South America
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Argentina
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Carlos Saul Menem
Type of government: Republic
Capital: Buenos Aires
Total Area: 2,766,890 sq km
Population: 34,672,997 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: white 85%, mestizo, Indian, or
other nonwhite groups 15%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 90% (less
than 20% practicing), Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, other 6%
Languages: Spanish (official), English, Italian,
German, French
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $278.5 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: -4.4% GDP per capita:
$8,100 (1995 est.)
Bolivia
Chief of State and Head of Government: President
Hugo Banzer Suarez
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: La Paz (seat of government); Sucre
(legal capital and seat of judiciary)
Total Area: 1,098,580 sq km
Population: 7,165,257 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Quechua 30%, Aymara 25%,
mestizo (mixed European and Indian ancestry) 25%-30%, European
5%-15%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%, Protestant
(Evangelical Methodist) Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua
(official), Aymara (official)
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $20 billion (1995
est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 3.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,530 (1995 est.)
Brazil
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Fernando Henrique
Cardoso
Type of Government: Federal Republic
Capital: Brasilia
Total Area: 8,511,965 sq km
Population: 162,661,214 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: white (includes Portuguese,
German, Italian, Spanish, Polish) 55%, mixed white and African
38%, African 6%, other (includes Japanese, Arab, Amerindian) 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic (nominal) 70%
Languages: Portuguese (official), Spanish, English, French
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $976.8 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 4.2% (1995)
GDP per capita: $6,100 (1995 est.)
Chile
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Eduardo Frei
Ruiz-Tagle
Type of government: Republic
Capital: Santiago
Total Area: 756,950 sq km
Population: 14,333,258 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: European and European-Indian
95%, Indian 3%, other 2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%,
Jewish Languages: Spanish
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $113.2 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 8.5% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $8,000 (1995 est.)
Colombia
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Ernesto Samper Pizano
Type of government: Republic; executive branch
dominates government structure
Capital: Bogota
Total Area: 1,138,910 sq km
Population: 36,813,161 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: mestizo 58%, white 20%,
mulatto 14%, black 4%, mixed black-Indian 3%, Indian 1%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $192.5 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 5.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $5,300 (1995 est.)
Ecuador
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Fabian Alarcon Rivera
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: Quito
Total Area: 283,560 sq km
Population: 11,466,291 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: mestizo (mixed Indian and
Spanish) 55%, Indian 25%, Spanish 10%, black 10%
Religions: Roman Catholic 95%
Languages: Spanish (official), Indian languages
(especially Quechua)
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $44.6 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 2.3% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $4,100 (1995 est.)
Guyana
Chief of State:
Executive President Janet Jagan
Head of Government: Prime Minister Samuel Hinds
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: Georgetown
Total area: 214,970 sq km
Population: 712,091 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: East Indian 51%, black and
mixed 43%, Amerindian 4%, European and Chinese 2%
Religions: Christian 57%, Hindu 33%, Muslim 9%,
other 1%
Languages: English, Amerindian dialects
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $1.6 billion (1995
est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 5.1% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,200 (1995 est.)
Paraguay
Chief of State and Head of Government:
President Juan Carlos Wasmosy
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: Asuncion
Total area: 406,750 sq km
Population: 5,504,146 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: mestizo (mixed Spanish and
Indian) 95%, whites plus Amerindians 5%
Religions: Roman Catholic 90%, Mennonite and
other Protestant denominations
Languages: Spanish (official), Guarani
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $17 billion (1995
est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 4.2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $3,200 (1995 est.)
Peru
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Alberto Kenyo Fujimori
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: Lima
Total area: 1,285,220 sq km
Population: 24,523,408 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Indian 45%, mestizo (mixed
Indian and European ancestry) 37%, white 15%, black, Japanese,
Chinese, and other 3%
Religions: Roman Catholic
Languages: Spanish (official), Quechua
(official), Aymara
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $87 billion (1995
est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 6.8% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $3,600 (1995 est.)
Suriname
Chief of State
and Head of Government: President Jules Wijdenbosch
Type of government: Republic
Capital: Paramaribo
Total area: 163,270 sq km
Population: 436,418 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic divisions: Hindustani (also known locally
as "East" Indians; their ancestors emigrated from
northern India in the latter part of the 19th century) 37%,
Creole (mixed European and African ancestry) 31%, Javanese 15.3%,
"Bush Black" (also known as "Bush Creole"
whose ancestors were brought to the country in the 17th and 18th
centuries as slaves) 10.3%, Amerindian 2.6%, Chinese 1.7%,
Europeans 1%, other 1.1%
Religions: Hindu 27.4%, Muslim 19.6%, Roman
Catholic 22.8%, Protestant 25.2% (predominantly Moravian),
indigenous beliefs 5%
Languages: Dutch (official), English (widely
spoken), Sranang Tongo (Surinamese, sometimes called Taki-Taki,
is native language of Creoles and much of the younger population
and is lingua franca among others), Hindustani (a dialect of
Hindi), Javanese
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $1.3 billion (1995
est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 0.7% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,950 (1995 est.)
Uruguay
Chief of State and Head of Government: President
Julio Maria Sanguinetti and Vice President Hugo Batalla
Type of Government: Republic
Capital: Montevideo
Total Area: 176,220 sq km
Population: 3,238,952 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: white 88%, mestizo 8%, black
4%
Religions: Roman Catholic 66% (less than
one-half of the adult population attends church regularly),
Protestant 2%, Jewish 2%, nonprofessing or other 30%
Languages: Spanish, Brazilero
(Portuguese-Spanish mix on the Brazilian frontier)
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $24.4 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: -2.4% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $7,600 (1995 est.)
Venezuela
Chief of State and Head of Government: President
Rafael Caldera Rodriguez
Type of government: Republic
Capital: Caracas
Total area: 912,050 sq km
Population: 21,983,188 (July 1996 est.)
Ethnic Divisions: mestizo 67%, white 21%, black
10%, Amerindian 2%
Religions: nominally Roman Catholic 96%,
Protestant 2%
Languages: Spanish (official), native dialects
spoken by about 200,000 Amerindians in the remote interior
GDP: Purchasing Power Parity: $195.5 billion
(1995 est.)
GDP Real Growth Rate: 2.2% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $9,300 (1995 est.)
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