emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy and deregulate the service sector, particularly telecommunications and energy. The strong GDP growth of 1998 is expected to dwindle back to 2.3% in 1999, and observers caution that this projection may be revised downwards in view of the Asian and Brazilian crises and Germany's lower growth projection.
GDP: purchasing power parity—$184.5 billion (1998 est.)
GDP—real growth rate: 2.9% (1998 est.)
GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity?$22,700 (1998 est.)
GDP—composition by sector: agriculture: 1.4% industry: 30.8% services: 67.8% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1998)
Labor force: 3.7 million (1998)
Labor force—by occupation: services 67.7%, industry and crafts 29%, agriculture and forestry 0.7% (salaried employees, 1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 7% (1999 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $50.4 billion
expenditures: $55.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1998 est.)
Industries: construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism (1997)
Industrial production growth rate: 4% (1998 est.)
Electricity—production: 52.15 billion kWh (1996)
Electricity—production by source: fossil fuel: 34.4% hydro: 65.6% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1997)
Electricity—consumption: 56.1 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity—exports: 9.8 billion kWh (1997)
Electricity—imports: 9 billion kWh (1997)
Agriculture—products: grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber
Exports: $62.5 billion (1998)
Exports—commodities: vehicles, machinery and equipment, paper and paperboard, metal goods, iron and steel, telecommunication equipment, textiles, medical and pharmaceutical products (1997)
Exports—partners: EU 62% (Germany 35.1%, Italy 8.3%), Central and
Eastern Europe 17.6% (Hungary 4.9%), Japan 1.3%, US 3.7% (1997)
Imports: $65.8 billion (1998)
Imports—commodities: vehicles, machinery and equipment, apparel, metal goods, oil and oil products, office and data-processing machinery, medical and pharmaceutical products, telecommunication equipment, textiles (1997)
Imports—partners: EU 68.9% (Germany 41.7%, Italy 8%), Central and Eastern Europe 11% (Hungary 3.1%), Asia 7.1% (Japan 2.2%), US 5.4% (1997)
Debt—external: $24.33 billion (1997)
Economic aid—donor: ODA, $513 million (1997); of which, bilateral $298 million, multilateral $215 million
Currency: 1 Austrian schilling (AS) = 100 groschen
Exchange rates: Austrian schillings (AS) per US$1—11.86 (January
1999), 12.379 (1998), 12.204 (1997), 10.587 (1996), 10.081 (1995),
11.422 (1994)
note: on 9 January 1999, the European Union introduced a common
currency that is now being used by financial institutions in some
member countries at the rate of 0.8597 euros per US$ and a fixed
rate of 13.7603 Austrian shillings per euro; the euro will replace
the local currency in consenting countries for all transactions in
2002
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Telephones: 3.47 million (1986 est.)
Telephone system:
domestic: highly developed and efficient
international: satellite earth stations—2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean
and 1 Indian Ocean) and 2 Eutelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 61 (several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (Austria's single shortwave station, Radio Austria International, transmits its programs to the world in six languages using 12 frequencies and six communication satellite relays) (1998)
Radios: 70% of all households had radiosaccoding to the 1993
census
Television broadcast stations: 51 (in addition, there are 920
repeaters) (1998)
Televisions: 2,418,584 (1984 est.)
Transportation
Railways:
total: 5,849 km (there is also 594 km of private tracks)
standard gauge: 5,470 km 1.435-m gauge (3,418 km electrified)
narrow gauge: 379 km 1.000-m and 0.760-m gauge (84 km electrified)
(1997)
Highways: 129,061 km paved: 129,061 km (including 1,613 km of expressways) unpaved: 0 km (1997 est.)
Waterways: 358 km (1997)
Pipelines: crude oil 777 km; natural gas 840 km (1997)
Ports and harbors: Linz, Vienna, Enns, Krems
Merchant marine:
total: 22 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 67,066 GRT/95,693 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 18, combination bulk 2, container 1
(1998 est.)
Airports: 55 (1998 est.)
Airports—with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 12 (1998 est.)
Airports—with unpaved runways: total: 33 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 29 (1998 est.)
Heliports: 1 (1998 est.)
Military
Military branches: Army (includes Flying Division)
Military manpower—military age: 19 years of age
Military manpower—availability:
males age 15–49: 2,091,902 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—fit for military service:
males age 15–49: 1,735,469 (1999 est.)
Military manpower—reaching military age annually:
males: 48,872 (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—dollar figure: $1.8 billion (1999 est.)
Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 0.82% (1999 est.)
Transnational Issues
Disputes—international: none
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and
South American cocaine destined for Western Europe
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@Azerbaijan—————
Introduction
Background: In 1806, Azerbaijan, a region of Turkic Muslim people, was conquered by the Russians. In 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence from Russia, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. It again declared its independence in 1991, following the collapse of the USSR. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is still unresolved after 10 years and Baku has yet to settle disputes with