Chapter 5

Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antarctica Digraph: AY Type: Antarctic Treaty Summary: The Antarctic Treaty, signed on 1 December 1959 and entered into force on 23 June 1961, establishes the legal framework for the management of Antarctica. Administration is carried out through consultative member meetings--the 17th Antarctic Treaty Consultative Meeting was in Venice in November 1992. Currently, there are 41 treaty member nations: 26 consultative and 15 acceding. Consultative (voting) members include the seven nations that claim portions of Antarctica as national territory (some claims overlap) and 19 nonclaimant nations. The US and some other nations that have made no claims have reserved the right to do so. The US does not recognize the claims of others. The year in parentheses indicates when an acceding nation was voted to full consultative (voting) status, while no date indicates the country was an original 1959 treaty signatory. Claimant nations are--Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway, and the UK. Nonclaimant consultative nations are--Belgium, Brazil (1983), China (1985), Ecuador (1990), Finland (1989), Germany (1981), India (1983), Italy (1987), Japan, South Korea (1989), Netherlands (1990), Peru (1989), Poland (1977), South Africa, Spain (1988), Sweden (1988), Uruguay (1985), the US, and Russia. Acceding (nonvoting) members, with year of accession in parentheses, are--Austria (1987), Bulgaria (1978), Canada (1988), Colombia (1988), Cuba (1984), Czechoslovakia (1962), Denmark (1965), Greece (1987), Guatemala (1991), Hungary (1984), North Korea (1987), Papua New Guinea (1981), Romania (1971), Switzerland (1990), and Ukraine (1992). Article 1: area to be used for peaceful purposes only; military activity, such as weapons testing, is prohibited, but military personnel and equipment may be used for scientific research or any other peaceful purpose Article 2: freedom of scientific investigation and cooperation shall continue Article 3: free exchange of information and personnel in cooperation with the UN and other international agencies Article 4: does not recognize, dispute, or establish territorial claims and no new claims shall be asserted while the treaty is in force Article 5: prohibits nuclear explosions or disposal of radioactive wastes Article 6: includes under the treaty all land and ice shelves south of 60 degrees 00 minutes south Article 7: treaty-state observers have free access, including aerial observation, to any area and may inspect all stations, installations, and equipment; advance notice of all activities and of the introduction of military personnel must be given Article 8: allows for jurisdiction over observers and scientists by their own states Article 9: frequent consultative meetings take place among member nations

*Antarctica, Government

Article 10: treaty states will discourage activities by any country in Antarctica that are contrary to the treaty Article 11: disputes to be settled peacefully by the parties concerned or, ultimately, by the ICJ Article 12, 13, 14: deal with upholding, interpreting, and amending the treaty among involved nations Other agreements: more than 170 recommendations adopted at treaty consultative meetings and ratified by governments include - Agreed Measures for the Conservation of Antarctic Fauna and Flora (1964); Convention for the Conservation of Antarctic Seals (1972); Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources (1980); a mineral resources agreement was signed in 1988 but was subsequently rejected; in 1991 the Protocol on Environmental Protection to the Antarctic Treaty was signed and awaits ratification; this agreement provides for the protection of the Antarctic environment through five specific annexes on marine pollution, fauna, and flora, environmental impact assessments, waste management, and protected areas; it also prohibits all activities relating to mineral resources except scientific research; four parties have ratified Protocol as of June 1993 Legal system: US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply to areas not under jurisdiction of other countries. Some US laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: The taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected or scientific areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and 1 year in prison. The Departments of Treasury, Commerce, Transportation, and Interior share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans and Polar Affairs, Room 5801, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For more information contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Washington, DC 20550.

*Antarctica, Economy

Overview: No economic activity at present except for fishing off the coast and small-scale tourism, both based abroad.

*Antarctica, Communications

Ports: none; offshore anchorage only at most coastal stations Airports: 42 landing facilities at different locations operated by 15 national governments party to the Treaty; one additional air facility operated by commercial (nongovernmental) tourist organization; helicopter pads at 28 of these locations; runways at 10 locations are gravel, sea ice, glacier ice, or compacted snow surface suitable for wheeled fixed-wing aircraft; no paved runways; 16 locations have snow-surface skiways limited to use by ski-equipped planes--11 runways/skiways 1,000 to 3,000 m, 3 runways/skiways less than 1,000 m, 5 runways/skiways greater than 3,000 m, and 7 of unspecified or variable length; airports generally subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; airports do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from governments required for landing

*Antarctica, Defense Forces

Note: the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes

*Antigua and Barbuda, Geography

Location: in the eastern Caribbean Sea, about 420 km east-southeast of Puerto Rico Map references: Central America and the Caribbean, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 440 km2 land area: 440 km2 comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC note: includes Redonda Land boundaries: 0 km Coastline: 153 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm International disputes: none Climate: tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation Terrain: mostly low-lying limestone and coral islands with some higher volcanic areas Natural resources: negligible; pleasant climate fosters tourism Land use: arable land: 18% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 7% forest and woodland: 16% other: 59% Irrigated land: NA km2 Environment: subject to hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October); insufficient freshwater resources; deeply indented coastline provides many natural harbors

*Antigua and Barbuda, People

Population: 64,406 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 0.51% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 17.51 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 5.5 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: -6.96 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 19.2 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.83 years male: 70.81 years female: 74.95 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 1.67 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Antiguan(s), Barbudan(s) adjective: Antiguan, Barbudan Ethnic divisions: black African, British, Portuguese, Lebanese, Syrian Religions: Anglican (predominant), other Protestant sects, some Roman Catholic Languages: English (official), local dialects Literacy: age 15 and over having completed 5 or more years of schooling (1960) total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% Labor force: 30,000 by occupation: commerce and services 82%, agriculture 11%, industry 7% (1983)

*Antigua and Barbuda, Government

Names: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Antigua and Barbuda Digraph: AC Type: parliamentary democracy Capital: Saint John's Administrative divisions: 6 parishes and 2 dependencies*; Barbuda*, Redonda*, Saint George, Saint, John, Saint Mary, Saint Paul, Saint Peter, Saint Philip Independence: 1 November 1981 (from UK) Constitution: 1 November 1981 Legal system: based on English common law National holiday: Independence Day, 1 November (1981) Political parties and leaders: Antigua Labor Party (ALP), Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr., Lester BIRD; United Progressive Party (UPP), Baldwin SPENCER Other political or pressure groups: United Progressive Party (UPP), headed by Baldwin SPENCER, a coalition of three opposition political parties - the United National Democratic Party (UNDP); the Antigua Caribbean Liberation Movement (ACLM); and the Progressive Labor Movement (PLM); Antigua Trades and Labor Union (ATLU), headed by Noel THOMAS Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Elections: House of Representatives: last held 9 March 1989 (next to be held NA 1994); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (17 total) ALP 15, UPP 1, independent 1 Executive branch: British monarch, governor general, prime minister, Cabinet Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives Judicial branch: Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court Leaders: Chief of State: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Wilfred Ebenezer JACOBS (since 1 November 1981, previously Governor since 1976) Head of Government: Prime Minister Vere Cornwall BIRD, Sr. (since NA 1976); Deputy Prime Minister Lester BIRD (since NA) Member of: ACP, C, CARICOM, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OAS, OECS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WCL, WHO, WMO Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Patrick Albert LEWIS

*Antigua and Barbuda, Government

chancery: Suite 2H, 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 362-5211 or 5166, 5122, 5225 consulate: Miami US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: the US Ambassador to Barbados is accredited to Antigua and Barbuda, and, in his absence, the Embassy is headed by Charge d'Affaires Bryant J. SALTER embassy: Queen Elizabeth Highway, Saint John's mailing address: FPO AA 34054-0001 telephone: (809) 462-3505 or 3506 FAX: (809) 462-3516 Flag: red with an inverted isosceles triangle based on the top edge of the flag; the triangle contains three horizontal bands of black (top), light blue, and white with a yellow rising sun in the black band

*Antigua and Barbuda, Economy

Overview: The economy is primarily service oriented, with tourism the most important determinant of economic performance. During the period 1987-90, real GDP expanded at an annual average rate of about 6%. Tourism makes a direct contribution to GDP of about 13% and also affects growth in other sectors - particularly in construction, communications, and public utilities. Although Antigua and Barbuda is one of the few areas in the Caribbean experiencing a labor shortage in some sectors of the economy, it has been hurt in 1991-92 by a downturn in tourism caused by the Persian Gulf war and the US recession. National product: GDP - exchange rate conversion - $424 million (1991 est.) National product real growth rate: 1.4% (1991 est.) National product per capita: $6,600 (1991 est.) Inflation rate (consumer prices): 6.5% (1991 est.) Unemployment rate: 5% (1988 est.) Budget: revenues $105 million; expenditures $161 million, including capital expenditures of $56 million (1992) Exports: $32 million (f.o.b., 1991) commodities: petroleum products 48%, manufactures 23%, food and live animals 4%, machinery and transport equipment 17% partners: OECS 26%, Barbados 15%, Guyana 4%, Trinidad and Tobago 2%, US 0.3% Imports: $317.5 million (c.i.f., 1991) commodities: food and live animals, machinery and transport equipment, manufactures, chemicals, oil partners: US 27%, UK 16%, Canada 4%, OECS 3%, other 50% External debt: $250 million (1990 est.) Industrial production: growth rate 3% (1989 est.); accounts for 5% of GDP Electricity: 52,100 kW capacity; 95 million kWh produced, 1,482 kWh per capita (1992) Industries: tourism, construction, light manufacturing (clothing, alcohol, household appliances) Agriculture: accounts for 4% of GDP; expanding output of cotton, fruits, vegetables, and livestock; other crops - bananas, coconuts, cucumbers, mangoes, sugarcane; not self-sufficient in food Economic aid: US commitments, $10 million (1985-88); Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $50 million Currency: 1 EC dollar (EC$) = 100 cents Exchange rates: East Caribbean dollars (EC$) per US$1 - 2.70 (fixed rate since 1976) Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March

*Antigua and Barbuda, Communications

Railroads: 64 km 0.760-meter narrow gauge and 13 km 0.610-meter gauge used almost exclusively for handling sugarcane Highways: 240 km Ports: Saint John's Merchant marine: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 529,202 GRT/778,506 DWT; includes 96 cargo, 3 refrigerated cargo, 21 container, 5 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 multifunction large-load carrier, 2 oil tanker, 19 chemical tanker, 2 bulk; note - a flag of convenience registry Airports: total: 3 usable: 3 with permanent-surface runways: 2 with runways 3,659 m: 0 with runways 2,440-3,659 m: 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m: 0 Telecommunications: good automatic telephone system; 6,700 telephones; tropospheric scatter links with Saba and Guadeloupe; broadcast stations - 4 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV, 2 shortwave; 1 coaxial submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

*Antigua and Barbuda, Defense Forces

Branches: Royal Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force, Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force (including the Coast Guard) Manpower availability: NA Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.4 million, 1% of GDP (FY90/91)

*Arctic Ocean, Geography

Location: body of water mostly north of the Arctic Circle Map references: Arctic Region, Asia, North America, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 14.056 million km2 comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of the US; smallest of the world's four oceans (after Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, and Indian Ocean) note: includes Baffin Bay, Barents Sea, Beaufort Sea, Chukchi Sea, East Siberian Sea, Greenland Sea, Hudson Bay, Hudson Strait, Kara Sea, Laptev Sea, and other tributary water bodies Coastline: 45,389 km International disputes: some maritime disputes (see littoral states); Svalbard is the focus of a maritime boundary dispute between Norway and Russia Climate: polar climate characterized by persistent cold and relatively narrow annual temperature ranges; winters characterized by continuous darkness, cold and stable weather conditions, and clear skies; summers characterized by continuous daylight, damp and foggy weather, and weak cyclones with rain or snow Terrain: central surface covered by a perennial drifting polar icepack that averages about 3 meters in thickness, although pressure ridges may be three times that size; clockwise drift pattern in the Beaufort Gyral Stream, but nearly straight line movement from the New Siberian Islands (Russia) to Denmark Strait (between Greenland and Iceland); the ice pack is surrounded by open seas during the summer, but more than doubles in size during the winter and extends to the encircling land masses; the ocean floor is about 50% continental shelf (highest percentage of any ocean) with the remainder a central basin interrupted by three submarine ridges (Alpha Cordillera, Nansen Cordillera, and Lomonsov Ridge); maximum depth is 4,665 meters in the Fram Basin Natural resources: sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales) Environment: endangered marine species include walruses and whales; ice islands occasionally break away from northern Ellesmere Island; icebergs calved from glaciers in western Greenland and extreme northeastern Canada; maximum snow cover in March or April about 20 to 50 centimeters over the frozen ocean and lasts about 10 months; permafrost in islands; virtually icelocked from October to June; fragile ecosystem slow to change and slow to recover from disruptions or damage Note: major chokepoint is the southern Chukchi Sea (northern access to the Pacific Ocean via the Bering Strait); ships subject to superstructure icing from October to May; strategic location between North America and Russia; shortest marine link between the extremes of eastern and western Russia, floating research stations operated by the US and Russia

*Arctic Ocean, Government

Digraph: XQ

*Arctic Ocean, Economy

Overview: Economic activity is limited to the exploitation of natural resources, including petroleum, natural gas, fish, and seals.

*Arctic Ocean, Communications

Ports: Churchill (Canada), Murmansk (Russia), Prudhoe Bay (US) Telecommunications: no submarine cables Note: sparse network of air, ocean, river, and land routes; the Northwest Passage (North America) and Northern Sea Route (Eurasia) are important seasonal waterways

*Argentina, Geography

Location: Eastern South America, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean between Chile and Uruguay Map references: South America, Standard Time Zones of the World Area: total area: 2,766,890 km2 land area: 2,736,690 km2 comparative area: slightly less than three-tenths the size of the US Land boundaries: total 9,665 km, Bolivia 832 km, Brazil 1,224 km, Chile 5,150 km, Paraguay 1,880 km, Uruguay 579 km Coastline: 4,989 km Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: not specified territorial sea: 200 nm; overflight and navigation permitted beyond 12 nm International disputes: short section of the boundary with Uruguay is in dispute; short section of the boundary with Chile is indefinite; claims British-administered Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); claims British-administered South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; territorial claim in Antarctica Climate: mostly temperate; arid in southeast; subantarctic in southwest Terrain: rich plains of the Pampas in northern half, flat to rolling plateau of Patagonia in south, rugged Andes along western border Natural resources: fertile plains of the pampas, lead, zinc, tin, copper, iron ore, manganese, petroleum, uranium Land use: arable land: 9% permanent crops: 4% meadows and pastures: 52% forest and woodland: 22% other: 13% Irrigated land: 17,600 km2 (1989 est.) Environment: Tucuman and Mendoza areas in Andes subject to earthquakes; pamperos are violent windstorms that can strike Pampas and northeast; irrigated soil degradation; desertification; air and water pollution in Buenos Aires

*Argentina, Geography

Note: second-largest country in South America (after Brazil); strategic location relative to sea lanes between South Atlantic and South Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage)

*Argentina, People

Population: 33,533,256 (July 1993 est.) Population growth rate: 1.13% (1993 est.) Birth rate: 19.75 births/1,000 population (1993 est.) Death rate: 8.64 deaths/1,000 population (1993 est.) Net migration rate: 0.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1993 est.) Infant mortality rate: 30 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.) Life expectancy at birth: total population: 71.19 years male: 67.91 years female: 74.65 years (1993 est.) Total fertility rate: 2.72 children born/woman (1993 est.) Nationality: noun: Argentine(s) adjective: Argentine Ethnic divisions: white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or other nonwhite groups 15% Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6% Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian, German, French Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1990) total population: 95% male: 96% female: 95% Labor force: 10.9 million by occupation: agriculture 12%, industry 31%, services 57% (1985 est.)

*Argentina, Government

Names: conventional long form: Argentine Republic conventional short form: Argentina local long form: Republica Argentina local short form: Argentina Digraph: AR Type: republic Capital: Buenos Aires Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia), and 1 federal district*, (distrito federal); Buenos Aires, Catamarca, Chaco, Chubut, Cordoba, Corrientes, Distrito Federal*, Entre Rios, Formosa, Jujuy, La Pampa, La, Rioja, Mendoza, Misiones, Neuquen, Rio Negro, Salta, San Juan, San Luis, Santa Cruz, Santa Fe, Santiago del Estero, Tierra del Fuego (Territorio Nacional de la Tierra del Fuego, Antartida e Islas del Atlantico Sur), Tucuman note: the national territory is in the process of becoming a province; the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica Independence: 9 July 1816 (from Spain) Constitution: 1 May 1853 Legal system: mixture of US and West European legal systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction National holiday: Revolution Day, 25 May (1810) Political parties and leaders: Justicialist Party (JP), Carlos Saul MENEM, Peronist umbrella political organization; Radical Civic Union (UCR), Mario LOSADA, moderately left-of-center party; Union of the Democratic Center (UCD), Jorge AGUADO, conservative party; Intransigent Party (PI), Dr. Oscar ALENDE, leftist party; Dignity and Independence Political Party (MODIN), Aldo RICO, right-wing party; several provincial parties Other political or pressure groups: Peronist-dominated labor movement; General Confederation of Labor (CGT; Peronist-leaning umbrella labor organization); Argentine Industrial Union (manufacturers' association); Argentine Rural Society (large landowners' association); business organizations; students; the Roman Catholic Church; the Armed Forces Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Elections: Chamber of Deputies: last held in three phases during late 1991 for half of 254 seats; seats (254 total) - JP 122, UCR 85, UCD 10, other 37 (1993) President: last held 14 May 1989 (next to be held NA May 1995); results - Carlos Saul MENEM was elected