Part 64
_#_Diplomatic representation: Apostolic Pro-Nuncio Archbishop Agostino CACCIAVILLAN; 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 333-7121;
US--Ambassador Thomas P. MELADY; Embassy at Villino Pacelli, Via Aurelia 294, 00165 Rome (mailing address is APO New York 09794); telephone [396] 639-0558
_#_Flag: two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the crossed keys of Saint Peter and the papal tiara centered in the white band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by contributions (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholics throughout the world, the sale of postage stamps, tourist mementos, fees for admission to museums, and the sale of publications. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to, or somewhat better than, those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
_#_Budget: revenues $76.6 million; expenditures $168 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1991)
_#_Electricity: 5,000 kW standby capacity (1990); power supplied by Italy
_#_Industries: printing and production of a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
_#_Currency: Vatican lira (plural--lire); 1 Vatican lira (VLit) = 100 centesimi
_#_Exchange rates: Vatican lire (VLit) per US$1--1,134.4 (January 1991), 1,198.1 (1990), 1,372.1 (1989), 1,301.6 (1988), 1,296.1 (1987), 1,490.8 (1986), 1,909.4 (1985); note--the Vatican lira is at par with the Italian lira which circulates freely
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 850 m, 750 mm gauge (links with Italian network near the Rome station of Saint Peter's)
_#_Highways: none; all city streets
_#_Telecommunications: stations--3 AM, 4 FM, no TV; 2,000-line automatic telephone exchange; no communications satellite systems
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of Italy; Swiss Papal Guards are posted at entrances to the Vatican City _%_ _@_Venezuela _*_Geography _#_Total area: 912,050 km2; land area: 882,050 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than twice the size of California
_#_Land boundaries: 4,993 km total; Brazil 2,200 km, Colombia 2,050 km, Guyana 743 km
_#_Coastline: 2,800 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 15 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claims all of Guyana west of the Essequibo river; maritime boundary dispute with Colombia in the Gulf of Venezuela
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; more moderate in highlands
_#_Terrain: Andes mountains and Maracaibo lowlands in northwest; central plains (llanos); Guyana highlands in southeast
_#_Natural resources: crude oil, natural gas, iron ore, gold, bauxite, other minerals, hydropower, diamonds
_#_Land use: arable land 3%; permanent crops 1%; meadows and pastures 20%; forest and woodland 39%; other 37%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: subject to floods, rockslides, mudslides; periodic droughts; increasing industrial pollution in Caracas and Maracaibo
_#_Note: on major sea and air routes linking North and South America
_*_People _#_Population: 20,189,361 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 28 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 26 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 71 years male, 78 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.4 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Venezuelan(s); adjective--Venezuelan
_#_Ethnic divisions: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black 10%, Indian 2%
_#_Religion: nominally Roman Catholic 96%, Protestant 2%
_#_Language: Spanish (official); Indian dialects spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior
_#_Literacy: 88% (male 87%, female 90%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981 est.)
_#_Labor force: 5,800,000; services 56%, industry 28%, agriculture 16% (1985)
_#_Organized labor: 32% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Venezuela
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Caracas
_#_Administrative divisions: 20 states (estados, singular--estado), 2 territories* (territorios, singular--territorio), 1 federal district** (distrito federal), and 1 federal dependence*** (dependencia federal); Amazonas*, Anzoategui, Apure, Aragua, Barinas, Bolivar, Carabobo, Cojedes, Delta Amacuro*, Dependencias Federales***, Distrito Federal**, Falcon, Guarico, Lara, Merida, Miranda, Monagas, Nueva Esparta, Portuguesa, Sucre, Tachira, Trujillo, Yaracuy, Zulia; note--the federal dependence consists of 11 federally controlled island groups with a total of 72 individual islands
_#_Independence: 5 July 1811 (from Spain)
_#_Constitution: 23 January 1961
_#_Legal system: based on Napoleonic code; judicial review of legislative acts in Cassation Court only; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 5 July (1811)
_#_Executive branch: president, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
_#_Legislative branch: bicameral Congress of the Republic (Congreso de la Republica) consists of an upper chamber or Senate (Senado) and a lower chamber or Chamber of Deputies (Camara de Diputados)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Justice (Corte Suprema de Justica)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Carlos Andres PEREZ (since 2 February 1989)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Social Christian Party (COPEI), Eduardo FERNANDEZ, secretary general; Democratic Action (AD), Gonzalo BARRIOS, president, and Humberto CELLI, secretary general; Movement Toward Socialism (MAS), Argelia LAYA, president, and Freddy MUNOZ, secretary general
_#_Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18, though poorly enforced
_#_Elections:
President--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--Carlos Andres PEREZ (AD) 54.6%, Eduardo FERNANDEZ (COPEI) 41.7%, other 3.7%;
Senate--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(49 total) AD 23, COPEI 22, other 4; note--3 former presidents (1 from AD, 2 from COPEI) hold lifetime senate seats;
Chamber of Deputies--last held 4 December 1988 (next to be held December 1993); results--AD 43.7%, COPEI 31.4%, MAS 10.3%, other 14.6%; seats--(201 total) AD 97, COPEI 67, MAS 18, other 19
_#_Communists: 10,000 members (est.)
_#_Other political or pressure groups: FEDECAMARAS, a conservative business group; Venezuelan Confederation of Workers, the Democratic
## Action-dominated labor organization
_#_Member of: AG, CDB, CG, ECLAC, FAO, G-3, G-11, G-19, G-24, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, LORCS, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPEC, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Simon Alberto CONSALVI Bottaro; Chancery at 2445 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 797-3800; there are Venezuelan Consulates General in Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Miami, New Orleans, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico);
US--Ambassador Michael Martin SKOL; Embassy at Avenida Francisco de Miranda and Avenida Principal de la Floresta, Caracas (mailing address is P. O. Box 62291, Caracas 1060-A, or APO Miami 34037); telephone [58] (2) 285-3111 or 2222; there is a US Consulate in Maracaibo
_#_Flag: three equal horizontal bands of yellow (top), blue, and red with the coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band and an arc of seven white five-pointed stars centered in the blue band
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Petroleum is the cornerstone of the economy and accounted for 21% of GDP, 60% of central government revenues, and 81% of export earnings in 1989. President Perez introduced an economic readjustment program when he assumed office in February 1989. Lower tariffs and price supports, a free market exchange rate, and market-linked interest rates have thrown the economy into confusion, causing about an 8% decline in GDP in 1989, but the economy recovered part way in 1990.
_#_GDP: $42.4 billion, per capita $2,150; real growth rate 4.4% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40.7% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 10.4% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $8.4 billion; expenditures $8.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.9 billion (1989)
_#_Exports: $12.1 billion (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--petroleum 81%, bauxite and aluminum, iron ore, agricultural products, basic manufactures;
partners--US 50.7%, Europe 13.7%, Japan 4.0% (1989)
_#_Imports: $8.7 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--foodstuffs, chemicals, manufactures, machinery and transport equipment;
partners--US 44%, FRG 8.0%, Japan 4%, Italy 7%, Canada 2% (1989)
_#_External debt: $33.2 billion (1990)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 11% (1989 est.); accounts for one-fourth of GDP, including petroleum
_#_Electricity: 19,733,000 kW capacity; 54,660 million kWh produced, 2,780 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: petroleum, iron-ore mining, construction materials, food processing, textiles, steel, aluminum, motor vehicle assembly
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 6% of GDP and 16% of labor force; products--corn, sorghum, sugarcane, rice, bananas, vegetables, coffee, beef, pork, milk, eggs, fish; not self-sufficient in food other than meat
_#_Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis and coca leaf for the international drug trade on a small scale; however, large quantities of cocaine do transit the country
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-86), $488 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $10 million
_#_Currency: bolivar (plural--bolivares); 1 bolivar (Bs) = 100 centimos
_#_Exchange rates: bolivares (Bs) per US$1--51.331 (January 1991), 46.900 (1990), 34.6815 (1989), 14.5000 (fixed rate 1987-88), 8.0833 (1986), 7.5000 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 542 km total; 363 km 1.435-meter standard gauge all single track, government owned; 179 km 1.435-meter gauge, privately owned
_#_Highways: 77,785 km total; 22,780 km paved, 24,720 km gravel, 14,450 km earth roads, and 15,835 km unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 7,100 km; Rio Orinoco and Lago de Maracaibo accept oceangoing vessels
_#_Pipelines: 6,370 km crude oil; 480 km refined products; 4,010 km natural gas
_#_Ports: Amuay Bay, Bajo Grande, El Tablazo, La Guaira, Puerto Cabello, Puerto Ordaz
_#_Merchant marine: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 811,650 GRT/1,294,077 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 1 passenger cargo, 22 cargo, 1 container, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 chemical tanker, 2 liquefied gas, 9 bulk, 1 vehicle carrier, 1 combination bulk
_#_Civil air: 58 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 296 total, 277 usable; 137 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 13 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 88 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern and expanding; 1,440,000 telephones; stations--181 AM, no FM, 59 TV, 26 shortwave; 3 submarine coaxial cables; satellite communications ground stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 3 domestic
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Ground Forces (Army), Naval Forces (including Navy, Marines, Coast Guard), Air Forces, Armed Forces of Cooperation (National Guard)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 5,220,183; 3,782,548 fit for military service; 216,132 reach military age (18) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.9 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1991) _%_ _@_Vietnam _*_Geography _#_Total area: 329,560 km2; land area: 325,360
_#_Comparative area: slightly larger than New Mexico
_#_Land boundaries: 3,818 km total; Cambodia 982 km, China 1,281 km, Laos 1,555 km
_#_Coastline: 3,444 km (excluding islands)
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: edge of continental margin or 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: offshore islands and three sections of the boundary with Cambodia are in dispute; maritime boundary with Cambodia not defined; occupied Cambodia on 25 December 1978; sporadic border clashes with China; involved in a complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China, Malaysia, Philippines, and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand; maritime boundary dispute with China in the Gulf of Tonkin; Paracel Islands occupied by China but claimed by Vietnam and Taiwan; unresolved maritime boundary with Thailand
_#_Climate: tropical in south; monsoonal in north with hot, rainy season (mid-May to mid-September) and warm, dry season (mid-October to mid-March)
_#_Terrain: low, flat delta in south and north; central highlands; hilly, mountainous in far north and northwest
_#_Natural resources: phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, chromate, offshore oil deposits, forests
_#_Land use: arable land 22%; permanent crops 2%; meadows and pastures 1%; forest and woodland 40%; other 35%; includes irrigated 5%
_#_Environment: occasional typhoons (May to January) with extensive flooding
_*_People _#_Population: 67,568,033 (July 1991), growth rate 2.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 29 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 48 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 63 years male, 67 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 3.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Vietnamese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Vietnamese
_#_Ethnic divisions: predominantly Vietnamese 85-90%; Chinese 3%; ethnic minorities include Muong, Thai, Meo, Khmer, Man, Cham; other mountain tribes
_#_Religion: Buddhist, Confucian, Taoist, Roman Catholic, indigenous beliefs, Islamic, Protestant
_#_Language: Vietnamese (official), French, Chinese, English, Khmer, tribal languages (Mon-Khmer and Malayo-Polynesian)
_#_Literacy: 88% (male 92%, female 84%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 32.7 million; agricultural 65%, industrial and service 35% (1990 est.)
_#_Organized labor: reportedly over 90% of wage and salary earners are members of the Vietnam Federation of Trade Unions (VFTU)
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Socialist Republic of Vietnam; abbreviated SRV
_#_Type: Communist state
_#_Capital: Hanoi
_#_Administrative divisions: 41 provinces (tinh, singular and plural), 3 municipalities* (thanh pho, singular and plural); An Giang, Bac Thai, Ben Tre, Binh Dinh, Cao Bang, Cuu Long, Dak Lak, Dong Nai, Dong Thap, Gia Lai-Kon Tum, Ha Bac, Hai Hung, Hai Phong*, Ha Nam Ninh, Ha Noi*, Ha Son Binh, Ha Tuyen, Hau Giang, Hoang Lien Son, Ho Chi Minh*, Khanh Hoa, Kien Giang, Lai Chau, Lam Dong, Lang Son, Long An, Minh Hai, Nghe Tinh, Phu Yen, Quang Binh, Quang Nam-Da Nang, Quang Ngai, Quang Ninh, Quang Tri, Song Be, Son La, Tay Ninh, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Thua Thien, Thuan Hai, Tien Giang, Vinh Phu, Vung Tau-Con Dao; note--diacritical marks are not included
_#_Independence: 2 September 1945 (from France)
_#_Constitution: 18 December 1980
_#_Legal system: based on Communist legal theory and French civil law system
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 2 September (1945)
_#_Executive branch: chairman of the Council of State, Council of State, chairman of the Council of Ministers, Council of Ministers
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Quoc-Hoi)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--Chairman of the Council of State Vo Chi CONG (since 18 June 1987);
Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers (Premier) Vo Van KIET (since 9 August 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: only party-- Vietnam Communist Party (VCP), Nguyen Van LINH
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
National Assembly--last held 19 April 1987 (next to be held April 1992); results--VCP is the only party; seats--(496 total) VCP or VCP-approved 496
_#_Communists: nearly 2 million
_#_Member of: ACCT, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBEC, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IIB, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, IOC, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: none
_#_Flag: red with a large yellow five-pointed star in the center
_*_Economy _#_Overview: This is a centrally planned, developing economy with extensive government ownership and control of productive facilities. The economy is primarily agricultural; the sector employs about 65% of the labor force and accounts for almost half of GNP. Rice is the staple crop; substantial amounts of maize, sorghum, cassava, and sweet potatoes are also grown. The government permits sale of surplus grain on the open market. Most of the mineral resources are located in the north, including coal, which is an important export item. Oil was discovered off the southern coast in 1986 with production reaching 54,000 b/d in 1990 and expected to increase in the years ahead. Following the end of the war in 1975, heavy-handed government measures undermined efforts at an efficient merger of the agricultural resources of the south and the industrial resources of the north. The economy remains heavily dependent on foreign aid and has received assistance from Communist countries, Sweden, and UN agencies. Inflation, although down from recent triple-digit levels, is still a major weakness and is showing signs of accelerating upwards again. Per capita output is among the world's lowest. Since late 1986 the government has sponsored a broad reform program that seeks to turn more economic activity over to the private sector.
_#_GNP: $15.2 billion, per capita $230; real growth rate 2.4% (1990 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 65% (1990 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: 33% (1990 est.)
_#_Budget: revenues $892 million; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $344 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $2.3 billion (f.o.b., 1990 est.);
commodities--agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, crude petroleum, ores, seafood;
partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
_#_Imports: $2.6 billion (c.i.f., 1990 est.);
commodities--petroleum products, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain;
partners--USSR, Eastern Europe, Japan, Singapore
_#_External debt: $16.8 billion (1990 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 10% (1989); accounts for 30% of GNP
_#_Electricity: 2,740,000 kW capacity; 7,500 million kWh produced, 110 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: food processing, textiles, machine building, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil, fishing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for half of GNP; paddy rice, corn, potatoes make up 50% of farm output; commercial crops (rubber, soybeans, coffee, tea, bananas) and animal products other 50%; since 1989 self-sufficient in food staple rice; fish catch of 943,100 metric tons (1989 est.)
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-74), $3.1 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.8 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $61 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $12.0 billion
_#_Currency: new dong (plural--new dong); 1 new dong (D) = 100 xu
_#_Exchange rates: new dong (D) per US$1--7,530 (May 1991), 7,280 (December 1990), 3,996 (March 1990), 2,047 (1988), 225 (1987), 18 (1986), 12 (1985); note--1985-89 figures are end of year
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 3,059 km total; 2,454 1.000-meter gauge, 151 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge (three rails), and 224 km not restored to service
_#_Highways: about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth
_#_Pipelines: 150 km, refined products
_#_Inland waterways: about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8 meter draft
_#_Ports: Da Nang, Haiphong, Ho Chi Minh City
_#_Merchant marine: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 364,596 GRT/539,174 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 69 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 vehicle carrier, 8 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 bulk; note--Vietnam owns 11 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 106,759 DWT under the registry of Panama and Malta
_#_Civil air: controlled by military
_#_Airports: 100 total, 100 usable; 50 with permanent-surface runways; 10 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 20 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: 35,000 telephones in Ho Chi Minh City (1984); stations--16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 radio receivers; at least 2 satellite earth stations, including 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Navy (including Marines and Naval Infantry), Air Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 16,260,120; 10,377,105 fit for military service; 809,617 reach military age (17) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $NA, 19.4% of GNP (1986 est.) _%_ _@_Virgin Islands (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 352 km2; land area: 349 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 188 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: subtropical, tempered by easterly tradewinds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
_#_Terrain: mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
_#_Natural resources: sun, sand, sea, surf
_#_Land use: arable land 15%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures 26%; forest and woodland 6%; other 47%
_#_Environment: rarely affected by hurricanes; subject to frequent severe droughts, floods, earthquakes; lack of natural freshwater resources
_#_Note: important location 1,770 km southeast of Miami and 65 km east of Puerto Rico, along the Anegada Passage--a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural, deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
_*_People _#_Population: 99,404 (July 1991), growth rate 0.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 22 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 10 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 19 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 70 years male, 76 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.7 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Virgin Islander(s); adjective--Virgin Islander
_#_Ethnic divisions: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8%; black 80%, white 15%, other 5%; Hispanic origin 14%
_#_Religion: Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
_#_Language: English (official), but Spanish and Creole are widely spoken
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%)
_#_Labor force: 45,500 (1988)
_#_Organized labor: 90% of the government labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Virgin Islands of the United States
_#_Type: organized, unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Office of Territorial and International Affairs, US Department of the Interior
_#_Capital: Charlotte Amalie
_#_Administrative divisions: none (territory of the US)
_#_Independence: none (territory of the US)
_#_Constitution: Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 serves as the constitution
_#_Legal system: based on US
_#_National holiday: Transfer Day (from Denmark to US), 31 March (1917)
_#_Executive branch: US president, governor, lieutenant governor
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Senate
_#_Judicial branch: US District Court handles civil matters over $50,000, felonies (persons 15 years of age and over), and federal cases; Territorial Court handles civil matters up to $50,000 small claims, juvenile, domestic, misdemeanors, and traffic cases
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989), represented by Governor Alexander A. FARRELLY (since 5 January 1987); Lieutenant Governor Derek HODGE (since 5 January 1987)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party, Marilyn STAPLETON; Independent Citizens' Movement (ICM), Virdin BROWN; Republican Party, Charlotte-Poole DAVIS
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens, but do not vote in US presidential elections
_#_Elections:
Governor--last held NA 1986 (next to be held NA 1990); results--Alexander FARRELLY (Democratic Party) defeated Adelbert BRYAN (ICM);
Senate--last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(15 total) number of seats by party NA;
US House of Representatives--last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results--the Virgin Islands elects one nonvoting representative
_#_Member of: ECLAC (associate), IOC
_#_Diplomatic representation: none (territory of the US)
_#_Flag: white with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows an eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of employment. The manufacturing sector consists of textile, electronics, pharmaceutical, and watch assembly plants. The agricultural sector is small, most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. The world's largest petroleum refinery is at Saint Croix.
_#_GDP: $1.0 billion, per capita $9,000; real growth rate NA% (1985)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
_#_Unemployment rate: 2.0% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $470 million; expenditures $322 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90)
_#_Exports: $2.2 billion (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--refined petroleum products;
partners--US, Puerto Rico
_#_Imports: $3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials;
partners--US, Puerto Rico
_#_External debt: $NA
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 12%
_#_Electricity: 358,000 kW capacity; 532 million kWh produced, 5,360 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
_#_Agriculture: truck gardens, food crops (small scale), fruit, sorghum, Senepol cattle
_#_Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $34.5 million
_#_Currency: US currency is used
_#_Exchange rates: US currency is used
_#_Fiscal year: 1 October-30 September
_*_Communications _#_Highways: 856 km total
_#_Ports: Saint Croix--Christiansted, Frederiksted; Saint Thomas--Long Bay, Crown Bay, Red Hook; Saint John--Cruz Bay
_#_Airports: 2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways 1,220-2,439 m; international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix
_#_Telecommunications: 44,280 telephones; stations--4 AM, 6 FM, 3 TV; modern system using fiber-optic cable, submarine cable, microwave radio, and satellite facilities; 90,000 radios; 56,000 TVs
_*_Defense Forces _#_Note: defense is the responsibility of the US _%_ _@_Wake Island (territory of the US) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 6.5 km2; land area: 6.5 km2
_#_Comparative area: about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 19.3 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth);
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Disputes: claimed by the Republic of the Marshall Islands
_#_Climate: tropical
_#_Terrain: atoll of three coral islands built up on an underwater volcano; central lagoon is former crater, islands are part of the rim; average elevation less than four meters
_#_Natural resources: none
_#_Land use: arable land 0%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 100%
_#_Environment: subject to occasional typhoons