Palau

Palau

AREA	508 sq km (196 sq miles), including Babeldaob Island, whose area is 409 sq km (160 sq miles).
POPULATION	17,285 (1995).
POPULATION DENSITY	34.0 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Koror.
CAPITAL POPULATION	11,560 (1995).
GEOGRAPHY	Palau, the westernmost cluster of the six major island groups that make up the Caroline Islands, lies 1000km (600 miles) east of the Philippines. The archipelago stretches over 650km (400 miles) from the atoll of Kayangel to the islet of Tobi. The Palau islands include more than 200 islands, of which only eight are inhabited. With three exceptions, all of the islands are located within a single barrier reef and represent two geological formations. The largest are volcanic and rugged with interior jungle and large areas of grassed terraces. The Rock Islands, now known as the Floating Garden Islands, are of limestone formation, while Kayangel, at the northernmost tip, is a classic coral atoll.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1947. Gained self-governing status (in free association with the USA) in 1994. Head of State and Government: President Kuniwo Nakamura since 1993.
LANGUAGE	English and Palauan.
RELIGION	Roman Catholic majority.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 9.
ELECTRICITY	115/230 volts AC, 60 Hz

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Pakistan

Pakistan

AREA	803,950 sq km (502,469 sq miles).
POPULATION	130,579,571 (1998).
POPULATION DENSITY	164.0 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Islamabad.
CAPITAL POPULATION	799,000 (1998).
GEOGRAPHY	Pakistan has borders to the north with Afghanistan, to the east with India and to the west with Iran; the Arabian Sea lies to the south. In the northeast is the disputed territory of Jammu and Kashmir, bounded by Afghanistan, China and India. Pakistan comprises distinct regions. The northern highlands – the Hindu Kush – are rugged and mountainous; the Indus Valley is a flat, alluvial plain with five major rivers dominating the upper region, eventually joining the Indus River and flowing south to the Makran coast; Sindh is bounded on the east by the Thar Desert and the Rann of Kutch, and on the west by the Kirthar Range; the Baluchistan Plateau is an arid tableland encircled by mountains.
GOVERNMENT	Federal Islamic Republic since 1973. Gained independence from the UK in 1947. Head of State: President Mohammad Rafiq Tarar since 1997. Head of Government: Following a military coup in October 1999, General Parvez Musharraf took over as the leader of the new military regime.
LANGUAGE	Urdu is the national language. English is widely spoken. Regional languages include Punjabi, Pushto, Sindhi, Saraiki, and Baluchi. There are numerous local dialects.
RELIGION	97% Muslim, the remainder are Hindu or Christian.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 5.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round 2- or 3-pin plugs are in use.

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Oman

Oman

AREA	309,500 sq km (119,500 sq miles).
POPULATION	2,135,000 (1995).
POPULATION DENSITY	6.9 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Muscat
CAPITAL POPULATION	549,150 (1993).
GEOGRAPHY	The Sultanate of Oman occupies the southeastern tip of the Arabian Peninsula with 1700km (1062 miles) of coastline stretching along the Indian Ocean and the Arabian Gulf. It is bordered by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to the west and the Republic of Yemen to the south. The United Arab Emirates lies to the northwest of Oman and to the east lies the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman.
GOVERNMENT	Sultanate since 1744. Head of State and Government: Sultan Qabus Bin Said since 1970.
LANGUAGE	Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken. Swahili is also spoken by the population from East Africa. German and French are spoken by hotel staff.
RELIGION	Islam.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 4.
ELECTRICITY	220/240 volts AC, 50Hz.

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Norway

Norway

AREA	323,758 sq km (125,050 sq miles).
POPULATION	4,417,599 (1998).
POPULATION DENSITY	13.6 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Oslo.
CAPITAL POPULATION	494,793 (1997).
GEOGRAPHY	Norway is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by Russia, Finland and Sweden, to the south by the Skagerrak (which separates it from Denmark) and to the west by the North Sea. The coastline is 2735km (1700 miles) long, its most outstanding feature being the fjords. Most of them are between 80-160km long (50-100 miles), and are often very deep and surrounded by towering mountains. Much of northern Norway lies beyond the Arctic Circle and the landscape is stark. In the south the landscape consists of forests with many lakes and rivers.
GOVERNMENT	Constitutional monarchy. Declared independence from Sweden in 1905. Head of State: King Harald V since 1991. Head of Government: Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik since 1997.
LANGUAGE	Norwegian (Bokmål and Nynorsk). Lappish is spoken by the Sami population in the north. English is widely spoken.
RELIGION	89% Evangelical Lutherans; plus other Christian denominations.
STANDARD TIME	Norway Mainland: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to last Saturday before last Sunday in October). Jan Mayen Islands, Svalbard: GMT + 1.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are of the European round 2-pin type.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 47. Outgoing international code: 00. Fax: This service is available at major hotels. Telegram: Telenor's headquarters are at Teledirektoratet, Universitetsgt 2. It is easiest to send telegrams by telephone. The telephone directories give instructions in English on page 16. Post: Hotel receptions, shops and kiosks selling postcards will sell stamps. Airmail within Europe takes two to four days. There are Poste Restante facilities at post offices in all major cities. Post office hours: These vary from place to place but are generally from 0830-1600 Monday to Friday, 0800-1300 Saturday. Press: The national newspapers published in Oslo are Aftenposten, Verdens Gang, Arbeiderbladet and Dagbladet. There are no English-language newspapers.

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Northen Mariana Islands

Northen Mariana Islands

AREA	181 sq km (70 sq miles).
POPULATION	59,243 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	327.3 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Majuro.
CAPITAL POPULATION	29,000 (1994).
GEOGRAPHY	The Marshall Islands consist of two almost parallel chains of atolls and islands and lie west of the International Date Line. Majuro Atoll is 2285km (1428 miles) west of Honolulu, 1624km (1015 miles) east of Guam and 2625km (1641 miles) southeast of Toyko. The eastern Ratak (Sunrise) Chain consists of 15 atolls and islands, and the western Ralik (Sunset) Chain consists of 16 atolls and islands. Together these two chains comprise 1152 islands and islets dispersed over more than 1,900,000 sq km (500,000 sq miles) of the central Pacific.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1990. Gained self-governing status (in free association with the USA) in 1986. Head of State and Government: President H E Imata Kabua since 1997.
LANGUAGE	Marshallese and English are the official languages.
RELIGION	Christian, mostly Roman Catholic.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 12.
ELECTRICITY	110 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are American 2-pin style.

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Niue

Niue

AREA	262.7 sq km (101.4 sq miles).
POPULATION	2321 (1994).
POPULATION DENSITY	8.8 per sq km (1994).
CAPITAL	Alofi.
CAPITAL POPULATION	900 (1987).
GEOGRAPHY	Niue is an isolated island located 480km (298 miles) east of Tonga, 560km (348 miles) southeast of Western Samoa, 980km (609 miles) west of Rarotonga and 2400 (1500 miles) northeast of New Zealand. Affectionately known as 'the rock', Niue is reputedly the largest upraised coral atoll in the world. It has 2500 hectares of the most undisturbed forests in the world, designated tapu areas by the locals, where no humans were allowed to set foot for centuries. Now all the tapu forests, except the one controlled by Hakupu village, are penetrable. These forests are full of lush undergrowth, coconut palms and some of the oldest ebony trees known. Light and scattered forest covers approximately 14,000 hectares. At the edge of the forest, the coast gives way to coral outcrops.
GOVERNMENT	Self-governing state in 'free association' with New Zealand. (New Zealand retains responsibility for external affairs.) Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II, represented locally by High Commissioner Mike Pointer since 1997. Head of Government: Premier Sani Lakatani since 1999.
LANGUAGE	Niuean and English.
RELIGION	Mostly Ekalesia Niue, a Protestant denomination; also Latter Day Saints (Mormon), Jehovah's Witness, Roman Catholic and Seventh Day Adventist.
STANDARD TIME	GMT - 11.
ELECTRICITY	240 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs are the standard 3-pin type.

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Nigeria

Nigeria

AREA	923,768 sq km (356,669 sq miles).
POPULATION	97,223,521 (1995).
POPULATION DENSITY	105.2 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Abuja
CAPITAL POPULATION	298,000.
GEOGRAPHY	Nigeria has borders with Niger to the north, Chad (across Lake Chad) to the northeast, Cameroon to the east and Benin to the west. To the south, the Gulf of Guinea is indented by the Bight of Benin and the Bight of Biafra. The country's topography and vegetation vary considerably. The coastal region is a low-lying area of lagoons, sandy beaches and mangrove swamps, which merges into an area of rainforest where palm trees grow to over 30m (100ft). From here the landscape changes to savannah and open woodland, rising to the Central Jos Plateau at 1800m (6000ft). The northern part of the country is desert and semi-desert, marking the southern extent of the Sahara.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1979. Independence (from the UK) in 1960. Military regime from 1983-1999. Head of State and Government: President Olusegun Obasanjo (People's Democratic Party) since 1999.
LANGUAGE	The official language is English. A variation of English (Pidgin or Broken English) is also spoken. There are three main Nigerian languages: Yoruba, Ibo (also spelled Igbo) and Hausa. Over 300 dialects exist within and across the three main languages.
RELIGION	50% Muslim, 40% Christian and 10% traditional beliefs. Muslims are in the majority in the north and west of the country, while in the south, Christians form the majority of the population.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 1.
ELECTRICITY	220/250 volts AC, 50Hz. Single phase.

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Nikaragua

Nikaragua

AREA	130,668 sq km (50,451 sq miles); 9240 sq km (3568 sq miles) of lakes.
POPULATION	4,663,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	35.7 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Managua.
CAPITAL POPULATION	1,000,000 (1994).
GEOGRAPHY	Nicaragua borders Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. To the east lies the Caribbean, and to the west the Pacific. In the north are the Isabella Mountains, while the country's main feature in the southwest is Lake Nicaragua, 148km (92 miles) long and about 55km (34 miles) at its widest. The island of Ometepe is the largest of the 310 islands on the lake. These islands have a reputation for great beauty and are one of the country's main tourist attractions. Lake Managua is situated to the northwest. Volcanoes, including the famous Momotombo, protrude from the surrounding lowlands northwest of the lakes. The country's main rivers are the San Juan, the lower reaches of which form the border with Costa Rica, and the Rio Grande. The Corn Islands (Islas del Maiz) in the Caribbean are two small beautiful islands fringed with white coral and palms. They are very popular as holiday resorts with both Nicaraguans and tourists. The majority of Nicaragua's population lives and works in the lowland between the Pacific and western shores of Lake Nicaragua, the southwestern shore of Lake Managua and the southwestern sides of the range of volcanoes. It is only in recent years that settlers have taken to coffee growing and cattle farming in the highlands around Matagalpa and Jinotega.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1987. Gained independence from Spain in 1821. Head of State and Government: President Arnoldo Alemán Lacayo since 1997.
LANGUAGE	Spanish. Along the Mosquito Coast (Costa de Mosquito) there are English-speaking communities in which African or mixed African and indigenous Indians predominate.
RELIGION	85% Roman Catholic.
STANDARD TIME	GMT - 6.
ELECTRICITY	110 volts AC, 60Hz.

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New Zealand

New Zealand

AREA	266,171 sq km (102,374 sq miles).
POPULATION	3,800,000 (1998).
POPULATION DENSITY	14.2 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Wellington.
CAPITAL POPULATION	365,000 (1996, including Kapiti). Auckland, with a population of 1,015,000 (1996, including Pukekohe), is the largest urban area in the country.
GEOGRAPHY	New Zealand is 1930km (1200 miles) southeast of Australia and consists of two major islands, the North Island (114,470 sq km/44,197 sq miles) and the South Island (150,660 sq km/58,170 sq miles), which are separated by Cook Strait. Stewart Island (1750 sq km/676 sq miles) is located immediately south of the South Island, and the Chatham Islands lie 800km (500 miles) to the east of Christchurch. Going from north to south temperatures decrease. Compared to its huge neighbour Australia, New Zealand's three islands make up a country that is relatively small (about 20% more land mass than the British Isles). Two-thirds of the country is mountainous, a region of swift-flowing rivers, deep alpine lakes and dense subtropical forest. The country's largest city, Auckland, is situated on the peninsula that forms the northern part of North Island. The southern part of North Island is characterised by fertile coastal plains rising up to volcanic peaks. Around Rotorua, 240km (149 miles) south of Auckland, there is thermal activity in the form of geysers, pools of boiling mud, springs of hot mineral water, silica terraces, coloured craters and hissing fumaroles which make Rotorua a world-famous tourist attraction. The South Island is larger, although only about one-third of the population live there. The Southern Alps extend the whole length of the island, culminating in Mount Cook, the country's highest peak. In the same region are the Franz Josef and Fox glaciers. There are also four Associated Territories: The Cook Islands, about 3500km (2175 miles) northeast of New Zealand; Niue, 920km (570 miles) west of the Cook Islands (area 260 sq km/100 sq miles); Tokelau, three atolls about 960km (600 miles) northwest of Niue (area 12 sq km/4 sq miles) and the Ross Dependency, which consists of over 700,000 sq km (270,270 sq miles) of the Antarctic. Note: Cook Islands and Niue have separate individual sections.
GOVERNMENT	Constitutional monarchy since 1907. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1952, represented locally by Governor-General Sir Michael Hardie Boys since 1996. Head of Government: Prime Minister Helen Clark since 1999.
LANGUAGE	English is the common and everyday language, but other languages are also spoken, including Maori, which is New Zealand's second official language (spoken by approximately 15% of the Maori population).
RELIGION	60% Christian: Anglican, Presbytarian, Roman Catholic and Methodist are all represented.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 12 (GMT + 13 from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March). Chatham Island: GMT + 12.45 (GMT + 13.45 from the last Sunday in October to the last Sunday in March).
ELECTRICITY	230/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Most hotels provide 110-volt AC sockets (rated at 20 watts) for electric razors only.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 64. Outgoing international code: 00. Most public phones take cards purchased from bookstalls; some also accept credit cards, but very few still accept coins. Fax: Most hotels provide facilities. Post: Post offices are open 0900-1700 Monday to Friday. Airmail to Western Europe takes four to five days and to the USA three to ten days. Press: The English-language daily newspapers with the highest circulation include New Zealand Herald, The Press, Evening Post and The Dominion.

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New Caledonia

New Caledonia

AREA	19,103 sq km (7376 sq miles).
POPULATION	200,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	10.5 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Nouméa.
CAPITAL POPULATION	70,000 (1997).
GEOGRAPHY	New Caledonia is an island group approximately 20,000km (12,428 miles) off the southeast coast of Australia. Mountains run the entire length of the main island. On the western side the land is relatively flat and forested by gum trees. The east coast is more mountainous with beautiful seashores fringed by tropical plants. Crystalline serpentine rock covers more than half the island. About 48km (30 miles) southeastwards lies Ile des Pins (Kunie), an island famed for its caves and grottoes containing stalactites and stalagmites. The Loyalty Group lies to the east of New Caledonia, the main islands being Ouvéa, Lifou and Maré. The remaining islands are the Chesterfield Group, Hinter, Huon Group, Matthew and Walpole.
GOVERNMENT	French Overseas Territory since 1957. Head of State: President Jacques Chirac, represented locally by High Commissioner Henri-Michel Comet since 1996.
LANGUAGE	French is the official language, but Polynesian and Melanesian are also spoken. English is also widely spoken.
RELIGION	Roman Catholic, Protestant.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 11 (GMT + 10 in summer)
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style, two-pin plugs are in use.

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