Part 17
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 35% male: 48% female: 22% (1990 est.)
@Cambodia:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Cambodia conventional short form: Cambodia local long form: Preahreacheanachakr Kampuchea local short form: Kampuchea
Data code: CB
Government type: multiparty liberal democracy under a constitutional monarchy established in September 1993
National capital: Phnom Penh
Administrative divisions: 20 provinces (khett, singular and plural) and 3 municipalities* (krong, singular and plural); Banteay Mean Cheay, Batdambang, Kampong Cham, Kampong Chhnang, Kampong Spoe, Kampong Thum, Kampot, Kandal, Kaoh Kong, Keb*, Kracheh, Mondol Kiri, Otdar Mean Cheay, Phnum Penh*, Pouthisat, Preah Seihanu* (Sihanoukville), Preah Vihear, Prey Veng, Rotanah Kiri, Siem Reab, Stoeng Treng, Svay Rieng, Takev note: there may be a new municipality called Pailin
Independence: 9 November 1949 (from France)
National holiday: Independence Day, 9 November 1949
Constitution: promulgated 21 September 1993
Legal system: currently being defined
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: King Norodom SIHANOUK (reinstated 24 September 1993) head of government: power shared between First Prime Minister UNG HUOT (since NA August 1997) and Second Prime Minister HUN SEN (since NA 1993); note-former First Prime Minister Prince Norodom RANARIDDH deposed in July 1997 by forces loyal to HUN SEN cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the king elections: none; the king is a constitutional monarch; prime ministers appointed by the king
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (120 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 May 1993 (next to be held 26 July 1998) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-FUNCINPEC 58, CPP 51, BLDP 10, MOLINAKA 1 note: the May 1993 elections were for the Constituent Assembly which became the National Assembly after the new constitution was promulgated in September 1993
Judicial branch: Supreme Council of the Magistracy, provided for in the constitution, was formed in December 1997
Political parties and leaders: National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful, and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC), Prince NORODOM RANARIDDH; Cambodian Pracheachon Party or Cambodian People's Party (CPP), CHEA SIM; Buddhist Liberal Democratic Party (BLDP), SON SANN; Buddhist Liberal Party (BLP), IENG MOULY; National Solidarity Party (also known as Democratic Kampuchea, also known as the Khmer Rouge), KHIEU SAMPHAN; Movement Pour La Liberation Nationale Khmere (MOLINAKA), PROM NEAKAREACH; Khmer Nation Party (KNP), SAM RANGSI
International organization participation: ACCT, AsDB, ASEAN (observer), CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ISO (subscriber), ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador VAR HUOTH chancery: 4500 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 726-7742 FAX: [1] (202) 726-8381
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Kenneth M. QUINN embassy: 27 EO Street 240, Phnom Penh mailing address: Box P, APO AP 96546 telephone: [855] (23) 216-436, 216-438 FAX: [855] (23) 216-437
Flag description: three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (double width), and blue with a white three-towered temple representing Angkor Wat outlined in black in the center of the red band
@Cambodia:Economy
Economy-overview: After four years of solid macroeconomic performance, Cambodia's economy slowed dramatically in 1997 due to the twin shocks of the regional economic crisis and the July violence and political infighting. Economic growth fell from 6.5% in 1996 to 1.5% in 1997, foreign investment slowed, and tourism declined 16% from 1996 levels. Despite these difficulties, inflation accelerated only slightly to 9.5%; the government managed to keep the national budget in balance even with increased expenditures on the military and police; and the economy ran a small balance of payments surplus. The future payments could be adversely affected by the currency crises in Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, which tends to make Cambodia's exports more expensive at the same time imports from these countries become cheaper. The long-term development of the economy after decades of war remains a daunting challenge. Human resource levels in the population are low, particularly in the poverty-ridden countryside. The almost total lack of basic infrastructure in the countryside will continue to hinder development. Recurring political instability hinders foreign investment. Corruption and inexperience among Cambodia's government officials will serve as a further drag on the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$7.7 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 1.5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$715 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 47.3% industry: 15.4% services: 37.3% (1996 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 9.5% (1997 est.)
Labor force: 2.5 million to 3 million by occupation: agriculture 80% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $261 million expenditures: $496 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)
Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1995 est.)
Electricity-capacity: 35,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 190 million kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 18 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: rice, rubber, corn, vegetables
Exports: total value: $615 million (1996 est.) commodities: timber, garments, rubber, soybeans, sesame partners: Singapore, Japan, Thailand, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, US
Imports: total value: $1 billion (1996 est.) commodities: cigarettes, construction materials, petroleum products, machinery, motor vehicles partners: Singapore, Vietnam, Japan, Australia, Hong Kong, Indonesia
Debt-external: $2.2 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA note: international donors pledged a total of $1.8 billion in 1995 and 1996
Currency: 1 new riel (CR) = 100 sen
Exchange rates: riels (CR) per US$1-3,537.0 (January 1998), 2,946.3 (1997), 2,624.1 (1996), 2,450.8 (1995), 2,545.3 (1994), 2,689.0 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 7,000 (1981 est.)
Telephone system: service barely adequate for government requirements and virtually nonexistent for general public domestic: NA international: landline international service limited to Vietnam and other adjacent countries; satellite earth station-1 Intersputnik (Indian Ocean Region)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 10, shortwave 0
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 5
Televisions: 800,000 (1996 est.)
@Cambodia:Transportation
Railways: total: 603 km narrow gauge: 603 km 1.000-m gauge
Highways: total: 35,769 km paved: 4,165 km unpaved: 31,604 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m; 282 km navigable to craft drawing 1.8 m
Ports and harbors: Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville), Kampot, Krong Kaoh Kong, Phnom Penh
Merchant marine: total: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 390,566 GRT/556,743 DWT ships by type: bulk 10, cargo 66, container 2, livestock carrier 2, oil tankers 3, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships of 7 countries: Aruba 1, Cyprus 8, Egypt 1, South Korea 1, Malta 1, Panama 1, Russia 5 (1997 est.)
Airports: 20 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 10 (1997 est.)
Heliports: 3 (1997 est.)
@Cambodia:Military
Military branches: Royal Cambodian Armed Forces (RCAF)-created in 1993 by the merger of the Cambodian People's Armed Forces and the two noncommunist resistance armies note: there are also resistance forces comprised of the Khmer Rouge (also known as the National United Army or NUA) and a separate royalist resistance movement
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 2,477,842 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 1,381,787 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 113,098 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $160 million (1996)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Cambodia:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: offshore islands and sections of the boundary with Vietnam are in dispute; maritime boundary with Vietnam not defined; parts of border with Thailand are indefinite; maritime boundary with Thailand not clearly defined
Illicit drugs: transshipment site for Golden Triangle heroin en route to West; possible money-laundering; high-level narcotics-related corruption reportedly involving government, military, and police; possible small-scale opium, heroin, and amphetamine production; large producer of cannabis for the international market
______________________________________________________________________
CAMEROON
@Cameroon:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Equatorial Guinea and Nigeria
Geographic coordinates: 6 00 N, 12 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 475,440 sq km land: 469,440 sq km water: 6,000 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 4,591 km border countries: Central African Republic 797 km, Chad 1,094 km, Republic of the Congo 523 km, Equatorial Guinea 189 km, Gabon 298 km, Nigeria 1,690 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 50 nm
Climate: varies with terrain, from tropical along coast to semiarid and hot in north
Terrain: diverse, with coastal plain in southwest, dissected plateau in center, mountains in west, plains in north
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Fako 4,095 m
Natural resources: petroleum, bauxite, iron ore, timber, hydropower potential
Land use: arable land: 13% permanent crops: 2% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 78% other: 3% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 210 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: recent volcanic activity with release of poisonous gases
Environment-current issues: water-borne diseases are prevalent; deforestation; overgrazing; desertification; poaching; overfishing
Environment-international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94 signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban
Geography-note: sometimes referred to as the hinge of Africa
@Cameroon:People
Population: 15,029,433 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (male 3,468,861; female 3,436,814) 15-64 years: 51% (male 3,795,748; female 3,829,824) 65 years and over: 3% (male 224,881; female 273,305) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.81% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 42.06 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 13.96 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 76.88 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 51.44 years male: 49.9 years female: 53.03 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.86 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Cameroonian(s) adjective: Cameroonian
Ethnic groups: Cameroon Highlanders 31%, Equatorial Bantu 19%, Kirdi 11%, Fulani 10%, Northwestern Bantu 8%, Eastern Nigritic 7%, other African 13%, non-African less than 1%
Religions: indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 33%, Muslim 16%
Languages: 24 major African language groups, English (official), French (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 63.4% male: 75% female: 52.1% (1995 est.)
@Cameroon:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Cameroon conventional short form: Cameroon former: French Cameroon
Data code: CM
Government type: unitary republic; multiparty presidential regime (opposition parties legalized 1990)
National capital: Yaounde
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces; Adamaoua, Centre, Est, Extreme-Nord, Littoral, Nord, Nord-Ouest, Ouest, Sud, Sud-Ouest
Independence: 1 January 1960 (from UN trusteeship under French administration)
National holiday: National Day, 20 May (1972)
Constitution: 20 May 1972
Legal system: based on French civil law system, with common law influence; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Paul BIYA (since 6 November 1982) head of government: Prime Minister Peter Mafany MUSONGE (since 19 September 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 12 October 1997 (next to be held NA October 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: President Paul BIYA reelected; percent of vote-Paul BIYA 93%; note - supporters of the opposition candidates boycotted the elections, making a comparison of vote shares relatively meaningless
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (180 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms; note-the president can either lengthen or shorten the term of the legislature) elections: last held 11 May 1997 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: percent of vote by party-NA; seats by party-CDPM 109, SDF 43, UNDP 13, UDC 5, UPC-K 1, MDR 1, MLJC 1; note-7 contested seats will be filled in an election at a time to be set by the Supreme Court note: the constitution calls for an upper chamber for the legislature, to be called Senate, which the government says will be established in 1998
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: Cameroon People's Democratic Movement or CPDM (government-controlled and the only party until legalization of opposition parties in 1990) [Paul BIYA, president] major opposition parties: Cameroonian Democratic Union or UDC [Adamou NDAM NJOYA]; Movement for the Defense of the Republic or MDR [Dakole DAISSALA, leader]; Movement for the Youth of Cameroon or MLJC [ Marcel YANDO, leader]; National Union for Democracy and Progress or UNDP [Maigari BELLO BOUBA, chairman]; Social Democratic Front or SDF [John FRU NDI, leader]; Union of Cameroonian Populations or UPC [Augustin Frederick KODOG, leader]; Union of Cameroonian Democratic Forces or UFOC [Victorin Hameni BIELEU]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Alliance for Change or FAC; Cameroon Anglophone Movement or CAM [Vishe FAI, secretary general]
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, C, CCC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-19, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Jerome MENDOUGA chancery: 2349 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-8790 through 8794
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Charles H. TWINING embassy: Rue Nachtigal, Yaounde mailing address: B. P. 817, Yaounde; Pouch: American Embassy DOS, Washington, DC 20521-2520 telephone: [237] 23-40-14, 23-05-12 FAX: [237] 23-07-53
Flag description: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), red, and yellow with a yellow five-pointed star centered in the red band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
@Cameroon:Economy
Economy-overview: Because of its oil resources and favorable agricultural conditions, Cameroon has one of the best-endowed primary commodity economies in sub-Saharan Africa. Still, it faces many of the serious problems facing other underdeveloped countries, such as a top-heavy civil service and a generally unfavorable climate for business enterprise. The development of the oil sector led to rapid economic growth between 1970 and 1985. Growth came to an abrupt halt in 1986, precipitated by steep declines in the prices of major exports: petroleum, coffee, and cocoa. Export earnings were cut by almost one-third, and inefficiencies in fiscal management were exposed. Since 1990, the government has embarked on various IMF and World Bank programs designed to spur business investment, increase efficiency in agriculture, improve trade, and recapitalize the nation's banks. The government, however, failed to press forward vigorously with these programs. The latest enhanced structural adjustment agreement was signed in October 1997; the parties hope this will prove more successful, yet government mismanagement remains a problem. Inflation, which rose to 48% after the devaluation of 1994, has been brought back under control. Progress toward privatization of remaining state industry remains slow. President BIYA's new government of December 1997 has replaced old hands in the government economic control structure with promising technocrats.
GDP: purchasing power parity-$30.9 billion (1997 est.)
GDP-real growth rate: 5% (1997 est.)
GDP-per capita: purchasing power parity-$2,100 (1997 est.)
GDP-composition by sector: agriculture: 32% industry: 27% services: 41% (1995 est.)
Inflation rate-consumer price index: 3% (1997 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $2.23 billion expenditures: $2.23 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY96/97 est.)
Industries: petroleum production and refining, food processing, light consumer goods, textiles, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity-capacity: 627,000 kW (1995)
Electricity-production: 2.715 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity-consumption per capita: 201 kWh (1995)
Agriculture-products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, rubber, bananas, oilseed, grains, root starches; livestock; timber
Exports: total value: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: crude oil and petroleum products, lumber, cocoa beans, aluminum, coffee, cotton partners: EU (particularly France, Italy, and Spain) about 60%, African countries, Korea, Taiwan, and China
Imports: total value: $1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: machines and electrical equipment, food, consumer goods, transport equipment, petroleum products partners: EU (France 40%), African countries, US 7%
Debt-external: $10 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid: France signed two loan agreements totaling $55 million in September 1997 and the Paris Club agreed in October 1997 to reduce the official debt by 50% and to reschedule it on favorable terms with a consolidation of payments due through 2000
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1-608.36 (January 1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993) 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 July-30 June
Communications
Telephones: 36,737 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: available only to business and government domestic: cable, microwave radio relay, and tropospheric scatter international: satellite earth stations-2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 11, shortwave 0
Radios: 2 million (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)
Televisions: NA
@Cameroon:Transportation
Railways: total: 1,104 km narrow gauge: 1,104 km 1.000-m gauge (1995 est.)
Highways: total: 34,300 km paved: 4,288 km unpaved: 30,012 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 2,090 km; of decreasing importance
Ports and harbors: Bonaberi, Douala, Garoua, Kribi, Tiko
Merchant marine: total: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 24,122 GRT/33,509 DWT (1996 est.)
Airports: 52 (1997 est.)
Airports-with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Airports-with unpaved runways: total: 41 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 14 (1997 est.)
@Cameroon:Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Infantry), Air Force, National Gendarmerie, Presidential Guard
Military manpower-military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower-availability: males age 15-49: 3,287,626 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-fit for military service: males: 1,663,852 (1998 est.)
Military manpower-reaching military age annually: males: 160,640 (1998 est.)
Military expenditures-dollar figure: $102 million (FY93/94)
Military expenditures-percent of GDP: NA%
@Cameroon:Transnational Issues
Disputes-international: demarcation of international boundaries in the vicinity of Lake Chad, the lack of which led to border incidents in the past, is completed and awaits ratification by Cameroon, Chad, Niger, and Nigeria; dispute with Nigeria over land and maritime boundaries in the vicinity of the Bakasi Peninsula has been referred to the ICJ with a ruling expected in 1998
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CANADA
@Canada:Geography
Location: Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US
Geographic coordinates: 60 00 N, 95 00 W
Map references: North America
Area: total: 9,976,140 sq km land: 9,220,970 sq km water: 755,170 sq km
Area-comparative: slightly larger than US
Land boundaries: total: 8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska)
Coastline: 243,791 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north
Terrain: mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,950 m
Natural resources: nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 5% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 54% other: 38% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 7,100 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow
Environment-current issues: air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities
Environment-international agreements: party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Geography-note: second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; nearly 90% of the population is concentrated within 160 km of the US/Canada border
@Canada:People
Population: 30,675,398 (July 1998 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 3,106,331; female 2,961,328) 15-64 years: 68% (male 10,457,686; female 10,328,953) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,619,704; female 2,201,396) (July 1998 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.09% (1998 est.)
Birth rate: 12.12 births/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Death rate: 7.25 deaths/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.03 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1998 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female (1998 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 5.59 deaths/1,000 live births (1998 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 79.16 years male: 75.86 years female: 82.63 years (1998 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.65 children born/woman (1998 est.)
Nationality: noun: Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian
Ethnic groups: British Isles origin 40%, French origin 27%, other European 20%, Amerindian 1.5%, other, mostly Asian 11.5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 45%, United Church 12%, Anglican 8%, other 35% (1991)
Languages: English (official), French (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% (1986 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
@Canada:Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Canada
Data code: CA
Government type: federation with parliamentary democracy
National capital: Ottawa
Administrative divisions: 10 provinces and 2 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory* note: the Northwest Territories will be split in two as of April 1999; the eastern section, which will be self-governing, will be renamed Nunavut, the west is as yet unnamed
Independence: 1 July 1867 (from UK)
National holiday: Canada Day, 1 July (1867)
Constitution: 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs
Legal system: based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II of the UK (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Romeo LeBLANC (since 8 February 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the queen is a hereditary monarch; governor general appointed by the queen on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is automatically designated by the governor general to become prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (301 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Commons-last held 2 June 1997 (next to be held by NA June 2002) election results: percent of votes by party-Liberal Party 38%, Reform Party 19%, Tories 19%, Bloc Quebecois 11%, New Democratic Party 11%, other 2%; seats by party - Liberal Party 155, Reform Party 60, Bloc Quebecois 44, New Democratic Party 21, Progressive Conservative Party 20, independents 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general
Political parties and leaders: Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Reform Party [Preston MANNING]; New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive Conservative Party [Jean CHAREST]