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EUROPE
FACTS
GERMANY & THE NETHERLANDS

|
OFFICIAL
NAME:
|
Federal Republic of Germany
(FRG)
|
CAPITAL:
|
Berlin
|
SYSTEM
OF GOVERNMENT:
|
Federal Multiparty Republic
|
AREA:
|
357,020 Sq Km (137,846 Sq Mi)
|
ESTIMATED
2000 POPULATION
|
81,025,000
|
LOCATION
& GEOGRAPHY:
|
Germany is located in North Central Europe, on the Great North
European Plain. It is bound by Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, the
Baltic Sea to the northeast, Denmark to the north, the North Sea to the
northwest, the Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg and France to the west,
Switzerland to the south and Austria to the south and southeast. The country can
be divided into three topographical regions. (1.) The Northern German Plain
which includes the northern low lying plains and the moraine covered hills and
lakes of the Baltic Sea country. (2.) The Central German Uplands which includes
the Rhenish Slate Mountains (Rheinisches Schiefergebirge), the rolling uplands
and low mountains of Hessen. The Horst Massifs of the Schwarzwald (Black
Forest), the Harz Mountains, the Odenwald, the Spessart, the Lausitzer Bergland
and the Elbsandsteingebirge, which is a sandy region on both sides of the Elbe
River. This region also includes the Erzgebirge, which is a high tablelands.
(3.) The southern uplands which include the ranges of the Central Alps and other
uplands such as the Bayerische Alpen. The former East Germany was made up
largely of the Northern German Plain but also included a small part of the
Central German Upland while the former West Germany included parts of all three
regions. The principal rivers are the Danube, Ems, Weser, Moselle and the Elbe
with its tributaries, as well as the most important commercial waterway in
Europe, the Rhine River. Major Cities (pop. est.); Berlin 3,471,000, Hamburg
1,706,000, Munich 1,216,300, Cologne 961,600, Frankfurt 663,600, Essen 624,600,
Dortmund 602,400, Stuttgart 598,000, Dusseldorf 577,600, Bremen 552,700 (1992).
Land Use; forested 30%, pastures 15%, agricultural-cultivated 34%, other 21%
(1993).
|
CLIMATE:
|
Germany has a continental climate in the western regions of the country with
strong Atlantic influences in the northwest causing the winters to be mild but
stormy. Further inland the winter temperatures are lower and the summers are
warm with slightly higher temperatures in the southwest. A temperate climate is
experienced in the eastern regions with an Atlantic influence giving rise to
mild winters and cool summers. Due to a stronger Alpine influence rather than
the Atlantic in the interior, conditions are generally wetter and colder at
higher altitudes with snow lying in the mountains for some time. Average annual
precipitation in Berlin is 592 mm (23 inches) and average annual temperature
ranges are from 0.5 degrees Celsius (31 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 19
degrees Celsius (66 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
|
PEOPLE:
|
The population is almost entirely Germanic with Germans accounting for 94.4% of
the population. Other ethnic minorities include the Danes, Turks, Italians,
Greeks, Spanish, Slovaks and Serbs.
|
DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL
STATISTICS:
|
Density; 222 persons per sq km (574 persons per sq mi) (1991).
Urban-Rural; 85.3% urban, 14.7% rural (1990). Sex Distribution; 48.1% male,
51.9% female (1989). Life Expectancy at Birth; 70.9 years male, 77.2 years
female (1988). Age Breakdown; 15% under 15, 21% 15 to 29, 22% 30 to 44, 20% 45
to 59, 15% 60 to 74, 7% 75 and over (1992). Birth Rate; 10.4 per 1,000 (1991).
Death Rate; 11.4 per 1,000 (1991). Increase Rate; -1.0 per 1,000 (1991). Infant
Mortality Rate; 6.8 per 1,000 live births (1992).
|
RELIGIONS:
|
Mostly Christians with around 50% of the population Protestant, predominantly
Lutheran while 45% are Roman Catholic. Other religious minorities include
Muslims.
|
LANGUAGES:
|
The official language is German with the standard German known as High German (Hochdeutsch)
which is used in the national media and for educational purposes. Most Germans
have their own dialect depending on the region.
|
EDUCATION:
|
Aged 25 or over and having attained (former West Germany): less than primary
education 0.9%, primary and lower secondary 67.2%, primary and upper secondary
17.7%, higher 14.2% (1989). Literacy; N/A.
|
MODERN
HISTORY - WWII TO 1993:
|
On
May 23, 1949 the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG or West Germany) was
formed out of the occupied US, British and French allied zones. On Oct. 7,
1949 the Soviet controlled eastern half became the Germany Democratic
Republic (GDR or East Germany).
East
Germany; In the German Democratic Republic (GDR) the control of the East
German Communist Party was absolute under the Stalinist, Walter Ulbricht
until 1971. In May 1955 the GDR joined the Warsaw Pact and under a Warsaw
Pact initiative constructed the Berlin Wall in Aug. 1961. In 1968 the GDR
forces assisted in the Soviet led invasion of Czechoslovakia and in the
same year the GDR was constitutionally declared a socialist state. In May
1971 Ulbricht resigned and was succeeded by Eric Honecker. In Dec. 1972
both the FRG and GDR signed a treaty which guaranteed the inviolability of
the Berlin Wall and in Sept. 1973 the GDR joined the UN. In Sept. 1987
Honecker became the first GDR head of state to visit the FRG.
Unified
Germany; With the collapse of communism across Eastern Europe in 1989, the
impact was quickly felt in East Germany. Popular demonstrations marked the
40th anniversary of East Germany and Erich Honecker was ousted. The Berlin
Wall, a symbol since Aug. 13, 1961 of the division of Germany, was torn
down in late 1989 and at midnight on Oct. 23, 1990 the two nations were
formally reunified to create one German nation with Dr Richard von
Weizsacker as President and Dr Helmut Kohl as Chancellor. In Dec. 1990 the
leading center-right coalition of the Christian Democrats (CDU), Christian
Social Union (CSU) and the Free Democrats (FDP) won general elections
under Chancellor Kohl who formed new cabinet in mid-January. On Jan. 20,
1991 the CDU lost control of the Hesse in State elections to the Social
Democrats (SPD) which formed a coalition with the Greens. In early 1991
Chancellor Kohl's new cabinet announced a 7.5% surcharge on income taxes
and increases the prices of tobacco and oil products to raise a further DM
46 billion to develop the east and fund increasing unemployment benefits
there. On Mar. 14, 1991 the Soviet authorities smuggled Honecker to the
Soviet Union, although in 1992 after the collapse of the Soviet Union, he
surrendered and returned to Germany to stand trial on charges of
manslaughter for the order to shoot escapees. On June 20, 1991 a Bundestag
vote decided that the seat of government be shifted as soon as possible
from Bonn to Berlin that further assisted in lifting moral in the east. In
1991 there were also increases in the activity of small groups of neo-Nazi
skin heads, especially in the east, who systematically harassed foreigners
which they blamed for increasing unemployment in both parts of the
country. In Sept. 1991 an African was burnt to death in a hostel fire and
later that month in Saxony in the east racial tensions erupted as large
groups of neo-Nazi youths jeered by onlookers repeatedly attacked the
hostels of displaced European refugees seeking asylum. On Oct. 3, 1991 the
first anniversary of unification, right-wing youth groups in many parts of
the country attacked refugee hostels violently. In response the CDU
announced plans to amend the constitution to restrict the categories in
which refugees are able to claim asylum. However, the CDU's coalition
partner the FDP refused to support the bill, causing further signs of
problems within the ruling coalition government. Towards the end of the
year the FDP's policies on issues such as abortion were closer to the SDPs
while the CDU's woes improved due to their harder line on refugees and the
improvement in the east's economy and unemployment. In Dec. 1991 Germany
agreed during the EU summit in Maastricht, the Netherlands, to form a more
unified political and economic-monetary union. Also in 1991 Germany
contributed some US$5.5 billion towards the United States costs in the
Gulf War as it was unable to send troops outside of the NATO area due to
the country's constitution, while other military aid was donated to other
alliance partners. On Jan. 1, 1992 a new law enabled citizens to examine
their Stazi (former East German secret police) files, with some 10,000
people applying in the first week. In Jan. and Feb. 1992 economic tensions
rose as the western German pay round got underway, with steelworkers
demanding a 10.5% wage increase although settling for a 6.4% increase and
narrowly averting a national steelworkers strike. In Mar. 1992 the CDU
defense minister Gerhard Stoltenberg was forced to resign over revelations
that tanks had been illegally shipped to Turkey and that German armaments
had been used by Turkish forces against the Kurds. In April 1992 the
government had a showdown with the public-sector trade unions who were
prepared to accept an independent arbitrator's compromise of a 5.4% wage
increase, although Kohl wanted to keep the deal below the psychological 5%
barrier claiming that Germans were living beyond their means. On Apr. 27,
1992 the unions initiated their first industrial action in 18 years
hitting the transport, postal and refuse sectors. Also on the same day
Germany's most consistently popular politician, foreign minister
Hans-Dietrich Genscher, announced his planned retirement for May 17, 1992
exactly 18 years after gaining the post. Genscher was succeeded by the
justice minister Klaus Kinkel, known for his plain discourse. The
public-sector strikes were further increased eventually forcing the
government to settle the wage increase demand for a deal just above the
5.4% after eleven days. On May 18, 1992 another strike by IG Metall, the
country's largest union was averted for a 5.4% wage increase deal. On June
26, 1992 the Bundestag voted to extend the former East Germany's liberal
abortion rules, allowing for on demand abortion within the first 3 months
of pregnancy, to the whole of Germany. However, following an appeal by
conservative MPs the Constitutional Court suspended the new legislation
pending a ruling on its constitutional standing. In Aug. 1992 racial
tensions erupted in the eastern port city of Rostock where hundreds of
extreme right youths attacked a Romanian and Vietnamese hostel for five
days cheered by thousands of local onlookers. After fierce battles between
the youths and police the hostel was burnt after police had bused away the
residents. As a result of a marked increase in violence against foreigners
the coalition government ended its internal argument over amendments to
the constitution on restricting asylum regulations and in Oct. 1992
jointly presented its proposals to the Bundestag. Along with the banning
of several neo-Nazi groups it was hoped that these amendments based on the
Geneva Convention for Refugees would ease the situation. In Sept. 1992 the
European currency system was marked by unprecedented turbulence which
resulted in intense criticism of Germany particularly by Britain and Italy
which felt that the Bundesbank's high-interest-rate policy had contributed
to their own domestic economic problems and forced them to pull out of the
exchange-rate mechanism. On Oct. 8, 1992 at the Maastricht ratification
debate in Bonn, Germany was forced to make heavy concessions to the
European Union skeptics to ensure the passage of the treaty. On Oct. 19,
1992 police found the decomposed body of the German Greens founder Petra
Kelly who had been shot three times by her companion and fellow
campaigner, Gert Bastian, before killing himself. In Nov. 1992 two
neo-Nazi youths were charged with murder and arson after they confessed to
the firebombing of a house where three Turkish women lost their lives. On
Jan. 3, 1993 Economic Minister Jurgen Mollemann resigned of a scandal
involving the promotion of a relation's product to several supermarket
chains and resulted in Klaus Kinkel becoming leader of the FDP. On Jan.
12, 1993 a Berlin court dropped manslaughter charges against Erich
Honecker in connection with his shoot-to-kill policy in the former East
Germany. On Feb. 18, 1993 east German engineering-sector employers tore up
a 1991 wage increase contract which was to see east German workers
salaries increased to that of their west German counterparts during 1994,
however with productivity running at one-third the west German workers
east German employers complained that they would go out of business if
they were to offer the wage increases. In March 1993 the government
announced the Solidarity Pact over the rising cost of unification and lack
of confidence. The pact delayed the much needed austerity measures and
allowed for the reintroduction of a special income tax surcharge to take
effect in 1995, however with announcement by the finance minister that the
federal deficit in 1993 would be closer to DM 70 billion versus the DM 43
billion originally forecast combined with increasing unemployment payments
the government faced a spending crisis. As a result Germany's independent
central bank, the Bundesbank, called for strict control of public finances
and announced that as a result of the governments failure to cut spending
that there would be no lowering of Germany's high interest rates. On May
3, 1993 the leader of the SDP, Bjorn Engholm resign from his office after
admitting he had lied to a parliamentary investigating committee while
Gunther Krause of the CDU also resigned on May 6, 1993 following a series
of scandal allegations involving the misuse of public funds. On May 12,
1993 Max Streibl the prime minister of Bavaria announced his resignation
after it was alleged he had accepted free holidays and flights from a
Bavarian aircraft manufacturer. In early May 1993 the IG Metall workers
union began trikes over the 9% engineering-sector wage increase offer and
by May 14, 1993 a deal had been struck that allayed the equalization of
east-west wages until 1996 although provided an immediate increase
settlement of just less than the original 26%. On May 26, 1993 Bundestag
deputies were jeered by thousands of protesters as the government parties
finally ended years of arguments and agreed to amendments to the
constitution that tightened Germany's open-door policy on foreign asylum
seekers. On May 29, 1993 five Turks, two women and three children, died
after their house in Solingen was set on fire and by the end of the year
four youths were arrested in connection with the attack. In mid-June 1993
the SDP members elected Rudolf Scharping to replace Engholm as party
leader. In August 1993 currency speculation developed over the battle
between the government and the Bundesbank that lead to the widening of the
European exchange rate mechanism (ERM) from 2.5% to 15%. In mid-August
1993 the government announced a DM 22 billion savings package that formed
its second attempt to control public spending. In Sept. 1993 Kohl
presented his "Report on Safeguarding Germany's Economic Future"
that called for a new flexibility and dynamism in the society. In
mid-Sept. 1993 Chancellor Kohl announced his support of Steffen Heitmann,
an east German and CDU justice minister, for presidential elections to be
held in Feb. 1994. On Sept. 16, 1993 three former East German minister
were sentenced to jail for their part in the shootings at the Berlin Wall.
In October 1993 the Bundesbank's president Helmut Schlesinger was
succeeded by Hans Tietmeyer and Germany became the last of the 12 EU
members to complete the ratification of the Maastricht Treaty after the
constitutional court had rejected several objections. In late Oct. 1993
the former head of the Stasi secret police, Erich Mielke, was sentenced to
six years jail for the killing of two policemen in 1931. In Nov. 1993
unemployment in western Germany had reached a postwar high of 2,490,000 or
7.8%. Also during 1993 the UN appealed for Germany to find a way around
its constitutional restrictions and play a full part in international
security missions.
|
CURRENCY:
|
The official currency is the Deutsche Mark (DM) divided into 100 Pfennig.
|
ECONOMY:
|
Gross National Product; USD $1,908,570,000,000 (1993). National Debt; DM
651,180,000,000 (1993). Imports; DM 600,966,000,000 (1994). Exports; DM
673,121,000,000 (1994). Tourism Receipts; USD $10,587,000,000 (1994). Balance of
Trade; DM 72,160,000,000 (1994). Economically Active Population; 40,179,000 or
49.5% of total population (1993). Unemployed; 8.7% (1993).
|
MAIN
TRADING PARTNERS:
|
Its main trading partners are the
EU, Switzerland, Japan and
the USA.
|
MAIN
PRIMARY PRODUCTS:
|
Antimony, Arsenic, Barley, Bismuth, Coal, Cobalt, Fish, Fruit
and Vegetables, Grapes and Wine, Iron Ore, Lead, Lignite, Livestock, Milk and
Dairy Products, Oats, Oil and Natural Gas, Potash, Potatoes, Rye, Salt, Sugar
Beets, Timber, Wheat, Zinc.
|
MAJOR
INDUSTRIES:
|
Aircraft, Agriculture, Cement, Chemicals, Ceramics, Computers,
Electrical and Electronic Equipment, Food Processing, Forestry and Fishing,
Glass, Iron and Steel, Machinery, Mining, Motor Vehicles, Non Ferrous Metals,
Optical Equipment, Petroleum Products, Precision Instruments, Railway Equipment,
Textiles, Tools.
|
MAIN
EXPORTS:
|
Chemicals, Food, Instruments, Iron and Steel, Lignite, Machinery, Motor
Vehicles, Potash, Railway Equipment, Textiles, Yarns and Fabrics.
|
TRANSPORT:
|
Railroads; route length 91,432 km (56,813 mi) (1991), passenger-km
57,034,000,000 (35,439,000,000 passenger-mi) (1991), cargo ton-km 82,219,000,000
(56,312,000,000 short ton-mi) (1991). Roads (former W.Germany); length 496,652
km (308,605 mi) (1989). Vehicles; cars 32,007,000 (1991), trucks and buses
1,619,000 (1991). Merchant Marine; vessels 1,574 (1992), deadweight tonnage
5,636,000 (1992). Air Transport; passenger-km 114,312,000,000 (71,030,000,000
passenger-mi) (1990), cargo ton-km 4,410,000,000 (3,020,000,000 short ton-mi)
(1990).
|
COMMUNICATIONS:
|
Daily Newspapers; total of 355 with a total circulation of 26,425,000 (1991).
Radio; receivers 36,186,000 (1994). Television; receivers 32,314,000 (1994).
Telephones; units 36,899,800 (1993).
|
MILITARY:
|
339,900 (1995) total active duty personnel with 68.8% army, 8.4% navy and 22.8%
air force while military expenditure accounts for 1.6% (1993) of the Gross
National Product (GNP).
|
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FACTS
ABOUT NETHERLANDS
|
OFFICIAL
NAME:
|
Kingdom of the Netherlands
|
CAPITAL:
|
Amsterdam
|
SYSTEM
OF GOVERNMENT:
|
Constitutional Monarchy
|
AREA:
|
39,931 Sq Km (15,417 Sq Mi)
|
ESTIMATED
2000 POPULATION:
|
15,716,600
|
LOCATION
& GEOGRAPHY:
|
The Netherlands is located in North West Europe. It is bound by
the North Sea to the north and west, Germany to the east and Belgium to the
south. The country is largely a delta comprised of silt from the mouths of the
Rhine, Waal, Maas, Ijssel and Schelde Rivers and is generally low and flat
except for the southeast where hills rise. The inland area, which is in some
places below sea level, is protected by coastal dunes and manmade dykes. Without
these sea defenses around 40% of the country would be under water. The above
mentioned rivers also give access for sea-going vessels to the inland waterways
of Belgium and Germany. Major Cities (pop. est.); Amsterdam 724,100, Rotterdam
598,500, The Hague 445,300, Utrecht 234,100, Eindhoven 196,100 (1994). Land Use;
forested 10%, pastures 31%, agricultural-cultivated 28%, other 31% (1993).
|
CLIMATE:
|
The Netherlands has a temperate maritime climate influenced by the North Sea and
Atlantic Ocean. Since the country is small there is little variation in climate
from region to region, although the marine influences are less inland. Rainfall
is distributed fairly evenly throughout the year with average annual
precipitation exceeding 700 mm (28 inches). Average temperature ranges are from
-1 to 4 degrees Celsius (30 to 39 degrees Fahrenheit) in January to 13 to 22
degrees Celsius (55 to 72 degrees Fahrenheit) in July.
|
PEOPLE:
|
The principal ethnic majority are the Dutch who account for 96% of the
population and are an ethnically homogeneous people of Saxon, Frankish and
Frisian origins. Around 1% of the population are immigrants and repatriates from
the Dutch East Indies that include Surinamese, Indonesian and Moluccans.
|
DEMOGRAPHIC/VITAL
STATISTICS:
|
Density; 443.4 persons per sq km (1,148.4 persons per sq mi) (1991).
Urban-Rural; 88.5% urban, 11.5% rural (1990). Sex Distribution; 49.4% male,
50.6% female (1990). Life Expectancy at Birth; 74.0 years male, 80.2 years
female (1991). Age Breakdown; 18% under 15, 24% 15 to 29, 24% 30 to 44, 17% 45
to 59, 12% 60 to 74, 5% 75 and over (1991). Birth Rate; 13.2 per 1,000 (1990).
Death Rate; 8.6 per 1,000 (1990). Increase Rate; 4.6 per 1,000 (1990). Infant
Mortality Rate; 7.1 per 1,000 live births (1990).
|
RELIGIONS:
|
Mostly Christians with 36% of the population Roman Catholic while 18.5% are
Dutch Reformed and 8.4% are of other reformed churches.
|
LANGUAGES:
.
|
The official language is Dutch which is spoken by almost the entire population.
The principal minority language is Frisian while English and German are also
widely understood
|
EDUCATION:
|
Aged 25 to 64 and having attained: primary education 16.7%, secondary 61.8%,
higher 20.0%, other 1.5% (1985). Literacy; literate population aged 15 or over
virtually 100% (1990).
|
MODERN
HISTORY - WWII TO 1993:
|
From 1948 to 1958 a coalition government led by Willem
Drees held power. In 1949 the Netherlands granted independence to the Dutch East
Indies, most of which became Indonesia and in the same year joined the North
Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). In 1953 devastating North Sea floods killed
around 2,000 people. In 1954 the colonies of Suriname and the Netherlands
Antilles became equal partners in the Dutch Kingdom. In 1957 the Netherlands
became a founding member of the European Community (EC). In 1962 the Netherlands
gave up control of Netherlands New Guinea (now Indonesian Irian Jaya) to the UN.
In 1973 Joop den Uyl was elected Prime Minister. In 1975 Suriname was granted
independence and during the 1970's South Moluccan exiles began terrorist attacks
as a result of their homeland being integrated into Indonesia. In 1982 Ruud
Lubbers of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) became Prime Minister and was
re-elected in 1986. In 1986 the island of Aruba seceded from the Netherlands
Antilles and became an equal partner in the Dutch Kingdom. In the same year the
parliament approved the controversial installation of US cruise missiles on its
territory. In Sept. 1989 after the governing coalition party fell apart, Lubbers
was reelected and formed another coalition government. In Aug. 1990 the
Netherlands sent two marine frigates to the Gulf to support the UN trade embargo
against Iraq. On June 15, 1991 the Netherlands Communist Party dissolved itself
after 82 years and merged with the Political Party Radicals, the Evangelical
People's Party and the Pacifist Socialist Party to form the Groen Links (Green
Left) party. In Sept. 1991 there were massive demonstrations and country-wide
strikes organized by unions in protest to the government's economic austerity
measures which involved reductions in social security benefits and health
services. On Sept. 28, 1991 the government survived a vote of no confidence and
on Oct. 5, 1991 some 250,000 people participated in mass demonstrations in The
Hague, although government policy remained unaffected by all the protests. On
Nov. 13, 1991 two bombs exploded causing property damage, although no loss of
life with the Revolutionary Anti-Racist Action (RARA) declaring the attacks in
protest to the Secretary of State's policy on political asylum. On Feb. 7, 1992
the formal signing of the Maastricht Treaty on European Union took place in
which a timetable and the framework was established for European Union. On Feb.
28, 1992 the government approved its country's involvement in peacekeeping
operations in Yugoslavia. In March 1992 the Labor Party (PvdA) elected both
Felix Rottenberg and Ruud Vreeman as the new two-headed leadership. On Oct. 4,
1992 an Israeli Boeing 747 cargo plane crashed into an Amsterdam 10-story high
rise apartment building killing an estimated 100 people. In Nov. 1992 the
government ratified the treaty by acclamation and in Dec. 1992 Dutch farmers
marched in protest to an EU-US agricultural accord. On Jan. 12, 1993 the
government announced plans to reduce its military force by 44% by 2002 with the
army reduced by 54% and the navy by 25%. On Jan. 28, 1993 the Parliament passed
new legislation on disability benefits, ending the debate and protests that
began in 1991 and on Feb. 9, 1993 after 20 years of debate the Parliament also
passed a bill that would permit doctors to carry out euthanasia under strict
medical and ethical guidelines. In May and June 1993 a parliamentary inquiry
into fraudulent disability benefit allegations by retrenched workers in the
1980's began, although it found no such proof of irregularities. Also in June
1993 the Secretary of State for Social Affairs, Elske ter Veld resigned
following an emotional debate over social welfare, leaving serious rifts within
the Parliamentary party faction. In Nov. 1993 the Senate passed the euthanasia
bill that fell short of legalizing euthanasia but alleviated criminal
prosecution as long as strict guidelines were adhered to by doctors.
|
CURRENCY:
|
The official currency is the Guilder (NG) divided into 100 Cents.
|
ECONOMY:
|
Gross National Product; USD $316,390,000,000 (1993). Public Debt; USD
$195,935,000,000 (1993). Imports; NG 234,972,000,000 (1993). Exports; NG
258,226,000,000 (1993). Tourism Receipts; USD $4,690,000,000 (1993). Balance of
Trade; NG 41,982,000,000 (1994). Economically Active Population; 6,406,000 or
41.9% of total population (1993). Unemployed; 7.5% (1993).
|
MAIN
TRADING PARTNERS:
|
Its main trading partners are Germany, Belgium, Luxembourg,
France, the USA and East European countries.
|
MAIN
PRIMARY PRODUCTS:
|
Cereals, Fish, Fruit and Vegetables, Livestock, Oil and Gas,
Potatoes, Poultry, Salt, Sugar Beets.
|
MAJOR
INDUSTRIES:
|
Agriculture, Chemicals, Clothing, Diamond Cutting, Fertilizers,
Fishing, Food Processing, Forestry, Iron and Steel, Oil and Gas Production and
Refining, Printing, Ship Building, Textiles, Tobacco Processing.
|
MAIN
EXPORTS:
|
Chemicals, Dairy Produce, Flower Bulbs, Fruit and Vegetables, Iron and
Steel, Machinery, Meat, Natural Gas, Petroleum Products, Textiles.
|
TRANSPORT:
|
Railroads; route length 2,828 km (1,757 mi) (1989), passenger-km 10,162,000,000
(6,314,000,000 passenger-mi) (1989), cargo ton-km 3,094,000,000 (2,119,000,000
short ton-mi) (1989). Roads; length 115,305 km (71,647 mi) (1989). Vehicles;
cars 5,509,000 (1990), trucks and buses 555,000 (1990). Merchant Marine; vessels
1,227 (1990), deadweight tonnage 4,724,765 (1990). Air Transport; passenger-km
25,296,000,000 (15,718,000,000 passenger-mi) (1989), cargo ton-km 2,084,600,000
(1,427,743,000 short ton-mi) (1989).
|
COMMUNICATIONS:
|
Daily Newspapers; total of 64 with a total circulation of 4,600,000 (1994).
Radio; receivers 13,400,000 (1993). Television; receivers 5,675,000 (1993).
Telephones; units 7,630,000 (1993).
|
MILITARY:
|
70,900 (1994) total active duty personnel with 60.9% army, 20.2% navy and 12.7%
air force while military expenditure accounts for 2.4% (1993) of the Gross
National Product (GNP).
|
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