Chapter 106

Legislative branch: unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system to serve six-year terms) elections: last held 16 August 1994 (next to be held by August 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - PA 49.0%, UNP 44.0%, SLMC 1.8%, TULF 1.7%, SLPF 1.1%, EPDP 0.3%, UPF 0.3%, PLOTE 0.1%, other 1.7%; seats by party - PA 105, UNP 94, EPDP 9, SLMC 7, TULF 5, PLOTE 3, SLPF 1, UPF 1

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the Judicial Service Commission; Court of Appeals

Political parties and leaders: All Ceylon Tamil Congress (ACTC), C. G. Kumar PONNAMBALAM; Ceylon Workers Congress (CLDC), S. THONDAMAN; Communist Party, K. P. SILVA; Communist Party/Beijing (CP/B), N. SHANMUGATHASAN; Democratic People's Liberation Front (DPLF), leader NA; Democratic United National Front (DUNF), G. M. PREMACHANDRA; Eelam People's Democratic Party (EPDP), Douglas DEVANANDA; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front (EPRL), Suresh PREMACHANDRAN; Eelam Revolutionary Organization of Students (EROS), Shankar RAJI; Lanka Socialist Party/Trotskyite (LSSP, or Lanka Sama Samaja Party), Colin R. DE SILVA; Liberal Party (LP), Chanaka AMARATUNGA; New Socialist Party (NSSP, or Nava Sama Samaja Party), Vasudeva NANAYAKKARA; People's Alliance (PA), Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam (PLOTE), Dharmalingam SIDARTHAN; People's United Front (MEP, or Mahajana Eksath Peramuna), Dinesh GUNAWARDENE; Sri Lanka Freedom Party (SLFP), Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress (SLMC), M. H. M. ASHRAFF; Sri Lanka People's Party (SLMP, or Sri Lanka Mahajana Party), Ossie ABEYGUNASEKERA; Sri Lanka Progressive Front (SLPF), leader NA; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization (TELO), leader NA; Tamil United Liberation Front (TULF), M. SIVASITHAMBARAM; United National Party (UNP), Dingiri Banda WIJETUNGA; Upcountry People's Front (UPF), leader NA; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils note: the United Socialist Alliance (USA), which was formed in 1987 and included the NSSP, LSSP, SLMP, CP/M, and CP/B, was defunct as of 1993, following the formation of the People's Alliance Party (PA)

Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE) and other smaller Tamil separatist groups; other radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups; Buddhist clergy; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups; labor unions

International organization participation: AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Geetha DE SILVA chancery : 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 483-4025 through 4028 FAX : [1] (202) 232-7181 consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador A. Peter BURLEIGH embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address : P. O. Box 106, Colombo telephone: [94] (1) 448007 FAX: [94] (1) 437345, 446013

Flag description: yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels

Economy

Economy - overview: Industry - dominated by the fast-growing apparel industry - has surpassed agriculture as the main source of export earnings. The economy has been plagued by high rates of unemployment since the late 1970s. Economic growth accelerated in 1991-95 as domestic conditions began to improve and conditions for foreign investment brightened. In 1996, however, a drought, slow economic reform, and civil war exacted a heavy economic toll. Insufficient monsoon rains caused power cuts that hurt industrial and agricultural production, and the stepped-up Tamil insurgency reduced foreign investment and tourism - two key sources of foreign exchange. Meanwhile, Colombo's counterinsurgency efforts caused defense expenditures to overshoot budget targets by 42%. In 1997, agricultural production should recover from the effects of last year's drought, but industry will still be hampered by high real interest rates, slow improvement in foreign investment inflows, and stalled progress on privatization. The government's main challenge this year will be to curb defense and social welfare spending to cut the budget deficit as a percentage of GDP in half by 1998, as stipulated in its deficit reduction program.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $69.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $3,760 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.8% industry: 24.7% services : 51.5% (1994)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 15.9% (1996)

Labor force: total: 6.2 million (1994) by occupation: agriculture 42%, services 40%, industry 18% (1994)

Unemployment rate: 13.1% (1994)

Budget: revenues : $3 billion expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1997)

Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco

Industrial production growth rate: 6.2% (1996 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 1.56 million kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 4.33 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 236 kWh (1995 est.)

Agriculture - products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, roots, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, meat

Exports: total value: $4 billion (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: textiles and apparel, tea, petroleum products, diamonds, other gems, rubber products (1994) partners : US 34.8%, UK 8.9%, Germany 6.9%, Belgium-Luxembourg 5.9% (1994)

Imports: total value: $5 billion (c.i.f., 1996 est.) commodities: textiles, machinery and equipment, transport equipment, petroleum, building materials, sugar (1994) partners: Japan 11.0%, India 8.5%, South Korea 6.8%, Hong Kong 6.6%, Taiwan 5.2%, Singapore 4.9% (1994)

Debt - external: $9.6 billion (1995)

Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $602 million (1995 est.)

Currency: 1 Sri Lankan rupee (SLRe) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Sri Lankan rupees (SLRes) per US$1 - 56.921 (January 1997), 55.271 (1996), 51.252 (1995), 49.415 (1994), 48.322 (1993), 43.830 (1992)

Fiscal year: calendar year

@Sri Lanka:Communications

Telephones: 175,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: very inadequate domestic service, good international service domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 5, shortwave 0

Radios: 3.525 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 5

Televisions: 865,000 (1992 est.)

@Sri Lanka:Transportation

Railways: total: 1,484 km broad gauge: 1,459 km 1.676-m gauge narrow gauge: 25 km 0.762-m gauge (1995)

Highways: total: 98,642 km paved: 37,484 km unpaved: 61,158 km (1993 est.)

Waterways: 430 km; navigable by shallow-draft craft

Pipelines: crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987)

Ports and harbors: Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee

Merchant marine: total: 26 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 220,660 GRT/329,365 DWT ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 13, container 1, oil tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 8 (1996 est.)

Airports: 13 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 12 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 6 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 5,066,744 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 3,946,315 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 184,619 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $736 million (1997)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.7% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: none ______________________________________________________________________

SUDAN

@Sudan:Geography

Location: Northern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Egypt and Eritrea

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 30 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area: total: 2,505,810 sq km land: 2.376 million sq km water : 129,810 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly more than one-quarter the size of the US

Land boundaries: total : 7,687 km border countries: Central African Republic 1,165 km, Chad 1,360 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo 628 km, Egypt 1,273 km, Eritrea 605 km, Ethiopia 1,606 km, Kenya 232 km, Libya 383 km, Uganda 435 km

Coastline: 853 km

Maritime claims: contiguous zone : 18 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical in south; arid desert in north; rainy season (April to October)

Terrain: generally flat, featureless plain; mountains in east and west

Elevation extremes: lowest point : Red Sea 0 m highest point: Kinyeti 3,187 m

Natural resources: petroleum; small reserves of iron ore, copper, chromium ore, zinc, tungsten, mica, silver, gold

Land use: arable land : 5% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 19% other: 30% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 19,460 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: dust storms

Environment - current issues: inadequate supplies of potable water; wildlife populations threatened by excessive hunting; soil erosion; desertification

Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note: largest country in Africa; dominated by the Nile and its tributaries

@Sudan:People

Population: 32,594,128 (July 1997 est.)

Age structure: 0-14 years: 46% (male 7,584,401; female 7,271,175) 15-64 years: 52% (male 8,536,476; female 8,492,043) 65 years and over : 2% (male 398,591; female 311,442) (July 1997 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.06% (1997 est.)

Birth rate: 40.54 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Death rate: 11.16 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Net migration rate: 1.17 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)

Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.28 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 74.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Life expectancy at birth: total population: 55.54 years male: 54.6 years female: 56.53 years (1997 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.79 children born/woman (1997 est.)

Nationality: noun: Sudanese (singular and plural) adjective: Sudanese

Ethnic groups: black 52%, Arab 39%, Beja 6%, foreigners 2%, other 1%

Religions: Sunni Muslim 70% (in north), indigenous beliefs 25%, Christian 5% (mostly in south and Khartoum)

Languages: Arabic (official), Nubian, Ta Bedawie, diverse dialects of Nilotic, Nilo-Hamitic, Sudanic languages, English note: program of Arabization in process

Literacy: definition : age 15 and over can read and write total population: 46.1% male: 57.7% female: 34.6% (1995 est.)

@Sudan:Government

Country name: conventional long form: Republic of the Sudan conventional short form: Sudan local long form: Jumhuriyat as-Sudan local short form: As-Sudan former : Anglo-Egyptian Sudan

Data code: SU

Government type: transitional - previously ruling military junta; presidential and National Assembly elections held in March 1996; new constitution to be drafted by the National Assembly

National capital: Khartoum

Administrative divisions: 26 states (wilayat, singular - wilayat or wilayah*); A'ali an Nil, Al Bahr al Ahmar, Al Buhayrat, Al Jazirah, Al Khartum, Al Qadarif, Al Wahdah, An Nil al Abyad, An Nil al Azraq, Ash Shamaliyah*, Bahr al Jabal, Gharb al Istiwa'iyah, Gharb Bahr al Ghazal, Gharb Darfur, Gharb Kurdufan, Janub Darfur, Janub Kurdufan, Junqali, Kassala, Nahr an Nil, Shamal Bahr al Ghazal, Shamal Darfur, Shamal Kurdufan, Sharq al Istiwa'iyah, Sinnar, Warab

Independence: 1 January 1956 (from Egypt and UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 1 January (1956)

Constitution: 12 April 1973, suspended following coup of 6 April 1985; interim constitution of 10 October 1985 suspended following coup of 30 June 1989; new constitution to be drafted following national elections held in March 1996

Legal system: based on English common law and Islamic law; as of 20 January 1991, the now defunct Revolutionary Command Council imposed Islamic law in the northern states; Islamic law applies to all residents of the northern states regardless of their religion; some separate religious courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal, but noncompulsory

Executive branch: chief of state : President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Major General al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 19 October 1993), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government : President Lt. General Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR (since 16 October 1993); First Vice President Major General al-Zubayr Muhammad SALIH (since 19 October 1993), Second Vice President (Police) Maj. General George KONGOR AROP (since NA February 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the president; note - President al-BASHIR's government is dominated by members of Sudan's National Islamic Front, a fundamentalist political organization formed from the Muslim Brotherhood in 1986; front leader Hasan al-TURABI dominates much of Khartoum's overall domestic and foreign policies; President al-BASHIR named a new cabinet on 20 April 1996 which includes members of the National Islamic Front, serving and retired military offficers, and civilian technocrats elections : president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR elected president; percent of vote - Umar Hasan Ahmad al-BASHIR 75.7%; note - about forty other candidates ran for president note : al-BASHIR, as chairman of the Revolutionary Command Council for National Salvation (RCC), assumed power on 30 June 1989 and served concurrently as chief of state, chairman of the RCC, prime minister, and minister of defense until 16 October 1993 when he was appointed president by the RCC; upon its dissolution on 16 October 1993, the RCC's executive and legislative powers were devolved to the president and the Transitional National Assembly (TNA), Sudan's appointed legislative body, which has since been replaced by the National Assembly which was elected in March 1996

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (400 seats; 275 elected by popular vote, 125 elected by a supraassembly of interest groups known as the National Congress; members serve four-year terms) elections : last held 6-17 March 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: NA; the March 1996 elections were held on a nonparty basis; parties are banned in the new National Assembly

Judicial branch: Supreme Court; Special Revolutionary Courts

Political parties and leaders: none; banned following 30 June 1989 coup

Political pressure groups and leaders: National Islamic Front, Hasan al-TURABI

International organization participation: ABEDA, ACP, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGADD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OAU, OIC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Mahdi Ibrahim MOHAMED chancery: 2210 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 338-8565 through 8570 FAX : [1] (202) 667-2406 consulate(s) general: New York

Diplomatic representation from the US: operations in Khartoum were suspended in February 1996; Ambassador to Sudan Timothy M. CARNEY and several members of the mission have relocated to Nairobi, Kenya and operate out of the US Embassy there; the embassy is located at the corner of Moi Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue; mailing address: P. O. Box 30137, Unit 64100, APO AE 09831; telephone: [254] (2) 334141; FAX: [254] (2) 340838

Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black with a green isosceles triangle based on the hoist side

Economy

Economy - overview: Sudan is buffeted by civil war, chronic political instability, adverse weather, high inflation, a drop in remittances from abroad, and counterproductive economic policies. The private sector's main areas of activity are agriculture and trading, with most private industrial investment predating 1980. Agriculture employs 80% of the work force. Industry mainly processes agricultural items. Sluggish economic performance over the past decade, attributable largely to declining annual rainfall, has kept per capita income at low levels. A large foreign debt and huge arrearages continue to cause difficulties. In 1990 the International Monetary Fund took the unusual step of declaring Sudan noncooperative because of its nonpayment of arrearages to the Fund. After Sudan backtracked on promised reforms in 1992-93, the IMF threatened to expel Sudan from the Fund. To avoid expulsion, Khartoum agreed to make payments on its arrears to the Fund, liberalize exchange rates, and reduce subsidies, measures it has partially implemented. The government's continued prosecution of the civil war and its growing international isolation continued to inhibit growth in the nonagricultural sectors of the economy during 1996. Hyperinflation has raised consumer prices above the reach of most. Popular unrest erupted several times in 1996 in reaction to unpopular government economic decisions.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $26.6 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $860 (1996 est.)

GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 33% industry : 17% services: 50% (1992 est.)

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 133% (1996 est.)

Labor force: total: 11 million (1996 est.) by occupation: agriculture 80%, industry and commerce 10%, government 6% note: labor shortages for almost all categories of skilled employment (1983 est.)

Unemployment rate: 30% (FY92/93 est.)

Budget: revenues: $382 million expenditures: $1.06 billion, including capital expenditures of $91 million (1995 est.)

Industries: cotton ginning, textiles, cement, edible oils, sugar, soap distilling, shoes, petroleum refining

Industrial production growth rate: 6.8% (FY92/93 est.)

Electricity - capacity: 500,000 kW (1994)

Electricity - production: 1.3 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita: 37 kWh (1994 est.)

Agriculture - products: cotton, groundnuts, sorghum, millet, wheat, gum arabic, sesame; sheep

Exports: total value: $500 million (f.o.b., 1996 est.) commodities: cotton 44%, livestock/meat 13%, gum arabic 11%, sesame 10% partners : Egypt 33.3%, Saudi Arabia 16.6%, Japan 13.4%, Italy 12% (1995)

Imports: total value: $1 billion (1996 est.) commodities: foodstuffs, petroleum products, manufactured goods, machinery and equipment, medicines and chemicals, textiles partners : EU 29.4%, US 17.6%, Saudi Arabia 8.7%, Egypt 6.3% (1995)

Debt - external: $18.5 billion (1996 est.)

Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $387 million (1993)

Currency: 1 Sudanese pound (£Sd) = 100 piastres

Exchange rates: Sudanese pounds (£Sd) per US$1 - official rate: 1,454.0 (December 1996), 750.0 (November 1995), 277.8 (1994), 153.8 (1993), 69.4 (1992); market rate: 1,4600.00 (January 1997), 1,250.79 (1996), 571.02 (August 1995), 289.61 (1994), 159.31 (1993), 97.43 (1992) note : the market rate is a unified exchange rate determined by a committee of local bankers, without official intervention, and is quoted uniformly by all commercial banks

Fiscal year: calendar year note: prior to July 1995, Sudan had a fiscal year that began on 1 July and ended on 30 June; as a transition to their new fiscal year, a six-month budget was implemented for 1 July - 31 December 1995; the new calendar year (1 January - 31 December) fiscal year became effective 1 January 1996

@Sudan:Communications

Telephones: 77,215 (1983 est.)

Telephone system: large, well-equipped system by African standards, but barely adequate and poorly maintained by modern standards domestic: consists of microwave radio relay, cable, radiotelephone communications, tropospheric scatter, and a domestic satellite system with 14 earth stations international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat

Radio broadcast stations: AM 11, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 6.67 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 3

Televisions: 2.06 million (1992 est.)

@Sudan:Transportation

Railways: total: 5,516 km narrow gauge: 4,800 km 1.067-m gauge; 716 km 1.6096-m gauge plantation line

Highways: total : 11,610 km paved: 4,203 km unpaved: 7,407 km (1995 est.)

Waterways: 5,310 km navigable

Pipelines: refined products 815 km

Ports and harbors: Juba, Khartoum, Kusti, Malakal, Nimule, Port Sudan, Sawakin

Merchant marine: total: 4 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 37,359 GRT/49,422 DWT ships by type: cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2 (1996 est.)

Airports: 56 (1996 est.)

Airports - with paved runways: total: 20 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 under 914 m: 8 (1996 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 36 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m : 24 (1996 est.)

Heliports: 1 (1996 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Popular Defense Force Militia

Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 7,437,363 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 4,576,117 (1997 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 341,516 (1997 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Kenya does not coincide with international boundary; administrative boundary with Egypt does not coincide with international boundary creating the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km ______________________________________________________________________

SURINAME

@Suriname:Geography

Location: Northern South America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between French Guiana and Guyana

Geographic coordinates: 4 00 N, 56 00 W

Map references: South America

Area: total: 163,270 sq km land: 161,470 sq km water: 1,800 sq km

Area - comparative: slightly larger than Georgia

Land boundaries: total: 1,707 km border countries: Brazil 597 km, French Guiana 510 km, Guyana 600 km

Coastline: 386 km

Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds

Terrain: mostly rolling hills; narrow coastal plain with swamps

Elevation extremes: lowest point : unnamed location in the coastal plain -2 m highest point: Wilhelmina Gebergte 1,286 m