Part 540

Railways: total: 3,973 km narrow gauge: 3,973 km 1.067-m gauge (504 km electrified)

Highways: total: 93,348 km paved: 54,142 km (including 141 km of expressways) unpaved: 39,206 km (1992 est.)

Waterways: 1,609 km; of little importance to transportation

Pipelines: petroleum products 160 km; natural gas 1,000 km; condensate (liquefied petroleum gas - LPG) 150 km

Ports: Auckland, Christchurch, Dunedin, Tauranga, Wellington

Merchant marine: total: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 162,220 GRT/213,749 DWT ships by type: bulk 6, cargo 1, liquefied gas tanker 1, oil tanker 3, railcar carrier 1, roll-on/roll-off cargo 5 (1995 est.)

Airports: total: 113 with paved runways over 3 047 m: 2 with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 8 with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 31 with paved runways under 914 m: 50 with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 1 with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 21 (1995 est.)

Communications --------------

Telephones: 1.7 million (1986 est.)

Telephone system: excellent international and domestic systems domestic: NA international: submarine cables to Australia and Fiji; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 64, FM 2, shortwave 0

Radios: 3.215 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 14 (1986 est.)

Televisions: 1.53 million (1992 est.)

Defense -------

Branches: New Zealand Army, Royal New Zealand Navy, Royal New Zealand Air Force

Manpower availability: males age 15-49: 927,212 males fit for military service: 780,976 males reach military age (20) annually: 27,433 (1996 est.)

Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $556 million, 1% of GDP (FY93/94)

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@Nicaragua ---------

Map ---

Location: 13 00 N, 85 00 W -- Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Flag ----

Description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), white, and blue with the national coat of arms centered in the white band; the coat of arms features a triangle encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE NICARAGUA on the top and AMERICA CENTRAL on the bottom; similar to the flag of El Salvador, which features a round emblem encircled by the words REPUBLICA DE EL SALVADOR EN LA AMERICA CENTRAL centered in the white band; also similar to the flag of Honduras, which has five blue stars arranged in an X pattern centered in the white band

Geography ---------

Location: Middle America, bordering both the Caribbean Sea and the North Pacific Ocean, between Costa Rica and Honduras

Geographic coordinates: 13 00 N, 85 00 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean