Czechoslovakia (continued)
7 December 1989); Jan CARNOGURSKY (since 7 December 1989)
Political parties and leaders: Civic Forum, since December 1989 leading political force, loose coalition of former oppositionists headed by President Vaclav Havel; Communist Party of Czechoslovakia (KSC), Ladislav Adamec, chairman (since 20 December 1989); KSC toppled from power in November 1989 by massive anti-regime demonstrations, minority role in coalition government since 10 December 1989
Suffrage: universal at age 18
Elections: President—last held 22 May 1985 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results—Gustáv Husak was reelected without opposition;
Federal Assembly—last held 23 and 24 May 1986 (next to be held 8 June 1990; will be a free election); results—KSC was the only party; seats—(350 total) KSC 350
Communists: 1.71 million party members (April 1988) and falling
Other political groups: Czechoslovak Socialist Party, Czechoslovak People's Party, Slovak Freedom Party, Slovak Revival Party, Christian Democratic Party; more than 40 political groups are expected to field candidates for the 8 June 1990 election
Member of: CCC, CEMA, FAO, GATT, IAEA, IBEC, ICAO, ICO, ILO, ILZSG, IMO, IPU, ISO, ITC, ITU, UN, UNESCO, UPU, Warsaw Pact, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WSG, WTO
Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Rita KLIMOVA; Chancery at 3900 Linnean Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 363-6315 or 6316; US—Ambassador Shirley Temple BLACK; Embassy at Trziste 15-12548, Prague (mailing address is APO New York 09213); telephone [42](2) 53 6641 through 6649
Flag: two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side
Economy
Overview: Czechoslovakia is highly
industrialized and has a well-educated and
skilled labor force. Its industry, transport,
energy sources, banking, and most other
means of production are state owned. The
country is deficient, however, in energy
and many raw materials. Moreover, its
aging capital plant lags well behind West
European standards. Industry contributes
over 50% to GNP and construction 10%.
About 95% of agricultural land is in
collectives or state farms. The centrally
planned economy has been tightly linked
in trade (80%) to the USSR and Eastern
Europe. Growth has been sluggish,
averaging less than 2% in the period 1982-89.
GNP per capita ranks next to the GDR as
the highest in the Communist countries.
As in the rest of Eastern Europe, the
sweeping political changes of 1989 have
been disrupting normal channels of supply
and compounding the government's
economic problems. Czechoslovakia is beginning
the difficult transition from a
command to a market economy.
GNP: $123.2 billion, per capita $7,878; real growth rate 1.0% (1989 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 1.5% (1989)
Unemployment rate: 0.9% (1987)
Budget: revenues $22.4 billion; expenditures $21.9 billion, including capital expenditures of $3.7 billion (1986 state budget)
Exports: $24.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment 58.5%; industrial consumer goods 15.2%; fuels, minerals, and metals 10.6%; agricultural and forestry products 6.1%, other products 15.2%; partners—USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US
Imports: $23.5 billion (f.o.b., 1988); commodities—machinery and equipment 41.6%; fuels, minerals, and metals 32.2%; agricultural and forestry products 11.5%; industrial consumer goods 6.7%; other products 8.0%; partners—USSR, GDR, Poland, Hungary, FRG, Yugoslavia, Austria, Bulgaria, Romania, US
External debt: $7.4 billion, hard currency indebtedness (1989)
Industrial production: growth rate 2.1% (1988)
Electricity: 22,955,000 kW capacity; 85,000 million kWh produced, 5,410 kWh per capita (1989)
Industries: iron and steel, machinery and equipment, cement, sheet glass, motor vehicles, armaments, chemicals, ceramics, wood, paper products, footwear
Agriculture: accounts for 15% of GNP (includes forestry); largely self-sufficient in food production; diversified crop and livestock production, including grains, potatoes, sugar beets, hops, fruit, hogs, cattle, and poultry; exporter of forest products
Aid: donor—$4.2 billion in bilateral aid to non-Communist less developed countries (1954-88)
Currency: koruna (plural—koruny); 1 koruna (Kč) = 100 haleřu
Exchange rates: koruny (Kčs) per US$1—17.00 (March 1990), 10.00(1989), 5.63 (1988), 5.43 (1987), 5.95 (1986), 6.79 (1985), 6.65 (1984)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications
Railroads: 13,116 km total; 12,868 km
1.435-meter standard gauge, 102 km
1.524-meter broad gauge, 146 km 0.750-
and 0.760-meter narrow gauge; 2,854 km
double track; 3,530 km electrified; government
owned (1986)
Highways: 73,805 km total; including 489 km superhighway (1986)
Inland waterways: 475 km (1986); the Elbe (Labe) is the principal river
Pipelines: crude oil, 1,448 km; refined products, 1,500 km; natural gas, 8,000 km
Ports: maritime outlets are in Poland (Gdynia, Gdansk, Szczecin), Yugoslavia (Rijeka, Koper), FRG (Hamburg), GDR (Rostock); principal river ports are Prague on the Vltava, Děčín on the Elbe (Labe), Komárno on the Danube, Bratislava on the Danube
Merchant marine: 21 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 208,471 GRT/308,072 DWT; includes 15 cargo, 6 bulk
Civil air: 40 major transport aircraft
Airports: 158 total, 158 usable; 40 with permanent-surface runways; 19 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 37 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
Telecommunications: stations—58 AM, 16 FM, 45 TV; 14 Soviet TV relays; 4,360,000 TV sets; 4,208,538 radio receivers; at least 1 satellite earth station
Defense Forces
Branches: Czechoslovak People's Army,
Frontier Guard, Air and Air Defense
Forces
Military manpower: males 15-49, 4,019,311; 3,076,735 fit for military service; 137,733 reach military age (18) annually
Defense expenditures: 28.4 billion koruny, 7% of total budget (1989); note—conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the official administratively set exchange rate would produce misleading results
