Part 47

_#_Independence: 15 August 1947 (from UK; formerly West Pakistan)

_#_Constitution: 10 April 1973, suspended 5 July 1977, restored with amendments, 30 December 1985

_#_Legal system: based on English common law with provisions to accommodate Pakistan's stature as an Islamic state; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Pakistan Day (proclamation of the republic), 23 March (1956)

_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Mijlis-e-Shoora) consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or National Assembly

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court, Federal Islamic (Shariat) Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President GHULAM ISHAQ Khan (since 13 December 1988);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Mian Nawaz SHARIF (since 6 November 1990);

_#_Political parties and leaders: Islamic Democratic Alliance (Islami Jamuri Ittehad or IJI)--the Pakistan Muslim League (PML) led by Mohammed Khan JUNEJO is the main party in the IJI; Pakistan People's Party (PPP), Benazir BHUTTO; note--in September 1990 the PPP announced the formation of the People's Democratic Alliance (PDA), an electoral alliance including the following four

## parties--PPP, Solidarity Movement (Tehrik Istiqlal), Movement for the

Implementation of Shia Jurisprudence (Tehrik-i-Nifaz Fiqh Jafariya or TNFJ), and the PML (Malik faction); Muhajir Qaumi Movement (MQM), Altaf HUSSAIN; Awami National Party (ANP), Khan Abdul Wali KHAN; Jamiat-ul-Ulema-i-Islam (JUI), Fazlur RAHMAN; Jamhoori Watan Party (JWP), Mohammad Akbar Khan BUGTI; Pakistan National Party (PNP), Mir Ghaus Bakhsh BIZENJO; Pakistan Khawa Milli Party (PKMP), leader NA; Assembly of Pakistani Clergy (Jamiat-ul-Ulema-e-Pakistan or JUP), Maulana Shah Ahmed NOORANI; Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Qazi Hussain AHMED

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 12 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--Ghulam Ishaq KHAN was elected by Parliament and the four provincial assemblies;

Senate--last held March 1991 (next to be held March 1994); results--elected by provincial assemblies; seats--(87 total) IJI 57, Tribal Area Representatives (nonparty) 8, PPP 5, ANP 5, JWP 4, MQM 3, PNP 2, PKMP 1, JUI 1, independent 1;

National Assembly--last held on 24 October 1990 (next to be held by October 1995); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(217 total) IJI 107, PDA 45, MQM 15, ANP 6, JUI 6, JWP 2, PNP 2, PKMP 1, independent 14, religious minorities 10, Tribal Area Representatives (nonparty) 8, vacant 1

_#_Communists: the Communist party is officially banned but is allowed to operate openly

_#_Other political or pressure groups: military remains dominant political force; ulema (clergy), industrialists, and small merchants also influential

_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Najmuddin SHAIKH; Chancery at 2315 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-6200; there is a Pakistani Consulate General in New York;

US--Ambassador Robert B. OAKLEY; Embassy at Diplomatic Enclave, Ramna 5, Islamabad (mailing address is P. O. Box 1048, Islamabad or APO New York 09614); telephone [92] (51) 826161 through 79; there are US Consulates General in Karachi and Lahore, and a Consulate in Peshawar

_#_Flag: green with a vertical white band on the hoist side; a large white crescent and star are centered in the green field; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Pakistan is a poor Third World country faced with the usual problems of rapidly increasing population, sizable government deficits, and heavy dependence on foreign aid. In addition, the economy must support a large military establishment and provide for the needs of 4 million Afghan refugees. A real economic growth rate averaging 5-6% in recent years has enabled the country to cope with these problems. Almost all agriculture and small-scale industry is in private hands, and the government seeks to privatize a portion of the large-scale industrial enterprises now publicly owned. In December 1988, Pakistan signed a three-year economic reform agreement with the IMF, which provides for a reduction in the government deficit and a liberalization of trade in return for further IMF financial support. Late in 1990, the IMF suspended assistance to Pakistan because the government failed to follow through on deficit reforms. Pakistan almost certainly will make little headway on raising living standards for its rapidly expanding population; at the current rate of growth, population would double in 29 years.

_#_GNP: $43.3 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 5.0% (FY90 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.7% (FY90)

_#_Unemployment rate: 10% (FY91 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $5.6 billion; expenditures $10.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.7 billion (FY91 est.)

_#_Exports: $4.8 billion (f.o.b., FY90);

commodities--rice, cotton, textiles, clothing;

partners--EC 31%, Japan 11.6%, US 11.5% (FY89)

_#_Imports: $6.5 billion (f.o.b., FY90);

commodities--petroleum, petroleum products, machinery, transportation equipment, vegetable oils, animal fats, chemicals;

partners--EC 26%, US 16%, Japan 14% (FY89)

_#_External debt: $20.1 billion (1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 7.5% (FY91 est.); accounts for almost 20% of GNP

_#_Electricity: 7,575,000 kW capacity; 29,300 million kWh produced, 270 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: textiles, food processing, beverages, petroleum products, construction materials, clothing, paper products, international finance, shrimp

_#_Agriculture: 25% of GDP, over 50% of labor force; world's largest contiguous irrigation system; major crops--cotton, wheat, rice, sugarcane, fruits, and vegetables; livestock products--milk, beef, mutton, eggs; self-sufficient in food grain

_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of opium poppy and cannabis for the international drug trade; government eradication efforts on poppy cultivation of limited success

_#_Economic aid: (including Bangladesh before 1972) US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $4.5 billion authorized (excluding what is now Bangladesh); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $8.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $2.3 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $3.2 billion

_#_Currency: Pakistani rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Pakistani rupee (PRe) = 100 paisa

_#_Exchange rates: Pakistani rupees (PRs) per US$1--22.072 (January 1991), 21.707 (1990), 20.541 (1989), 18.003 (1988), 17.399 (1987), 16.648 (1986), 15.928 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 8,773 km total; 7,718 km broad gauge, 445 km meter gauge, and 610 km narrow gauge; 1,037 km broad-gauge double track; 286 km electrified; all government owned (1985)

_#_Highways: 101,315 km total (1987); 40,155 km paved, 23,000 km gravel, 29,000 km improved earth, and 9,160 km unimproved earth or sand tracks (1985)

_#_Pipelines: 250 km crude oil; 4,044 km natural gas; 885 km refined products (1987)

_#_Ports: Gwadar, Karachi, Port Muhammad bin Qasim

_#_Merchant marine: 29 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 339,855 GRT/500,627 DWT; includes 4 passenger-cargo, 24 cargo, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker

_#_Civil air: 30 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 115 total, 105 usable; 75 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 31 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 43 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: good international radiocommunication service over microwave and INTELSAT satellite; domestic radio communications poor; broadcast service good; 813,000 telephones (1990); stations--19 AM, 8 FM, 29 TV; earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Civil Armed Forces, National Guard

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 26,840,840; 16,466,334 fit for military service; 1,322,883 reach military age (17) annually

_#_Defense expenditures: $2.9 billion, 6% of GNP (FY91) _%_ _@_Palmyra Atoll (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 11.9 km2; land area: 11.9 km2

_#_Comparative area: about 20 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 14.5 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Contiguous zone: 12 nm;

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: equatorial, hot, and very rainy

_#_Terrain: low, with maximum elevations of about 2 meters

_#_Natural resources: none

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 100%; other 0%

_#_Environment: about 50 islets covered with dense vegetation, coconut trees, and balsa-like trees up to 30 meters tall

_#_Note: located 1,600 km south-southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, almost halfway between Hawaii and American Samoa

_*_People _#_Population: uninhabited

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none

_#_Type: unincorporated territory of the US; privately owned, but administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior

_*_Economy _#_Overview: no economic activity

_*_Communications _#_Ports: none; offshore anchorage in West Lagoon

_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runway 1,220-2,439 m

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Panama _*_Geography _#_Total area: 78,200 km2; land area: 75,990 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than South Carolina

_#_Land boundaries: 555 km total; Colombia 225 km, Costa Rica 330 km

_#_Coastline: 2,490 km

_#_Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 200 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid, cloudy; prolonged rainy season (May to January), short dry season (January to May)

_#_Terrain: interior mostly steep, rugged mountains and dissected, upland plains; coastal areas largely plains and rolling hills

_#_Natural resources: copper, mahogany forests, shrimp

_#_Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 15%; forest and woodland 54%; other 23%; includes irrigated NEGL%

_#_Environment: dense tropical forest in east and northwest

_#_Note: strategic location on eastern end of isthmus forming land bridge connecting North and South America; controls Panama Canal that links North Atlantic Ocean via Caribbean Sea with North Pacific Ocean

_*_People _#_Population: 2,476,281 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 26 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: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 76 years female (1991)

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

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and European ancestry) 70%, West Indian 14%, white 10%, Indian 6%

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic over 93%, Protestant 6%

_#_Language: Spanish (official); English as native tongue 14%; many Panamanians bilingual

_#_Literacy: 88% (male 88%, female 88%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 770,472 (1987); government and community services 27.9%; agriculture, hunting, and fishing 26.2%; commerce, restaurants, and hotels 16%; manufacturing and mining 10.5%; construction 5.3%; transportation and communications 5.3%; finance, insurance, and real estate 4.2%; Canal Zone 2.4%; shortage of skilled labor, but an oversupply of unskilled labor

_#_Organized labor: 17% of labor force (1986)

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

_#_Type: centralized republic

_#_Capital: Panama

_#_Administrative divisions: 9 provinces (provincias, singular--provincia) and 1 territory* (comarca); Bocas del Toro, Chiriqui, Cocle, Colon, Darien, Herrera, Los Santos, Panama, San Blas*, Veraguas

_#_Independence: 3 November 1903 (from Colombia; became independent from Spain 28 November 1821)

_#_Constitution: 11 October 1972; major reforms adopted April 1983

_#_Legal system: based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court of Justice; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 3 November (1903)

_#_Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea Legislativa)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justicia) currently being reorganized

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--President Guillermo ENDARA (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989); First Vice President Ricardo ARIAS Calderon (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989); Second Vice President Guillermo FORD (since 20 December 1989, elected 7 May 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders:

government alliance--Nationalist Republican Liberal Movement (MOLIRENA), Alfredo RAMIREZ; Authentic Liberal Party (PLA); Arnulfista Party (PA), Francisco ARTOLA;

opposition parties--Christian Democratic Party (PDC), Ricardo ARIAS Calderon; Democratic Revolutionary Party (PRD, ex-official government party), Gerardo GONZALEZ; Agrarian Labor Party (PALA), Carlos ELETA Almaran; Liberal Party (PL); People's Party (PdP, Soviet-oriented Communist party), Ruben DARIO Sousa Batista; Democratic Workers Party (PDT, leftist), Eduardo RIOS; National Action Party (PAN, rightist); Popular Action Party (PAPO), Carlos Ivan ZUNIGA; Socialist Workers Party (PST, leftist), Jose CAMBRA; Revolutionary Workers Party (PRT, leftist), Graciela DIXON

_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held on 7 May 1989, annulled but later upheld (next to be held May 1994); results--anti-NORIEGA coalition believed to have won about 75% of the total votes cast;

Legislative Assembly--last held on 27 January 1991 (next to be held May 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(67 total) progovernment parties--PDC 28, MOLIRENA 16, PA 6, PLA 5;

opposition parties--PRD 10, PALA 1, PL 1; note--the PDC went into opposition after President Guillermo ENDARA ousted the PDC from the coalition government in April 1991

_#_Communists: People's Party (PdP), pro-Soviet mainline Communist party, did not obtain the necessary 3% of the total vote in the 1984 election to retain its legal status; about 3,000 members

_#_Other political or pressure groups: National Council of Organized Workers (CONATO); National Council of Private Enterprise (CONEP); Panamanian Association of Business Executives (APEDE); National Civic Crusade; National Committee for the Right to Life

_#_Member of: AG (associate), CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime FORD; Chancery at 2862 McGill Terrace NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-1407; the status of the Consulates General and Consulates has not yet been determined;

US--Ambassador Deane R. HINTON; Embassy at Avenida Balboa and Calle 38, Apartado 6959, Panama City 5 (mailing address is Box E, APO Miami 34002); telephone [507] 27-1777

_#_Flag: divided into four, equal rectangles; the top quadrants are white with a blue five-pointed star in the center (hoist side) and plain red, the bottom quadrants are plain blue (hoist side) and white with a red five-pointed star in the center

_*_Economy _#_Overview: GDP expanded by an estimated 5% in 1990, after contracting 1% in 1988 and 14% in 1989. Political stability prompted greater business confidence and consumer demand, leading to increased production by the agricultural, commercial, manufacturing, construction, and utilities sectors. The transportation sector and government services declined slightly due to slack early-1990 transits through the Panama Canal, lower oil pipeline flowthrough, and Panama City's budget cuts. Imports and exports posted gains during the year, and government revenues were up sharply over 1989's levels.

_#_GDP: $4.8 billion, per capita $1,980; real growth rate 5% (1990 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.3% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: 20% (1990)

_#_Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $1.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $70 million (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $355 million (f.o.b., 1990 est.);

commodities--bananas 27%, shrimp 21%, clothing 6%, coffee 4%, sugar 4%;

partners--US 90%, Central America and Caribbean, EC (1989 est.)

_#_Imports: $1,250 million (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--foodstuffs 13%, capital goods 12%, crude oil 12%, consumer goods, chemicals;

partners--US 35%, Central America and Caribbean, EC, Mexico, Venezuela (1989 est.)

_#_External debt: $5 billion (December 1990 est.)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate 4.8% (1990 est.)

_#_Electricity: 1,113,000 kW capacity; 3,264 million kWh produced, 1,350 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: manufacturing and construction activities, petroleum refining, brewing, cement and other construction material, sugar mills, paper products

_#_Agriculture: accounts for 12% of GDP (1990 est.), 25% of labor force (1989); crops--bananas, rice, corn, coffee, sugarcane; livestock; fishing; importer of food grain, vegetables, milk products

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $516 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $575 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $4 million

_#_Currency: balboa (plural--balboas); 1 balboa (B) = 100 centesimos

_#_Exchange rates: balboas (B) per US$1--1.000 (fixed rate)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 238 km total; 78 km 1.524-meter gauge, 160 km 0.914-meter gauge

_#_Highways: 8,530 km total; 2,745 km paved, 3,270 km gravel or crushed stone, 2,515 km improved and unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 800 km navigable by shallow draft vessels; 82 km Panama Canal

_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 130 km

_#_Ports: Cristobal, Balboa, Puerto de La Bahia de Las Minas

_#_Merchant marine: 2,932 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 41,314,623 GRT/66,226,104 DWT; includes 22 passenger, 22 short-sea passenger, 5 passenger-cargo, 1,060 cargo, 188 refrigerated cargo, 165 container, 62 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 105 vehicle carrier, 8 livestock carrier, 5 multifunction large-load carrier, 301 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 175 chemical tanker, 27 combination ore/oil, 91 liquefied gas, 8 specialized tanker, 651 bulk, 37 combination bulk; note--all but 5 are foreign owned and operated; the top 4 foreign owners are Japan 36%, Greece 9%, Hong Kong 9%, and the US 8%; (China owns at least 127 ships, Vietnam 10, Yugoslavia 10, Cuba 5, Cyprus 3, and USSR 2)

_#_Civil air: 16 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 113 total, 101 usable; 41 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 2 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 15 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: domestic and international facilities well developed; connection into Central American Microwave System; 2 Atlantic Ocean satellite antennas; 220,000 telephones; stations--91 AM, no FM, 23 TV; 1 coaxial submarine cable

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: note--the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) ceased to exist as a military institution shortly after the United States invaded Panama on 20 December 1989; President Endara is attempting to restructure the forces into a civilian police service under the new name of Panamanian Public Forces (PPF); a Council of Public Security and National Defense under Menalco Solis in the office of the president coordinates the

## activities of the security forces; the Institutional Protection Service

under Carlos Bares is attached to the presidency

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 644,895; 444,522 fit for military service; no conscription

_#_Defense expenditures: $75.5 million, 1.5% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Papua New Guinea _*_Geography _#_Total area: 461,690 km2; land area: 451,710 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than California

_#_Land boundary: 820 km with Indonesia

_#_Coastline: 5,152 km

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

Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Climate: tropical; northwest monsoon (December to March), southeast monsoon (May to October); slight seasonal temperature variation

_#_Terrain: mostly mountains with coastal lowlands and rolling foothills

_#_Natural resources: gold, copper, silver, natural gas, timber, oil potential

_#_Land use: arable land NEGL%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures NEGL%; forest and woodland 71%; other 28%

_#_Environment: one of world's largest swamps along southwest coast; some active volcanos; frequent earthquakes

_#_Note: shares island of New Guinea with Indonesia

_*_People _#_Population: 3,913,186 (July 1991), growth rate 2.3% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 34 births/1,000 population (1991)

_#_Death rate: 11 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: 55 years male, 56 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.9 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--Papua New Guinean(s); adjective--Papua New Guinean

_#_Ethnic divisions: predominantly Melanesian and Papuan; some Negrito, Micronesian, and Polynesian

_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 22%, Lutheran 16%, Presbyterian/Methodist/London Missionary Society 8%, Anglican 5%, Evangelical Alliance 4%, Seventh-Day Adventist 1%, other Protestant sects 10%; indigenous beliefs 34%

_#_Language: 715 indigenous languages; English spoken by 1-2%, pidgin English widespread, Motu spoken in Papua region

_#_Literacy: 52% (male 65%, female 38%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)

_#_Labor force: 1,660,000; 732,806 in salaried employment; agriculture 54%, government 25%, industry and commerce 9%, services 8% (1980)

_#_Organized labor: more than 50 trade unions, some with fewer than 20 members

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Independent State of Papua New Guinea

_#_Type: parliamentary democracy

_#_Capital: Port Moresby

_#_Administrative divisions: 20 provinces; Central, Chimbu, Eastern Highlands, East New Britain, East Sepik, Enga, Gulf, Madang, Manus, Milne Bay, Morobe, National Capital, New Ireland, Northern, North Solomons, Sandaun, Southern Highlands, Western, Western Highlands, West New Britain

_#_Independence: 16 September 1975 (from UN trusteeship under Australian administration)

_#_Constitution: 16 September 1975

_#_Legal system: based on English common law

_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 16 September (1975)

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, National Executive Council (cabinet)

_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament (sometimes referred to as the House of Assembly)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen Elizabeth II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Vincent ERI (since 18 January 1990);

Head of Government--Prime Minister Rabbie NAMALIU (since 4 July 1988); Deputy Prime Minister Ted DIRO (since 29 April 1990); note--Deputy Prime Minister Ted DIRO has the title only since he has been suspended pending trial for alleged corruption charges

_#_Political parties: Papua New Guinea United Party (Pangu Party), Rabbie NAMALIU; People's Progress Party (PPP), Sir Julius CHAN; United Party (UP), Paul TORATO; Papua Party (PP), Galeva KWARARA; National Party (NP), Paul PORA; Melanesian Alliance (MA), Fr. John MOMIS

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

National Parliament--last held 13 June-4 July 1987 (next to be held 4 July 1992); results--PP 14.7%, PDM 10.8%, PPP 6.1%, MA 5.6%, NP 5.1%, PAP 3.2%, independents 42.9%, other 11.6%; seats--(109 total) PP 26, PDM 17, NP 12, MA 7, PAP 6, PPP 5, independents 22, other 14

_#_Communists: no significant strength

_#_Member of: ACP, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM (observer), SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Margaret TAYLOR; Chancery at Suite 350, 1330 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 659-0856;

US--Ambassador Robert W. FERRAND; Embassy at Armit Street, Port Moresby (mailing address is P. O. Box 1492, Port Moresby); telephone [675] 211-455 or 594, 654

_#_Flag: divided diagonally from upper hoist-side corner; the upper triangle is red with a soaring yellow bird of paradise centered; the lower triangle is black with five white five-pointed stars of the Southern Cross constellation centered

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Papua New Guinea is richly endowed with natural resources, but exploitation has been hampered by the rugged terrain and the high cost of developing an infrastructure. Agriculture provides a subsistence livelihood for 85% of the population. Mining of numerous deposits, including copper and gold, accounts for about 60% of export earnings. Budgetary support from Australia and development aid under World Bank auspices help sustain the economy.

_#_GDP: $2.7 billion, per capita $725; real growth rate - 3.0% (1989 est.)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.5% (1989)

_#_Unemployment rate: 5% (1988)

_#_Budget: revenues $867 million; expenditures $873 million, including capital expenditures of $119 million (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--gold, copper ore, coffee, cocoa, copra, palm oil, timber, lobster;

partners--FRG, Japan, Australia, UK, Spain, US

_#_Imports: $1.5 billion (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--machinery and transport equipment, fuels, food, chemicals, consumer goods;

partners--Australia, Singapore, Japan, US, New Zealand, UK

_#_External debt: $2.76 billion (December 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for 25% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 397,000 kW capacity; 1,510 million kWh produced, 400 kWh per capita (1990)

_#_Industries: copra crushing, oil palm processing, plywood processing, wood chip production, gold, silver, copper, construction, tourism

_#_Agriculture: one-third of GDP; livelihood for 85% of population; fertile soils and favorable climate permits cultivating a wide variety of crops; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, coconuts, palm kernels; other products--tea, rubber, sweet potatoes, fruit, vegetables, poultry, pork; net importer of food for urban centers

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $40.6 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $6.4 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $17 million

_#_Currency: kina (plural--kina); 1 kina (K) = 100 toea

_#_Exchange rates: kina (K) per US$1--1.0549 (January 1991), 1.0467 (1990), 1.1685 (1989), 1.1538 (1988), 1.1012 (1987), 1.0296 (1986), 1.0000 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 19,200 km total; 640 km paved, 10,960 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized-soil surface, 7,600 km unimproved earth

_#_Inland waterways: 10,940 km

_#_Ports: Anewa Bay, Lae, Madang, Port Moresby, Rabaul

_#_Merchant marine: 9 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 26,711 GRT/34,682 DWT; includes 5 cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 combination ore/oil, 2 bulk

_#_Civil air: about 15 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 567 total, 479 usable; 19 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 40 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: services are adequate and being improved; facilities provide radiobroadcast, radiotelephone and telegraph, coastal radio, aeronautical radio, and international radiocommunication services; submarine cables extend to Australia and Guam; 51,700 telephones (1985); stations--31 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV (1987); 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Papua New Guinea Defense Force (including Army, Navy, Air Force)

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 983,175; 546,824 fit for military service

_#_Defense expenditures: $42 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.) _%_ _@_Paracel Islands _*_Geography _#_Total area: undetermined

_#_Comparative area: undetermined

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: 518 km

_#_Maritime claims: undetermined