248 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
248 lines
20 KiB
Plaintext
NAMIBIA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 824,290 km2; land area: 823,290 km2
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Comparative area: slightly more than half the size of Alaska
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Land boundaries: 3,935 km total; Angola 1,376 km, Botswana
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1,360 km, South Africa 966 km, Zambia 233 km
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Coastline: 1,489 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: short section of boundary with Botswana is indefinite;
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quadripoint with Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe is in disagreement;
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claim by Namibia to Walvis Bay and 12 offshore islands administered
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by South Africa
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Climate: desert; hot, dry; rainfall sparse and erratic
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Terrain: mostly high plateau; Namib Desert along coast; Kalahari
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Desert in east
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Natural resources: diamonds, copper, uranium, gold, lead, tin,
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zinc, salt, vanadium, natural gas, fish; suspected deposits of oil,
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natural gas, coal, and iron ore
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Land use: arable land 1%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and
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pastures 64%; forest and woodland 22%; other 13%; includes irrigated
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NEGL%
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Environment: inhospitable with very limited natural water
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resources; desertification
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Note: Walvis Bay area is an exclave of South Africa in Namibia
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PEOPLE
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Population: 1,520,504 (July 1991), growth rate 3.6% (1991)
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Birth rate: 45 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 10 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 69 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 58 years male, 63 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 6.6 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Namibian(s); adjective--Namibian
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Ethnic divisions: black 86%, white 6.6%, mixed 7.4%; about 50%
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of the population belong to the Ovambo tribe and 9% from the Kavangos
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tribe
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Religion: predominantly Christian
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Language: English is official language; Afrikaans is common
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language of most of population and about 60% of white population, German
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32%, English 7%; several indigenous languages
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Literacy: 38% (male 45%, female 31%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1960)
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Labor force: 500,000; agriculture 60%, industry and commerce 19%,
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services 8%, government 7%, mining 6% (1981 est.)
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Organized labor: 20 trade unions representing about 90,000
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workers
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Namibia
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Type: republic
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Capital: Windhoek
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Administrative divisions: the former administrative structure of
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26 districts has been abolished and 14 temporary regions are still in
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the process of being determined; note--the 26 districts were Bethanien,
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Boesmanland, Caprivi Oos, Damaraland, Gobabis, Grootfontein, Hereroland
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Oos, Hereroland Wes, Kaokoland, Karasburg, Karibib, Kavango,
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Keetmanshoop, Luderitz, Maltahohe, Mariental, Namaland, Okahandja,
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Omaruru, Otjiwarongo, Outjo, Owambo, Rehoboth, Swakopmund, Tsumeb,
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Windhoek
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Independence: 21 March 1990 (from South African mandate)
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Constitution: ratified 9 February 1990
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Legal system: based on Roman-Dutch law and 1990 constitution
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National holiday: Independence Day, 21 March 1990
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Executive branch: president, Cabinet
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Legislative branch: bicameral; House of Review (upper house,
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to be established with elections in 1992 by planned new regional
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authorities); National Assembly (lower house elected by universal
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suffrage)
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President Sam NUJOMA
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(since 21 March 1990)
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Political parties and leaders: South-West Africa People's
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Organization (SWAPO), Sam NUJOMA;
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Democratic Turnhalle Alliance (DTA), Dirk MUDGE;
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United Democratic Front (UDF), Justus GAROEB;
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Action Christian National (ACN), Kosie PRETORIUS;
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National Patriotic Front (NPF), Moses KATJIUONGUA;
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Federal Convention of Namibia (FCN), Hans DIERGAARDT;
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Namibia National Front (NNF), Vekuii RUKORO
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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President--last held 16 February 1990 (next to be
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held March 1995); Sam NUJOMA was elected president by the Constituent
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Assembly (now the National Assembly);
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National Assembly--last held on 7-11 November 1989
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(next to be held by November 1994);
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results--percent of vote by party NA;
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seats--(72 total) SWAPO 41, DTA 21, UDF 4, ACN 3, NNF 1, FCN 1, NPF 1
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Communists: no Communist party
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Other political or pressure groups: NA
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Member of: C, ECA (associate), FAO, FLS, IAEA, IBRD,
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ILO, IMF, ITU, NAM, OAU, SACU, SADCC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
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UNIDO, WCL, WFTU, WHO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Tuliameni KALOMOH;
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Chancery at 1413 K Street NW, 7th Floor, Washington, DC 20005
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(mailing address is PO Box 34738, Washington DC 20043);
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telephone (202) 289-3871;
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US--Ambassador Genta Hawkins HOLMES; Embassy at Ausplan Building,
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14 Lossen St., Windhoek (mailing address is P. O. Box 9890, Windhoek
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9000, Namibia); telephone 264 (61) 221-601, 222-675, 222-680
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Flag: a large blue triangle with a yellow sunburst fills the
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upper left section, and an equal green triangle (solid) fills the lower
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right section; the triangles are separated by a red stripe which is
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contrasted by two narrow white edge borders
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is heavily dependent on the mining industry
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to extract and process minerals for export. Mining accounts for almost
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30% of GDP. Namibia is the fourth-largest exporter of nonfuel minerals in
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Africa and the world's fifth-largest producer of uranium. Alluvial
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diamond deposits are among the richest in the world, making Namibia a
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primary source for gem-quality diamonds. Namibia also produces large
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quantities of lead, zinc, tin, silver, and tungsten, and it has
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substantial resources of coal. More than half the population depends
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on agriculture (largely subsistence agriculture) for its livelihood.
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GNP: $1.8 billion, per capita $1,240; real growth rate - 2.0%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 15.1% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: over 30% (1990)
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Budget: revenues $794.1 million; expenditures $999.6 million,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (FY91 est.)
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Exports: $1,021 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--uranium, diamonds, zinc, copper, cattle, processed
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fish, karakul skins;
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partners--Switzerland, South Africa, FRG, Japan
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Imports: $894 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--foodstuffs, petroleum products and fuel, machinery and
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equipment;
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partners--South Africa, FRG, US, Switzerland
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External debt: about $27 million at independence; under a 1971
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International Court of Justice (ICJ) ruling, Namibia may not be
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liable for debt incurred during its colonial period
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 486,000 kW capacity; 1,280 million kWh produced,
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930 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: meatpacking, fish processing, dairy products, mining
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(copper, lead, zinc, diamond, uranium)
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Agriculture: mostly subsistence farming; livestock raising major
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source of cash income; crops--millet, sorghum, peanuts; fish catch
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potential of over 1 million metric tons not being fulfilled, 1987 catch
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reaching only 520,000 metric tons; not self-sufficient in food
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-87), $47.2 million
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Currency: South African rand (plural--rand);
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1 South African rand (R) = 100 cents
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Exchange rates: South African rand (R) per US$1--2.625 (January
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1991), 2.5863 (1990), 2.6166 (1989), 2.2611 (1988), 2.0350 (1987), 2.2685
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(1986), 2.1911 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 2,341 km 1.067-meter gauge, single track
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Highways: 54,500 km; 4,079 km paved, 2,540 km gravel, 47,881 km
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earth roads and tracks
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Ports: Luderitz; primary maritime outlet is Walvis Bay (South
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Africa)
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Civil air: 2 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 143 total, 123 usable; 21 with permanent-surface runways;
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1 with runways over 3,659 m; 4 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 67 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: good urban, fair rural services; radio relay
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connects major towns, wires extend to other population centers; 62,800
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telephones; stations--2 AM, 40 FM, 3 TV
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: National Defense Force (Army), Police
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 309,978; 183,730 fit for
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military service
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Defense expenditures: $NA, 4.9% of GNP (1986)
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