Chapter 104
Legislative branch: bicameral Federal Assembly or Savezna Skupstina consists of the Chamber of Republics or Vece Republika (40 seats--20 Serbian, 20 Montenegrin; members distributed on the basis of party representation in the republican assemblies to serve four-year terms) and the Chamber of Citizens or Vece Gradjana (138 seats -, 108 Serbian with half elected by constituency majorities and half by proportional representation, 30 Montenegrin with six elected by constituency and 24 proportionally; members serve four-year terms) elections: Chamber of Republics--last held 24 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2000); Chamber of Citizens--last held 3 November 1996 (next to be held NA 2000) election results: Chamber of Republics--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--NA; note--seats are filled on a proportional basis to reflect the composition of the legislatures of the republics of Montenegro and Serbia; Chamber of Citizens--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--SPS/JUL/ND 64, Zajedno 22, DPSCG 20, SRS 16, NS 8, SVM 3, other 5; note--Zajedno coalition includes SPO, DS, GSS
Judicial branch: Federal Court or Savezni Sud, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms; Constitutional Court, judges are elected by the Federal Assembly for nine-year terms
Political parties and leaders: Serbian Socialist Party or SPS
Political pressure groups and leaders: NA
International organization participation: ICFTU, IOC, OPCW
Diplomatic representation in the US: the US and Serbia and Montenegro do not maintain full diplomatic relations; the Embassy of the former Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia continues to function in the US chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Counselor, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Nebojsa VUJOVIC chancery: 2410 California St. NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US and Serbia and Montenegro do not maintain full diplomatic relations chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Chief of Mission Richard M. MILES embassy: Kneza Milosa 50, 11000 Belgrade mailing address: American Embassy, Belgrade, United States Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5070 (pouch)
Economy
Economy--overview: The swift collapse of the Yugoslav federation in 1991 has been followed by highly destructive warfare, the destabilization of republic boundaries, and the breakup of important interrepublic trade flows. Output in Serbia and Montenegro dropped by half in 1992-93. Like the other former Yugoslav republics, it had depended on its sister republics for large amounts of energy and manufactures. Wide differences in climate, mineral resources, and levels of technology among the republics accentuated this interdependence, as did the communist practice of concentrating much industrial output in a small number of giant plants. The breakup of many of the trade links, the sharp drop in output as industrial plants lost suppliers and markets, and the destruction of physical assets in the fighting all have contributed to the economic difficulties of the republics. One singular factor in the economic situation of Serbia is the continuation in office of a government that is primarily interested in political and military mastery, not economic reform. Hyperinflation ended with the establishment of a new currency unit in June 1993; prices were relatively stable from 1995 through 1997, but inflationary pressures resurged in 1998. Reliable statistics continue to be hard to come by, and the GDP estimate is extremely rough. The economic boom anticipated by the government after the suspension of UN sanctions in December 1995 has failed to materialize. Government mismanagement of the economy is largely to blame. Also, the Outer Wall sanctions that exclude Belgrade from international financial institutions and an investment ban and asset freeze imposed in 1998 because of Belgrade's repressive actions in Kosovo have added to economic difficulties.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$25.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,300 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 25% industry: 50% services: 25% (1994 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 48% (1998 est.)
Labor force: NA
Labor force--by occupation: industry 41%, services 35%, trade and tourism 12%, transportation and communication 7%, agriculture 5% (1994)
Unemployment rate: more than 35% (1995 est.)
Budget: revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: machine building (aircraft, trucks, and automobiles; tanks and weapons; electrical equipment; agricultural machinery); metallurgy (steel, aluminum, copper, lead, zinc, chromium, antimony, bismuth, cadmium); mining (coal, bauxite, nonferrous ore, iron ore, limestone); consumer goods (textiles, footwear, foodstuffs, appliances); electronics, petroleum products, chemicals, and pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1997 est.)
Electricity--production: 36.155 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 63.44% hydro: 36.56% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 35.999 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 156 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: cereals, fruits, vegetables, tobacco, olives; cattle, sheep, goats
Exports: $2.3 billion (1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: manufactured goods, food and live animals, raw materials
Exports--partners: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Italy, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia
Imports: $3.9 billion (1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery and transport equipment, fuels and lubricants, manufactured goods, chemicals, food and live animals, raw materials
Imports--partners: Germany, Italy, Russia
Debt--external: $11.2 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $NA
Currency: 1 Yugoslav New Dinar (YD) = 100 paras
Exchange rates: Yugoslav New Dinars (YD) per US $1--official rate: 10.0 (December 1998), 5.85 (December 1997), 5.02 (September 1996), 1.5 (early 1995); black market rate: 14.5 (December 1998), 8.9 (December 1997), 2 to 3 (early 1995)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 700,000
Telephone system: domestic: NA international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: 27 (public or state-owned 1, private 26)
Radios: 2.015 million
Television broadcast stations: more than 771 (consisting of 86 strong stations, 685 low-power stations, and 20 repeaters in the principal networks; there are also numerous local or private stations in Serbia and Vojvodina) (1997)
Televisions: 1 million
Transportation
Railways: total: 3,987 km standard gauge: 3,987 km 1.435-m gauge (1,377 km partially electrified since 1992) (1998)
Highways: total: 50,414 km paved: 45,020 km (including 545 km of expressways) unpaved: 5,394 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: NA km
Pipelines: crude oil 415 km; petroleum products 130 km; natural gas 2,110 km
Ports and harbors: Bar, Belgrade, Kotor, Novi Sad, Pancevo, Tivat, Zelenika
Merchant marine: total: 1 short-sea passenger (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,437 GRT/400 DWT (owned by Montenegro) (1998 est.)
Airports: 48 (Serbia 43, Montenegro 5) (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 18 over 3,047 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 (Serbia 3, Montenegro 2) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 (Serbia 4, Montenegro 1) 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) under 914 m: 4 (Serbia 4, Montenegro 0) (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 30 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (Serbia 2, Montenegro 0) 914 to 1,523 m: 14 (Serbia 13, Montenegro 1) under 914 m: 14 (Serbia 13, Montenegro 1) (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army (including ground forces with border troops, naval forces, air and air defense forces)
Military manpower--military age: Serbia?NA years of age; Montenegro--19 years of age
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: Serbia--2,727,292; Montenegro--187,198 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: Serbia--2,183,534; Montenegro--150,415 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually: males: Serbia--NA; Montenegro--5,671 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $911 million (1999)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 6.5% (1999)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: disputes with Bosnia and Herzegovina over Serbian populated areas; Albanian majority in Kosovo seeks independence from Serbian republic; Serbia and Montenegro is disputing Croatia's claim to the Prevlaka Peninsula in southern Croatia because it controls the entrance to Boka Kotorska in Montenegro; Prevlaka is currently under observation by the UN military observer mission in Prevlaka (UNMOP); the border commission formed by The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Serbia and Montenegro in April 1996 to resolve differences in delineation of their mutual border has made no progress so far
Illicit drugs: major transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin moving to Western Europe on the Balkan route
======================================================================
@Seychelles ----------
Geography
Location: Eastern Africa, group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northeast of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 4 35 S, 55 40 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 455 sq km land: 455 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area--comparative: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 491 km
Maritime claims: continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)
Terrain: Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Morne Seychellois 905 m
Natural resources: fish, copra, cinnamon trees
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 13% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: 11% other: 74% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible
Environment--current issues: water supply depends on catchments to collect rain water
Environment--international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands
People
Population: 79,164 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 29% (male 11,712; female 11,569) 15-64 years: 64% (male 24,879; female 26,038) 65 years and over: 7% (male 1,709; female 3,257) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.65% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 19.39 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.56 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -6.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.65 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 70.95 years male: 66.61 years female: 75.42 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.97 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Seychellois (singular and plural) adjective: Seychelles
Ethnic groups: Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Anglican 8%, other 2%
Languages: English (official), French (official), Creole
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 58% male: 56% female: 60% (1971 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Seychelles conventional short form: Seychelles
Data code: SE
Government type: republic
Capital: Victoria
Administrative divisions: 23 administrative districts; Anse aux Pins, Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie Sainte Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand' Anse (on Mahe), Grand' Anse (on Praslin), La Digue, La Riviere Anglaise, Mont Buxton, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe La Rue, Port Glaud, Saint Louis, Takamaka
Independence: 29 June 1976 (from UK)
National holiday: National Day, 18 June (1993) (adoption of the constitution)
Constitution: 18 June 1993
Legal system: based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law
Suffrage: 17 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: President France Albert RENE reelected; percent of vote--France Albert RENE (SPPF) 61%, Wavel RAMKALAWAN (UO) 27%, Sir James MANCHAM (DP) 12%
Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Assemblee Nationale (35 seats--25 elected by popular vote, 10 allocated on a proportional basis to parties winning at least nine percent of the vote; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 20-22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party (elected)--SPPF 24, DP 1; seats by party (awarded)--SPPF 6, DP 1, UO 3 note: the 10 awarded seats are apportioned according to the share of each party in the total vote
Judicial branch: Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president; Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the president
Political parties and leaders: ruling party--Seychelles People's
Political pressure groups and leaders: trade unions; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, C, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, InOC, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Claude MOREL chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400C, New York, NY 10017
Diplomatic representation from the US: the US does not have an embassy in Seychelles; the ambassador to Mauritius is accredited to 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 expanded to roughly seven times the old near-subsistence level. Growth has been led by the tourist sector, which employs about 30% of the labor force and provides more than 70% of hard currency earnings, and by tuna fishing, which accounted for 70% of GDP in 1996-97. 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. Other issues facing the government are the curbing of the budget deficit and further privatization of public enterprises.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$550 million (1997 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 4.3% (1997 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$7,000 (1997 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 15% services: 81% (1994)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.6% (1997)
Labor force: 26,000 (1996)
Labor force--by occupation: industry 19%, services 57%, government 14%, fishing, agriculture, and forestry 10% (1989)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget: revenues: $220 million expenditures: $241 million, including capital expenditures of $36 million (1994 est.)
Industries: fishing; tourism; processing of coconuts and vanilla, coir (coconut fiber) rope, boat building, printing, furniture; beverages
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1992)
Electricity--production: 125 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 125 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla, sweet potatoes, cassava (tapioca), bananas; broiler chickens; tuna fish
Exports: $53 million ( f.o.b., 1995)
Exports--commodities: fish, cinnamon bark, copra, petroleum products (reexports)
Exports--partners: France, UK, China, Germany, Japan (1993)
Imports: $340 million (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: manufactured goods, food, petroleum products, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment
Imports--partners: China, Singapore, South Africa, UK (1993)
Debt--external: $170 million (1994 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $16.4 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Seychelles rupees (SRe) per US$1--5.4540 (January 1999), 5.2622 (1998), 5.0263 (1997), 4.9700 (1996), 4.7620 (1995), 5.0559 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
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: 50,000 (1996 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (in addition, there are 9 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 12,000 (1996 est.)
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways: total: 280 km paved: 176 km unpaved: 104 km (1996 est.)
Ports and harbors: Victoria
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 14 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Coast Guard, Marines, air wing, National Guard, Presidential Protection Unit, Police Force
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: 22,420 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 11,242 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $13.7 million (1995)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: claims Chagos Archipelago in British Indian Ocean Territory
======================================================================
@Sierra Leone ------------
Introduction
Background: On 25 May 1997, the democratically-elected government of President Ahmad Tejan KABBAH was overthrown by a disgruntled coalition of army personnel from the Armed Forces Revolutionary Council (AFRC) and the Revolutionary United Front (RUF) under the command of Major Johnny Paul KOROMA; President KABBAH fled to exile in Guinea. The Economic Community of West African States Cease-Fire Monitoring Group (ECOMOG) forces, led by a strong Nigerian contingent, undertook the suppression of the rebellion. They were initially unsuccessful, but, by October 1997, they forced the rebels to agree to a cease-fire and to a plan to return the government to democratic control. President KABBAH returned to office on 10 March 1998 to face the task of restoring order to a demoralized population and a disorganized and severely damaged economy. Many of the leaders of the coup were tried and executed in October 1998. In January 1999, the situation had deteriorated even further, with commerce at a standstill, hundreds of thousands of people driven from their homes, and bitter fighting between the AFRC/RUF and ECOMOG troops intensifying by large-scale import of arms.
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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
People
Population: 5,296,651 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 45% (male 1,182,181; female 1,219,956) 15-64 years: 52% (male 1,307,475; female 1,423,046) 65 years and over: 3% (male 82,374; female 81,619) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 4.34% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 45.62 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 16.77 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 14.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 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: 1.01 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 126.23 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 49.13 years male: 46.07 years female: 52.27 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 6.16 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sierra Leonean(s) adjective: Sierra Leonean