Digraph:
XX
Administrative divisions:
265 sovereign nations, dependent areas, other, and miscellaneous entries
Legal system:
varies by individual country; 182 are parties to the United Nations
International Court of Justice (ICJ or World Court)
*World, Economy
Overview:
Real global output—gross world product (GWP)—rose one-half of 1% in 1992,
with results varying widely among regions and countries. Average growth of
1.5% in the GDP of industrialized countries (62% of GWP in 1992) and average
growth of 5% in the GDP of less developed countries (30% of GWP) were offset
by a further 15-20% drop in the GDP of the former Soviet-East European area
(now only 8% of GWP). The United States accounted for 23% of GWP in 1992;
the 12-member European Community, which established a single internal market
on 1 January 1993, accounted for another 23%, and Japan accounted for 10%.
These are the three "economic superpowers" presumably destined to compete
for mastery in international markets on into the 21st century. In general,
growth in the industrialized countries was sluggish in 1992, with
unemployment typically at 7-11%. As for the less developed countries, China,
India, and the Four Dragons—South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and
Singapore—posted good records; however, many other countries, especially in
Africa, suffered bitterly from drought, rapid population growth, and civil
strife. The continued plunge in production in practically all the former
Warsaw Pact economies strained the political and social fabric of these
newly independent nations, in particular in Russia. The addition of nearly
100 million people each year to an already overcrowded globe is exacerbating
the problems of pollution, desertification, underemployment, epidemics, and
famine. Because of their own internal problems, the industrialized countries
have inadequate resources to deal effectively with the poorer areas of the
world, which, at least from the economic point of view, are becoming further
marginalized. (For the specific economic problems of each country, see the
individual country entries in this volume.)
National product:
GWP (gross world product) - purchasing power equivalent - $25.6 trillion
(1992 est.)
National product real growth rate:
0.5% (1992 est.)
National product per capita:
$4,600 (1992 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
developed countries:
5% (1992 est.)
developing countries:
50% (1992 est.)
note:
these figures vary widely in individual cases
Unemployment rate:
developed countries typically 7-11%; developing countries, extensive
unemployment and underemployment (1992)
Exports:
$3.64 trillion (f.o.b., 1992 est.)
commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners: in value, about 75% of exports from the developed countries
Imports:
$3.82 trillion (c.i.f., 1992 est.)
commodities:
the whole range of industrial and agricultural goods and services
partners:
in value, about 75% of imports by the developed countries
External debt:
$1 trillion for less developed countries (1992 est.)
Industrial production:
growth rate -1% (1992 est.)
*World, Economy
Electricity:
2,864,000,000 kW capacity; 11,450,000 million kWh produced, 2,150 kWh per
capita (1990)
Industries:
industry worldwide is dominated by the onrush of technology, especially in
computers, robotics, telecommunications, and medicines and medical
equipment; most of these advances take place in OECD nations; only a small
portion of non-OECD countries have succeeded in rapidly adjusting to these
technological forces, and the technological gap between the industrial
nations and the less-developed countries continues to widen; the rapid
development of new industrial (and agricultural) technology is complicating
already grim environmental problems
Agriculture:
the production of major food crops has increased substantially in the last
20 years; the annual production of cereals, for instance, has risen by 50%,
from about 1.2 billion metric tons to about 1.8 billion metric tons;
production increases have resulted mainly from increased yields rather than
increases in planted areas; while global production is sufficient for
aggregate demand, about one-fifth of the world's population remains
malnourished, primarily because local production cannot adequately provide
for large and rapidly growing populations, which are too poor to pay for
food imports; conditions are especially bad in Africa where drought in
recent years has intensified the consequences of overpopulation
Economic aid:
NA
*World, Communications
Railroads:
239,430 km of narrow gauge track; 710,754 km of standard gauge track;
251,153 km of broad gauge track; includes about 190,000 to 195,000 km of
electrified routes of which 147,760 km are in Europe, 24,509 km in the Far
East, 11,050 km in Africa, 4,223 km in South America, and only 4,160 km in
North America; fastest speed in daily service is 300 km/hr attained by
France's SNCF TGV-Atlantique line
Ports:
Mina al Ahmadi (Kuwait), Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, New
Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine:
23,943 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 397,225,000 GRT/652,025,000 DWT;
includes 347 passenger-cargo, 12,581 freighters, 5,473 bulk carriers, and
5,542 tankers (January 1992)
*World, Defense Forces
Branches:
ground, maritime, and air forces at all levels of technology
Defense expenditures:
$1.0 trillion, 4% of total world output; decline of 5-10% (1991 est.)
*Yemen, Geography