trial production growth rate: 2.4% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production: 3.62 trillion kWh (1998)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 70.34%
hydro: 8.96%
nuclear: 18.61%
other: 2.09% (1998)

Electricity - consumption: 3.365 trillion kWh (1998)

Electricity - exports: 12.772 billion kWh (1998)

Electricity - imports: 39.513 billion kWh (1998)

Agriculture - products: wheat, other grains, corn, fruits, vegetables,
cotton; beef, pork, poultry, dairy products; forest products; fish

Exports: $663 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports - commodities: capital goods, automobiles, industrial supplies
and raw materials, consumer goods, agricultural products

Exports - partners: Canada 23%, Mexico 12%, Japan 8%, UK 6%, Germany
4%, France 3%, Netherlands 3% (1998)

Imports: $912 billion (c.i.f., 1998 est.)

Imports - commodities: crude oil and refined petroleum products,
machinery, automobiles, consumer goods, industrial raw materials, food
and beverages

Imports - partners: Canada 19%, Japan 13%, Mexico 10%, China 8%,
Germany 5%, UK 4%, Taiwan 4% (1998)

Debt - external: $862 billion (1995 est.)

Economic aid - donor: ODA, $6.9 billion (1997)

Currency: 1 United States dollar (US$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: British pounds per US$ - 0.6092 (January 2000), 0.6180
(1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996), 0.6335 (1995);
Canadian dollars (Can$) per US$ - 1.4489 (January 2000), 1.4857
(1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996), 1.3724 (1995);
French francs (F) per US$ - 5.65 (January 1999), 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367
(1997), 5.1155 (1996), 4.9915 (1995), 5.5520 (1994); Italian lire
(Lit) per US$ - 1,668.7 (January 1999), 1,763.2 (1998), 1,703.1
(1997), 1,542.9 (1996), 1,628.9 (1995), 1,612.4 (1994); Japanese yen
per US$ - 105.16 (January 2000), 113.91 (1999), 130.91 (1998), 120.99
(1997), 108.78 (1996), 94.06 (1995); German deutsche marks (DM) per
US$ - 1.69 (January 1999), 1.9692 (1998), 1.7341 (1997), 1.5048
(1996), 1.4331 (1995), 1.6228 (1994); Euro per US$ - 0.98673 (January
1999), 0.93863 (1999)
note: France, Italy, and Germany have adopted the euro since 1998

Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September

@United States:Communications

Telephones - main lines in use: 178 million (1999)

Telephones - mobile cellular: 55.312 million (1997)

Telephone system:
domestic: a large system of fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay,
coaxial cable, and domestic satellites carries ever