1981 Edition

Area

o 0 .TURKS AND CAICOS IS.

11,396 km2; 1% cultivated, 29% forested, 70% built on, wasteland, and other

27,713 km2; 31% cultivated, 18% rough pastures, 7% forested, 44% unproductive

111,370 km2; 20% agricultural, 30% jungle and swamps, 40% forested, 10% unclassified

261 km!; 40% arable, 10% pasture, 17% forest, 33% wasteland and built on

389 km2 (including northern Grenadines); 50% arable, 3% pasture, 44% forest, 3% wasteland and built on

Coastline

3,542 km (New Providence Island, 76 km)

1,771 km

579 km

135 km

84 km

Land boundaries

1,336 km

Land boundary

361 km

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

3 inn (fishing 200 nm)

12 nm (fishing 200 nm; 200 nm exclusive economic zone)

200 nm

3 nm

3 nm (fishing 12 nm)

Ethnic divisions

80% Negro, 10% white, 10% mixed

over 90% Negro, nearly 10% mulatto, few whites

97% indigenous Negroid African tribes, including Kpelle, Bassa, Kru, Grebo, Gola, Kissi, Krahn, and Mandingo; 3% descendants of repatriated slaves known as A mericoLiberians

mainly of African Negro descent

mainly of African Negro descent; remainder mixed with some white and East Indian and Carib Indian

Labor force

101,000 (1979), 25% organized; 19% unemployment (1979)

2.3 million (est. 1975); 79% agriculture, 14% services, 7% industry, 5% unemployed; shortage of skilled labor; unskilled labor abundant

510,000, of which 160,000 are in monetary economy; nonAfrican foreigners hold about 95% of the toplevel management and engineering jobs

30,000 (1979 est.)

61,000 (1979 est); about 20% unemployed (1978)

Language

English

French (official) spoken by only 10% of population; all speak Creole

English official; 28 tribal languages or dialects, pidgin English used by about 20%

English

English, some French patois

Literacy

10% to 12%

about 24% over age 5

about 88-90%

about 80%

Nationality

noun — Bahamian(s); adjective — Bahamian

noun — Haitian(s); adjective — Haitian

noun — Liberian(s); adjective — Liberian

noun — Kittsian(s), Nevisian(s); adjective — Kittsian, Nevisian

noun — St. Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s); adjectives— St. Vincentian or Vincentian

Organized labor

less than 1% of labor force

2% of labor force

6,700

10% of labor force

Population

237,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.8%

6,054,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.2%

2,024,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 3.2%

52,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 0.8%

121,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.9%

Religion

Baptists 29%, Church of England 23%, Roman Catholic 23%, smaller groups of other Protestant, Greek Orthodox, and Jews

10% Protestant, 75% to 80% Roman Catholic (of which an overwhelming majority also practice Voodoo)

probably more Muslims than Christians; 70%-80% animist

Church of England, other Protestant sects, Roman Catholic

Church of England, Methodist, Roman Catholic

Branches

bicameral legislature (appointed Senate, elected House); executive (Prime Minister and Cabinet); judiciary

lifetime President, unicameral 58-member legislature of very limited powers, judiciary appointed by President

executive and legislative powers held by military People's Redemption Council, assisted by military Cabinet; judicial powers vested in People's Supreme Tribunal and lower courts

legislative, 10-member popularly elected House of Assembly; executive, Cabinet headed by Premier

Capital

Nassau (New Providence Island)

Port-au-Prince

Monrovia

Basseterre

Kingstown

Communists

United Haitian Communist Party (PUCH), illegal and in exile; domestic strength unknown; party leaders in exile

no Communist Party and only a few sympathizers

none known

Elections

House of Assembly (19 July 1977); next election due constitutionally in five years

constitution as amended in 1971 provides for lifetime president to be designated by his predecessor and ratified by electorate in plebiscite; legislative elections, which are held every six years, last held February 1979 Political parties and leaders: National Unity Party, inactive government party; Haitian Christian Democratic Party, Sylvio Claude; Haitian Christian Social Party, Gregoire Eugene Voting strength (1979 legislative elections): 99% regime loyalists; 1 independent elected

military has set 12 April 1985 as the date for return to civilian rule Political parties and leaders: political activities suspended; before coup True Whig Party dominated; African Socialist-oriented Progressive People's Party headed by B. Gabriel Matthews had recently been legalized; unauthorized Marxist-oriented Movement for Justice in Africa, led by Togba Nab Tipoteh and Amos Sawyer

at least every five years; most recent 18 February 1980 Political parties and leaders: St. Christopher-Nevis Labor Party (SKLP), Lee Moore; People's Action Movement (PAM), Kennedy Simmonds; Nevis Reformation Party (NRP), Simeon Daniel Voting strength (February 1980 election): SKLP won 4 seats in the House of Assembly, PAM won 3, NRP won 2

every five years; most recent 5 December 1979 Political parties and leaders: People's Political Party (PPP), Ebenezer Joshua; St. Vincent Labor Party (LP), R. Milton Cato; People's Democratic Party, Parnell Campbell and Kenneth John; United People's Movement (UPM), Ralph Gonsalves and Renwick Rose; Progressive Democratic Party (PDP), Randolph Russell; New Democratic Party (NDP), James "Son" Mitchell Voting strength (1979 election): LP 11 seats, NDP 2 seats in the legislature

Government leader

President-for-Life Jean-Claude DUVALIER

Gen. Samuel Kanyon DOE (replaced President William R. Tolbert)

Government leaders

Prime Minister Lynden O. PINDLING; Governor General Gerald C. CASH

Premier Kennedy A. SIMMONDS; Governor Clement A. ARRINDELL

Prime Minister R. Milton CATO; Governor General (UK) Sir Sydney GUNN-MUNRO

Legal system

based on English law

based on Roman civil law system; constitution adopted 1964 and amended 1971; legal education at State University in Port-au-Prince and private law colleges HAITI (Continued) in Cap-Haitien, Les Cayes, Gonaives, and Jeremie; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

constitution suspended; martial law imposed; laws previously in force remain until repealed or amended by decrees issued by People's Redemption Council

based on English common law; constitution of 1960; highest judicial organ is Court of Appeal of Leeward and Windward Islands

based on English common law; constitution of 1960; highest judicial body is Court of Appeal of Leeward and Windward Islands

Member of

FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDE, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, ITU, OAS, SELA, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO

AFDB, EGA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMCO, IMF, IPU, ITU, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

CARICOM, ISO

CARICOM

National holiday

Independence Day, 10 July

Independence Day, 1 January

National Redemption Day, 12 April

Official name

The Commonwealth of The Bahamas

Republic of Haiti

Republic of Liberia

State of St. Christopher-Nevis

St. Vincent and the Grenadines

Other political or pressure groups

none

Political subdivisions

five departments (despite constitutional provision for nine)

country divided into 9 counties

10 districts

Suffrage

universal over age 18; registered voters (July 1977) 73,309

universal over age 18

universal 18 years and over

universal adult suffrage

universal adult suffrage (18 years old and over)

Type

independent commonwealth since July 1973, recognizing Elizabeth II as Chief of State

republic under the 14-year dictatorship of Frangois Duvalier who was succeeded upon his death on 21 April 1971 by his son, Jean-Claude

highly centralized military rule following coup on 12 April 1980

dependent territory with full internal autonomy as a British "Associated State"; Anguilla formally seceded in May 1967 and reverted to British crown colony status on 19 December 1980

independent state within Commonwealth as of 27 October 1979

Agriculture

main crops — coffee, sugarcane, rice, corn, sorghum, pulses; caloric intake, 1,850 calories per day per capita

rubber, rice, oil palm, cassava, coffee, cocoa; imports of rice, wheat, and live cattle and beef are necessary for basic diet

main crops — sugar on St. Christopher, cotton on Nevis

main crop — bananas

Aid

economic — bilateral commitments including Ex-Im (FY70-80) from US, $200.0 million; (1970-79) ODA and OOF from other Western countries, $130.8 million; military—US (FY70-80), $1.9 million

economic commitments — Western (non-US), ODA and OOF (1970-79), $324.0 million; US authorizations (including Ex-Im) (FY70-80), $182.7 million; Communist (197079), $23.0 million; military— US (FY70-80), $13.1 million

economic — bilateral commitments including Ex-Im (1970-79) from Western (non-US) countries, $14.6 million; no military aid

economic — bilateral economic commitments, ODA and OOF (1970-79), from Western (non-US) countries, $23.0 million; no military aid

Budget

(1979/80 est.) revenue, $142 million; expenditure, $274 million

(FY81) revenues $251.8 million, current expenditures $204.3 million, development expenditures $126.0 million

(1980 prelim.) revenues, $20 million; expenditures, $24 million

(1980/81 est.) revenues, $18 million; expenditures, $29 million

Electric power

150,000 kW capacity (1981); 300 million kWh produced (1981), 51 kWh per capita

355,000 kW capacity (1980); 1.0 billion kWh produced (1980), 534 kWh per capita

12,000 kW capacity (1981); 30 million kWh produced (1981), 603 kWh per capita

6,500 kW capacity (1981); 20 million kWh produced (1981), 168 kWh per capita

Exports

$138 million (f.o.b., 1979); coffee, light industrial products, bauxite, sugar, essential oils, sisal

$600.4 million (f.o.b., 1980 est.); iron ore, rubber, diamonds, lumber and logs, coffee, cocoa

$20 million (f.o.b., 1980 est.); sugar

$17 million (f.o.b., 1980 est); bananas, arrowroot, copra

Fiscal year

1 October-30 September

1 July-30 June

Fishing

catch 13,484 metric tons (1979 est.)

GDP

$1.04 billion (1980), $660 per capita; -3.1% real annual growth rate (1980)

$33 million (1980 est.), $672 per capita; 3.3% real growth in 1980

GNP

$1.3 billion (1979), $258 per capita; real growth rate 1980, 7%

$47 million (1980 est.), $440 per capita; 1% real economic growth in 1980

Imports

$227 million (f.o.b., 1979); consumer durables, foodstuffs, industrial equipment, petroleum products, construction materials

$550.7 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); machinery, transportation equipment, petroleum products, manufactured goods, foodstuffs

$43 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); foodstuffs, manufactures, fuel

$57 million (c.i.f., 1980 est.); foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels

Industry

rubber processing, food processing, construction materials, furniture, palm oil processing, mining (iron ore, diamonds), 15,000 b/d oil refinery

Major industries

sugar refining, textiles, flour milling, cement manufacturing, bauxite mining, tourism, light assembly industries

sugar processing, tourism

food processing

Major trade partners

exports — 77% US; imports — 51% US (1977)

US, West Germany, Netherlands, Italy, Belgium

exports — 50% US, 35% UK; imports—21% UK, 17% Japan, 11% US (1973)

exports— 61% UK, 30% CARICOM, 9% US; imports— 29% CARICOM, 28% UK, 9% Canada, 9% US (1972)

Monetary conversion rate

5 gourdes=US$l

Liberia uses US currency

2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$l

2.70 East Caribbean dollars=US$l

Airfields

15 total, 13 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 5 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

2 total, 2 usable; 2 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

5 total, 5 usable; 3 with permanent-surface runways, 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Civil air

7 major transport aircraft, including 2 leased in

no major transport aircraft

no major transport aircraft

Highways

3,200 km total; 600 km paved, 950 km otherwise improved, 1,650 km unimproved

300 km total; 125 km paved, 125 km otherwise improved, 50 km unimproved earth

600 km total; 300 km paved; 150 km otherwise improved; 150 km unimproved earth

Inland waterways

negligible; about 100 km navigable

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,334,000; 774,000 fit for military service; about 65,000 reach military age (18) annually

Ports

2 major (Port-au-Prince, Cap Haitien), 12 minor

2 minor (1 on each island)

1 major (Kingstown), 1 minor

Railroads

80 km narrow gauge (0.760 m), single-track, privately owned industrial line; 8 km dual-gauge 0.760to 1.065-meter gauge, government line, dismantled

499 km total; 354 km standard gauge (1.435 m), 145 km narrow gauge (1.067 m); all lines single track; rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with Liberian Government

57 km, narrow gauge (0.760 m) on St. Christopher for sugarcane

none

Telecommunications

all domestic facilities inadequate, international facilities slightly better; telephone expansion program underway; 18,000 telephones (0.3 per 100 popl.); 40 AM and 5 FM stations; 1 TV station; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station DEFENSE FORCES

good interisland VHF/UHF/SHF radio connections and international link via Antigua and St. Martin; about 2,400 telephones (5.0 per 100 popl.); 2 AM and 5 TV stations

islandwide fully automatic telephone system with 5,300 sets (5.3 per 100 pop!.); VHF/UHF interisland links to Barbados and the Grenadines; 2 AM stations