BERMUDA (Continued)
Political parties and leaders: United Bermuda Party (UBP), J. David Gibbons; Progressive Labor Party (PLP), Lois Browne-Evans
Voting strength (1980 elections): UBP 54%, PLP 46%; the UBP holds 22 House of Assembly seats, the PLP holds 18 seats
Communists: negligible
Other political or pressure groups: Bermuda Industrial Union (BIU) headed by Ottiwell Simmons
ECONOMY
GDP: $598 million (FY79/80), $10,894 per capita; real growth rate FY79/80, est. 3%
Agriculture: main products—bananas, vegetables, Easter lilies, dairy products, citrus fruits
Major industries: tourism, finance
Electric power: 110,000 kW capacity (1981); 355 million kWh produced (1981), 5,460 kWh per capita
Exports: $31 million (f.o.b., 1979); mostly reexports of drugs and bunker fuel
Imports: $234 million (f.o.b., 1979); fuel, foodstuffs, machinery
Major trade partners: imports, 50% US; tourists, 90% US
Aid: economic—bilateral commitments, including Ex-Im (1970-80), from US $34 million; from Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF (FY70-79), $109 million; no military aid
Budget: revenues, $132 million; expenditures $132 million; (FY81/82)
Monetary conversion rate: 1 Bermuda dollar=US$1
Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
COMMUNICATIONS
Railroads: none
Highways: 190 km, all paved
Ports: 3 major (Hamilton, St. George Freeport, Ireland Island)
Civil air: 4 major transport aircraft
Airfields: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications: modern telecom system, includes fully automatic telephone system with 39,500 sets (63.7 per 100 popl.); 3 AM, 1 FM, and 2 TV stations; 3 coaxial submarine cables; 1 Atlantic Ocean satellite station
BUTHAN
_Bhutan.jpg)
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| (See reference map VIII) |
LAND
46,600 km2; 15% agricultural, 15% desert, waste, urban, 70% forested
Land boundaries: about 870 km
PEOPLE
Population: 1,364,000 (July 1982), average annual growth rate 2.3%
Nationality: noun—Bhutanese (sing., pl.); adjective—Bhutanese
Ethnic divisions: 60% Bhotias, 25% ethnic Nepalese, 15% indigenous or migrant tribes
Religion: 75% Lamaistic Buddhism, 25% Buddhist-influenced Hinduism
Language: Bhotias speak various Tibetan dialects—most widely spoken dialect is Dzongkha, the official language; Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects
Literacy: insignificant
Labor force: 300,000; 99% agriculture, 1% industry; massive lack of skilled labor
GOVERNMENT
Official name: Kingdom of Bhutan
Type: monarchy; special treaty relationship with India
Capital: Thimphu
Political subdivisions: 4 regions (east, central, west, south), further divided into 15-18 subdivisions
Legal system: based on Indian law and English common law; in 1964 the monarch assumed full power—no constitution existed beforehand; a Supreme Court hears appeals from district administrators; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
National holiday: 17 December
Branches: appointed Ministers and indirectly elected Assembly consisting of village elders, monastic representatives, and all district and senior government administrators
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