Chapter 124
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Christopher C. ASHBY embassy: Lauro Muller 1776, Montevideo mailing address: APO AA 34035
Flag description: nine equal horizontal stripes of white (top and bottom) alternating with blue; there is a white square in the upper hoist-side corner with a yellow sun bearing a human face known as the Sun of May and 16 rays alternately triangular and wavy
Economy
Economy--overview: Uruguay's small economy benefits from a favorable climate for agriculture and substantial hydropower production. The SANGUINETTI government's conservative monetary and fiscal policies are aimed at reducing inflation; other priorities include moving toward a more market-oriented economy, completing reform of the social security system, and increasing investment in education. Economic performance remains sensitive to conditions in Argentina and Brazil, largely because more than half of Uruguay's trade is conducted with its partners in Mercosur (the Southern Cone Common Market).
GDP: purchasing power parity--$28.4 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$8,600 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 8% industry: 26% services: 66% (1997)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 8.6% (1998)
Labor force: 1.38 million (1997 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: government 25%, manufacturing 19%, agriculture 11%, commerce 12%, utilities, construction, transport, and communications 12%, other services 21% (1988 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10.5% (November 1998)
Budget: revenues: $4 billion expenditures: $4.3 billion, with capital expenditures of $385 million (1997 est.)
Industries: meat processing, wool and hides, sugar, textiles, footwear, leather apparel, tires, cement, petroleum refining, wine
Industrial production growth rate: 5.6% (1997)
Electricity--production: 8.35 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 10.18% hydro: 89.82% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 8.223 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 437 million kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 310 million kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: wheat, rice, corn, sorghum; livestock; fish
Exports: $2.7 billion (f.o.b., 1997)
Exports--commodities: wool and textile manufactures, beef and other animal products, rice, fish and shellfish, chemicals
Exports--partners: Brazil, Argentina, US, Germany, Italy, UK
Imports: $3.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997)
Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, vehicles, chemicals, minerals, plastics, oil
Imports--partners: Brazil, Argentina, US, Italy, Germany, France, Spain
Debt--external: $4.6 billion (1996 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $79.7 million (1995)
Currency: 1 Uruguayan peso ($Ur) = 100 centesimos
Exchange rates: Uruguayan pesos ($Ur) per US$1--11.08 (January 1999), 9.98 (January 1998), 9.4418 (1997), 7.9718 (1996), 6.3491 (1995), 5.0529 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 767,333 (1997)
Telephone system: some modern facilities domestic: most modern facilities concentrated in Montevideo; new nationwide microwave radio relay network international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 72, FM 0, shortwave 28
Radios: 1.89 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 26 (in addition, there are ten low-power repeaters for the Montevideo station) (1997)
Televisions: 1,131,065 (1996)
Transportation
Railways: total: 2,994 km standard gauge: 2,073 km 1.435-m gauge (921 km closed) (1997)
Highways: total: 8,420 km paved: 7,578 km unpaved: 842 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,600 km; used by coastal and shallow-draft river craft
Ports and harbors: Fray Bentos, Montevideo, Nueva Palmira, Paysandu, Punta del Este, Colonia, Piriapolis
Merchant marine: total: 2 oil tankers (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 44,042 GRT/83,684 DWT (1998 est.)
Airports: 65 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 50 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 33 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Navy (includes Naval Air Arm, Coast Guard, Marines), Air Force, Police (Coracero Guard, Grenadier Guard)
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: 806,451 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 653,796 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $172 million (1998)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.9% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: two short sections of the boundary with Brazil are in dispute--Arroyo de la Invernada (Arroio Invernada) area of the Rio Cuareim (Rio Quarai) and the islands at the confluence of the Rio Cuareim (Rio Quarai) and the Uruguay River
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@Uzbekistan ----------
Geography
Location: Central Asia, north of Afghanistan
Geographic coordinates: 41 00 N, 64 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area: total: 447,400 sq km land: 425,400 sq km water: 22,000 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries: total: 6,221 km border countries: Afghanistan 137 km, Kazakhstan 2,203 km, Kyrgyzstan 1,099 km, Tajikistan 1,161 km, Turkmenistan 1,621 km
Coastline: 0 km note: Uzbekistan includes the southern portion of the Aral Sea with a 420 km shoreline
Maritime claims: none (doubly landlocked)
Climate: mostly midlatitude desert, long, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid grassland in east
Terrain: mostly flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes; broad, flat intensely irrigated river valleys along course of Amu Darya, Sirdaryo (Syr Darya), and Zarafshon; Fergana Valley in east surrounded by mountainous Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan; shrinking Aral Sea in west
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Sariqarnish Kuli -12 m highest point: Adelunga Toghi 4,301 m
Natural resources: natural gas, petroleum, coal, gold, uranium, silver, copper, lead and zinc, tungsten, molybdenum
Land use: arable land: 9% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 3% other: 41% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 40,000 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment--current issues: drying up of the Aral Sea is resulting in growing concentrations of chemical pesticides and natural salts; these substances are then blown from the increasingly exposed lake bed and contribute to desertification; water pollution from industrial wastes and the heavy use of fertilizers and pesticides is the cause of many human health disorders; increasing soil salination; soil contamination from agricultural chemicals, including DDT
Environment--international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: along with Liechtenstein, one of the only two doubly landlocked countries in the world
People
Population: 24,102,473 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 37% (male 4,556,973; female 4,413,617) 15-64 years: 58% (male 6,938,090; female 7,068,839) 65 years and over: 5% (male 443,604; female 681,350) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.32% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 23.43 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 7.75 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 71.58 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 63.91 years male: 60.29 years female: 67.71 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.82 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Uzbekistani(s) adjective: Uzbekistani
Ethnic groups: Uzbek 80%, Russian 5.5%, Tajik 5%, Kazakh 3%, Karakalpak 2.5%, Tatar 1.5%, other 2.5% (1996 est.)
Religions: Muslim 88% (mostly Sunnis), Eastern Orthodox 9%, other 3%
Languages: Uzbek 74.3%, Russian 14.2%, Tajik 4.4%, other 7.1%
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% (yearend 1996)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Uzbekistan conventional short form: Uzbekistan local long form: Uzbekiston Respublikasi local short form: none former: Uzbek Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: UZ
Government type: republic; effectively authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch; executive power concentrated in the presidency
Capital: Tashkent (Toshkent)
Administrative divisions: 12 wiloyatlar (singular--wiloyat), 1 autonomous republic* (respublikasi), and 1 city** (shahri); Andijon Wiloyati, Bukhoro Wiloyati, Farghona Wiloyati, Jizzakh Wiloyati, Khorazm Wiloyati (Urganch), Namangan Wiloyati, Nawoiy Wiloyati, Qashqadaryo Wiloyati (Qarshi), Qoraqalpoghiston* (Nukus), Samarqand Wiloyati, Sirdaryo Wiloyati (Guliston), Surkhondaryo Wiloyati (Termiz), Toshkent Shahri**, Toshkent Wiloyati note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence: 31 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 1 September (1991)
Constitution: new constitution adopted 8 December 1992
Legal system: evolution of Soviet civil law; still lacks independent judicial system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President Islom KARIMOV (since 24 March 1990, when he was elected president by the then Supreme Soviet) head of government: Prime Minister Otkir SULTONOV (since 21 December 1995) and 10 deputy prime ministers cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president with approval of the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 29 December 1991 (next to be held NA January 2000; note--extension of President KARIMOV's term for an additional four years overwhelmingly approved--99.6% of total vote in favor--by national referendum held 26 March 1995); prime minister and all other ministers appointed by the president election results: Islom KARIMOV elected president; percent of vote--Islom KARIMOV 86%, Muhammed SOLIH 12%, other 2%
Legislative branch: unicameral Supreme Assembly or Oliy Majlis (250 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 25 December 1994 (next to be held NA December 1999) election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--People's Democratic Party 207, Fatherland Progress Party 12, other 31; note--seating following the final runoff elections were held 22 January 1995: People's Democratic Party 69, Fatherland Progress Party 14, Social Democratic Party 47, local government 120 note: all parties in parliament support President KARIMOV
Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are nominated by the president and confirmed by the Supreme Assembly
Political parties and leaders: People's Democratic Party or NDP YULDASHEV, chairman]; Adolat (Justice) Social Democratic Party secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders: Birlik (Unity) Movement
International organization participation: AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sadyk SAFAYEV chancery: 1746 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph A. PRESEL embassy: 82 Chilanzarskaya, Tashkent 700115 mailing address: use embassy street address; US Embassy Tashkent, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-7110
Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and green separated by red fimbriations with a white crescent moon and 12 white stars in the upper hoist-side quadrant
Economy
Economy--overview: Uzbekistan is a dry, landlocked country of which 10% consists of intensely cultivated, irrigated river valleys. It was one of the poorest areas of the former Soviet Union with more than 60% of its population living in densely populated rural communities. Uzbekistan is now the world's third largest cotton exporter, a major producer of gold and natural gas, and a regionally significant producer of chemicals and machinery. Following independence in December 1991, the government sought to prop up its Soviet-style command economy with subsidies and tight controls on production and prices. Faced with high rates of inflation, however, the government began to reform in mid-1994, by introducing tighter monetary policies, expanding privatization, slightly reducing the role of the state in the economy, and improving the environment for foreign investors. Nevertheless, the state continues to be a dominating influence in the economy, and reforms have so far failed to bring about much-needed structural changes. The IMF suspended Uzbekistan's $185 million standby arrangement in late 1996 because of governmental steps that made impossible fulfillment of Fund conditions. Uzbekistan has responded to the negative external conditions generated by the Asian and Russian financial crises by tightening export and currency controls within its already largely closed economy.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$59.2 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 1% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 26% industry: 27% services: 47% (1996 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 40% (1998 est.)
Labor force: 11.9 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: agriculture and forestry 44%, industry 20%, services 36% (1995)
Unemployment rate: 5% plus another 10% underemployed (December 1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $4.4 billion expenditures: $4.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.1 billion (1997 est.)
Industries: textiles, food processing, machine building, metallurgy, natural gas
Industrial production growth rate: 5% (1998)
Electricity--production: 47.9 billion kWh (1998)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 84.18% hydro: 15.82% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 43.885 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 5.6 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 6.5 billion kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: cotton, vegetables, fruits, grain; livestock
Exports: $3.8 billion (1998)
Exports--commodities: cotton, gold, natural gas, mineral fertilizers, ferrous metals, textiles, food products, autos
Exports--partners: Russia, Ukraine, Eastern Europe, Western Europe
Imports: $4.1 billion (1998)
Imports--commodities: grain, machinery and parts, consumer durables, other foods
Imports--partners: principally other FSU, Czech Republic, Western Europe
Debt--external: $2.6 billion (1997 est.)
Economic aid--recipient: $276.6 million (1995)
Currency: Uzbekistani som (UKS)
Exchange rates: Uzbekistani soms (UKS) per US$1--111.9 (February 1999), 110.95 (December 1998), 75.8 (September 1997), 41.1 (1996), 30.2 (1995), 11.4 (1994), 1.0 (1993)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.475 million (1998 est.)
Telephone system: poorly developed; ambitiously engaged in telecommunications modernization domestic: in 1998 there were six cellular networks operating in Uzbekistan; 4 GSM, 1 D-AMPS, 1 AMPS standard international: linked by landline or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; new Intelsat links to Tokyo (Japan) and Ankara (Turkey) give Uzbekistan international access independent of Russian facilities; satellite earth stations--NA Orbita and NA Intelsat; Trans-Asia-Europe Fiber-Optic Line
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note--there are 12 radio broadcast stations including one state-owned broadcast station of NA type and four independent stations
Radios: 29,016,870
Television broadcast stations: 4 (in addition, there are two repeater stations that relay Russian ORT programs and Kazakh, Kyrgyz, and Tadzhik programs) (1997)
Televisions: 24,497,850
Transportation
Railways: total: 3,380 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines broad gauge: 3,380 km 1.520-m gauge (300 km electrified) (1993)
Highways: total: 81,600 km paved: 71,237 km (note--these roads are said to be hard surfaced, meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced) unpaved: 10,363 km dirt (1996 est.)
Waterways: 1,100 (1990)
Pipelines: crude oil 250 km; petroleum products 40 km; natural gas 810 km (1992)
Ports and harbors: Termiz (Amu Darya river)
Airports: 3 (1997 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1997 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, Security Forces (internal and border troops), National Guard
Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: 6,172,436 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 5,012,944 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually: males: 254,114 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $200 million (1997)
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.4% (1997)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: none
Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and very small amounts of opium poppy, mostly for domestic consumption, almost entirely eradicated by an effective government eradication program; increasingly used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Afghanistan to Russia and Western Europe and for acetic anhydride destined for Afghanistan
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@Vanuatu -------
Geography
Location: Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates: 16 00 S, 167 00 E
Map references: Oceania
Area: total: 14,760 sq km land: 14,760 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes more than 80 islands
Area--comparative: slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 2,528 km
Maritime claims: measured from claimed archipelagic baselines 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; moderated by southeast trade winds
Terrain: mostly mountains of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources: manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use: arable land: 2% permanent crops: 10% permanent pastures: 2% forests and woodland: 75% other: 11% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanism causes minor earthquakes
Environment--current issues: a majority of the population does not have access to a potable and reliable supply of water; deforestation
Environment--international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
People
Population: 189,036 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 39% (male 37,040; female 35,760) 15-64 years: 58% (male 56,649; female 53,799) 65 years and over: 3% (male 3,125; female 2,663) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 2.02% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 28.49 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 8.26 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 59.58 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.44 years male: 59.41 years female: 63.57 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.61 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural) adjective: Ni-Vanuatu
Ethnic groups: indigenous Melanesian 94%, French 4%, Vietnamese, Chinese, Pacific Islanders
Religions: Presbyterian 36.7%, Anglican 15%, Catholic 15%, indigenous beliefs 7.6%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6.2%, Church of Christ 3.8%, other 15.7%
Languages: English (official), French (official), pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 53% male: 57% female: 48% (1979 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu conventional short form: Vanuatu former: New Hebrides
Data code: NH
Government type: republic
Capital: Port-Vila
Administrative divisions: 6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
Independence: 30 July 1980 (from France and UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
Constitution: 30 July 1980
Legal system: unified system being created from former dual French and British systems
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal