Chapter 27
Environment--international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography--note: strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions
People
Population: 14,973,843 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 28% (male 2,137,255; female 2,044,605) 15-64 years: 65% (male 4,845,523; female 4,885,328) 65 years and over: 7% (male 440,010; female 621,122) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.23% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 17.81 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 5.53 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: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 10.02 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 75.46 years male: 72.33 years female: 78.75 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 2.25 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chilean(s) adjective: Chilean
Ethnic groups: white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish less than 1%
Languages: Spanish
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 95.2% male: 95.4% female: 95% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: Republic of Chile conventional short form: Chile local long form: Republica de Chile local short form: Chile
Data code: CI
Government type: republic
Capital: Santiago
Administrative divisions: 13 regions (regiones, singular--region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana, Tarapaca, Valparaiso note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
Independence: 18 September 1810 (from Spain)
National holiday: Independence Day, 18 September (1810)
Constitution: 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 30 July 1989
Legal system: based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; does not accept compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch: chief of state: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11 March 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (since 11 March 1994); note--the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 11 December 1993 (next to be held NA December 1999) election results: Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle elected president; percent of vote--Eduardo FREI Ruiz-Tagle (PDC) 58%, Arturo ALESSANDRI 24.4%, other 17.6%
Legislative branch: bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (48 seats, 38 elected by popular vote; members serve eight-year terms--one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: Senate--last held 11 December 1997 (next to be held NA December 2001); Chamber of Deputies--last held 11 December 1997 (next to be held NA December 2001) election results: Senate--percent of vote by party--NA%; seats by party--CPD (PDC 14, PS 4, PPD 2), UPP 17 (RN 7, UDI 10), Chile 2000 (UCCP) 1, independent 10; Chamber of Deputies--percent of vote by party--CPD 50.55% (PDC 22.98%, PS 11.10%, PPD 12.55%, PRSD 3.13%), UPP 36.23% (RN 16.78%, UDI 14.43%); seats by party--CPD 70 (PDC 39, PPD 16, PRSD 4, PS 11), UPP 46 (RN 24, UDI 21, Party of the South 1), right-wing independents 4
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema), judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected by the 21-member court
Political parties and leaders: Coalition of Parties for Democracy or CPD consists mainly of: Christian Democratic Party or PDC Javier ERRAZURIZ]
Political pressure groups and leaders: revitalized university student federations at all major universities; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations; Roman Catholic Church
International organization participation: APEC, CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-11, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMIBH, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Genaro Luis ARRIAGADA Herrera chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and San Juan (Puerto Rico)
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador John O'LEARY embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Santiago mailing address: APO AA 34033
Flag description: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center; design was based on the US flag
Economy
Economy--overview: Chile has a prosperous, essentially free market economy. Civilian governments--which took over from the military in March 1990--have continued to reduce the government's role in the economy while shifting the emphasis of public spending toward social programs. Growth in real GDP averaged more than 7.0% in 1991-1997 but fell to about half of that average in 1998 because of spillover from the global financial crisis. Inflation has been on a downward trend and hit a 60-year low in 1998. Chile's currency and foreign reserves also are strong, as sustained foreign capital inflows--including significant direct investment--have more than offset current account deficits and public debt buy-backs. President FREI, who took office in March 1994, has placed improving Chile's education system and developing foreign export markets at the top of his economic agenda. The Chilean economy remains largely dependent on a few sectors--particularly copper mining, fishing, and forestry. Success in meeting the government's goal of sustained annual economic growth of 5% depends largely on world prices for these commodities, continued foreign investor confidence, and the government's ability to maintain a conservative fiscal stance. In 1996, Chile became an associate member of Mercosur and concluded a free trade agreement with Canada.
GDP: purchasing power parity--$184.6 billion (1998 est.)
GDP--real growth rate: 3.5% (1998 est.)
GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$12,500 (1998 est.)
GDP--composition by sector: agriculture: 6% industry: 33% services: 61% (1997)
Population below poverty line: 20.5% (1994 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 46.1% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.7% (1998)
Labor force: 5.8 million (1998 est.)
Labor force--by occupation: services 38.3% (includes government 12%), industry and commerce 33.8%, agriculture, forestry, and fishing 19.2%, mining 2.3%, construction 6.4% (1990)
Unemployment rate: 6.4% (1998)
Budget: revenues: $17 billion expenditures: $17 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1996 est.)
Industries: copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles
Industrial production growth rate: -1.1% (1998)
Electricity--production: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--production by source: fossil fuel: 41.89% hydro: 58.11% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1996)
Electricity--consumption: 35.81 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)
Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)
Agriculture--products: wheat, corn, grapes, beans, sugar beets, potatoes, fruit; beef, poultry, wool; timber; fish
Exports: $14.9 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Exports--commodities: copper 37%, other metals and minerals 8.2%, wood products 7.1%, fish and fishmeal 9.8%, fruits 8.4% (1994)
Exports--partners: EU 25%, US 15%, Asia 34%, Latin America 20% (1995 est.)
Imports: $17.5 billion (f.o.b., 1998)
Imports--commodities: capital goods 25.2%, spare parts 24.8%, raw materials 15.4%, petroleum 10%, foodstuffs 5.7% (1994)
Imports--partners: EU 18%, US 25%, Asia 16%, Latin America 26% (1995 est.)
Debt--external: $31.5 billion (1998)
Economic aid--recipient: ODA, $50.3 million (1996 est.)
Currency: 1 Chilean peso (Ch$) = 100 centavos
Exchange rates: Chilean pesos (Ch$) per US$1--475.68 (January 1999), 460.29 (1998), 419.30 (1997), 412.27 (1996), 396.78 (1995), 420.08 (1994)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 1.5 million (1994 est.)
Telephone system: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with 3 earth stations international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 63 (in addition, there are 121 repeaters) (1997)
Televisions: 2.85 million (1992 est.)
Transportation
Railways: total: 6,782 km broad gauge: 3,743 km 1.676-m gauge (1,653 km electrified) narrow gauge: 116 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,923 km 1.000-m gauge (40 km electrified) (1995)
Highways: total: 79,800 km paved: 11,012 km unpaved: 68,788 km (1996 est.)
Waterways: 725 km
Pipelines: crude oil 755 km; petroleum products 785 km; natural gas 320 km
Ports and harbors: Antofagasta, Arica, Chanaral, Coquimbo, Iquique, Puerto Montt, Punta Arenas, San Antonio, San Vicente, Talcahuano, Valparaiso
Merchant marine: total: 42 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 527,201 GRT/787,719 DWT ships by type: bulk 11, cargo 10, chemical tanker 5, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 4, passenger 3, roll-on/roll-off cargo 4, vehicle carrier 2 (1998 est.)
Airports: 378 (1998 est.)
Airports--with paved runways: total: 58 over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 9 (1998 est.)
Airports--with unpaved runways: total: 320 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 73 under 914 m: 229 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army of the Nation, National Navy (includes Naval Air, Coast Guard, and Marines), Air Force of the Nation, Carabineros of Chile (National Police), Investigations Police
Military manpower--military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower--availability: males age 15-49: 3,968,176 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--fit for military service: males age 15-49: 2,943,206 (1999 est.)
Military manpower--reaching military age annually: males: 132,202 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures--dollar figure: $2.12 billion (1998); note--includes earnings from CODELCO Company and costs of pensions; does not include funding for the National Police (Carabineros) and Investigations Police
Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.79% (1998)
Transnational Issues
Disputes--international: short section of the southwestern boundary with Argentina is indefinite--process to resolve boundary issues is underway; Bolivia has wanted a sovereign corridor to the South Pacific Ocean since the Atacama area was lost to Chile in 1884; dispute with Bolivia over Rio Lauca water rights; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims
Illicit drugs: a growing transshipment country for cocaine destined for the US and Europe; economic prosperity has made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits; imported precursors pass on to Bolivia
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@China -----
Introduction
Background: For most of its 3,500 years of history, China led the world in agriculture, crafts, and science, then fell behind in the 19th century when the Industrial Revolution gave the West clear superiority in military and economic affairs. In the first half of the 20th century, China continued to suffer from major famines, civil unrest, military defeat, and foreign occupation. After World War II, the Communists under MAO Zedong established a dictatorship that, while ensuring China's autonomy, imposed strict controls over all aspects of life and cost the lives of tens of millions of people. After 1978, his successor DENG Xiaoping decentralized economic decision making; output quadrupled in the next 20 years. Political controls remain tight at the same time economic controls have been weakening. Present issues are: incorporating Hong Kong into the Chinese system; closing down inefficient state-owned enterprises; modernizing the military; fighting corruption; and providing support to tens of millions of displaced workers.
Geography
Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
Geographic coordinates: 35 00 N, 105 00 E
Map references: Asia
Area: total: 9,596,960 sq km land: 9,326,410 sq km water: 270,550 sq km
Area--comparative: slightly smaller than the US
Land boundaries: total: 22,143.34 km border countries: Afghanistan 76 km, Bhutan 470 km, Burma 2,185 km, Hong Kong 30 km, India 3,380 km, Kazakhstan 1,533 km, North Korea 1,416 km, Kyrgyzstan 858 km, Laos 423 km, Macau 0.34 km, Mongolia 4,673 km, Nepal 1,236 km, Pakistan 523 km, Russia (northeast) 3,605 km, Russia (northwest) 40 km, Tajikistan 414 km, Vietnam 1,281 km
Coastline: 14,500 km
Maritime claims: contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin territorial sea: 12 nm
Climate: extremely diverse; tropical in south to subarctic in north
Terrain: mostly mountains, high plateaus, deserts in west; plains, deltas, and hills in east
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Turpan Pendi -154 m highest point: Mount Everest 8,848 m
Natural resources: coal, iron ore, petroleum, natural gas, mercury, tin, tungsten, antimony, manganese, molybdenum, vanadium, magnetite, aluminum, lead, zinc, uranium, hydropower potential (world's largest)
Land use: arable land: 10% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 43% forests and woodland: 14% other: 33% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: 498,720 sq km (1993 est.)
Natural hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts
Environment--current issues: air pollution (greenhouse gases, sulfur dioxide particulates) from reliance on coal, produces acid rain; water shortages, particularly in the north; water pollution from untreated wastes; deforestation; estimated loss of one-fifth of agricultural land since 1949 to soil erosion and economic development; desertification; trade in endangered species
Environment--international agreements: party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Nuclear Test Ban
Geography--note: world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and US)
People
Population: 1,246,871,951 (July 1999 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26% (male 169,206,275; female 149,115,216) 15-64 years: 68% (male 435,047,915; female 408,663,265) 65 years and over: 6% (male 39,824,361; female 45,014,919) (1999 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.77% (1999 est.)
Birth rate: 15.1 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Death rate: 6.98 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.15 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (1999 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 43.31 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.92 years male: 68.57 years female: 71.48 years (1999 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1999 est.)
Nationality: noun: Chinese (singular and plural) adjective: Chinese
Ethnic groups: Han Chinese 91.9%, Zhuang, Uygur, Hui, Yi, Tibetan, Miao, Manchu, Mongol, Buyi, Korean, and other nationalities 8.1%
Religions: Daoism (Taoism), Buddhism, Muslim 2%-3%, Christian 1% (est.) note: officially atheist, but traditionally pragmatic and eclectic
Languages: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic divisions entry)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 81.5% male: 89.9% female: 72.7% (1995 est.)
Government
Country name: conventional long form: People's Republic of China conventional short form: China local long form: Zhonghua Renmin Gongheguo local short form: Zhong Guo abbreviation: PRC
Data code: CH
Government type: Communist state
Capital: Beijing
Administrative divisions: 23 provinces (sheng, singular and plural), 5 autonomous regions* (zizhiqu, singular and plural), and 4 municipalities** (shi, singular and plural); Anhui, Beijing**, Chongqing**, Fujian, Gansu, Guangdong, Guangxi*, Guizhou, Hainan, Hebei, Heilongjiang, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Jiangsu, Jiangxi, Jilin, Liaoning, Nei Mongol*, Ningxia*, Qinghai, Shaanxi, Shandong, Shanghai**, Shanxi, Sichuan, Tianjin**, Xinjiang*, Xizang* (Tibet), Yunnan, Zhejiang note: China considers Taiwan its 23rd province; see separate entry for the special administrative region of Hong Kong
Independence: 221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty 221 BC; Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic on 12 February 1912; People's Republic established 1 October 1949)
National holiday: National Day, 1 October (1949)
Constitution: most recent promulgation 4 December 1982
Legal system: a complex amalgam of custom and statute, largely criminal law; rudimentary civil code in effect since 1 January 1987; new legal codes in effect since 1 January 1980; continuing efforts are being made to improve civil, administrative, criminal, and commercial law
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch: chief of state: President JIANG Zemin (since 27 March 1993) and Vice President HU Jintao (since 16 March 1998) head of government: Premier ZHU Rongji (since 18 March 1998); Vice Premiers QIAN Qichen (since 29 March 1993), LI Lanqing (29 March 1993), WU Bangguo (since 17 March 1995), and WEN Jiabao (since 18 March 1998) cabinet: State Council appointed by the National People's Congress (NPC) elections: president and vice president elected by the National People's Congress for five-year terms; elections last held 16-18 March 1998 (next to be held NA March 2003); premier nominated by the president, confirmed by the National People's Congress election results: JIANG Zemin reelected president by the Ninth National People's Congress with a total of 2,882 votes (36 delegates voted against him, 29 abstained, and 32 did not vote); HU Jintao elected vice president by the Ninth National People's Congress with a total of 2,841 votes (67 delegates voted against him, 39 abstained, and 32 did not vote)
Legislative branch: unicameral National People's Congress or Quanguo Renmin Daibiao Dahui (2,979 seats; members elected by municipal, regional, and provincial people's congresses to serve five-year terms) elections: last held NA December-NA February 1998 (next to be held late 2002-NA March 2003) election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--NA
Judicial branch: Supreme People's Court, judges appointed by the National People's Congress
Political parties and leaders: Chinese Communist Party or CCP registered small parties controlled by CCP
Political pressure groups and leaders: no meaningful political opposition groups exist
International organization participation: AfDB, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, CDB (non-regional), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAIA (observer), MINURSO, NAM (observer), OPCW, PCA, UN, UN Security Council, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNOMSIL, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (applicant)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador LI Zhaoxing chancery: 2300 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador James R. SASSER embassy: Xiu Shui Bei Jie 3, 100600 Beijing mailing address: PSC 461, Box 50, FPO AP 96521-0002 consulate(s) general: Chengdu, Guangzhou, Shanghai, Shenyang
Flag description: red with a large yellow five-pointed star and four smaller yellow five-pointed stars (arranged in a vertical arc toward the middle of the flag) in the upper hoist-side corner
Economy