_#_Diplomatic representation: US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Thomas R. PICKERING; Mission at 799 United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 415-4444 (afternoon hours)
_#_Flag: thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner bearing 50 small white five-pointed stars arranged in nine offset horizontal rows of six stars (top and bottom) alternating with rows of five stars; the 50 stars represent the 50 states, the 13 stripes represent the 13 original colonies; known as Old Glory; the design and colors have been the basis for a number of other flags including Chile, Liberia, Malaysia, and Puerto Rico
_*Economy #_Overview: The US has the most powerful, diverse, and technologically advanced economy in the world, with a per capita GNP of $21,800, the largest among major industrial nations. In 1989 the economy enjoyed its seventh successive year of substantial growth, the longest in peacetime history. The expansion featured moderation in wage and consumer price increases and a steady reduction in unemployment to 5.2% of the labor force. In 1990, however, growth slowed to 1% because of a combination of factors, such as the worldwide increase in interest rates, Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in August, the subsequent spurt in oil prices, and a general decline in business and consumer confidence. Ongoing problems for the 1990s include inadequate investment in education and other economic infrastructure, rapidly rising medical costs, and sizable budget and trade deficits.
_#_GNP: $5,465 billion, per capita $21,800; real growth rate 1.0% (1990)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5.4% (1990)
_#_Unemployment rate: 5.5% (1990)
_#_Budget: revenues $1,106 billion; expenditures $1,272 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY90 est.)
_#_Exports: $393.9 billion (f.o.b., 1990);
commodities—capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products;
partners—Western Europe 27.3%, Canada 22.1%, Japan 12.1% (1989)