Chapter 109
Executive branch: chief of state: King JUAN CARLOS I (since 22 November 1975); Heir Apparent Prince FELIPE, son of the monarch, born 30 January 1968 head of government: President of the Government Jose Maria AZNAR Lopez (since 5 May 1996); First Vice President Francisco ALVAREZ CASCOS Fernandez (since 5 May 1996) and Second Vice President (and Minister of Economy and Finance) Rodrigo RATO Figaredo (since 5 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers designated by the president note: there is also a Council of State that is the supreme consultative organ of the government elections: the monarch is hereditary; president proposed by the monarch and elected by the National Assembly following legislative elections; election last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by NA April 2000); vice presidents appointed by the monarch on proposal of the president election results: Jose Maria AZNAR elected president; percent of National Assembly vote--NA
Legislative branch: bicameral; the General Courts or National Assembly or Las Cortes Generales consists of the Senate or Senado (256 seats--208 members directly elected by popular vote and the other 48 appointed by the regional legislatures to serve four-year terms) and the Congress of Deputies or Congreso de los Diputados (350 seats; members are elected by popular vote on block lists by proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate--last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by April 2000); Congress of Deputies--last held 3 March 1996 (next to be held by April 2000) election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--PP 132, PSOE 96, CiU 11, PNV 6, IU 2, others 9; Congress of Deputies--percent of vote by party--PP 38.9%, PSOE 37.5%, IU 10.7%, CiU 4.6%; seats by party--PP 156, PSOE 141, IU 21, CiU 16, other 16
Judicial branch: Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo
Political parties and leaders: principal national parties, from right to left: Popular Party or PP Gonzalez] Soley, secretary general] (a coalition of the Democratic Convergence
Political pressure groups and leaders: on the extreme left, the Basque Fatherland and Liberty or ETA and the First of October Antifascist Resistance Group or GRAPO use terrorism to oppose the unions (authorized in April 1977); Workers Confederation or CC.OO; the Socialist General Union of Workers or UGT and the smaller independent Workers Syndical Union or USO; business and landowning interests; the Catholic Church; Opus Dei; university students
International organization participation: AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MTCR, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Antonio OYARZABAL MARCHESI chancery: 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 consulate(s) general: Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans, New York, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Edward L. ROMERO embassy: Serrano 75, 28006 Madrid mailing address: APO AE 09642 consulate(s) general: Barcelona
Flag description: three horizontal bands of red (top), yellow (double width), and red with the national coat of arms on the hoist side of the yellow band; the coat of arms includes the royal seal framed by the Pillars of Hercules, which are the two promontories (Gibraltar and Ceuta) on either side of the eastern end of the Strait of Gibraltar
Economy
Economy--overview: Spain's mixed capitalist economy supports a GDP that on a per capita basis is three-fourths that of the four leading West European economies. Its center-right government successfully worked to gain admission to the first group of countries launching the European single currency on 1 January 1999. The deficit-to-GDP ratio is 2.1%, the debt-to-GDP ratio is around 68%, and inflation is approximately 2%. Moreover, the AZNAR administration has continued to advocate liberalization, privatization, and deregulation of the economy and has introduced some tax reforms to that end. Unemployment, nonetheless, remains the highest in the EU at 20%. The government, for political reasons, has made only limited progress in changing labor laws or reforming pension schemes, which are key to the sustainability of both Spain's internal economic advances and its competitiveness in a single currency area. Adjustment to the monetary and other economic policies of an integrated Europe will pose difficult challenges to Spain in the next few years.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$645.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$16,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 3.4% industry: 33.3% services: 63.3% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 16.2 million
Labor force--by occupation: services 64%, manufacturing, mining, and construction 28%, agriculture 8% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 20% (1998 est.)
Budget: revenues: $113 billion expenditures: $139 billion, including capital expenditures of $15 billion (1995)
Industries: textiles and apparel (including footwear), food and beverages, metals and metal manufactures, chemicals, shipbuilding, automobiles, machine tools, tourism
Industrial production growth rate: 5.8% (1998)
Electricity--production: 163.468 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 43.17% hydro: 23.92% nuclear: 32.74% other: 0.17% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 164.568 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 5.7 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 6.8 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: grain, vegetables, olives, wine grapes, sugar beets, citrus; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; fish
Exports: $111.1 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Exports--commodities: cars and trucks, other machinery and manufactured goods, foodstuffs, and other consumer goods
Exports--partners: EU 70% (France 20%, Germany 18%, Italy 10%, Portugal 9%, UK 8%), US 4.4% (1997)
Imports: $132.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)
Imports--commodities: machinery, transport equipment, fuels, semifinished goods, foodstuffs, consumer goods, chemicals (1997)
Imports--partners: EU 65% (France 17%, Germany 15%, Italy 9%, UK 8%, Benelux 7%), US 6%, Japan 3% (1997)
Debt--external: $90 billion (1993 est.)
Economic aid--donor: ODA, $1.3 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 peseta (Pta) = 100 centimos
Exchange rates: pesetas (Ptas) per US$1--143.39 (January 1999), 149.40 (1998), 146.41 (1997), 126.66 (1996), 124.69 (1995), 133.96 (1994) note: on 1 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed rate of 166.386 pesetas per euro; the euro will replace the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in 2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 12.6 million (1990 est.)
Telephone system: generally adequate, modern facilities domestic: NA international: 22 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat, NA Inmarsat, and NA Marecs; tropospheric scatter to adjacent countries
Radio broadcast stations: AM 190, FM 406 (repeaters 134), shortwave 0
Radios: 12 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 542 (382 network stations, 160 low-power stations, and one US Air Force Europe station) (1997)
Televisions: 15.7 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: total: 15,079 km broad gauge: 12,781 km 1.668-m gauge (6,355 km electrified; 2,295 km double track) standard gauge: 525 km 1.435-m gauge (480 km electrified) narrow gauge: 1,773 km 1.000-m gauge (594 km electrified) (1996)
Highways: total: 346,858 km paved: 343,389 km (including 9,063 km of expressways) unpaved: 3,469 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 1,045 km, but of minor economic importance
Pipelines: crude oil 265 km; petroleum products 1,794 km; natural gas 1,666 km
Ports and harbors: Aviles, Barcelona, Bilbao, Cadiz, Cartagena, Castellon de la Plana, Ceuta, Huelva, La Coruna, Las Palmas (Canary Islands), Malaga, Melilla, Pasajes, Gijon, Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Canary Islands), Santander, Tarragona, Valencia, Vigo
Merchant marine: total: 137 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,094,408 GRT/1,695,708 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 29, chemical tanker 10, container 10, liquefied gas tanker 3, oil tanker 25, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo 6, roll-on/roll-off cargo 35, short-sea passenger 6, specialized tanker 1 (1998 est.)
Airports: 99 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 66 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 21 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Civil Guard, National Police, Coastal Civil Guard
Military manpower--military age: 20 years of age
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: 10,374,314 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 8,346,155 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually: males: 311,350 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $6.3 billion (1995)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.4% (1995)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: Gibraltar issue with UK; Spain controls five places of sovereignty (plazas de soberania) on and off the coast of Morocco--the coastal enclaves of Ceuta and Melilla, which Morocco contests, as well as the islands of Penon de Alhucemas, Penon de Velez de la Gomera, and Islas Chafarinas
Illicit drugs: key European gateway country for Latin American cocaine and North African hashish entering the European market; transshipment point for and consumer of Southwest Asian heroin
======================================================================
@Spratly Islands ---------------
Geography
Location: Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines
Geographic coordinates: 8 38 N, 111 55 E
Map references: Southeast Asia
Area: total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea
Area--comparative: NA
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 926 km
Maritime claims: NA
Climate: tropical
Terrain: flat
Elevation extremes: lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 m
Natural resources: fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 100%
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: typhoons; serious maritime hazard because of numerous reefs and shoals
Environment--current issues: NA
Environment--international agreements: party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography--note: strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs
People
Population: no indigenous inhabitants note: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states
Government
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands
Data code: PG
Economy
Economy--overview: Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored, and there are no reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.
Transportation
Ports and harbors: none
Airports: 4 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)
Military
Military--note: Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs, of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone, which encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands, but has not publicly claimed the island
======================================================================
@Sri Lanka ---------
Geography
Location: Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India
Geographic coordinates: 7 00 N, 81 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 65,610 sq km land: 64,740 sq km water: 870 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 1,340 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October)
Terrain: mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
Natural resources: limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use: arable land: 14% permanent crops: 15% permanent pastures: 7% forests and woodland: 32% other: 32% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 5,500 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: occasional cyclones and tornadoes
Environment--current issues: deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff
Environment--international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography--note: strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes
People
Population: 19,144,875 (July 1999 est.) note: since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of late 1996, 63,068 were housed in refugee camps in south India, another 30,000-40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought political asylum in the West
Age structure: 0-14 years: 27% (male 2,650,135; female 2,535,092) 15-64 years: 67% (male 6,231,987; female 6,500,782) 65 years and over: 6% (male 592,539; female 634,340) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.1% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 18.16 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -1.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.67 years male: 69.89 years female: 75.59 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.1 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Sri Lankan(s) adjective: Sri Lankan
Ethnic groups: Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1%
Religions: Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Languages: Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18% note: English is commonly used in government and is spoken by about 10% of the population
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90.2% male: 93.4% female: 87.2% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka conventional short form: Sri Lanka former: Ceylon
Data code: CE
Government type: republic
Capital: Colombo
Administrative divisions: 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western
Independence: 4 February 1948 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence and National Day, 4 February (1948)
Constitution: adopted 16 August 1978
Legal system: a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist head of government: President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note--Sirimavo BANDARANAIKE is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 9 November 1994 (next to be held NA November 2000) election results: Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA elected president; percent of vote--Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (People's Alliance) 62%, Srima DISSANAYAKE (United National Party) 37%, other 1%
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 or ACTC Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil APPUHAMY]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils
Political pressure groups and leaders: Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE; 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, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAM chancery: 2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s): New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Shaun E. DONNELLY embassy: 210 Galle Road, Colombo 3 mailing address: P. O. Box 106, Colombo
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: In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic industries now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-98 with growth of 6.4% and 4.7%. For the next round of reforms, the central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more competition in the financial sector. A continuing cloud over the economy is the fighting between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils, which has cost 50,000 lives in the past 15 years. The global slowdown will temper growth in 1999.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$48.1 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 4.7% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 18% industry: 31% services: 51% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 35.3% (1990-91 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.8% highest 10%: 25.2% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 9.3% (1998)
Labor force: 6.2 million (1997)
Labor force--by occupation: services 46%, agriculture 37%, industry 17% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 11% (1997 est.)
Budget: revenues: $3 billion expenditures: $4.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $1 billion (1997 est.)
Industries: processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco
Industrial production growth rate: 6.5% (1996 est.)
Electricity--production: 5.05 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 4.95% hydro: 95.05% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 5.05 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef
Exports: $4.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds and other gems, coconut products, rubber products, petroleum products (1997)
Exports--partners: US 36%, UK 11%, Japan 6%, Germany 5%, Belgium-Luxembourg 4% (1997)
Imports: $5.3 billion (f.o.b., 1998)