Part 44

_#_Airports: 29 total, 27 usable; 6 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: 32,578 telephones (1987); stations--5 AM, 3 FM, 7 TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Gendarmerie, Police Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 46,388; NA fit for military service

_#_Note: defense is the responsibility of France _%_ _@_New Zealand _*_Geography _#_Total area: 268,680 km2; land area: 268,670 km2; includes Antipodes Islands, Auckland Islands, Bounty Islands, Campbell Island, Chatham Islands, and Kermadec Islands

_#_Comparative area: about the size of Colorado

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 15,134 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: territorial claim in Antarctica (Ross Dependency)

_#_Climate: temperate with sharp regional contrasts

_#_Terrain: predominately mountainous with some large coastal plains

_#_Natural resources: natural gas, iron ore, sand, coal, timber, hydropower, gold, limestone

_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 53%; forest and woodland 38%; other 7%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: earthquakes are common, though usually not severe

_*_People _#_Population: 3,308,973 (July 1991), growth rate 0.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Net migration rate: - 3 migrants/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 10 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 79 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--New Zealander(s); adjective--New Zealand

_#_Ethnic divisions: European 88%, Maori 8.9%, Pacific Islander 2.9%, other 0.2%

_#_Religion: Anglican 24%, Presbyterian 18%, Roman Catholic 15%, Methodist 5%, Baptist 2%, other Protestant 3%, unspecified or none 9% (1986)

_#_Language: English (official), Maori

_#_Literacy: 99% (male NA%, female NA%) age 15 and over can read and write (1970)

_#_Labor force: 1,591,900; services 67.4%, manufacturing 19.8%, primary production 9.3% (1987)

_#_Organized labor: 681,000 members; 43% of labor force (1986)

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none; abbreviated NZ

_#_Type: parliamentary democracy

_#_Capital: Wellington

_#_Administrative divisions: 93 counties, 9 districts*, and 3 town districts**; Akaroa, Amuri, Ashburton, Bay of Islands, Bruce, Buller, Chatham Islands, Cheviot, Clifton, Clutha, Cook, Dannevirke, Egmont, Eketahuna, Ellesmere, Eltham, Eyre, Featherston, Franklin, Golden Bay, Great Barrier Island, Grey, Hauraki Plains, Hawera*, Hawke's Bay, Heathcote, Hikurangi**, Hobson, Hokianga, Horowhenua, Hurunui, Hutt, Inangahua, Inglewood, Kaikoura, Kairanga, Kiwitea, Lake, Mackenzie, Malvern, Manaia**, Manawatu, Mangonui, Maniototo, Marlborough, Masterton, Matamata, Mount Herbert, Ohinemuri, Opotiki, Oroua, Otamatea, Otorohanga*, Oxford, Pahiatua, Paparua, Patea, Piako, Pohangina, Raglan, Rangiora*, Rangitikei, Rodney, Rotorua*, Runanga, Saint Kilda, Silverpeaks, Southland, Stewart Island, Stratford, Strathallan, Taranaki, Taumarunui, Taupo, Tauranga, Thames-Coromandel*, Tuapeka, Vincent, Waiapu, Waiheke, Waihemo, Waikato, Waikohu, Waimairi, Waimarino, Waimate, Waimate West, Waimea, Waipa, Waipawa*, Waipukurau*, Wairarapa South, Wairewa, Wairoa, Waitaki, Waitomo*, Waitotara, Wallace, Wanganui, Waverley**, Westland, Whakatane*, Whangarei, Whangaroa, Woodville

_#_Dependent areas: Cook Islands, Niue, Tokelau

_#_Independence: 26 September 1907 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: no formal, written constitution; consists of various documents, including certain acts of the UK and New Zealand Parliaments; Constitution Act 1986 was to have come into force 1 January 1987, but has not been enacted

_#_Legal system: based on English law, with special land legislation and land courts for Maoris; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty), 6 February (1840)

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (commonly called Parliament)

_#_Judicial branch: High Court, Court of Appeal

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II ( since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Dame Catherine TIZARD (since 12 December 1990);

Head of Government--Prime Minister James BOLGER (since 29 October 1990); Deputy Prime Minister Donald McKINNON (since 2 November 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: National Party (NP; government), James BOLGER; New Zealand Labor Party (NZLP; opposition), Michael MOORE; New Labor Party (NLP), Jim ANDERTON; Democratic Party, Neil MORRISON; Green Party, no official leader; Socialist Unity Party (SUP; pro-Soviet), Kenneth DOUGLAS

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

House of Representatives--last held on 27 October 1990 (next to be held October 1993); results--NP 49%, LP 35%, Green Party 7%, New Labor 5%; seats--(97 total) NP 67, LP 29, NLP 1

_#_Communists: SUP about 140, other groups, about 200

_#_Member of: ANZUS (US suspended security obligations to NZ on 11 August 1986), APEC, AsDB, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LORCS, OECD, PCA, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNIIMOG, UNTSO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador-designate Denis Bazely Gordon McLEAN; Chancery at 37 Observatory Circle NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 328-4800; there are New Zealand Consulates General in Los Angeles and New York;

US--Ambassador Della M. NEWMAN; Embassy at 29 Fitzherbert Terrace, Thorndon, Wellington (mailing address is P. O. Box 1190, Wellington, or FPO San Francisco 96690-0001); telephone [64] (4) 722-068; there is a US Consulate General in Auckland

_#_Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant with four red five-pointed stars edged in white centered in the outer half of the flag; the stars represent the Southern Cross constellation

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Since 1984 the government has been reorienting an agrarian economy dependent on a guaranteed British market to an open free market economy that can compete on the global scene. The government has hoped that dynamic growth would boost real incomes, reduce inflationary pressures, and permit the expansion of welfare benefits. The results have been mixed: inflation is down from double-digit levels but growth has been sluggish and unemployment, always a highly sensitive issue, has been at a record high 7.4%. In 1988 GDP fell by 1%, in 1989 grew by a moderate 2.4%, and was flat in 1990.

_#_GDP: $40.2 billion, per capita $12,200; real growth rate 0.7% (1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (FY90)

_#_Unemployment rate: 7.4% (March 1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $17.6 billion; expenditures $18.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)

_#_Exports: $8.8 billion (f.o.b., FY90);

commodities--wool, lamb, mutton, beef, fruit, fish, cheese, manufactures, chemicals, forestry products;

partners--EC 18.3%, Japan 17.9%, Australia 17.5%, US 13.5%, China 3.6%, South Korea 3.1%

_#_Imports: $8.1 billion (f.o.b., FY90);

commodities--petroleum, consumer goods, motor vehicles, industrial equipment;

partners--Australia 19.7%, Japan 16.9%, EC 16.9%, US 15.3%, Taiwan 3.0%

_#_External debt: $17.4 billion (1989)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 1.9% (1990); accounts for about 20% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 7,800,000 kW capacity; 28,000 million kWh produced, 8,500 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: food processing, wood and paper products, textiles, machinery, transportation equipment, banking and insurance, tourism, mining

_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 9% of GNP and 10% of the work force; livestock predominates--wool, meat, dairy products all export earners; crops--wheat, barley, potatoes, pulses, fruits, and vegetables; surplus producer of farm products; fish catch reached a record 503,000 metric tons in 1988

_#_Economic aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-89), $526 million

_#_Currency: New Zealand dollar (plural--dollars); 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1--1.6798 (January 1991), 1.6750 (1990), 1.6711 (1989), 1.5244 (1988), 1.6886 (1987), 1.9088 (1986), 2.0064 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 4,716 km total; all 1.067-meter gauge; 274 km double track; 113 km electrified; over 99% government owned

_#_Highways: 92,648 km total; 49,547 km paved, 43,101 km gravel or crushed stone

_#_Inland waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation

_#_Pipelines: 1,000 km natural gas; 160 km refined products; 150 km condensate

_#_Ports: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Wellington, Tauranga

_#_Merchant marine: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 204,269 GRT/281,375 DWT; includes 5 cargo, 1 container, 4 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 railcar carrier, 4 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 5 bulk

_#_Civil air: about 40 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 157 total, 157 usable; 33 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 46 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: excellent international and domestic systems; 2,110,000 telephones; stations 64 AM, 2 FM, 14 TV; submarine cables extend to Australia and Fiji; 2 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 874,443; 740,831 fit for military service; 28,814 reach military age (20) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $832 million, 1-2% of GDP (FY90) _%_ _@_Nicaragua _*_Geography _#_Total area: 129,494 km2; land area: 120,254 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New York State

_#_Land boundaries: 1,231 km total; Costa Rica 309 km, Honduras 922 km

_#_Coastline: 910 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 25 nm security zone (status of claim uncertain);

Continental shelf: not specified;

Territorial sea: 200 nm

_#_Disputes: territorial disputes with Colombia over the Archipelago de San Andres y Providencia and Quita Sueno Bank; unresolved maritime boundary in Golfo de Fonseca

_#_Climate: tropical in lowlands, cooler in highlands

_#_Terrain: extensive Atlantic coastal plains rising to central interior mountains; narrow Pacific coastal plain interrupted by volcanoes

_#_Natural resources: gold, silver, copper, tungsten, lead, zinc, timber, fish

_#_Land use: arable land 9%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 43%; forest and woodland 35%; other 12%; including irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: subject to destructive earthquakes, volcanoes, landslides, and occasional severe hurricanes; deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution

_*_People _#_Population: 3,751,884 (July 1991), growth rate 2.8% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 37 births/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Infant mortality rate: 60 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 60 years male, 65 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.7 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 69%, white 17%, black 9%, Indian 5%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant 5%

_#_Language: Spanish (official); English- and Indian-speaking minorities on Atlantic coast

_#_Literacy: 57% (male 57%, female 57%) age 15 and over can read and write (1971)

_#_Labor force: 1,086,000; service 43%, agriculture 44%, industry 13% (1986)

_#_Organized labor: 35% of labor force

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

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: Managua

_#_Administrative divisions: 9 administrative regions encompassing 16 departments (departamentos, singular--departamento); Boaco, Carazo, Chinandega, Chontales, Esteli, Granada, Jinotega, Leon, Madriz, Managua, Masaya, Matagalpa, Nueva Segovia, Rio San Juan, Rivas, Zelaya; note--Zelaya may have been replaced by 2 autonomous regions (regiones autonomistas, singular--region autonomista) named North Atlantic Coast and South Atlantic Coast

_#_Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)

_#_Constitution: January 1987

_#_Legal system: civil law system; Supreme Court may review administrative acts

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)

_#_Executive branch: president, vice president, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: National Assembly (Asamblea Nacional)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema) and municipal courts

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (since 25 April 1990); Vice President Virgilio GODOY (since 25 April 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders:

ruling coalition--National Opposition Union (UNO) is a 14-party alliance--National Conservative Party (PNC), Silviano MATAMOROS; Conservative Popular Alliance Party (PAPC), Myriam ARGUELLO; National Conservative Action Party (PANC), Hernaldo ZUNIGA; National Democratic Confidence Party (PDCN), Augustin JARQUIN; Independent Liberal Party (PLI), Wilfredo NAVARRO; Neo-Liberal Party (PALI), Andres ZUNIGA; Liberal Constitutionalist Party (PLC), Jose Ernesto SOMARRIBA; National Action Party (PAN), Eduardo RIVAS; Nicaraguan Socialist Party (PSN), Gustavo TABLADA; Communist Party of Nicaragua (PCdeN), Eli ALTIMIRANO; Popular Social Christian Party (PPSC), Luis HUMBERTO; Nicaraguan Democratic Movement (MDN), Roberto URROZ; Social Democratic Party (PSD), Guillermo POTOY; Central American Integrationist Party (PIAC), Alejandro PEREZ;

opposition parties--Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), Daniel ORTEGA; Central American Unionist Party (PUCA), Blanca ROJAS; Democratic Conservative Party of Nicaragua (PCDN), Jose BRENES; Liberal Party of National Unity (PLUIN), Eduardo CORONADO; Movement of Revolutionary Unity (MUR), Francisco SAMPER; Social Christian Party (PSC), Erick RAMIREZ; Revolutionary Workers' Party (PRT), Bonifacio MIRANDA; Social Conservative Party (PSOC), Fernando AGUERRO; Popular Action Movement--Marxist-Leninist (MAP-ML), Isidro TELLEZ; Popular Social Christian Party (PPSC), Mauricio DIAZ

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 16

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held February 1996); results--Violeta Barrios de CHAMORRO (UNO) 54.7%, Daniel ORTEGA Saavedra (FSLN) 40.8%, other 4.5%;

National Assembly--last held on 25 February 1990 (next to be held February 1996); results--UNO 53.9%, FSLN 40.8%, PSC 1.6%, MUR 1.0%; seats--(92 total) UNO 51, FSLN 39, PSC 1, MUR 1

_#_Communists: 15,000-20,000

_#_Other political or pressure groups: Permanent Congress of Workers (CPT), Confederation of Labor Unification (CUS), Autonomous Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CTN-A), Independent General Confederation of Workers (CTG-I), Communist Labor Action and Unity Central (CAUS), Nicaraguan Workers' Central (CST); Superior Council of Private Enterprise (COSEP) is an umbrella group of 11 different business groups, including the Chamber of Commerce, the Chamber of Industry, and the Nicaraguan Development Institute (INDE)

_#_Member of: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Ernesto PALAZIO; Chancery at 1627 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 387-4371 or 4372;

US--Ambassador Harry W. SHLAUDEMAN; Embassy at Kilometer 4.5 Carretera Sur., Managua (mailing address is APO Miami 34021); telephone [505] (2) 666010 or 666013, 666015 through 18, 666026, 666027, 666032 through 34

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Government control of the economy historically has been extensive, although the Chamorro government has pledged to reduce it. The financial system is directly controlled by the state, which also regulates wholesale purchasing, production, sales, foreign trade, and distribution of most goods. Over 50% of the agricultural and industrial firms are state owned. Sandinista economic policies and the war have produced a severe economic crisis. The foundation of the economy continues to be the export of agricultural commodities, largely coffee and cotton. Farm production fell by roughly 7% in 1989, the fifth successive year of decline. The agricultural sector employs 44% of the work force and accounts for 23% of GDP and 86% of export earnings. Industry, which employs 13% of the work force and contributes about 25% to GDP, showed a drop of 7% in 1989 and remains below pre-1979 levels. External debt is one of the highest in the world on a per capita basis. In 1990 the annual inflation rate was 11,800%, sharply up from 1,800% in 1989.

_#_GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $470; real growth rate - 1.0% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 11,800% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 35% (1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $244 million; expenditures $550 million, including capital expenditures of $73 million (1988)

_#_Exports: $298 million (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--coffee, cotton, sugar, bananas, seafood, meat, chemicals;

partners--OECD 75%, USSR and Eastern Europe 15%, other 10%

_#_Imports: $710 million (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--petroleum, food, chemicals, machinery, clothing;

partners--Latin America 30%, US 25%, EC 20%, USSR and Eastern Europe 10%, other 15% (1990 est.)

_#_External debt: $9 billion (December 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 7% (1989); accounts for about 25% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 415,000 kW capacity; 1,342 million kWh produced, 360 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: food processing, chemicals, metal products, textiles, clothing, petroleum refining and distribution, beverages, footwear

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 23% of GDP and 44% of work force; cash crops--coffee, bananas, sugarcane, cotton; food crops--rice, corn, cassava, citrus fruit, beans; variety of animal products--beef, veal, pork, poultry, dairy; normally self-sufficient in food

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $294 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $1,186 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.5 billion

_#_Currency: cordoba (plural--cordobas); 1 cordoba (C$) = 100 centavos

_#_Exchange rates: cordobas (C$) per US$1--13,300,000 (January 1991), 15,655 (1989), 270 (1988), 102.60 (1987), 97.48 (1986), 38.90 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 373 km 1.067-meter gauge, government owned; majority of system not operating; 3 km 1.435-meter gauge line at Puerto Cabezas (does not connect with mainline)

_#_Highways: 25,930 km total; 4,000 km paved, 2,170 km gravel or crushed stone, 5,425 km earth or graded earth, 14,335 km unimproved; Pan-American highway 368.5 km

_#_Inland waterways: 2,220 km, including 2 large lakes

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km

_#_Ports: Corinto, El Bluff, Puerto Cabezas, Puerto Sandino, Rama

_#_Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,161 GRT/2,500 DWT

_#_Civil air: 12 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 251 total, 162 usable; 10 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: low-capacity radio relay and wire system being expanded; connection into Central American Microwave System; 60,000 telephones; stations--45 AM, no FM, 7 TV, 3 shortwave; earth stations--1 Intersputnik and 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

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

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 845,961; 521,425 fit for military service; 44,222 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $70 million, 3.8% of GDP (1991) _%_ _@_Niger _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,267,000 km2; land area: 1,266,700 km2

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

_#_Land boundaries: 5,697 km total; Algeria 956 km, Benin 266 km, Burkina 628 km, Chad 1,175 km, Libya 354 km, Mali 821 km, Nigeria 1,497 km

_#_Coastline: none--landlocked

_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked

_#_Disputes: Libya claims about 19,400 km2 in northern Niger; demarcation of international boundaries in Lake Chad, the lack of which has led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaiting ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger

_#_Climate: desert; mostly hot, dry, dusty; tropical in extreme south

_#_Terrain: predominately desert plains and sand dunes; flat to rolling plains in south; hills in north

_#_Natural resources: uranium, coal, iron ore, tin, phosphates

_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 2%; other 88%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: recurrent drought and desertification severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; overgrazing; soil erosion

_#_Note: landlocked

_*_People _#_Population: 8,154,145 (July 1991), growth rate 3.4% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 50 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 16 deaths/1,000 population (1991)

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

_#_Infant mortality rate: 129 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 49 years male, 53 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Nigerien(s) adjective--Nigerien

_#_Ethnic divisions: Hausa 56%; Djerma 22%; Fula 8.5%; Tuareg 8%; Beri Beri (Kanouri) 4.3%; Arab, Toubou, and Gourmantche 1.2%; about 4,000 French expatriates

_#_Religion: Muslim 80%, remainder indigenous beliefs and Christians

_#_Language: French (official); Hausa, Djerma

_#_Literacy: 28% (male 40%, female 17%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 2,500,000 wage earners (1982); agriculture 90%, industry and commerce 6%, government 4%; 51% of population of working age (1985)

_#_Organized labor: negligible

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

_#_Type: republic; presidential system in which military officers hold key offices

_#_Capital: Niamey

_#_Administrative divisions: 7 departments (departements, singular--departement); Agadez, Diffa, Dosso, Maradi, Niamey, Tahoua, Zinder

_#_Independence: 3 August 1960 (from France)

_#_Constitution: adopted NA December 1989 after 15 years of military rule

_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holidays: Republic Day, 18 December (1958)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

_#_Judicial branch: State Court (Cour d'Etat), Court of Appeal (Cour d'Apel)

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Brig. Gen. Ali SAIBOU (since 14 November 1987);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Aliou MAHAMIDOU (since 2 March 1990)

_#_Political parties and leaders: National Movement for the Development Society (MNSD), leader NA; other political parties now forming

_#_Suffrage: universal adult at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held December 1989 (next to be held NA 1996); results--President Ali SAIBOU was reelected without opposition;

National Assembly--last held 10 December 1989 (next to be held NA); results--MNSD was the only party; seats--(150 total) MNSD 150 (indirectly elected); note--Niger is to hold a national conference to decide upon a transitional government and an agenda for multiparty elections

_#_Communists: no Communist party; some sympathizers in outlawed Sawaba party

_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Moumouni Adamou DJERMAKOYE; Chancery at 2204 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4224 through 4227;

US--Ambassador Carl C. CUNDIFF; Embassy at Avenue des Ambassades, Niamey (mailing address is B. P. 11201, Niamey); telephone [227] 72-26-61 through 64

_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and green with a small orange disk (representing the sun) centered in the white band; similar to the flag of India which has a blue, spoked wheel centered in the white band

_*_Economy _#_Overview: About 90% of the population is engaged in farming and stock rearing, activities which generate almost half the national income. The economy also depends heavily on exploitation of large uranium deposits. Uranium production grew rapidly in the mid-1970s, but tapered off in the early 1980s, when world prices declined. France is a major customer, while Germany, Japan, and Spain also make regular purchases. The depressed demand for uranium has contributed to an overall sluggishness in the economy, a severe trade imbalance, and a mounting external debt.

_#_GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $270; real growth rate - 3.3% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): - 2.8% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: NA%

_#_Budget: revenues $220 million; expenditures $446 million, including capital expenditures of $190 million (FY89 est.)

_#_Exports: $308 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);

commodities--uranium 75%, livestock products, cowpeas, onions;

partners--France 65%, Nigeria 11%, Ivory Coast, Italy

_#_Imports: $386 million (c.i.f., 1989 est.);

commodities--petroleum products, primary materials, machinery, vehicles and parts, electronic equipment, pharmaceuticals, chemical products, cereals, foodstuffs;

partners--France 32%, Ivory Coast 11%, Germany 5%, Italy 4%, Nigeria 4%

_#_External debt: $1.8 billion (December 1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3.0% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 102,000 kW capacity; 225 million kWh produced, 30 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: cement, brick, textiles, food processing, chemicals, slaughterhouses, and a few other small light industries; uranium production began in 1971

_#_Agriculture: accounts for roughly 40% of GDP and 90% of labor force; cash crops--cowpeas, cotton, peanuts; food crops--millet, sorghum, cassava, rice; livestock--cattle, sheep, goats; self-sufficient in food except in drought years

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $380 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $3.0 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $504 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $61 million

_#_Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes

_#_Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 39,970 km total; 3,170 km bituminous, 10,330 km gravel and laterite, 3,470 km earthen, 23,000 km tracks

_#_Inland waterways: Niger river is navigable 300 km from Niamey to Gaya on the Benin frontier from mid-December through March

_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 31 total, 29 usable; 7 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 12 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: small system of wire, radiocommunications, and radio relay links concentrated in southwestern area; 11,900 telephones; stations--15 AM, 5 FM, 16 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, and 4 domestic

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Air Force, paramilitary Gendarmerie, paramilitary Republican Guard, paramilitary Presidential Guard, paramilitary National Police

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,713,566; 923,634 fit for military service; 90,801 reach military age (18) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $20.6 million, 0.9% of GDP (1988) _%_ _@_Nigeria _*_Geography _#_Total area: 923,770 km2; land area: 910,770 km2

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

_#_Land boundaries: 4,047 km total; Benin 773 km, Cameroon 1,690 km, Chad 87 km, Niger 1,497 km

_#_Coastline: 853 km

_#_Maritime claims: