Part 55

_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $639 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $3.2 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $1.1 billion; Communist countries (1970-89), $336 million

_#_Currency: Somali shilling (plural--shillings); 1 Somali shilling (So.Sh.) = 100 centesimi

_#_Exchange rates: Somali shillings (So. Sh.) per US$1--3,800.00 (December 1990), 490.7 (1989), 170.45 (1988), 105.18 (1987), 72.00 (1986), 39.49 (1985)

_#_Fiscal year: calendar year

_*_Communications _#_Highways: 15,215 km total; including 2,335 km bituminous surface, 2,880 km gravel, and 10,000 km improved earth or stabilized soil (1983)

_#_Pipelines: 15 km crude oil

_#_Ports: Mogadishu, Berbera, Chisimayu

_#_Merchant marine: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,913 GRT/9,457 DWT; includes 2 cargo, 1 refrigerated cargo

_#_Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 61 total, 46 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 5 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 22 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: minimal telephone and telegraph service; radio relay and troposcatter system centered on Mogadishu connects a few towns; 6,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; scheduled to receive an ARABSAT station

_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Somali National Army (including Navy, Air Force, and Air Defense Force), National Police Force, National Security Service

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,601,690; 902,732 fit for military service

_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, NA% of GDP _%_ _@_South Africa _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island

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

_#_Land boundaries: 4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

_#_Coastline: 2,881 km

_#_Maritime claims:

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

Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay exclave and 12 offshore islands administered by South Africa

_#_Climate: mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights

_#_Terrain: vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

_#_Natural resources: gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 65%; forest and woodland 3%; other 21%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures

_#_Note: Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland

_*_People _#_Population: 40,600,518 (July 1991), growth rate 2.7% (1991); includes the 10 so-called homelands, which are not recognized by the US;

four independent homelands--Bophuthatswana 2,419,515, growth rate 2.83%; Ciskei 1,056,552, growth rate 2.96%; Transkei 4,553,994, growth rate 4.16%; Venda 691,273, growth rate 3.83%;

six other homelands--Gazankulu 772,532, growth rate 3.98%; Kangwane 576,573, growth rate 3.62%; KwaNdebele 360,582, growth rate 3.38%; KwaZulu 5,546,082, growth rate 3.60%; Lebowa 2,812,630, growth rate 3.91%; QwaQwa 277,957, growth rate 3.60%

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

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

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

_#_Infant mortality rate: 51 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 67 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 4.4 children born/woman (1991)

_#_Nationality: noun--South African(s); adjective--South African

_#_Ethnic divisions: black 75.2%, white 13.6%, Colored 8.6%, Indian 2.6%

_#_Religion: most whites and Coloreds and about 60% of blacks are Christian; about 60% of Indians are Hindu; Muslim 20%

_#_Language: Afrikaans, English (both official); many vernacular languages, including Zulu, Xhosa, North and South Sotho, Tswana

_#_Literacy: 76% (male 78%, female 75%) age 15 and over can read and write (1980)

_#_Labor force: 11,000,000 economically active (1989); services 34%, agriculture 30%, industry and commerce 29%, mining 7% (1985)

_#_Organized labor: about 17% of total labor force is unionized; African unions represent 15% of black labor force

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of South Africa; abbreviated RSA

_#_Type: republic

_#_Capital: administrative, Pretoria; legislative, Cape Town; judicial, Bloemfontein

_#_Administrative divisions: 4 provinces; Cape, Natal, Orange Free State, Transvaal; there are 10 homelands not recognized by the US--4 independent (Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Transkei, Venda) and 6 other (Gazankulu, Kangwane, KwaNdebele, KwaZulu, Lebowa, QwaQwa)

_#_Independence: 31 May 1910 (from UK)

_#_Constitution: 3 September 1984

_#_Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

_#_National holiday: Republic Day, 31 May (1910)

_#_Executive branch: state president, Executive Council (cabinet), Ministers' Councils (from the three houses of Parliament)

_#_Legislative branch: tricameral Parliament (Parlement) consists of the House of Assembly (Volksraad; whites), House of Representatives (Raad van Verteenwoordigers; Coloreds), and House of Delegates (Raad van Afgevaardigdes; Indians)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State and Head of Government--State President Frederik W. DE KLERK (since 13 September 1989)

_#_Political parties and leaders: white political parties and leaders--National Party (NP), Frederik W. DE KLERK (majority party); Conservative Party (CP), Dr. Andries P. TREURNICHT (official opposition party); Herstigte National Party (HNP), Jaap MARAIS; Democratic Party (DP), Zach DE BEER;

Colored political parties and leaders--Labor Party (LP), Allan HENDRICKSE (majority party); Democratic Reform Party (DRP), Carter EBRAHIM; United Democratic Party (UDP), Jac RABIE; Freedom Party;

Indian political parties and leaders--Solidarity, J. N. REDDY (majority party); National People's Party (NPP), Amichand RAJBANSI; Merit People's Party

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18, but voting rights are racially based

_#_Elections:

House of Assembly (whites)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by March 1995); results--NP 58%, CP 23%, DP 19%; seats--(178 total, 166 elected) NP 103, CP 41, DP 34;

House of Representatives (Coloreds)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(85 total, 80 elected) LP 69, DRP 5, UDP 3, Freedom Party 1, independents 2;

House of Delegates (Indians)--last held 6 September 1989 (next to be held by September 1994); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(45 total, 40 elected) Solidarity 16, NPP 9, Merit People's Party 3, United Party 2, Democratic Party 2, People's Party 1, National Federal Party 1, independents 6

_#_Communists: small Communist party legalized in 1990 after 30-year ban, Daniel TLOOME, chairman, and Joe SLOVO, general secretary

_#_Other political or pressure groups: African National Congress (ANC), Nelson MANDELA, president; Pan-Africanist Congress (PAC), Clarence MAKWETU, president

_#_Member of: BIS, CCC, ECA, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, IDA, IFC, IMF, INTELSAT, ISO, ITU, LORCS, SACU, UN, UNCTAD, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO (suspended)

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Harry SCHWARZ; Chancery at 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 232-4400; there are South African Consulates General in Beverly Hills (California), Chicago, Houston, and New York;

US--Ambassador William L. SWING; Embassy at Thibault House, 225 Pretorius Street, Pretoria; telephone [27] (12) 28-4266; there are US Consulates General in Cape Town, Durban, and Johannesburg

_#_Flag: actually four flags in one--three miniature flags reproduced in the center of the white band of the former flag of the Netherlands which has three equal horizontal bands of orange (top), white, and blue; the miniature flags are a vertically hanging flag of the old Orange Free State with a horizontal flag of the UK adjoining on the hoist side and a horizontal flag of the old Transvaal Republic adjoining on the other side

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Many of the white one-seventh of the South African population enjoy incomes, material comforts, and health and educational standards equal to those of Western Europe. In contrast, most of the remaining population suffers from the poverty patterns of the Third World, including unemployment, lack of job skills, and barriers to movement into higher-paying fields. Inputs and outputs thus do not move smoothly into the most productive employments, and the effectiveness of the market is further lowered by international constraints on dealings with South Africa. The main strength of the economy lies in its rich mineral resources, which provide two-thirds of exports. Average growth of less than 2% in output in recent years falls far short of the 5-6% level needed to cut into the high unemployment rate.

_#_GDP: $101.7 billion, per capita $2,600; real growth rate - 0.9% (1990)

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14.4% (1990)

_#_Unemployment rate: 22% (1989); blacks 25-30%, up to 50% in homelands (1988 est.)

_#_Budget: revenues $28.9 billion; expenditures $32.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (FY92 est.)

_#_Exports: $23.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);

commodities--gold 39%, minerals and metals 33%, food 5%, chemicals 3%;

partners--Italy, Japan, US, FRG, UK, other EC, Hong Kong

_#_Imports: $17 billion (c.i.f., 1990);

commodities--machinery 32%, transport equipment 15%, chemicals 11%, oil, textiles, scientific instruments, base metals;

partners--FRG, Japan, UK, US, Italy

_#_External debt: $19.5 billion (July 1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate NA%; accounts for about 45% of GDP

_#_Electricity: 34,941,000 kW capacity; 158,000 million kWh produced, 4,100 kWh per capita (1989)

_#_Industries: mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer, foodstuffs

_#_Agriculture: accounts for about 5% of GDP and 30% of labor force; diversified agriculture, with emphasis on livestock; products--cattle, poultry, sheep, wool, milk, beef, corn, wheat; sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; self-sufficient in food

_#_Economic aid: NA

_#_Currency: rand (plural--rand); 1 rand (R) = 100 cents

_#_Exchange rates: rand (R) per US$1--2.5625 (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: 20,638 km route distance total; 35,079 km of 1.067-meter gauge trackage (counts double and multiple tracking as single track); 314 km of 610 mm gauge

_#_Highways: 188,309 km total; 54,013 km paved, 134,296 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth

_#_Pipelines: 931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas

_#_Ports: Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richard's Bay, Saldanha, Mosselbaai, Walvis Bay

_#_Merchant marine: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 229,245 GRT/218,929 DWT; includes 6 container, 1 vehicle carrier

_#_Civil air: 81 major transport aircraft

_#_Airports: 917 total, 765 usable; 130 with permanent-surface runways; 5 with runways over 3,659 m; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 224 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

_#_Telecommunications: the system is the best developed, most modern, and has the highest capacity in Africa; it consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio relay links, fiber optic cable, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 4,500,000 telephones; stations--14 AM, 286 FM, 67 TV; 1 submarine cable; earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT

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

_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 9,797,349; 5,980,786 fit for military service; 426,615 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is one year; figures include the so-called homelands not recognized by the US

_#_Defense expenditures: $3.67 billion, 11% of GDP (FY92) _%_ _@_South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (dependent territory of the UK) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 4,066 km2; land area: 4,066 km2; includes Shag and Clerke Rocks

_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than Rhode Island

_#_Land boundaries: none

_#_Coastline: undetermined

_#_Maritime claims:

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: administered by the UK, claimed by Argentina

_#_Climate: variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year, interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow

_#_Terrain: most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes

_#_Natural resources: fish

_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%; largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen

_#_Environment: reindeer, introduced early in this century, live on South Georgia; weather conditions generally make it difficult to approach the South Sandwich Islands; the South Sandwich Islands are subject to active volcanism

_#_Note: the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage

_*_People _#_Population: no permanent population; there is a small military garrison on South Georgia and the British Antarctic Survey has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich islands are uninhabited

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (no short-form name)

_#_Type: dependent territory of the UK

_#_Capital: Grytviken on South Georgia is the garrison town

_#_Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)

_#_Constitution: 3 October 1985

_#_Legal system: English common law

_#_National holiday: Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)

_#_Executive branch: British monarch, commissioner

_#_Legislative branch: none

_#_Judicial branch: none

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Commissioner William Hugh FULLERTON (since 1988; resident at Stanley, Falkland Islands)

_*_Economy _#_Overview: Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting fin fish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK.

_#_Budget: revenues $291,777; expenditures $451,011, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY88 est.)

_#_Electricity: 900 kW capacity; 2 million kWh produced, NA kWh per capita (1990)

_*_Communications _#_Highways: NA

_#_Ports: Grytviken on South Georgia

_#_Airports: 5 total, 5 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway 2,440-3,659 m

_#_Telecommunications: coastal radio station at Grytviken; no broadcast stations

_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK _%_ _@_Soviet Union _*_Geography _#_Total area: 22,402,200 km2; land area: 22,272,000 km2

_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of US

_#_Land boundaries: 19,933 km total; Afghanistan 2,384 km, Czechoslovakia 98 km, China 7,520 km, Finland 1,313 km, Hungary 135 km, Iran 1,690 km, North Korea 17 km, Mongolia 3,441 km, Norway 196 km, Poland 1,215 km, Romania 1,307 km, Turkey 617 km

_#_Coastline: 42,777 km

_#_Maritime claims:

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

Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;

Territorial sea: 12 nm

_#_Disputes: bilateral negotiations are under way to resolve disputed sections of the boundary with China; US Government has not recognized the incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into the Soviet Union; Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan Islands and the Habomai island group occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; maritime dispute with Norway over portion of Barents Sea; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Kurdish question among Iran, Iraq, Syria, Turkey, and the USSR

_#_Climate: mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast

_#_Terrain: broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south

_#_Natural resources: self-sufficient in oil, natural gas, coal, and strategic minerals (except bauxite, alumina, tantalum, tin, tungsten, fluorspar, and molybdenum), timber, gold, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, potash, phosphates; note--the USSR is the world's largest producer of oil and natural gas, third in coal

_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 17%; forest and woodland 41%; other 32%; includes irrigated 1%

_#_Environment: despite size and diversity, small percentage of land is arable and much is too far north; some of most fertile land is water deficient or has insufficient growing season; many better climates have poor soils; hot, dry, desiccating sukhovey wind affects south; desertification; continuous permafrost over much of Siberia is a major impediment to development

_#_Note: largest country in world, but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of world

_*_People _#_Population: 293,047,571 (July 1991), growth rate 0.7% (1991)

_#_Birth rate: 17 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: 23 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)

_#_Life expectancy at birth: 65 years male, 74 years female (1991)

_#_Total fertility rate: 2.4 children born/woman (1991)

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

_#_Ethnic divisions: Russian 50.78%, Ukrainian 15.45%, Uzbek 5.84%, Belorussian (Byelorussian) 3.51%, Kazakh 2.85%, Azeri 2.38%, Armenian 1.62%, Tajik 1.48%, Georgian 1.39%, Moldovan 1.17%, Lithuanian 1.07%, Turkmen 0.95%, Kirghiz 0.89%, Latvian 0.51%, Estonian 0.36%, other 9.75%

_#_Religion: Russian Orthodox 20%, Muslim 10%, Protestant, Georgian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox, and Roman Catholic 7%, Jewish less than 1%, atheist 60% (est.)

_#_Language: Russian (official); more than 200 languages and dialects (at least 18 with more than 1 million speakers); Slavic group 75%, other Indo-European 8%, Altaic 12%, Uralian 3%, Caucasian 2%

_#_Literacy: 98% (male 99%, female 97%) age 15 and over can read and write (1989)

_#_Labor force: 152,300,000 civilians; industry and other nonagricultural fields 80%, agriculture 20%; shortage of skilled labor (1989)

_#_Organized labor: the vast majority of workers are union members; official unions are organized within the General Confederation of Trade Unions (GCTU) and still operate within general guidelines set up by the CPSU and Soviet Government; a large number of independent trade unions have been formed since President Gorbachev came to power; most are locally or regionally based and represent workers from one enterprise or a group of enterprises; there are a few independent unions that claim a nationwide following, the most prominent of which is Independent Miners Trade Union set up by the country's coal miners

_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Union of Soviet Socialist Republics; abbreviated USSR

_#_Type: in transition to multiparty federal system

_#_Capital: Moscow

_#_Administrative divisions: 1 soviet federative socialist republic* (sovetskaya federativnaya sotsialistcheskaya respublika) and 14 soviet socialist republics (sovetskiye sotsialisticheskiye respubliki, singular--sovetskaya sotsialisticheskaya respublika); Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic, Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic, Belorussian (Byelorussian) Soviet Socialist Republic, Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic, Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic, Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic, Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic, Latvian Soviet Socialist Republic, Lithuanian Soviet Socialist Republic, Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic*, Soviet Socialist Republic of Moldova, Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic, Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic; note--Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic is often abbreviated RSFSR and Soviet Socialist Republic is often abbreviated SSR; the parliaments in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Estonia, Georgia, Latvia, and Lithuania have removed the words Soviet Socialist from the names of their republics, but the central government has not recognized those changes; the parliament in Kirghiziya changed the name Kirghiz Soviet Socialist Republic to Republic of Kyrgyzstan, but the central government has not recognized that change

_#_Independence: 30 December 1922 (Union of Soviet Socialist Republics established)

_#_Constitution: 7 October 1977

_#_Legal system: civil law system as modified by Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

_#_National holiday: Great October Socialist Revolution, 7-8 November (1917)

_#_Executive branch: president

_#_Legislative branch: the Congress of People's Deputies (S'ezd Narodnykh Deputatov) is the supreme organ of USSR state power and selects the bicameral Supreme Soviet (Verkhovnyi Sovyet) which consists of two coequal houses--Soviet of the Union (Soviet Soiuza) and Soviet of Nationalities (Soviet Natsional'nostei)

_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of the USSR

_#_Leaders:

Chief of State--President Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV (since 14 March 1990; former General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party since 11 March 1985--resigned August 1991);

Head of Government--Prime Minister (vacant); Chairman of the Committee for the Operational Management of the USSR National Economy Ivan SILAYEV (since 24 August 1991)

_#_Political parties and leaders: nascent multiparty system

_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18

_#_Elections:

President--last held 14 March 1990 (next to be held NA 1995); results--Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV was elected by the Congress of People's Deputies;

Congress of People's Deputies--last held 17 December 1990 (next to be held NA); results--NA; seats--(2,250 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA; note--dissolved September 1991

USSR Supreme Soviet--consists of the Council of the Union and the Council of Republics;

Council of the Union--last held Spring 1991 (next to be held Fall 1991); results--NA; seats--(271 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA;

Council of Republics--last held Spring 1991 (next to be held Fall 1991); results--NA; seats--(271 total) CPSU NA, non-CPSU NA; note--to be reconstituted as a new legislature--date not set

_#_Communists: prior to August 1991 about 15 million party members, with membership declining

_#_Other political or pressure groups: formal parties, regional popular fronts, trade unions, and informal organizations

_#_Member of: CSCE, ECE, ESCAP, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICFTU, IIB, ILO, IMO, INMARSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council, UNTSO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Viktor KOMPLEKTOV; Chancery at 1125 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 628-7551 or 8548; there is a Soviet Consulate General in San Francisco;

US--Ambassador Robert S. STRAUSS; Embassy at Ulitsa Chaykovskogo 19/21/23, Moscow (mailing address is APO New York 09862); telephone [7] (095) 252-2450 through 59; there is a US Consulate General in St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad)

_#_Flag: red with the yellow silhouette of a crossed hammer and sickle below a yellow-edged five-pointed red star in the upper hoist-side corner

_*_Economy _#_Overview: The first six years of perestroyka (economic and political restructuring) have undermined the institutions and processes of the Soviet command economy without replacing them with efficiently functioning markets. The initial reforms have featured greater authority for enterprise managers over prices, wages, product mix, investment, sources of supply, and customers. But in the absence of effective market discipline, the result has been the disappearance of low-price goods, excessive wage increases, an even larger volume of unfinished construction projects, and, in general, continued economic stagnation. The Gorbachev regime has made at least four serious errors in economic policy in these six years: the unpopular and short-lived antialcohol campaign; the initial cutback in imports of consumer goods; the failure to act decisively at the beginning for the privatization of agriculture; and the buildup of a massive overhang of unspent rubles in the hands of households and enterprises. The regime has vacillated among a series of ambitious economic policy prescriptions put forth by leading economists and political leaders. The plans vary from proposals for (a) quick marketization of the economy; (b) gradual marketization; (c) a period of retrenchment to ensure a stable base for future marketization; and (d) a return to disciplined central planning and allocation. The economy, caught between two systems, is suffering from even greater mismatches between what is being produced and what would serve the best interests of enterprises and households. Meanwhile, the seething nationality problems have been dislocating regional patterns of economic specialization and pose a further major threat to growth prospects over the next few years. Official Soviet statistics report GNP fell by 2% in 1990, but the actual decline was substantially greater. Whatever the numerical decline, it does not capture the increasing disjointures in the economy evidenced by emptier shelves, longer lines, increased barter, and widespread strikes.

_#_GNP: approximately $2,660 billion, per capita $9,130; real growth rate - 2.4% to - 5.0% (1990 est. based on a reconstruction of official Soviet statistics); note--because of the continued unraveling of Soviet economic and statistical controls, the estimate is subject to even greater uncertainties than in earlier years; the dollar estimates most likely overstate Soviet GNP to some extent because of an incomplete allowance for the poor quality, narrow assortment, and low performance characteristics of Soviet goods and services; the - 2.4% growth figure is based on the application of CIA's usual estimating methods whereas the - 5.0% figure is corrected for measurement problems that worsened sharply in 1990

_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1990 est.)

_#_Unemployment rate: official Soviet statistics imply an unemployment rate of 1 to 2 percent in 1990; USSR's first official unemployment estimate, however, is acknowledged to be rough

_#_Budget: revenues 422 billion rubles; expenditures 510 billion rubles, including capital expenditures of 53 billion rubles (1990 est.)

_#_Exports: $109.3 billion (f.o.b., 1989);

commodities--petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood, agricultural products, and a wide variety of manufactured goods (primarily capital goods and arms);

partners--Eastern Europe 46%, EC 16%, Cuba 6%, US, Afghanistan (1989)

_#_Imports: $114.7 billion (c.i.f., 1989);

commodities--grain and other agricultural products, machinery and equipment, steel products (including large-diameter pipe), consumer manufactures;

partners--Eastern Europe 50%, EC 13%, Cuba, China, US (1989)

_#_External debt: $55 billion (1990)

_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 2.4% (1990 est.)

_#_Electricity: 350,000,000 kW capacity; 1,740,000 million kWh produced, 5,920 kWh per capita (1990)