rative divisions: 266 nations, dependent areas, other, and
miscellaneous entries

Legal system: varies by individual country; 186 (not including
Yugoslavia) are parties to the UN International Court of Justice
(ICJ or World Court)

Economy
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Economic overview: Real global output - gross world product (GWP)
- again rose 3% in 1995, with the newly industrializing Third World
countries setting the pace. And once more, results varied widely
among regions and countries. Average growth of 2.5% in the GDP of
industrialized countries (56% of GWP in 1995) and average growth of
5% in the GDP of less developed countries (38% of GWP) were partly
offset by a small 1.5% drop in the GDP of the former USSR/Eastern
Europe area (only 6% of GWP). With the notable exception of Japan at
3.1%, unemployment was typically 6%-12% in the industrial world. The
US accounted for 22% of GWP in 1995; Western Europe accounted for
21%; and Japan accounted for 8%. These are the three "economic
superpowers" presumably destined to compete for mastery in
international markets on into the 21st century. As for the less
developed countries: China, India, and the Four Dragons - South
Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Singapore - once again posted records
of 5% growth or better; however, many other countries, especially in
Africa, continued to suffer from drought, rapid population growth,
inflation, and civil strife. Central Europe continued its progress
in moving toward "market-friendly" economies. The 15 ex-Soviet
countries typically experienced further declines in output, although
considerably less than in 1992-94. Externally, the nation-state, as
a bedrock economic-political institution, is steadily losing control
over international flows of people, goods, funds, and technology.
Internally, the central government in a number of cases is losing
control over resources as separatist regional movements - typically
based on ethnicity - gain momentum, e.g., in the successor states of
the former Soviet Union, in the former Yugoslavia, in India, and in
Canada. In Western Europe, governments face the difficult political
problem of channeling resources away from welfare programs in order
to increase investment and strengthen incentives to seek employment.
The addition of nearly 100 million people each year to an already
overcrowded globe is exacerbating the problems of pollution,
dese