Background:
Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.

Geography Western Sahara Location:


Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Geographic coordinates:
24 30 N, 13 00 W
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about the size of Colorado
Land boundaries:
total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Coastline:
1,110 km
Maritime claims:
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue



( Read more... )

Background: Established in 1891, the British protectorate of Nyasaland became the independent nation of Malawi in 1964. After three decades of one-party rule, the country held multiparty elections in 1994 under a provisional constitution, which took full effect the following year. National multiparty elections were held again in 1999.

Geography


Location: Southern Africa, east of Zambia ( Read more... )

Anguilla Background:
Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency.
Geography Anguilla Top of Page




Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Geographic coordinates:
18 15 N, 63 10 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about half the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
61 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm


( Read more... )

The Maldives were long a sultanate, first under Dutch and then under British protection. They became a republic in 1968, three years after independence. Tourism and fishing are being developed on the archipelago.


Geographic coordinates:
3 15 N, 73 00 E

Location:
Southern Asia, group of atolls in the Indian Ocean, south-southwest of India


Area:
total: 300 sq km
land: 300 sq km
water: 0 sq km

( Read more... )

Wallis and Futuna
Background: Although discovered by the Dutch and the British in the 17th and 18th centuries, it was the French who declared a protectorate over the islands in 1842. In 1959, the inhabitants of the islands voted to become a French overseas territory.

Geography
Location: Oceania, islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates: 13 18 S, 176 12 W
Map references: Oceania
Area:
total: 274 sq km
land: 274 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes Ile Uvea (Wallis Island), Ile Futuna (Futuna Island), Ile Alofi, and 20 islets
Area - comparative: 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 129 km



Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, rainy season (November to April); cool, dry season (May to October); rains 2,500-3,000 mm per year (80% humidity); average temperature 26.6 degrees C



Terrain: volcanic origin; low hills
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Singavi 765 m
Natural resources: NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 5%
permanent crops: 20%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 75% (1993 est.)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: deforestation (only small portions of the original forests remain) largely as a result of the continued use of wood as the main fuel source; as a consequence of cutting down the forests, the mountainous terrain of Futuna is particularly prone to erosion; there are no permanent settlements on Alofi because of the lack of natural fresh water resources
Geography - note: both island groups have fringing reefs

People
Population: 15,283 (July 2000 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA
Population growth rate: NA%
Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population
Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population
Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: NA years
female: NA years
Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman
Nationality:
noun: Wallisian(s), Futunan(s), or Wallis and Futuna Islanders
adjective: Wallisian, Futunan, or Wallis and Futuna Islander
Ethnic groups: Polynesian
Religions: Roman Catholic 100%
Languages: French, Wallisian (indigenous Polynesian language)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 50%
male: 50%
female: 50% (1969 est.)

conventional long form: Territory of the Wallis and Futuna Islands
conventional short form: Wallis and Futuna
local long form: Territoire des Iles Wallis et Futuna
local short form: Wallis et Futuna


Dependency status: overseas territory of France
Government type: NA
Capital: Mata-Utu (on Ile Uvea)

Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three kingdoms named Wallis, Sigave, Alo

Independence: none (overseas territory of France)
Constitution: 28 September 1958 (French Constitution)
Legal system: French legal system

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch: chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Administrator Christian DORS (since NA)
head of government: President of the Territorial Assembly Soane UHILA (since NA)
cabinet: Council of the Territory consists of three kings and three members appointed by the high administrator on the advice of the Territorial Assembly
note: there are three traditional kings with limited powers
elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; high administrator appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the Territorial Government and the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly

Legislative branch: unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (20 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 16 March 1997 (next to be held NA March 2002)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 14, other 6
note: Wallis and Futuna elects one senator to the French Senate and one deputy to the French National Assembly; French Senate - elections last held 27 September 1998 (next to be held by NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR 1; French National Assembly - elections last held 25 May-1 June 1997 (next to be held by NA March 2002); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats - RPR 1

Judicial branch: none; justice generally administered under French law by the high administrator, but the three traditional kings administer customary law and there is a magistrate in Mata-Utu

Political parties and leaders: Lua Kae Tahi (Giscardians) [leader NA]; Mouvement des Radicaux de Gauche or MRG [leader NA]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [leader NA]; Taumu'a Lelei [leader NA]; Union Populaire Locale or UPL [leader NA]; Union Pour la Democratie Francaise or UDF [leader NA]

International organization participation: FZ, SPC
Diplomatic representation in the US: none (overseas territory of France)
Diplomatic representation from the US: none (overseas territory of France)
Flag description: a large white modified Maltese cross centered on a red background; the flag of France outlined in white on two sides is in the upper hoist quadrant; the flag of France is used for official occasions

Economy - overview: The economy is limited to traditional subsistence agriculture, with about 80% of the labor force earning its livelihood from agriculture (coconuts and vegetables), livestock (mostly pigs), and fishing. About 4% of the population is employed in government. Revenues come from French Government subsidies, licensing of fishing rights to Japan and South Korea, import taxes, and remittances from expatriate workers in New Caledonia.

GDP: purchasing power parity - $28.7 million (1995 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: NA%
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,000 (1995 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Population below poverty line: NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
Labor force: NA
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture, livestock, and fishing 80%, government 4% (est.)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $17 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1998 est.)
Industries: copra, handicrafts, fishing, lumber
Industrial production growth rate: NA%
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA%
nuclear: NA%
other: NA%
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Electricity - exports: NA kWh
Electricity - imports: NA kWh
Agriculture - products: breadfruit, yams, taro, bananas; pigs, goats
Exports: $370,000 (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
Exports - commodities: copra, breadfruit, yams, taro roots, handicrafts
Exports - partners: NA
Imports: $13.5 million (c.i.f., 1995 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, manufactured goods, transportation equipment, fuel, clothing
Imports - partners: France, Australia, New Zealand
Debt - external: $NA
Economic aid - recipient: assistance from France
Currency: 1 Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique franc (CFPF) = 100 centimes
Exchange rates: Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (CFPF) per US$1 - 117.67 (January 2000), 111.93 (1999), 107.25 (1998), 106.11 (1997), 93.00 (1996), 90.75 (1995); note - linked at the rate of 18.18 to the French franc
Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications
Telephones - main lines in use: 1,125 (1994)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (1994)
Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: NA
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: 2 (1997)
Televisions: NA
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): NA
Transportation
Railways: 0 km
Highways:
total: 120 km (Ile Uvea 100 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
paved: 16 km (all on Ile Uvea)
unpaved: 104 km (Ile Uvea 84 km, Ile Futuna 20 km)
Waterways: none
Ports and harbors: Leava, Mata-Utu
Merchant marine:
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 92,060 GRT/45,881 DWT
ships by type: passenger 2, petroleum tanker 1 (1999 est.)
Airports: 2 (1999 est.)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1999 est.)
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues
Disputes - international: none

http://jc.n.free.fr/tevakalele/photo5.html

Bouvet Island
Geography
Location: Southern Africa, island in the South Atlantic Ocean, south-southwest of the Cape of Good Hope (South Africa)
Geographic coordinates: 54 26 S, 3 24 E
Map references: Antarctic Region

Area:
total: 58.5 sq km
land: 58.5 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative: about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 29.6 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 4 nm

Climate: antarctic

Terrain: volcanic; maximum elevation about 800 m; coast is mostly inaccessible
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Southern Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 780 m

Natural resources: none
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (93% ice)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1993)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA

Geography - note: covered by glacial ice; declared a nature reserve


People
Population: uninhabited (July 2000 est.)
Government: none
Country name: none
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Bouvet Island

Dependency status: territory of Norway; administered by the Polar Department of the Ministry of Justice and Police from Oslo
Flag description: the flag of Norway is used

Economy - overview: no economic activity; declared a nature reserve
Communications - note: automatic meteorological station
Transportation: ePorts and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of Norway
Transnational Issues: Disputes - international: none

After a century of rule by France, Algeria became independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in the December 1991 balloting caused the army to intervene, crack down on the FIS, and postpone the subsequent elections. The fundamentalist response has resulted in a continuous low-grade civil conflict with the secular state apparatus, which nonetheless has allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties. The FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded in January 2000 and many armed militants of other groups surrendered under an amnesty program designed to promote national reconciliation. Nevertheless, small numbers of armed militants persist in confronting government forces and carrying out isolated attacks on villages and other types of terrorist attacks. Other concerns include Berber unrest, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, and the need to diversify the petroleum-based economy.

Q A T A R
This Arabian state occupies the Qatar peninsula, projecting north into the Persian Gulf. The peninsula is some 124 miles (200km) long. Like other Gulf states, Qatar has a hot, dry climate and most of the land is desert. Temperatures in summer (July-August) reach over 100 degrees F in some places. There is some rainfall in winter. Natural vegetation is restricted to desert species, and there is little wildlife. The people, known as Qataris, are Muslim Arabs, and include desert nomads. The majority of the population is non-Qatari, mainly from other parts of southwest Asia, India and Pakistan. Qatar was Turkish-ruled before coming under British protection in 1916. It became independent in 1971. The ruler, an emir, appoints government ministers, and there is no elected parliament. Large oil revenues have financed generous government services.

French Guiana is the only one of the three Guianas not to achieve independance. The others are now called Guyana and Surinam. It forms part of the Guiana highlands, but is mainly low lying because of river erosion. There is a swampy coastal plain, with mangroves. Dense, tropical, hardwood forests cover most of the interior. The climate is hot and wet. The population is mostly Creole, with Native American, black, French, Lebanese, Chinese, Brazilian, and Southeast Asian minorities. In 1503 the Spanish were the first European settlers, followed in 1643 by the French who founded Cayenne, the capital. French rule began officially in 1667. From 1852 to 1939 France used the territory as a penal colony, and Devil's Island became notorious. The country was made an overseas department of France in 1946. It is the site of the European Space Agency's rocket-launching base, one of only a handful of spaceports on Earth, where a departing rocket enjoys the greater takeoff velocity imparted by the more rapid Eastward spin of the planet's equatorial regions.

Seven emirates, formerly known as the Trucial States, make up the federation of the United Arab Emirates. These are Abu Dhabi, Dubai, Ash Shariqah, Ajman, Umm al Qaywayn, Ras as Khaymah, and Al Fujayrah. It is a desert region with little vegetation or fertile land. The climate is hot and dry. The population is about 70% Arab, the rest being mainly Indians, Pakistanis, and Iranians. The area was important as a regional trade center from pre-Roman times. The emirates fought many wars, until Britain impelled them to sign truces. They were bound by treaty to Britain until 1971, when Britain withdrew its forces from the Gulf. The emirates then merged and a federation was set up. Each state retains its own sheik.

Because the barn situation macro geographic entries will temporarily resume pending completion the re-assessment mentioned in the previous post.

The Barn: The Update



New and sinister information has come to light regarding the barn.
Standard and IR filming was been completed just prior to the 28th of last month. The entire barn project will need to be reviewed as regards how what has been revealed may indicate potential negative consequences resulting from further development of the project.

The Barn
Northern California
In a salt marsh
Between a levee and an abandoned causeway
Descriptive phrases and images COMING SOON

Andorra is a small principality in the Pyrenees mountains between France and Spain. There are two heads of state: the Spanish Bishop of Urgel and the French President. The effective government is a 28-member elected General Council. The Andorrean's herd sheep and goats, and grow tobacco. Tourism provides most of the state's income. Andorra's minimal tax and customs regulations attract millions of shoppers and winter sports enthusiasts.

The Union of Myanmar, as Burma before 1989, is a republic in Southeast Asia. Much of the country is mountainous. The most fertile areas are the southern valleys of the Irrawaddy and Sittang rivers. The delta of the Irrawaddy is one of the world's great rice growing areas. The climate is mainly tropical, with heavy monsoon rains from May to September. The people are mostly Burmese, Minorities, including the Karen, Sha, Naga, and other hill peoples, have resisted central government in a struggle to preserve their cultures and establish autonomous local government. A Burmese kingdom existed in the A.D. 1000's. The country was annexed by Britain in the 1800's, and became independent in 1948. From the 1960's the country had few foreign contacts. Pro-democracy movements challenged the unreconstructed marxist ideologues' rule of the country in the 1980's.

NORTH KOREA occupies the northern part of the Korean peninsula, which stretches southward toward Japan from China. North Korea is mainly mountainous, and most of its people live in the eastern coastal plains. The northwestern plain is the principle farming area. The Yalu River forms the border with China, and is North Korea's longest river. Korea was formerly known as Choson. It was occupied by Japan in 1910. After World War II it was partitioned, and North Korea became a marxist-leninst state. Under dictatorial ruler Kim Il Sung, North Korea was governed by a rigid regime, attempting industrial and military development. The Korean War (1950-53) began when Northern troops invaded South Korea. The United Nations supported South Korea , and Communist China backed North Korea. After the war, frustrated in achieving her war aims, North Korea retreated into isolation. Later with the dictatorial rule of Kim Il Sung seemingly unaffected by widespread international repudiation of collectivist ideologies and the collapse of the bulk of the regimes which supported them, the government enforced a collective farm system and continued to attempt to realize a program of heavy industry and military armament. Tensions remained high between PYONGYANG and the free state to the south. Attempts to alter this situation undertaken in the 1990's were naive and ultimately in vain.

Paraguay, like its neighbor Bolivia is landlocked. The Parguay river divides it into two regions. To the west is the Gran Chaco, a flat wilderness of grassland, scrub, and marsh. To the east are rolling hills, thick forests, and areas with fertile soil. The climate is subtropical. Spanish explorers and Jesuit priests arrived in the 1500's. Paraguay feed itself from Spanish rule in 1918. But war with Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay (1865-70) ruined the country. Its recent history included authoritarian leadership under Alfredo Stroessner from 1954 to 1989.

Portugal is Spain's neighbor on the Iberian peninsula of southern Europe. The Atlantic islands of Madeira and the Azores are part of Portugal. The southern mainland is low lying. The north is mountainous. Portugal has ho, dry summers and mild, moist winters. Although most people still in rural villages, the main cities are growing in size. Lisbon is the chief political, economic and cultural center. Spain recognized Portugal as an independant kingdom in 1385. From the 1400's Portugal led European maritime trade in Asia and Africa, and built up an overseas empire which has now virtually gone. Portugal became a republic in 1910. Democratic government was restored in 1971 following nearly 40 years of authoritarian rule.