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<B>PERU:</B> Where El Nino was named -- and where its effects are always felt most directly. The El Ninos of 1971-72 and 1982-83 saw the valuable anchovy fisheries industry suffer when the fish headed south for cooler waters off Chile. The fishing fleet was crippled, and seabird populations crashed when their food sources departed. Record rains, floods, and snowfall hit Peru this winter (from June to September), and the Agriculture Ministry is steering farmers away from storm-vulnerable crops like cotton in order to soften El Nino's effect on agriculture.
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<B>BRAZIL:</B> Record high late-winter temperatures in Rio; forecast for hot and dry weather, especially in northern Brazil. The coffee-producing northeast is anticipating a dry season that could hurt next year's crops, while the south may get floods.
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<B>CHILE:</B> Record rain and late-winter snows hit northern Chile in August.
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<B>COLOMBIA:</B> Coffee and other crops are at risk. The coca crop, which is used to produce cocaine, is as vulnerable as legal crops; a bad year could severely hurt this illicit but immense business.
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<B>CENTRAL AMERICA/MEXICO:</B> Rainfall already much lower than normal in much of the region.
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<B>CANADA:</B> Milder and drier across the country; some fisheries impact on the West Coast; ski resorts at Canadian Rockies could suffer because of less snow.
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<B>PACIFIC ISLANDS:</B> Possible disruptive storms; damage to coral reefs is believed to have occurred already. Tourism impact could include damage to diving industry.
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<B>AUSTRALIA/NEW ZEALAND:</B> Australia already has seen an erratic cycle of rain and drought in 1997. Farmers, forewarned that El Nino could cause a drought, sold off cattle and altered planting plans to minimize their losses. Some three fourths of New South Wales already is facing a drought. Officials predict a $700 million to $1.4 billion shortfall in grain. In New Zealand, crop and livestock losses have exceeded $130 million.
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<B>SOUTHEAST ASIA:</B> Facing its worst drought in five decades. The dry conditions caused hundreds of forest fires -- many deliberately set as a cheap way of clearing land -- to burn out of control for months, creating a cloud of smoke that blanketed an area more than half the size of the continental United States. The cloud sent air pollution levels soaring not only in Indonesia but in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore, the Philippines and Thailand. Cash crops from timber to coconuts to palm oil could be affected.
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<B>PAPUA NEW GUINEA:</B> One million people face starvation from the worst drought in 50 years. Bone-dry rivers have made it nearly impossible to transport ore from the mines, bringing copper and gold mining -- a mainstay of the economy -- to a near standstill.
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<B>INDIA/PAKISTAN:</B> The monsoon season in the region has been spotty in 1997, with some areas receiving far below normal rainfall. Rain in southeastern India, which is crucial to the country's rice production, was 30 percent below normal during the latter part; a disruption of India's monsoon could create a shortfall in grain production for the normally self-sufficient country.
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<B>KOREA/JAPAN/CHINA:</B> There's some argument about this, but some feel that North Korea's devastating drought is related to El Nino. Japan may be headed for a snowless Winter Olympics. El Nino effects on this region tend to be less harsh than anywhere else on the Pacific Rim.
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<B>SOUTHERN AFRICA:</B> The Mandela government has made preparations for a severe drought; Zimbabwe has spent U.S. $122 million on grain purchases to fend off crop failure and possible famine.
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<B>NORTH AFRICA/MIDDLE EAST:</B> Israeli researchers have traced 20 years' worth of rainfall data, and report a close correlation between higher rainfall and El Nino conditions.
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<B>EUROPE/RUSSIA:</B> Possibly the least-affected area of the world, but aid agencies in Russia and elsewhere are still preparing for a big storm season. There's a possible link to increased North Sea storms, but this is speculative.
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