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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, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, 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:
119,009 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 33.7% (male 20,484/female 19,633) 15-64 years: 62% (male 36,699/female 37,108) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 2,135/female 2,950) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.8 years male: 21.3 years female: 22.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.669% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
21.81 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
NA (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 11.88 deaths/1,000 live births male: 13.07 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.44 years male: 67.9 years female: 73.1 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.5 children born/woman (2008 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.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 13 years male: 13 years female: 13 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
5% of GDP (2004)
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 common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
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 consists of 14 members, 10 appointed by the monarch for life; four appointed from among the elected members of the Legislative Assembly, including two 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: 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, nine for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by popular vote; members serve three-year terms) elections: last held on 23-24 April 2008 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Peoples Representatives: percent of vote - independents 54%, THRDM 28%, PDP 14%; seats - THRDM 4, independents 3, PDP 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:
Tonga Human Rights and Democracy Movement or THRDM [Uliti UATA]; People's Democratic Party or PDP [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, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, ITUC, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Fekitamoeloa 'UTOIKAMANU chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022 telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025 FAX: [1] (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 has a small, open, South Pacific island economy. It has a narrow export base in agricultural goods. Squash, vanilla beans, and yams are the main crops, and agricultural exports, including fish, 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):
$526 million (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$219 million (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
-3.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,100 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25% industry: 17% services: 57% (FY05/06 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% (FY03/04)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $80.48 million expenditures: $109.8 million (FY07/08)
Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.9% (2007 est.)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$46.38 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$106.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$163.1 million (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish
Industries:
tourism, construction, fishing
Industrial production growth rate:
1% (2003 est.)
Electricity - production:
43 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
39.99 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
870 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports:
1,035 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2007 est.)
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2007 est.)
Current account balance:
-$23 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$22 million f.o.b. (2006)
Exports - commodities:
squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops
Exports - partners:
US 36.7%, Japan 21.6%, NZ 10.1%, Fiji 5.8%, Samoa 4.9% (2007)
Imports:
$139 million f.o.b. (2006)
Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals
Imports - partners:
Fiji 32.5%, NZ 27.5%, US 9%, Australia 7.4%, China 5% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$31.75 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$40.83 million (yearend, FY04/05)
Debt - external:
$80.7 million (2004)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
pa'anga (TOP)
Currency code:
TOP
Exchange rates:
pa'anga (TOP) per US dollar - NA (2007), 2.0277 (2006), 1.96 (2005), 1.9716 (2004), 2.142 (2003)
Communications Tonga
Telephones - main lines in use:
21,000 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
46,500 (2007)
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: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 40 telephones per 100 persons; 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 (2001)
Radios:
61,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
3 (2004)
Televisions:
2,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.to
Internet hosts:
19,231 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)
Internet users:
8,400 (2007)
Transportation Tonga
Airports:
6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Roadways:
total: 680 km paved: 184 km unpaved: 496 km (2000)
Merchant marine:
total: 13 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 8, carrier 1, liquefied gas 1, passenger/cargo 1, refrigerated cargo 1 foreign-owned: 4 (Australia 1, Cyprus 1, Switzerland 1, UK 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Nuku'alofa
Military Tonga
Military branches:
Tonga Defense Services (TDS): Land Force (Royal Guard), Naval Force (includes Royal Marines, Air Wing) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 32,053 females age 16-49: 30,981 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 25,520 females age 16-49: 26,893 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 1,464 female: 1,412 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.9% of GDP (2006 est.)
Transnational Issues Tonga
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@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. The government is coping with a rise in violent crime.
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)
Total renewable water resources:
3.8 cu km (2000)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.31 cu km/yr (68%/26%/6%) per capita: 237 cu m/yr (2000)
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 Dumping, 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:
1,047,366 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 19% (male 102,352/female 96,487) 15-64 years: 71.8% (male 396,352/female 356,080) 65 years and over: 9.2% (male 42,998/female 53,097) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 32.3 years male: 31.9 years female: 32.8 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
-0.891% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
13.22 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
10.93 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-11.2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.59 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.76 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67 years male: 66.07 years female: 67.98 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.73 children born/woman (2008 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%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of 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.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 11 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
4.2% of GDP (200)
People - note:
in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million
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 on 11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, nine by the President, six by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15 note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in 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:
Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
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, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, 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 Glenda MOREAN-PHILLIP chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490 FAX: [1] (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: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376 FAX: [1] (868) 822-5905
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 has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Recent growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. Economic growth reached 12.6% in 2006 and 5.5% in 2007 as prices for oil, petrochemicals, and LNG remained high, and as foreign direct investment continued to grow to support expanded capacity in the energy sector.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.79 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$20.7 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
5.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$25,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.6% industry: 62% services: 37.5% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
622,000 (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 4%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 12.9%, construction and utilities 17.5%, services 65.6% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
17% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
16.7% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $6.332 billion expenditures: $5.969 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September
Public debt:
27.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
11.75% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$2.646 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$5.707 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.721 billion (31 December 2007)
Agriculture - products:
cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
6.5% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
7.704 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - consumption:
7.083 billion kWh (2007)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.8% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001)
Oil - production:
163,300 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
28,730 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
218,800 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
72,780 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
728.3 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
39 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
20.8 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
18.1 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
531.5 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$5.378 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$13.39 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers
Exports - partners:
US 57.5%, Jamaica 6.5%, Spain 3.9% (2007)
Imports:
$7.67 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live animals, grain
Imports - partners:
US 28.2%, Brazil 11%, Venezuela 8.2%, Colombia 5.4%, Gabon 4.9%, China 4.2% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$200,000 (2007 est.)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$6.745 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$2.869 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$12.44 billion (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$1.419 billion (2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$15.57 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)
Currency code:
TTD
Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004), 6.2951 (2003)
Communications Trinidad and Tobago
Telephones - main lines in use:
323,800 (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.008 million (2007)
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent international service; good local service domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity exceeds 125 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)
Radios:
680,000 (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2005)
Televisions:
425,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tt
Internet hosts:
155,722 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)
Internet users:
430,800 (2007)
Transportation Trinidad and Tobago
Airports:
6 (2007)
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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)
Pipelines:
condensate 245 km; gas 1,320 km; oil 563 km (2007)
Roadways:
total: 8,320 km paved: 4,252 km unpaved: 4,068 km (2000)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2 foreign-owned: 1 (US 1) registered in other countries: 2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain
Military Trinidad and Tobago
Military branches:
Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, Coast Guard, Air Guard (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 301,561 females age 16-49: 264,225 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 215,310 females age 16-49: 180,526 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 8,671 female: 8,153 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.3% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago
Disputes - international:
in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary 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 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@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. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. BEN ALI is currently serving his fourth consecutive five-year term as president; the next elections are scheduled for October 2009. 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 exclusive economic zone: 12 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)
Total renewable water resources:
4.6 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%) per capita: 261 cu m/yr (2000)
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:
10,383,577 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.2% (male 1,246,105/female 1,167,379) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 3,638,062/female 3,595,254) 65 years and over: 7.1% (male 345,590/female 391,187) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 28.8 years male: 28.2 years female: 29.3 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.989% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
15.5 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
5.17 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-0.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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: 0.88 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 23.43 deaths/1,000 live births male: 25.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 20.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.56 years male: 73.79 years female: 77.46 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.73 children born/woman (2008 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:
fewer 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: 74.3% male: 83.4% female: 65.3% (2004 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years male: 13 years female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2005)
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); also the anniversary of BEN ALI's assumption of the presidency, 7 November (1987)
Constitution:
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months
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 on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in 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 on 24 October 2004 (next to be held in October 2009); Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in 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 (due to boycott))
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Al-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD (official ruling party) [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI]; Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL [Mustapha Ben JAFAAR]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Maya JERIBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]; note - the Islamist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed
Political pressure groups and leaders:
18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge D'Affaires Tarek Ben YOUSSEF chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850 FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert F. GODEC embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [216] 71 107-000 FAX: [216] 71 963-263
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, 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, which averaged almost 5% over the past decade, reached 6.3% in 2007 because of development in non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production, and strong growth in the services sector. However, Tunisia will need to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates. 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):
$76.07 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$35.01 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.3% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,400 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.6% industry: 25.7% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
3.593 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 55% industry: 23% services: 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3% highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
23.6% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $8.466 billion expenditures: $9.475 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
55.4% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.1% (2007 est.)
Stock of money:
$9.491 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$13.56 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$25.23 billion (31 December 2007)
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:
7.2% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
12.65 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
10.75 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
135 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5% hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
86,210 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
91,110 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
73,790 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
89,130 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
400 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
2.55 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
3.85 billion cu m (2006 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2005)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$905 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.15 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
Exports - partners:
France 31.3%, Italy 21%, Germany 8.5%, Spain 5.5%, Libya 5.5% (2007)
Imports:
$18.02 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
France 23.8%, Italy 21.9%, Germany 9.7%, Spain 5%, Libya 4.4% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$376.5 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$7.854 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$19.27 billion (December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$26.22 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$118 million (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$4.446 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Tunisian dinar (TND)
Currency code:
TND
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003)
Communications Tunisia
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.273 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
7.842 million (2007)
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: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 90 telephones per 100 persons international: country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)
Radios:
2.06 million (1997)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
Televisions:
920,000 (1997)
Internet country code:
.tn
Internet hosts:
376 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)
Internet users:
1.722 million (2007)
Transportation Tunisia
Airports:
30 (2007)
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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 7 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 2,665 km; oil 1,235 km; refined products 353 km (2007)
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) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 19,232 km paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways) unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 7 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4 registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira
Military Tunisia
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)
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 (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,992,249 females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,539,962 females age 16-49: 2,465,295 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 101,794 female: 95,198 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2006)
Transnational Issues Tunisia
Disputes - international:
none
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
======================================================================
@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)
Total renewable water resources:
234 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 39.78 cu km/yr (15%/11%/74%) per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)
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:
71,892,808 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.4% (male 8,937,515/female 8,608,375) 15-64 years: 68.6% (male 25,030,793/female 24,253,312) 65 years and over: 7% (male 2,307,236/female 2,755,576) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 29 years male: 28.8 years female: 29.2 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.013% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
16.15 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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 (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 36.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 40.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 33.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 73.14 years male: 70.67 years female: 75.73 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.87 children born/woman (2008 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 European part of Turkey
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 87.4% male: 95.3% female: 79.6% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years male: 12 years female: 11 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4% of GDP (2004)
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 - ili); 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 (Smyrna), 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 (Trebizond), 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; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007) head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Hayati YAZICI (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Nazim EKREN (since 29 August 2007) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister elections: president elected by the National Assembly for one seven-year terms; prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament election results: Abdullah GUL received 339 votes in the third round of voting on 28 August 2007, after failing to garner the two thirds vote required by law in the first two rounds note: president-elect 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 on 22 July 2007 (next to be held on November 2012) election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%, MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP 341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of 17 December 2007 - AKP 340, CHP 87, MHP 70, DTP 20, DSP 13, independents 6, other 12, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats
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 (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic Society Party or DTP [Nurettin DEMIRTAS]; Felicity Party or SP [Recai KUTAN] (sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as Nationalist Movement Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party or DYP [Mehmet AGAR] (sometimes translated as Correct Way Party); Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN] 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 [Ismail Hakki TOMBUL]; 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 [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; 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:
ADB (nonregional members), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700 FAX: [1] (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: [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 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%, followed by roughly 5% annual growth from 2005-07. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed back to 8.5% in 2007. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, 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 external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI currently stands at about $85 billion. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th president. Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by strong economic growth and foreign direct investment. Turkey's high current account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence, however.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$853.9 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$663.4 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.5% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$12,000 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.9% industry: 28.3% services: 62.8% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
23.53 million note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 35.9% industry: 22.8% services: 41.2% (3rd quarter, 2004)
Unemployment rate:
9.9% plus underemployment of 4% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
20% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2% highest 10%: 34.1% (2003)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.6 (2003)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $145.5 billion expenditures: $156.1 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Public debt:
38.9% of GDP (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$64.43 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$254.3 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$358.1 billion (31 December 2007)
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:
5.4% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
181.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
141.5 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
2.576 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
863 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 79.3% hydro: 20.4% nuclear: 0% other: 0.3% (2001)
Oil - production:
42,800 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
676,600 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - exports:
114,600 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
714,100 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
300 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
893 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
36.6 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
31 million cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
35.83 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
-$37.58 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$115.3 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Germany 11.2%, UK 8.1%, Italy 7%, France 5.6%, Russia 4.4%, Spain 4.3% (2007)
Imports:
$162 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports - partners:
Russia 13.8%, Germany 10.3%, China 7.8%, Italy 5.9%, US 4.8%, France 4.6% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $464 million (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$76.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$247.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$106.4 billion (2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$11.35 billion (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$162.4 billion (2006)
Currency (code):
Turkish lira (TRY); old Turkish lira (TRL) before 1 January 2005
Currency code:
TRL, YTL
Exchange rates:
Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar - 1.319 (2007), 1.4286 (2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004), 1.5009 (2003) note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish lira (TRY) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish lira
Communications Turkey
Telephones - main lines in use:
18.413 million (2007)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
61.976 million (2007)
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 the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable and by submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas that link Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat; mobile satellite terminals - 328 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:
2.667 million (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2001)
Internet users:
13.15 million (2006)
Transportation Turkey
Airports:
117 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 90 over 3,047 m: 15 2,438 to 3,047 m: 33 1,524 to 2,437 m: 19 914 to 1,523 m: 19 under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 27 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 17 (2007)
Heliports:
18 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 7,511 km; oil 3,636 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 8,697 km standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (1,920 km electrified) (2006)
Roadways:
total: 426,951 km (includes 1,987 km of expressways) (2006)
Waterways:
1,200 km (2005)
Merchant marine:
total: 612 by type: bulk carrier 101, cargo 281, chemical tanker 70, combination ore/oil 1, container 35, liquefied gas 7, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 51, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 28, specialized tanker 2 foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 3, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 595 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 8, Belize 15, Cambodia 26, Comoros 8, Dominica 5, Georgia 14, Greece 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, Kiribati 1, Liberia 7, Malta 176, Marshall Islands 50, Moldova 3, Netherlands 1, Netherlands Antilles 10, Panama 94, Russia 80, Saint Kitts and Nevis 35, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 20, Sierra Leone 15, Slovakia 10, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Aliaga, Diliskelesi, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Mercin Limani, Nemrut Limani
Military Turkey
Military branches:
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara Kuvvetleri, TKK), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri, TDK; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri, THK) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 20,213,205 females age 16-49: 19,432,688 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,011,635 females age 16-49: 16,433,364 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 660,452 female: 638,527 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005 est.)
Military - note:
a "National Security Policy Document" adopted in October 2005 increases the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) role in internal security, augmenting the General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie General Command (Jandarma); the TSK leadership continues to play a key role in politics and considers itself guardian of Turkey's secular state; in April 2007, it warned the ruling party about any pro-Islamic appointments; despite on-going negotiations on EU accession since October 2005, progress has been limited in establishing required civilian supremacy over the military; primary domestic threats are listed as fundamentalism (with the definition in some dispute with the civilian government), separatism (the Kurdish problem), and the extreme left wing; Ankara strongly opposed establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region; an overhaul of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) taking place under the "Force 2014" program is to produce 20-30% smaller, more highly trained forces characterized by greater mobility and firepower and capable of joint and combined operations; the TLFC has taken on increasing international peacekeeping responsibilities, and took charge of a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in Afghanistan in April 2007; the Turkish Navy is a regional naval power that wants to develop the capability to project power beyond Turkey's coastal waters; the Navy is heavily involved in NATO, multinational, and UN operations; its roles include control of territorial waters and security for sea lines of communications; the Turkish Air Force adopted an "Aerospace and Missile Defense Concept" in 2002 and has initiated project work on an integrated missile defense system; Air Force priorities include attaining a modern deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure, and establishing a sustainable command and control system (2008)
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: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls
This page was last updated on 18 December, 2008
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@Turkmenistan
Introduction Turkmenistan
Background:
Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. 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 to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president.
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) 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)
Total renewable water resources:
60.9 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%) per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)
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:
5,179,571 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.2% (male 902,811/female 868,428) 15-64 years: 61.5% (male 1,577,187/female 1,607,353) 65 years and over: 4.3% (male 97,480/female 126,312) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 22.6 years male: 22 years female: 23.1 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.596% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
25.07 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
6.11 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
-3 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 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: 0.77 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 51.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 56.01 deaths/1,000 live births female: 47.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.6 years male: 65.53 years female: 71.82 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.07 children born/woman (2008 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2004 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2004 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmenistani
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.)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (1991)
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) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), 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 Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Constitution:
adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%, Amanyaz ATAJYKOW 3.2%, other candidates 7.6%
Legislative branch:
two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of about 2,500 delegates, some elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly) and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held in December 2008); National Assembly - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2008) election results: People's Council - percent of vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 2,507; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the National Assembly and making the People's Council the supreme legislative organ; the People's Council can now legally dissolve the National Assembly, and the president is now able to participate in the National Assembly as its supreme leader; the National Assembly can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the chairman of the People's Council and the supreme leader of the National Assembly, 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 [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW] 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 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard M. MILES embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45 FAX: [993] (12) 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; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or welayats 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 10th-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. From 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 an average of roughly 15% per year from 2003-07, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. In the past, Turkmenistan's economic statistics were state secrets. The new government has established a State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW has sought to improve the health and education systems, ordered unification of the country's dual currency exchange rate, begun decreasing state subsidies for gasoline, signed an agreement to build a gas line to China, and created a special tourism zone on the Caspian Sea. All of these moves hint that the new post-NYYAZOW government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$26.92 billion (2007 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):
$26.91 billion (2007 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
11.5% (IMF estimate) note: official government statistics are widely regarded as unreliable (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$5,300 (2007 est.)
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.5% industry: 40.8% services: 47.7% (2007 est.)
Labor force:
2.089 million (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 48.2% industry: 14% services: 37.8% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:
30% (2004 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)
Investment (gross fixed):
32.5% of GDP (2007 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $1.664 billion expenditures: $1.624 billion (2007 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11.3% (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain; livestock
Industries:
natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
10.3% (2007 est.)
Electricity - production:
12.83 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
9.584 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
1.34 billion kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.9% hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
180,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
107,400 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
40,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - imports:
5,283 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
600 million bbl (1 January 2008 est.)
Natural gas - production:
68.88 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:
19.48 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - exports:
49.4 billion cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2007 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.832 trillion cu m (1 January 2008 est.)
Current account balance:
$1.705 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$7.567 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber
Exports - partners:
Ukraine 51.3%, Iran 18.5%, Turkey 5% (2007)
Imports:
$4.516 billion f.o.b. (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
UAE 14.3%, Russia 11.6%, Turkey 10.3%, China 9.1%, Ukraine 8.7%, Iran 7%, Germany 6.5%, US 5.6% (2007)
Economic aid - recipient:
$28.25 million from the US (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.172 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.4 billion to $5 billion (2004 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Currency (code):
Turkmen manat (TMM)
Currency code:
TMM
Exchange rates:
Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar - 6,250 (2007) official rate note: the commercial rate was 19,800 Turkemen manat per US$ (2007)
Communications Turkmenistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
398,100 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:
216,900 (2006)
Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a new digital switching system; mobile-cellular usage remains limited 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 (2006)
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:
640 (2008)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1
Internet users:
70,000 (2007)
Transportation Turkmenistan
Airports:
28 (2007)
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 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Heliports:
1 (2007)
Pipelines:
gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2007)
Railways:
total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)
Roadways:
total: 58,592 km paved: 47,577 km unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)
Waterways:
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)
Merchant marine:
total: 7 by type: cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Turkmenbasy
Military Turkmenistan
Military branches:
Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2007)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,316,698 females age 16-49: 1,331,005 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,064,965 females age 16-49: 1,136,553 (2008 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 57,615 female: 55,426 (2008 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Turkmenistan
Disputes - international:
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan); less than 1,000 (Afghanistan) (2007)
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 18 December, 2008
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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 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:
22,352 (July 2008 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.7% (male 3,497/female 3,374) 15-64 years: 65.2% (male 7,640/female 6,929) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 435/female 477) (2008 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.8 years male: 28.5 years female: 27 years (2008 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.644% (2008 est.)
Birth rate:
21.12 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Death rate:
4.16 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Net migration rate:
9.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2008 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2008 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 14.35 deaths/1,000 live births male: 16.56 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2008 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.19 years male: 72.91 years female: 77.59 years (2008 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.98 children born/woman (2008 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.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years male: 11 years female: 12 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
NA
People - note:
destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the 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 Gordon WETHERELL (since 5 August 2008) head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (chief minister since 15 August 2003, sworn in as premier on 9 August 2006); note - the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly, and the attorney general elections: 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 House of Assembly (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats by party - PNP 13, PDM 2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; 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, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 175,000 visitors that arrived in 2004. 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%
Budget:
revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)
Fiscal year:
calendar year
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1995)
Agriculture - products:
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
10 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - consumption:
9.3 million kWh (2006 est.)
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
Oil - consumption:
80 bbl/day (2006 est.)
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - imports:
83.78 bbl/day (2005)
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2006 est.)
Natural gas - production: |
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