Part 33
Economy - overview: El Salvador possesses a fast-growing entrepreneurial economy in which 90% of economic activity is in private hands, with growth averaging 5% since 1990. Yet, because the 1980s were a decade of civil war and stagnation, per capita GDP has not regained the level of the late 1970s. The rebound in the 1990s stems from the government program, in conjunction with the IMF, of privatization, deregulation, and fiscal stabilization. The economy now is oriented more toward manufacturing and services compared with agriculture. The sizable trade deficits are in the main covered by remittances from the large number of Salvadorans abroad.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,080 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14% industry : 27% services: 59% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 7.4% (1996)
Labor force: total: 2.2 million (1996 est.) by occupation: agriculture 40%, commerce 16%, manufacturing 15%, government 13%, financial services 9%, transportation 6%, other 1%
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues : $1.75 billion expenditures: $1.82 billion, including capital expenditures of $317 million (1997 est.)
Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate: 7.6% (1993)
Electricity - capacity: 900,000 kW (1996)
Electricity - production: 3.32 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 580 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp
Exports: total value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: coffee, sugarcane; shrimp; textiles, chemicals partners: US, Guatemala, Germany, Costa Rica, Honduras
Imports: total value: $3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities : raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods partners: US, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Japan
Debt - external: $2.54 billion (yearend 1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $763 million (1996) note: US has committed $250 million in aid to El Salvador for 1992-96
Currency: 1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 (end of period) - 8.755 (January 1997), 8.755 (1996), 8.755 (1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 9.170 (1992), 8.080 (1991) note: as of 1 June 1990, the rate is based on the average of the buying and selling rates, set on a weekly basis, for official receipts and payments, imports of petroleum, and coffee exports; prior to that date, a system of floating was in effect
Fiscal year: calendar year
@El Salvador:Communications
Telephones: 300,000 (1996 est.)
Telephone system: domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 18, FM 80, shortwave 2
Radios: 1 million (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (1996 est.)
Televisions: 600,000 (1996 est.)
@El Salvador:Transportation
Railways: total: 602 km (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable, or operating at reduced capacity) narrow gauge: 602 km 0.914-m gauge
Highways: total: 12,320 km paved: 1,712 km (including 110 km of expressways) unpaved : 10,608 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable
Ports and harbors: Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 72 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 52 over 3,047 m : 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 48 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 20 914 to 1,523 m: 20 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,330,498 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 844,314 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males : 64,530 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $101 million (1996)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption ______________________________________________________________________
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
@Equatorial Guinea:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28,050 sq km land: 28,050 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Malabo 3,008 m
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium
Land use: arable land : 5% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 46% other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: violent windstorms
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: insular and continental regions rather widely separated
@Equatorial Guinea:People
Population: 442,516 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43% (male 95,636; female 95,090) 15-64 years : 53% (male 111,801; female 123,257) 65 years and over: 4% (male 7,407; female 9,325) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.57% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 39.33 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 13.67 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 95.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.46 years male: 51.2 years female: 55.8 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.11 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
Languages: Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population : 78.5% male: 89.6% female: 68.1% (1995 est.)
@Equatorial Guinea:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial former : Spanish Guinea
Data code: EK
Government type: republic in transition to multiparty democracy
National capital: Malabo
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Constitution: new constitution 17 November 1991
Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979) head of government: Prime Minister Serafin Seriche DOUGAN (since April 1996); Vice Prime Minister Francisco Javier Ndongo MBENGONO (since April 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote to a seven-year term; election last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February 2003) election results : President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected without opposition; percent of popular vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Peoples Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 November 1993 (next to be held November 1998) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 68, CSD 6, UDS 5, CLD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: ruling party: Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] opposition parties: Convergence for Social Democracy or CSD [Santiago Obama Ndong, president]; Democratic Social Union or UDS [Camelo MODU, general secretary]; Liberal Democratic Convention or CLD [Alfonso Nsue MIFUMU, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Santos PASCUAL]; National Democratic Union or UDENA [Jose MECHEBA Ikaka, president]; Party of the Social Democratic Coalition or PCSD [Buenaventura Moswi M'Asumu, general coordinater]; Party of Progress or PP [Severo MOTO Nsa, president]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Casiano Masi Edu]; Popular Union or UP [Juan BITUI, president]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo Moto NSA, president]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Antonio-Ebang Mbele Abang, president]; Social Democratic and Popular Convergence or CSDP [Secundino Oyono Agueng Ada, general secretary]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Benjamin-Gabriel Balingha Balinga Alene, general secretary]; Socialist Party of Equatorial Guinea or PSGE [Tomas MICHEBE Fernandez, general secretary]
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Pastor Micha ONDO BILE chancery: Suite 405, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone : [1] (202) 393-0525 FAX: [1] (202) 393-0348
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); US relations with Equatorial Guinea are handled through the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
Economy
Economy - overview: Farming, forestry, and fishing account for about half of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of the government's gross corruption and mismanagement. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration, taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms, has been moderately successful and has contributed to Equatorial Guinea's strong growth rates in the early 1990s. The country responded favorably to the devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $328 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 11.2% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 50% industry: 14% services: 36% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 10.9% (1995 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $27 million expenditures: $34.1 million, including capital expenditures of $11.2 million (1994)
Industries: fishing, sawmilling
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1994 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 23,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts, manioc; livestock; timber
Exports: total value : $83.5 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: timber, petroleum, cocoa partners: US 34%, Japan 16%, Spain 15%, China 12%, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria
Imports: total value: $52.3 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities : petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery partners: Spain 51%, Cameroon 21%, France 6%, US 4%
Debt - external: $252 million (1995 est.)
Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Equatorial Guinea:Communications
Telephones: 2,000 (1987 est.)
Telephone system: poor system with adequate government services domestic: NA international: international communications from Bata and Malabo to African and European countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 4,000 (1992 est.)
@Equatorial Guinea:Transportation
Railways: total : 0 km
Highways: total: 2,820 km paved : 0 km unpaved: 2,820 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Bata, Luba, Malabo
Merchant marine: total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 7,997 GRT/7,105 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger-cargo 1 (1996 est.)
Airports: 3
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 (1996 est.) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Rapid Intervention Force, National Police
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 95,788 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 48,696 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $2.5 million (FY93/94)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: maritime boundary dispute with Gabon because of disputed sovereignty over islands in Corisco Bay ______________________________________________________________________
ERITREA
Introduction
Historical perspective: on 29 May 1991, ISAIAS Afworke, secretary general of the Peoples' Front for Democracy and Justice (PFDJ), which then served as the country's legislative body, announced the formation of the Provisional Government in Eritrea (PGE) in preparation for the 23-25 April 1993 referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea; the referendum resulted in a landslide vote for independence which was proclaimed on 27 April 1993
@Eritrea:Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan
Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 39 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total : 121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly larger than Pennsylvania
Land boundaries: total: 1,630 km border countries: Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
Coastline: 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except on coastal desert
Terrain: dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point : Kobar Sink -75 m highest point: Soira 3,013 m
Natural resources: gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, probably oil (petroleum geologists are prospecting for it), fish
Land use: arable land: 12% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 48% forests and woodland: 20% other : 19% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 280 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent droughts
Environment - current issues: deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note: strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993
@Eritrea:People
Population: 3,589,687 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43% (male 781,169; female 770,497) 15-64 years: 54% (male 963,542; female 966,083) 65 years and over: 3% (male 55,811; female 52,585) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 6.35% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 43.96 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 15.26 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 34.82 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) note: it is estimated that between 200,000 and 350,000 Eritrean refugees were still living in Sudan in mid-1997
Sex ratio: at birth : 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female total population : 1.01 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 117.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 50.61 years male: 48.85 years female : 52.42 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.47 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean
Ethnic groups: ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%
Religions: Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant
Languages: Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Italian, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, minor tribal languages
@Eritrea:Government
Country name: conventional long form: State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form : Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
Data code: ER
Government type: transitional government note : following a successful referendum on independence for the Autonomous Region of Eritrea on 23-25 April 1993, a National Assembly, composed entirely of the Peoples' Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, was established as a transitional legislature; a Constitutional Commission was also established to draft a constitution; ISAIAS Afworki was elected president by the transitional legislature pending the promulgation of a constitution and popular elections
National capital: Asmara (formerly Asmera)
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akele Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, would go into effect sometime in 1998; the new provinces, which have not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the US government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, are: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri
Independence: 27 May 1993 (from Ethiopia; formerly the Eritrea Autonomous Region)
National holiday: National Day (independence from Ethiopia), 24 May (1993)
Constitution: transitional "constitution" decreed 19 May 1993; the promulgation of a draft constitution is expected in 1998
Legal system: NA
Suffrage: NA; note - the transitional constitution of 19 May 1993 did not provide rules for suffrage, but it seems likely that the final version of the constitution, to be promulgated some time in 1998, will follow the example set in the referendum of 1993 and extend suffrage to all persons 18 years of age or older
Executive branch: chief of state: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority note: the president is head of the State Council and National Assembly elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next to be held NA 1997) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established pending new constitution) elections: 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF) and 75 directly elected members serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections are held in 1997
Judicial branch: Judiciary
Political parties and leaders: People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki, PETROS Solomon]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front - United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWUD]; Eritrean Liberation Front - Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador AMDEMICHAEL Berhane Khasai chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone : [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador John HICKS embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt St., Asmara mailing address: P.O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX : [291] (1) 127584
Flag description: red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle
Economy
Economy - overview: With independence from Ethiopia on 27 April 1993, Eritrea faced the bitter economic problems of a small, desperately poor African country. Most of the population must continue to depend on subsistence farming. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and income and sales taxes. Road construction is a top domestic priority. Shortages persist in housing, education, and health care. Eritrea has inherited the entire coastline of Ethiopia and has long-term prospects for revenues from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism. Ethiopia is largely dependent on Eritrean ports for its foreign commerce.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $2 billion (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.9% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $570 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 19% industry: 18% services : 63% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 8% (1995 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues : $214 million expenditures: $397 million, including capital expenditures of $78 million (1995 est.)
Industries: food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 73,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: sorghum, lentils, vegetables, maize, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal (for making rope); livestock (including goats); fish
Exports: total value: $81 million (1995 est.) commodities: livestock, sorghum, textiles partners: Ethiopia, Italy, Saudi Arabia, UK, US, Yemen
Imports: total value : $404 million (1995 est.) commodities: processed goods, machinery, petroleum products partners: Ethiopia, Saudi Arabia, Italy, United Arab Emirates
Debt - external: $162 million (1995 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 birr (Br) = 100 cents; at present, Ethiopian currency used; note - new Eritrean currency, the nakfa, to be circulated in 1997
Exchange rates: birr (Br) per US$1 (end of the period) - 6.4260 (December 1996), 6.4260 (1996), 6.3200 (1995), 5.9500 (1994), 5.000 (fixed rate 1992-93); note - following independence from Ethiopia, Eritrea continued to use Ethiopian currency note: since May 1993, the birr market rate has been determined in an interbank market supported by weekly wholesale auction; prior to that date, the official rate was pegged to US$1 = 5.000 birr
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Eritrea:Communications
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: domestic : very inadequate; about 4 telephones per 100 families, most of which are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 1 (government controlled)
Televisions: NA
@Eritrea:Transportation
Railways: total: 307 km narrow gauge: 307 km 0.950-m gauge (1995 est.) note: nonoperational since 1978 except for an about 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way; links Ak'ordat and Asmara (formerly Asmera) with the port of Massawa (formerly Mits'iwa)
Highways: total: 3,930 km paved: 841 km unpaved : 3,089 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa)
Merchant marine: total : 1 cargo ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,573 GRT/13,593 DWT (1996 est.)
Airports: 14 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total : 4 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1996 est.)