Part 7
- Economy Overview: The oil price decline in recent years has had an adverse impact on the economy. Petroleum production and processing account for about 85% of export receipts, 60% of government revenues, and 20% of GDP. In 1986 soft oil-market conditions led to a 5% drop in GDP, in sharp contrast wit the 5% average annual growth rate during the early 1980s. The slowdown in economic activity, however, has helped to check the inflation of the 1970s. The government's past economic diversification efforts have moderated the severity of the downturn but failed to offset oil and gas revenue losses.
GDP: $3.5 billion, per capita $7,550 (1987); real growth rate 0% (1988)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.3% (1988)
Unemployment: 8-10% (1989)
Budget: revenues $1,136 million; expenditures $1,210 million, including capital expenditures of $294 million (1987)
Exports: $2.4 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--petroleum 80%, aluminum 7%, other 13%; partners--US, UAE, Japan, Singapore, Saudi Arabia
Imports: $2.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities--nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%; partners--UK, Saudi Arabia, US, Japan
External debt: $1.1 billion (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 3.1% (1987)
Electricity: 1,652,000 kW capacity; 6,000 million kWh produced, 12,800 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing
Agriculture: including fishing, accounts for less than 2% of GDP; not self-sufficient in food production; heavily subsidized sector produces fruit, vegetables, poultry, dairy products, shrimp, and fish; fish catch 9,000 metric tons in 1987
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-79), $24 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $28 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $9.8 billion
Currency: Bahraini dinar (plural--dinars); 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils
Exchange rates: Bahraini dinars (BD) per US$1--0.3760 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
- Communications Highways: 200 km bituminous surfaced, including 25 km bridge-causeway to Saudi Arabia opened in November 1986; NA km natural surface tracks
Ports: Mina Salman, Mina al Manamah, Sitrah
Merchant marine: 1 cargo and 1 bulk (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,621 GRT/44,137 DWT
Pipelines: crude oil, 56 km; refined products, 16 km; natural gas, 32 km
Civil air: 24 major transport aircraft
Airports: 3 total, 3 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: excellent international telecommunications; adequate domestic services; 98,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT, 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 1 ARABSAT; tropospheric scatter and microwave to Qatar, UAE, Saudi Arabia; submarine cable to Qatar and UAE
- Defense Forces Branches: Army (Defense Force), Navy, Air Force, Police Force
Military manpower: males 15-49, 183,580; 102,334 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 5% of GDP, or $194 million (1990 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Baker Island (territory of the US) - Geography Total area: 1.4 km2; land area: 1.4 km2
Comparative area: about 2.3 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 4.8 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: equatorial; scant rainfall, constant wind, burning sun
Terrain: low, nearly level coral island surrounded by a narrow fringing reef
Natural resources: guano (deposits worked until 1891)
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other
Environment: treeless, sparse and scattered vegetation consisting of grasses, prostrate vines, and low growing shrubs; lacks fresh water; primarily a nesting, roosting, and foraging habitat for seabirds, shorebirds, and marine wildlife
Note: remote location 2,575 km southwest of Honolulu in the North Pacific Ocean, just north of the Equator, about halfway between Hawaii and Australia
- People Population: uninhabited
Note: American civilians evacuated in 1942 after Japanese air and naval attacks during World War II; occupied by US military during World War II, but abandoned after the war; public entry is by special-use permit only and generally restricted to scientists and educators; a cemetery and cemetery ruins located near the middle of the west coast
- Government Long-form name: none
Type: unincorporated territory of the US administered by the Fish and Wildlife Service of the US Department of the Interior as part of the National Wildlife Refuge system
- Economy Overview: no economic activity
- Communications Ports: none; offshore anchorage only, one boat landing area along the the middle of the west coast
Airports: 1 abandoned World War II runway of 1,665 m
Note: there is a day beacon near the middle of the west coast
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of the US; visited annually by the US Coast Guard ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Bangladesh - Geography Total area: 144,000 km2; land area: 133,910 km2
Comparative area: slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries: 4,246 km total; Burma 193 km, India 4,053 km
Coastline: 580 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 18 nm;
Continental shelf: up to outer limits of continental margin;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: a portion of the boundary with India is in dispute; water sharing problems with upstream riparian India over the Ganges
Climate: tropical; cool, dry winter (October to March); hot, humid summer (March to June); cool, rainy monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly flat alluvial plain; hilly in southeast
Natural resources: natural gas, uranium, arable land, timber
Land use: 67% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 16% forest and woodland; 11% other; includes 14% irrigated
Environment: vulnerable to droughts; much of country routinely flooded during summer monsoon season; overpopulation; deforestation
Note: almost completely surrounded by India
- People Population: 118,433,062 (July 1990), growth rate 2.8% (1990)
Birth rate: 42 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 136 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 54 years male, 53 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 5.7 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Bangladeshi(s); adjective--Bangladesh
Ethnic divisions: 98% Bengali; 250,000 Biharis, and less than 1 million tribals
Religion: 83% Muslim, about 16% Hindu, less than 1% Buddhist, Christian, and other
Language: Bangla (official), English widely used
Literacy: 29% (39% men, 18% women)
Labor force: 35,100,000; 74% agriculture, 15% services, 11% industry and commerce; extensive export of labor to Saudi Arabia, UAE, Oman, and Kuwait (FY86)
Organized labor: 3% of labor force belongs to 2,614 registered unions (1986 est.)
- Government Long-form name: People's Republic of Bangladesh
Type: republic
Capital: Dhaka
Administrative divisions: 64 districts (zillagulo, singular--zilla); Bagerhat, Bandarban, Barisal, Bhola, Bogra, Borguna, Brahmanbaria, Chandpur, Chapai Nawabganj, Chattagram, Chuadanga, Comilla, Cox's Bazar, Dhaka, Dinajpur, Faridpur, Feni, Gaibandha, Gazipur, Gopalganj, Habiganj, Jaipurhat, Jamalpur, Jessore, Jhalakati, Jhenaidah, Khagrachari, Khulna, Kishorganj, Kurigram, Kushtia, Laksmipur, Lalmonirhat, Madaripur, Magura, Manikganj, Meherpur, Moulavibazar, Munshiganj, Mymensingh, Naogaon, Narail, Narayanganj, Narsingdi, Nator, Netrakona, Nilphamari, Noakhali, Pabna, Panchagar, Parbattya Chattagram, Patuakhali, Pirojpur, Rajbari, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Satkhira, Shariyatpur, Sherpur, Sirajganj, Sunamganj, Sylhet, Tangail, Thakurgaon
Independence: 16 December 1971 (from Pakistan; formerly East Pakistan)
Constitution: 4 November 1972, effective 16 December 1972, suspended following coup of 24 March 1982, restored 10 November 1986
Legal system: based on English common law
National holiday: Independence Day, 26 March (1971)
Executive branch: president, vice president, prime minister, three deputy prime ministers, Council of Ministers (cabinet)
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (Jatiya Sangsad)
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Leaders: Chief of State--President Hussain Mohammad ERSHAD (since 11 December 1983, elected 15 October 1986); Vice President Moudad AHMED (since 12 August 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Qazi Zafar AHMED (since 12 August 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Jatiyo Party, Hussain Mohammad Ershad; Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Begum Ziaur Rahman; Awami League, Sheikh Hasina Wazed; United People's Party, Kazi Zafar Ahmed; Democratic League, Khondakar Mushtaque Ahmed; Muslim League, Khan A. Sabur; Jatiyo Samajtantrik Dal (National Socialist Party), M. A. Jalil; Bangladesh Communist Party (pro-Soviet), Saifuddin Ahmed Manik; Jamaat-E-Islami, Ali Khan
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President--last held 15 October 1986 (next to be held October 1991); results--President Hussain Mohammad Ershad received 83.5% of vote;
Parliament--last held 3 March 1988 (next to be held March 1993); results--percent of vote by party NA; seats--(330 total, 300 elected and 30 seats reserved for women) Jatiyo Party won 256 out of 300 seats
Communists: 5,000 members (1987 est.)
Member of: ADB, CCC, Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB--Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IRC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WFTU, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador A. H. S. Ataul KARIM; Chancery at 2201 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington DC 20007; telephone (202) 342-8372 through 8376; there is a Bangladesh Consulate General in New York; US--Ambassador-designate William B. MILAM; Embassy at Diplomatic Enclave, Madani Avenue, Baridhara Model Town, Dhaka (mailing address is G. P. O. Box 323, Ramna, Dhaka); telephone [88] (2) 608170
Flag: green with a large red disk slightly to the hoist side of center; green is the traditional color of Islam
- Economy Overview: The economy is based on the output of a narrow range of agricultural products, such as jute, which is the main cash crop and major source of export earnings. Bangladesh is hampered by a relative lack of natural resources, a rapid population growth of 2.8% a year and a limited infrastructure, and it is highly vulnerable to natural disasters. Despite these constraints, real GDP averaged about 3.8% annually during 1985-88. One of the poorest nations in the world, alleviation of poverty remains the cornerstone of the government's development strategy. The agricultural sector contributes over 50% to GDP and 75% to exports, and employs over 74% of the labor force. Industry accounts for about 10% of GDP.
GDP: $20.6 billion, per capita $180; real growth rate 2.1% (FY89 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8-10% (FY89 est.)
Unemployment rate: 30% (FY88 est.)
Budget: revenues $1.8 billion; expenditures $3.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.7 billion (FY89)
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., FY89 est.); commodities--jute, tea, leather, shrimp, manufacturing; partners--US 25%, Western Europe 22%, Middle East 9%, Japan 8%, Eastern Europe 7%
Imports: $3.1 billion (c.i.f., FY89 est.); commodities--food, petroleum and other energy, nonfood consumer goods, semiprocessed goods, and capital equipment; partners--Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%, Middle East 9%, US 8%
External debt: $10.4 billion (December 1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (FY89 est.)
Electricity: 1,700,000 kW capacity; 4,900 million kWh produced, 40 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: jute manufacturing, food processing, cotton textiles, petroleum, urea fertilizer
Agriculture: accounts for about 50% of GDP and 74% of both employment and exports; imports 10% of food grain requirements; world's largest exporter of jute; commercial products--jute, rice, wheat, tea, sugarcane, potatoes, beef, milk, poultry; shortages include wheat, vegetable oils and cotton; fish catch 778,000 metric tons in 1986
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-87), $3.2 billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1980-87), $9.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $652 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $1.5 billion
Currency: taka (plural--taka); 1 taka (Tk) = 100 paise
Exchange rates: taka (Tk) per US$1--32.270 (January 1990), 32.270 (1989), 31.733 (1988), 30.950 (1987), 30.407 (1986), 27.995 (1985)
Fiscal year: 1 July-30 June
- Communications Railroads: 2,892 km total (1986); 1,914 km 1.000 meter gauge, 978 km 1.676 meter broad gauge
Highways: 7,240 km total (1985); 3,840 km paved, 3,400 km unpaved
Inland waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)
Ports: Chittagong, Chalna
Merchant marine: 47 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 331,568 GRT/493,935 DWT; includes 38 cargo, 2 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 refrigerated cargo, 1 roll-on/roll-off, 3 bulk
Pipelines: 650 km natural gas
Civil air: 15 major transport aircraft
Airports: 16 total, 13 usable; 13 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 7 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: adequate international radio communications and landline service; fair domestic wire and microwave service; fair broadcast service; 182,000 telephones; stations--9 AM, 6 FM, 11 TV; 2 Indian Ocean INTELSAT satellite earth stations
- Defense Forces Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force; paramilitary forces--Bangladesh Rifles, Bangladesh Ansars, Armed Police Reserve, Coastal Police
Military manpower: males 15-49, 28,110,802; 16,686,644 fit for military service
Defense expenditures: 1.5% of GDP, or $309 million (FY90 est.) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Barbados - Geography Total area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2
Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 97 km
Maritime claims:
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to October)
Terrain: relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region
Natural resources: crude oil, fishing, natural gas
Land use: 77% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 9% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 14% other
Environment: subject to hurricanes (especially June to October)
Note: easternmost Caribbean island
- People Population: 262,688 (July 1990), growth rate 0.6% (1990)
Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: - 5 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 16 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 77 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Barbadian(s); adjective--Barbadian
Ethnic divisions: 80% African, 16% mixed, 4% European
Religion: 70% Anglican, 9% Methodist, 4% Roman Catholic, 17% other, including Moravian
Language: English
Literacy: 99%
Labor force: 112,300; 37% services and government; 22% commerce, 22% manufacturing and construction; 9% transportation, storage, communications, and financial institutions; 8% agriculture; 2% utilities (1985 est.)
Organized labor: 32% of labor force
- Government Long-form name: none
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Bridgetown
Administrative divisions: 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note--there may a new city of Bridgetown
Independence: 30 November 1966 (from UK)
Constitution: 30 November 1966
Legal system: English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 November (1966)
Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Assembly
Judicial branch: Supreme Court of Judicature
Leaders: Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Hugh SPRINGER (since 24 February 1984);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Lloyd Erskine SANDIFORD (since 2 June 1987)
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Labor Party (DLP), Erskine Sandiford; Barbados Labor Party (BLP), Henry Forde; National Democratic Party (NDP), Richie Haynes
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: House of Assembly--last held 28 May 1986 (next to be held by May 1991); results--DLP 59.4%, BLP 40.6%; seats--(27 total) DLP 24, BLP 3; note--a split in the DLP in February 1989 resulted in the formation of the NDP, changing the status of seats to DLP 20, NDP 4, BLP 3
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Industrial and General Workers Union, Bobby Clarke; People's Progressive Movement, Eric Sealy; Workers' Party of Barbados, Dr. George Belle
Member of: ACP, CARICOM, Commonwealth, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, IDB--Inter-American Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, ISO, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM, OAS, PAHO, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Sir William DOUGLAS; Chancery at 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 939-9200 through 9202; there is a Barbadian Consulate General in New York and a Consulate in Los Angeles; US--Ambassador-nominee G. Philip HUGHES; Embassy at Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown (mailing address is P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown or FPO Miami 34054); telephone (809) 436-4950 through 4957
Flag: three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident)
- Economy Overview: A per capita income of $5,250 gives Barbados the highest standard of living of all the small island states of the eastern Caribbean. Historically, the economy was based on the cultivation of sugarcane and related activities. In recent years, however, the economy has diversified into manufacturing and tourism. The tourist industry is now a major employer of the labor force and a primary source of foreign exchange. A high unemployment rate of about 19% in 1988 remains one of the most serious economic problems facing the country.
GDP: $1.3 billion, per capita $5,250 (1988 est.); real growth rate 3.7% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1988)
Unemployment: 18.6% (1988)
Budget: revenues $476 million; expenditures $543 million, including capital expenditures of $94 million (FY86)
Exports: $173 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities--sugar and molasses, electrical components, clothing, rum, machinery and transport equipment; partners: US 30%, CARICOM, UK, Puerto Rico, Canada
Imports: $582 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities--foodstuffs, consumer durables, raw materials, crude oil; partners--US 34%, CARICOM, Japan, UK, Canada
External debt: $635 million (December 1989 est.)
Industrial production: growth rate - 5.4% (1987 est.)
Electricity: 132,000 kW capacity; 460 million kWh produced, 1,780 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export
Agriculture: accounts for 10% of GDP; major cash crop is sugarcane; other crops--vegetables and cotton; not self-sufficient in food
Aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $14 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $144 million
Currency: Barbadian dollars (plural--dollars); 1 Barbadian dollar (Bds$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Barbadian dollars (Bds$) per US$1--2.0113 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
- Communications Highways: 1,570 km total; 1,475 km paved, 95 km gravel and earth
Ports: Bridgetown
Merchant marine: 2 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,200 GRT/7,338 DWT
Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications: islandwide automatic telephone system with 89,000 telephones; tropospheric scatter link to Trinidad and St. Lucia; stations--3 AM, 2 FM, 2 (1 is pay) TV; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
- Defense Forces Branches: Royal Barbados Defense Force, Royal Barbados Police Force, Coast Guard
Military manpower: males 15-49, 67,677; 47,566 fit for military service, no conscription
Defense expenditures: 0.6% of GDP (1986) ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Bassas da India (French possession) - Geography Total area: undetermined
Comparative area: undetermined
Land boundaries: none
Coastline: 35.2 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 12 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 meters or to depth of exploitation;
Extended economic zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Disputes: claimed by Madagascar
Climate: tropical
Terrain: a volcanic rock 2.4 m high
Natural resources: none
Land use: 0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other (rock)
Environment: surrounded by reefs; subject to periodic cyclones
Note: navigational hazard since it is usually under water during high tide; located in southern Mozambique Channel about halfway between Africa and Madagascar
- People Population: uninhabited
- Government Long-form name: none
Type: French possession administered by Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN, resident in Reunion
- Economy Overview: no economic activity
- Communications Ports: none; offshore anchorage only
- Defense Forces Note: defense is the responsibility of France ---------------------------------------------------- Country: Belgium - Geography Total area: 30,510 km2; land area: 30,230 km2
Comparative area: slightly larger than Maryland
Land boundaries: 1,385 km total; France 620 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km, FRG 167 km
Coastline: 64 km
Maritime claims:
Continental shelf: not specific;
Exclusive fishing zone: equidistant line with neighbors (extends about 68 km from coast);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy
Terrain: flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast
Natural resources: coal, natural gas
Land use: 24% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 20% meadows and pastures; 21% forest and woodland; 34% other; includes NEGL% irrigated
Environment: air and water pollution
Note: majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels; crossroads of Western Europe; Brussels is the seat of the EC
- People Population: 9,909,285 (July 1990), growth rate 0.1% (1990)
Birth rate: 12 births/1,000 population (1990)
Death rate: 11 deaths/1,000 population (1990)
Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1990)
Infant mortality rate: 6 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)
Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 80 years female (1990)
Total fertility rate: 1.6 children born/woman (1990)
Nationality: noun--Belgian(s); adjective--Belgian
Ethnic divisions: 55% Fleming, 33% Walloon, 12% mixed or other
Religion: 75% Roman Catholic; remainder Protestant or other
Language: 56% Flemish (Dutch), 32% French, 1% German; 11% legally bilingual; divided along ethnic lines
Literacy: 98%
Labor force: 4,000,000; 58% services, 37% industry, 5% agriculture (1987)