:Spratly Islands Economy
Overview:
Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing, proximity to nearby oil-
and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas
deposits, but the Spratlys region is largely unexplored, and there are no
reliable estimates of potential reserves; commercial exploitation has yet to
be developed.
Industries:
none
:Spratly Islands Communications
Ports:
no natural harbors
Airports:
2 total, 2 usable; none with runways over 2,439 m; 1 with runways
1,220-2,439 m
:Spratly Islands Defense Forces
Note:
44 small islands or reefs are occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines,
Taiwan, and Vietnam
:Sri Lanka Geography
Total area:
65,610 km2
Land area:
64,740 km2
Comparative area:
slightly larger than West Virginia
Land boundaries:
none
Coastline:
1,340 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
24 nm
Continental shelf:
edge of continental margin or 200 nm
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
none
Climate:
tropical; monsoonal; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest
monsoon (June to October)
Terrain:
mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior
Natural resources:
limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay
Land use:
arable land 16%; permanent crops 17%; meadows and pastures 7%; forest and
woodland 37%; other 23%; includes irrigated 8%
Environment:
occasional cyclones, tornados; deforestation; soil erosion
Note:
only 29 km from India across the Palk Strait; near major Indian Ocean sea
lanes
:Sri Lanka People
Population:
17,631,528 (July 1992), growth rate 1.2% (1992); note - about 120,000 people
fled to India in 1991 because of fighting between government forces and
Tamil insurgents; about 200,000 Tamils will be repatriated in 1992
Birth rate:
20 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
6 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
-2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
21 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
69 years male, 74 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.2 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Sri Lankan(s); adjective - Sri Lankan
Ethnic divisions:
Sinhalese 74%; Tamil 18%; Moor 7%; Burgher, Malay, and Veddha 1%
Religions:
Buddhist 69%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 8%
Languages:
Sinhala (official); Sinhala and Tamil listed as national languages; Sinhala
spoken by about 74% of population, Tamil spoken by about 18%; English
commonly used in government and spoken by about 10% of the population
Literacy:
86% (male 91%, female 81%) age 15 and over can read and write (1981)
Labor force:
6,600,000; agriculture 45.9%, mining and manufacturing 13.3%, trade and
transport 12.4%, services and other 28.4% (1985 est.)
Organized labor:
about 30% of labor force, over 50% of which are employed on tea, rubber, and
coconut estates