264 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
264 lines
21 KiB
Plaintext
CUBA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 110,860 km2; land area: 110,860 km2
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Comparative area: slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
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Land boundary: 29.1 km with US Naval Base at Guantanamo;
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note--Guantanamo is leased and as such remains part of Cuba
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Coastline: 3,735 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive economic zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Disputes: US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased to US and only
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mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
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Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November
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to April); rainy season (May to October)
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Terrain: mostly flat to rolling plains with rugged hills and
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mountains in the southeast
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Natural resources: cobalt, nickel, iron ore, copper, manganese,
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salt, timber, silica
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Land use: arable land 23%; permanent crops 6%; meadows and pastures
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23%; forest and woodland 17%; other 31%; includes irrigated 10%
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Environment: averages one hurricane every other year
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Note: largest country in Caribbean; 145 km south of Florida
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PEOPLE
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Population: 10,732,037 (July 1991), growth rate 1.0% (1991)
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Birth rate: 18 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 7 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: - 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 12 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 73 years male, 78 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 1.9 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Cuban(s); adjective--Cuban
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Ethnic divisions: mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
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Religion: 85% nominally Roman Catholic before Castro assumed power
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Language: Spanish
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Literacy: 94% (male 95%, female 93%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1990 est.)
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Labor force: 3,578,800 in state sector; services and government
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30%, industry 22%, agriculture 20%, commerce 11%, construction 10%,
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transportation and communications 7% (June 1990); economically active
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population 4,620,800 (1988)
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Organized labor: Workers Central Union of Cuba (CTC), only labor
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federation approved by government; 2,910,000 members; the CTC is an
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umbrella organization composed of 17 member unions
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Cuba
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Type: Communist state
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Capital: Havana
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Administrative divisions: 14 provinces (provincias,
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singular--provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial);
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Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma,
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Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas,
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Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa
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Clara
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Independence: 20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898;
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administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
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Constitution: 24 February 1976
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Legal system: based on Spanish and American law, with large
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elements of Communist legal theory; does not accept compulsory ICJ
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jurisdiction
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National holiday: Revolution Day, 1 January (1959)
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Executive branch: president of the Council of State, first vice
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president of the Council of State, Council of State, president of the
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Council of Ministers, first vice president of the Council of Ministers,
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Council of Ministers
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Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly of the People's
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Power (Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular)
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Judicial branch: People's Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State and Head of Government--President of the Council of
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State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz
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(became Prime Minister in February 1959 and President since 2 December
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1976);
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First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President
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of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December
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1976)
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Political parties and leaders: only party--Cuban Communist Party
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(PCC), Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary
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Suffrage: universal at age 16
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Elections:
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National Assembly of the People's Power--last held NA December
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1986 (next to be held December 1991);
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results--PCC is the only party;
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seats--(510 total) PCC 510 (indirectly elected)
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Communists: about 600,000 full and candidate members
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Member of: CCC, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, GATT, IAEA, IBEC,
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ICAO, IFAD, IIB, ILO, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES,
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LAIA (observer), LORCS, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation
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since 1962), OPANAL (observer), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
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WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: none; protecting power in the US is
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Switzerland--Cuban Interests Section; Counselor Jose Antonio ARBESU
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Fraga; 2630 and 2639 16th Street NW, Washington DC 20009; telephone (202)
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797-8518 or 8519, 8520, 8609, 8610;
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US--protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland--US Interests Section;
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Principal Officer Alan H. FLANIGAN; Calzada entre L y M, Vedado Seccion,
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Havana (mailing address is USINT, c/o International Purchasing Group,
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2052 NW 93rd Avenue, Miami, FL 33172); telephone 329-700
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Flag: five equal horizontal bands of blue (top and bottom)
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alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist
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side bears a white five-pointed star in the center
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy, centrally planned and largely state owned,
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is highly dependent on the agricultural sector and foreign trade. Sugar
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provides about 75% of export revenues and over half is exported to the
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USSR. The economy has stagnated since 1985 under policies that have
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deemphasized material incentives in the workplace, abolished farmers'
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informal produce markets, and raised prices of government-supplied goods
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and services. In 1990 the economy probably fell 3%, largely as a result
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of declining trade with the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. Recently
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the government has been trying to increase trade with Latin America and
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China. Cuba has had difficulty servicing its foreign debt since 1982. The
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government currently is encouraging foreign investment in tourist
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facilities. Other investment priorities include sugar, basic foods, and
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nickel. The annual $4 billion Soviet subsidy, a main prop to Cuba's
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threadbare economy, is likely to show a substantial decline over the
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next few years in view of the USSR's mounting economic problems. Instead
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of highly subsidized trade, Cuba will be shifting to trade at market
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prices in convertible currencies. In early 1991, the shortages of fuels,
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spare parts, and industrial products in general had become so severe as
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to amount to a deindustrialization process in the eyes of some observers.
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GNP: $20.9 billion, per capita $2,000; real growth rate - 3%
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(1990 est.)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
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Unemployment: 6% overall, 10% for women (1989)
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Budget: revenues $12.46 billion; expenditures $14.45 billion,
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including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
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Exports: $5.4 billion (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--sugar, nickel, shellfish, citrus, tobacco, coffee;
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partners--USSR 67%, GDR 6%, China 4% (1988)
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Imports: $8.1 billion (c.i.f., 1989);
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commodities--capital goods, industrial raw materials, food,
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petroleum;
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partners--USSR 71%, other Communist countries 15% (1988)
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External debt: $6.8 billion (convertible currency, July 1989)
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Industrial production: 3% (1988); accounts for 45% of GDP
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Electricity: 3,890,000 kW capacity; 16,267 million kWh produced,
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1,530 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: sugar milling, petroleum refining, food and tobacco
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processing, textiles, chemicals, paper and wood products, metals
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(particularly nickel), cement, fertilizers, consumer goods, agricultural
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machinery
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Agriculture: accounts for 11% of GNP (including fishing and
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forestry); key commercial crops--sugarcane, tobacco, and citrus fruits;
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other products--coffee, rice, potatoes, meat, beans; world's largest
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sugar exporter; not self-sufficient in food (excluding sugar)
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-88), $695 million; Communist countries (1970-89),
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$18.5 billion
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Currency: Cuban peso (plural--pesos); 1 Cuban peso (Cu$) = 100
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centavos
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Exchange rates: Cuban pesos (Cu$) per US$1--1.0000 (linked to the
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US dollar)
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Railroads: 14,925 km total; Cuban National Railways operates
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5,295 km of 1.435-meter gauge track; 199 km electrified; 9,630 km of
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sugar plantation lines of 0.914-1.435-meter gauge
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Highways: 26,477 km total; 14,477 km paved, 12,000 km gravel
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and earth surfaced (1989 est.)
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Inland waterways: 240 km
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Ports: Cienfuegos, Havana, Mariel, Matanzas, Santiago de Cuba;
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7 secondary, 35 minor
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Merchant marine: 87 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling
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638,462 GRT/925,380 DWT; includes 54 cargo, 9 refrigerated cargo, 2
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cargo/training, 12 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1
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chemical tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 6 bulk; note--Cuba beneficially owns
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an additional 37 ships (1,000 GRT and over) totaling 512,346 DWT under
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the registry of Panama, Cyprus, and Malta
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Civil air: 59 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 205 total, 176 usable; 75 with permanent-surface runways;
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3 with runways over 3,659 m; 12 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 25 with
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runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: stations--150 AM, 5 FM, 58 TV; 1,530,000 TVs;
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2,140,000 radios; 229,000 telephones; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth
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station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Revolutionary Armed Forces (including Ground Forces,
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Revolutionary Navy, Air and Air Defense Force), Ministry of Interior
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Special Troops, Border Guard Troops, Territorial Militia Troops, Youth
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Labor Army, Civil Defense, National Revolutionary Police
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Manpower availability: eligible 15-49, 6,087,253; of the 3,054,158
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males 15-49, 1,914,080 are fit for military service; of the 3,033,095
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females 15-49, 1,896,449 are fit for military service; 89,194 males and
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85,968 females reach military age (17) annually
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Defense expenditures: $1.2-$1.4 billion, 6% of GNP (1989 est.)
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