Part 26
Legislative branch: unicameral People's Chamber (Volkskammer)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State--Acting President of the People's Chamber Sabine BERGMANN-POHL (since 5 April 1990);
Head of Government--Chairman of the Council of Ministers Lothar DE MAIZIERE (since 12 April 1990); Deputy Chairman Peter-Michael DIESTEL (since 16 April 1990)
Political parties and leaders: Alliance for Germany--Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Lothar de Maiziere, chairman; German Social Union (DSU), Hans-Wilhelm Ebeling, chairman; and Democratic Awakening (DA), Rainer Eppelmann, chairman;
Social Democratic Party of Germany (SPD), Markus Meckel, acting chairman;
Party for Democratic Socialism (PDS, former Communist), Gregor Gysi, chairman;
League of Free Democrats (BFD)--Liberals, Rainer Ortleb, chairman; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Bruno Menzel, chairman; and German Forum Party (DFP), Juergen Schmieder, chairman;
Alliance '90--New Forum, Baerbel Bohley, Jens Reich, Sebastian Pflugbeil, spokespersons; Democracy Now, Konrad Weiss, spokesperson; and United Left, Herbert Misslitz, spokesperson;
Greens Party (GP), Vera Wollenberger, spokesperson;
Democratic Peasants' Party (DBD), Guenther Maleuda, chairman
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: People's Chamber--last held on 18 March 1990 (next to be held March NA); results--Alliance for Germany--CDU 40.9%, DSU 6.3%, DA 0.9%; SPD 21.8; BFD 5.3%; SPD 21.8%; PDS 16.3%; Alliance '90 2.9%; DBD 2.2%; GP 2.0%; NDPD 0.4%; others 1.0%; seats--(400 total, including 66 from East Berlin) Alliance for Germany--CDU 164, DSU 25, DA 4; SPD 87; BFD 21; PDS 65; Alliance '90 12, DBD 9; GP 8; NDPD 2; others 3
Communists: 500,000 to 700,000 party members (1990)
Member of: CEMA, IAEA, IBEC, ICES, ILO, IMO, IPU, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Dr. Gerhard HERDER; Chancery at 1717 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 232-3134; US--Ambassador Richard C. BARKLEY; Embassy at 1080 Berlin, Neustaedtische Kirchstrasse 4-5, East Berlin (mailing address is Box E, APO New York 09742); telephone [37] (2) 220-2741
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow with the coat of arms centered; the coat of arms contains, in yellow, a hammer and compass encircled by a wreath of grain with a black, red, and gold ribbon at the bottom; similar to the flag of the FRG which does not have a coat of arms
- Economy Overview: The GDR is moving rapidly away from its centrally planned economy. As the 1990s begin, economic integration with West Germany appears inevitable, beginning with the establishment of a common currency. The opening of the border with the FRG in late 1989 and the continuing emigration of hundreds of thousands of skilled workers had brought growth to a standstill by yearend 1989. Features of the old economic regime that will quickly change: (a) the collectivization of 95% of East German farms; (b) state ownership of nearly all transportation facilities, industrial plants, foreign trade organizations, and financial institutions; (c) the 65% share in trade of the USSR and other CEMA countries; and (d) the detailed control over economic details exercised by Party and state. Once integrated into the thriving West German economy, the area will have to stem the outflow of workers and renovate the obsolescent industrial base. After an initial readjustment period, living standards and quality of output will steadily rise toward West German levels.
GNP: $159.5 billion, per capita $9,679; real growth rate 1.2% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues $123.5 billion; expenditures $123.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $33 billion (1986)
Exports: $30.7 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--machinery and transport equipment 47%, fuels and metals 16%, consumer goods 16%, chemical products and building materials 13%, semimanufactured goods and processed foodstuffs 8%; partners--USSR, Czechoslovakia, Poland, FRG, Hungary, Bulgaria, Switzerland, Romania
Imports: $31.0 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--fuels and metals 40%, machinery and transport equipment 29%, chemical products and building materials 9%; partners--CEMA countries 65%, non-Communist 33%, other 2%
External debt: $20.6 billion (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.7% (1989 est.)
Electricity: (including East Berlin) 24,585,000 kW capacity; 122,500 million kWh produced, 7,390 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: metal fabrication, chemicals, brown coal, shipbuilding, machine building, food and beverages, textiles, petroleum
Agriculture: accounts for about 10% of GNP (including fishing and forestry); principal crops--wheat, rye, barley, potatoes, sugar beets, fruit; livestock products include pork, beef, chicken, milk, hides and skins; net importer of food; fish catch of 193,600 metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor--$4.0 billion extended bilaterally to non-Communist less developed countries (1956-88)
Currency: GDR mark (plural--marks); 1 GDR mark (M) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: GDR marks (M) per US$1--3.01 (1988), 3.00 (1987), 3.30 (1986), 3.70 (1985), 3.64 (1984)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 14,005 km total; 13,730 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 275 km 1.000-meter or other narrow gauge, 3,830 (est.) km 1.435-meter double-track standard gauge; 2,754 km overhead electrified (1986)
Highways: 124,615 km total; 47,214 km concrete, asphalt, stone block, of which 1,913 km are autobahn and limited access roads, 11,261 are trunk roads, and 34,040 are regional roads; 77,401 municipal roads (1985)
Inland waterways: 2,319 km (1986)
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,301 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas, 2,150 km (1988)
Ports: Rostock, Wismar, Stralsund, Sassnitz; river ports are East Berlin, Riesa, Magdeburg, and Eisenhuttenstadt on the Elbe or Oder Rivers and connecting canals
Merchant marine: 145 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,349,537 GRT/1,733,089 DWT; includes 1 passenger, 89 cargo, 10 refrigerated cargo, 6 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 16 container, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 2 railcar carrier, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 1 liquefied gas tanker, 16 bulk
Civil air: 45 major transport aircraft
Airports: 190 total, 190 usable; 70 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runway over 3,659 m; 45 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 40 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations--23 AM, 17 FM, 21 TV; 15 Soviet TV relays; 6,181,860 TV sets; 6,700,000 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: National People's Army, Border Troops, Air and Air Defense Command, People's Navy
Military manpower: eligible 15-49, 7,944,305; of the 4,045,396 males 15-49, 3,243,970 are fit for military service; 91,579 reach military age (18) annually; of the 3,898,909 females 15-49, 3,117,847 are fit for military service; 85,892 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 16.2 billion marks, 5.4% of total budget (1989); note--conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Germany, Federal Republic of (West Germany) - Geography Total area: 248,580 km2; land area: 244,280 km2; includes West Berlin
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 4,256 km total; Austria 784 km, Belgium 167 km, Czechoslovakia 356 km, Denmark 68 km, France 451 km, GDR 1,381 km; Luxembourg 138 km, Netherlands 577 km, Switzerland 334 km
Coastline: 1,488 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm (extends, at one point, to 16 nm in the Helgolander Bucht)
Disputes: it is US policy that the final borders of Germany have not been established
Climate: temperate and marine; cool, cloudy, wet winters and summers; occasional warm, tropical foehn wind; high relative humidity
Terrain: lowlands in north, uplands in center, Bavarian Alps in south
Natural resources: iron ore, coal, potash, timber
Land use: 30% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 30% forest and woodland; 20% other; includes 1% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: West Berlin is an exclave (about 116 km by air or 176 km by road from FRG)
- People Population: 62,168,200 (July 1990), growth rate 0.5% (1990)
Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 81 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--German(s); adjective--German
Ethnic divisions: primarily German; Danish minority
Religion: 45% Roman Catholic, 44% Protestant, 11% other
Language: German
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 27,790,000; 41.6% industry, 35.4% services and other, 18.2% trade and transport, 4.8% agriculture (1987)
Organized labor: 9,300,000 total; 7,760,000 in German Trade Union Federation (DGB); union membership constitutes about 40% of union-eligible labor force, 34% of total labor force, and 35% of wage and salary earners (1986)
- Government Long-form name: Federal Republic of Germany; abbreviated FRG
Type: federal republic
Capital: Bonn
Administrative divisions: 10 states (lander, singular--land); Baden-Wurttemberg, Bayern, Bremen, Hamburg, Hessen, Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Rheinland-Pfalz, Saarland, Schleswig-Holstein
Constitution: 23 May 1949, provisional constitution known as Basic Law
Legal system: civil law system with indigenous concepts; judicial review of legislative acts in the Federal Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: NA
Executive branch: president, chancellor, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament (Parlament) consists of an upper chamber or Federal Assembly (Bundesrat) and a lower chamber or National Assembly (Bundestag)
Judicial branch: Federal Constitutional Court (Bundesverfassungsgericht)
Leaders: Chief of State--President Dr. Richard von WEIZSACKER (since 1 July 1984);
Head of Government--Chancellor Dr. Helmut KOHL (since 4 October 1982)
Political parties and leaders: Christian Democratic Union (CDU), Helmut Kohl; Christian Social Union (CSU), Theo Waigel; Free Democratic Party (FDP), Otto Lambsdorff; Social Democratic Party (SPD), Hans-Jochen Vogel; National Democratic Party (NPD), Martin Mussgnug; Republikaner, Franz Schoerhuber; Communist Party (DKP), Herbert Mies; Green Party--Realos faction, Joschka Fischer; Green Party--Fundis faction, Jutta Ditfurth
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: National Assembly--last held 25 January 1987 (next to be held by 18 January 1991); results--SPD 37.0%, CDU 34.5%, CSU 9.8%, FDP 9.1%, Green Party 8.2%, others 1.4%; seats--(497 total, 22 are elected by the West Berlin House of Representatives and have limited voting rights) SPD 186, CDU 174, CSU 49, FDP 46, Green Party 42
Communists: about 40,000 members and supporters
Other political or pressure groups: expellee, refugee, and veterans groups
Member of: ADB, CCC, Council of Europe, DAC, EC, EIB, EMS, ESA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICES, ICO, IDA, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IEA, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IPU, ITC, ITU, NATO, OAS (observer), OECD, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Jeurgen RUHFUS; Chancery at 4645 Reservoir Road NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 298-4000; there are FRG Consulates General in Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, and New York, and Consulates in Miami and New Orleans; US--Ambassador Vernon WALTERS; Embassy at Deichmanns Avenue, 5300 Bonn 2 (mailing address is APO New York 09080); telephone 49 (228) 3391; there are US Consulates General in Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, and Stuttgart
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of black (top), red, and yellow; similar to the flag of the GDR which has a coat of arms in the center
- Economy Overview: West Germany, a major economic power and a leading exporter, has a highly urbanized and skilled population that enjoys excellent living standards and comprehensive social welfare benefits. The FRG is poor in natural resources, coal being the most important mineral. The FRG's comparative advantage lies in the technologically advanced production stages. Thus manufacturing and services dominate economic activity, and raw materials and semimanufactures constitute a large proportion of imports. In 1988 manufacturing accounted for 35% of GDP, with other sectors contributing lesser amounts. The major economic problem in 1989 is persistent unemployment of over 8%. The FRG is well poised to take advantage of the increasing economic integration of the European Community. The dramatic opening of the boundary with East Germany in late 1989 poses new economic challenges that could tax even this powerful economy.
GDP: $945.7 billion, per capita $15,300; real growth rate 4.3% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.0% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 8.4% (1989)
Budget: revenues $539 billion; expenditures $563 billion, including capital expenditures of $11.5 billion (1988)
Exports: $323.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--manufactures 86.6% (including machines and machine tools, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel products), agricultural products 4.9%, raw materials 2.3%, fuels 1.3%; partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 9%, Italy 9%, UK 9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 18%, US 10%, Eastern Europe 4%, OPEC 3% (1987)
Imports: $250.6 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--manufactures 68.5%, agricultural products 12.0%, fuels 9.7%, raw materials 7.1%; partners--EC 52.7% (France 12%, Netherlands 11%, Italy 10%, UK 7%, Belgium-Luxembourg 7%), other West Europe 15%, US 6%, Japan 6%, Eastern Europe 5%, OPEC 3% (1987)
External debt: $500 million (June 1988)
Industrial production: growth rate 3.3% (1988)
Electricity: (including West Berlin) 110,075,000 kW capacity; 452,390 million kWh produced, 7,420 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: among world's largest producers of iron, steel, coal, cement, chemicals, machinery, ships, vehicles, and machine tools; electronics, food and beverages
Agriculture: accounts for about 2% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); diversified crop and livestock farming; principal crops and livestock include potatoes, wheat, barley, sugar beets, fruit, cabbage, cattle, pigs, poultry; net importer of food; fish catch of 202,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: donor--ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $60.0 billion
Currency: deutsche mark (plural--marks); 1 deutsche mark (DM) = 100 pfennige
Exchange rates: deutsche marks (DM) per US$1--1.6918 (January 1990), 1.8800 (1989), 1.7562 (1988), 1.7974 (1987), 2.1715 (1986), 2.9440 (1985)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Railroads: 31,443 km total; 27,421 km government owned, 1.435-meter standard gauge (12,491 km double track, 11,501 km electrified); 4,022 km nongovernment owned, including 3,598 km 1.435-meter standard gauge (214 km electrified) and 424 km 1.000-meter gauge (186 km electrified)
Highways: 466,305 km total; 169,568 km primary, includes 6,435 km autobahn, 32,460 km national highways (Bundesstrassen), 65,425 km state highways (Landesstrassen), 65,248 km county roads (Kreisstrassen); 296,737 km of secondary communal roads (Gemeindestrassen)
Inland waterways: 5,222 km, of which almost 70% are usable by craft of 1,000-metric ton capacity or larger; major rivers include the Rhine and Elbe; Kiel Canal is an important connection between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea
Pipelines: crude oil, 2,343 km; refined products, 3,446 km; natural gas, 95,414 km
Ports: maritime--Bremerhaven, Brunsbuttel, Cuxhaven, Emden, Bremen, Hamburg, Kiel, Lubeck, Wilhelmshaven; inland--27 major
Merchant marine: 422 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,436,568 GRT/4,297,520 DWT; includes 2 passenger, 7 short-sea passenger, 218 cargo, 4 refrigerated cargo, 95 container, 20 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 railcar carrier, 7 barge carrier, 2 multifunction large-load carrier, 12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 21 chemical tanker, 15 liquefied gas, 5 combination ore/oil, 13 combination bulk
Civil air: 194 major transport aircraft
Airports: 466 total, 457 usable; 240 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m; 41 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 55 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: highly developed, modern telecommunication service to all parts of the country; fully adequate in all respects; 40,300,000 telephones; stations--87 AM, 205 (376 relays) FM, 300 (6,400 relays) TV; 6 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations operating in INTELSAT (12 Atlantic Ocean, 2 Indian Ocean), EUTELSAT, and domestic systems
- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 16,006,352; 13,883,536 fit for military service; 326,666 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 2.9% of GDP (1989 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Ghana - Geography Total area: 238,540 km2; land area: 230,020 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries: 2,093 km total; Burkina 548 km, Ivory Coast 668 km, Togo 877 km
Coastline: 539 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 nm;
Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; warm and comparatively dry along southeast coast; hot and humid in southwest; hot and dry in north
Terrain: mostly low plains with dissected plateau in south-central area
Natural resources: gold, timber, industrial diamonds, bauxite, manganese, fish, rubber
Land use: 5% arable land; 7% permanent crops; 15% meadows and pastures; 37% forest and woodland; 36% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: recent drought in north severely affecting marginal agricultural activities; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; dry, northeasterly harmattan wind (January to March)
Note: Lake Volta is world's largest artificial lake
- People Population: 15,165,243 (July 1990), growth rate 3.2% (1990)
Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 13 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 89 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 52 years male, 56 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 6.4 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Ghanaian(s); adjective--Ghanaian
Ethnic divisions: 99.8% black African (major tribes--44% Akan, 16% Moshi-Dagomba, 13% Ewe, 8% Ga), 0.2% European and other
Religion: 38% indigenous beliefs, 30% Muslim, 24% Christian, 8% other
Language: English (official); African languages include Akan, Moshi-Dagomba, Ewe, and Ga
Literacy: 53.2%
Labor force: 3,700,000; 54.7% agriculture and fishing, 18.7% industry, 15.2% sales and clerical, 7.7% services, transportation, and communications, 3.7% professional; 48% of population of working age (1983)
Organized labor: 467,000 (about 13% of labor force)
- Government Long-form name: Republic of Ghana
Type: military
Capital: Accra
Administrative divisions: 10 regions; Ashanti, Brong-Ahafo, Central, Eastern, Greater Accra, Northern, Upper East, Upper West, Volta, Western
Independence: 6 March 1957 (from UK, formerly Gold Coast)
Constitution: 24 September 1979; suspended 31 December 1981
Legal system: based on English common law and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: Independence Day, 6 March (1957)
Executive branch: chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council (PNDC), PNDC, Cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly dissolved after 31 December 1981 coup, and legislative powers were assumed by the Provisional National Defense Council
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State and Head of Government--Chairman of the Provisional National Defense Council Flt. Lt. (Ret.) Jerry John RAWLINGS (since 31 December 1981)
Political parties and leaders: none; political parties outlawed after 31 December 1981 coup
Suffrage: none
Elections: none
Communists: a small number of Communists and sympathizers
Member of: ACP, AfDB, CCC, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Eric K. OTOO; Chancery at 2460 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202) 462-0761; there is a Ghanaian Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador Raymond C. EWING; Embassy at Ring Road East, East of Danquah Circle, Accra (mailing address is P. O. Box 194, Accra); telephone 775347 through 775349
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), yellow, and green with a large black five-pointed star centered in the gold band; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia; similar to the flag of Bolivia which has a coat of arms centered in the yellow band
- Economy Overview: Supported by substantial international assistance, Ghana has been implementing a steady economic rebuilding program since 1983. Good harvests in 1988 featured the 6% growth in GNP. Moves toward privatization and relaxation of government controls continued in 1988-89, although at a slower-than-expected pace. In 1988 service on the $2.8 billion debt was equivalent to 75% of export earnings. As Ghana obtains concessional loans and pays off high-interest debt, however, debt service is expected to fall below 30% of export earnings in the early 1990s. The economic rebuilding program has both helped and harmed the manufacturing sector, for example, by improving the supply of raw materials and by increasing competition from imports. The long-term outlook is favorable provided that the political structure can endure the slow pace at which living standards are improving and can manage the problems stemming from excessive population growth.
GNP: $5.2 billion, per capita $400; real growth rate 6% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 32.7% (1988)
Unemployment rate: 26% (April 1987)
Budget: revenues $769 million; expenditures $749 million, including capital expenditures of $179 million (1988 est.)
Exports: $977 million (f.o.b., 1987); commodities--cocoa 60%, timber, gold, tuna, bauxite, and aluminum; partners--US 23%, UK, other EC
Imports: $988 million (c.i.f., 1987); commodities--petroleum 16%, consumer goods, foods, intermediate goods, capital equipment; partners--US 10%, UK, FRG, France, Japan, South Korea, GDR
External debt: $3.0 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate 0.5% in manufacturing (1987)
Electricity: 1,172,000 kW capacity; 4,110 million kWh produced, 280 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: mining, lumbering, light manufacturing, fishing, aluminum, food processing
Agriculture: accounts for more than 50% of GDP (including fishing and forestry); the major cash crop is cocoa; other principal crops--rice, coffee, cassava, peanuts, corn, shea nuts, timber; normally self-sufficient in food
Illicit drugs: illicit producer of cannabis for the international drug trade
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $424 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $1.9 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $78 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $84 million
Currency: cedi (plural--cedis); 1 cedi (C) = 100 pesewas