Imports: $4.4 trillion (c.i.f., 1995 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: $2 trillion for less developed countries (1995 est.)
Economic aid: worldwide traditional foreign aid $50 billion (1995
est.)
Transportation ———————
Railways:
total: 1,201,337 km 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
4,160 km in North America; note - fastest speed in daily service is
300 km/hr attained by France's Societe Nationale des Chemins-de-Fer
Francais (SNCF) Le Train a Grande Vitesse (TGV) - Atlantique line
broad gauge: 251,153 km
standard gauge: 710,754 km
narrow gauge: 239,430 km
Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km
Ports: Chiba, Houston, Kawasaki, Kobe, Marseille, Mina' al Ahmadi
(Kuwait), New Orleans, New York, Rotterdam, Yokohama
Merchant marine:
total: 25,521 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 442,276,527
GRT/701,647,274 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 22, bulk 5,308, cargo 8,089, chemical
tanker 920, combination bulk 307, combination ore/oil 279, container
1,938, liquefied gas tanker 709, livestock carrier 52, multifunction
large-load carrier 62, oil tanker 4,320, passenger 298,
passenger-cargo 117, railcar carrier 21, refrigerated cargo 1,022,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1,034, short-sea passenger 484, specialized
tanker 81, vehicle carrier 458 (1995 est.)
Communications ———————
Telephones: NA