252 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
252 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
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COSTA RICA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 51,100 km2; land area: 50,660 km2; includes Isla del
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Coco
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than West Virginia
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Land boundaries: 639 km total; Nicaragua 309 km, Panama 330 km
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Coastline: 1,290 km
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Maritime claims:
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Continental shelf: 200 nm;
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical; dry season (December to April); rainy season
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(May to November)
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Terrain: coastal plains separated by rugged mountains
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Natural resources: hydropower potential
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Land use: arable land 6%; permanent crops 7%; meadows and pastures
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45%; forest and woodland 34%; other 8%; includes irrigated 1%
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Environment: subject to occasional earthquakes, hurricanes along
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Atlantic coast; frequent flooding of lowlands at onset of rainy season;
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active volcanoes; deforestation; soil erosion
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PEOPLE
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Population: 3,111,403 (July 1991), growth rate 2.5% (1991)
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Birth rate: 27 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 4 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 15 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 75 years male, 79 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.2 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Costa Rican(s); adjective--Costa Rican
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Ethnic divisions: white (including mestizo) 96%, black 2%, Indian
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1%, Chinese 1%
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Religion: Roman Catholic 95%
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Language: Spanish (official), English spoken around Puerto Limon
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Literacy: 93% (male 93%, female 93%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 868,300; industry and commerce 35.1%, government and
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services 33%, agriculture 27%, other 4.9% (1985 est.)
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Organized labor: 15.1% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Costa Rica
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Type: democratic republic
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Capital: San Jose
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Administrative divisions: 7 provinces (provincias,
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singular--provincia); Alajuela, Cartago, Guanacaste, Heredia, Limon,
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Puntarenas, San Jose
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Independence: 15 September 1821 (from Spain)
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Constitution: 9 November 1949
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Legal system: based on Spanish civil law system; judicial review of
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legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction
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National holiday: Independence Day, 15 September (1821)
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Executive branch: president, two vice presidents, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly (Asamblea
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Legislativa)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Corte Suprema)
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Rafael Angel
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CALDERON Fournier (since 8 May 1990); First Vice President German
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SERRANO Pinto (since 8 May 1990); Second Vice President Arnoldo LOPEZ
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Echandi (since 8 May 1990)
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Political parties and leaders:
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National Liberation Party (PLN), Rolando ARAYA Monge;
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Social Christian Unity Party (PUSC), Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier;
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Marxist Popular Vanguard Party (PVP), Humberto VARGAS Carbonell;
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New Republic Movement (MNR), Sergio Erick ARDON Ramirez;
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Progressive Party (PP), Isaac Felipe AZOFEIFA Bolanos;
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People's Party of Costa Rica (PPC), Lenin ChACON Vargas;
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Radical Democratic Party (PRD), Juan Jose ECHEVERRIA Brealey
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Suffrage: universal and compulsory at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held February
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1994);
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results--Rafael Angel CALDERON Fournier 51%, Carlos Manuel
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CASTILLO 47%;
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Legislative Assembly--last held 4 February 1990 (next to be held
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February 1994);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(57 total) PUSC 29, PLN 25, PVP/PPC 1, regional parties 2
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Communists: 7,500 members and sympathizers
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Other political or pressure groups: Costa Rican Confederation of
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Democratic Workers (CCTD; Liberation Party affiliate), Confederated Union
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of Workers (CUT; Communist Party affiliate), Authentic Confederation of
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Democratic Workers (CATD; Communist Party affiliate), Chamber of Coffee
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Growers, National Association for Economic Development (ANFE), Free Costa
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Rica Movement (MCRL; rightwing militants), National Association of
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Educators (ANDE)
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Member of: AG (observer), BCIE, CACM, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IADB,
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IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTELSAT,
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INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ITU, LAES, LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM (observer),
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OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Gonzalo FACIO Segreda;
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Chancery at Suite 211, 1825 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20009;
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telephone (202) 234-2945 through 2947; there are Costa Rican Consulates
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General at Albuquerque, Boston, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New Orleans,
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New York, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico),
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and Tampa, and Consulates in Austin, Buffalo, Honolulu, and Raleigh;
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US--Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Robert O. HOMME;
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Embassy at Pavas Road, San Jose (mailing address is APO Miami 34020);
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telephone 506 20-39-39
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Flag: five horizontal bands of blue (top), white, red (double
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width), white, and blue with the coat of arms in a white disk on the
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hoist side of the red band
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ECONOMY
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Overview: In 1990 the economy grew at an estimated 3.5%
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rate, a decrease from the strong 5.0% gain of the previous year.
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Gains in agricultural production (on the strength of good coffee and
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banana crops) and in construction, were partially offset by lower
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rates of growth for industry. In 1990 consumer prices rose by about 25%
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and the trade deficit widened. Unemployment is officially reported at
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6%, but much underemployment remains. External debt, on a per
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capita basis, is among the world's highest.
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GDP: $5.5 billion, per capita $1,810; real growth rate 3.6% (1990)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% (1990 est.)
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Unemployment rate: 6% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $831 million; expenditures $1.08 billion, including
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capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
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Exports: $1.4 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
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commodities--coffee, bananas, textiles, sugar;
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partners--US 75%, FRG, Guatemala, Netherlands, UK, Japan
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Imports: $1.8 billion (c.i.f., 1990);
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commodities--petroleum, machinery, consumer durables, chemicals,
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fertilizer, foodstuffs;
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partners--US 35%, Japan, Guatemala, FRG
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External debt: $4.5 billion (1989)
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Industrial production: growth rate 2.3% (1990 est.); accounts for
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23% of GDP
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Electricity: 927,000 kW capacity; 2,987 million kWh produced,
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980 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: food processing, textiles and clothing, construction
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materials, fertilizer, plastic products
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Agriculture: accounts for 20-25% of GDP and 70% of exports; cash
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commodities--coffee, beef, bananas, sugar; other food crops include corn,
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rice, beans, potatoes; normally self-sufficient in food except for
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grain; depletion of forest resources resulting in lower timber output
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Illicit drugs: illicit production of cannabis on small scattered
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plots; transshipment country for cocaine from South America
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $1.4
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billion; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $781 million; Communist countries (1971-88), $27 million
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Currency: Costa Rican colon (plural--colones);
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1 Costa Rican colon (C) = 100 centimos
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Exchange rates: Costa Rican colones (C) per US$1--105.82 (January
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1991), 91.58 (1990), 81.504 (1989), 75.805 (1988), 62.776 (1987), 55.986
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(1986), 50.453 (1985)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 950 km total, all 1.067-meter gauge; 260 km electrified
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Highways: 15,400 km total; 7,030 km paved, 7,010 km gravel,
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1,360 km unimproved earth
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Inland waterways: about 730 km, seasonally navigable
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Pipelines: refined products, 176 km
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Ports: Puerto Limon, Caldera, Golfito, Moin, Puntarenas
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Merchant marine: 12 cargo ships (1,000 GRT or over)
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totaling 2,831 GRT/4,506 DWT
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Civil air: 9 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 173 total, 159 usable; 26 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 3,659 m; 1 with runways 2,440-3,659 m;
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11 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: very good domestic telephone service; 292,000
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telephones; connection into Central American Microwave System;
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stations--71 AM, no FM, 18 TV, 13 shortwave; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT
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earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Civil Guard, Rural Assistance Guard; note--Constitution
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prohibits armed forces
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 807,853; 545,541 fit for
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military service; 32,149 reach military age (18) annually
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Defense expenditures: $20 million, 0.4% of GDP (1988)
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