← The 2006 CIA World Factbook, Volume 2
Gwp (part 14)
Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents
33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the
constitution guarantees that the Ba'th Party (part of the NPF
alliance) receives one-half of the seats
Judicial branch:
Supreme Constitutional Court (adjudicates electoral disputes and
rules on constitutionality of laws and decrees; justices appointed
for four-year terms by the President); High Judicial Council
(appoints and dismisses judges; headed by the President); Court of
Cassation (national level); State Security Courts (hear cases
related to national security); Personal Status Courts (religious;
hear cases related to marriage and divorce); Courts of First
Instance (local level; include magistrate, summary, and peace courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Arab Socialist Unionist Movement [Ahmed al-AHMED]; National
Progressive Front or NPF (includes Arab Socialist Renaissance
(Ba'th) Party; the governing party) [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general]; Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallal
Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian Arab Socialist Party or ASP [Safwan QUDSI];
Syrian Communist Party (two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yuusuf
Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI];
Unionist Socialist Party [Fayez ISMAIL]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes several groups but has no
designated leader); Kurdish Democratic Front (includes several
groups but has no designated leader); Muslim Brotherhood (operates
in exile in London) [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; National Democratic
Front [Hassan Abd al-AZIM]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 232-6313
FAX: (202) 234-9548
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael
CORBIN
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: (11) 333-1342
FAX: (11) 224-7938
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors
associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green
five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars
represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to
the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has
three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line
centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold
Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design
dates to 1980
Economy Syria
Economy - overview:
The Syrian Government estimates the economy grew by 4.5 percent in
real terms in 2005, led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors,
which together account for about half of GDP. Economic performance
and the exchange rate on the informal market were hit by
international political developments following the assassination in
February of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq al-HARIRI and the
specter of international sanctions. Higher crude oil prices
countered declining oil production and exports and helped to narrow
the budget deficit and widen the current account surplus. The
Government of Syria has implemented modest economic reforms in the
last few years, including cutting interest rates, opening private
banks, consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and
raising prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the
economy remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run
economic constraints include declining oil production and exports,
increasing pressure on water supplies caused by rapid population
growth, industrial expansion, and water pollution.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$71.42 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$25.84 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$3,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24.9% industry: 23% services: 51.9% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 5.12 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 30% industry: 27% services: 43% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
12.3% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
20% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6.392 billion
expenditures: $7.613 billion; including capital expenditures of
$3.23 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
40.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets;
beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk
Industries:
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate
rock mining
Industrial production growth rate:
7% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
29.53 billion kWh (2003 est.)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 57.6% hydro: 42.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
28.26 billion kWh (2003 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
403,800 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
240,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
285,000 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
2.5 billion bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
6.95 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
240.7 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$1.097 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$6.344 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber,
clothing, meat and live animals, wheat
Exports - partners:
Iraq 22.3%, Saudi Arabia 15.3%, Italy 8.4%, Germany 8.3%, Lebanon
7.7%, Egypt 4.3%, France 4.2% (2005)
Imports:
$5.973 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food
and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical
products, plastics, yarn, paper
Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 10.6%, China 5.6%, Egypt 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, UAE 5.2%,
Ukraine 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.363 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia
(2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$180 million (2002 est.)
Currency (code):
Syrian pound (SYP)
Currency code:
SYP
Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate): 11.225 (2005),
11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001),
(parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004),
52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official rate for repaying
loans): 11.25 (2004)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Syria
Telephones - main lines in use:
2.903 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.95 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios:
4.15 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
1.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.sy
Internet hosts:
66 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1.1 million (2005)
Transportation Syria
Airports: 92 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 26 over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 66 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 54 (2006)
Heliports:
7 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 2,711 km
standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 91,795 km
paved: 18,451 km
unpaved: 73,344 km (2003)
Waterways:
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4,
petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus
3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1,
Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5)
(2006)
Ports and terminals:
Baniyas, Latakia
Military Syria
Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy),
Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command)
(2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women
are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,356,413
females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,453,888
females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 225,113
females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that
may understate actual spending
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.9% (FY00)
Transnational Issues Syria
Disputes - international:
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since
1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international
pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence
personnel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; 2004 Agreement
and pending demarcation settles border dispute with Jordan
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 432,048 (Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA)) 14,391 (Iraq)
IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967
Arab-Israeli War) (2005)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Syria is a destination country for women from
South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from
Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited
for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of
exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours,
non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other
restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern
European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are
not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and
have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and
children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so
Illicit drugs:
a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and
Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls and bank
privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Taiwan
Introduction Taiwan
Background:
In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan.
Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the
Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists
fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946
constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades,
the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the
native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan
underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist
to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the
island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers."
The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship
between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual
unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.
Geography Taiwan
Location:
Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea,
South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off
the southeastern coast of China
Geographic coordinates:
23 30 N, 121 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
1,566.3 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to
August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year
Terrain:
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling
plains in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m
Natural resources:
small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos
Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons
Environment - current issues:
air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw
sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in
endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's
international status
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of
Taiwan's international status
Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon
Strait
People Taiwan
Population:
23,036,087 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 34.6 years
male: 34.1 years
female: 35 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.61% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.43 years
male: 74.67 years
female: 80.47 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
adjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups:
Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Religions:
mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%,
other 2.5%
Languages:
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1%
male: NA%
female: NA% (2003)
Government Taiwan
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa
Government type:
multiparty democracy
Capital:
name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands
near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan
is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5
municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special
municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural)
counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung
(county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu,
P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung,
T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin
municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan
special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city
note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization;
special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization
for street and place names within city boundaries, other local
authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems
National holiday:
Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October
(1911)
Constitution:
25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and
Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU
Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President
of the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008);
premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the premier
election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of
vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%
Legislative branch:
Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41
elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received by
participating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chinese
constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received
by participating political parties, eight elected by popular vote
among aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms);
National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated by
parties and elected by proportional representation six to nine
months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeach
president, or change national borders) - see note
note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by National
Assembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will be
reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendments
also eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicameral
legislature
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be
held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005;
dissolved in June 2005
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP
38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%;
seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7,
independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP
42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP
127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)
Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of
the Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang or
KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; People First Party or PFP
[James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu)]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU
Chin-chiang]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party or
NP
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmental
groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization
and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national
identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan
currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan
independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify
with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement
include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the
UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the
World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for
Taiwan Nation Building
International organization participation:
APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO
note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition
committee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of the
OECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US in
WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US
with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12
other US cities
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: (703) 525-8474, FAX: (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: (2) 2162-2000, FAX: (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: (7) 238-7744, FAX: (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: (2) 2720-1550, FAX: (2) 2757-7162
Flag description:
red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy Taiwan
Economy - overview:
Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing
guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities.
In keeping with this trend, some large, government-owned banks and
industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the
primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is
substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest.
Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952.
Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has
overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in
2005, Taiwan's third-largest source of imports after Japan and the
US. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and
a sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth in
its export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in
2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices,
and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets,
and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, which
accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, while
unemployment and inflation rates have declined.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$630 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$323.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$27,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 25.9% services: 72.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 10.6 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 6% industry: 35.8% services: 58.2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
0.9% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $41.67 billion
expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of
$14.4 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
33.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Industries:
electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles,
iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles,
consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
218.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 6% nuclear: 22.6% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
206.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
970 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
76.46 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$16.22 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles,
plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)
Exports - partners:
China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7% (2005)
Imports:
$181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision
instruments (2002)
Imports - partners:
Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%, Saudi Arabia
4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$258 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$87.5 billion (2005 est.)
Currency (code):
new Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Currency code:
TWD
Exchange rates:
new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004),
34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000
for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)
Communications Taiwan
Telephones - main lines in use:
13.615 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
22.17 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every
business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to
Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
Radios:
16 million (1994)
Television broadcast stations:
29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)
Internet country code:
.tw
Internet hosts:
4,320,310 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)
Internet users:
13.21 million (2005)
Transportation Taiwan
Airports: 42 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Heliports:
3 (2006)
Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 2,497 km
narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)
note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar
Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carry
products and limited numbers of passengers (2005)
Roadways:
total: 37,299 km
paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, roll
on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)
registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras
2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore
59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Military Taiwan
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard
Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service
Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military service age and obligation:
19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16
months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force
service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 5,883,828
females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 4,749,537
females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 174,173
females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$7.93 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Taiwan
Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines,
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has
eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of
conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are
occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China
and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the
uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's
unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea
where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination for men,
women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual
exploitation; women from China and Southeast Asian countries are
trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and
children, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use of
fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegal
smuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a
significant share of foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam,
Thailand, and the Philippines - are recruited legally for
low-skilled jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntary
servitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival in Taiwan; to
a much lesser extent, there is internal trafficking of children for
sexual exploitation and trafficking of a small and declining number
of Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts
over the past year to address trafficking, despite ample resources
to do so, particularly the serious level of forced labor and sexual
servitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workers
and brides
Illicit drugs:
regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major
problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;
renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tajikistan
Introduction Tajikistan
Background:
The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s,
but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution
of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and
not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan became independent in
1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in the
process of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a free
market economy after its 1992-1997 civil war. There have been no
major security incidents in recent years, although the country
remains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by the
international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has
brought increased economic development assistance, which could
create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is
in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership
and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.
Geography Tajikistan
Location:
Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km
water: 400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to
polar in Pamir Mountains
Terrain:
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley
in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Natural resources:
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead,
zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use: arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:
7,220 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
earthquakes and floods
Environment - current issues: inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in
the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai
Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain
in the former USSR
People Tajikistan
Population:
7,320,815 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168)
15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 20 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.19% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
32.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 106.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 117.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.94 years
male: 62.03 years
female: 68 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani
Ethnic groups:
Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6%
(2000 census)
Religions:
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Languages:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.1% (2003 est.)
Government Tajikistan
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Independence:
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Constitution:
6 November 1994
Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;
head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006
(next to be held November 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of
vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly
of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34
seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the
former president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly
of Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005
for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other
2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2,
independents 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; Democratic
Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said
Abdullo NURI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV];
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV];
Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist
Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT
[Shodi SHABDOLOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo
NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's Unity
Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV];
Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is the SPT that
was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under
political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]
International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA,
OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: (202) 223-6090
FAX: (202) 223-6091
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003 mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: (37) 229-20-00 FAX: (37) 229-20-50
Flag description:
three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and
green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is
located in the center of the white stripe
Economy Tajikistan
Economy - overview:
Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15
former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; cotton
is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in
amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry
consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and
small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food
processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already
weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in
industrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of its
people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has
experienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced a
slight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004.
Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises
would further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic
situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of
structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and
the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached
with Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off of
Tajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third in
the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed
investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda would
substantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun will
be the world's tallest dam.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.617 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.887 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.4% industry: 28.6% services: 48% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 3.7 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 67.2% industry: 7.5% services: 25.3% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
12% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.7 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.1% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $442.3 million
expenditures: $542.6 million; including capital expenditures of $86
million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable
oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Industrial production growth rate:
8.2% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:
16.5 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.9% hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
15.05 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
3.874 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
4.81 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
354.8 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
30 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:
$-44 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners:
Netherlands 46.6%, Turkey 15.8%, Russia 9.1%, Uzbekistan 7.3%,
Latvia 4.9%, Iran 4% (2005)
Imports:
$1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and
equipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
Russia 19.3%, Kazakhstan 12.7%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Azerbaijan 8.6%,
China 7%, Ukraine 6.2%, Romania 4.6%, Turkmenistan 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$186.8 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$888 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$67 million from US (2005)
Currency (code):
somoni
Currency code:
TJS
Exchange rates:
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004),
3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Tajikistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
245,200 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
265,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many
towns are not linked to the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to
international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth
stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)
Radios:
1.291 million (1991)
Television broadcast stations:
13 (2001)
Televisions:
820,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tj
Internet hosts:
98 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)
Internet users:
5,000 (2005)
Transportation Tajikistan
Airports: 40 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006)
Railways: total: 482 km broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:
total: 27,767 km (2000)
Waterways:
200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)
Military Tajikistan
Military branches:
Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - two years (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,556,415
females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,244,941
females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 87,846
females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.4 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Tajikistan
Disputes - international:
boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir
Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to
28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has published
maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced; talks
continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;
disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan
Illicit drugs:
major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and,
to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit
cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan
seizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands
third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tanzania
Introduction Tanzania
Background:
Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early
1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania
in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first
democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's
semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two
contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite
international observers' claims of voting irregularities.
Geography Tanzania
Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and
Mozambique
Geographic coordinates:
6 00 S, 35 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 945,087 sq km
land: 886,037 sq km
water: 59,050 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:
total: 3,861 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217
km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km
Coastline:
1,424 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain:
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m
Natural resources:
hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones,
gold, natural gas, nickel
Land use: arable land: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,840 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
Environment - current issues:
soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of
coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected
marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and
trade, especially for ivory
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the
largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's
second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the
world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest
People Tanzania
Population:
37,445,392
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 17.7 years
male: 17.5 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.83% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 96.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 105.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.64 years
male: 44.93 years
female: 46.37 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
8.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.6 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
160,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high
risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Tanzanian(s)
adjective: Tanzanian
Ethnic groups:
mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of more
than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and
Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African
Religions:
mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%;
Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Languages:
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in
Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,
administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in
Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people
living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili
is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety
of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the
lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of
most people is one of the local languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili),
English, or Arabic
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.9%
female: 70.7% (2003 est.)
Government Tanzania
Country name:
conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
local short form: Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Dar es Salaam
geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is
planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets
there on a regular basis
Administrative divisions:
26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma,
Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza,
Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida,
Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar
Urban/West
Independence:
26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from
UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19
December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April
1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed
United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964
National holiday:
Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)
Constitution:
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts
limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005);
Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note -
the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December
2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for
matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to
that office on 30 October 2005
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot
by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December
2010); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote
- Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by
popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to
members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve
five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to
the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws
that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of
Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar
House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal
suffrage to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December
2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women
appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take
place soon
Judicial branch:
Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of
Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court
(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the
president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;
Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the
higher courts)
Political parties and leaders:
Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and
Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM
(Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front or
CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA]
(unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine Lyatonga
MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security
Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 939-6125 FAX: (202) 797-7408
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael L. RETZER embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015 FAX: (22) 2666-701, 2668-501
Flag description:
divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower
hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the
lower triangle is blue
Economy Tanzania
Economy - overview:
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy
depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of
GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force.
Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops
to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the
processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors
have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic
infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through
2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial
increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms
have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued
donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP
growth of more than 6% in 2005.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$27.11 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.12 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43.2% industry: 17.2% services: 39.6% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 19.22 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
36% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 30.1% (1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.2 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
18.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $2.235 billion
expenditures: $2.669 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
65.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from
chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava
(tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:
agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine);
diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oil
refining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate:
8.4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production:
3.152 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.9% hydro: 81.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
2.959 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
28 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
22,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-558 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$1.581 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton
Exports - partners:
China 10.2%, Canada 8.6%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%,
Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005)
Imports:
$2.391 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial
raw materials, crude oil
Imports - partners:
South Africa 12.2%, China 9.6%, India 7%, UAE 6.1%, Kenya 5.2%, UK
4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.074 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$8.178 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$1.2 billion (2001)
Currency (code):
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)
Currency code:
TZS
Exchange rates:
Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33
(2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Tanzania
Telephones - main lines in use:
148,400 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.942 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being
modernized for better service; very small aperture terminal (VSAT)
system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being
made digital
international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
8.8 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (1999)
Televisions:
103,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tz
Internet hosts:
8,609 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)
Internet users:
333,000 (2005)
Transportation Tanzania
Airports: 124 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 11 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 113 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 62 under 914 m: 33 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 254 km; oil 872 km (2006)
Railways: total: 3,690 km narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 78,891 km paved: 6,808 km unpaved: 72,083 km (2003)
Waterways:
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of
commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 24,801 GRT/31,507 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4
registered in other countries: 2 (Honduras 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis
1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City
Military Tanzania
Military branches:
Tanzanian People's Defense Force (JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing, Air
Defense Command (includes air wing), National Service
Military service age and obligation: 15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school; conscript service obligation - two years (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,422,869 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,879,630 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$21.2 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Tanzania
Disputes - international:
disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 443,706 (Burundi) 153,474 (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian
heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African,
European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for
southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Thailand
Introduction Thailand
Background:
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century.
Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian
country never to have been taken over by a European power. A
bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In
alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally
following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence
in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.
Geography Thailand
Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of
Thailand, southeast of Burma
Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 100 00 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming
Land boundaries:
total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km,
Malaysia 506 km
Coastline:
3,219 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to
September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
southern isthmus always hot and humid
Terrain:
central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m
Natural resources:
tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish,
gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land
Land use: arable land: 27.54% permanent crops: 6.93% other: 65.53% (2005)
Irrigated land:
49,860 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the
water table; droughts
Environment - current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore
People Thailand
Population:
64,631,595
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 7,284,068/female 6,958,632)
15-64 years: 70% (male 22,331,312/female 22,880,588)
65 years and over: 8% (male 2,355,190/female 2,821,805) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.9 years
male: 31.1 years
female: 32.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.68% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
13.87 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.04 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 18.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.25 years
male: 69.95 years
female: 74.68 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.64 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
58,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis,
and plague are high risks in some locations
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: leptospirosis
note: at present, H5N1 avian influenza poses a minimal risk; during
outbreaks among birds, rare cases could occur among US personnel who
have close contact with infected birds or poultry (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai
Ethnic groups:
Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%
Religions:
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000
census)
Languages:
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and
regional dialects
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.6%
male: 94.9%
female: 90.5% (2002)
Government Thailand
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand
local long form: Ratcha Anachak Thai
local short form: Prathet Thai
former: Siam
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Bangkok
geographic coordinates: 13 45 N, 100 31 E
time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang
Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi,
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng
Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon
(Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha
Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom,
Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan,
Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani,
Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi,
Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket,
Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi
Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut
Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla,
Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon
Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon
Independence:
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)
National holiday:
Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927)
Constitution:
constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997; abrogated
on 19 September 2006 after coup; interim constitution promulgated on
1 October 2006; junta has promised new constitution by October 2007
Legal system:
based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Executive branch:
chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: Interim Prime Minister SURAYUT Chulanon (since 1
October 2006); Interim Deputy Prime Ministers KHOSIT Panpiamrat
(since 9 October 2006); PRIDIYATHON Thewakun (since 9 October 2006)
note: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat was overthrown on 19
September 2006 in a coup led by General SONTHI Boonyaratglin
cabinet: Council of Ministers
note: there is also a Privy Council
elections: none; monarch is hereditary; according to 1997
constitution, prime minister was designated from among members of
House of Representatives; following national elections for House of
Representatives, leader of party that could organize a majority
coalition usually was appointed prime minister by king
Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consisted of the Senate
or Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen
Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms); after coup in September 2006, junta appointed an
interim National Assembly with 250 members to act as Senate and
House of Representatives; body has no vote on government matters
elections: Senate - last held 19 April 2006; House of
Representatives - last held 6 February 2005; junta scheduled next
general election by October 2007
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; House of Representatives - (2005 election) percent of
vote by party - NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)
Political parties and leaders:
Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa];
People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai
Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai
Rak Thai Party or TRT [CHATURON Chaisang]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIMSTEC, BIS, CP, EAS, FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD,
IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU,
MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC (observer), ONUB, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCL,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Virasakdi FUTRAKUL
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC
20007-3681
telephone: (202) 944-3600
FAX: (202) 944-3611
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE
embassy: 120-122 Wireless Road, Bangkok 10330
mailing address: APO AP 96546
telephone: (2) 205-4000
FAX: (2) 254-2990, 205-4131
consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai
Flag description:
five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width),
white, and red
Economy Thailand
Economy - overview:
With a well-developed infrastructure, a free-enterprise economy,
and pro-investment policies, Thailand appears to have fully
recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial Crisis. The country was
one of East Asia's best performers in 2002-04. Boosted by increased
consumption and strong export growth, the Thai economy grew 6.9% in
2003 and 6.1% in 2004 despite a sluggish global economy. Bangkok has
pursued preferential trade agreements with a variety of partners in
an effort to boost exports and to maintain high growth. In 2004,
Thailand and the US began negotiations on a Free Trade Agreement. In
late December 2004, a major tsunami took 8,500 lives in Thailand and
caused massive destruction of property in the southern provinces of
Krabi, Phangnga, and Phuket. Growth slowed to 4.4% in 2005. The
downturn can be attributed to high oil prices, weaker demand from
Western markets, severe drought in rural regions, tsunami-related
declines in tourism, and lower consumer confidence. Moreover, the
THAKSIN administration's expansionist economic policies, including
plans for multi-billion-dollar mega-projects in infrastructure and
social development, has raised concerns about fiscal discipline and
the health of financial institutions. On the positive side, the Thai
economy performed well beginning in the third quarter of 2005.
Export-oriented manufacturing - in particular automobile production
- and farm output are driving these gains. In 2006, the economy
should benefit from an influx of investment and a revived tourism
sector; however, a possible avian flu epidemic could significantly
harm economic prospects throughout the region.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$550.2 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$183.9 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 9.9% industry: 44.1% services: 46% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 35.36 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 49% industry: 14% services: 37% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.8% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
10% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
51.1 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
29% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $30.64 billion
expenditures: $31.76 billion; including capital expenditures of $5
billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
47.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn, sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans
Industries:
tourism, textiles and garments, agricultural processing, beverages,
tobacco, cement, light manufacturing such as jewelry and electric
appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture,
plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest
tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer
Industrial production growth rate:
9.1% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
114.7 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 91.3% hydro: 6.4% nuclear: 0% other: 2.4% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
107.3 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
315 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
980 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
230,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
851,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
583 million bbl (November 2003)
Natural gas - production:
22.28 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
29.15 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
5.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
377.7 billion cu m (November 2003)
Current account balance:
$-3.689 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$105.8 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry,
automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
Exports - partners:
US 15.5%, Japan 13.7%, China 8.3%, Singapore 6.8%, Hong Kong 5.6%,
Malaysia 5.2% (2005)
Imports:
$107 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer
goods, fuels
Imports - partners:
Japan 22%, China 9.4%, US 7.4%, Malaysia 6.8%, UAE 4.8%, Singapore
4.5% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$52.07 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$52.46 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$72 million (2002)
Currency (code):
baht (THB)
Currency code:
THB
Exchange rates:
baht per US dollar - 40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004), 41.485 (2003),
42.96 (2002), 44.432 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Communications Thailand
Telephones - main lines in use:
7.035 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
27.379 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas
like Bangkok; WTO requirement for privatization of telecom sector is
planned to be complete by 2006
domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and
commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and
outpacing fixed lines
international: country code - 66; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean); landing country for
APCN submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999)
Radios:
13.96 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
111 (2006)
Televisions:
15.19 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.th
Internet hosts:
938,784 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
15 (2000)
Internet users:
8.42 million (2005)
Transportation Thailand
Airports: 108 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 66 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 22 914 to 1,523 m: 20 under 914 m: 5 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 42 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 15 under 914 m: 26 (2006)
Heliports:
3 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 3,760 km; refined products 379 km (2006)
Railways: total: 4,071 km narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 57,403 km paved: 56,542 km unpaved: 861 km (2000)
Waterways: 4,000 km note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 400 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,808,509 GRT/4,317,320 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 60, cargo 145, chemical tanker 14, container
21, liquefied gas 29, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum
tanker 91, refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 45 (China 1, Egypt 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, Norway
30, Singapore 6, UK 2)
registered in other countries: 34 (Bahamas 1, Mongolia 1, Panama 9,
Singapore 22, Tuvalu 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha
Military Thailand
Military branches:
Royal Thai Army (RTA), Royal Thai Navy (RTN, includes Royal Thai
Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force (Knogtap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - two years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 21-49: 14,903,855
females age 21-49: 15,265,854 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 21-49: 10,396,032
females age 21-49: 11,487,690 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 526,276
females age 21-49: 514,396 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.775 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2003)
Transnational Issues Thailand
Disputes - international:
separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern
provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem
terrorist activities; southeast Asian states have enhanced border
surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on
completion of demarcation with Thailand but disputes remain over
several areas along Mekong River and Thai squatters; despite
continuing border committee talks, significant differences remain
with Burma over boundary alignment and the handling of ethnic
rebels, refugees, and illegal cross-border activities; Cambodia and
Thailand dispute sections of boundary with missing boundary markers;
Cambodia claims Thai encroachments into Cambodian territory and
obstructing access to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia
by ICJ decision in 1962; ethnic Karens from Burma flee into Thailand
- to escape fighting between Karen rebels and Burmese troops -
resulting in Thailand sheltering about 120,000 Burmese refugees in
2005; Karens also protest Thai support for a Burmese hydroelectric
dam construction on the Salween River near the border;
environmentalists in Burma and Thailand remain concerned about
China's construction of hydroelectric dams upstream on the
Nujiang/Salween River in Yunnan Province
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 120,814 (Burma)
IDPs: 6,000 (26 December 2004 tsunami) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; illicit transit
point for heroin en route to the international drug market from
Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced the area of
cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to neighboring
countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by eradication
efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role in
methamphetamine production for regional consumption; major consumer
of methamphetamine since the 1990s
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Togo
Introduction Togo
Background:
French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA,
installed as military ruler in 1967, continued to rule well into the
21st century. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted
in the early 1990s, the government continued to be dominated by
President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party
has maintained power almost continually since 1967. Togo has come
under fire from international organizations for human rights abuses
and is plagued by political unrest. While most bilateral and
multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the EU initiated a partial
resumption of cooperation and development aid to Togo in late 2004
based upon commitments by Togo to expand opportunities for political
opposition and liberalize portions of the economy. Upon his death in
February 2005, President EYADEMA was succeeded by his son Faure
GNASSINGBE. The succession, supported by the military and in
contravention of the nation's constitution, was challenged by
popular protest and a threat of sanctions from regional leaders.
GNASSINGBE succumbed to pressure and in April 2005 held elections
that legitimized his succession.
Geography Togo
Location:
Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between Benin and
Ghana
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 N, 1 10 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 56,785 sq km
land: 54,385 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than West Virginia
Land boundaries: total: 1,647 km border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km
Coastline: 56 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 30 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north
Terrain:
gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern plateau;
low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mont Agou 986 m
Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land
Land use: arable land: 44.2% permanent crops: 2.11% other: 53.69% (2005)
Irrigated land:
70 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in north during
winter; periodic droughts
Environment - current issues:
deforestation attributable to slash-and-burn agriculture and the
use of wood for fuel; water pollution presents health hazards and
hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical
Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct
geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna
People Togo
Population:
5,548,702
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 42.3% (male 1,177,141/female 1,169,321)
15-64 years: 55.1% (male 1,485,621/female 1,570,117)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,870/female 86,632) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 18.3 years
male: 17.8 years
female: 18.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.72% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
37.01 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
9.83 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.69 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 60.63 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 68.17 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 52.87 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 57.42 years
male: 55.41 years
female: 59.49 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
4.96 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
10,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and yellow fever are high risks in
some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
respiratory disease: meningococcal meningitis (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese
Ethnic groups:
African (37 tribes; largest and most important are Ewe, Mina, and
Kabre) 99%, European and Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%
Religions:
indigenous beliefs 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%
Languages:
French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe and Mina (the
two major African languages in the south), Kabye (sometimes spelled
Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African languages in the north)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 60.9%
male: 75.4%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)
Government Togo
Country name:
conventional long form: Togolese Republic
conventional short form: Togo
local long form: Republique togolaise
local short form: none
former: French Togoland
Government type:
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule
Capital:
name: Lome
geographic coordinates: 6 08 N, 1 13 E
time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
5 regions (regions, singular - region); Centrale, Kara, Maritime,
Plateaux, Savanes
Independence:
27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN trusteeship)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 April (1960)
Constitution:
multiparty draft constitution approved by High Council of the
Republic 1 July 1992, adopted by public referendum 27 September 1992
Legal system:
French-based court system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations
Suffrage:
NA years of age; universal adult
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005);
note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded
by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE; popular elections in April 2005
validated the succession
head of government: Prime Minister Yawovi AGBOYIBO (since 16
September 2006)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 24 April 2005 (next to be held
NA); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Faure GNASSINGBE elected president; percent of
vote - Faure GNASSINGBE 60.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 38.3%, Nicolas
LAWSON 1%, Harry OLYMPIO 0.5%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1
note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of
the Forces for Change and the Action Committee for Renewal
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court or Cour Supreme
Political parties and leaders:
Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and
Equality or MOCEP; Rally for the Support for Development and
Democracy or RSDD [Harry OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People or
RPT [Faure GNASSINGBE]; Union for Democracy and Social Progress or
UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI,
UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO,
WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 234-4212 FAX: (202) 232-3190
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome telephone: 221 29 91 through 221 29 94 FAX: 221 79 52
Flag description:
five equal horizontal bands of green (top and bottom) alternating
with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star on a red square in
the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular pan-African colors of
Ethiopia
Economy Togo
Economy - overview:
This small, sub-Saharan economy is heavily dependent on both
commercial and subsistence agriculture, which provides employment
for 65% of the labor force. Some basic foodstuffs must still be
imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export
earnings, with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is
the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate. The government's
decade-long effort, supported by the World Bank and the IMF, to
implement economic reform measures, encourage foreign investment,
and bring revenues in line with expenditures has moved slowly.
Progress depends on follow-through on privatization, increased
openness in government financial operations, progress toward
legislative elections, and continued support from foreign donors.
Togo is working with donors to write a PRGF that could eventually
lead to a debt reduction plan.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.802 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.999 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
1% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 39.5% industry: 20.4% services: 40.1% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 1.302 million (1998)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry: 5% services: 30% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
32% (1989 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $251.3 million
expenditures: $292.9 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava (tapioca), corn, beans, rice,
millet, sorghum; livestock; fish
Industries:
phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement, handicrafts,
textiles, beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
165.9 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 98.7% hydro: 1.3% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
654.3 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
500 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
8,500 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:
$-199 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
reexports, cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners:
Ghana 21.1%, Burkina Faso 18.2%, Benin 11.5%, Mali 7.3%, India
5.8%, Nigeria 4% (2005)
Imports:
$1.047 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products
Imports - partners:
France 17.8%, China 13.3%, Cote d'Ivoire 6.5%, Italy 4.5%, Spain
4.3% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$318 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$2 billion (2005)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $80 million (2000 est.)
Currency (code):
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States
Currency code:
XOF
Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 527.47
(2005), 528.29 (2004), 581.2 (2003), 696.99 (2002), 733.04 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Togo
Telephones - main lines in use:
58,600 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
443,600 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
940,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:
73,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tg
Internet hosts:
520 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2001)
Internet users:
300,000 (2005)
Transportation Togo
Airports: 9 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Railways: total: 568 km narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 7,520 km paved: 2,376 km unpaved: 5,144 km (1999)
Waterways:
50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT
by type: cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Kpeme, Lome
Military Togo
Military branches:
Togolese Armed Forces (FAT): Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie
(2005)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,102,661
females age 18-49: 1,124,463 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 696,933
females age 18-49: 707,821 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$29.98 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.6% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Togo
Disputes - international: in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint commission continues to resurvey the boundary
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Togo is a source, transit, and destination
country for children, women, and men trafficked for forced labor and
sexual exploitation; the majority of victims are children, and
trafficking within the country is more prevalent than international
trafficking; children are trafficked to work as domestic servants,
produce porters, roadside sellers, agricultural laborers, and for
sexual exploitation; Togolese women may be trafficked to Europe for
forced labor and sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Togo is placed on the Tier 2 Watch
List for failure to show evidence of increased efforts to combat
trafficking over the past year, particularly in the areas of
prosecution and protection
Illicit drugs:
transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money
laundering not a significant problem
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tokelau
Introduction Tokelau
Background:
Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island
groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in
1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925.
Geography Tokelau
Location:
Oceania, group of three atolls in the South Pacific Ocean, about
one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
9 00 S, 172 00 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
about 17 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
101 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)
Terrain:
low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources:
NEGL
Land use:
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
lies in Pacific typhoon belt
Environment - current issues:
very limited natural resources and overcrowding are contributing to
emigration to New Zealand
Geography - note:
consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number
of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three
meters above sea level
People Tokelau
Population: 1,392 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 42% 15-64 years: 53% 65 years and over: 5% (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.01% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
NA
Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population
Net migration rate:
NA
Sex ratio:
NA
Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA
Total fertility rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan
Ethnic groups:
Polynesian
Religions:
Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic 28%, other 2%
note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on
Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with
the Congregational Christian Church predominant
Languages:
Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English
Literacy:
NA
Government Tokelau
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tokelau
Dependency status:
self-administering territory of New Zealand; note - Tokelau and New
Zealand have agreed to a draft constitution as Tokelau moves toward
free association with New Zealand; a UN sponsored referendum on
self-governance, in February 2006, did not produce the two thirds
majority vote necessary for changing the current political status
Government type:
NA
Capital:
none; each atoll has its own administrative center
time difference: UTC-11 (6 hours behind Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
none (territory of New Zealand)
Independence:
none (territory of New Zealand)
National holiday:
Waitangi Day (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)
Constitution:
administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948; amended in 1970
Legal system:
New Zealand and local statutes
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General of New Zealand Anand SATYANAND
(since 23 August 2006); New Zealand is represented by Administrator
David PAYTON (since 17 October 2006)
head of government: Kolouei O'BRIEN (2006); note - position rotates
annually among the three Faipule (village leaders)
cabinet: the Council for the Ongoing Government of Tokelau,
consisting of three Faipule (village leaders) and three Pulenuku
(village mayors), functions as a cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed
by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the
head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves
a one-year term
Legislative branch:
unicameral General Fono (21 seats; based upon proportional
representation from the three islands elected by popular vote to
serve three-year terms; Nukunonu has 6 seats, Fakaofo has 7 seats,
Atafu has 8 seats); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers
limited legislative power on the General Fono
elections: last held January 2005 (next to be held January 2008)
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and criminal
jurisdiction in Tokelau
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
PIF (observer), SPC, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (territory of New Zealand)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (territory of New Zealand)
Flag description:
the flag of New Zealand is used
Economy Tokelau
Economy - overview:
Tokelau's small size (three villages), isolation, and lack of
resources greatly restrain economic development and confine
agriculture to the subsistence level. The people rely heavily on aid
from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public
services, with annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The
principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage
stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to
families from relatives in New Zealand.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$1.5 million (1993 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
NA
GDP - real growth rate:
NA%
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,000 (1993 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force:
440
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
NA%
Budget:
revenues: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million; including capital expenditures of NA
(1987 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry,
goats; fish
Industries:
small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited
craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing
Electricity - production:
NA kWh
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh
Exports:
$0 f.o.b. (2002)
Exports - commodities:
stamps, copra, handicrafts
Exports - partners:
New Zealand (2004)
Imports:
$969,200 c.i.f. (2002)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, building materials, fuel
Imports - partners:
New Zealand (2004)
Debt - external:
$0
Economic aid - recipient:
about $4 million annually from New Zealand
Currency (code):
New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code:
NZD
Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.4203 (2005), 1.5087 (2004),
1.7221 (2003), 2.1622 (2002), 2.3788 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March
Communications Tokelau
Telephones - main lines in use:
300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2001)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern satellite-based communications system;
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa;
government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite
earth stations
Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: 1 radio station provides service to all islands (2002)
Radios:
1,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tk
Internet hosts:
298 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
NA
Transportation Tokelau
Ports and terminals: none; offshore anchorage only
Military Tokelau
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$66.72 million
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Transnational Issues Tokelau
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tonga
Introduction Tonga
Background:
Tonga - unique among Pacific nations - never completely lost its
indigenous governance. The archipelagos of "The Friendly Islands"
were united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. Tonga became a
constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900;
it withdrew from the protectorate and joined the Commonwealth of
Nations in 1970. Tonga remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.
Geography Tonga
Location:
Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about two-thirds
of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand
Geographic coordinates:
20 00 S, 175 00 W
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km
Area - comparative:
four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
419 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December to May),
cool season (May to December)
Terrain:
most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted coral
formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m
Natural resources:
fish, fertile soil
Land use:
arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 14.67%
other: 65.33% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and volcanic activity on
Fonuafo'ou
Environment - current issues:
deforestation results as more and more land is being cleared for
agriculture and settlement; some damage to coral reefs from starfish
and indiscriminate coral and shell collectors; overhunting threatens
native sea turtle populations
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)
People Tonga
Population:
114,689 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.3% (male 20,679/female 19,843)
15-64 years: 60.5% (male 34,399/female 34,964)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,059/female 2,745) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 20.7 years
male: 20.1 years
female: 21.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.01% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
25.37 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.28 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.3 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.63 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 10.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.82 years
male: 67.32 years
female: 72.45 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan
Ethnic groups:
Polynesian, Europeans
Religions:
Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000 adherents)
Languages:
Tongan, English
Literacy:
definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 99% (1999 est.)
Government Tonga
Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
local long form: Pule'anga Tonga
local short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands
Government type:
constitutional monarchy
Capital:
name: Nuku'alofa
geographic coordinates: 21 08 S, 175 12 W
time difference: UTC+13 (18 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u
Independence:
4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
National holiday:
Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)
Constitution:
4 November 1875; revised 1 January 1967
Legal system:
based on English law
Suffrage:
21 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: King George TUPOU V (since 11 September 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Feleti SEVELE (since 11
February 2006); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Viliami TANGI (since 16
May 2006)
cabinet: Cabinet currently consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by
the monarch for life; 4 appointed from among the elected members of
the Legislative Assembly, including 2 each from the nobles and
peoples representatives serving three year terms
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch,
the cabinet, and two governors
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime minister appointed by the monarch
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (32 seats - 14
reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, 9 for nobles
selected by the country's 33 nobles, and 9 elected by popular vote;
members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 21 March 2005 (next to be held in 2008)
election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - HRDMT
70%; seats - HRDMT 7, independents 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of
Appeal (Chief Justice and high court justices from overseas chosen
and approved by Privy Council)
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Party [Tesina FUKO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote
VEA, chairman]; Public Servant's Association [Finau TUTONE]
International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: (917) 369-1025 FAX: (917) 369-1024 consulate(s) general: San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Tonga; the ambassador to Fiji is
accredited to Tonga
Flag description:
red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle in the upper
hoist-side corner
Economy Tonga
Economy - overview:
Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow
export base in agricultural goods. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and
vanilla beans are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up
two-thirds of total exports. The country must import a high
proportion of its food, mainly from New Zealand. The country remains
dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities
overseas to offset its trade deficit. Tourism is the second-largest
source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The
government is emphasizing the development of the private sector,
especially the encouragement of investment, and is committing
increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a reasonably
sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social services. High
unemployment among the young, a continuing upturn in inflation,
pressures for democratic reform, and rising civil service
expenditures are major issues facing the government.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$178.5 million (2004 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$244 million
GDP - real growth rate:
2.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23% industry: 27% services: 50% (FY03/04 est.)
Labor force: 33,910 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 65% industry and services: 35% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
13% (FY03/04 est.)
Population below poverty line:
24% NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.1% (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $56.97 million
expenditures: $83.88 million; including capital expenditures of $1.9
million (FY99/00 est.)
Agriculture - products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish
Industries:
tourism, fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
1% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
34 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
31.62 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
800 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:
$-4.321 million
Exports:
$34 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Exports - partners:
Japan 41.5%, US 33.1%, NZ 6.3% (2005)
Imports:
$122 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
NZ 33.4%, Fiji 26.7%, Australia 10.5%, US 8.4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$40.83 million
Debt - external:
$80.7 million (2004)
Economic aid - recipient:
$19.3 million Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million
(FY01/02)
Currency (code):
pa'anga (TOP)
Currency code:
TOP
Exchange rates:
pa'anga per US dollar - 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003),
2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Tonga
Telephones - main lines in use:
11,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
16,400 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: competition between Tonga Telecommunications
Corporation (TCC) and Shoreline Communications Tonga (SCT) is
accelerating expansion of telecommunications; SCT recently granted
authority to develop high-speed digital service for telephone,
Internet, and television
domestic: fully automatic switched network
international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (2004)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004)
Radios:
61,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (2004)
Televisions:
2,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.to
Internet hosts:
18,775 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
3,000 (2004)
Transportation Tonga
Airports: 6 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 16 ships (1000 GRT or over) 62,185 GRT/72,960 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 10, liquefied gas 1, livestock
carrier 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo
1
foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Norway 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Nuku'alofa
Military Tonga
Military branches:
Tonga Defense Services: Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force
(includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 25,420
females ag3 18-49: 24,827 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 19,840
females age 18-49: 21,342 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males ag3 18-49: 1,586
females age 18-49: 1,538 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues Tonga
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Trinidad and Tobago
Introduction Trinidad and Tobago
Background:
First colonized by the Spanish, the islands came under British
control in the early 19th century. The islands' sugar industry was
hurt by the emancipation of the slaves in 1834. Manpower was
replaced with the importation of contract laborers from India
between 1845 and 1917, which boosted sugar production as well as the
cocoa industry. The discovery of oil on Trinidad in 1910 added
another important export. Independence was attained in 1962. The
country is one of the most prosperous in the Caribbean thanks
largely to petroleum and natural gas production and processing.
Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is targeted for expansion and is growing.
Geography Trinidad and Tobago
Location:
Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic
Ocean, northeast of Venezuela
Geographic coordinates:
11 00 N, 61 00 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
362 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
Climate:
tropical; rainy season (June to December)
Terrain:
mostly plains with some hills and low mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt
Land use: arable land: 14.62% permanent crops: 9.16% other: 76.22% (2005)
Irrigated land:
40 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
outside usual path of hurricanes and other tropical storms
Environment - current issues: water pollution from agricultural chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of beaches; deforestation; soil erosion
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's
largest natural reservoir of asphalt
People Trinidad and Tobago
Population:
1,065,842 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 20.1% (male 109,936/female 104,076)
15-64 years: 71.3% (male 398,657/female 361,093)
65 years and over: 8.6% (male 41,162/female 50,918) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 31.2 years
male: 30.8 years
female: 31.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.87% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
12.9 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
10.57 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-11.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.86 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 23.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 66.76 years
male: 65.71 years
female: 67.86 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.2% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
29,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Ethnic groups:
Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%,
unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%,
Pentecostal 6.8%, other Christian 5.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day
Adventist 4%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish, Chinese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)
Government Trinidad and Tobago
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Port-of-Spain
geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough
corporations, 1 ward
regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin,
Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San
Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando
borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
ward: Tobago
Independence:
31 August 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Constitution:
1 August 1976
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March
2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24
December 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament
elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists
of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a
five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 14
February 2003 (next to be held in 2008); the president usually
appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the
House of Representatives
election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent
of electoral college vote - 43%
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members
appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the
opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of
Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next
to be held by October 2007)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM
55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members
serving four-year terms; last election held January 2005; seats by
party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice
and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the
president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader
of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on
the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court
of Justice; Caribbean Court of Appeals member; Court of Appeals; the
highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London
Political parties and leaders:
National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH];
People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or
TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo
PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note -
only active in Tobago
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: (202) 467-6490
FAX: (202) 785-3130
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: (868) 622-6371 through 6376
FAX: (868) 628-5462
Flag description:
red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist
side to the lower fly side
Economy Trinidad and Tobago
Economy - overview:
Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas,
has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for
international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not
proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The
economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus.
Prospects for growth in 2006 are good as prices for oil,
petrochemicals, and liquefied natural gas are expected to remain
high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support
expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping
with a rise in violent crime.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$18.11 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$13.02 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$16,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 0.7% industry: 57% services: 42.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 620,000 (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate:
8% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
21% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6.9% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $4.5 billion
expenditures: $4.06 billion; including capital expenditures of
$117.3 million (2005 est.)
Public debt:
43% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage,
cotton textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
6.076 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
5.651 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
150,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
29,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
990 million bbl (1 January 2004)
Natural gas - production:
24.7 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
12.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
733 billion cu m (1 January 2004)
Current account balance:
$2.88 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$9.161 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products,
fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
Exports - partners:
US 68.8%, Jamaica 5.5%, Barbados 2.9% (2005)
Imports:
$6.011 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live
animals
Imports - partners:
US 27.7%, Venezuela 13.3%, Brazil 11.8%, Japan 5.5%, Canada 4.2%
(2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.888 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.767 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$24 million (1999 est.)
Currency (code):
Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)
Currency code:
TTD
Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2842 (2005), 6.299
(2004), 6.2951 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Communications Trinidad and Tobago
Telephones - main lines in use:
323,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
800,000 (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent international service; good local
service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and
Guyana
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
680,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2005)
Televisions:
425,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tt
Internet hosts:
30,732 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)
Internet users:
160,000 (2005)
Transportation Trinidad and Tobago
Airports: 6 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 3 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Pipelines:
condensate 253 km; gas 1,278 km; oil 571 km (2006)
Roadways:
total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 16,760 GRT/7,941 DWT
by type: liquefied gas 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 3, petroleum
tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain
Military Trinidad and Tobago
Military branches:
Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard
(includes air wing) (2004)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 290,715
females age 18-49: 258,410 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 202,958
females age 18-49: 173,797 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$66.72 million (2003 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.6% (2003 est.)
Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago
Disputes - international:
Barbados will assert its claim before the UN Convention on the Law
of the Sea (UNCLOS) that the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's
maritime boundary with Venezuela extends into its waters; Guyana has
also expressed its intention to challenge this boundary as it may
extend into its waters as well
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
and Europe; producer of cannabis
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tunisia
Introduction Tunisia
Background:
Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated
in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate.
Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was
finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an
independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib
BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the
country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and
establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation.
Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign
relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for
a more open political society.
Geography Tunisia
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria
and Libya
Geographic coordinates:
34 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 163,610 sq km
land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries: total: 1,424 km border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Coastline: 1,148 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
Climate:
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers;
desert in south
Terrain:
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges
into the Sahara
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Land use:
arable land: 17.05%
permanent crops: 13.08%
other: 69.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
3,940 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues: toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are
discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf
between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
People Tunisia
Population:
10,175,014 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.6% (male 1,293,235/female 1,212,994)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 3,504,283/female 3,478,268)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 327,521/female 358,713) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.8 years
male: 27.3 years
female: 28.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.99% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
15.52 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.13 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.5 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.84 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 26.7 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.12 years
male: 73.4 years
female: 76.96 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.74 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2005 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1,000 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases: degree of risk: intermediate food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A vectorborne diseases: may be a significant risk in some locations during the transmission season (typically April through November) (2005)
Nationality: noun: Tunisian(s) adjective: Tunisian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French
(commerce)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.3%
male: 83.4%
female: 65.3% (2004 est.)
Government Tunisia
Country name:
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form: Tunis
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tunis
geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin
'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba
(Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili
(Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah),
Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax
(Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse
(Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan
(Zaghwan)
Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 20 March (1956)
Constitution:
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Shari'a law; some judicial
review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session
Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November
1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17
November 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(no term limits); election last held 24 October 2004 (next to be
held October 2009); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a
fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%,
Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1%
Legislative branch:
bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis
al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
five-year terms) and the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members
elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional
associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential
appointees; members serve six-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Deputies - last held 24 October 2004 (next to
be held October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held 3 July 2005
(next to be held July 2011)
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3,
PSL 2; Chamber of Advisors - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - RCD 71 (14 trade union seats vacant (boycotted))
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally
Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President
Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social
Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS
[Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA];
Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic
Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is
outlawed
International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC,
NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE
(partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO, WFTU,
WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nejib HACHANA chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: (202) 862-1850 FAX: (202) 862-1858
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador designate Robert F. GODEC embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: 71 107-000 FAX: 71 107-090
Flag description:
red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly
encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are
traditional symbols of Islam
Economy Tunisia
Economy - overview:
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining,
energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of
economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the
past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax
structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social
policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia
relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9%
in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism.
Better rains in 2003 through 2005, however, helped push GDP growth
to about 5% for these years. Tourism also recovered after the end of
combat operations in Iraq. Tunisia is gradually removing barriers to
trade with the EU. Broader privatization, further liberalization of
the investment code to increase foreign investment, improvements in
government efficiency, and reduction of the trade deficit are among
the challenges ahead.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$82.85 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$30.94 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.2% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.2% industry: 31.8% services: 55% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 3.41 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.2% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.1% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
22.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $7.322 billion
expenditures: $8.304 billion; including capital expenditures of $1.6
billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
59.1% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets,
dates, almonds; beef, dairy products
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism,
textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
0.9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
11.56 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
10.76 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
10 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
5 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
76,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - consumption:
90,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
1.7 billion bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
2.15 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.84 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
1.58 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
77.87 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$-359.2 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$10.3 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural
products, hydrocarbons
Exports - partners:
France 30.9%, Italy 21.1%, Germany 9.4%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 4.5%
(2005)
Imports:
$12.86 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
Imports - partners:
France 25.5%, Italy 22.9%, Germany 9.5%, Spain 5.5% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$4.375 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$16.09 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$114.6 million (2002)
Currency (code):
Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code:
TND
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004),
1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Tunisia
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,257,500 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
5.681 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be
upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet
access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial
cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in
Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
2.06 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
920,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tn
Internet hosts:
428 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
953,800 (2005)
Transportation Tunisia
Airports: 30 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 14 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 2,945 km; oil 1,227 km; refined products 351 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 2,153 km
standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
dual gauge: 8 km 1.435 m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2005)
Roadways:
total: 18,997 km
paved: 12,424 km (including 142 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,573 km (2001)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 146,759 GRT/115,118 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 3, passenger/cargo
4 (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Skhira
Military Tunisia
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya
al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2006)
Military service age and obligation: 20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 2,441,741
females age 20-49: 2,406,362 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 2,035,431
females age 20-49: 2,000,757 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 108,817
females age 20-49: 103,087 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$356 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Tunisia
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Turkey
Introduction Turkey
Background:
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of
the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was
later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."
Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging
social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party
rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950
election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful
transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have
multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of
instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980),
which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political
power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the
ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then
Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus
in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since
acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,"
which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984
by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's
Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the
Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives.
After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents
largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK
announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK
increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a
member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the
European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many
reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to
begin accession membership talks with the European Union.
Geography Turkey
Location:
Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey
west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering
the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the
Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 35 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 780,580 sq km
land: 770,760 sq km
water: 9,820 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,648 km
border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km,
Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Coastline:
7,200 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in
Mediterranean Sea
exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary
agreed upon with the former USSR
Climate:
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in
interior
Terrain:
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several
mountain ranges
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite,
borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone,
magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable
land, hydropower
Land use: arable land: 29.81% permanent crops: 3.39% other: 66.8% (2005)
Irrigated land:
52,150 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc
extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environment - current issues: water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea
of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount
Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's Ark, is in the far
eastern portion of the country
People Turkey
Population:
70,413,958 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 25.5% (male 9,133,226/female 8,800,070)
15-64 years: 67.7% (male 24,218,277/female 23,456,761)
65 years and over: 6.8% (male 2,198,073/female 2,607,551) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.1 years
male: 27.9 years
female: 28.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.06% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
16.62 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
5.97 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 39.69 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 43.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 35.93 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.62 years
male: 70.18 years
female: 75.18 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.92 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% - note - no country specific models provided (2001
est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Turk(s)
adjective: Turkish
Ethnic groups:
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)
Religions:
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Languages:
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Dimli (or Zaza), Azeri, Kabardian
note: there is also a substantial Gagauz population in the Europe
part of Turkey
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 94.3%
female: 78.7% (2003 est.)
Government Turkey
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Turkey
conventional short form: Turkey
local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti
local short form: Turkiye
Government type:
republican parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Ankara
geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman,
Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan,
Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol,
Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli,
Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir,
Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Icel (Mersin), Igdir,
Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars,
Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli,
Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir,
Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt,
Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van,
Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
Independence:
29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Constitution:
7 November 1982
Legal system:
civil law system derived from various European continental legal
systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR),
although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European
Convention on Human Rights
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the prime minister
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a single
seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held May
2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members
of parliament
election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third
ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%
note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National
Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third
ballot
Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk
Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held in 2007); note
- a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt
on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to
a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on
14 March 2003
election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%,
DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, Anavatan 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and other; seats by
party - AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing
the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by
party as of 1 December 2005 - AKP 357, CHP 154, ANAVATAN 22, DYP 4,
SHP 4, HYP 1, independents 4, vacant 4
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of
State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court
of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Political parties and leaders:
Anavatan Partisi (once was Motherland Party) or ANAVATAN [Erkan
MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic
People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Felicity Party (sometimes
translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBAKAN]; Justice
and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal
Democratic Party or LDP; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet
BAHCELI]; People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP
[Yasr Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL];
Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True
Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party) or DYP
[Mehmet AGAR]
note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of
the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN];
Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman
CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim
USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Refik
BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Salih KILIC];
Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis
GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
International organization participation:
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD,
ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC,
OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS,
UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: (202) 612-6700 FAX: (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Ross WILSON embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: (312) 455-5555 FAX: (312) 467-0019 consulate(s) general: Istanbul consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
Flag description:
red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward
the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside
the crescent opening
Economy Turkey
Economy - overview:
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and
commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still
accounts for more than 35% of employment. It has a strong and
rapidly growing private sector, yet the state still plays a major
role in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The
largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts
for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition
in international markets with the end of the global quota system.
However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics
industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix.
Real GNP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong
expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994,
1999, and 2001. The economy is turning around with the
implementation of economic reforms, and 2004 GDP growth reached 9%.
Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low. Despite the strong
economic gains in 2002-05, which were largely due to renewed
investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter
fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current
account deficit and high debt. The public sector fiscal deficit
exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to high interest payments,
which accounted for about 37% of central government spending in
2004. Prior to 2005, foreign direct investment (FDI) in Turkey
averaged less than $1 billion annually, but further economic and
judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost
FDI. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$584.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$332.5 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
7.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,400 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.8% services: 58.5% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 24.7 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd qtr. 2004)
Unemployment rate:
10.2% plus underemployment of 4% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
20% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 30.7% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42 (2003)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.2% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
19.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $93.58 billion
expenditures: $115.3 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
68% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus;
livestock
Industries:
textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal,
chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber,
paper
Industrial production growth rate:
5.9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
133.6 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 79.3% hydro: 20.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
140.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports:
600 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports:
1.2 billion kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
50,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
715,100 bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - exports:
46,110 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - imports:
616,500 bbl/day (2001)
Oil - proved reserves:
288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
560 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
22.6 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$-23.08 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$72.49 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport
equipment
Exports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7.6%, US 6.7%, France 5.2%, Spain
4.1% (2005)
Imports:
$101.2 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport
equipment
Imports - partners:
Germany 11.7%, Russia 11%, Italy 6.5%, China 5.9%, France 5%, US
4.6%, UK 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$52.49 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$170.1 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $635.8 million (2002)
Currency (code):
Turkish lira (YTL); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005
Currency code:
TRL, YTL
Exchange rates:
Turkish liras per US dollar - 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009
(2003), 1.5072 (2002), 1.2256 (2001)
note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL) was converted to
new Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish
Lira
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Turkey
Telephones - main lines in use:
18.978 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
43.609 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion,
especially with cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid
increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating
communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a
domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile
cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: country code - 90; international service is provided
by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black
Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania,
and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile
satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)
Radios:
11.3 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
20.9 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.tr
Internet hosts:
1,313,135 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2001)
Internet users:
16 million (2005)
Transportation Turkey
Airports: 117 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 89 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 28 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 17 (2006)
Heliports:
18 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 4,621 km; oil 3,543 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 8,697 km
standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:
total: 347,553 km
paved: 154,807 km (including 1,886 km of expressways)
unpaved: 192,747 km (2004)
Waterways:
1,200 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 545 ships (1000 GRT or over) 4,772,864 GRT/7,313,070 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 109, cargo 239, chemical tanker 50, container
24, liquefied gas 6, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 50, petroleum
tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 24, specialized
tanker 2
foreign-owned: 7 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Italy 3, Switzerland 1)
registered in other countries: 411 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda
8, Bahamas 8, Belize 11, Cambodia 26, Comoros 11, Dominica 3,
Georgia 30, Isle of Man 3, North Korea 4, Liberia 1, Libya 2, Malta
123, Marshall Islands 20, Netherlands Antilles 9, Panama 42, Russia
63, Saint Kitts and Nevis 6, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 25,
Slovakia 8, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 3) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Aliaga, Ambarli, Eregli, Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli
(Izmit), Toros
Military Turkey
Military branches:
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes
naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava
Kuvvetleri) (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 16,756,323
females age 20-49: 16,051,706 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 13,905,901
females age 20-49: 13,335,812 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 679,734
females age 20-49: 659,090 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.155 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.3% (2003)
Military - note:
in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly
equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only
one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were
mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced
highly mobile forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance
with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)
Transnational Issues Turkey
Disputes - international:
complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the
Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq
protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates
waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in
Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK
and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and
- to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes;
major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking
organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert
imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey
and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas
of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw
concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Turkmenistan
Introduction Turkmenistan
Background:
Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a
Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the
dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President Saparmurat NIYAZOV
retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not
tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a
boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery
projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is
actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation
routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.
Geography Turkmenistan
Location:
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 488,100 sq km
land: 488,100 sq km
water: NEGL
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379
km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Coastline:
0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
subtropical desert
Terrain:
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the
south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in
west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a
lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates
above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has
dropped as low as -110 m)
note: Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a
water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina
Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)
highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use: arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)
Irrigated land:
18,000 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals,
pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation
methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the
flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's
inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of
the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which
occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau
People Turkmenistan
Population:
5,042,920 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.2% (male 913,988/female 863,503)
15-64 years: 60.7% (male 1,501,486/female 1,557,155)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 79,227/female 127,561) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.8 years
male: 20.9 years
female: 22.7 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.83% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
27.61 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
8.6 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 72.56 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 68 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.83 years
male: 58.43 years
female: 65.41 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.37 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2004 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic groups:
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Religions:
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages:
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.3% (1999 est.)
Government Turkmenistan
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan
local long form: none
local short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch
Capital:
name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty
(Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap
Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence:
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Constitution:
adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers
Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct
presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of
Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first
direct presidential election occurred)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28
December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk
Maslahaty); in November 2005, the People's Council voted down
NIYAZOV's suggestion to hold presidential elections in 2009
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 21 June 1992; note - President NIYAZOV was
unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council
on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the Cabinet of Ministers are
appointed by the president
election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without
opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%
Legislative branch:
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a
unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative
body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular
vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a
unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to
be increased to 65 seats
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be
held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be
held December 2008)
election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note -
all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV
note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of
the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative
organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and
the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its
supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the
constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the
president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and
the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of
making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative
branches of government
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small
opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the
two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National
Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic
Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign
Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the
wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President
NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is
based out of Moscow
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO
(correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOV
chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: (202) 588-1500
FAX: (202) 588-0697
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer
L. BRUSH
embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan 774000
mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone: (9312) 35-00-45
FAX: (9312) 39-26-14
Flag description:
green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side,
containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets)
stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive
branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam
with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of
Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly
side of the red stripe
Economy Turkmenistan
Economy - overview:
Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture
in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its
irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's
tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an
almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian
ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure,
Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform,
hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient
economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2005,
Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export
routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term
external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by 20%
to 30% per year in 2003-2005, largely because of higher
international oil and gas prices. In 2005, Ashgabat sought to raise
natural gas export prices to its main customers, Russia and Ukraine,
from $44 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $66 per tcm. Overall
prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread
internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's
irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its unwillingness to
adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics
are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide
margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$39.14 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$13.99 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: IMF estimate: 6% note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP): $7,900 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 20.9% industry: 38% services: 41.1% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 2.32 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 48.2% industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
58% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.8 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
35.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.401 billion
expenditures: $1.542 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain; livestock
Industries:
natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
22% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
8.847 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
1.136 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)
Oil - production:
203,400 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
80,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
273 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:
54.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
15.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
38.6 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.01 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:
$236 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$4.7 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles
Exports - partners:
Ukraine 43.5%, Iran 15%, Hungary 5.4% (2005)
Imports:
$4.175 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
UAE 12.4%, Azerbaijan 10.9%, US 9.4%, Russia 8.9%, Ukraine 7.4%,
Turkey 7.2%, Iran 6.1%, Germany 5.3%, Kazakhstan 4.2% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.963 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$16 million from the US (2001)
Currency (code):
Turkmen manat (TMM)
Currency code:
TMM
Exchange rates:
in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to
25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official rate has
consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Turkmenistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
376,100 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
52,000 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new
telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new
exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey
via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios:
1.225 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)
Televisions:
820,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tm
Internet hosts:
585 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1
Internet users:
36,000 (2005)
Transportation Turkmenistan
Airports: 29 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Heliports:
1 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)
Railways: total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999)
Waterways:
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways)
(2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT
by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 1 (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Turkmenbasy
Military Turkmenistan
Military branches:
Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air
Defense Forces (2006)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - two years (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,132,833
females age 18-49: 1,162,569 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 759,978
females age 18-49: 940,179 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 56,532
females age 18-49: 55,413 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Turkmenistan
Disputes - international:
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates
water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral
talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested
oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary
with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains
stalled
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 12,085 (Tajikistan) (2005)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western
European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound
for Afghanistan
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Turks and Caicos Islands
Introduction Turks and Caicos Islands
Background:
The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when
they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's
independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965
to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate
governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982,
the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas
territory.
Geography Turks and Caicos Islands
Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of The Bahamas, north of Haiti
Geographic coordinates:
21 45 N, 71 35 W
Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
389 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry
Terrain:
low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m
Natural resources: spiny lobster, conch
Land use: arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
frequent hurricanes
Environment - current issues: limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater
Geography - note: about 40 islands (eight inhabited)
People Turks and Caicos Islands
Population:
21,152 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.9% (male 3,432/female 3,312)
15-64 years: 64.4% (male 7,155/female 6,457)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 362/female 434) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.5 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 26.8 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.82% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
21.84 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
4.21 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
10.54 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.73 years
male: 72.48 years
female: 77.08 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.05 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality: noun: none adjective: none
Ethnic groups:
black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%
Religions:
Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other
14% (1990)
Languages:
English (official)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1970 est.)
People - note:
destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound
for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and US
Government Turks and Caicos Islands
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
abbreviation: TCI
Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK
Government type:
NA
Capital:
name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday:
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Constitution:
Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9
August 2006)
Legal system:
based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica
and The Bahamas
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005)
head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August
2003); note - the office of premier was created in the new
constitution
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six
ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council, and the attorney general
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party is appointed premier by the governor
Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (21 seats of which 15 are popularly
elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%;
seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August
2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now
has 5
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive
National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU
Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the
shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
Economy Turks and Caicos Islands
Economy - overview:
The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and
offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for
domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of
tourists, accounting for more than half of the annual 93,000
visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue also
include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$216 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
NA
GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,500 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
Labor force: 4,848 (1990 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
Unemployment rate:
10% (1997 est.)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1995)
Budget:
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million; including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997-98 est.)
Agriculture - products:
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
5 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
4.65 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
80 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Exports:
$169.2 million (2000)
Exports - commodities:
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Exports - partners:
US, UK (2004)
Imports:
$175.6 million (2000)
Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction
materials
Imports - partners:
US, UK (2004)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$4.1 million (1997)
Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)
Currency code:
USD
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Turks and Caicos Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
5,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,700 (1999)
Telephone system:
general assessment: fully digital system with international direct
dialing
domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service
available
international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
8,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television
networks) (2004)
Televisions:
NA
Internet country code:
.tc
Internet hosts:
2,735 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
14 (2000)
Internet users:
NA
Transportation Turks and Caicos Islands
Airports: 8 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2003)
Ports and terminals:
Grand Turk, Providenciales
Military Turks and Caicos Islands
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$192.8 million
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Turks and Caicos Islands
Disputes - international:
have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the
US and Europe
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Tuvalu
Introduction Tuvalu
Background:
In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice
Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert
Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate
British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000,
Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv"
for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.
Geography Tuvalu
Location:
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South
Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 178 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
24 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Terrain:
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 66.67% other: 33.33% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were
three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes
in sea level
Environment - current issues:
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not
potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with
storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one
desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion
because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive
clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral
reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is
concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions and
their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's
underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to
Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels
should make evacuation necessary
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the
coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and
Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao
have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon
People Tuvalu
Population:
11,810 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 26 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.51% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
22.18 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
7.11 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.32 years
male: 66.08 years
female: 70.66 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.98 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan
Ethnic groups:
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
Religions:
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist
1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages:
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Literacy:
NA
Government Tuvalu
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
local long form: none
local short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's
eight traditionally inhabited islands
Government type:
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on
Fongafale Islet
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
1 October 1978 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution:
1 October 1978
Legal system:
NA
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime
minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members
of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held
following parliamentary elections in 2010)
election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a
Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly
(15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Judicial branch:
High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its
sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in
Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)
Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually align themselves in informal groupings
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US: Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017, telephone: (212) 490-0534
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to
Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu
Flag description:
light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country
with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands
Economy Tuvalu
Economy - overview:
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine
coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral
resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the
primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,
visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the
sale of stamps and coins and remittances from seamen on merchant
ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from
Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. Substantial
income is received annually from an international trust fund
established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also
by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and
conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17
million to over $35 million in 1999. The US Government is also a
major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988
treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on
foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms,
including privatization of some government functions and personnel
cuts of up to 7%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from
the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. With merchandise
exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance
must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees,
remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income
from overseas investments.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.94 million (2002 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.94 million
GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 16.6% NA% industry: 27.2% NA% services: 56.2% NA%
Labor force: 3,615 (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea, reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.7% (2003 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $22.78 million
expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2
million (2000 est.)
Agriculture - products:
coconuts; fish
Industries:
fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: NA hydro: NA nuclear: NA other: NA
Current account balance:
$2.323 million
Exports:
$1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities:
copra, fish
Exports - partners:
Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005)
Imports:
$9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities:
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Imports - partners:
Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2005)
Debt - external:
$NA
Economic aid - recipient:
$13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US
(1999 est.)
Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar
Currency code:
AUD
Exchange rates:
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095
(2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Tuvalu
Telephones - main lines in use:
700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2004)
Telephone system:
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls can be made
by satellite
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios:
4,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (2004)
Televisions:
800
Internet country code:
.tv
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1,300 (2002)
Transportation Tuvalu
Airports:
1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)
Roadways:
total: 8 km
paved: 8 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1, container 2,
passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, specialized
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1, Russia 2,
Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Funafuti
Military Tuvalu
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA
Transnational Issues Tuvalu
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Uganda
Introduction Uganda
Background:
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda
grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different
political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the
establishment of a working political community after independence
was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79)
was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla
war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at
least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986
has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During
the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and
legislative elections.
Geography Uganda
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933
km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to
February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain:
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Natural resources: copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land
Land use: arable land: 21.57% permanent crops: 8.92% other: 69.51% (2005)
Irrigated land:
90 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; poaching is widespread
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers
People Uganda
Population:
28,195,754
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 7,091,763/female 6,996,385)
15-64 years: 47.8% (male 6,762,071/female 6,727,230)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 266,931/female 351,374) (2006 est.)
Median age:
total: 15 years
male: 14.9 years
female: 15.1 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
3.37% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
47.35 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
12.24 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 66.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 69.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 62.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.67 years
male: 51.68 years
female: 53.69 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.71 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
530,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
78,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness) are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)
Nationality:
noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups:
Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%,
Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%,
Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi
2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%
Religions:
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs
18%
Languages:
English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used
in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts),
Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages,
preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be
taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan
languages, Swahili, Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9%
male: 79.5%
female: 60.4% (2003 est.)
Government Uganda
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Kampala
geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi,
Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido,
Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese,
Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi,
Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara,
Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola,
Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule,
Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added
bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria,
Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura,
Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of nine more districts
are in the process of being added
Independence:
9 October 1962 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 October (1962)
Constitution:
8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing
presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system
Legal system:
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on
English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI
(since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state
and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in
the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected
legislators
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president;
percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza
BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (303 members - 214 directly elected by
popular vote, 81 nominated by legally established special interest
groups [women 56, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 8 ex
officio members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NA; note - election results had not been posted as of March 2006
Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved
by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the
president)
Political parties and leaders:
Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP
[Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza
BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA];
National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]; National Resistance
Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC
[Miria OBOTE]
note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's
transition to a multi-party political system
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP
International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Edith G. SSEMPALA
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
FAX: (202) 726-1727
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William
FITZGERALD
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: (41) 234-142
FAX: (41) 258-451
Flag description:
six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black,
yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and
depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist
side
Economy Uganda
Economy - overview:
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils,
regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.
Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing
over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export
revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign
countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and
stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising
producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum
products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are
especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and
export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid
performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports,
reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the
return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda
qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt
relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145
million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief
added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite
continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export.
Growth in 2003-05 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$47.76 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$7.909 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 31.1% industry: 22.2% services: 46.9% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 13.17 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 82% industry: 5% services: 13% (1999 est.)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
35% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 21% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.1% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.845 billion
expenditures: $1.904 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)
Public debt:
64.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products: coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn, millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry
Industries:
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production
Industrial production growth rate:
9% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
1.729 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 0.9% hydro: 99.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
1.448 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:
160 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2003)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:
10,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Current account balance:
$-355 million (2005 est.)
Exports:
$768 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural
products; gold
Exports - partners:
Kenya 15.1%, Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.7%, France 7.1%, Germany
5.1%, Rwanda 4% (2005)
Imports:
$1.608 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals
Imports - partners:
Kenya 32%, UAE 8.6%, South Africa 6.4%, India 5.7%, China 5.2%, UK
4.4%, US 4.1%, Japan 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.286 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$4.973 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:
$959 million (2003)
Currency (code):
Ugandan shilling (UGX)
Currency code:
UGX
Exchange rates:
Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,780.7 (2005), 1,810.3 (2004),
1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002), 1,755.7 (2001)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Communications Uganda
Telephones - main lines in use:
100,800 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.525 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have
been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is
essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and
Tanzania
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios:
5 million (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)
Televisions:
500,000 (2001)
Internet country code:
.ug
Internet hosts:
1,365 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
500,000 (2005)
Transportation Uganda
Airports: 31 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 5 over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 26 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 8 (2006)
Railways: total: 1,244 km narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
Roadways: total: 70,746 km paved: 16,272 km unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)
Waterways:
on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of
Albert Nile (2005)
Ports and terminals:
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell
Military Uganda
Military branches:
Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing
Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13 years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 5,012,620
females age 18-49: 4,855,858 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,889,808
females age 18-49: 2,780,135 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$192.8 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.2% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Uganda
Disputes - international:
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups,
rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces;
Ugandan refugees have fled the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) into the
southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo; LRA forces
have attacked Kenyan villages across the border
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 214,673 (Sudan) 18,902 (Rwanda)
14,982 (Democratic Republic of Congo)
IDPs: 1,330,000-2,000,000 note - ongoing Lord's Resistance Army
(LRA) rebellion, mainly in the north; LRA frequently attacks IDP
camps (2005)
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@Ukraine
Introduction Ukraine
Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan
Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and
most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and
Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991
with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the
legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass
protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the
authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow
a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a
reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal
squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH
to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime
minister in August of 2006.
Geography Ukraine
Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania,
and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east
Geographic coordinates:
49 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references:
Asia, Europe
Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 4,663 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km,
Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia
1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km
Coastline:
2,782 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m or to the depth of exploitation
Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean
coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west
and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool
along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across
the greater part of the country, hot in the south
Terrain:
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus,
mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the
Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m
Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur,
graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber,
arable land
Land use:
arable land: 53.8%
permanent crops: 1.5%
other: 44.7% (2005)
Irrigated land:
22,080 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution;
deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986
accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds
Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia;
second-largest country in Europe
People Ukraine
Population:
46,710,816 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.1% (male 3,377,868/female 3,203,738)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 15,559,998/female 16,831,486)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 2,635,651/female 5,102,075) (2006
est.)
Median age: total: 39.2 years male: 35.9 years female: 42.2 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.6% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
8.82 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
14.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.98 years
male: 64.71 years
female: 75.59 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.17 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.4% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
360,000 (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
20,000 (2003 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian
Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,
Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,
Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)
Religions:
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular
jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%,
Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%,
Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.)
Languages:
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-,
and Hungarian-speaking minorities
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2003 est.)
Government Ukraine
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Kyiv (Kiev)
geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October
Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic*
(avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular -
misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea
or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k,
Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy,
Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa,
Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn'
(Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); 22 January (1918), the day
Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the
day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united
(1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day
Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996
Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 4 August
2006); First Deputy Prime Minister - Mykola AZAROV (since 5 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the
only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are
chosen by the president
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff
presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor
YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21
November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by
the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant
violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1
January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming
the prime minister
election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of
vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%
Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; allocated
on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the
national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc in 2002 - Party of
Regions 32.1%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 22.3%, Our Ukraine 13.9%, SPU
5.7%, CPU 3.7%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 186, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 129, Our Ukraine 81, SPU 33, CPU 21
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court
Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland
Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; Lytyvn-led People's Bloc
group [Ihor SHAROV]; Our Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of
Industrialists and Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's
Movement of Ukraine (Rukh) [Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party
[Volodymyr LYTVYN]; People's Trust group [Anton KISSE]; PORA! (It's
Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party
[Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party
of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO];
Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK];
Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman];
Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; United Ukraine [Bohdan
HUBSKYY]; Vidrodzhennya (Revival) [Anton KISSE]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]
International organization participation:
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAPC, EBRD,
FAO, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO,
ITU, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM (observer), NSG, OAS
(observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, SECI (observer),
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL, UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG,
UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer), ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: (202) 333-0606
FAX: (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador William B. TAYLOR
embassy: 10 Yurii Kotsiubynsky Street, 04053 Kyiv
mailing address: 5850 Kiev Place, Washington, DC 20521-5850
telephone: (44) 490-4000
FAX: (44) 490-4085
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of azure (top) and golden yellow
represent grain fields under a blue sky
Economy Ukraine
Economy - overview: After Russia, the Ukrainian republic was far and away the most important economic component of the former Soviet Union, producing about four times the output of the next-ranking republic. Its fertile black soil generated more than one-fourth of Soviet agricultural output, and its farms provided substantial quantities of meat, milk, grain, and vegetables to other republics. Likewise, its diversified heavy industry supplied the unique equipment (for example, large diameter pipes) and raw materials to industrial and mining sites (vertical drilling apparatus) in other regions of the former USSR. Ukraine depends on imports of energy, especially natural gas, to meet some 85% of its annual energy requirements. Shortly after independence was ratified in December 1991, the Ukrainian Government liberalized most prices and erected a legal framework for privatization, but widespread resistance to reform within the government and the legislature soon stalled reform efforts and led to some backtracking. Output by 1999 had fallen to less than 40% of the 1991 level. Loose monetary policies pushed inflation to hyperinflationary levels in late 1993. Ukraine's dependence on Russia for energy supplies and the lack of significant structural reform have made the Ukrainian economy vulnerable to external shocks. A dispute with Russia over pricing led to a temporary gas cut-off; Ukraine concluded a deal with Russia in January 2006, which almost doubled the price Ukraine pays for Russian gas, and could cost the Ukrainian economy $1.4-2.2 billion and cause GDP growth to fall 3-4%. Ukrainian government officials eliminated most tax and customs privileges in a March 2005 budget law, bringing more economic activity out of Ukraine's large shadow economy, but more improvements are needed, including fighting corruption, developing capital markets, and improving the legislative framework for businesses. Reforms in the more politically sensitive areas of structural reform and land privatization are still lagging. Outside institutions - particularly the IMF - have encouraged Ukraine to quicken the pace and scope of reforms. GDP growth was 2.4% in 2005, down from 12.4% in 2004. The current account surplus reached $2.2 billion in 2005. The privatization of the Kryvoryzhstal steelworks in late 2005 produced $4.8 billion in windfall revenue for the government. Some of the proceeds were used to finance the budget deficit, some to recapitalize two state banks, some to retire public debt, and the rest may be used to finance future deficits.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$329.1 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$75.14 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
2.6% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,000 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 18.7% industry: 45.2% services: 36.1% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 22.67 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 24% industry: 32% services: 44% (1996)
Unemployment rate:
3.1% officially registered; large number of unregistered or
underemployed workers; the International Labor Organization
calculates that Ukraine's real unemployment level is around 9-10%
(2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:
29% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.4% highest 10%: 24.8% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
29 (1999)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.9% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $23.59 billion
expenditures: $22.98 billion; note - this is the consolidated budget
(January-September 2005)
Public debt:
17% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
grain, sugar beets, sunflower seeds, vegetables; beef, milk
Industries:
coal, electric power, ferrous and nonferrous metals, machinery and
transport equipment, chemicals, food processing (especially sugar)
Industrial production growth rate:
3.2% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:
181.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 48.6% hydro: 7.9% nuclear: 43.5% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
176 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:
1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
255 million kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
85,660 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - consumption:
491,700 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - exports:
8,891 bbl/day NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:
444,600 bbl/day NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:
395 million bbl (9 November 2004)
Natural gas - production:
20.3 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - consumption:
75.8 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - exports:
3.9 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - imports:
59.8 billion cu m (2004)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.121 trillion cu m (9 November 2004)
Current account balance:
$2.531 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$38.22 billion (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
ferrous and nonferrous metals, fuel and petroleum products,
chemicals, machinery and transport equipment, food products
Exports - partners:
Russia 22.1%, Turkey 6%, Italy 5.6% (2005)
Imports:
$37.18 billion (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
energy, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Russia 35.5%, Germany 9.4%, Turkmenistan 7.4%, China 5% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$19.39 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$23.93 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $637.7 million (1995); IMF Extended Funds Facility $2.2 billion (1998)
Currency (code):
hryvnia (UAH)
Currency code:
UAH
Exchange rates:
hryvnia per US dollar - 5.1247 (2005), 5.3192 (2004), 5.3327
(2003), 5.3266 (2002), 5.3722 (2001)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications Ukraine
Telephones - main lines in use:
12.142 million (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
17.214 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: Ukraine's telecommunication development plan,
running through 2005, emphasizes improving domestic trunk lines,
international connections, and the mobile cellular system
domestic: at independence in December 1991, Ukraine inherited a
telephone system that was antiquated, inefficient, and in disrepair;
more than 3.5 million applications for telephones could not be
satisfied; telephone density is rising slowly and the domestic trunk
system is being improved; the mobile cellular telephone system is
expanding at a high rate
international: country code - 380; two new domestic trunk lines are
a part of the fiber-optic Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) system and three
Ukrainian links have been installed in the fiber-optic
Trans-European Lines (TEL) project that connects 18 countries;
additional international service is provided by the
Italy-Turkey-Ukraine-Russia (ITUR) fiber-optic submarine cable and
by earth stations in the Intelsat, Inmarsat, and Intersputnik
satellite systems
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 134, FM 289, shortwave 4 (1998)
Radios:
45.05 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations: at least 33 (plus 21 repeaters that relay broadcasts from Russia) (1997)
Televisions:
18.05 million (1997)
Internet country code:
.ua
Internet hosts:
229,110 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
260 (2001)
Internet users:
5,278,100 (2005)
Transportation Ukraine
Airports: 499 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 193 over 3,047 m: 13 2,438 to 3,047 m: 55 1,524 to 2,437 m: 27 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 93 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 306 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 18 under 914 m: 274 (2006)
Heliports:
10 (2006)
Pipelines:
gas 19,951 km; oil 4,514 km; refined products 4,211 km (2006)
Railways:
total: 22,473 km
broad gauge: 22,473 km 1.524-m gauge (9,250 km electrified) (2005)
Roadways:
total: 169,447 km
paved: 164,772 km (including 15 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,675 km (2004)
Waterways:
2,253 km (most on Dnieper River) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 202 ships (1000 GRT or over) 782,456 GRT/911,201 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 151, container 4, passenger 6,
passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 9, refrigerated cargo 11, roll
on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (Russia 1)
registered in other countries: 160 (Belize 7, Cambodia 17, Comoros
14, Cyprus 4, Dominica 2, Georgia 22, Liberia 16, Malta 24, Moldova
3, Mongolia 1, Panama 8, Russia 11, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 12, Sierra Leone 4, Slovakia 8, unknown
4) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Feodosiya, Kerch, Kherson, Mariupol', Mykolayiv, Odesa, Reni,
Yuzhnyy
Military Ukraine
Military branches:
Ground Forces, Naval Forces, Air Forces (Viyskovo-Povitryani Syly),
Air Defense Forces (2002)
Military service age and obligation: 18-25 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military service; conscript service obligation - 18 months for Army and Air Force, 24 months for Navy (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 11,020,222
females age 18-49: 11,370,687 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,376,050
females age 18-49: 9,313,385 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 382,751
females age 18-49: 365,599 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$617.9 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY02)
Transnational Issues Ukraine
Disputes - international:
1997 boundary treaty with Belarus remains un-ratified due to
unresolved financial claims, stalling demarcation and reducing
border security; delimitation of land boundary with Russia is
complete and parties have renewed discussions on demarcation; the
dispute over the maritime boundary between Russia and Ukraine
through the Kerch Strait and Sea of Azov remains unresolved despite
a December 2003 framework agreement and ongoing expert-level
discussions; Moldova and Ukraine have established joint customs
posts to monitor transit through Moldova's break-away Transnistria
Region, which remains under OSCE supervision; in 2004 Ukraine and
Romania took their dispute over Ukrainian-administered Zmiyinyy
(Snake) Island and Black Sea maritime boundary to the ICJ for
adjudication; Romania opposes Ukraine's reopening of a navigation
canal from the Danube border through Ukraine to the Black Sea
Illicit drugs:
limited cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS
consumption; some synthetic drug production for export to the West;
limited government eradication program; used as transshipment point
for opiates and other illicit drugs from Africa, Latin America, and
Turkey to Europe and Russia; Ukraine has improved
anti-money-laundering controls, resulting in its removal from the
Financial Action Task Force's (FATF's) Noncooperative Countries and
Territories List in February 2004; Ukraine's anti-money-laundering
regime continues to be monitored by FATF
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
@United Arab Emirates
Introduction United Arab Emirates
Background:
The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control
of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In
1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash
Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United
Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah.
The UAE's per capita GDP is on par with those of leading West
European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate
foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in
the affairs of the region.
Geography United Arab Emirates
Location:
Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf,
between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Geographic coordinates:
24 00 N, 54 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 82,880 sq km
land: 82,880 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maine
Land boundaries: total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Coastline: 1,318 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Terrain:
flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast
desert wasteland; mountains in east
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m
highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas
Land use: arable land: 0.77% permanent crops: 2.27% other: 96.96% (2005)
Irrigated land:
760 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
frequent sand and dust storms
Environment - current issues: lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Geography - note:
strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a
vital transit point for world crude oil
People United Arab Emirates
Population:
2,602,713 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.9% (male 331,012/female 317,643)
15-64 years: 71.2% (male 1,125,286/female 726,689)
65 years and over: 3.9% (male 74,700/female 27,383)
note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national
(2006 est.)
Median age: total: 28.1 years male: 34.8 years female: 23.3 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.52% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:
18.96 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:
4.4 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:
0.66 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.55 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 2.73 male(s)/female
total population: 1.43 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.09 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 16.57 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.44 years
male: 72.92 years
female: 78.08 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.88 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
0.18% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Emirati(s)
adjective: Emirati
Ethnic groups:
Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other
expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982)
note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Religions:
Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
Languages:
Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 77.9%
male: 76.1%
female: 81.7% (2003 est.)
Government United Arab Emirates
Country name:
conventional long form: United Arab Emirates
conventional short form: none
local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah
local short form: none
former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States
abbreviation: UAE
Government type:
federation with specified powers delegated to the UAE federal
government and other powers reserved to member emirates
Capital:
name: Abu Dhabi
geographic coordinates: 24 28 N, 54 22 E
time difference: UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi),
'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al
Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn (Quwayn)
Independence:
2 December 1971 (from UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Constitution:
2 December 1971; made permanent in 1996
Legal system:
federal court system introduced in 1971; applies to all emirates
except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah, which are not fully
integrated into the federal judicial system; all emirates have
secular courts to adjudicate criminal, civil, and commercial matters
and Islamic courts to review family and religious disputes
Suffrage:
none
Executive branch:
chief of state: President KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 3
November 2004), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 4 November
2004); Vice President and Prime Minister MUHAMMAD bin Rashid
al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006)
head of government: Prime Minister and Vice President MUHAMMAD bin
Rashid al-Maktum (since 5 January 2006); Deputy Prime Ministers
SULTAN bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) and HAMDAN bin
Zayid al-Nuhayyan (since 20 October 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the
seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional
authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions
federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi)
and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power
elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC for
five-year terms (no term limits); election last held 3 November 2004
upon the death of the UAE's Founding Father and first President
ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (next to be held 2009); prime minister
and deputy prime minister appointed by the president
election results: KHALIFA bin Zayid al-Nuhayyan elected president by
a unanimous vote of the FSC; MUHAMMAD bin Rashid al-Maktum
unanimously reaffirmed vice president
Legislative branch:
unicameral Federal National Council (FNC) or Majlis al-Ittihad
al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the
constituent states to serve two-year terms)
elections: President KHALIFA in December 2005 announced that
indirect elections would be held in early 2006 for half of the seats
in the FNC; the other half would be filled by appointment
note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Judicial branch:
Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
none
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW,
OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Saqr Ghobash Said GHOBASH
chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Suite 400, Washington, DC
20008
telephone: (202) 243-2400
FAX: (202) 243-2432
consulate(s): New York, Houston
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michele J. SISON
embassy: Embassies District, Plot 38 Sector W59-02, Street No. 4,
Abu Dhabi
mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi
telephone: (2) 414-2200
FAX: (2) 414-2603
consulate(s) general: Dubai
Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with
a wider vertical red band on the hoist side
Economy United Arab Emirates
Economy - overview:
The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a
sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas
output (about 30% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate
with the prices of those commodities. Since the discovery of oil in
the UAE more than 30 years ago, the UAE has undergone a profound
transformation from an impoverished region of small desert
principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At
present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for
more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job
creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its
utilities to greater private sector involvement. Higher oil revenue,
strong liquidity, and cheap credit in 2005 led to a surge in asset
prices (shares and real estate) and consumer inflation. Any sharp
correction to the UAE's equity markets could damage investor and
consumer sentiment and affect bank asset quality. In April 2004, the
UAE signed a Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) with
Washington and in November 2004 agreed to undertake negotiations
toward a Free Trade Agreement (FTA) with the US.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$115.8 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$98.1 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
8.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$45,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 4% industry: 58.5% services: 37.5% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 2.8 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 7% industry: 15% services: 78% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
2.4% (2001)
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.5% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
20.7% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $34.93 billion
expenditures: $29.41 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.4
billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:
17.5% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:
dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Industries:
petroleum and petrochemicals; fishing, aluminum, cement,
fertilizers, commercial ship repair, construction materials, some
boat building, handicrafts, textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
4% (2000)
Electricity - production:
45.12 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:
38.32 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:
2.396 million bbl/day (2005 est.)
Oil - consumption:
310,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - exports:
2.5 million bbl/day (2004 est.)
Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2004)
Oil - proved reserves:
97.8 billion bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:
44.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
37.88 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
7.19 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
6.006 trillion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:
$18.54 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:
$103.1 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:
crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners:
Japan 24.6%, South Korea 9.8%, Thailand 5.6%, India 4.3% (2005)
Imports:
$60.15 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners:
UK 10%, China 9.7%, US 9.4%, India 9.2%, Germany 5.9%, Japan 5.4%,
France 4.7%, Singapore 4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$23.53 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:
$34.47 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - donor:
since its founding in 1971, the Abu Dhabi Fund for Development has
given about $5.2 billion in aid to 56 countries (2004)
Currency (code):
Emirati dirham (AED)
Currency code:
AED
Exchange rates:
Emirati dirhams per US dollar - 3.6725 (2005), 3.6725 (2004),
3.6725 (2003), 3.6725 (2002), 3.6725 (2001)
note: officially pegged to the US dollar since February 2002
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Communications United Arab Emirates
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.237 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
4.535 million (2005)
Telephone system:
general assessment: modern fiber-optic integrated services; digital
network with rapidly growing use of mobile cellular telephones; key
centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai
domestic: microwave radio relay, fiber optic and coaxial cable
international: country code - 971; satellite earth stations - 3
Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat;
submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan;
tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi
Arabia
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 13, FM 8, shortwave 2 (2004)
Radios:
820,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
15 (2004)
Televisions:
310,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.ae
Internet hosts:
337,092 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1,397,200 (2005)
Transportation United Arab Emirates
Airports: 37 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 10
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 4
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 4 (2006)
Heliports:
4 (2006)
Pipelines:
condensate 520 km; gas 2,580 km; liquid petroleum gas 300 km; oil
2,950 km; oil/gas/water 5 km; refined products 156 km (2006)
Roadways:
total: 1,088 km
paved: 1,088 km (including 253 km of expressways) (1999)
Merchant marine:
total: 58 ships (1000 GRT or over) 656,003 GRT/891,837 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 6, cargo 7, chemical tanker 5, container 6,
liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 20, roll
on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 10 (Greece 2, Kuwait 8)
registered in other countries: 259 (Bahamas 16, Barbados 1, Belize
5, Cambodia 1, Comoros 6, Cyprus 11, Dominica 2, Georgia 1, Hong
Kong 2, India 6, Iran 1, Jordan 11, Kiribati 1, North Korea 6,
Liberia 18, Malta 5, Marshall Islands 3, Mexico 1, Mongolia 5,
Norway 1, Panama 105, Philippines 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis 19, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 11, Saudi Arabia 1, Sierra Leone 3,
Singapore 7, Somalia 1, Sri Lanka 2, Syria 1, unknown 5) (2006)
Ports and terminals:
Al Fujayrah, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Rashid, Mina'
Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Sharjan
Military United Arab Emirates
Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marines and Coast Guard), Air and Air Defense
Force, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2001)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 653,181
females age 18-49: 497,394 (includes non-nationals; 2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 526,671
females age 18-49: 419,975 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 30,706
females age 18-49: 29,617 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.6 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.1% (FY00)
Transnational Issues United Arab Emirates
Disputes - international:
the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text
rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a
treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement
was not formally ratified; boundary agreement was signed and
ratified with Oman in 2003 for entire border, including Oman's
Musandam Peninsula and Al Madhah enclaves, but contents of the
agreement and maps showing the alignment have not been published;
Iran and UAE dispute Tunb Islands and Abu Musa Island, which Iran
occupies