:United Kingdom Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Royal Navy (including Royal Marines), Royal Air Force
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 14,462,820; 12,122,497 fit for military service; no
conscription
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $42 billion, 4.3% of GDP (FY91)

:United States Geography

Total area:
9,372,610 km2
Land area:
9,166,600 km2; includes only the 50 states and District of Colombia
Comparative area:
about three-tenths the size of Russia; about one-third the size of Africa;
about one-half the size of South America (or slightly larger than Brazil);
slightly smaller than China; about two and one-half times the size of
Western Europe
Land boundaries:
12,248.1 km; Canada 8,893 km (including 2,477 km with Alaska), Mexico 3,326
km, Cuba (US naval base at Guantanamo) 29.1 km
Coastline:
19,924 km
Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone:
12 nm
Continental shelf:
not specified
Exclusive economic zone:
200 nm
Territorial sea:
12 nm
Disputes:
maritime boundary disputes with Canada (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait
of Juan de Fuca); US Naval Base at Guantanamo is leased from Cuba and only
mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease;
Haiti claims Navassa Island; US has made no territorial claim in Antarctica
(but has reserved the right to do so) and does not recognize the claims of
any other nation; Marshall Islands claims Wake Island
Climate:
mostly temperate, but varies from tropical (Hawaii) to arctic (Alaska); arid
to semiarid in west with occasional warm, dry chinook wind
Terrain:
vast central plain, mountains in west, hills and low mountains in east;
rugged mountains and broad river valleys in Alaska; rugged, volcanic
topography in Hawaii
Natural resources:
coal, copper, lead, molybdenum, phosphates, uranium, bauxite, gold, iron,
mercury, nickel, potash, silver, tungsten, zinc, crude oil, natural gas,
timber
Land use:
arable land 20%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 26%; forest and
woodland 29%; other 25%; includes irrigated 2%
Environment:
pollution control measures improving air and water quality; acid rain;
agricultural fertilizer and pesticide pollution; management of sparse
natural water resources in west; desertification; tsunamis, volcanoes, and
earthquake activity around Pacific Basin; continuous permafrost in northern
Alaska is a major impediment to development
Note:
world's fourth-largest country (after Russia, Canada, and China)

:United States People

Population:
254,521,000 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
14 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
9 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
2 migrants/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
10 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
72 years male, 79 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
1.8 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - American(s); adjective - American
Ethnic divisions:
white 84.1%, black 12.4%, other 3.5% (1989)
Religions:
Protestant 56%, Roman Catholic 28%, Jewish 2%, other 4%, none 10% (1989)
Languages:
predominantly English; sizable Spanish-speaking minority
Literacy:
98% (male 97%, female 98%) age 25 and over having completed 5 or more years
of schooling (1989)
Labor force:
126,867,000 (includes armed forces and unemployed); civilian labor force
125,303,000 (1991)
Organized labor:
16,568,000 members; 16.1% of total wage and salary employment which was
102,786,000 (1991)

:United States Government

Long-form name:
United States of America; abbreviated US or USA
Type:
federal republic; strong democratic tradition
Capital:
Washington, DC
Administrative divisions:
50 states and 1 district*; Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California,
Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia*, Florida, Georgia,
Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine,
Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri,
Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York,
North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode
Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont,
Virginia, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming
Independence:
4 July 1776 (from England)
Constitution:
17 September 1787, effective 4 June 1789
Dependent areas:
American Samoa, Baker Island, Guam, Howland Island; Jarvis Island, Johnston
Atoll, Kingman Reef, Midway Islands, Navassa Island, Northern Mariana
Islands, Palmyra Atoll, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands, Wake Island
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
Independence Day, 4 July (1776)
Executive branch:
president, vice president, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
bicameral Congress consists of an upper house or Senate and a lower house or
House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court
Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President George BUSH (since 20 January 1989); Vice President Dan QUAYLE
(since 20 January 1989)
Political parties and leaders:
Republican Party, Richard N. BOND, national committee chairman; Jeanie
AUSTIN, co-chairman; Democratic Party, Ronald H. BROWN, national committee
chairman; several other groups or parties of minor political significance
Suffrage:
universal at age 18
Elections:
President:
last held 8 November 1988 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results -
George BUSH (Republican Party) 53.37%, Michael DUKAKIS (Democratic Party)
45.67%, other 0.96%
Senate:
last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results -
Democratic Party 51%, Republican Party 47%, other 2%; seats - (100 total)
Democratic Party 56, Republican Party 44
House of Representatives:
last held 6 November 1990 (next to be held 3 November 1992); results -
Democratic Party 52%, Republican Party 44%, other 4%; seats - (435 total)
Democratic Party 267, Republican Party 167, Socialist 1

:United States Government

Communists:
Communist Party (claimed 15,000-20,000 members), Gus HALL, general
secretary; Socialist Workers Party (claimed 1,800 members), Jack BARNES,
national secretary
Member of:
AfDB, AG (observer), ANZUS, APEC, AsDB, BIS, CCC, COCOM, CP, CSCE, EBRD,
ECE, ECLAC, FAO, ESCAP, G-2, G-5, G-7, G-8, G-10, GATT, IADB, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT,
INTERPOL, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LORCS, NATO, NEA, OAS, OECD, PCA, SPC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNRWA, UN Security Council, UN Trusteeship Council,
UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
US Representative to the UN, Ambassador Thomas R. PICKERING; Mission at 799
United Nations Plaza, New York, NY 10017; telephone (212) 415-4050, after
hours (212) 415-4444; FAX (212) 415-4443
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
Note:
since 18 July 1947, the US has administered the Trust Territory of the
Pacific Islands, but recently entered into a new political relationship with
three of the four political units; the Northern Mariana Islands is a
Commonwealth in political union with the US (effective 3 November 1986);
Palau concluded a Compact of Free Association with the US that was approved
by the US Congress but to date the Compact process has not been completed in
Palau, which continues to be administered by the US as the Trust Territory
of the Pacific Islands; the Federated States of Micronesia signed a Compact
of Free Association with the US (effective 3 November 1986); the Republic of
the Marshall Islands signed a Compact of Free Association with the US
(effective 21 October 1986)