Chapter LVI: Front Matter (56)

Disputes - international:
Golan Heights is Israeli-occupied with the almost 1,000-strong UN
Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF) patrolling a buffer zone since
1964; Lebanon claims Shaba'a farms in Golan Heights; international
pressure prompts the removal of Syrian troops and intelligence
personel stationed in Lebanon since October 1976; Syria protests
Turkish hydrological projects regulating upper Euphrates waters;
2004 Agreement and pending demarcation settles border dispute with
Jordan

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 413,827 (Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967
Arab-Israeli War) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
a transit point for opiates and hashish bound for regional and
Western markets; weak anti-money-laundering controls, bank
privatization may leave it vulnerable to money-laundering

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Taiwan

Introduction Taiwan

Background:
In 1895, military defeat forced China to cede Taiwan to Japan.
Taiwan reverted to Chinese control after World War II. Following the
Communist victory on the mainland in 1949, 2 million Nationalists
fled to Taiwan and established a government using the 1946
constitution drawn up for all of China. Over the next five decades,
the ruling authorities gradually democratized and incorporated the
native population within the governing structure. In 2000, Taiwan
underwent its first peaceful transfer of power from the Nationalist
to the Democratic Progressive Party. Throughout this period, the
island prospered and became one of East Asia's economic "Tigers."
The dominant political issues continue to be the relationship
between Taiwan and China - specifically the question of eventual
unification - as well as domestic political and economic reform.

Geography Taiwan

Location:
Eastern Asia, islands bordering the East China Sea, Philippine Sea,
South China Sea, and Taiwan Strait, north of the Philippines, off
the southeastern coast of China

Geographic coordinates:
23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 35,980 sq km
land: 32,260 sq km
water: 3,720 sq km
note: includes the Pescadores, Matsu, and Quemoy

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,566.3 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; marine; rainy season during southwest monsoon (June to
August); cloudiness is persistent and extensive all year

Terrain:
eastern two-thirds mostly rugged mountains; flat to gently rolling
plains in west

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: South China Sea 0 m
highest point: Yu Shan 3,952 m

Natural resources:
small deposits of coal, natural gas, limestone, marble, and asbestos

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 1%
other: 75% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons

Environment - current issues:
air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, raw
sewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade in
endangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal

Environment - international agreements:
party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan's
international status
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because of
Taiwan's international status

Geography - note:
strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the Luzon
Strait

People Taiwan

Population:
22,894,384 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.7% (male 2,349,077/female 2,156,755)
15-64 years: 70.7% (male 8,205,933/female 7,980,056)
65 years and over: 9.6% (male 1,107,708/female 1,094,855) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.14 years
male: 33.71 years
female: 34.57 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.63% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
12.64 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
6.38 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.01 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.4 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.26 years
male: 74.49 years
female: 80.28 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)
note: example: he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwan
adjective: Taiwan

Ethnic groups:
Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%

Religions:
mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%,
other 2.5%

Languages:
Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 96.1% (2003)

Government Taiwan

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Taiwan
local long form: none
local short form: T'ai-wan
former: Formosa

Government type:
multiparty democratic regime headed by popularly-elected president
and unicameral legislature

Capital:
Taipei

Administrative divisions:
includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islands
near central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwan
is divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5
municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 special
municipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural)
: counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung
county, Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu,
P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei county, T'ai-tung,
T'ao-yuan, and Yun-lin
: municipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan
: special municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei city
note: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization;
special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanization
for street and place names within city boundaries, other local
authorities have selected a variety of romanization systems

National holiday:
Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October
(1911)

Constitution:
25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, and 2000

Legal system:
based on civil law system; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction,
with reservations

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and
Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) Frank
HSIEH (since 1 February 2005) and Vice Premier (Vice President of
the Executive Yuan) - WU Rong-i) (since 18 February 2005)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 20 March
2004 (next to be held in March 2008); premier appointed by the
president; vice premiers appointed by the president on the
recommendation of the premier
election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of
vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular
vote, 41 elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received
by participating political parties, 8 elected from overseas Chinese
constituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes received
by participating political parties, 8 elected by popular vote among
aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms) and
unicameral National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates
nominated by parties and elected by proportional representation six
to nine months after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution,
impeach president, or change national borders)
note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by the
National Assembly on 7 June 2005, the number of seats in the
legislature will be reduced from 225 to 113 beginning with the
election in 2007; the amendments also eliminate the National
Assembly, thus giving Taiwan a unicameral legislature
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to be
held in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP
38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%;
seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7,
independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP
42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP
127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)

Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of
the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [SU Tseng-chang, chairman];
Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou, chairman];
People First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman];
Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SU Chin-chiang, chairman]; other
minor parties including the Chinese New Party or CNP

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmental
groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization
and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national
identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan
currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan
independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify
with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement
include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the
UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the
World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for
Taiwan Nation Building

International organization participation:
APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IOC, WCL, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US
with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12
other US cities

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and
Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA
22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385);
Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei,
Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2
Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone:
[886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade
Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade
Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone:
[886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162

Flag description:
red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Economy Taiwan

Economy - overview:
Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing
guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities.
In keeping with this trend, some large government-owned banks and
industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the
primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is
substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest.
Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952.
Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China has
overtaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market. Because
of its conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial
strengths, Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its
neighbors from the Asian financial crisis in 1998. The global
economic downturn, combined with problems in policy coordination by
the administration and bad debts in the banking system, pushed
Taiwan into recession in 2001, the first year of negative growth
ever recorded. Unemployment also reached record levels. Output
recovered moderately in 2002 in the face of continued global
slowdown, fragile consumer confidence, and bad bank loans; and the
essentially vibrant economy pushed ahead in 2003-04. Growing
economic ties with China are a dominant long-term factor, e.g.,
exports to China of parts and equipment for the assembly of goods
for export to developed countries.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$576.2 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $25,300 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.7%
industry: 30.9%
services: 67.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
10.22 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 8%, industry 35%, services 57% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.5% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
1% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 6.7%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1.7% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $67.41 billion
expenditures: $76.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $14.4
billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
32.4% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish

Industries:
electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles,
iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles,
consumer products, pharmaceuticals

Industrial production growth rate:
12.2% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
158.5 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 71.4%
hydro: 6%
nuclear: 22.6%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
147.4 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
500 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
988,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
2.9 million bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
750 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
6.64 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
410 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
6.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
38.23 billion cu m (2004)

Current account balance:
$21.16 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$170.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles,
plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)

Exports - partners:
China, including Hong Kong 37%, US 16%, Japan 7.7% (2004)

Imports:
$165.4 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision
instruments (2002)

Imports - partners:
Japan 26%, US 13%, China, including Hong Kong 11%, South Korea 6.9%
(2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$246.5 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$55.5 billion (2004 est.)

Currency (code):
new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code:
TWD

Exchange rates:
new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 33.422 (2004), 34.418 (2003),
34.575 (2002), 33.8 (2001), 33.09 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000
for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)

Communications Taiwan

Telephones - main lines in use:
13.355 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
25,089,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every
business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to
Japan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,
Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)

Radios:
16 million (1994)

Television broadcast stations:
29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)

Internet country code:
.tw

Internet hosts:
2,777,085 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)

Internet users:
13.8 million (2005)

Transportation Taiwan

Railways:
total: 2,497 km
narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)
note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar
Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used to haul products
and limited numbers of passengers (2004)

Highways:
total: 37,299 km
paved: 35,621 km (including 608 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)

Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

Merchant marine:
total: 126 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,417,768 GRT/5,617,318 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 36, cargo 23, chemical tanker 2, container 37,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 15, refrigerated cargo 9, roll
on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)
registered in other countries: 432 (2005)

Airports:
40 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 37
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
3 (2004 est.)

Military Taiwan

Military branches:
Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard
Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service
Forces Command, Armed Forces Police Command

Military service age and obligation:
19-40 years of age for military service (being lowered to 35 years
of age in July 2005); service obligation 22 months (being shortened
to 18 months in July 2005 and 12 months in 2008) (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 5,883,828 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 4,749,537 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 174,173 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$7.574 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.6% (2004)

Transnational Issues Taiwan

Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines,
Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002
"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" has
eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of
conduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands are
occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, China
and Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to the
uninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan's
unilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Sea
where all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting

Illicit drugs:
regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major
problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;
renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Tajikistan

Introduction Tajikistan

Background:
The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s,
but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolution
of 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested and
not fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan became independent in
1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union and has now completed
its transition from the civil war that plagued the country from 1992
to 1997. There have been no major security incidents in recent
years, although the country remains the poorest in the region.
Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in
Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance,
which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term.
Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade
Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.

Geography Tajikistan

Location:
Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km
water: 400 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries:
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to
polar in Pamir Mountains

Terrain:
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley
in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead,
zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

Land use:
arable land: 6.61%
permanent crops: 0.92%
other: 92.47% (2001)

Irrigated land:
7,200 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and floods

Environment - current issues:
inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil
salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in
the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai
Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain
in the former USSR

People Tajikistan

Population:
7,163,506 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 38.5% (male 1,390,220/female 1,368,268)
15-64 years: 56.7% (male 2,022,764/female 2,040,524)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 150,372/female 191,358) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.73 years
male: 19.45 years
female: 20.02 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.15% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
32.58 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
8.39 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-2.67 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 110.76 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 122.35 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 98.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.56 years
male: 61.68 years
female: 67.59 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 200 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani

Ethnic groups:
Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6%
(2000 census)

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)

Languages:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.1% (2003 est.)

Government Tajikistan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dushanbe

Administrative divisions:
2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous
province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni
Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon
(Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence:
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

Constitution:
6 November 1994

Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;
head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime
minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a
constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things,
set a limit of two seven-year terms for the president
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of
vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly
of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33
seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2000 for the Assembly
of Representatives (next to be held NA 2010) and 23 March 2000 for
the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDPT 74%, CPT 13%, Islamic Revival Party 8%, other 5%; seats
by party - PDPT 49, CPT 4, Islamic Revival Party 2, independents 5,
vacant 3; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats
by party - NA

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival
Party [Said Abdullo NURI]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan
or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT
[Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV];
Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
there are three unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party or
APT [Hikmatullo NASRIDDINOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV];
Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO
(subscriber), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hamrohon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Street NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the
embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is
still handled in Almaty at: 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty,
Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48, 21-03-52, 24-15-60
FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62, 51-00-28

Flag description:
three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and
green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is
located in the center of the white stripe

Economy Tajikistan

Economy - overview:
Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15
former Soviet republics. Only 5% to 6% of the land area is arable.
Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but
limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten.
Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower
facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry
and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the
already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in
industrial and agricultural production. Even though 60% of its
people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has
experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued
privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will
further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation,
however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural
reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external
debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia
in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace
period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of
Tajikistan.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$7.95 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
10.5% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.7%
industry: 24.3%
services: 52% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.187 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
60% (2004 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
8% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $311.2 million
expenditures: $321.5 million, including capital expenditures of $86
million (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:
aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable
oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers

Industrial production growth rate:
8.2% (2002 est.)

Electricity - production:
15.08 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
14.41 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
3.974 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
4.359 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Natural gas - production:
50 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
1.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Current account balance:
$-52 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$1.13 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles

Exports - partners:
Netherlands 41.4%, Turkey 15.3%, Uzbekistan 7.2%, Latvia 7.1%,
Switzerland 6.9%, Russia 6.6% (2004)

Imports:
$1.3 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and
equipment, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Russia 20.2%, Uzbekistan 14.2%, Kazakhstan 12.8%, Azerbaijan 7.2%,
US 6.7%, China 4.8%, Ukraine 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$145.3 million (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$888 million (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$60.7 million from US (2001)

Currency (code):
somoni

Currency code:
TJS

Exchange rates:
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003),
2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001), 2.0763 (2000)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000,
with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tajikistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
242,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
47,600 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many
towns are not linked to the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to
international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth
stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)

Radios:
1.291 million (1991)

Television broadcast stations:
13 (2001)

Televisions:
820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tj

Internet hosts:
69 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)

Internet users:
4,100 (2003)

Transportation Tajikistan

Railways:
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 27,767 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (2000)

Waterways:
200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 541 km; oil 38 km (2004)

Airports:
55 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 38
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 35 (2004 est.)

Military Tajikistan

Military branches:
Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 2 years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,556,415 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,244,941 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 87,846 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.4 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.9% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Tajikistan

Disputes - international:
boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir
Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to
28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands but neither state has published
maps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced; talks
continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;
disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan

Illicit drugs:
major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and,
to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit
cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan
seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and
stands third worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Tanzania

Introduction Tanzania

Background:
Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form
the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in
1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since
the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition
have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling
party won despite international observers' claims of voting
irregularities.

Geography Tanzania

Location:
Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya and
Mozambique

Geographic coordinates:
6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 945,087 sq km
land: 886,037 sq km
water: 59,050 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Area - comparative:
slightly larger than twice the size of California

Land boundaries:
total: 3,861 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217
km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Coastline:
1,424 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

Terrain:
plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones,
gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use:
arable land: 4.52%
permanent crops: 1.08%
other: 94.4% (2001)

Irrigated land:
1,550 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought

Environment - current issues:
soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction of
coral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affected
marginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and
trade, especially for ivory

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the
largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's
second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the
world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest

People Tanzania

Population:
36,766,356
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 8,100,216/female 8,074,171)
15-64 years: 53.4% (male 9,665,957/female 9,963,772)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 418,080/female 544,160) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.62 years
male: 17.36 years
female: 17.89 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.83% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
38.16 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
16.71 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 98.54 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 107.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 88.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.24 years
male: 44.56 years
female: 45.94 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.06 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
8.8% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.6 million (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
160,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high
risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Tanzanian(s)
adjective: Tanzanian

Ethnic groups:
mainland - native African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of
more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, and
Arab); Zanzibar - Arab, native African, mixed Arab and native African

Religions:
mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%;
Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim

Languages:
Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili in
Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,
administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken in
Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people
living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili
is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety
of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the
lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of
most people is one of the local languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili),
English, or Arabic
total population: 78.2%
male: 85.9%
female: 70.7% (2003 est.)

Government Tanzania

Country name:
conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dar es Salaam; note - legislative offices have been transferred to
Dodoma, which is planned as the new national capital; the National
Assembly now meets there on regular basis

Administrative divisions:
26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma,
Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza,
Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida,
Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, Zanzibar
Urban/West

Independence:
26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (from
UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19
December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April
1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamed
United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday:
Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Constitution:
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts
limited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23 November
1995); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23
November 1995); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July
2001); note - the president is both chief of state and head of
government
note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for
matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was elected to that
office on 29 October 2000
cabinet: Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, are
appointed by the president from among the members of the National
Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 29 October
2000 (next to be held 30 October 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president
election results: Benjamin William MKAPA reelected president;
percent of vote - Benjamin William MKAPA 71.7%, Ibrahim Haruna
LIPUMBA 16.3%, Augustine Lyatonga MREME 7.8%, John Momose CHEYO 4.2%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by
popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, five
to members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve
five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to
the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws
that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of
Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar
House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal
suffrage to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held 30 October
2005)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CCM 244, CUF 16, CHADEMA 4, TLP 3, UDP 2,
Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 34, CUF 16

Judicial branch:
Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of
Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court
(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the
president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;
Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the
higher courts)

Political parties and leaders:
Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and
Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM
(Revolutionary Party) [Benjamin William MKAPA]; Civic United Front
or CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party (unregistered)
[Christopher MTIKLA]; Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine
Lyatonga MREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G- 6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN Security Council
(temporary), UNAMSIL, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA
chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125
FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert V. ROYALL
embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam
mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
telephone: [255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015
FAX: [255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501

Flag description:
divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lower
hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and the
lower triangle is blue

Economy Tanzania

Economy - overview:
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy
depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half of
GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force.
Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops
to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the
processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors
have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic
infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Growth in 1991-2002
featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial
increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms
have helped increase private sector growth and investment. Continued
donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP
growth of nearly 6% in 2004.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$23.71 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.8% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 43.2%
industry: 17.2%
services: 39.6% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
19 million (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA

Population below poverty line:
36% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 30.1% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.2 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.4% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
16.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.985 billion
expenditures: $2.074 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made from
chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava
(tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Industries:
agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine),
diamond, gold and iron mining, soda ash, oil refining, shoes,
cement, apparel, wood products, fertilizer, salt

Industrial production growth rate:
8.4% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.727 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 18.9%
hydro: 81.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
2.566 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
30 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
17,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
11.33 billion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$-327.4 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$1.248 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Exports - partners:
India 9.1%, Spain 8.3%, Netherlands 6.4%, Japan 5.8%, UK 5%, China
4.8%, Kenya 4.7% (2004)

Imports:
$1.972 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrial
raw materials, crude oil

Imports - partners:
South Africa 13.1%, China 8.1%, India 6.6%, Kenya 5.6%, UAE 5.5%,
US 4.9%, UK 4.8%, Bahrain 4.1% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.175 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$7.321 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.2 billion (2001)

Currency (code):
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code:
TZS

Exchange rates:
Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,089.33 (2004), 1,038.42
(2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001), 800.41 (2000)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use:
149,100 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
891,200 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being
modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture terminal)
system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being
made digital
international: country code - 255; satellite earth stations - 2
Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
8.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (1999)

Televisions:
103,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tz

Internet hosts:
5,534 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
250,000 (2003)

Transportation Tanzania

Railways:
total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 88,200 km
paved: 3,704 km
unpaved: 84,496 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of
commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2004)

Pipelines:
gas 29 km; oil 866 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Dar es Salaam, Mtwara, Zanzibar City

Merchant marine:
total: 11 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 25,481 GRT/31,011 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 4
registered in other countries: 1 (2005)

Airports:
123 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 112
1,524 to 2,437 m: 19
914 to 1,523 m: 60
under 914 m: 33 (2004 est.)

Military Tanzania

Military branches:
Tanzanian People's Defense Force (JWTZ): Army, Naval Wing, Air
Defense Command (includes Air Wing), National Service

Military service age and obligation:
15 years of age for voluntary military service; 18 years of age for
compulsory military service upon graduation from secondary school;
conscript service obligation - 2 years (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 7,422,869 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,879,630 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$20.6 million (2004)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (2004)

Transnational Issues Tanzania

Disputes - international:
disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 447,877 (Burundi) 153,155 (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
growing role in transshipment of southwest and southeast Asian
heroin and south American cocaine destined for south African,
European, and US markets and of south Asian methaqualone bound for
southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

======================================================================

@Thailand

Introduction Thailand

Background:
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century.
Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian
country never to have been taken over by a European power. A
bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In
alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally
following the conflict. Thailand is currently facing armed violence
in its three Muslim-majority southernmost provinces.

Geography Thailand

Location:
Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the Gulf of
Thailand, southeast of Burma

Geographic coordinates:
15 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:
total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km,
Malaysia 506 km

Coastline:
3,219 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation

Climate:
tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May to
September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
southern isthmus always hot and humid

Terrain:
central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains elsewhere

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m

Natural resources:
tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum, timber, lead, fish,
gypsum, lignite, fluorite, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 29.36%
permanent crops: 6.46%
other: 64.18% (2001)

Irrigated land:
47,490 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from the depletion of the
water table; droughts

Environment - current issues:
air pollution from vehicle emissions; water pollution from organic
and factory wastes; deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife
populations threatened by illegal hunting

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

Geography - note:
controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia and Singapore

People Thailand

Population:
65,444,371
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 23.9% (male 7,988,529/female 7,633,405)
15-64 years: 68.6% (male 22,195,625/female 22,731,767)
65 years and over: 7.5% (male 2,251,112/female 2,643,933) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.88 years
male: 30.11 years
female: 31.66 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.87% (2005 est.)

Birth rate:
15.7 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Death rate:
7.02 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 20.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.95 years
male: 69.65 years
female: 74.37 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.88 children born/woman (2005 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
58,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea and hepatitis A
vectorborne diseases: dengue fever, malaria, Japanese encephalitis,
and plague are high risks in some locations
animal contact disease: rabies
water contact disease: leptospirosis (2004)

Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai

Ethnic groups:
Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions:
Buddhist 94.6%, Muslim 4.6%, Christian 0.7%, other 0.1% (2000
census)

Languages:
Thai, English (secondary language of the elite), ethnic and
regional dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 92.6%
male: 94.9%
female: 90.5% (2002)

Government Thailand

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand
former: Siam

Government type:
constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Bangkok

Administrative divisions:
76 provinces (changwat, singular and plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang
Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat, Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi,
Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri, Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng
Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi, Krung Thep Mahanakhon
(Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri, Mae Hong Son, Maha
Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom, Nakhon Phanom,
Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat, Nan,
Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani,
Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun, Phetchaburi,
Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae, Phuket,
Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi, Rayong, Roi
Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Samut
Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla,
Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon
Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon

Independence:
1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

National holiday:
Birthday of King PHUMIPHON, 5 December (1927)

Constitution:
new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11 October 1997

Legal system:
based on civil law system, with influences of common law; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since 9
February 2001) and Deputy Prime Ministers CHITCHAI Wannasathi (since
11 March 2005), PHINIT Charusombat (since 6 October 2004), SOMKHIT
Chatusiphithak (since 11 March 2005), SURAKIAT Sathianthai (since 11
March 2005); SURIYA Chungrungruankit (since 3 August 2005), SUWAT
Liptapanlop (since 3 August 2005), WISANU Kruangam (since 8 November
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
note: there is also a Privy Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister is
designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
following national elections for the House of Representatives, the
leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually
is appointed prime minister by the king

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or
Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
six-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen
Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and
22 July 2000 (next to be held by March 2006); House of
Representatives - last held 6 February 2005 (next to be held in
February 2009)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by
party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA; seats by party - TRT 376, DP 97, TNP 25, PP 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court or Sandika (judges appointed by the monarch)

Political parties and leaders:
Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [ABHISIT Wetchachiwa];
People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai
Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai
Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
APEC, APT, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO,
IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer),
OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: KASIT Piromya
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC
20007-3681
telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600
FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE
embassy: 120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok
mailing address: APO AP 96546
telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000
FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131
consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai

Flag description:
five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue (double width),
white, and red

Economy Thailand