Location:Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran

Language: Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek
and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much
bilingualism

Currency: 1 afghani (AF) = 100 puls

Population: 25,824,882

Natural Hazards: earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding

Import: food and petroleum products; most consumer goods

Export: fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and
pelts, precious and semi-precious gems

Industries: small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, and
cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, oil, coal, copper

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 24.6 km
broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15
km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south
bank of Amu Darya

Highways:
total: 21,000 km
paved: 2,793 km
unpaved: 18,207 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 1,200 km; chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to about 500 DWT

Ports & Harbors: Kheyrabad, Shir Khan Kabul Airport (KBL)

Location: Southwestern Asia, east of Turkey

Language: Armenian 96%, Russian 2%, other 2%

Currency: 1 dram = 100 luma

Population: 3,409,234

Natural Hazards: occasionally severe earthquakes; droughts

Import: grain, other foods, fuel, other energy

Export: gold and jewelry, aluminum, transport equipment,
electrical equipment, scrap metal

Industries: much of industry is shut down; metal-cutting machine tools,forging-pressing machines, electric motors, tires, knitted wear, hosiery, shoes,silk fabric, washing machines, chemicals, trucks, watches, instruments,
microelectronics

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 825 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge: 825 km 1.520-m gauge (1992)

Highways:
total: 8,580 km
paved: 8,580 km
unpaved: 0 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: NA km

Ports & Harbors: none

Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia

Language: Azeri 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6%

Currency: manat=100 gopiks

Population: 7,908,224

Natural Hazards: droughts; some lowland areas threatened by rising levels of the Caspian Sea

Import: machinery and parts, consumer durables, foodstuffs,textiles

Export: oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment, textiles, cotton

Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 2,125 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge: 2,125 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified) (1993)

Highways:
total: 57,770 km
paved: 54,188 km
unpaved: 3,582 km (1995 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Baku

Location: Middle East, archipelago in the Persian Gulf, east of Saudi Arabia

Language: Arabic, English, Farsi, Urdu

Currency: 1 Bahraini dinar (BD) = 1,000 fils

Population: 629,090

Natural Hazards: periodic droughts; dust storms

Import: nonoil 59%, crude oil 41%

Export: petroleum and petroleum products 61%, aluminum 7%

Industries: petroleum processing and refining, aluminum smelting, offshore banking, ship repairing; tourism

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 3,103 km
paved: 2,374 km
unpaved: 729 km (1997 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Manama, Mina' Salman, Sitrah

Location: Southern Asia, bordering the Bay of Bengal, between Burma and India

Language: Bangla (official), English

Currency: 1 taka (Tk) = 100 poisha

Population: 127,117,967

Natural Hazards: droughts, cyclones; much of the country routinely flooded during the summer monsoon season

Import: capital goods, textiles, food, petroleum products

Export: garments, jute and jute goods, leather, frozen fish
and seafood

Industries: jute manufacturing, cotton textiles, food processing, steel, fertilizer

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 2,745 km
broad gauge: 923 km 1.676-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,822 km 1.000-m gauge (1998 est.)

Highways:
total: 204,022 km
paved: 25,095 km
unpaved: 178,927 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 5,150-8,046 km navigable waterways (includes 2,575-3,058 km main cargo routes)

Ports & Harbors: Chittagong, Dhaka, Mongla Port

Location: Southern Asia, between China and India

Language: Dzongkha (official), Bhotes speak various Tibetan dialects, Nepalese speak various Nepalese dialects

Currency: 1 ngultrum (Nu) = 100 chetrum; note—Indian currency is also legal tender

Population: 1,951,965

Natural Hazards: violent storms coming down from the Himalayas are the source of the country's name which translates as Land of the Thunder Dragon;frequent landslides during the rainy season

Import: fuel and lubricants, grain, machinery and parts,
vehicles, fabrics, rice

Export: cardamom, gypsum, timber, handicrafts, cement,
fruit, electricity (to India), precious stones, spices

Industries: cement, wood products, processed fruits, alcoholic beverages, calcium carbide

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 3,285 km
paved: 1,994 km
unpaved: 1,291 km (1996 est.)

Ports & Harbors: none

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the South China Sea and Malaysia

Language: Malay (official), English, Chinese

Currency: 1 Bruneian dollar (B$) = 100 cents

Population: 322,982

Natural Hazards: typhoons, earthquakes, and severe flooding are very rare

Import: machinery and transport equipment, manufactured
goods, food, chemicals

Export: crude oil, liquefied natural gas, petroleum products

Industries: petroleum, petroleum refining, liquefied natural gas, construction

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 13 km (private line)
narrow gauge: 13 km 0.610-m gauge

Highways:
total: 1,150 km
paved: 399 km
unpaved: 751 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 209 km; navigable by craft drawing less than 1.2 m
 

Ports & Harbors: Bandar Seri Begawan, Kuala Belait, Muara, Seria, Tutong

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Bay of Bengal, between Bangladesh and Thailand

Language: Burmese, minority ethnic groups have their own languages

Currency: 1 kyat (K) = 100 pyas

Population: 48,081,302

Natural Hazards: destructive earthquakes and cyclones; flooding and landslides common during rainy season (June to September); periodic droughts

Import: machinery, transport equipment, construction
materials, food products

Export: pulses and beans, teak, rice, rubber, hardwood

Industries: agricultural processing; textiles and footwear; wood and wood products; copper, tin, tungsten, iron; construction materials; pharmaceuticals; fertilizer

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 3,740 km
narrow gauge: 3,740 km 1.000-m gauge (1997)

Highways:
total: 28,200 km
paved: 3,440 km
unpaved: 24,760 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 12,800 km; 3,200 km navigable by large commercial vessels

Ports & Harbors: Bassein, Bhamo, Chauk, Mandalay, Moulmein,
Myitkyina, Rangoon, Akyab (Sittwe), Tavoy

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Gulf of Thailand, between Thailand, Vietnam, and Laos

Language: Khmer (official), French

Currency: 1 new riel (CR) = 100 sen

Population: 11,626,520

Natural Hazards: monsoonal rains (June to November); flooding; occasional droughts

Import: cigarettes, gold, construction materials, petroleum
products, machinery, motor vehicles

Export: timber, garments, rubber, soybeans, sesame

Industries: rice milling, fishing, wood and wood products, rubber, cement, gem mining, textiles

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 603 km
narrow gauge: 603 km 1.000-m gauge

Highways:
total: 35,769 km
paved: 4,165 km
unpaved: 31,604 km (1997 est.)

Waterways: 3,700 km navigable all year to craft drawing 0.6 m; 282 km
navigable to craft drawing 1.8 m

Ports & Harbors: Kampong Saom (Sihanoukville), Kampot, Krong Kaoh Kong, Phnom Penh

Location: Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam

Language: Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghaiese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages

Currency: 1 yuan (¥) = 10 jiao

Population: 1,246,871,951

Natural Hazards: frequent typhoons (about five per year along southern and eastern coasts); damaging floods; tsunamis; earthquakes; droughts

Import: electrical machinery and equipment, machinery and
mechanical appliances, plastics, iron and steel, scientific and photograph equipment, paper and paper board (1998)

Export: electrical machinery and equipment, machinery and
mechanical appliances, woven apparel, knit apparel, footwear, toys and sporting goods (1998)

Industries: iron and steel, coal, machine building, armaments, textiles and apparel, petroleum, cement, chemical fertilizers, footwear, toys, food processing, autos, consumer electronics, telecommunications

Transportation:
Railways:
total: 64,900 km (including 5,400 km of provincial "local" rails)
standard gauge: 61,300 km 1.435-m gauge (12,000 km electrified; 20,000
km double track)
narrow gauge: 3,600 km 0.750-m gauge local industrial lines (1998 est.)
note: a new total of 68,000 km has been estimated for early 1999

Highways:
total: 1.21 million km
paved: 271,300 km (with at least 24,474 km of motorways)
unpaved: 938,700 km (1998 est.)

Waterways: 109,800 km navigable (1997)

Ports & Harbors: Dalian, Fuzhou, Guangzhou, Haikou, Huangpu,
Lianyungang, Nanjing, Nantong, Ningbo, Qingdao, Qinhuangdao, Shanghai, Shantou, Tianjin, Xiamen, Xingang, Yantai, Zhanjiang

Location: Middle East, island in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Turkey

Language: Greek, Turkish, English

Currency: Greek Cypriot area: 1 Cypriot pound (£C) = 100 cents; Turkish Cypriot area: 1 Turkish lira (TL) = 100 kurus

Population: 754,064

Natural Hazards: moderate earthquake activity

Import: Greek Cypriot area: consumer goods, petroleum and
lubricants, food and feed grains, machinery (1996); Turkish Cypriot area: food, minerals, chemicals, machinery (1996)

Export: Greek Cypriot area: citrus, potatoes, grapes, wine,
cement, clothing and shoes (1996); Turkish Cypriot area: citrus, potatoes, textiles (1996)

Industries: food, beverages, textiles, chemicals, metal products, tourism, wood products

Transportation:
Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: Greek Cypriot area: 10,415 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 2,350 km
paved: Greek Cypriot area: 5,947 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 1,370 km
unpaved: Greek Cypriot area: 4,468 km; Turkish Cypriot area: 980 km (1996 est.)

Ports & Harbors: Famagusta, Kyrenia, Larnaca, Limassol, Paphos, Vasilikos Bay