Chapter 110
Currency: on 2 September 1996, Ukraine introduced the long-awaited hryvnia (plural hryvni) as its national currency, replacing the karbovanets (in circulation since 12 November 1992) at a rate of 100,000 karbovantsi to 1 hryvnia
Exchange rates: hryvnia per US$1 - 1.76 (2 September 1996)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation --------------
Railways: total: 23,350 km broad gauge: 23,350 km 1.524-m gauge (8,600 km electrified)
Highways: total: 169,964 km paved: 168,094 km (including 1,767 km of expressways) unpaved: 1,870 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: 4,400 km navigable waterways, of which 1,672 km were on the Pryp''yat' and Dnipro (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 2,010 km; petroleum products 1,920 km; natural gas 7,800 km (1992)
Ports: Berdyans'k, Illichivs'k, Izmayil, Kerch, Kherson, Kiev (Kyyiv), Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Pivdenne, Reni
Merchant marine: total: 353 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,262,341 GRT/4,356,374 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 5, bulk 39, cargo 217, chemical tanker 2, combination bulk 1, container 11, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 21, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 5, railcar carrier 2, refrigerated cargo 5, roll-on/roll-off cargo 32, short-sea passenger 3 (1995 est.)
Airports: total: 706 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 14 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 55 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 34 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 57 with unpaved runways over 3 047 m: 7 with unpaved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 7 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 16 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 37 with unpaved runways under 914 m: 476 (1994 est.)
Communications --------------
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: system is unsatisfactory both for business and for personal use; 3.56 million applications for telephones had not been satisfied as of January 1991; electronic mail services have been established in Kiev, Odessa, and Luhans'k by Sprint domestic: an NMT-450 analog cellular telephone network operates in Kiev (Kyyiv) and allows direct dialing of international calls through Kiev's digital exchange international: calls to other CIS countries are carried by landline or microwave radio relay; calls to 167 other countries are carried by satellite or by the 150 leased lines through the Moscow international gateway switch; satellite earth stations - NA Intelsat, 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean Regions), and NA Intersputnik
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there are at least two radio broadcast stations of NA type
Radios: 15 million (1990)
Television broadcast stations: at least 2
Televisions: 17.3 million (1992)
Defense -------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Internal Troops, National Guard, Border Troops
Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 12,388,788 males fit for military service: 9,716,127 males reach military age (18) annually: 362,000 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: 1.35 billion hryvni, less than 2% of GDP (Ukrainian Government's forecast for 1996); note - conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results
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@United Arab Emirates --------------------
Map ---
Location: 24 00 N, 54 00 E -- Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Flag ----
Description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Geography ---------
Location: Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates: 24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references: Middle East
Area: total area: 75,581 sq km land area: 75,581 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: location and status of boundary with Saudi Arabia is not final, defacto boundary reflects 1974 agreement; no defined boundary with most of Oman, but Administrative Line in far north; claims two islands in the Persian Gulf occupied by Iran: Lesser Tunb (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and Greater Tunb (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran); claims island in the Persian Gulf jointly administered with Iran (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran); in 1992, the dispute over Abu Musa and the Tunb islands became more acute when Iran unilaterally tried to control the entry of third country nationals into the UAE portion of Abu Musa island, Tehran subsequently backed off in the face of significant diplomatic support for the UAE in the region
Climate: desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain: flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 2% forest and woodland: 0% other: 98%
Irrigated land: 50 sq km (1989 est.)
Environment: current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources being overcome by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills natural hazards: frequent sand and dust storms international agreements: party to - Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection; signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Law of the Sea
Geographic note: strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
People ------
Population: 3,057,337 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 35% (male 542,848; female 519,952) 15-64 years: 64% (male 1,277,829; female 683,282) 65 years and over: 1% (male 22,246; female 11,180) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.33% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 26.43 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 3.03 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 19.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.87 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.99 male(s)/female all ages: 1.52 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 20.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.74 years male: 70.64 years female: 74.94 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 4.46 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality: noun: Emiri(s) adjective: Emiri
Ethnic divisions: Emiri 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions: Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages: Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write but definition of literacy not available (1995 est.) total population: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8%
Government ----------
Name of country: conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarata al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial States abbreviation: UAE
Data code: TC
Type of government: federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE central government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital: Abu Dhabi
Administrative divisions: 7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
Independence: 2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution: 2 December 1971 (provisional)
Legal system: federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah have joined the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
Suffrage: none
Executive branch: chief of state: President ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since NA 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) were elected by the Supreme Council of Rulers head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) and Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) were appointed by the president Supreme Council of Rulers: composed of the seven emirate rulers, the council is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation, Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power; council meets four times a year cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president
Legislative branch: unicameral Federal National Council (Majlis Watani Itihad); no elections; reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch: Union Supreme Court, judges appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: none
Other political or pressure groups: NA
International organization participation: ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in US: chief of mission: Ambassador Muhammad bin Husayn al-SHAALI chancery: Suite 600, 3000 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20007 telephone: [1] (202) 338-6500
US diplomatic representation: chief of mission: Ambassador David C. LITT embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi; American Embassy Abu Dhabi, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-6010 (pouch) telephone: [971] (2) 436691, 436692 FAX: [971] (2) 434771 consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a thicker vertical red band on the hoist side
Economy -------
Economic overview: The UAE has an open economy with one of the world's highest incomes per capita and with a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, crude oil reserves should last for over 100 years. Although much stronger economically than most Gulf states, the UAE faces similar problems with weak international oil prices and the pressures for cuts in OPEC oil production quotas. The UAE Government is encouraging increased privatization within the economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $70.1 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 3.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $24,000 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector: agriculture: 2% industry: 55% services: 43% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.6% (1994 est.)
Labor force: 794,400 (1993 est.) by occupation: industry and commerce 56%, services 38%, agriculture 6% (1990 est.) note: 80% of labor force is foreign (est.)
Unemployment rate: NEGL% (1988)
Budget: revenues: $4.6 billion expenditures: $4.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1995 est.)
Industries: petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Industrial production growth rate: -1.1% (1994 est.)
Electricity: capacity: 4,760,000 kW production: 16.5 billion kWh consumption per capita: 5,796 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Illicit drugs: growing role as heroin transshipment and money-laundering center
Exports: $25.3 billion (f.o.b., 1994 est.) commodities: crude oil 66%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates partners: Japan 45%, India 6%, Oman 6%, South Korea 5%, Iran 5% (1994)
Imports: $21.7 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: manufactured goods, machinery and transport equipment, food partners: Japan 11%, UK 8%, Germany 8%, US 8%, Italy 7% (1994)
External debt: $11.6 billion (1994 est.)
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Emirian dirham (Dh) = 100 fils
Exchange rates: Emirian dirhams (Dh) per US$1 - 3.6710 (fixed rate)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation --------------
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 3,000 km paved: 3,000 km unpaved: 0 km (1993 est.)
Pipelines: crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 km
Ports: 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
Merchant marine: total: 57 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,068,980 GRT/1,876,504 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 17, chemical tanker 2, container 7, liquefied gas tanker 1, livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 3 (1995 est.)
Airports: total: 36 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 9 with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 3 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 3 with paved runways under 914 m: 10 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 7 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications --------------
Telephones: 677,793 (1993 est.)
Telephone system: modern system consisting of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 3, shortwave 0
Radios: 545,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 12
Televisions: 170,000 (1993 est.)
Defense -------
Branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, paramilitary (includes Federal Police Force)
Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 1,102,080 males fit for military service: 599,439 males reach military age (18) annually: 21,250 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $1.59 billion, 4.3% of GDP (1994)
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@United Kingdom --------------
Map ---
Location: 54 00 N, 2 00 W -- Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Flag ----
Description: blue with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) edged in white superimposed on the diagonal red cross of Saint Patrick (patron saint of Ireland) which is superimposed on the diagonal white cross of Saint Andrew (patron saint of Scotland); known as the Union Flag or Union Jack; the design and colors (especially the Blue Ensign) have been the basis for a number of other flags including dependencies, Commonwealth countries, and others
Geography ---------
Location: Western Europe, islands including the northern one-sixth of the island of Ireland between the North Atlantic Ocean and the North Sea, northwest of France
Geographic coordinates: 54 00 N, 2 00 W
Map references: Europe
Area: total area: 244,820 sq km land area: 241,590 sq km comparative area: slightly smaller than Oregon note: includes Rockall and Shetland Islands
Land boundaries: total: 360 km border country: Ireland 360 km
Coastline: 12,429 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: as defined in continental shelf orders or in accordance with agreed upon boundaries exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Northern Ireland question with Ireland; Gibraltar question with Spain; Argentina claims Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas); Argentina claims South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands; Mauritius claims island of Diego Garcia in British Indian Ocean Territory; Rockall continental shelf dispute involving Denmark, Iceland, and Ireland (Ireland and the UK have signed a boundary agreement in the Rockall area); territorial claim in Antarctica (British Antarctic Territory)
Climate: temperate; moderated by prevailing southwest winds over the North Atlantic Current; more than one-half of the days are overcast
Terrain: mostly rugged hills and low mountains; level to rolling plains in east and southeast lowest point: Fenland -4 m highest point: Ben Nevis 1,343 m
Natural resources: coal, petroleum, natural gas, tin, limestone, iron ore, salt, clay, chalk, gypsum, lead, silica
Land use: arable land: 29% permanent crops: 0% meadows and pastures: 48% forest and woodland: 9% other: 14%
Irrigated land: 1,570 sq km (1989)
Environment: current issues: sulfur dioxide emissions from power plants contribute to air pollution; some rivers polluted by agricultural wastes and coastal waters polluted because of large-scale disposal of sewage at sea natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not ratified - Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Desertification
Geographic note: lies near vital North Atlantic sea lanes; only 35 km from France and now linked by tunnel under the English Channel; because of heavily indented coastline, no location is more than 125 km from tidal waters
People ------
Population: 58,489,975 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 20% (male 5,853,545; female 5,565,153) 15-64 years: 65% (male 19,050,420; female 18,797,406) 65 years and over: 15% (male 3,753,361; female 5,470,090) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.22% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 13.12 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 11.24 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: 0.3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 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: 0.69 male(s)/female all ages: 0.96 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 76.41 years male: 73.78 years female: 79.17 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality: noun: Briton(s), British (collective plural) adjective: British
Ethnic divisions: English 81.5%, Scottish 9.6%, Irish 2.4%, Welsh 1.9%, Ulster 1.8%, West Indian, Indian, Pakistani, and other 2.8%
Religions: Anglican 27 million, Roman Catholic 9 million, Muslim 1 million, Presbyterian 800,000, Methodist 760,000, Sikh 400,000, Hindu 350,000, Jewish 300,000 (1991 est.) note: the UK does not include a question on religion in its census
Languages: English, Welsh (about 26% of the population of Wales), Scottish form of Gaelic (about 60,000 in Scotland)
Literacy: age 15 and over has completed five or more years of schooling (1978 est.) total population: 99% male: NA% female: NA%
Government ----------
Name of country: conventional long form: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland conventional short form: United Kingdom abbreviation: UK
Data code: UK
Type of government: constitutional monarchy
Capital: London
Administrative divisions: 47 counties, 7 metropolitan counties, 26 districts, 9 regions, and 3 islands areas England: 39 counties, 7 metropolitan counties*; Avon, Bedford, Berkshire, Buckingham, Cambridge, Cheshire, Cleveland, Cornwall, Cumbria, Derby, Devon, Dorset, Durham, East Sussex, Essex, Gloucester, Greater London*, Greater Manchester*, Hampshire, Hereford and Worcester, Hertford, Humberside, Isle of Wight, Kent, Lancashire, Leicester, Lincoln, Merseyside*, Norfolk, Northampton, Northumberland, North Yorkshire, Nottingham, Oxford, Shropshire, Somerset, South Yorkshire*, Stafford, Suffolk, Surrey, Tyne and Wear*, Warwick, West Midlands*, West Sussex, West Yorkshire*, Wiltshire Northern Ireland: 26 districts; Antrim, Ards, Armagh, Ballymena, Ballymoney, Banbridge, Belfast, Carrickfergus, Castlereagh, Coleraine, Cookstown, Craigavon, Down, Dungannon, Fermanagh, Larne, Limavady, Lisburn, Londonderry, Magherafelt, Moyle, Newry and Mourne, Newtownabbey, North Down, Omagh, Strabane Scotland: 9 regions, 3 islands areas*; Borders, Central, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, Grampian, Highland, Lothian, Orkney*, Shetland*, Strathclyde, Tayside, Western Isles* Wales: 8 counties; Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynedd, Mid Glamorgan, Powys, South Glamorgan, West Glamorgan
Dependent areas: Anguilla, Bermuda, British Indian Ocean Territory, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Guernsey, Hong Kong (scheduled to become a Special Administrative Region of China on 1 July 1997), Jersey, Isle of Man, Montserrat, Pitcairn Islands, Saint Helena, South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands
Independence: 1 January 1801 (United Kingdom established)
National holiday: Celebration of the Birthday of the Queen (second Saturday in June)
Constitution: unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice
Legal system: common law tradition with early Roman and modern continental influences; no judicial review of Acts of Parliament; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) is a hereditary monarch; Heir Apparent Prince CHARLES (son of the queen, born 14 November 1948) head of government: Prime Minister John MAJOR (since 28 November 1990) is the leader of the party which holds the majority in the House of Commons and must have the consent of the monarch cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers was appointed by the prime minister
Legislative branch: bicameral Parliament House of Lords: consists of a 1,200-member body, four-fifths are hereditary peers, two archbishops, 24 other senior bishops, serving and retired Lords of Appeal in Ordinary, other life peers, Scottish peers House of Commons: elections last held 9 April 1992 (next to be held by NA April 1997); results - Conservative 41.9%, Labor 34.5%, Liberal Democratic 17.9%, other 5.7%; seats - (651 total) Conservative 336, Labor 271, Liberal Democratic 20, other 24
Judicial branch: House of Lords, several Lords of Appeal in Ordinary are appointed by the monarch for life