Part 54
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 151 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 42 years male, 48 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.1 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Sierra Leonean(s); adjective--Sierra Leonean
_#_Ethnic divisions: native African 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%); Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%; 13 tribes
_#_Religion: Muslim 30%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%, other or none 30%
_#_Language: English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca
_#_Literacy: 21% (male 31%, female 11%) age 15 and over can read and write English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1,369,000 (est.); agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age
_#_Organized labor: 35% of wage earners
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Sierra Leone
_#_Type: republic under presidential regime
_#_Capital: Freetown
_#_Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western
_#_Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 14 June 1978
_#_Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
_#_Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987)
_#_Political parties and leaders: only party--All People's Congress (APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH; note--constitutional referendum to adopt a multiparty system is scheduled for June 1991
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992); results--Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH was elected without opposition;
House of Representatives--last held 30 May 1986 (next to be held February 1992); results--APC is the only party; seats--(127 total, 105 elected) APC 105
_#_Communists: no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador George CAREW; Chancery at 1701 19th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 939-9261;
US--Ambassador Johnny YOUNG; Embassy at the corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Street, Freetown; telephone [232] (22) 26481
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economic and social infrastructure is not well developed. Subsistence agriculture dominates the economy, generating about one-third of GDP and employing about two-thirds of the working population. Manufacturing accounts for less than 10% of GDP, consisting mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. Diamond mining provides an important source of hard currency. The economy suffers from high unemployment, rising inflation, large trade deficits, and a growing dependency on foreign assistance. The government in 1990 was attempting to get the budget deficit under control and, in general, to bring economic policy in line with the recommendations of the IMF and the World Bank.
_#_GDP: $1,302 million, per capita $325; real growth rate 1.8% (FY89)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): over 100% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $134 million; expenditures $187 million, including capital expenditures of $32 million (FY91 est.)
_#_Exports: $138 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--rutile 50%, bauxite 17%, cocoa 11%, diamonds 3%, coffee 3%;
partners--US, UK, Belgium, FRG, other Western Europe
_#_Imports: $183 million (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--capital goods 40%, food 32%, petroleum 12%, consumer goods 7%, light industrial goods;
partners--US, EC, Japan, China, Nigeria
_#_External debt: $632 million (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 19% (FY88 est.); accounts for 8% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 83,000 kW capacity; 180 million kWh produced, 45 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile), small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear), petroleum refinery
_#_Agriculture: accounts for over 30% of GDP and two-thirds of the labor force; largely subsistence farming; cash crops--coffee, cocoa, palm kernels; harvests of food staple rice meets 80% of domestic needs; annual fish catch averages 53,000 metric tons
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $161 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $698 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $18 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $101 million
_#_Currency: leone (plural--leones); 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: leones per US$1--196.0784 (January 1991), 144.9275 (1990), 58.1395 (1989), 31.2500 (1988), 30.7692 (1987), 8.3963 (1986), 4.7304 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 84 km 1.067-meter narrow-gauge mineral line is used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed
_#_Highways: 7,400 km total; 1,150 km bituminous, 490 km laterite (some gravel), remainder improved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
_#_Ports: Freetown, Pepel
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 12 total, 8 usable; 5 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 3 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: marginal telephone and telegraph service; national microwave radio relay system unserviceable at present; 23,650 telephones; stations--1 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 939,214; 453,877 fit for military service; no conscription
_#_Defense expenditures: $6 million, 0.7% of GDP (1988 est.) _%_ _@_Singapore _*_Geography _#_Total area: 632.6 km2; land area: 622.6 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 193 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: not specific;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
_#_Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
_#_Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
_#_Land use: arable land 4%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 5%; other 84%
_#_Environment: mostly urban and industrialized
_#_Note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
_*_People _#_Population: 2,756,330 (July 1991), growth rate 1.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 77 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Singaporean(s), adjective--Singapore
_#_Ethnic divisions: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other 2.3%
_#_Religion: majority of Chinese are Buddhists or atheists; Malays are nearly all Muslim (minorities include Christians, Hindus, Sikhs, Taoists, Confucianists)
_#_Language: Chinese, Malay, Tamil, and English (all official); Malay (national)
_#_Literacy: 88% (male 93%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 1,280,000; financial, business, and other services 35.3%, manufacturing 29.0%, commerce 22.8%, construction 6.6%, other 6.3% (1989)
_#_Organized labor: 210,000; 16.1% of labor force (1989)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Singapore
_#_Type: republic within Commonwealth
_#_Capital: Singapore
_#_Administrative divisions: none
_#_Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
_#_Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965; based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution
_#_Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, two deputy prime ministers, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President WEE Kim Wee (since 3 September 1985);
Head of Government--Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990); Deputy Prime Minister ONG Teng Cheong (since 2 January 1985)
_#_Political parties and leaders:
government--People's Action Party (PAP), LEE Kuan Yew, secretary general;
opposition--Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM; Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHIAM See Tong; National Solidarity Party (NSP), SOON Kia Seng; United People's Front (UPF), Harbans SINGH; Barisan Sosialis (BS, Socialist Front), leader NA
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 20
_#_Elections:
President--last held 31 August 1989 (next to be held August 1993); results--President WEE Kim Wee was reelected by Parliament without opposition;
Parliament--last held 3 September 1988 (next to be held 31 August 1991); results--PAP 61.8%, WP 18.4%, SDP 11.5%, NSP 3.7%, UPF 1.3%, other 3.3%; seats--(81 total) PAP 80, SDP 1; note--BS has 1 nonvoting seat
_#_Communists: 200-500; Barisan Sosialis infiltrated by Communists; note--Communist party illegal
_#_Member of: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WHO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador S. R. NATHAN; Chancery at 1824 R Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 667-7555;
US--Ambassador Robert D. ORR; Embassy at 30 Hill Street, Singapore 0617 (mailing address is FPO San Francisco 96699); telephone [65] 338-0251
_#_Flag: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Singapore has an open entrepreneurial economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading links derived from its entrepot history. During the 1970s and early 1980s, the economy expanded rapidly, achieving an average annual growth rate of 9%. Per capita GDP is among the highest in Asia. In 1985 the economy registered its first drop in 20 years and achieved less than a 2% increase in 1986. Recovery was strong based on rising demand for Singapore's products in OECD countries and improved competitiveness of domestic manufactures. The economy grew 8.3% in 1990. Singapore's position as a major oil refining and services center helped it weather the Persian Gulf crisis.
_#_GDP: $34.6 billion, per capita $12,700; real growth rate 8.3% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.4% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 1.7% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $8.0 billion; expenditures $7.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.4 billion (FY90 est.)
_#_Exports: $52.5 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--includes transshipments to Malaysia--petroleum products, rubber, electronics, manufactured goods;
partners--US 21%, EC 14%, Malaysia 13%, Japan 9%
_#_Imports: $60.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--includes transshipments from Malaysia--capital equipment, petroleum, chemicals, manufactured goods, foodstuffs;
partners--Japan 20%, US 16%, Malaysia 14%, EC 13%
_#_External debt: $3.9 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 9% (1990 est.); accounts for 29% of GDP (1989)
_#_Electricity: 4,000,000 kW capacity; 14,400 million kWh produced, 5,300 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services, biotechnology
_#_Agriculture: occupies a position of minor importance in the economy; self-sufficient in poultry and eggs; must import much of other food; major crops--rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-83), $590 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $882 million
_#_Currency: Singapore dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Singapore dollars per US$1--1.7454 (January 1991), 1.8125 (1990), 1.9503 (1989), 2.0124 (1988), 2.1060 (1987), 2.1774 (1986), 2.2002 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 38 km of 1.000-meter gauge
_#_Highways: 2,597 km total (1984)
_#_Ports: Singapore
_#_Merchant marine: 435 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 8,259,085 GRT/13,553,438 DWT; includes 1 passenger-cargo, 121 cargo, 66 container, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 11 refrigerated cargo, 18 vehicle carrier, 1 livestock carrier, 118 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 chemical tanker, 3 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 75 bulk, 2 combination bulk; note--many Singapore flag ships are foreign owned
_#_Civil air: 38 major transport aircraft (est.)
_#_Airports: 9 total, 9 usable; 9 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good domestic facilities; good international service; good radio and television broadcast coverage; 1,110,000 telephones; stations--13 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; submarine cables extend to Malaysia (Sabah and peninsular Malaysia), Indonesia, and the Philippines; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, People's Defense Force, Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 842,721; 625,546 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 4% of GDP (1990 est.) _%_ _@_Solomon Islands _*_Geography _#_Total area: 28,450 km2; land area: 27,540 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 5,313 km
_#_Maritime claims: (measured from claimed archipelagic baselines);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather
_#_Terrain: mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls
_#_Natural resources: fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates
_#_Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 93%; other 4%
_#_Environment: subject to typhoons, which are rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors
_#_Note: located just east of Papua New Guinea in the South Pacific Ocean
_*_People _#_Population: 347,115 (July 1991), growth rate 3.5% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 40 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 39 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 67 years male, 72 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.2 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Solomon Islander(s); adjective--Solomon Islander
_#_Ethnic divisions: Melanesian 93.0%, Polynesian 4.0%, Micronesian 1.5%, European 0.8%, Chinese 0.3%, other 0.4%
_#_Religion: almost all at least nominally Christian; Anglican 34%, Roman Catholic 19%, Baptist 17%, United (Methodist/Presbyterian) 11%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10%, other Protestant 5%
_#_Language: 120 indigenous languages; Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English spoken by 1-2% of population
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: 23,448 economically active; agriculture, forestry, and fishing 32.4%; services 25%; construction, manufacturing, and mining 7.0%; commerce, transport, and finance 4.7% (1984)
_#_Organized labor: NA, but most of the cash-economy workers have trade union representation
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: independent parliamentary state within Commonwealth
_#_Capital: Honiara
_#_Administrative divisions: 7 provinces and 1 town*; Central, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Temotu, Western
_#_Independence: 7 July 1978 (from UK; formerly British Solomon Islands)
_#_Constitution: 7 July 1978
_#_Legal system: common law
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 7 July (1978)
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Parliament
_#_Judicial branch: High Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General George LEPPING (since 27 June 1989, previously acted as governor general since 7 July 1988);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Solomon MAMALONI (since 28 March 1989); Deputy Prime Minister Sir Baddeley DEVESI (since NA October 1990)
_#_Political parties and leaders: People's Alliance Party (PAP); United Party (UP), Sir Peter KENILOREA; Solomon Islands Liberal Party (SILP), Bartholemew ULUFA'ALU; Nationalist Front for Progress (NFP), Andrew NORI; Labor Party (LP), Joses TUHANUKU
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
National Parliament--last held 22 February 1989 (next to be held February 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(38 total) PAP 13, UP 6, NFP 4, SILP 4, LP 2, independents 9
_#_Member of: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador (vacant) resides in Honiara (Solomon Islands);
US--the ambassador in Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands; Embassy at Mud Alley, Honiara (mailing address is American Embassy, P. O. Box 561, Honiara); telephone (677) 23890
_#_Flag: divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green
_*_Economy _#_Overview: About 90% of the population depend on subsistence agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Agriculture, fishing, and forestry contribute about 75% to GDP, with the fishing and forestry sectors being important export earners. The service sector contributes about 25% to GDP. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. The economy suffered from a severe cyclone in mid-1986 that caused widespread damage to the infrastructure.
_#_GDP: $156 million, per capita $500 (1988); real growth rate 5.0% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.9% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $44 million; expenditures $45 million, including capital expenditures of $22 million (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $75 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--fish 46%, timber 31%, copra 5%, palm oil 5%;
partners--Japan 51%, UK 12%, Thailand 9%, Netherlands 8%, Australia 2%, US 2% (1985)
_#_Imports: $117 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--plant and machinery 30%, fuel 19%, food 16%;
partners--Japan 36%, US 23%, Singapore 9%, UK 9%, NZ 9%, Australia 4%, Hong Kong 4%, China 3% (1985)
_#_External debt: $128 million (1988 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 0% (1987); accounts for 5% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 21,000 kW capacity; 39 million kWh produced, 115 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: copra, fish (tuna)
_#_Agriculture: including fishing and forestry, accounts for about 75% of GDP; mostly subsistence farming; cash crops--cocoa, beans, coconuts, palm kernels, timber; other products--rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit, cattle, pigs; not self-sufficient in food grains; 90% of the total fish catch of 44,500 metric tons was exported (1988)
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1985), $16.1 million
_#_Currency: Solomon Islands dollar (plural--dollars); 1 Solomon Islands dollar (SI$) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Solomon Islands dollars (SI$) per US$1--2.5934 (January 1991), 2.5288 (1990), 2.2932 (1989), 2.0825 (1988), 2.0033 (1987), 1.7415 (1986), 1.4808 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Highways: about 2,100 km total (1982); 30 km sealed, 290 km gravel, 980 km earth, 800 private logging and plantation roads of varied construction
_#_Ports: Honiara, Ringi Cove
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 31 total, 29 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 2,439 m; 2 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 3,000 telephones; stations--4 AM, no FM, no TV; 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 77,169; NA fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP _%_ _@_Somalia _*_Geography _#_Total area: 637,660 km2; land area: 627,340 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly smaller than Texas
_#_Land boundaries: 2,340 km total; Djibouti 58 km, Ethiopia 1,600 km, Kenya 682 km
_#_Coastline: 3,025 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Territorial sea: 200 nm
_#_Disputes: southern half of boundary with Ethiopia is a Provisional Administrative Line; territorial dispute with Ethiopia over the Ogaden; possible claims to Djibouti and parts of Ethiopia and Kenya based on unification of ethnic Somalis
_#_Climate: desert; northeast monsoon (December to February), cooler southwest monsoon (May to October); irregular rainfall; hot, humid periods (tangambili) between monsoons
_#_Terrain: mostly flat to undulating plateau rising to hills in north
_#_Natural resources: uranium, and largely unexploited reserves of iron ore, tin, gypsum, bauxite, copper, salt
_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 46%; forest and woodland 14%; other 38%; includes irrigated 3%
_#_Environment: recurring droughts; frequent dust storms over eastern plains in summer; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
_#_Note: strategic location on Horn of Africa along southern approaches to Bab el Mandeb and route through Red Sea and Suez Canal
_*_People _#_Population: 6,709,161 (July 1991), growth rate 3.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 116 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 56 years male, 56 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.2 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Somali(s); adjective--Somali
_#_Ethnic divisions: Somali 85%, rest mainly Bantu; Arabs 30,000, Europeans 3,000, Asians 800
_#_Religion: almost entirely Sunni Muslim
_#_Language: Somali (official); Arabic, Italian, English
_#_Literacy: 24% (male 36%, female 14%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 2,200,000; very few are skilled laborers; pastoral nomad 70%, agriculture, government, trading, fishing, handicrafts, and other 30%; 53% of population of working age (1985)
_#_Organized labor: General Federation of Somali Trade Unions is controlled by the government
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Somali Democratic Republic
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Mogadishu
_#_Administrative divisions: 16 regions (plural--NA, singular--gobolka); Bakool, Banaadir, Bari, Bay, Galguduud, Gedo, Hiiraan, Jubbada Dhexe, Jubbada Hoose, Mudug, Nugaal, Sanaag, Shabeellaha Dhexe, Shabeellaha Hoose, Togdheer, Woqooyi Galbeed
_#_Independence: 1 July 1960 (from a merger of British Somaliland, which became independent from the UK on 26 June 1960, and Italian Somaliland, which became independent from the Italian-administered UN trusteeship on 1 July 1960, to form the Somali Republic)
_#_Constitution: 25 August 1979, presidential approval 23 September 1979
_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Revolution, 21 October (1969)
_#_Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral People's Assembly (Golaha Shacbiga)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Interim President ALI Mahdi Mohamed (since 27 January 1991);
Head of Government--Prime Minister OMAR Arteh Ghalib (since 27 January 1991); Deputy Prime Minister MOHAMED Abshir Mussa (since 27 January 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the former regime on 27 January 1991; note--formerly the only party was the Somali Revolutionary Socialist Party (SRSP), headed by former President and Commander in Chief of the Army Maj. Gen. Mohamed Siad BARRE
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 23 December 1986 (next to be held NA); results--President Siad was reelected without opposition;
People's Assembly--last held 31 December 1984 (next to be held NA); results--SRSP was the only party; seats--(177 total, 171 elected) SRSP 171; note--the United Somali Congress (USC) ousted the regime of Maj. Gen. Mohamed SIAD Barre on 27 January 1991; the provisional government has promised that a democratically elected government will be established
_#_Communists: probably some Communist sympathizers in the government hierarchy
_#_Member of: ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador ABDIKARIM Ali Omar; Chancery at Suite 710, 600 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington DC 20037; telephone (202) 342-1575; there is a Somali Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador James K. BISHOP; Embassy at K-7, AFGOI Road, Mogadishu (mailing address is P. O. Box 574, Mogadishu); telephone [252] (01) 39971; note--US Embassy evacuated and closed indefinitely in January 1991
_#_Flag: light blue with a large white five-pointed star in the center; design based on the flag of the UN (Italian Somaliland was a UN trust territory)
_*_Economy _#_Overview: One of the world's poorest and least developed countries, Somalia has few resources. Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, with the livestock sector accounting for about 40% of GDP and about 65% of export earnings. Nomads and seminomads who are dependent upon livestock for their livelihoods make up more than half of the population. Crop production generates only 10% of GDP and employs about 20% of the work force. The main export crop is bananas; sugar, sorghum, and corn are grown for the domestic market. The small industrial sector is based on the processing of agricultural products and accounts for less than 10% of GDP. Serious economic problems facing the nation are the external debt of $1.9 billion and double-digit inflation.
_#_GDP: $1.7 billion, per capita $210; real growth rate - 1.4% (1988)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 81.7% (1988 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $190 million; expenditures $195 million, including capital expenditures of $111 million (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $58.0 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--livestock, hides, skins, bananas, fish;
partners--US 0.5%, Saudi Arabia, Italy, FRG (1986)
_#_Imports: $354.0 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--textiles, petroleum products, foodstuffs, construction materials;
partners--US 13%, Italy, FRG, Kenya, UK, Saudi Arabia (1986)
_#_External debt: $1.9 billion (1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 5.0% (1988); accounts for 5% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 72,000 kW capacity; 60 million kWh produced, 7 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: a few small industries, including sugar refining, textiles, petroleum refining
_#_Agriculture: dominant sector, led by livestock raising (cattle, sheep, goats); crops--bananas, sorghum, corn, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food; fishing potential largely unexploited