The 1991 CIA World Factbook | Page 6

land--land cultivated for crops that are replanted after each harvest
(wheat, maize, rice); permanent crops--land cultivated for crops that are
not replanted after each harvest (citrus, coffee, rubber); meadows and
pastures--land permanently used for herbaceous forage crops; forest
and woodland--land under dense or open stands of trees; and other--any
land type not specifically mentioned above (urban areas, roads, desert).
The percentage figure for irrigated refers to the portion of the entire

amount of land area that is artificially supplied with water.
_#_Leaders: The chief of state is the titular leader of the country who
represents the state at official and ceremonial funcions but is not
involved with the day-to-day activities of the government. The head of
government is the administrative leader who manages the day-to-day
activities of the government. In the UK, the monarch is the chief of
state and the prime minister is the head of government. In the US, the
President is both the chief of state and the head of government.
_#_Life expectancy at birth: The average number of years to be lived
by a group of people all born in the same year, if mortality at each age
remains constant in the future.
_#_Literacy: There are no universal definitions and standards of
literacy. Unless otherwise noted, all rates are based on the most
common definition--the ability to read and write at a specified age.
Detailing the standards that individual countries use to assess the ability
to read and write is beyond the scope of this publication.
_#_Maps: All maps will be available only in the printed version for the
foreseeable future.
_#_Maritime claims: The proximity of neighboring states may prevent
some national claims from being fully extended.
_#_Merchant marine: All ships engaged in the carriage of goods. All
commercial vessels (as opposed to all nonmilitary ships), which
excludes tugs, fishing vessels, offshore oil rigs, etc. Also, a grouping of
merchant ships by nationality or register.
Captive register--A register of ships maintained by a territory,
possession, or colony primarily or exclusively for the use of ships
owned in the parent country. Also referred to as an offshore register,
the offshore equivalent of an internal register. Ships on a captive
register will fly the same flag as the parent country, or a local variant of
it, but will be subject to the maritime laws and taxation rules of the
offshore territory. Although the nature of a captive register makes it

especially desirable for ships owned in the parent country, just as in the
internal register, the ships may also be owned abroad. The captive
register then acts as a flag of convenience register, except that it is not
the register of an independent state.
Flag of convenience register--A national register offering registration to
a merchant ship not owned in the flag state. The major flags of
convenience (FOC) attract ships to their register by virtue of low fees,
low or nonexistent taxation of profits, and liberal manning
requirements. True FOC registers are characterized by having relatively
few of the ships registered actually owned in the flag state. Thus, while
virtually any flag can be used for ships under a given set of
circumstances, an FOC register is one where the majority of the
merchant fleet is owned abroad. It is also referred to as an open
register.
Flag state--The nation in which a ship is registered and which holds
legal jurisdiction over operation of the ship, whether at home or abroad.
Differences in flag state maritime legislation determine how a ship is
manned and taxed and whether a foreign-owned ship may be placed on
the register.
Internal register--A register of ships maintained as a subset of a
national register. Ships on the internal register fly the national flag and
have that nationality but are subject to a separate set of maritime rules
from those on the main national register. These differences usually
include lower taxation of profits, manning by foreign nationals, and,
usually, ownership outside the flag state (when it functions as an FOC
register). The Norwegian International Ship Register and Danish
International Ship Register are the most notable examples of an internal
register. Both have been instrumental in stemming flight from the
national flag to flags of convenience and in attracting foreign-owned
ships to the Norwegian and Danish flags.
Merchant ship--A vessel that carries goods against payment of freight.
Commonly used to denote any nonmilitary ship but accurately
restricted to commercial vessels only.

Register--The record of a ship's ownership and nationality as listed with
the maritime authorities of a country. Also, the compendium of such
individual ships' registrations. Registration of a ship provides it with a
nationality and makes it subject to the laws of the country in which
registered (the flag state) regardless of the nationality of the ship's
ultimate owner.
_#_Money figures: All are expressed in contemporaneous US