Chapter 37
Waterways: 3,500 km (including the Nile, Lake Nasser, Alexandria-Cairo Waterway, and numerous smaller canals in the delta); Suez Canal, 193.5 km long (including approaches), used by oceangoing vessels drawing up to 16.1 m of water
Pipelines: crude oil 1,171 km; petroleum products 596 km; natural gas 460 km
Ports and harbors: Alexandria, Al Ghardaqah, Aswan, Asyut, Bur Safajah, Damietta, Marsa Matruh, Port Said, Suez
Merchant marine: total: 156 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,151,960 GRT/1,771,863 DWT ships by type: bulk 21, cargo 65, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 14, passenger 35, refrigerated cargo 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 16, short-sea passenger 3 (1996 est.)
Airports: 81 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 73 over 3,047 m: 11 2,438 to 3,047 m : 34 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 4 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Command
Military manpower - military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 16,942,953 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males: 10,987,037 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 672,197 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $3.28 billion (FY95/96)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 8.2% (FY95/96)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: administrative boundary with Sudan does not coincide with international boundary creating the "Hala'ib Triangle," a barren area of 20,580 sq km
Illicit drugs: a transit point for Southwest Asian and Southeast Asian heroin and opium moving to Europe and the US; popular transit stop for Nigerian couriers; large domestic consumption of hashish from Lebanon and Syria ______________________________________________________________________
EL SALVADOR
@El Salvador:Geography
Location: Middle America, bordering the North Pacific Ocean, between Guatemala and Honduras
Geographic coordinates: 13 50 N, 88 55 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area: total: 21,040 sq km land: 20,720 sq km water: 320 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Massachusetts
Land boundaries: total: 545 km border countries: Guatemala 203 km, Honduras 342 km
Coastline: 307 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 200 nm
Climate: tropical; rainy season (May to October); dry season (November to April)
Terrain: mostly mountains with narrow coastal belt and central plateau
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Cerro El Pital 2,730 m
Natural resources: hydropower, geothermal power, petroleum
Land use: arable land: 27% permanent crops: 8% permanent pastures: 29% forests and woodland : 5% other: 31% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 1,200 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: known as the Land of Volcanoes; frequent and sometimes very destructive earthquakes and volcanic activity
Environment - current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution; contamination of soils from disposal of toxic wastes
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: smallest Central American country and only one without a coastline on Caribbean Sea
@El Salvador:People
Population: 5,661,827 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 38% (male 1,084,198; female 1,038,248) 15-64 years: 57% (male 1,538,609; female 1,709,756) 65 years and over : 5% (male 133,038; female 157,978) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.6% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 27.22 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 6.44 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: -4.81 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: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 30.3 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.27 years male : 65.89 years female: 72.81 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.13 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Salvadoran(s) adjective: Salvadoran
Ethnic groups: mestizo 94%, Amerindian 5%, white 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 75% note: there is extensive activity by Protestant groups throughout the country; by the end of 1992, there were an estimated 1 million Protestant evangelicals in El Salvador
Languages: Spanish, Nahua (among some Amerindians)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 71.5% male : 73.5% female: 69.8% (1995 est.)
@El Salvador:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of El Salvador conventional short form: El Salvador local long form: Republica de El Salvador local short form: El Salvador
Data code: ES
Government type: republic
National capital: San Salvador
Administrative divisions: 14 departments (departamentos, singular - departamento); Ahuachapan, Cabanas, Chalatenango, Cuscatlan, La Libertad, La Paz, La Union, Morazan, San Miguel, San Salvador, Santa Ana, San Vicente, Sonsonate, Usulutan
Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
Constitution: 20 December 1983
Legal system: based on civil and Roman law, with traces of common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state : President Armando CALDERON Sol (since 1 June 1994); Vice President Enrique BORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Armando CALDERON Sol (since 1 June 1994); Vice President Enrique BORGO Bustamante (since 1 June 1994); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 20 March 1994, with a run-off election held 24 April 1994 (next to be held NA March 1999) election results: Armando CALDERON Sol elected president; percent of vote - Armando CALDERON SOL (ARENA) 49.03%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 24.09%, Fidel CHAVEZ Mena (PDC) 16.39%, other 10.49%; because no candidate received a majority, a run-off election was held and the results were as follows - Armando CALDERON SOL (ARENA) 68.35%, Ruben ZAMORA Rivas (CD/FMLN/MNR) 31.65%
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Asamblea Legislativa (84 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve three-year terms) elections : last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2000) election results: percent of vote by party - ARENA 35.4%, FMLN 34.3%, PCN 8.1%, PDC 7.9%, CD 3.8%, PRSC 3.4%, PLD 3.2%, MU 2.1%, PD 1.0%, other 0.8%; seats by party - ARENA 28, FMLN 27, PCN 11, PDC 9, PRSC 3, CD 2, PLD 2, MU 1, PD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are selected by the Legislative Assembly
Political parties and leaders: National Republican Alliance or ARENA [Gloria SALGUERO Gross, president]; Farabundo Marti National Liberation Front or FMLN [Salvador SANCHEZ Ceren (aka Leonel GONZALEZ), general coordinator]; Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Ronal UMANA, secretary general]; National Conciliation Party or PCN [Ciro CRUZ Zepeda, secretary general]; Democratic Convergence or CD [Ruben ZAMORA, secretary general]; Unity Movement Party or MU [Jorge MARTINEZ Menendez, president]; Liberal Democratic Party or PLD [Kirio Waldo SALGADO, founder]; Democratic Party or PD (breakaway from FMLN) [Joaquin VILLALOBOS, founder, Ana Guadalupe MARTINEZ, leader]; Social Christian Renovation Party or PRSC (breakaway from PDC) [Abraham RODRIGUEZ, founder]
Political pressure groups and leaders: labor organizations - Salvadoran Communal Union or UCS (peasant association); General Confederation of Workers or CGT (moderate); United Workers Front or FUT; business organizations - Productive Alliance or AP (conservative); National Federation of Salvadoran Small Businessmen or FENAPES (conservative)
International organization participation: BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OAS, OPANAL, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ana Cristina SOL chancery: 2308 California Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-9671, 9672 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Anne PATTERSON embassy: Final Boulevard Santa Elena, Station Antiguo Cuscatlan, San Salvador mailing address: Unit 3116, APO AA 34023 telephone: [503] 278-4444 FAX : [503] 278-6011
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL; similar to the flag of Nicaragua, which has a different coat of arms centered in the white band - it features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band
Economy
Economy - overview: El Salvador possesses a fast-growing entrepreneurial economy in which 90% of economic activity is in private hands, with growth averaging 5% since 1990. Yet, because the 1980s were a decade of civil war and stagnation, per capita GDP has not regained the level of the late 1970s. The rebound in the 1990s stems from the government program, in conjunction with the IMF, of privatization, deregulation, and fiscal stabilization. The economy now is oriented more toward manufacturing and services compared with agriculture. The sizable trade deficits are in the main covered by remittances from the large number of Salvadorans abroad.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $12.2 billion (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,080 (1996 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 14% industry : 27% services: 59% (1995)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 7.4% (1996)
Labor force: total: 2.2 million (1996 est.) by occupation: agriculture 40%, commerce 16%, manufacturing 15%, government 13%, financial services 9%, transportation 6%, other 1%
Unemployment rate: 7.6% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues : $1.75 billion expenditures: $1.82 billion, including capital expenditures of $317 million (1997 est.)
Industries: food processing, beverages, petroleum, chemicals, fertilizer, textiles, furniture, light metals
Industrial production growth rate: 7.6% (1993)
Electricity - capacity: 900,000 kW (1996)
Electricity - production: 3.32 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity - consumption per capita: 580 kWh (1996 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, sugarcane, corn, rice, beans, oilseed, cotton, sorghum; beef, dairy products; shrimp
Exports: total value: $1.8 billion (f.o.b., 1996) commodities: coffee, sugarcane; shrimp; textiles, chemicals partners: US, Guatemala, Germany, Costa Rica, Honduras
Imports: total value: $3.2 billion (c.i.f., 1996) commodities : raw materials, consumer goods, capital goods partners: US, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Venezuela, Japan
Debt - external: $2.54 billion (yearend 1996)
Economic aid: recipient: ODA, $763 million (1996) note: US has committed $250 million in aid to El Salvador for 1992-96
Currency: 1 Salvadoran colon (C) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Salvadoran colones (C) per US$1 (end of period) - 8.755 (January 1997), 8.755 (1996), 8.755 (1995), 8.750 (1994), 8.670 (1993), 9.170 (1992), 8.080 (1991) note: as of 1 June 1990, the rate is based on the average of the buying and selling rates, set on a weekly basis, for official receipts and payments, imports of petroleum, and coffee exports; prior to that date, a system of floating was in effect
Fiscal year: calendar year
@El Salvador:Communications
Telephones: 300,000 (1996 est.)
Telephone system: domestic: nationwide microwave radio relay system international : satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); connected to Central American Microwave System
Radio broadcast stations: AM 18, FM 80, shortwave 2
Radios: 1 million (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 11 (1996 est.)
Televisions: 600,000 (1996 est.)
@El Salvador:Transportation
Railways: total: 602 km (single track; note - some sections abandoned, unusable, or operating at reduced capacity) narrow gauge: 602 km 0.914-m gauge
Highways: total: 12,320 km paved: 1,712 km (including 110 km of expressways) unpaved : 10,608 km (1995 est.)
Waterways: Rio Lempa partially navigable
Ports and harbors: Acajutla, Puerto Cutuco, La Libertad, La Union, Puerto El Triunfo
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 72 (1996 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 52 over 3,047 m : 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 48 (1996 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total : 20 914 to 1,523 m: 20 (1996 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1996 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,330,498 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males : 844,314 (1997 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males : 64,530 (1997 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $101 million (1996)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.9% (1996)
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: land boundary dispute with Honduras mostly resolved by 11 September 1992 International Court of Justice (ICJ) decision; with respect to the maritime boundary in the Golfo de Fonseca, ICJ referred to an earlier agreement in this century and advised that some tripartite resolution among El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua likely would be required
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for cocaine; marijuana produced for local consumption ______________________________________________________________________
EQUATORIAL GUINEA
@Equatorial Guinea:Geography
Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Biafra, between Cameroon and Gabon
Geographic coordinates: 2 00 N, 10 00 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 28,050 sq km land: 28,050 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: slightly smaller than Maryland
Land boundaries: total: 539 km border countries: Cameroon 189 km, Gabon 350 km
Coastline: 296 km
Maritime claims: exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical; always hot, humid
Terrain: coastal plains rise to interior hills; islands are volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Malabo 3,008 m
Natural resources: timber, petroleum, small unexploited deposits of gold, manganese, uranium
Land use: arable land : 5% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 4% forests and woodland: 46% other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: violent windstorms
Environment - current issues: tap water is not potable; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to : Biodiversity, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
Geography - note: insular and continental regions rather widely separated
@Equatorial Guinea:People
Population: 442,516 (July 1997 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 43% (male 95,636; female 95,090) 15-64 years : 53% (male 111,801; female 123,257) 65 years and over: 4% (male 7,407; female 9,325) (July 1997 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.57% (1997 est.)
Birth rate: 39.33 births/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Death rate: 13.67 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years : 0.91 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1997 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 95.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 53.46 years male: 51.2 years female: 55.8 years (1997 est.)
Total fertility rate: 5.11 children born/woman (1997 est.)
Nationality: noun: Equatorial Guinean(s) or Equatoguinean(s) adjective: Equatorial Guinean or Equatoguinean
Ethnic groups: Bioko (primarily Bubi, some Fernandinos), Rio Muni (primarily Fang), Europeans less than 1,000, mostly Spanish
Religions: nominally Christian and predominantly Roman Catholic, pagan practices
Languages: Spanish (official), pidgin English, Fang, Bubi, Ibo
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population : 78.5% male: 89.6% female: 68.1% (1995 est.)
@Equatorial Guinea:Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Equatorial Guinea conventional short form: Equatorial Guinea local long form: Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial local short form: Guinea Ecuatorial former : Spanish Guinea
Data code: EK
Government type: republic in transition to multiparty democracy
National capital: Malabo
Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia); Annobon, Bioko Norte, Bioko Sur, Centro Sur, Kie-Ntem, Litoral, Wele-Nzas
Independence: 12 October 1968 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 12 October (1968)
Constitution: new constitution 17 November 1991
Legal system: partly based on Spanish civil law and tribal custom
Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch: chief of state: President Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO (since 3 August 1979) head of government: Prime Minister Serafin Seriche DOUGAN (since April 1996); Vice Prime Minister Francisco Javier Ndongo MBENGONO (since April 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote to a seven-year term; election last held 25 February 1996 (next to be held NA February 2003) election results : President OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO reelected without opposition; percent of popular vote - NA
Legislative branch: unicameral House of Peoples Representatives or Camara de Representantes del Pueblo (80 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 21 November 1993 (next to be held November 1998) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - PDGE 68, CSD 6, UDS 5, CLD 1
Judicial branch: Supreme Tribunal
Political parties and leaders: ruling party: Democratic Party for Equatorial Guinea or PDGE [Brig. Gen. (Ret.) Teodoro OBIANG NGUEMA MBASOGO] opposition parties: Convergence for Social Democracy or CSD [Santiago Obama Ndong, president]; Democratic Social Union or UDS [Camelo MODU, general secretary]; Liberal Democratic Convention or CLD [Alfonso Nsue MIFUMU, president]; Liberal Party or PL [Santos PASCUAL]; National Democratic Union or UDENA [Jose MECHEBA Ikaka, president]; Party of the Social Democratic Coalition or PCSD [Buenaventura Moswi M'Asumu, general coordinater]; Party of Progress or PP [Severo MOTO Nsa, president]; Popular Action of Equatorial Guinea or APGE [Casiano Masi Edu]; Popular Union or UP [Juan BITUI, president]; Party for Progress of Equatorial Guinea or PPGE [Severo Moto NSA, president]; Progressive Democratic Alliance or ADP [Antonio-Ebang Mbele Abang, president]; Social Democratic and Popular Convergence or CSDP [Secundino Oyono Agueng Ada, general secretary]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Benjamin-Gabriel Balingha Balinga Alene, general secretary]; Socialist Party of Equatorial Guinea or PSGE [Tomas MICHEBE Fernandez, general secretary]
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, BDEAC, CEEAC, ECA, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OAU, UDEAC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission : Ambassador Pastor Micha ONDO BILE chancery: Suite 405, 1511 K Street NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone : [1] (202) 393-0525 FAX: [1] (202) 393-0348
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Equatorial Guinea (embassy closed September 1995); US relations with Equatorial Guinea are handled through the US Embassy in Yaounde, Cameroon
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side and the coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms has six yellow six-pointed stars (representing the mainland and five offshore islands) above a gray shield bearing a silk-cotton tree and below which is a scroll with the motto UNIDAD, PAZ, JUSTICIA (Unity, Peace, Justice)
Economy
Economy - overview: Farming, forestry, and fishing account for about half of GDP. Subsistence farming predominates. Although pre-independence Equatorial Guinea counted on cocoa production for hard currency earnings, the deterioration of the rural economy under successive brutal regimes has diminished potential for agriculture-led growth. A number of aid programs sponsored by the World Bank and the IMF have been cut off since 1993 because of the government's gross corruption and mismanagement. Businesses, for the most part, are owned by government officials and their family members. Undeveloped natural resources include titanium, iron ore, manganese, uranium, and alluvial gold. Oil exploration, taking place under concessions offered to US, French, and Spanish firms, has been moderately successful and has contributed to Equatorial Guinea's strong growth rates in the early 1990s. The country responded favorably to the devaluation of the CFA franc in January 1994.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $328 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 11.2% (1995 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $800 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 50% industry: 14% services: 36% (1994 est.)
Inflation rate - consumer price index: 10.9% (1995 est.)
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $27 million expenditures: $34.1 million, including capital expenditures of $11.2 million (1994)
Industries: fishing, sawmilling
Industrial production growth rate: 7.4% (1994 est.)
Electricity - capacity: 23,000 kW (1995)
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: coffee, cocoa, rice, yams, cassava (tapioca), bananas, palm oil nuts, manioc; livestock; timber
Exports: total value : $83.5 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities: timber, petroleum, cocoa partners: US 34%, Japan 16%, Spain 15%, China 12%, Cote d'Ivoire, Nigeria
Imports: total value: $52.3 million (f.o.b., 1995) commodities : petroleum, food, beverages, clothing, machinery partners: Spain 51%, Cameroon 21%, France 6%, US 4%
Debt - external: $252 million (1995 est.)
Economic aid: recipient : ODA, $NA
Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: CFA francs (CFAF) per US$1 - 541.69 (January 1997), 511.55 (1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994), 283.16 (1993), 264.69 (1992) note: beginning 12 January 1994, the CFA franc was devalued to CFAF 100 per French franc from CFAF 50 at which it had been fixed since 1948
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March