Part 56
_#_Industries: diversified, highly developed capital goods and defense industries; comparatively less developed consumer goods industries
_#_Agriculture: accounts for roughly 20% of GNP and labor force; production based on large collective and state farms; inefficiently managed; wide range of temperate crops and livestock produced; world's third-largest grain producer after the US and China; shortages of grain, oilseeds, and meat; world's leading producer of sawnwood and roundwood; annual fish catch among the world's largest
_#_Illicit drugs: illegal producer of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption; government has begun eradication program to control cultivation; used as a transshipment country for illicit drugs to Western Europe
_#_Economic aid: donor--extended to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-89), $49.6 billion; extended to other Communist countries (1954-89), $154 billion
_#_Currency: ruble (plural--rubles); 1 ruble (R) = 100 kopeks
_#_Exchange rates: rubles (R) per US$1--0.580 (1990), 0.629 (1989), 0.629 (1988), 0.633 (1987), 0.704 (1986), 0.838 (1985); note--as of 1 April 1991 the official exchange rate remained administratively set; it should not be used indiscriminately to convert domestic rubles to dollars; in November 1990 the USSR introduced a commercial exchange rate of 1.8 rubles to the dollar used for accounting purposes within the USSR and which was still in force on 1 April 1991; on 1 April 1991 the USSR introduced a new foreign-currency market for foreign companies and individuals; the rate will be fixed twice a week based on supply and demand; as of 4 April 1991 the rate was 27.6 rubles to the dollar; Soviet citizens traveling abroad are restricted to buying $200 a year at prevailing rates
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 147,400 km total; 53,900 km electrified; does not include industrial lines (1989)
_#_Highways: 1,757,000 km total; 1,310,600 km hard-surfaced (asphalt, concrete, stone block, asphalt treated, gravel, crushed stone); 446,400 km earth (1989)
_#_Inland waterways: 123,700 km navigable, exclusive of Caspian Sea (1989)
_#_Pipelines: 82,000 km crude oil and refined products; 206,500 km natural gas (1987)
_#_Ports: St. Petersburg (formerly Leningrad), Riga, Tallinn, Kaliningrad, Liepaja, Ventspils, Murmansk, Arkhangel'sk, Odessa, Novorossiysk, Il'ichevsk, Nikolayev, Sevastopol', Vladivostok, Nakhodka; inland ports are Astrakhan', Baku, Nizhniy Novgorod (Gor'kiy), Kazan', Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Kuybyshev, Moscow, Rostov, Volgograd, Kiev
_#_Merchant marine: 1,565 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,243,228 GRT/20,874,488 DWT; includes 52 passenger, 898 cargo, 52 container, 11 barge carrier, 4 roll-on/float off cargo, 5 railcar carrier, 114 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 230 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 5 liquefied gas, 17 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized liquid carrier, 13 chemical tanker, 160 bulk; note--594 merchant ships are based in Black Sea, 366 in Baltic Sea, 398 in Soviet Far East, and 207 in Barents Sea and White Sea; the Soviet Union has been transferring merchant ships to a variety of flags of convenience; at the beginning of 1991 the USSR had 64 ships under foreign flags (Cyprus 52, Malta 7, Panama 2, Vanuatu 2, and Honduras 1)
_#_Civil air: 4,000 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 7,192 total, 4,607 usable; 1,163 with permanent-surface runways; 33 with runways over 3,659 m; 491 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 661 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 37 million telephone subscribers; phone density of 37 per 100 households; urban phone density is 9.2 phones per 100 residents; rural phone density is 2.9 per 100 residents (June 1990); automatic telephone dialing with 70 countries and between 25 Soviet cities (April 1989); stations--457 AM, 131 FM, over 900 TV; 90 million TVs (December 1990)
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Ground Forces, Navy, Air Forces, Air Defense Forces, Strategic Rocket Forces, Command and General Support, Security Forces
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 70,058,651; 55,931,817 fit for military service; 2,265,935 reach military age (18) annually (down somewhat from 2,500,000 a decade ago); approximately 35-40% receive deferments for health, education, or other reasons
_#_Defense expenditures: 63.9 billion rubles, NA% of GDP _%_ _@_Spain _*_Geography _#_Total area: 504,750 km2; land area: 499,400 km2; includes Balearic Islands, Canary Islands, and five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco--Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of Oregon
_#_Land boundaries: 1,903.2 km total; Andorra 65 km, France 623 km, Gibraltar 1.2 km, Portugal 1,214 km
_#_Coastline: 4,964 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: Gibraltar question with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco--the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla which Morocco contests as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
_#_Climate: temperate; clear, hot summers in interior, more moderate and cloudy along coast; cloudy, cold winters in interior, partly cloudy and cool along coast
_#_Terrain: large, flat to dissected plateau surrounded by rugged hills; Pyrenees in north
_#_Natural resources: coal, lignite, iron ore, uranium, mercury, pyrites, fluorspar, gypsum, zinc, lead, tungsten, copper, kaolin, potash, hydropower
_#_Land use: arable land 31%; permanent crops 10%; meadows and pastures 21%; forest and woodland 31%; other 7%; includes irrigated 6%
_#_Environment: deforestation; air pollution
_#_Note: strategic location along approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
_*_People _#_Population: 39,384,516 (July 1991), growth rate 0.3% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 82 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Spaniard(s); adjective--Spanish
_#_Ethnic divisions: composite of Mediterranean and Nordic types
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 99%, other sects 1%
_#_Language: Castilian Spanish; second languages include Catalan 17%, Galician 7%, Basque 2%
_#_Literacy: 95% (male 97%, female 93%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 14,621,000; services 53%, industry 24%, agriculture 14%, constrction 9% (1988)
_#_Organized labor: less 10% of labor force (1988)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Kingdom of Spain
_#_Type: parliamentary monarchy
_#_Capital: Madrid
_#_Administrative divisions: 17 autonomous communities (comunidades autonomas, singular--comunidad autonoma); Andalucia, Aragon, Asturias, Canarias, Cantabria, Castilla-La Mancha, Castilla y Leon, Cataluna, Communidad Valencia, Extremadura, Galicia, Islas Baleares, La Rioja, Madrid, Murcia, Navarra, Pais Vasco; note--there are five places of sovereignty on and off the coast of Morocco (Ceuta, Mellila, Islas Chafarinas, Penon de Alhucemas, and Penon de Velez de la Gomera) with administrative status unknown
_#_Independence: 1492 (expulsion of the Moors and unification)
_#_Constitution: 6 December 1978, effective 29 December 1978
_#_Legal system: civil law system, with regional applications; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: National Day, 12 October
_#_Executive branch: monarch, president of the government (prime minister), deputy prime minister, Council of Ministers (cabinet), Council of State
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral The General Courts or National Assembly (Las Cortes Generales) consists of an upper house or Senate (Senado) and a lower house or Congress of Deputies (Congreso de los Diputados)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez (since 2 December 1982); Deputy Prime Minister Narcis SERRA (since 13 March 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from right to left--Popular Party (PP), Jose Maria AZNAR; Popular Democratic Party (PDP), Luis DE GRANDES; Social Democratic Center (CDS), Adolfo SUAREZ Gonzalez; Spanish Socialist Workers Party (PSOE), Felipe GONZALEZ Marquez; Socialist Democracy Party (DS), Ricardo Garcia DAMBORENEA; Spanish Communist Party (PCE), Julio ANGUITA; chief regional parties-- Convergence and Unity (CiU), Jordi PUJOL Saley, in Catalonia; Basque Nationalist Party (PNV), Xabier ARZALLUS; Basque Solidarity (EA), Carlos GARAICOETXEA Urizza; Basque Popular Unity (HB), Jon IDIGORAS; Basque Left (EE), Kepa AULESTIA; Andalusian Party (PA), Pedro PACHECO; Independent Canary Group (AIC); Aragon Regional Party (PAR); Valencian Union (UV)
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
Senate --last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results--NA; seats (208) PSOE 106, PP 79, CiU 10, PNV 4, HB 3, AIC 1, other 5;
Congress of Deputies--last held 29 October 1989 (next to be held October 1993); results--PSOE 39.6%, PP 25.8%, CDS 9%, Communist-led coalition (IU) 9%, CiU 5%, Basque Nationalist Party 1.2%, HB 1%, Andalusian Party 1%, other 8.4%; seats--(350 total) PSOE 175, PP 106, CiU 18, IU 17, CDS 14, PNV 5, HB 4, other 11
_#_Communists: PCE membership declined from a possible high of 160,000 in 1977 to roughly 60,000 in 1987; the party gained almost 1 million voters and 10 deputies in the 1989 election; voters came mostly from the disgruntled socialist left; remaining strength is in labor, where it dominates the Workers Commissions trade union (one of the country's two major labor centrals), which claims a membership of about 1 million; experienced a modest recovery in 1986 national election, nearly doubling the share of the vote it received in 1982
_#_Other political or pressure groups: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty (ETA) and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group (GRAPO) use terrorism to oppose the government; free labor unions (authorized in April 1977) include the Communist-dominated Workers Commissions (CCOO); the Socialist General Union of Workers (UGT), and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union (USO); the Catholic Church; business and landowning interests; Opus Dei; university students
_#_Member of: AG (observer), AsDB, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, CSCE, EBRD, EC, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, ESA, FAO, G-8, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, OAS (observer), OECD, PCA, UN, UNAVEM, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jaime de OJEDA; Chancery at 2700 15th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 265-0190 or 0191; there are Spanish Consulates General in Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Joseph ZAPPALA; Embassy at Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid (mailing address is APO New York 09285); telephone [34] (1) 577-4000; there is a US Consulate General in Barcelona and a Consulate in Bilbao
_#_Flag: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
_*_Economy _#_Overview: This Western capitalistic economy has done well since Spain joined the EC in 1986. With annual increases in real GNP averaging about 5% in the 1987-90 period, Spain has been the fastest growing member of the EC. Increased investment--both domestic and foreign--has been the most important factor pushing the economic expansion. Inflation moderated to 4.8% in 1988, but an overheated economy caused inflation to reach almost 7% in 1989-90. Another economic problem facing Spain is an unemployment rate of 16.3%, the highest in Europe.
_#_GDP: $435.9 billion, per capita $11,100; real growth rate 3.7% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.7% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 16.3% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $100.1 billion; expenditures $111.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990)
_#_Exports: $55.6 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities--foodstuffs, live animals, wood, footwear, machinery, chemicals;
partners--EC 67.8%, US 6.5%, other developed countries 9%
_#_Imports: $87.7 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
commodities--petroleum, footwear, machinery, chemicals, grain, soybeans, coffee, tobacco, iron and steel, timber, cotton, transport equipment;
partners--EC 59.7%, US 8.5%, other developed countries 11.5%, Middle East 3.4%
_#_External debt: $37 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 3.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Electricity: 46,589,000 kW capacity; 141,000 million kWh produced, 3,590 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 5% of GNP and 14% of labor force; major products--grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus fruit, beef, pork, poultry, dairy; largely self-sufficient in food; fish catch of 1.4 million metric tons is among top 20 nations
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $1.9 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-79), $545.0 million; not currently a recipient
_#_Currency: peseta (plural--pesetas); 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
_#_Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--95.20 (January 1991), 101.93 (1990), 118.38 (1989), 116.49 (1988), 123.48 (1987), 140.05 (1986), 170.04 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 15,430 km total; Spanish National Railways (RENFE) operates 12,691 km 1.668-meter gauge, 6,184 km electrified, and 2,295 km double track; FEVE (government-owned narrow-gauge railways) operates 1,821 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge and 441 km electrified; privately owned railways operate 918 km of predominantly 1.000-meter gauge, 512 km electrified, and 56 km double track
_#_Highways: 150,839 km total; 82,513 km national (includes 2,433 km limited-access divided highway, 63,042 km bituminous treated, 17,038 km intermediate bituminous, concrete, or stone block) and 68,326 km provincial or local roads (bituminous treated, intermediate bituminous, or stone block)
_#_Inland waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
_#_Pipelines: 265 km crude oil; 1,794 km refined products; 1,666 km natural gas
_#_Ports: Algeciras, Alicante, Almeria, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, El Ferrol del Caudillo, Puerto de Gijon, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Mahon, Malaga, Melilla, Rota, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, Sagunto, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo, and 175 minor ports
_#_Merchant marine: 304 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,367,529 GRT/5,984,306 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 9 short-sea passenger, 105 cargo, 17 refrigerated cargo, 14 container, 29 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 4 vehicle carrier, 50 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 14 chemical tanker, 7 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 4 specialized tanker, 48 bulk
_#_Civil air: 172 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 104 total, 98 usable; 61 with permanent-surface runways; 4 with runways over 3,659 m; 22 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: generally adequate, modern facilities; 15,350,464 telephones; stations--206 AM, 411 (134 relays) FM, 143 (1,297 relays) TV; 17 coaxial submarine cables; communications satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (5 Atlantic Ocean, 1 Indian Ocean), MARISAT, and ENTELSAT systems
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 10,134,256; 8,222,987 fit for military service; 339,749 reach military age (20) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $8.6 billion, 2% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Spratly Islands _*_Geography _#_Total area: less than 5 km2; land area: less than 5 km2; includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over the South China Sea
_#_Comparative area: undetermined
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 926 km
_#_Maritime claims: undetermined
_#_Disputes: China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam claim all or part of the Spratly Islands
_#_Climate: tropical
_#_Terrain: flat
_#_Natural resources: fish, guano; oil and natural gas potential
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: subject to typhoons; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
_#_Note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; serious navigational hazard
_*_People _#_Population: no permanent inhabitants; garrisons
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing and phosphate mining. Geological surveys carried out several years ago suggest that substantial reserves of oil and natural gas may lie beneath the islands; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
_#_Industries: some guano mining
_*_Communications _#_Airports: 3 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Ports: no natural harbors
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: approximately 50 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam _%_ _@_Sri Lanka _*_Geography _#_Total area: 65,610 km2; land area: 64,740 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than West Virginia
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 1,340 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
_#_Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
_#_Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
_#_Land use: arable land 16%; permanent crops 17%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and woodland 37%; other 23%; includes irrigated 8%
_#_Environment: occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
_#_Note: only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
_*_People _#_Population: 17,423,736 (July 1991), growth rate 1.2% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 20 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 21 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 69 years male, 74 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.3 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Sri Lankan(s); adjective--Sri Lankan
_#_Ethnic divisions: Sinhalese 74%; Tamil 18%; Moor 7%; Burgher, Malay, and Veddha 1%
_#_Religion: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
_#_Language: Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
_#_Literacy: 86% (male 91%, female 81%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
_#_Labor force: 6,600,000; agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and transport 12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)
_#_Organized labor: about 33% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and coconut estates
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Colombo
_#_Administrative divisions: 24 districts; Amparai, Anuradhapura, Badulla, Batticaloa, Colombo, Galle, Gampaha, Hambantota, Jaffna, Kalutara, Kandy, Kegalla, Kurunegala, Mannar, Matale, Matara, Moneragala, Mullaittivu, Nuwara Eliya, Polonnaruwa, Puttalam, Ratnapura, Trincomalee, Vavuniya; note--the administrative structure may now include 8 provinces (Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, and Western) and 25 districts (with Kilinochchi added to the existing districts)
_#_Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK; formerly Ceylon)
_#_Constitution: 31 August 1978
_#_Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President Ranasinghe PREMADASA (since 2 January 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGE (since 6 March 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: United National Party (UNP), Ranasinghe PREMADASA; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF; All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), Kumar PONNAMBALAM; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Eelam Democratic Front (EDF), Edward Sebastian PILLAI; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), leader (vacant); Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), Velupillai BALAKUMARAN; New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. de SILVA; Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARANATUNGA; Communist Party/Moscow (CP/M), K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. SHANMUGATHASAN; note--the United Socialist Alliance (USA) includes the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
President--last held 19 December 1988 (next to be held December 1994); results--Ranasinghe PREMADASA (UNP) 50%, Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE (SLFP) 45%, other 5%;
Parliament--last held 15 February 1989 (next to be held by February 1995); results--UNP 51%, SLFP 32%, SLMC 4%, TULF 3%, USA 3%, EROS 3%, MEP 1%, other 3%; seats--(225 total) UNP 125, SLFP 67, other 33
_#_Other political or pressure groups: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP or People's Liberation Front); Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions
_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador W. Susanta De ALWIS; Chancery at 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 483-4025 through 4028; there is a Sri Lankan Consulate in New York;
US--Ambassador Marion V. CREEKMORE, Jr.; Embassy at 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 (mailing address is P. O. Box 106, Colombo); telephone [94] (1) 448007
_#_Flag: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Agriculture, forestry, and fishing dominate the economy, employing about 45% of the labor force and accounting for 26% of GDP. The plantation crops of tea, rubber, and coconuts provide about 35% of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth, which has been depressed by ethnic unrest, accelerated in 1990 as domestic conditions began to improve.
_#_GDP: $6.6 billion, per capita $380; real growth rate 4.5% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 23% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 20% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $1.7 billion; expenditures $2.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $0.5 billion (1990)
_#_Exports: $1.6 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--tea, textiles and garments, petroleum products, coconut, rubber, agricultural products, gems and jewelry, marine products;
partners--US 26%, FRG, Japan, UK, Belgium, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China
_#_Imports: $2.2 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
commodities--food and beverages, textiles and textile materials, petroleum, machinery and equipment;
partners--Japan, Saudi Arabia, US 5.6%, India, Singapore, FRG, UK, Iran
_#_External debt: $5.6 billion (1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 6% (1989 est.); accounts for 18% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 1,300,000 kW capacity; 4,200 million kWh produced, 240 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco, clothing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 26% of GDP and nearly half of labor force; most important staple crop is paddy rice; other field crops--sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseeds, roots, spices; cash crops--tea, rubber, coconuts; animal products--milk, eggs, hides, meat; not self-sufficient in rice production
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.0 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-88), $4.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $169 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $369 million
_#_Currency: Sri Lankan rupee (plural--rupees); 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRs) per US$1--40.272 (January 1991), 40.063 (1990), 36.047 (1989), 31.807 (1988), 29.445 (1987), 28.017 (1986), 27.163 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 1,948 km total (1989); all 1.868-meter broad gauge; 102 km double track; no electrification; government owned
_#_Highways: 75,263 km total (1988); 27,637 km paved (mostly bituminous treated), 32,887 km crushed stone or gravel, 14,739 km improved earth or unimproved earth; several thousand km of mostly unmotorable tracks (1988 est.)
_#_Inland waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft
_#_Pipelines: crude and refined products, 62 km (1987)
_#_Ports: Colombo, Trincomalee
_#_Merchant marine: 34 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,466 GRT/551,686 DWT; includes 18 cargo, 6 refrigerated cargo, 5 container, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 bulk
_#_Civil air: 8 major transport (including 1 leased)
_#_Airports: 14 total, 13 usable; 12 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good international service; 114,000 telephones (1982); stations--12 AM, 5 FM, 5 TV; submarine cables extend to Indonesia and Djibouti; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth stations
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,636,767; 3,625,289 fit for military service; 178,010 reach military age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $300 million, 5% of GDP (1991) _%_ _@_Sudan _*_Geography _#_Total area: 2,505,810 km2; land area: 2,376,000 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than one quarter the size of US
_#_Land boundaries: 7,697 km total; Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Ethiopia 2,221 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km, Zaire 628 km
_#_Coastline: 853 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary; administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary