Chapter LVIII: Front Matter (58)

Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%

Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French
(commerce)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.3%
male: 83.4%
female: 65.3% (2004 est.)

Government Tunisia

Country name:
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form: Tunis

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Tunis

Administrative divisions:
24 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin
'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba
(Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili
(Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah),
Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax
(Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse
(Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan
(Zaghwan)

Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 20 March (1956)

Constitution:
1 June 1959; amended 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

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November
1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17
November 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009);
prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a
fourth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 94.5%,
Mohamed BOUCHIHA 3.8%, Mohamed Ali HALOUANI 1%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (189 seats;
members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 24 October 2004 (next to be held October 2009)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
RCD 152, MDS 14, PUP 11, UDU 7, Al-Tajdid 3, PSL 2

Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation

Political parties and leaders:
Al-Tajdid Movement [Ali HALOUANI]; Constitutional Democratic Rally
Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD [President
Zine El Abidine BEN ALI (official ruling party)]; Liberal Social
Party or PSL [Mounir BEJI]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS
[Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA];
Progressive Democratic Party [Nejib CHEBBI]; Unionist Democratic
Union or UDU [Abderrahmane TLILI]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
the Islamic fundamentalist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is
outlawed

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77,
IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO,
ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM,
OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mohamed Nejib HACHANA
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 William J. HUDSON
embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis, 2045 La
Goulette, Tunisia
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [216] 71 107-000
FAX: [216] 71 962-115

Flag description:
red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly
encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are
traditional symbols of Islam

Economy Tunisia

Economy - overview:
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining,
energy, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of
economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the
past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax
structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social
policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia
relative to the region. Real growth slowed to a 15-year low of 1.9%
in 2002 because of agricultural drought and lackluster tourism.
Better rains in 2003 and 2004, however, helped push GDP growth above
5% for these years. Tourism also recovered after the end of combat
operations in Iraq. Tunisia is gradually removing barriers to trade
with the European Union. 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):
$70.88 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.1% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,100 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 13.8%
industry: 31.8%
services: 54.4% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
3.55 million
note: shortage of skilled labor (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 55%, industry 23%, agriculture 22% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate:
13.8% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
7.6% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.8% (1995)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.7 (1995)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.1% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
24.5% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $6.799 billion
expenditures: $7.573 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.6
billion (2004 est.)

Public debt:
59.2% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
olives, olive oil, grain, dairy products, tomatoes, citrus fruit,
beef, sugar beets, dates, almonds

Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism,
textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages

Industrial production growth rate:
4.4% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
10.72 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.5%
hydro: 0.5%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
10.05 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
10 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
90 million kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
72,580 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
87,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
1.7 billion bbl (2004 est.)

Natural gas - production:
2.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$71.85 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$9.926 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
textiles, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, agricultural
products, hydrocarbons

Exports - partners:
France 33.1%, Italy 25.3%, Germany 9.2%, Spain 6.1% (2004)

Imports:
$11.52 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, food

Imports - partners:
France 25.1%, Italy 19%, Germany 8.5%, Spain 5.3% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.509 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$14.71 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$114.6 million (2002)

Currency (code):
Tunisian dinar (TND)

Currency code:
TND

Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars per US dollar - 1.2455 (2004), 1.2885 (2003),
1.4217 (2002), 1.4387 (2001), 1.3707 (2000)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tunisia

Telephones - main lines in use:
1,163,800 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,899,900 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be
upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet
access available
domestic: trunk facilities consist of open-wire lines, coaxial
cable, and microwave radio relay
international: country code - 216; 5 submarine cables; satellite
earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial
cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in
Medarabtel; two international gateway digital switches

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 20, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
2.06 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
920,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tn

Internet hosts:
281 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
630,000 (2003)

Transportation Tunisia

Railways:
total: 2,152 km
standard gauge: 468 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,674 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified)
dual gauge: 10 km 1.435-m and 1.000-m gauges (three rails) (2004)

Highways:
total: 18,997 km
paved: 12,424 km (including 142 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,573 km (2001)

Pipelines:
gas 3,059 km; oil 1,203 km; refined products 345 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Skhira

Merchant marine:
total: 12 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 124,733 GRT/122,664 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 5, passenger/cargo
4, petroleum tanker 1
registered in other countries: 3 (2005)

Airports:
30 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)

Military Tunisia

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force (2003)

Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 12 months; 18 years of age for voluntary military
service (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 2,441,741 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 2,035,431 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 108,817 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$356 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.5% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Tunisia

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Turkey

Introduction Turkey

Background:
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of
the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was
later honored with the title Ataturk, or "Father of the Turks."
Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging
social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party
rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950
election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful
transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have
multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of
instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980),
which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political
power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the
ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then
Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus
in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since
acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus,"
which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984
by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's
Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the
Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives, but
after the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents
largely withdrew from Turkey, mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK
announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK
increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a
member of NATO. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the
European Community; over the past decade, it has undertaken many
reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy, enabling it to
begin accession membership talks with the European Union.

Geography Turkey

Location:
southeastern Europe and southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey
west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering
the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the
Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria

Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 35 00 E

Map references:
Middle East

Area:
total: 780,580 sq km
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: 30.93%
permanent crops: 3.31%
other: 65.76% (2001)

Irrigated land:
42,000 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
very severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an
arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van

Environment - current issues:
water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air
pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for
oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, 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:
69,660,559 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 26% (male 9,232,439/female 8,897,135)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 23,806,367/female 23,053,536)
65 years and over: 6.7% (male 2,140,242/female 2,530,840) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 27.52 years
female: 27.89 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.09% (2005 est.)

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

Death rate:
5.96 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 41.04 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 44.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 37.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 72.36 years
male: 69.94 years
female: 74.91 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% - note - no country specific models provided (2001
est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

Nationality:
noun: Turk(s)
adjective: Turkish

Ethnic groups:
Turkish 80%, Kurdish 20% (estimated)

Religions:
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)

Languages:
Turkish (official), Kurdish, Arabic, Armenian, Greek

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 86.5%
male: 94.3%
female: 78.7% (2003 est.)

Government Turkey

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Turkey
conventional short form: Turkey
local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti
local short form: Turkiye

Government type:
republican parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Ankara

Administrative divisions:
81 provinces (iller, singular - il); Adana, Adiyaman,
Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan,
Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol,
Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli,
Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir,
Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta,
Istanbul, Izmir, Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu,
Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya,
Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin, Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir,
Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt,
Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon, Tunceli, Usak, Van,
Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak

Independence:
29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)

National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 October (1923)

Constitution:
7 November 1982

Legal system:
civil law system derived from various European continental legal
systems; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations;
note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although
Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European
Convention on Human Rights

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ahmet Necdet SEZER (since 16 May 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (14 March
2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the
nomination of the prime minister
elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a
seven-year term; election last held 5 May 2000 (next to be held May
2007); prime minister appointed by the president from among members
of parliament
election results: Ahmed Necdet SEZER elected president on the third
ballot; percent of National Assembly vote - 60%
note: president must have a two-thirds majority of the National
Assembly on the first two ballots and a simple majority on the third
ballot

Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk
Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 November 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); note
- a special rerun of the General Election in the province of Siirt
on 9 March 2003 resulted in the election of Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN to
a seat in parliament, a prerequisite for becoming prime minister, on
14 March 2003
election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 34.3%, CHP 19.4%,
DYP 9.6%, MHP 8.3%, ANAP 5.1%, DSP 1.1%, and others; seats by party
- AKP 363, CHP 178, independents 9; note - parties surpassing the
10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats; seats by party as
of 1 December 2004 - AKP 368, CHP 171, DYP 4, LDP 1, independents 5,
vacant 1

Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of
State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court
of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Left Party or DSP [Mehmet Zeki SEZER]; Democratic
People's Party or DEHAP [Tuncer BAKIRHAN]; Justice and Development
Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Liberal Democratic Party or LDP
[Emin SIRIN]; Motherland Party or ANAP [Ali Talip OZDEMIR];
Nationalist Action Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI]; Republican
People's Party or CHP (includes the New Turkey Party) [Deniz
BAYKAL]; Felicity Party (sometimes translated as Contentment Party)
or SP [Necmettin ERBEKAN]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP
[Murat KARAYALCIN]; True Path Party (sometimes translated as Correct
Way Party) or DYP [Mehmet AGAR]
note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of
the 49 parties that Turkey had on 1 December 2004

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN];
Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman
CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
or MUSIAD [Omer BOLAT]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim
USLU]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or
TUSIAD [Omer SABANCI]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or
TISK [Refik BAYDUR]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is
[Salih KILIC]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or
TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]

International organization participation:
AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD,
ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNRWA,
UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Osman Faruk LOGOGLU
chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Eric S. EDELMAN
embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara
mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823
telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555
FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019
consulate(s) general: Istanbul
consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir

Flag description:
red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward
the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside
the crescent opening

Economy Turkey

Economy - overview:
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and
commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that in 2004
still accounted 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. In
recent years the economic situation has been marked by erratic
economic growth and serious imbalances. Real GNP growth has exceeded
6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by
sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Inflation, in
recent years in the high double-digit range, fell to 9.3% by 2004 -
a 30-year low. Despite these strong economic gains in 2002-04, which
were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets,
IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still plagued
with high debt and deficits. The public sector fiscal deficit
exceeds 6% of GDP - due in large part to the huge burden of interest
payments, which accounted for more than 40% of central government
spending in 2004, and to populist spending. Foreign direct
investment (FDI) in Turkey remains low - averaging less than $1
billion annually, but further economic and judicial reforms and
prospective EU membership are expected to boost FDI. A major
political and economic issue over the next decade is whether or not
Turkey will become a member of the EU.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$508.7 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
8.2% (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,400 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11.7%
industry: 29.8%
services: 58.5% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
25.3 million
note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 35.9%, industry 22.8%, services 41.2% (3rd quarter,
2004)

Unemployment rate:
9.3% (plus underemployment of 4.0%) (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
20% (2002)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 30.7% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
42 (2003)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9.3% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
17.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $78.53 billion
expenditures: $110.9 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Public debt:
74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulse, citrus;
livestock

Industries:
textiles, food processing, autos, mining (coal, chromite, copper,
boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper

Industrial production growth rate:
16.5% (2004 est.)

Electricity - production:
139.7 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 79.3%
hydro: 20.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0.3% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
117.9 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
433 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
3.6 billion kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
48,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
619,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
46,110 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
616,500 bbl/day (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
288.4 million bbl (1 January 2002)

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

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-15.3 billion (2004 est.)

Exports:
$69.46 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport
equipment

Exports - partners:
Germany 13.9%, UK 8.8%, US 7.7%, Italy 7.4%, France 5.8%, Spain
4.2% (2004)

Imports:
$94.5 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport
equipment

Imports - partners:
Germany 12.9%, Russia 9.3%, Italy 7.1%, France 6.4%, US 4.8%, China
4.6%, UK 4.4% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$37.1 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$16.9 billion (2004 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA, $635.8 million (2002)

Currency (code):
Turkish lira (TRL), New Turkish lira (YTL) after 1 January 2005

Currency code:
TRL, YTL

Exchange rates:
Turkish liras per US dollar - 1,425,500 (2004), 1,500,900 (2003),
1,507,200 (2002), 1,225,600 (2001), 625,200 (2000)
Note: on 1 January 2005 the old Turkish Lira (TRL)was converted to
New Turkish Lira (YTL) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 New Turkish
Lira

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Turkey

Telephones - main lines in use:
18,916,700 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
27,887,500 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: undergoing rapid modernization and expansion,
especially with cellular telephones
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid
increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of
technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both
fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay is facilitating
communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a
domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile
cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: country code - 90; international service is provided
by three submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black
Seas, linking Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania,
and Russia; also by 12 Intelsat earth stations, and by 328 mobile
satellite terminals in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)

Radios:
11.3 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
20.9 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.tr

Internet hosts:
355,215 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
50 (2001)

Internet users:
5.5 million (2003)

Transportation Turkey

Railways:
total: 8,697 km
standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (2,122 km electrified) (2004)

Highways:
total: 354,421 km
paved: 147,404 km (including 1,851 km of expressways)
unpaved: 207,017 km (2002)

Waterways:
1,200 km (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 3,177 km; oil 3,562 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Aliaga, Ambarli, Eregli, Haydarpasa, Istanbul, Kocaeli (Izmit),
Skhira, Toros

Merchant marine:
total: 526 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,666,895 GRT/7,311,504 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 108, cargo 228, chemical tanker 45,
combination ore/oil 1, container 25, liquefied gas 6, passenger 5,
passenger/cargo 50, petroleum tanker 33, refrigerated cargo 2, roll
on/roll off 22, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 3, Denmark 2, Greece 1, Italy 1,
Switzerland 1)
registered in other countries: 231 (2005)

Airports:
119 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 87
over 3,047 m: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 32
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 20 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
14 (2004 est.)

Military Turkey

Military branches:
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Land Forces, Naval Forces (includes
Naval Air and Naval Infantry), Air Force

Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 20-49: 16,756,323 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 20-49: 13,905,901 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 679,734 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$12.155 billion (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.3% (2003)

Military - note:
in the early 1990s, the Turkish Land Force was a large but badly
equipped infantry force; there were 14 infantry divisions, but only
one was mechanized, and out of 16 infantry brigades, only six were
mechanized; the overhaul that has taken place since has produced
highly moblie forces with greatly enhanced firepower in accordance
with NATO's new strategic concept (2005)

Transnational Issues Turkey

Disputes - international:
complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the
Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq
protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates
waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in
Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 350,000-1,000,000 (fighting from 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK
and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2004)

Illicit drugs:
key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and
- to a far lesser extent the US - via air, land, and sea routes;
major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking
organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert
imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey
as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over
areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw
concentrate

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Turkmenistan

Introduction Turkmenistan

Background:
Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a
Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved its independence upon the
dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute
control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive
hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this
underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to
be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to
develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to
break Russia's pipeline monopoly.

Geography Turkmenistan

Location:
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan

Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 60 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 488,100 sq km
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: 3.72%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 96.14% (2001)

Irrigated land:
17,500 sq km (2003 est.)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals,
pesticides; salination, water-logging of soil due to poor irrigation
methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the
flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's
inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; the western and central low-lying, desolate portions of
the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which
occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau

People Turkmenistan

Population:
4,952,081 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 35.7% (male 909,113/female 860,128)
15-64 years: 60.2% (male 1,462,198/female 1,516,836)
65 years and over: 4.1% (male 78,119/female 125,687) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 21.56 years
male: 20.68 years
female: 22.44 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.81% (2005 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 73.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 69.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.39 years
male: 58.02 years
female: 64.93 years (2005 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2004 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2004 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen

Ethnic groups:
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)

Religions:
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%

Languages:
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.3% (1995 est.)

Government Turkmenistan

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan
local long form: none
local short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power
outside the executive branch

Capital:
Ashgabat

Administrative divisions:
5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty
(Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap
Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)

Constitution:
adopted 18 May 1992

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers
Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct
presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the
chief of state and head of government
head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of
Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first
direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both
the chief of state and head of government
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28
December 1999 during a session of the People's Council (Halk
Maslahaty)
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held in 2008 when
NIYAZOV turns 70 and is constitutionally ineligible to run); note -
President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by
the People's Council on 28 December 1999; deputy chairmen of the
cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president
election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without
opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%

Legislative branch:
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a
unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative
body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular
vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a
unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last
held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)
election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note -
all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV
note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of
the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative
organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and
the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its
supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the
constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the
president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and
the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of
making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative
branches of government

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

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small
opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the
two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and
Erkin; Gundogar was led by former Foreign Minister Boris
SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25
November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; Erkin is
led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of
Moscow; the Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of
opposition-in-exile groups, is based in Europe

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU,
MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV
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 Tracey A. JACOBSON
embassy: 9 Pushkin (1984) Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000
mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070
telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45
FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14

Flag description:
green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side,
containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked
above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on
the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in
the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe

Economy Turkmenistan

Economy - overview:
Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture
in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its
irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's
tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to a
nearly 46% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian
ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure,
Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform,
hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient
economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2004,
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
perhaps 30% in 2003 and 19% in 2004, largely because of higher
international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near
future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the
burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and
gas revenues, and its unwillingness to adopt market-oriented
reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and
GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In
particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$27.6 billion (2004 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
IMF estimate: 7.5%
note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these
estimates are notoriously unreliable (2004 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $5,700 (2004 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 28.5%
industry: 42.7%
services: 28.8% (2004 est.)

Labor force:
2.32 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 48.2%, industry 13.8%, services 37% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
58% (2003 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.6%
highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40.8 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
9% (2004 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
29% of GDP (2004 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $3.05 billion
expenditures: $3.05 billion, including capital expenditures of NA
(2004 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain; livestock

Industries:
natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:
official government estimate: 22% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 99.9%
hydro: 0.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
8.908 billion kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
1.136 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
162,500 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
63,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Oil - proved reserves:
273 million bbl (1 January 2002)

Natural gas - production:
58.57 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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

Natural gas - exports:
43.5 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
1.43 trillion cu m (1 January 2002)

Current account balance:
$114 million (2004 est.)

Exports:
$4 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles

Exports - partners:
Ukraine 46.6%, Iran 17.3%, Turkey 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2004)

Imports:
$2.85 billion f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
US 11.8%, Russia 9.7%, UAE 9.2%, Ukraine 9%, Turkey 8.6%, Germany
8%, France 5%, Georgia 4.6%, Iran 4.5% (2004)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.034 billion (2004 est.)

Debt - external:
$2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$16 million from the US (2001)

Currency (code):
Turkmen manat (TMM)

Currency code:
TMM

Exchange rates:
Turkmen manats per US dollar - 10,100 (2004), 10,034 (2003), 10,098
(2002), 5,200 (2001)
note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 21,000
manats to the dollar

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Turkmenistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
374,000 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
52,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new
telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new
exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey
via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
1.225 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)

Televisions:
820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tm

Internet hosts:
524 (2004)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1

Internet users:
8,000 (2002)

Transportation Turkmenistan

Railways:
total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)

Highways:
total: 24,000 km
paved: 19,488 km
unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways)
(2003)

Pipelines:
gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Turkmenbasy

Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT
by type: cargo 3, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 1 (2005)

Airports:
53 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 23
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 30
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
1 (2004 est.)

Military Turkmenistan

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2004)

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: 1,132,833 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 759,978 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males: 56,532 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$90 million (FY99)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.4% (FY99)

Transnational Issues Turkmenistan

Disputes - international:
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates
water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral
talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested
oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary
with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains
stalled

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 20 October, 2005

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

@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% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA sq km

Natural hazards:
frequent hurricanes

Environment - current issues:
limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect
rainwater

Geography - note:
about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

People Turks and Caicos Islands

Population:
20,556 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,396/female 3,277)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,900/female 6,220)
65 years and over: 3.7% (male 342/female 421) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.35 years
male: 28.08 years
female: 26.62 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.9% (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.11 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.51 years
male: 72.28 years
female: 76.84 years (2005 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.08 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: none
adjective: none

Ethnic groups:
black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%

Religions:
Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other
14% (1990)

Languages:
English (official)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 98% (1970 est.)

People - note:
destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound
for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US

Government Turks and Caicos Islands

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
NA

Capital:
Grand Turk

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

Constitution:
introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised
5 March 1988

Legal system:
based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica
and The Bahamas

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953),
represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15
August 2003)
cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and
five appointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly
elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%;
seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August
2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now
has 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court

Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive
National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Flag description:
blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and
the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the
shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus

Economy Turks and Caicos Islands

Economy - overview:
The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and
offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for
domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of
tourists, accounting for more than half of the annual 93,000
visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue also
include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$216 million (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2000 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $11,500 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%

Labor force:
4,848 (1990 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing;
significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services

Unemployment rate:
10% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1995)

Budget:
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(1997-98 est.)

Agriculture - products:
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish

Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
5 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
4.65 million kWh (2002)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2002)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2002)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day

Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day

Oil - exports:
NA

Oil - imports:
NA

Exports:
$169.2 million (2000)

Exports - commodities:
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells

Exports - partners:
US, UK

Imports:
$175.6 million (2000)

Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction
materials

Imports - partners:
US, UK

Debt - external:
NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$4.1 million (1997)

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Turks and Caicos Islands

Telephones - main lines in use:
5,700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,700 (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fully digital system with international direct
dialing
domestic: full range of services available
international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite
earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
8,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television
networks) (2004)

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.tc

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
14 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Turks and Caicos Islands

Highways:
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2000)

Ports and harbors:
Grand Turk, Providenciales

Airports:
8 (2004 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Turks and Caicos Islands

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Turks and Caicos Islands

Disputes - international:
have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the
US and Europe

This page was last updated on 20 October, 2005

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

@Tuvalu

Introduction Tuvalu

Background:
In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice
Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert
Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate
British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000,
Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv"
for $50 million in royalties over the next dozen years.

Geography Tuvalu

Location:
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South
Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

Area:
total: 26 sq km
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
24 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm

Climate:
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)

Terrain:
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m

Natural resources:
fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 100% (2001)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but, in 1997, there were
three cyclones; low level of islands make them very sensitive to
changes in sea level

Environment - current issues:
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not
potable, most water needs must be met by catchment systems with
storage facilities (the Japanese Government has built one
desalination plant and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion
because of the use of sand for building materials; excessive
clearance of forest undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral
reefs from the spread of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is
very concerned about global increases in greenhouse gas emissions
and their effect on rising sea levels, which threaten the country's
underground water table; in 2000, the government appealed to
Australia and New Zealand to take in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels
should make evacuation necessary

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the
coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and
Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao
have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon

People Tuvalu

Population:
11,636 (July 2005 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.8% (male 1,823/female 1,756)
15-64 years: 64.2% (male 3,620/female 3,847)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 229/female 361) (2005 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.45 years
male: 23.36 years
female: 25.85 years (2005 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.47% (2005 est.)

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

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

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