Imports—partners: Canada, 19%, Western Europe 18%, Japan 14%,
Mexico 10%, China 7% (1997)
Debt—external: $862 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $7.4 billion (1995)
Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: British pounds (L) per US$—0.6057 (January 1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995), 0.6529 (1994); Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$—1.5192 (January 1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724 (1995), 1.3656 (1994); French francs (F) per US$—5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994); Italian lire (Lit) per US$—1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1 (1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994); Japanese yen (Y) per US$—113.18 (January 1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99 (1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995), 102.21 (1994); German deutsche marks (DM) per US$—1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048 (1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994); Euro per US$—0.8597 (January 1999)
Fiscal year: 1 October—30 September
Communications
Telephones: 182.558 million (1987 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio
relay, coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries conventional
telephone traffic; a rapidly growing cellular system carries mobile
telephone traffic throughout country
international: 24 ocean cable systems in use; satellite earth
stations—61 Intelsat (45 Atlantic Ocean and 16 Pacific Ocean), 5
Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region), and 4 Inmarsat (Pacific and
Atlantic Ocean regions) (1990 est.)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 4,987, FM 4,932, shortwave 0