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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 - Tokelauans are drafting a constitution and developing institutions and patterns of self-government as Tokelau moves toward free association with New Zealand
Government type: NA
Capital: none; each atoll has its own administrative center
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, as 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); the UK and New Zealand are represented by Administrator Neil WALTER (since NA 2002) 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 head of government: Aliki Faipule Kuresa NASAU (since 2004) note - position rotates annually among members of the cabinet cabinet: the Council of Faipule, consisting of three elected leaders - one from each atoll - functions as a cabinet
Legislative branch: unicameral General Fono (48 seats; 15 members from each of the three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms and the 3 island village mayors [pulenuku]); note - the Tokelau Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the General Fono
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: 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 - real growth rate: NA
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $1,000 (1993 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA
Population below poverty line: NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA
Labor force: NA
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues: $430,800 expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of $37,300 (1987 est.)
Agriculture - products: coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas, bananas; pigs, poultry, goats
Industries: small-scale enterprises for copra production, woodworking, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing
Industrial production growth rate: NA
Electricity - production: NA kWh
Electricity - consumption: NA kWh
Exports: $98,000 f.o.b. (1983)
Exports - commodities: stamps, copra, handicrafts
Exports - partners: New Zealand (2000)
Imports: $323,000 c.i.f. (1983)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, building materials, fuel
Imports - partners: New Zealand (2000)
Debt - external: $0
Economic aid - recipient: from New Zealand about $4 million annually
Currency: New Zealand dollar (NZD)
Currency code: NZD
Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.154 (2002), 2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
Communications Tokelau
Telephones - main lines in use: 300 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 0 (2001)
Telephone system: general assessment: adequate domestic: radiotelephone service between islands international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa; government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite earth stations, established in 1997
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA note: each atoll has a radio broadcast station of unknown type that broadcasts shipping and weather reports (1998)
Radios: 1,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .tk
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation Tokelau
Highways: total: NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Merchant marine: none
Airports: none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2003 est.)
Military Tokelau
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand
Transnational Issues Tokelau
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Tonga
Introduction Tonga
Background: The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in 1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of Nations. It 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 water: 30 sq km land: 718 sq km
Area - comparative: four times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 419 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
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: 23.61% permanent crops: 43.06% other: 33.33% (2001)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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: 110,237 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 37.1% (male 20,873; female 20,050) 15-64 years: 58.7% (male 32,018; female 32,707) 65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,005; female 2,584) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 20.1 years male: 19.7 years female: 20.7 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.94% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 24.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 5.45 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.2 years male: 66.74 years female: 71.79 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3 children born/woman (2004 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 about 300
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: 98.5% male: 98.4% female: 98.7% (1996 est.)
Government Tonga
Country name: conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga conventional short form: Tonga former: Friendly Islands
Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy
Capital: Nuku'alofa
Administrative divisions: 3 island groups; Ha'apai, Tongatapu, Vava'u
Independence: 4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)
National holiday: Independence 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 Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965) 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 for life by the monarch cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA (since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister James C. COCKER (since NA January 2001)
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea (30 seats - 12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005) election results: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7, traditionalist 2
Judicial branch: Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the Supreme Court)
Political parties and leaders: there are no political parties
Political pressure groups and leaders: Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote VEA, chair]
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, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 consulate(s) general: San Francisco FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024
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. Tourism is the second-largest source of hard currency earnings following remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade deficit. 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 and the continuing upturn in inflation are major issues facing the government.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3% (2001 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 26% industry: 12% services: 62% (2002 est.)
Population below poverty line: NA
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 10.3% (2002 est.)
Labor force: 33,910 (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 65% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 13.3% (1996 est.)
Budget: revenues: $39.9 million expenditures: $52.4 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: 8.6% (FY98/99)
Electricity - production: 27.27 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 25.36 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Exports: $27 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Exports - commodities: squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Exports - partners: US 50%, Japan 35.7%, Italy 3.6% (2003)
Imports: $86 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)
Imports - commodities: foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners: New Zealand 43.4%, Fiji 22.2%, Australia 11.1%, US 6.1% (2003)
Debt - external: $63.4 million (2001)
Economic aid - recipient: Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)
Currency: pa'anga (TOP)
Currency code: TOP
Exchange rates: pa'anga per US dollar - NA (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001), 1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999)
Fiscal year: 1 July - 30 June
Communications Tonga
Telephones - main lines in use: 11,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 3,400 (2002)
Telephone system: general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996)
Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001)
Radios: 61,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations: 2 (2001)
Televisions: 2,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .to
Internet hosts: 18,906 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 2 (2000)
Internet users: 2,900 (2002)
Transportation Tonga
Highways: total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.)
Ports and harbors: Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai
Merchant marine: total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 136,977 GRT/200,751 DWT foreign-owned: Albania 1, Australia 4, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1, Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 1, Panama 2, Romania 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Switzerland 3, Syria 1, United (2004 est.) by type: bulk 3, cargo 21, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied gas 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1
Airports: 6 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Tonga
Military branches: Tonga Defense Services: Ground Forces (Royal Marines, Royal Guard), Maritime Force (including Air Wing)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age (est.) (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: NA
Transnational Issues Tonga
Disputes - international: none
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Trinidad and Tobago
Introduction Trinidad and Tobago
Background: The islands came under British control in the 19th century; independence was granted 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 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental margin contiguous zone: 24 nm territorial sea: 12 nm
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% (2001)
Irrigated land: 30 sq km (1998 est.)
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: 1,096,585 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 21.4% (male 120,153; female 114,205) 15-64 years: 70.6% (male 403,202; female 370,498) 65 years and over: 8.1% (male 39,762; female 48,765) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 30.4 years male: 30 years female: 30.9 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: -0.71% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 12.75 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: -10.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 24.64 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 26.58 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 69.28 years male: 66.86 years female: 71.82 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.77 children born/woman (2004 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: East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, black 39.5%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and other 1.2%
Religions: Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%, Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%
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: Port-of-Spain
Administrative divisions: 9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, and 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; : ward: Tobago : borough corporations: Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas
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) elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year 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% cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001)
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) note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16
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; 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: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130 consulate(s) general: Miami and 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: [1] (868) 622-6372 through 6376, 622-6176 FAX: [1] (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 2004 are good as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and liquified 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 - $10.52 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 3.7% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,500 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 2.6% industry: 49% services: 48.4% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 14.8% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: 21% (1992 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 3.8% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 590,000 (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%, construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)
Unemployment rate: 10.4% (2003)
Budget: revenues: $2.663 billion expenditures: $2.51 billion, including capital expenditures of $117.3 million (2003)
Public debt: 55.9% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Industries: petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
Industrial production growth rate: 5.7% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: 5.315 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 4.943 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 136,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 990 million bbl (1 January 2004)
Natural gas - production: 25 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 13.76 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: 589 billion cu m (1 January 2004)
Current account balance: $954 million (2003)
Exports: $4.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products, fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers
Exports - partners: US 63.5%, Jamaica 5.6%, France 3.2% (2003)
Imports: $3.917 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals
Imports - partners: US 31.7%, Venezuela 13.6%, Brazil 7.3%, Germany 6.6%, UK 5.1%, Japan 4.3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: $2.477 billion (2003)
Debt - external: $2.608 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $24 million (1999 est.)
Currency: Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)
Currency code: TTD
Exchange rates: Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2929 (2003), 6.2487 (2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2998 (2000), 6.2989 (1999)
Fiscal year: 1 October - 30 September
Communications Trinidad and Tobago
Telephones - main lines in use: 325,100 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 361,900 (2002)
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: 4 (2004)
Televisions: 425,000 (1997)
Internet country code: .tt
Internet hosts: 8,003 (2003)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 17 (2000)
Internet users: 138,000 (2002)
Transportation Trinidad and Tobago
Highways: total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (1999 est.)
Pipelines: condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain, Scarborough, Tembladora
Merchant marine: total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,178 GRT/3,633 DWT registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.) foreign-owned: United States 1 by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 1, short-sea/passenger 1
Airports: 6 (2003 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Trinidad and Tobago
Military branches: Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard, and Air Wing
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2001)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 326,447 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 232,234 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $66.7 million (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 0.6% (2003)
Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago
Disputes - international: Barbados will assert its claim before 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 10 February, 2005
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@Tromelin Island
Introduction Tromelin Island
Background: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station.
Geography Tromelin Island
Location: Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar
Geographic coordinates: 15 52 S, 54 25 E
Map references: Africa
Area: total: 1 sq km water: 0 sq km land: 1 sq km
Area - comparative: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 3.7 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
Terrain: low, flat, and sandy; likely volcanic
Elevation extremes: lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 7 m
Natural resources: fish
Land use: arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (grasses; scattered bushes) (2001)
Irrigated land: 0 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: NA
Environment - current issues: NA
Geography - note: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)
People Tromelin Island
Population: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists (July 2004 est.)
Government Tromelin Island
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Tromelin Island local short form: Ile Tromelin local long form: none
Dependency status: possession of France; administered by a high commissioner of the Republic, resident in Reunion
Legal system: the laws of France, where applicable, apply
Flag description: the flag of France is used
Economy Tromelin Island
Economy - overview: no economic activity
Communications Tromelin Island
Communications - note: important meteorological station
Transportation Tromelin Island
Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only
Airports: 1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Military Tromelin Island
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of France
Transnational Issues Tromelin Island
Disputes - international: claimed by Mauritius
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@Tunisia
Introduction Tunisia
Background: Following independence from France in 1956, 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. In recent years, Tunisia has 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 water: 8,250 sq km land: 155,360 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: 17.86% permanent crops: 13.74% other: 68.4% (2001)
Irrigated land: 3,800 sq km (1998 est.)
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: 9,974,722 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26% (male 1,337,546; female 1,253,814) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 3,373,199; female 3,360,402) 65 years and over: 6.5% (male 315,151; female 334,610) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 26.8 years male: 26.3 years female: 27.3 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.01% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 15.74 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 5.05 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Sex ratio: at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.94 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 25.76 deaths/1,000 live births female: 22.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 28.7 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.66 years male: 73 years female: 76.44 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.79 children born/woman (2004 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.)
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: 74.2% male: 84% female: 64.4% (2003 est.)
Government Tunisia
Country name: conventional long form: Tunisian Republic conventional short form: Tunisia local short form: Tunis local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
Government type: republic
Capital: Tunis
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 12 July 1988
Legal system: based on French civil law system and Islamic 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; 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: unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2
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 [Abderrahmane TLILI]
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, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d' Affaires Tarek Azouz FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador William J. HUDSON embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2045 La Goulette, Tunisia mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 962-115
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. Real growth, averaging 5% for the latter half of the last decade, slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9% in 2002 because of agricultural drought, slow investment, and lackluster tourism. Better rains in 2003, however, pushed GDP growth up to an estimated 6 percent, and tourism also recovered after the end of combat operations in Iraq. GDP growth remained at 6% in 2004. Tunisia has agreed to gradually remove barriers to trade with the European Union over the next decade. 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 for the future.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $68.23 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,900 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 13.9% industry: 32.2% services: 53.9% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 24.2% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: 7.6% (2001 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 41.7 (1995)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.7% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 3.461 million note: shortage of skilled labor (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate: 14.3% (2003 est.)
Budget: revenues: $6.101 billion expenditures: $6.855 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6 billion (2003 est.)
Public debt: 59.5% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit, beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds
Industries: petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
Industrial production growth rate: -0.1% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: 10.48 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 9.748 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 1 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 72,580 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 87,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 417 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: 2.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 3.83 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 1.58 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 77.16 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $-738.6 million (2003)
Exports: $8.035 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural products, hydrocarbons
Exports - partners: France 32.6%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 10.7%, Spain 4.7%, Libya 4.4% (2003)
Imports: $10.3 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food
Imports - partners: France 26.1%, Italy 19.8%, Germany 8.9%, Spain 5.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: $2.949 billion (2003)
Debt - external: $14.39 billion (2003 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $378 million (2001)
Currency: Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code: TND
Exchange rates: Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2885 (2003), 1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001), 1.3707 (2000), 1.1862 (1999)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Tunisia
Telephones - main lines in use: 1,163,800 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 1,899,900 (2003)
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: 281 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1 (2000)
Internet users: 630,000 (2003)
Transportation Tunisia
Railways: total: 2,152 km standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2003) narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
Highways: total: 18,997 km paved: 12,310 km (including 142 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,687 km (2000)
Pipelines: gas 3,059 km; oil 1,203 km; refined products 345 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Sfax, Sousse, Tunis, Zarzis
Merchant marine: total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 124,733 GRT/122,664 DWT registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.) by type: bulk 2, cargo 1, chemical tanker 4, liquefied gas 1, short-sea/passenger 3
Airports: 30 (2003 est.)
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 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)
Military Tunisia
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force
Military manpower - military 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)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 2,918,524 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,655,910 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 106,565 (2004 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 10 February, 2005
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@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, but 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 water: 9,820 sq km land: 770,760 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: 30.93% permanent crops: 3.31% other: 65.76% (2001)
Irrigated land: 42,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Natural hazards: very 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, 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: 68,893,918 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 26.6% (male 9,328,108; female 8,990,742) 15-64 years: 66.8% (male 23,394,465; female 22,650,532) 65 years and over: 6.6% (male 2,078,881; female 2,451,190) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 27.3 years male: 27.1 years female: 27.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.13% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 17.22 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 5.95 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 42.62 deaths/1,000 live births female: 38.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 46.3 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 72.08 years male: 69.68 years female: 74.61 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.98 children born/woman (2004 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, Arabic, Armenian, Greek
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: Ankara
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, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, 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; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations; 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) election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60% elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held NA May 2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March 2003) 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 NA 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%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; 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 2004 - AKP 368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5, vacant 1
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: Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP [Emin SIRIN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [leader NA]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican People's Party or CHP (includes the New Turkey Party) [Deniz BAYKAL]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party) or SP [Necmettin ERBEKAN]; 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 Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; 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 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, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Eric S. EDELMAN embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823 telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555 FAX: [90] (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 in 2001 still accounted for 40% 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 electonics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. In recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic economic growth and serious imbalances. 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. Meanwhile, the public sector fiscal deficit has regularly exceeded 10% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest payments, which accounted for more than 40% of central government spending in 2003. Inflation, in recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 11.3% in 2004. Perhaps because of these problems, foreign direct investment in Turkey remains low - less than $1 billion annually. Results in 2002-04 improved, because of strong financial support from the IMF and tighter fiscal policy. A major political and economic issue over the next decade is whether or not Turkey will become a member of the EU.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $458.2 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 5.8% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $6,700 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 11.7% industry: 29.8% services: 58.5% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 15.5% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: 18% (2001)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 32.3% (1994)
Distribution of family income - Gini index: 44 (2002)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25.3% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 23.79 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 39.7%, industry 22.4%, services 37.9% (3rd quarter, 2001)
Unemployment rate: 10.5% (plus underemployment of 6.1%) (2003 est.)
Budget: revenues: $66.79 billion expenditures: $93.31 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003)
Public debt: 78.7% of GDP (2003)
Agriculture - products: tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus; livestock
Industries: textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Industrial production growth rate: 8.5% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: 116.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 112.6 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 433 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 4.579 billion kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 48,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 619,500 bbl/day (2001 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: 312 million cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 15.94 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 15.75 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 8.685 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $-6.806 billion (2003)
Exports: $49.12 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners: Germany 15.8%, US 8%, UK 7.8%, Italy 6.8%, France 6% (2003)
Imports: $62.43 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports - partners: Germany 13.6%, Italy 7.9%, Russia 7.8%, France 6%, UK 5%, US 5%, Switzerland 4.3% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: $35.55 billion (2003)
Debt - external: $147.3 billion (2003)
Economic aid - recipient: ODA, $300 million (2000)
Currency: Turkish lira (TRL)
Currency code: TRL
Exchange rates: Turkish liras per US dollar - NA (2003), 1,507,230 (2002), 1,225,590 (2001), 625,218 (2000), 418,783 (1999), 151,865 (1997)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Turkey
Telephones - main lines in use: 18,916,700 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular: 27,887,500 (2003)
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: 355,215 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 50 (2001)
Internet users: 5.5 million (2003)
Transportation Turkey
Railways: total: 8,671 km standard gauge: 8,671 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2003)
Highways: total: 385,960 km paved: 131,226 km (including 1,749 km of expressways) unpaved: 254,734 km (1999)
Waterways: 1,200 km (2003)
Pipelines: gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Icel (Mersin), Samsun, Trabzon
Merchant marine: total: 508 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,666,895 GRT/7,311,504 DWT by type: bulk 111, cargo 229, chemical tanker 46, combination bulk 1, combination ore/oil 2, container 34, liquefied gas 6, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 36, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 26, short-sea/passenger 8, specialized tanker 3 foreign-owned: Belize 1, Cambodia 1, China 1, Cyprus 4, Greece 1, Italy 3, Liberia 1, Monaco 1, Switzerland 1, Thailand 1, United Kingdom 9 registered in other countries: 243 (2004 est.)
Airports: 120 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 87 over 3,047 m: 16 2,438 to 3,047 m: 30 914 to 1,523 m: 17 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 32 under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.) over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
Heliports: 14 (2003 est.)
Military Turkey
Military branches: Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces Command (includes Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard Command, Gendarmerie (Jandarma)
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 20 years of age (2004 est.)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 19,828,702 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 11,965,262 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 680,673 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $12.155 billion (2003)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 5.3% (2003)
Transnational Issues Turkey
Disputes - international: complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; Cyprus question remains with Greece; 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 1984-1999 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2004)
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 as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@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 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 water: negl. land: 488,100 sq km
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)
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) highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use: arable land: 3.72% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 96.14% (2001)
Irrigated land: 17,500 sq km (2003 est.)
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: 4,863,169 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 36.2% (male 904,627; female 857,601) 15-64 years: 59.7% (male 1,423,836; female 1,477,224) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 76,670; female 123,211) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 21.3 years male: 20.4 years female: 22.2 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.81% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 27.82 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 8.82 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: -0.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 73.13 deaths/1,000 live births female: 69.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 61.29 years male: 57.87 years female: 64.88 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.45 children born/woman (2004 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% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.)
Government Turkmenistan
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic local short form: Turkmenistan
Government type: republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Capital: Ashgabat
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); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held in 2008 when NIYAZOV turns 70 and is constitutionally ineligible to run); 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% note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)
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 which are elected by popular vote and some of which 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) 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 elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
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 Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar 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; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow; the Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of opposition-in-exile groups, is based in Europe
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, 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 Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey A. JACOBSON embassy: 9 Pushkin (1984) Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070 telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45 FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14
Flag description: green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe
Economy Turkmenistan
Economy - overview: Turkmenistan is 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, making it at one time the world's tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to a nearly 46% 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 1998-2003, 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 38% in 2003, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the 20% rate of GDP growth is a guess.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $27.88 billion (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 23.1% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2003 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 24.8% industry: 46.2% services: 28.9% (2003 est.)
Investment (gross fixed): 19.5% of GDP (2003)
Population below poverty line: 34.4% (2001 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): 9.5% (2003 est.)
Labor force: 2.34 million (1996)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 est.)
Unemployment rate: NA
Budget: revenues: $3.477 billion expenditures: $3.908 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products: cotton, grain; livestock
Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate: 14% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production: 10.18 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 8.509 billion kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 980 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 20 million kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 162,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 63,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Oil - proved reserves: 273 million bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production: 48.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - consumption: 9.6 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - exports: 38.6 billion cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - imports: 0 cu m (2001 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves: 1.43 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance: $957 million (2003)
Exports: $3.355 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Exports - commodities: gas 57%, oil 26%, cotton fiber 3%, textiles 2% (2001)
Exports - partners: Ukraine 39.2%, Italy 18.1%, Iran 14.7%, Turkey 6.5% (2003)
Imports: $2.472 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)
Imports - commodities: machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999)
Imports - partners: Russia 21.5%, Ukraine 15.3%, Turkey 9.4%, UAE 7.6%, Germany 4.2%, China 4.2% (2003)
Reserves of foreign exchange & gold: $2.696 billion (2003)
Debt - external: $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $16 million from the US (2001)
Currency: Turkmen manat (TMM)
Currency code: TMM
Exchange rates: Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (2003), 5,200 (2002), 5,200 (2001), 5,200 (2000), 5,200 (1999);note - the official exchange rate has not varied for the last six years; the unofficial rate has fluctuated slightly, hovering around 21,000 manats to the dollar
Fiscal year: calendar year
Communications Turkmenistan
Telephones - main lines in use: 374,000 (2002)
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: 524 (2004)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs): 1
Internet users: 8,000 (2002)
Transportation Turkmenistan
Railways: total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2003)
Highways: total: 24,000 km paved: 19,488 km unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)
Waterways: 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2003)
Pipelines: gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004)
Ports and harbors: Turkmenbasy
Merchant marine: total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT by type: combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 1 registered in other countries: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports: 69 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 24 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 45 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 36 (2003 est.) 914 to 1,523 m: 7
Heliports: 1 (2003 est.)
Military Turkmenistan
Military branches: Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard
Military manpower - military age and obligation: 18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)
Military manpower - availability: males age 15-49: 1,272,436 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service: males age 15-49: 1,031,806 (2004 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually: males: 55,866 (2004 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure: $90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 3.4% (FY99)
Transnational Issues Turkmenistan
Disputes - international: prolonged regional drought created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan reached an agreement on improving water usage along the Amu Darya in 2004; delimitation of Caspian seabed remains unresolved
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 10 February, 2005
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@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 water: 0 sq km land: 430 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% (2001)
Irrigated land: NA sq km
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: 19,956 (July 2004 est.)
Age structure: 0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184) 15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.)
Median age: total: 27.2 years male: 27.9 years female: 26.5 years (2004 est.)
Population growth rate: 3.03% (2004 est.)
Birth rate: 22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Death rate: 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Net migration rate: 11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Infant mortality rate: total: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births
Life expectancy at birth: total population: 74.25 years male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.11 children born/woman (2004 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%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)
Languages: English (official)
Literacy: definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school female: 98% (1970 est.) male: 99% total population: 98%
People - note: destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US
Government Turks and Caicos Islands
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands
Dependency status: overseas territory of the UK
Government type: NA
Capital: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
Administrative divisions: none (overseas territory of the UK)
Independence: none (overseas territory of the UK)
National holiday: Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
Constitution: introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988
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 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council
Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 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
Political parties and leaders: People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN]
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 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate: 4.9% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA (2001 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)
Labor force: 4,848 (1990 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
Unemployment rate: 10% (1997 est.)
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 (2001)
Electricity - consumption: 4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports: 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports: 0 kWh (2001)
Oil - production: 0 bbl/day NA (2001 est.)
Oil - consumption: 0 bbl/day NA bbl/day (2001 est.)
Oil - exports: NA (2001)
Oil - imports: NA (2001)
Exports: $169.2 million (2000)
Exports - commodities: lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Exports - partners: US, UK
Imports: $175.6 million (2000)
Imports - commodities: food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
Imports - partners: US, UK
Debt - external: NA (2002 est.)
Economic aid - recipient: $4.1 million (1997)
Currency: 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: fair cable and radiotelephone services domestic: NA 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 Service Providers (ISPs): 14 (2000)
Internet users: NA
Transportation Turks and Caicos Islands
Highways: total: 121 km paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000)
Ports and harbors: Grand Turk, Providenciales
Merchant marine: none
Airports: 8 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)
Military Turks and Caicos Islands
Military - note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues Turks and Caicos Islands
Disputes - international: have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe
This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005
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@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 the next dozen years. |
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