1989 Edition

Climate

tropical

tropical cyclones (hurricanes) develop off the coast of Africa near Cape Verde and move westward into the Caribbean Sea; hurricanes can occur from May to December, but are most frequent from August to November

generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north

tropical; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds

tropical, but moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April

tropical marine; humid; cooler season during southeast monsoon (late May to September); warmer season during northwest monsoon (March to May)

tropical; hot, humid; summer rainy season (May to December); winter dry season (December to April)

mostly semiarid; subtropical along coast; sunny days, cool nights

Coastline

74.1 km

111,866 km

25,760 km

698 km

138.9 km

201 km

491 km

402 km

2,881 km

Comparative area

about 8.5 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC

slightly less than nine times the size of the US; second-largest of the world's four oceans (after the Pacific Ocean, but larger than Indian Ocean or Arctic Ocean)

slightly smaller than the US

about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC

about 0.8 times the size of Washington, DC

slightly smaller than Rhode Island

slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC

slightly smaller than South Carolina

slightly less than twice the size of Texas

Contiguous zone

12 nm

1 2 nm

1 2 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploration

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

edge of continental margin or 200 nm

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Disputes

territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory)

Diego Garcia is claimed by

claims Tromelin Island

South Africa administered Namibia until independence was achieved on 21 March 1990; possible future claim to Walvis Bay by Namibia

Environment

surrounded by shoals and reefs; Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983

endangered marine species include the manatee, seals, sea lions, turtles, and whales; municipal sludge pollution off eastern US, southern Brazil, and eastern Argentina; oil pollution in Caribbean Sea, Gulf of Mexico, Lake Maracaibo, Mediterranean Sea, and North Sea; industrial waste and municipal sewage pollution in Baltic Sea, North Sea, and Mediterranean Sea; icebergs common in Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, and the northwestern Atlantic from February to Atlantic Ocean (continued) Australia August and have been spotted as far south as Bermuda and the Madeira Islands; icebergs from Antarctica occur in the extreme southern Atlantic

subject to severe droughts and floods; cyclones along coast; limited freshwater availability; irrigated soil degradation; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as the doctor occurs along west coast in summer; desertification

almost completely surrounded by a reef

periodic devastating cyclones

lies outside the cyclone belt, so severe storms are rare; short droughts possible; no fresh water, catchements collect rain; 40 granitic and about 50 coralline islands

extensive mangrove swamps hinder access to sea; deforestation; soil degradation

lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures

Exclusive fishing zone

200 nm

200 nm

200 nm

200 nm

Extended economic zone

200 nm

200 nm

Land boundaries

none

none

none

none

none

none

958 km total; Guinea 652 km, Liberia 306 km

4,973 km total; Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 1,078 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km

Land use

0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other — grass and sand

6% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 58% meadows and pastures; 14% forest and woodland; 22% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

0% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 100% other

20% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 4% meadows and pastures; 35% forest and woodland; 39% other; includes 2% irrigated

4% arable land; 18% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 1 8% forest and woodland; 60% other

25% arable land; 2% permanent crops; 3 1 % meadows and pastures; 29% forest and woodland; 1 3% other; includes NEGL% irrigated

10% arable land; 1% permanent crops; 65% meadows and pastures; 3% forest and woodland; 21% other; includes 1% irrigated

Natural resources

fish

oil and gas fields, fish, marine mammals (seals and whales), sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, polymetallic nodules, precious stones

bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, crude oil

phosphate

fish, arable land

fish, copra, cinnamon trees

diamonds, titanium ore, bauxite, iron ore, gold, chromite

gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas

Note

located in extreme eastern Indian Ocean between Australia and Indonesia 320 km off the northwest coast of Australia

ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north Atlantic from October to May and extreme south Atlantic from May to October; persistent fog can be a hazard to shipping from May to September; major choke points include the Dardanelles, Strait of Gibraltar, access to the Panama and Suez Canals; strategic straits include the Dover Strait, Straits of Florida, Mona Passage, The Sound (Oresund), and Windward Passage; north Atlantic shipping lanes subject to icebergs from February to August; the Equator divides the Atlantic Ocean into the North Atlantic Ocean and South Atlantic Ocean

world's smallest continent but sixthlargest country

located along major sea lanes of

located 750 km east of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean

located north-northeast of Madagascar in the Indian Ocean

Walvis Bay is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia; completely surrounds Lesotho; almost completely surrounds

Terrain

low with sand and coral

surface usually covered with sea ice in Labrador Sea, Denmark Strait, and Baltic Sea from October to June; clockwise warm water gyre (broad, circular system of currents) in the north Atlantic, counterclockwise warm water gyre in the south Atlantic; the ocean floor is dominated by the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a rugged north-south centerline for the entire Atlantic basin; maximum depth is 8,605 meters in the Puerto Rico Trench

mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast

steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau

mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast

Mahe Group is granitic, narrow coastal strip, rocky, hilly; others are coral, flat, elevated reefs

coastal belt of mangrove swamps, wooded hill country, upland plateau, mountains in east

vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain

Territorial sea

3 nm

3 nm

3 nm

3 nm

1 2 nm

1 2 nm

200 nm

1 2 nm

Total area

5 km2; land area: 5 km2; includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island

82,217,000 km2; includes Baltic Sea, Black Sea, Caribbean Sea, Davis Strait, Denmark Strait, Drake Passage, Gulf of Mexico, Mediterranean Sea, North Sea, Norwegian Sea, Weddell Sea, and other tributary water bodies

7,686,850 km2; land area: 7,617,930 km2; includes Macquarie Island

60 km2; land area: 60 km2

135 km2; land area: 135 km2

2,510 km2; land area: 2,500 km2

455 km2; land area: 455 km2

71,740 km2; land area: 71,620 km2

1,221,040 km2; land area: 1,221,040 km2; includes Walvis Bay, Marion Island, and Prince Edward Island

Total area

Iboni X 4 Domoni

Birth rate

1 5 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

NA births/ 1,000 population (1990)

24 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

24 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

47 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

8 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

NA deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

5 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

7 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

21 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

95% Caucasian, 4% Asian, 1% Aboriginal and other

61% Chinese, 25% Malay, 1 1% European, 3% other; no indigenous population

most of the population is of intermixed French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, and Indian ancestry

Seychellois (mixture of Asians, Africans, Europeans)

99% native African (30% Temne, 30% Mende); 1% Creole, European, Lebanese, and Asian; 13 tribes

Infant mortality rate

8 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

NA deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

9 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

1 5 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

154 deaths/ 1,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

7,700,000; 33.8% finance and services, 22.3% public and community services, 20.1% wholesale and retail trade, 16.2% manufacturing and industry, 6.1% agriculture (1987) Organized labor 62% of labor force (1986)

NA; 30% agriculture, 21% industry, 49% services (1981); 63% of population of working age (1983)

27,700; 31% industry and commerce, 21% services, 20% government, 12% agriculture, forestry, and fishing, 16% other (1985); 57% of population of working age (1983)

1 ,369,000 (est.); 65% agriculture, 19% industry, 16% services (1981); only about 65,000 earn wages (1985); 55% of population of working age

Language

English, native languages

French (official); Creole widely used

English and French (official); Creole

English (official); regular use limited to literate minority; principal vernaculars are Mende in south and Temne in north; Krio is the language of the resettled ex-slave population of the Freetown area and is lingua franca

Life expectancy at birth

73 years male, 80 years female (1990)

NA years male, NA years female (1990)

70 years male, 76 years female (1990)

65 years male, 75 years female (1990)

42 years male, 47 years female (1990)

Literacy

98.5%

NA%, but over 80% among younger generation

60%

31% (1986)

Nationality

noun — Australian(s); adjective— Australian

noun — Christmas Islander(s). adjective — Christmas Island

noun — Reunionese (sing, and pi.); adjective — Reunionese

noun — Seychellois (sing, and pi.); adjective — Seychelles

noun — Sierra Leonean(s); adjective— Sierra Leonean

Net migration rate

6 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

NA migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

— 8 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

0 migrants/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

General Confederation of Workers of Reunion (CGTR)

three major trade unions

35% of wage earners

Population

no permanent inhabitants; seasonal caretakers

16,923,478 (July 1990), growth rate 1.3% (1990)

2,278 (July 1990), growth rate 0.0% (1990)

595,583 (July 1990), growth rate 1.9% (1990)

68,336 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)

4,165,953 (July 1990), growth rate 2.6% (1990)

Religion

26.1% Anglican, 26.0% Roman Catholic, 24.3% other Christian

94% Roman Catholic

90% Roman Catholic, 8% Anglican, 2% other

30% Muslim, 30% indigenous beliefs, 10% Christian, 30% other or none

Total fertility rate

1.8 children born/ woman (1990)

NA children born/ woman (1990)

2.6 children born/ woman (1990)

2.6 children born/ woman (1990)

6.2 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

none (territory of Australia)

6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia

none (overseas department of France)

none; note — there may be 21 administrative districts named Anse Boileau, Anse Etoile, Anse Louis, Anse Royale, Baie Lazare, Baie St. Anne, Beau Vallon, Bel Air, Bel Ombre, Cascade, Glacis, Grand Anse (on Mahe Island), Grand Anse (on Praslin Island), La Digue, Mont Fleuri, Plaisance, Pointe Larue, Port-Glaud, Riviere Anglaise, St. Louis, Takamaka

4 provinces; Eastern, Northern, Southern, Western

Capital

Canberra

Saint-Denis

Victoria

Freetown

Communists

4,000 members (est.)

Communist party small but has support among sugarcane cutters, the minuscule Popular Movement for the Liberation of Reunion (MPLR), and in the district of Le Port

negligible, although some Cabinet ministers espouse pro-Soviet line

no party, although there are a few Communists and a slightly larger number of sympathizers

Constitution

9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901

28 September 1958 (French Constitution)

5 June 1979

14 June 1978

Dependent areas

Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island

Diplomatic representation

none (territory of Australia)

Ambassador Michael J. COOK; Chancery at 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington DC 20036; telephone (202) 797-3000; there are Australian Consulates General in Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, Pago Pago (American Samoa), and San Francisco; US — Ambassador Melvin F. SEMBLER; Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600 (mailing address is APO San Francisco 6404); telephone [61] (62) 705000; there are US Consulates General in Melbourne, Perth, and Sydney, and a Consulate in Brisbane

as an overseas department of France, Reunionese interests are represented in the US by France

Second Secretary, Charge d'Affaires ad interim Marc R. MARENGO; Chancery (temporary) at 820 Second Avenue, Suite 201, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 6879766; US— Ambassador James MORAN; Embassy at 4th Floor, Victoria House, Victoria (mailing address is Box 148, Victoria, or APO New York 09030); telephone 23921 or 23922

Elections

Senate— last held 11 July 1987 (next to be held by 12 May 1990); results — Labor 43%, Liberal-National 42%, Australian Democrats 8%, independents 2%; seats— (76 total); Labor 32, Liberal-National 34, Australian Democrats 7, independents 3; House of Representatives — last held 24 March 1990 (next to be held by November 1993); results— Labor 39.7%, LiberalNational 43%, Australian Democrats and independents 11.1%; seats— (148 total) Labor 78, Liberal-National 69, independent 1

Regional Council — last held 16 March 1986 (next to be held March 1991); results— RPR/UDF 36.8%, PCR 28.2%, FRA and other right wing 17.3%, PS 14.1%, other 3.6%; seats— <45 total) RPR/UDF 18, PCR 13, FRA and other right wing 8, PS 6; French Senate — last held 24 September 1989 (next to be held September 1992); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (3 total) RPR-UDF 1, PS 1, independent 1; French National Assembly — last held 5 and 12 June 1988 (next to be held June 1993); results — percent of vote by party NA; seats— (5 total) PCR 2, RPR 1, UDF-CDS 1, FRA 1

President — last held 91 1 June 1989 (next to be held June 1994); results — President France Albert Rene reelected without opposition; National Assembly — last held 5 December 1987 (next to be held December 1992); results— SPPF is the only party; seats— (25 total, 23 elected) SPPF 23

President — last held 1 October 1985 (next to be held October 1992); results— Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh was elected without opposition; House of Representatives — last held 30 May 1986 (next to be held May 1991); results — APC is the only party; seats — (127 total, 105 elected) APC 105

Executive branch

British monarch, governor general, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

French president, Commissioner of the Republic

president, Council of Ministers

president, two vice presidents, Cabinet

Flag

blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars

the flag of France is used

three horizontal bands of red (top), white (wavy), and green; the white band is the thinnest, the red band is the thickest

Independence

1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)

none (overseas department of France)

29 June 1976 (from UK)

27 April 1961 (from UK)

Judicial branch

High Court

Court of Appeals (Cour d'appel)

Court of Appeal, Supreme Court

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State— Queen ELIZABETH II (since February 1952), represented by Governor General William George HAYDEN (since NA February 1989); Head of Government — Prime Minister Robert James Lee HAWKE (since 1 1 March 1983); Deputy Prime Minister Paul KEATING (since 3 April 1990) Political parties and leaders: government — Australian Labor Party, Robert Hawke; opposition — Liberal Party, Andrew Peacock; National Party, Charles Blunt; Australian Democratic Party, Janine Haines

Chief of State — President Francois MITTERRAND (since 21 May 1981); Head of Government — Commissioner of the Republic Daniel CONSTANTIN (since September 1989) Political parties and leaders: Rally for the Republic (RPR), Francois Mas; Union for French Democracy (UDF), Gilbert Gerard; Communist Party of Reunion (PCR); France-Reunion Future (FRA), Andre Thien Ah Koon; Socialist Party (PS), Jean-Claude Fruteau; Social Democrats (CDS), other small parties

Chief of State and Head of Government— President France Albert RENE (since 5 June 1977) Political parties and leaders: only party — Seychelles People's Progressive Front (SPPF), France Albert Rene

Chief of State and Head of Government— President Gen. Joseph Saidu MOMOH (since 28 November 1985); First Vice President Abu Bakar KAMARA (since 4 April 1987); Second Vice President Salia JUSU-SHERIFF (since 4 April 1987) Political parties and leaders: only party — All People's Congress (APC), Gen. Joseph Saidu Momoh

Legal system

relevant laws of the Northern Territory of Australia

based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

French law

based on English common law, French civil law, and customary law

based on English law and customary laws indigenous to local tribes; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Legislative branch

bicameral Federal Parliament consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or House of Representatives

unicameral General Council, unicameral Regional Council

unicameral National Assembly (Assemblee Nationale)

unicameral House of Representatives

Long-form name

Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands

Commonwealth of Australia

Department of Reunion

Republic of Seychelles

Republic of Sierra Leone

Member of

ADB, AIOEC, ANZUS, CCC, CIPEC (associate), Colombo Plan, Commonwealth, DAC, ESA, ESCAP, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IATP, IBA, IBRD, ICAC, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IHO, ILO, ILZSG, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOOC, IPU, IRC, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWCInternational Whaling Commission, IWC — International Wheat Council, OECD, SPF, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG

WFTU

ACP, AfDB, FAO, G-77, GATT (de facto), IBRD, ICAO, I FAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, NAM, OAU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

ACP, AfDB, Commonwealth, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBA, IBRD, ICAO, ICO, IDA, IDB— Islamic Development Bank, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IPU,

National holiday

Australia Day (last Monday in January), 29 January 1990

Taking of the Bastille, 14 July (1789)

Liberation Day (anniversary of coup), 5 June (1977)

Republic Day, 27 April (1961)

Note

administered by the Australian Minister for Arts, Sports, the Environment, Tourism, and Territories Graham Richardson

Other political or pressure groups

Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group)

trade unions, Roman Catholic Church

Suffrage

universal and compulsory at age

universal at age 18

universal at age 1 7

universal at age 21

Type

territory of Australia administered by the Australian Ministry for Territories and Local Government

federal parliamentary state

overseas department of France

republic; member of the Commonwealth

republic under presidential regime

Agriculture

accounts for 5% of GNP and 37% of export revenues; world's largest exporter of beef and wool, second-largest for mutton, and among top wheat exporters; major crops — wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruit; livestock — cattle, sheep, poultry

accounts for 30% of labor force; dominant sector of economy; cash crops — sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco; food crops — tropical fruits, vegetables, corn; imports large share of food needs

accounts for 7% of GDP, mostly subsistence farming; cash crops — coconuts, cinnamon, vanilla; other prodSeychelles (continued) Sierra Leone ucts — sweet potatoes, cassava, bananas; broiler chickens; large share of food needs imported; expansion of tuna fishing under way

Aid

donor — ODA and OOF commitments (1970-87), $8.8 billion

Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (197087), $13.5 billion

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY78-88), $23 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1978-87), $297 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $5 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $56 million

Budget

revenues $76.3 billion; expenditures $69.1 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (FY90 est.)

revenues $358 million; expenditures $914 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1986)

revenues $106 million; expenditures $130 million, including capital expenditures of $21 million (1987)

Currency

Australian dollar (plural — dollars); 1 Australian dollar ($A) = 100 cents

French franc (plural — francs); 1 French franc (F) = 100 centimes

Seychelles rupee (plural — rupees); 1 Seychelles rupee (SRe) = 100 cents

Electricity

38,000,000 kW capacity; 139,000 million kWh produced, 8,450 kWh per capita (1989)

245,000 kW capacity; 546 million kWh produced, 965 kWh per capita (1989)

25,000 kW capacity; 67 million kWh produced, 960 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Australian dollars ($A) per US$1— 1.2784 (January 1990), 1.2618 (1989), 1.2752 (1988), 1.4267 (1987), 1.4905(1986), 1.4269(1985)

French francs (F) per US$1— 5.7598 (January 1990), 6.3801 (1989), 5.9569 (1988), 6.0107 (1987), 6.9261 (1986), 8.9852(1985)

Seychelles rupees (SR) per US$1— 5.4884 (January 1990), 5.6457 (1989), 5.3836 (1988), 5.6000 (1987), 6.1768(1986), 7.1343(1985)

Exports

$43.2 billion (f.o.b., FY89); commodities— wheat, barley, beef, lamb, dairy products, wool, coal, iron ore; parrnew—Japan 26%, US 11%, NZ 6%, South Korea 4%, Singapore 4%, USSR 3%

$136 million (f.o.b., 1986); commodities— sugar 75%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 4%, vanilla and tea 1%; partners — France, Mauritius, Bahrain, S. Africa, Italy

$17 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — fish, copra, cinnamon bark, petroleum products (reexports); partners — France 63%, Pakistan 12%, Reunion 10%, UK 7% (1987)

External debt

$1 1 1.6 billion (September 1989)

NA

$178 million (December 1988)

Fiscal year

1 July-30 June

calendar year

calendar year

GDP

$2.4 billion, per capita $4,290 (1985); real growth rate 9% (1987 est.)

$255 million, per capita $3,720; real growth rate 6.2%; (1988 est.)

GNP

$240.8 billion, per capita $14,300; real growth rate 4.1% (1989 est.)

Imports

$48.6 billion (c.i.f., FY89); commodities— manufactured raw materials, capital equipment, consumer goods; partners—US 22%, Japan 22%, UK 7%, FRG 6%, NZ 4% (1984)

$1.1 million (c.i.f., 1986); commodities— manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products; partners — France, Mauritius, Bahrain, South Africa, Italy

$116 million (f.o.b., 1988 est.); commodities — manufactured goods, food, tobacco, beverages, machinery and transportation equipment, petroleum products; partners— UK 20%, France 14%, South Africa 13%, PDRY 13%, Singapore 8%, Japan 6% (1987)

Industrial production

growth rate 5.6% (FY88)

growth rate NA%

growth rate 7% (1987)

Industries

mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel, motor vehicles

sugar, rum, cigarettes, several small shops producing handicraft items

tourism, processing of coconut and vanilla, fishing, coir rope factory, boat building, printing, furniture, beverage

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

8.0% (1989)

2.8% (1987)

2.3% (1988)

Overview

no economic activity

Economic activity is limited to exploitation of natural resources, especially fish, dredging aragonite sands (The Bahamas), and crude oil and natural gas production (Caribbean Sea and North Sea).

Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GNP comparable to levels in industrialized West European countries. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Of the top 25 exports, 21 are primary products, so that, as happened during 1983-84, a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods but competition in international markets will be severe.

The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government is pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve a high unemployment rate that was over 30% in 1986. The economic wellbeing of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France.

In this small, open tropical island economy, the tourist industry employs about 30% of the labor force and provides the main source of hard currency earnings. 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 high dependence on tourism by promoting the development of farming, fishing, and small-scale manufacturing.

Unemployment rate

6.0% (December 1989)

32.0%; high seasonal unemployment (1986)

15% (1986)

Airports

564 total, 524 usable; 235 with permanent-surface runways, 2 with runways over 3,659 m; 20 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 311 with runways 1,2202,439 m

14 total, 14 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 1 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Royal Australian Navy, Australian Army, Royal Australian Air Force

Army, Navy, Air Force, Militia

Civil air

around 1 50 major transport aircraft

3 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

NA

6% of GDP, or $12 million (1990 est.) Island North Atlantic Ocean S.er.iionilmipVII Sulinw

Highways

837,872 km total; 243,750 km paved, 228,396 km gravel, crushed stone, or stabilized soil surface, 365,726 km unimproved earth

260 km total; 160 km bituminous, 100 km crushed stone or earth

Inland waterways

8,368 km; mainly by small, shallow-draft craft

Merchant marine

77 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 2,300,049 GRT/3,493,802 DWT; includes 2 short-sea passenger, 7 cargo, 5 container, 10 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 17 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 2 chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 1 combination ore/oil, 1 livestock carrier, 29 bulk

1 refrigerated cargo (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,827 CRT/ 2,170 DWT

Military manpower

males 1 5-49, 4,588,750; 4,009,127 fit for military service; 136,042 reach military age (17) annually

males 15-49, 17,073; 8,776 fit for military service

Note

defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force

Kiel Canal and St. Lawrence Seaway are two important waterways Coral Sea

Pipelines

crude oil, 2,500 km; refined products, 500 km; natural gas, 5,600 km

Ports

none; offshore anchorage only Defense Forces

Alexandria (Egypt), Algiers (Algeria), Antwerp (Belgium), Barcelona (Spain), Buenos Aires (Argentina), Casablanca (Morocco), Colon (Panama), Copenhagen (Denmark), Dakar (Senegal), Gdansk (Poland), Hamburg (FRG), Helsinki (Finland), Las Palmas (Canary Islands, Spain), Le Havre (France), Leningrad (USSR), Lisbon (Portugal), London (UK), Marseille (France), Montevideo (Uruguay), Montreal (Canada), Naples (Italy), New Orleans (US), New York (US), Oran (Algeria), Oslo (Norway), Piraeus (Greece), Rio de Janeiro (Brazil), Rotterdam (Netherlands), Stockholm (Sweden)

Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport, Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart, Launceston, Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville

Victoria

Railroads

40,478 km total; 7,970 km 1.600-meter gauge, 16,201 km 1.435-meter standard gauge, 16,307 km 1.067-meter gauge; 183 km dual gauge; 1,130 km electrified; government owned (except for a few hundred kilometers of privately owned track) (1985)

Telecommunications

numerous submarine cables with most between continental Europe and the UK, North America and the UK, and in the Mediterranean; numerous direct links across Atlantic via INTELSAT satellite network

good international and domestic service; 8.7 million telephones; stations — 258 AM, 67 FM, 134 TV; submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; domestic satellite service; satellite stations — 4 Indian Ocean INTELSAT, 6 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT earth stations Defense Forces

direct radio communications with adjacent islands and African coastal countries; 13,000 telephones; stations — 2 AM, no FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station; USAF tracking station Defense Forces