1988 Edition

Boundary disputes

none; claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved

Climate

tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October)

hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore currents produce fog and heavy dew

Coastline

129 km

1,110 km

Communists

probably more than 1 million

Comparative area

slightly larger than Washington, D.C.

about the size of Utah

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

both island groups have fringing reefs

hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility; sparse water and arable land

Ethnic divisions

almost entirely Polynesian

Arab and Berber

Extended economic zone

200 nm

Labor force

12,000; 50% animal husbandry and subsistence farming

Land boundaries

2,086 km total

Land use

5% arable land; 20% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 75% other

NEGL% arable land; 0% permanent crops; 19% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 81% other

Language

Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic

Literacy

about 20% among Moroccans, 5% among Saharans

Maritime claims

contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue

Member of

ADB, CEMA, Colombo Plan, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, IRC, ITU, Mekong Committee, NAM, UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Nationality

noun — Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders; adjective — Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander

noun— Saharan(s), Moroccan(s); adjective — Saharan, Moroccan

Population

14,593 (July 1987) average annual growth rate 2.35%

93,859 (July 1987), average annual growth rate 1.78%

Religion

largely Roman Catholic Wallis and Futuna (continued) Western Sahara

Muslim

Special notes

none

none

Terrain

volcanic origin; low hills

mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast

Territorial sea

12 nm

Total area

200 km2; land area: 200 km2

266,000 km2; land area: 266,000 km2

Administrative divisions

three districts

Branches

territorial assembly of 20 members; popular election of one deputy to National Assembly in Paris and one senator

Capital

Mata-Utu

Elections

every five years

Government leader

Mohamed ABDELAZIZ, President, Sahara Democratic Arab Republic (since October 1982), and secretary general, Polisario (since August 1976)

Government leaders

Jacques LE HENAFF, Administrator; and Jean MONTPEZAT, High Commissioner

Official name

Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands

Western Sahara

Suffrage

universal adult

Type

overseas territory of France

legal status of territory and question of sovereignty unresolved; territory contested by Morocco, an insurgent group (Popular Front for the Liberation of the Saguia el Hamra), and Polisario (Rio de Oro); territory partitioned between Morocco and Mauritania in April 1976, with Morocco acquiring northern two-thirds; Mauritania, under pressure from Polisario guerrillas, abandoned all claims to its portion in August 1979; Morocco moved to occupy that sector shortly thereafter and has since asserted administrative control; the Polisario 's government in exile was seated as an OAU member in 1984; guerrilla activities continue to the present

Agriculture

main crops — rice, rubber, fruits and vegetables; some corn, manioc, sugarcane; major food imports — wheat, corn, dairy products

dominated by coconut production, with subsistence crops of yams, taro, bananas

practically none; some barley is grown in nondrought years; fruit and vegetables in the few oases; food imports are essential; camels, sheep, and goats are kept by the nomadic natives; cash economy exists largely for the garrison forces

Aid

(1978) France, European Development Fund, $2.6 million

Electric power

1,914,000 kW capacity; 5,400 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1986)

1,000 kW capacity; 1 million kWh produced, 70 kWh per capita (1986)

60,000 kW capacity; 78 million kWh produced, 850 kWh per capita (1986)

Exports

$763 million (1984); agricultural and handicraft products, coal, minerals, ores

negligible

up to $5 million in phosphates, all other exports valued at under $3 million (1982)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Fishing

catch 539,000 metric tons (1984)

GDP

Colonial Francs Pacifique (CFP) 1,100 million (est. 1985)

GNP

$18.1 billion, $300 per capita (1984) at official exchange rates of 12.1 dong=US$l

Imports

$1,823 million (1984); petroleum, steel products, railroad equipment, chemicals, medicines, raw cotton, fertilizer, grain

$3.4 million (1977); largely foodstuffs and some equipment associated with development programs

up to $30 million (1982); fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs

Major industries

food processing, textiles, machinebuilding, mining, cement, chemical fertilizer, glass, tires, oil

phosphate, fishing, and handicrafts

Major trade partners

exports — USSR, East European countries, Japan, other Asian markets; imports — USSR, East Europe, Japan

Monetary conversion rate

official rate 80 dong=US$l (November 1986)

138.23 Colonial Francs Pacifique (CFP)=US$1 (December 1985)

Natural resources

phosphates, coal, manganese, bauxite, apatite, chromate, possible offshore oil deposits, forests

phosphates, iron ore

Shortages

foodgrains, petroleum, capital goods and machinery, fertilizer

water

Airfields

217 total, 128 usable; 46 with permanent-surface runways; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 28 with runways 1,220-2,439 m

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

Branches

Army, Navy, Air Force

Civil air

controlled by military

Highways

about 85,000 km total; 9,400 km bituminous, 48,700 km gravel or improved earth, 26,900 km unimproved earth

100 km on lie Uvea (Uvea Island), 16 km sealed; 20 km earth surface on lie Futuna (Futuna Island)

Inland waterways

about 17,702 km navigable; more than 5,149 km navigable at all times by vessels up to 1.8-m draft

none

Military budget

no expenditure estimates are available; military aid from the USSR has been so extensive that actual allocation of Vietnam's domestic resources to defense has not been indicative of total military effort MATA-UTUA. Vf He Uviif. South Pacific Ocean 'lie A/of i

Military manpower

males 15-49, 15,026,000; 9,582,000 fit for military service; 735,000 reach military age (17) annually

Pipelines

150 km, refined products

Ports

9 major, 23 minor

2 minor

Railroads

2,943 km total; 2,371 1.000meter gauge, 130 km standard gauge, 230 km dual gauge, 212 km unoperable

none

Telecommunications

16 AM, 1 FM, 2 TV stations; 2,300,000 TV sets; 6,000,000 receiver sets; at least 2 satellite ground stations Defense Forces

225 telephones (1.6 per 100 popl.); 1 AM station Defense Forces Defense is the responsibility of France 200k S«c regional map VII