#_Labor force: 500,000; agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 19%, services 8%, government 7%, mining 6% (1981 est.)
_#_Organized labor: 20 trade unions representing about 90,000 workers
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Namibia
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Windhoek
_#_Administrative divisions: the former administrative structure of 26 districts has been abolished and 14 temporary regions are still in the process of being determined; note--the 26 districts were Bethanien, Boesmanland, Caprivi Oos, Damaraland, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Hereroland Oos, Hereroland Wes, Kaokoland, Karasburg, Karibib, Kavango, Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Maltahohe, Mariental, Namaland, Okahandja, Omaruru, Otjiwarongo, Outjo, Owambo, Rehoboth, Swakopmund, Tsumeb, Windhoek
_#_Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
_#_Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990
_#_Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March 1990
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral; House of Review (upper house, to be established with elections in 1992 by planned new regional authorities); National Assembly (lower house elected by universal suffrage)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Sam NUJOMA (since 21 March 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: South-West Africa People's Organization (SWAPO), Sam NUJOMA; Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), Dirk MUDGE; United Democratic Front (UDF), Justus GAROEB;
## Action Christian National (ACN), Kosie PRETORIUS;
National Patriotic Front (NPF), Moses KATJIUONGUA; Federal Convention of Namibia (FCN), Hans DIERGAARDT; Namibia National Front (NNF), Vekuii RUKORO
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 16 February 1990 (next to be held March 1995); Sam NUJOMA was elected president by the Constituent Assembly (now the National Assembly);
National Assembly--last held on 7-11 November 1989 (next to be held by November 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(72 total) SWAPO 41, DTA 21, UDF 4, ACN 3, NNF 1, FCN 1, NPF 1
_#_Communists: no Communist party
_#_Other political or pressure groups: NA
_#_Member of: C, ECA (associate), FAO, FLS, IAEA, IBRD, ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, WCL, WFTU, WHO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tuliameni KALOMOH; Chancery at 1413 K Street NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20005 (mailing address is PO Box 34738, Washington DC 20043); telephone (202) 289-3871;
US--Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES; Embassy at Ausplan Building, 14 Lossen St., Windhoek (mailing address is P. O. Box 9890, Windhoek 9000, Namibia); telephone [264] (61) 221-601, 222-675, 222-680
_#_Flag: a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the upper left section, and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe which is contrasted by two narrow white edge borders
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost 30% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Alluvial diamond deposits are among the richest in the world, making Namibia a primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten, and it has substantial resources of coal. More than half the population depends on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood.
_#_GNP: $1.8 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate - 2.0% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: over 30% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $794.1 million; expenditures $999.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
_#_Exports: $1,021 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--uranium, diamonds, zinc, copper, cattle, processed fish, karakul skins;
partners--Switzerland, South Africa, FRG, Japan
_#_Imports: $894 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and equipment;
partners--South Africa, FRG, US, Switzerland
_#_External debt: about $27 million at independence; under a 1971 International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Namibia may not be liable for debt incurred during its colonial period
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 486,000 kW capacity; 1,280 million kWh produced, 930 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining (copper, lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)
_#_Agriculture: mostly subsistence farming; livestock raising major source of cash income; crops--millet, sorghum, peanuts; fish catch potential of over 1 million metric tons not being fulfilled, 1987 catch reaching only 520,000 metric tons; not self-sufficient in food
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $47.2 million
_#_Currency: South African rand (plural--rand); 1 South African rand (R) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: South African rand (R) per US$1--2.625 (January 1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685 (1986), 2.1911 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 2,341 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track
_#_Highways: 54,500 km; 4,079 km paved, 2,540 km gravel, 47,881 km earth roads and tracks
_#_Ports: Luderitz; primary maritime outlet is Walvis Bay (South Africa)
_#_Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 143 total, 123 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 67 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good urban, fair rural services; radio relay connects major towns, wires extend to other population centers; 62,800 telephones; stations--2 AM, 40 FM, 3 TV
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: National Defense Force (Army), Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 309,978; 183,730 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, 4.9% of GNP (1986) _%_ _@_Nauru _*_Geography _#_Total area: 21 km2; land area: 21 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 30 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; monsoonal; rainy season (November to February)
_#_Terrain: sandy beach rises to fertile ring around raised coral reefs with phosphate plateau in center
_#_Natural resources: phosphates
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: only 53 km south of Equator
_#_Note: Nauru is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean--the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Makatea in French Polynesia
_*_People _#_Population: 9,333 (July 1991), growth rate 1.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 19 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: NEGL migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 41 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 64 years male, 69 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Nauruan(s); adjective--Nauruan
_#_Ethnic divisions: Nauruan 58%, other Pacific Islander 26%, Chinese 8%, European 8%
_#_Religion: Christian (two-thirds Protestant, one-third Roman Catholic)
_#_Language: Nauruan, a distinct Pacific Island language (official); English widely understood, spoken, and used for most government and commercial purposes
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: NA
_#_Organized labor: NA
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Nauru
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: no capital city as such; government offices in Yaren District
_#_Administrative divisions: 14 districts; Aiwo, Anabar, Anetan, Anibare, Baiti, Boe, Buada, Denigomodu, Ewa, Ijuw, Meneng, Nibok, Uaboe, Yaren
_#_Independence: 31 January 1968 (from UN trusteeship under Australia, New Zealand, and UK); formerly Pleasant Island
_#_Constitution: 29 January 1968
_#_Legal system: own Acts of Parliament and British common law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 31 January (1968)
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Bernard DOWIYOGO (since 12 December 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: none
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
_#_Elections:
President--last held 9 December 1989 (next to be held December 1992); results--Bernard DOWIYOGO elected by Parliament;
Parliament--last held on 9 December 1989 (next to be held December 1992); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(18 total) independents 18
_#_Member of: C (special), ESCAP, ICAO, INTERPOL, ITU, SPC, SPF, UPU
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador-designate Theodore Conrad MOSES resident in Melbourne (Australia); there is a Nauruan Consulate in Agana (Guam);
US--the US Ambassador to Australia is accredited to Nauru
_#_Flag: blue with a narrow, horizontal, yellow stripe across the center and a large white 12-pointed star below the stripe on the hoist side; the star indicates the country's location in relation to the Equator (the yellow stripe) and the 12 points symbolize the 12 original tribes of Nauru
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Revenues come from the export of phosphates, the reserves of which are expected to be exhausted by the year 2000. Phosphates have given Nauruans one of the highest per capita incomes in the Third World--$10,000 annually. Few other resources exist so most necessities must be imported, including fresh water from Australia. The rehabilitation of mined land and the replacement of income from phosphates constitute serious long-term problems. Substantial investment in trust funds, out of phosphate income, will help cushion the transition.
_#_GNP: over $90 million, per capita $10,000; real growth rate NA% (1989)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: 0%
_#_Budget: revenues $69.7 million; expenditures $51.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY86 est.)
_#_Exports: $93 million (f.o.b., 1984);
commodities--phosphates;
partners--Australia, NZ
_#_Imports: $73 million (c.i.f., 1984);
commodities--food, fuel, manufactures, building materials, machinery;
partners--Australia, UK, NZ, Japan
_#_External debt: $33.3 million
_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%
_#_Electricity: 14,000 kW capacity; 50 million kWh produced, 5,430 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: phosphate mining, financial services, coconuts
_#_Agriculture: negligible; almost completely dependent on imports for food and water
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries (1970-1988), $2 million
_#_Currency: Australian dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Australian dollars ($A) per US$1--1.2834 (January 1991), 1.2799 (1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905 (1986), 1.4269 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 3.9 km; used to haul phosphates from the center of the island to processing facilities on the southwest coast
_#_Highways: about 27 km total; 21 km paved, 6 km improved earth
_#_Ports: Nauru
_#_Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 31,261 GRT/39,838 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 2 bulk
_#_Civil air: 3 major transport aircraft, one on order
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: adequate intraisland and international radio communications provided via Australian facilities; 1,600 telephones; 4,000 radios; stations--1 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: no regular armed forces; Directorate of the Nauru Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, NA; NA fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: no formal defense structure _%_ _@_Navassa Island (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 5.2 km2; land area: 5.2 km2
_#_Comparative area: about nine times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 8 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claimed by Haiti
_#_Climate: marine, tropical
_#_Terrain: raised coral and limestone plateau, flat to undulating; ringed by vertical white cliffs (9 to 15 meters high)
_#_Natural resources: guano
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 10%; forest and woodland 0%; other 90%
_#_Environment: mostly exposed rock, but enough grassland to support goat herds; dense stands of fig-like trees, scattered cactus
_#_Note: strategic location between Cuba, Haiti, and Jamaica in the Caribbean Sea; 160 km south of the US Naval Base at Guantanamo, Cuba
_*_People _#_Population: uninhabited; transient Haitian fishermen and others camp on the island
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none (territory of the US)
_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the US Coast Guard
_*_Economy _#_Overview: no economic activity
_*_Communications _#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Nepal _*_Geography _#_Total area: 140,800 km2; land area: 136,800 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Arkansas
_#_Land boundaries: 2,926 km total; China 1,236 km, India 1,690 km
_#_Coastline: none--landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked
_#_Climate: varies from cool summers and severe winters in north to subtropical summers and mild winter in south
_#_Terrain: Terai or flat river plain of the Ganges in south, central hill region, rugged Himalayas in north
_#_Natural resources: quartz, water, timber, hydroelectric potential, scenic beauty; small deposits of lignite, copper, cobalt, iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land 17%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 13%; forest and woodland 33%; other 37%; includes irrigated 2%
_#_Environment: contains eight of world's 10 highest peaks; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution
_#_Note: landlocked; strategic location between China and India
_*_People _#_Population: 19,611,900 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 39 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 15 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 98 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 51 years male, 50 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 5.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Nepalese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Nepalese
_#_Ethnic divisions: Newars, Indians, Tibetans, Gurungs, Magars, Tamangs, Bhotias, Rais, Limbus, Sherpas, as well as many smaller groups
_#_Religion: only official Hindu state in world, although no sharp distinction between many Hindu (about 90% of population) and Buddhist groups (about 5% of population); Muslims 3%, other 2% (1981)
_#_Language: Nepali (official); 20 languages divided into numerous dialects
_#_Literacy: 26% (male 38%, female 13%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 4,100,000; agriculture 93%, services 5%, industry 2%; severe lack of skilled labor
_#_Organized labor: Teachers' Union and many other nonofficially recognized unions
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Nepal
_#_Type: constitutional monarchy
_#_Capital: Kathmandu
_#_Administrative divisions: 14 zones (anchal, singular and plural); Bagmati, Bheri, Dhawalagiri, Gandaki, Janakpur, Karnali, Kosi, Lumbini, Mahakali, Mechi, Narayani, Rapti, Sagarmatha, Seti
_#_Independence: 1768, unified by Prithyi Narayan Shah
_#_Constitution: 9 November 1990
_#_Legal system: based on Hindu legal concepts and English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 28 December (1945)
_#_Executive branch: monarch, prime minister, Council of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or National Council and a lower house or House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sarbochha Adalat)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--King BIRENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev (since 31 January 1972, crowned King 24 February 1985); Heir Apparent Crown Prince DIPENDRA Bir Bikram Shah Dev, son of the King (born 21 June 1971);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Girija Prasad KOIRALA (since 29 May 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
ruling party--Nepali Congress Party (NCP), Girija Prasad KOIRALA, Ganesh Man SINGH, Krishna Prasad BHATTARAI;
center--the NDP has two factions: National Democratic Party/Chand (NDP/Chand), Lokinra Bahadur CHAND, and National Democratic Party/Thapa (NDP/Thapa), Surya Bahadur THAPA; Terai Rights Sadbhavana (Goodwill) Party, G. N. Naryan SINGH;
Communist--Communist Party of Nepal/United Marxist and Leninist (CPN/UML), Man Mohan ADIKHARY; United People's Front (UPF), N. K. PRASAI; Rohit Party, N. M. BIJUKCHHE; Democratic Party, leader NA
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives--last held on 12 May 1991 (next to be held May 1996); results--NCP 38%, CPN/UML 28%, NDP/Chand 6%, UPF 5%, NDP/Thapa 5%, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 4%, Rohit 2%, CPN (Democratic) 1%, independent 4%, other 7%; seats--(205 total) NCP 110, CPN/UML 69, UPF 9, Terai Rights Sadbhavana Party 6, NDP/Chand 3, Rohit 2, CPN (Democratic) 2, NDP/Thapa 1, independent 3;
note--the new Constitution of 9 November 1990 gives Nepal a multiparty democracy system for the first time in 32 years
_#_Communists: Communist Party of Nepal (CPN)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: numerous small, left-leaning student groups in the capital; several small, radical Nepalese antimonarchist groups
_#_Member of: AsDB, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO