Chapter 101
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires ad interim Claude MOREL chancery: (temporary) care of the Permanent Mission of Seychelles to the United Nations, 820 Second Avenue, Suite 900F, New York, NY 10017 telephone: [1] (212) 972-1785 FAX : [1] (212) 972-1786
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to the Seychelles
Flag description: five oblique bands of blue (hoist side), yellow, red, white, and green (bottom) radiating from the bottom of the hoist side
Economy
Economy - overview: Since independence in 1976, per capita output in this Indian Ocean archipelago has grown to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level, led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings. In recent years the government has encouraged foreign investment in order to upgrade hotels and other services. At the same time, the government has moved to reduce the dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing. The vulnerability of the tourist sector was illustrated by the sharp drop in 1991-92 due largely to the Gulf war. Although the industry has rebounded, the government recognizes the continuing need for upgrading the sector in the face of stiff international competition.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $450 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 1.1% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,000 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture : 3.6% industry: 15% services: 81.4% (1994)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: -0.3% (1995 est.)
Labor force: total: 26,000 (1996) by occupation: industry and commerce 31%, services 21%, government 20%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 12%, other 16% (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $220 million expenditures: $241 million, including capital expenditures of $36 million (1994 est.)
Industries: tourism; fishing; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1992)
Electricity - capacity: 33,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: 110 million kWh (1992)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 1,582 kWh (1992 est.)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fishing (expansion under way)
Exports: total value: $56.1 million ( f.o.b. 1995) commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (re-exports) partners : France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)
Imports: total value: $238 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment partners: China, Singapore, South Africa, UK (1993)
Debt - external: $170 million (1994 est.)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1 - 4.9968 (January 1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994), 5.1815 (1993), 5.1220 (1992)
Fiscal year: calendar year
@Seychelles:Communications
Telephones: 13,000 (1995 est.)
Telephone system: domestic : radiotelephone communications between islands in the archipelago international: direct radiotelephone communications with adjacent island countries and African coastal countries; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 3, FM 0, shortwave 0
Radios: 35,000 (1993 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (in a government network)
Televisions: 6,000 (1993 est.)
@Seychelles:Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 270 km paved: 170 km unpaved: 100 km (1995 est.)
Ports and harbors: Victoria
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 14 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total : 12 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 6 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 21,860 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 11,030 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $13.7 million (1995)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: claims Tromelin Island ______________________________________________________________________
SIERRA LEONE
@Sierra Leone:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea and Liberia
Geographic coordinates: 8 30 N, 11 30 W
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 71,740 sq km land: 71,620 sq km water : 120 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than South Carolina
Land boundaries: total: 958 km border countries: Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km
Coastline: 402 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm continental shelf : 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate: tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)
Terrain: coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point : Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Loma Mansa (Bintimani) 1,948 m
Natural resources: diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite
Land use: arable land: 7% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 31% forests and woodland: 28% other : 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 290 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: dry, sand-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (November to May); sandstorms, dust storms
Environment - current issues: rapid population growth pressuring the environment; overharvesting of timber, expansion of cattle grazing, and slash-and-burn agriculture have resulted in deforestation and soil exhaustion; civil war depleting natural resources; overfishing
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Environmental Modification
@Sierra Leone:People
Population: 4,891,546 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 1,084,736; female 1,119,802) 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,216,111; female 1,320,847) 65 years and over: 3% (male 76,371; female 73,679) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.54% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 46.67 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 17.75 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 6.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.04 male(s)/female total population : 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 132.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 48.02 years male: 45.06 years female: 51.07 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.29 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean
Ethnic groups: 13 native African tribes 99% (Temne 30%, Mende 30%, other 39%), Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian 1%
Religions: Muslim 60%, indigenous beliefs 30%, Christian 10%
Languages: English (official, regular use limited to literate minority), Mende (principal vernacular in the south), Temne (principal vernacular in the north), Krio (the language of the re-settled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write in English, Mende, Temne, or Arabic total population: 31.4% male: 45.4% female: 18.2% (1995 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Government
Country name: conventional long form : Republic of Sierra Leone conventional short form: Sierra Leone
Data code: SL
Government type: constitutional democracy
National capital: Freetown
Administrative divisions: 3 provinces and 1 area*; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western*
Independence: 27 April 1961 (from UK)
National holiday: Republic Day, 27 April (1961)
Constitution: 1 October 1991; subsequently amended several times
Legal system: based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state : President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH (inaugurated 29 March 1996); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet : Ministers of State appointed by the president with the approval of the House of Representatives; the cabinet is responsible to the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election held 26-27 February 1996 (next to be held NA 2001); note - president's tenure of office is limited to 2 five-year terms election results : Ahmad Tejan KABBAH elected president; percent of popular vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives (80 seats, 68 elected, 12 filled by paramount chiefs elected in separate elections; members serve NA-year terms) elections : last held NA February 1996 (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - SLPP 27, UNPP 17, PDP 12, APC 5, NUP 4, DCP 3; note - first elections since the former House of Representatives was shut down by the military coup of 29 April 1992
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: 15 parties registered for the February 1996 elections; National Peoples Party or NPP [Andrew TURAY]; Democratic Center Party or DCP [Abu KOROMA]; Peoples Progressive Party or PPP [Edward KAMARA, chairman]; Coalition for Progress Party or CPP [Geredine WILLIAMS-SARHO]; National Unity Movement or NUM; United National Peoples Party or UNPP; Peoples Democratic Party or PDP [Thaimu BANGURA, chairman]; All Peoples Congress or APC [S. A. T. KOROMA, chairman]; National Republican Party or NRP; Social Democratic Party or SDP; Peoples National Convention or PNC [I. B. KARGBO, chairman]; National Unity Party or NUP [A. O. D. GEORGE, chairman]; Sierra Leone Peoples Party or SLPP [Paul DUNBAR, chairman]; National Democratic Alliance or NDA; National Alliance for Democracy Party or NADP
International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John Ernest LEIGH chancery: 1701 19th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9261 through 9263 FAX: [1] (202) 483-1793
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador John L. HIRSCH embassy: Corner of Walpole and Siaka Stevens Streets, Freetown mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [232] (22) 226481 through 226485 FAX : [232] (22) 225471
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of light green (top), white, and light blue
Economy
Economy - overview: Sierra Leone has substantial mineral, agricultural, and fishery resources. However, the economic and social infrastructure is not well developed, and serious social disorders continue to hamper economic development. Agriculture employs about two-thirds of the working population, with subsistence agriculture dominating the sector. Manufacturing consists mainly of the processing of raw materials and of light manufacturing for the domestic market. The mining of diamonds, bauxite, and rutile is the major source of hard currency. The government has worked hard to meet its IMF- and World Bank-mandated stabilization targets, holding down fiscal deficits and retiring much of its domestic debt, but at a steep cost in terms of forgone capital investments and social spending. Moreover, the economic infrastructure has nearly collapsed due to neglect and war-related disruptions in the mining and agricultural export sectors. The continuing civil war in Liberia has led to a large influx of refugees, who place additional burdens on Sierra Leone's fragile economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $980 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 49% industry: 21% services: 30% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 5.6% (1996)
Labor force: total: 1.369 million (1981 est.) by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 19%, services 16% (1981 est.) note: only about 65,000 wage earners (1985)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues : $75 million expenditures: $128 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY94/95 est.)
Industries: mining (diamonds, bauxite, rutile); small-scale manufacturing (beverages, textiles, cigarettes, footwear); petroleum refining
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - capacity: 119,000 kW (1991)
Electricity - production: 185 million kWh (1991)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 43 kWh (1991 est.)
Agriculture - products: rice, coffee, cocoa, palm kernels, palm oil, peanuts; poultry, cattle, sheep, pigs; fish
Exports: total value: $39.3 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: rutile, diamonds, bauxite, coffee, cocoa, fish partners: US 20%, Belgium 20%, Spain 13%, UK 6%, other Western Europe
Imports: total value: $140 million (c.i.f., 1995) commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels and lubricants partners: Cote d'Ivoire, EU countries, India
Debt - external: $1.4 billion (1994)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 leone (Le) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: leones (Le) per US$1 - 908.08 (January 1997), 920.73 (1996), 755.22 (1995), 586.74 (1994), 567.46 (1993), 499.44 (1992)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
@Sierra Leone:Communications
Telephones: 17,526 (1991 est.)
Telephone system: marginal telephone and telegraph service domestic: national microwave radio relay system made unserviceable by military activities international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0
Radios: 980,000 (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 1
Televisions: 45,000 (1992 est.)
@Sierra Leone:Transportation
Railways: total : 84 km used on a limited basis because the mine at Marampa is closed narrow gauge: 84 km 1.067-m gauge
Highways: total: 11,674 km paved: 1,284 km unpaved : 10,390 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: 800 km; 600 km navigable year round
Ports and harbors: Bonthe, Freetown, Pepel
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 4 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 2 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Police, Security Forces
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49 : 1,037,049 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 503,252 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $14 million (FY92/93)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.6% (FY92/93)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none ______________________________________________________________________
SINGAPORE
@Singapore:Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, islands between Malaysia and Indonesia
Geographic coordinates: 1 22 N, 103 48 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: 647.5 sq km land: 637.5 sq km water: 10 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly more than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 193 km
Maritime claims: exclusive fishing zone : within and beyond territorial sea, as defined in treaties and practice territorial sea: 3 nm
Climate: tropical; hot, humid, rainy; no pronounced rainy or dry seasons; thunderstorms occur on 40% of all days (67% of days in April)
Terrain: lowland; gently undulating central plateau contains water catchment area and nature preserve
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Singapore Strait 0 m highest point: Bukit Timah 166 m
Natural resources: fish, deepwater ports
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: 5% other : 87% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: industrial pollution; limited natural fresh water resources; limited land availability presents waste disposal problems
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified : Climate Change
Geography - note: focal point for Southeast Asian sea routes
@Singapore:People
Population: 3,440,693 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years : 21% (male 378,651; female 357,070) 15-64 years: 72% (male 1,237,478; female 1,239,494) 65 years and over: 7% (male 101,536; female 126,464) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.67% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 14.13 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 4.68 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 7.27 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth : 1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population : 1 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 3.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population : 78.15 years male: 75.14 years female: 81.4 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.46 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Singaporean(s) adjective: Singapore
Ethnic groups: Chinese 76.4%, Malay 14.9%, Indian 6.4%, other 2.3%
Religions: Buddhist (Chinese), Muslim (Malays), Christian, Hindu, Sikh, Taoist, Confucianist
Languages: Chinese (official), Malay (official and national), Tamil (official), English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population : 91.1% male: 95.9% female: 86.3% (1995 est.)
@Singapore:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Singapore conventional short form: Singapore
Data code: SN
Government type: republic within Commonwealth
National capital: Singapore
Administrative divisions: none
Independence: 9 August 1965 (from Malaysia)
National holiday: National Day, 9 August (1965)
Constitution: 3 June 1959, amended 1965 (based on preindependence State of Singapore Constitution)
Legal system: based on English common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 20 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state : President ONG Teng Cheong (since 1 September 1993) head of government: Prime Minister GOH Chok Tong (since 28 November 1990) and Deputy Prime Ministers LEE Hsien Loong (since 28 November 1990) and Tony TAN Keng Yam (since 1 August 1995) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president, responsible to Parliament elections : president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 28 August 1993 (next to be held NA August 1999); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president election results: ONG Teng Cheong elected president in the country's first popular election for president; percent of vote - ONG Teng Cheong 59%, CHUA Kim Yeow 41%
Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (83 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 2 January 1997 (next to be held by 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 65% (in contested constituencies), other 35%; seats by party - PAP 81, WP 1, SPP 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, chief justice is appointed by the president with the advice of the prime minister, other judges are appointed by the president with the advice of the chief justice; Court of Appeals
Political parties and leaders: government : People's Action Party (PAP), GOH Chok Tong, secretary general opposition: Singapore Democratic Party (SDP), CHEE Soon Juan; Workers' Party (WP), J. B. JEYARETNAM; National Solidarity Party (NSP), C. K. TAN; Singapore People's Party (SPP), CHIAM See Tong
International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS (pending member), C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, Mekong Group, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNIKOM, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador CHAN Heng Chee chancery: 3501 International Place NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 537-3100 FAX: [1] (202) 537-0876
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Timothy A. CHORBA embassy : 27 Napier Road, Singapore 258508 mailing address: FPO AP 96534 telephone: [65] 476-9100 FAX: [65] 476-9340
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and white; near the hoist side of the red band, there is a vertical, white crescent (closed portion is toward the hoist side) partially enclosing five white five-pointed stars arranged in a circle
Economy
Economy - overview: Singapore has an open economy with strong service and manufacturing sectors and excellent international trading links derived from its entrepot history. A slump in global demand for electronics slowed Singapore's export growth in 1996, and as a result, real GDP grew 6.5%, down from 8.9% in 1995. The government predicts growth will be in the 5%-7% range in 1997. Rising labor costs continue to be a threat to Singapore's competitiveness, and the government's strategy to address this problem includes increasing productivity, improving infrastructure, and encouraging higher value-added industries. In applied technology, per capita output, investment, and labor discipline, Singapore has key attributes of a developed country.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $72.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 6.5% (1996)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $21,200 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NEGL% industry: 28% services : 72%
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 1.3% (1996)
Labor force: total: 1.801 million (1996 est.) by occupation : financial, business, and other services 33.5%, manufacturing 25.6%, commerce 22.9%, construction 6.6%, other 11.4% (1994)
Unemployment rate: 2.7% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $18.5 billion expenditures: $13.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $4.4 billion (FY96/97 est.)
Industries: petroleum refining, electronics, oil drilling equipment, rubber processing and rubber products, processed food and beverages, ship repair, entrepot trade, financial services, biotechnology
Industrial production growth rate: 7% (1996 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 4.51 million kW (1994)
Electricity - production: 22.1 billion kWh (1995)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 7,002 kWh (1995)
Agriculture - products: rubber, copra, fruit, vegetables; poultry
Exports: total value: $144.8 billion (1996 est.) commodities: computer equipment, rubber and rubber products, petroleum products, telecommunications equipment partners: Malaysia 19%, US 18%, Hong Kong 9%, Japan 8%, Thailand 6% (1995)
Imports: total value: $151.1 billion (1996 est., including goods for reexport) commodities: aircraft, petroleum, chemicals, foodstuffs partners: Japan 21%, Malaysia 15%, US 15%, Thailand 5%, Taiwan 4%, South Korea 4% (1995)
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid: $NA
Currency: 1 Singapore dollar (S$) = 100 cents