1988 Edition

Boundary disputes

China (Pamir, Argun, Amur, and Khabarovsk areas); US Government has not recognized incorporation of Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania into Soviet Union; Habomai Islands, Etorofu, Kunashiri, and Shikotan islands occupied by Soviet Union since 1945, claimed by Japan; Kuril Islands administered by Soviet Union; maritime disputes with Sweden, Norway; has made no territorial claim in Antarctica (but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of any other nation; Bessarabia question with Romania

Climate

mostly temperate to arctic continental; winters vary from cool along Black Sea to frigid in Siberia; summers vary from hot in southern deserts to cool along Arctic coast

Coastline

108,346 km (60,085 km mainland; 48,261 islands)

Comparative area

almost two and onehalf times the size of US

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

despite size and diversity, small percentage of land is arable and much is too far north; some of most fertile land is water deficient or has insufficient growing season; many better climates have poor soils; hot, dry, desiccating sukhovey wind affects south; desertification

Ethnic divisions

52% Russian, 16% Ukrainian, 32% among over 100 other ethnic groups, according to 1979 census

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Infant mortality rate

27.9/1,000 (1982)

Labor force

civilian 148 million (midyear 1984), 20% agriculture, 80% industry and other nonagricultural fields; unemployed not reported; shortage of skilled labor reported

Land boundaries

20,217 km total

Land use

10% arable land; NEGL% permanent crops; 17% meadows and pastures; 41% forest and woodland; 32% other; includes 1% irrigated

Language

Russian (official); more than 200 languages and dialects (at least 18 with more than 1 million speakers); 75% Slavic group, 8% other Indo-European, 12% Altaic, 3% Uralian, 2% Caucasian

Life expectancy

men 64, women 74

Literacy

99%

Nationality

noun — Soviet(s); adjective — Soviet

Population

284,008,160 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 0.90%

Religion

18% Russian Orthodox; 9% Muslim; 3% Jewish, Protestant, Georgian Orthodox, or Roman Catholic; population is 70% atheist

Special notes

largest country in world, but unfavorably located in relation to major sea lanes of world

Terrain

broad plain with low hills west of Urals; vast coniferous forest and tundra in Siberia, deserts in Central Asia, mountains in south

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

22,402,200 km2; land area: 22,272,000 km2

Administrative divisions

15 union republics, consisting of 20 autonomous republics, 6 krays, 123 oblasts, 8 autonomous oblasts, and 10 autonomous okrugs

Branches

executive — USSR Council of Ministers, legislative — USSR Supreme Soviet, judicial — Supreme Court of USSR

Capital

Moscow

Communists

over 18 million party members

Elections

to Supreme Soviet every five years; 1,500 seats in 1984; 71.5% held by party members

Government leaders

Mikhail Sergeyevich GORBACHEV, General Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party (since 11 March 1985); Nikolay Ivanovich RYZHKOV, Chairman of the USSR Council of Ministers (since 28 September 1985); Andrey Andreyevich GROMYKO, Chairman of the Presidium of the USSR Supreme Soviet (since 2 July 1985)

Legal system

civil law system as modified by Communist legal theory; revised constitution adopted 1977; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Member of

CEMA, ESCAP, Geneva Disarmament Conference, IAEA, IBEC, ICAC, ICAO, ICCAT, ICCO, ICES, ILO, IMO, International Lead and Zinc Study Group, INRO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, IWC — International Whaling Commission, IWC— International Wheat Council, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

National holiday

October Revolution Day, 7 November

Official name

Union of Soviet Socialist Republics

Other political or pressure groups

Komsomol, trade unions, and other organizations that facilitate Communist control

Political party

Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) only party permitted

Suffrage

universal over age 18; direct, equal

Type

Communist state

Voting strength

(1984 election) 99.95% of the 197,292,000 persons over 18 voted for Communist-sponsored single slate

Agriculture

corn, wheat, sugarcane, tobacco, citrus, fruits; cattle and dairy products; sheep and wool; self-sufficient in foodstuffs

principal food crops — grain (especially wheat), potatoes; main industrial crops — sugar beets, cotton, sunflowers, and flax; degree of self-sufficiency depends on fluctuations in crop yields, particularly grain; large grain importer over past decade

Aid

total extended to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-85), $33 billion

Budget

(FY85/86) revenues, $10.6 billion; current expenditures, $12.3 billion

Crude steel

174 million metric ton capacity; 155 million metric tons produced, 558 kg per capita (1985)

Electric power

29,954,000 kW capacity; 148,450 million kWh produced, 4,470 kWh per capita (1986)

327,000,000 kW capacity; 1,600,000 million kWh produced, 5,670 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$9.2 billion (f.o.b., 1985), gold, coal, diamonds, corn, uranium, other mineral and agricultural products; net gold output $7.0 billion (1985)

$86,956 billion (f.o.b., 1985); petroleum and petroleum products, natural gas, metals, wood, agricultural products, and a wide variety of manufactured goods (primarily capital goods and arms)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

calendar year

Fishing

catch 599,897 metric tons (1983)

catch 10.7 million metric tons; exports 501,598 metric tons, 418,912 metric tons; exports exclude canned fish, canned crab, and caviar (1985)

GDP

$51 billion (1985), about $1,560 per capita; 2.0% real growth (1986)

GNP

$2,062.6 billion (1985, in 1985 geometric mean prices), $7,396 per capita; in 1985 percentage shares were — 50% consumption, 30% investment, 20% government and other, including elements of defense (based on 1982 rubles at adjusted factor cost); average annual growth rate of real GNP 2.4% (1971-85); average annual growth rate 2.1% (1976-85); 1.2% (1985)

Imports

$10.4 billion (f.o.b., 1985); machinery, motor vehicle parts, petroleum products, textiles, chemicals

$82,922 billion (f.o.b., 1985); grain and other agricultural products, machinery and equipment, steel products (including large diameter pipe), consumer manufactures

Major industries

mining, automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textile, iron and steel, chemical, fertilizer

diversified, highly developed capital goods industries; consumer goods industries comparatively less developed

Major trade partners

US, FRG, Japan, UK, Southern African Customs Union

$169.9 billion (1985 total turnover); 61% Communist countries, 27% industrialized West, 12% with less developed countries

Monetary conversion rate

2.5 South African rands=US$l (29 January 1986)

official, 0.838 ruble=US$l (1985 average); the exchange rate is administratively set and should not be used to convert domestic rubles to dollars

Natural resources

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

fossil fuels, hydroelectric power, timber, manganese, lead, zinc, nickel, mercury, potash, phosphates

Shortages

fertilizer, pesticides, feed, natural rubber, bauxite and alumina, tantalum, tin, tungsten, fluorspar, molybdenum, and finished steel products

Airfields

956 total, 846 usable; 112 with permanent-surface runways; 3 with runways over 3,659 m, 1 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 215 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force, Medical Services

Civil air

82 major transport aircraft

Highways

229,690 km total; 80,796 km paved, 148,894 km crushed stone, gravel, or improved earth

Military manpower

males 15-49, 8,490,000; 5,182,000 fit for military service; 369,000 reach military age (18) annually; obligation for service in Citizen Force or Commandos begins at 18; volunteers for service in permanent force must be 17; national service obligation is two years; figures include Bophuthatswana, Ciskei, Kwazulu, Lebowa, Transkei, and Venda 2000km Arctic Ocean Baltic Sea Barents Sea >ji; Mu 'oitok The United State* Government he* nol recognized the incorporation ot Estonia Latvia and Lint/ami into Ine Soviet Union Ottiei boundary representation Set region.! maps VIII and XI

Pipelines

931 km crude oil; 1,748 km refined products; 322 km natural gas

Ports

7 major (Durban, Cape Town, Port Elizabeth, Richards Bay, Saldanha, East London, and Mosselbaai); 1 minor (Walvis Bay)

Railroads

36,499 km total (includes Namibia); 35,793 km 1.067-meter gauge, of which 6,830 km are multiple track, 16,271 km electrified; 706 km single track

Telecommunications

the system is the best developed, most modern, and highest capacity in Africa and consists of carrierequipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, radio-relay links, and radiocommunication stations; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria; 3.47 million telephones (13.4 per 100 popl.); 14 AM, 286 FM, 67 main TV stations with 450 relay transmitters; 1 submarine cable; 1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT stations Defense Forces