lence
spilling over their borders.

Comoros:
Unstable Comoros has endured 19 coups or attempted coups
since gaining independence from France in 1975. In 1997, the islands
of Anjouan and Moheli declared their independence from Comoros. In
1999, military chief Col. AZALI seized power. He has pledged to
resolve the secessionist crisis through the 2000 Fomboni Accord, a
confederal arrangement that the Organization of African Unity has
yet to recognize.

Congo, Democratic Republic of the:
Since 1994 the Democratic
Republic of the Congo (DROC; formerly called Zaire) has been rent by
ethnic strife and civil war, touched off by a massive inflow of
refugees from the fighting in Rwanda and Burundi. The government of
former president MOBUTU Sese Seko was toppled by a rebellion led by
Laurent KABILA in May 1997; his regime was subsequently challenged
by a Rwanda- and Uganda-backed rebellion in August 1998. Troops from
Zimbabwe, Angola, Namibia, Chad, and Sudan intervened to support the
Kinshasa regime. A cease-fire was signed on 10 July 1999, but
sporadic fighting continued. KABILA was assassinated in January 2001
and his son Joseph KABILA was named head of state. The new president
quickly began overtures to end the war.

Congo, Republic of the:
Upon independence in 1960, the former French
region of Middle Congo became the Republic of the Congo. A quarter
century of experimentation with Marxism was abandoned in 1990 and a
democratically elected government installed in 1992. A brief civil
war in 1997 restored former Marxist President SASSOU-NGUESSO.

Cook Islands:
Named after Captain Cook, who sighted them in 1770,
the islands became a British protectorate in 1888. By 1900,
administrative control was transferred to New Zealand; in 1965
residents chose self-government in free association with New
Zealand. The emigration of skilled workers to New Zealand and
government deficits are continuing problems.

Coral Sea Islands:
Scattered over some 1 million square kilometers
of ocean, the Coral Sea Islands were declared a territory of
Australia in 1969. They are uninhabited except for a small
meteorological staff on Willis Island. Automated weather stations,
beacons, and a lighthouse occupy many other islands and reefs.

Costa Rica:
Costa Rica is a Central American success story: since
the late 19th century, only two brief periods of violence have
ma