Chapter LIX: Front Matter (59)

Exports - partners:
Iraq 22.3%, Saudi Arabia 15.3%, Italy 8.4%, Germany 8.3%, Lebanon
7.7%, Egypt 4.3%, France 4.2% (2005)

Imports:
$5.973 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and transport equipment, electric power machinery, food
and livestock, metal and metal products, chemicals and chemical
products, plastics, yarn, paper

Imports - partners:
Saudi Arabia 10.6%, China 5.6%, Egypt 5.4%, Italy 5.3%, UAE 5.2%,
Ukraine 4.2%, Germany 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.363 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$8.566 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia
(2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$180 million (2002 est.)

Currency (code):
Syrian pound (SYP)

Currency code:
SYP

Exchange rates:
Syrian pounds per US dollar - (public sector rate): 11.225 (2005),
11.225 (2004), 11.225 (2003), 11.225 (2002), 11.225 (2001),
(parallel market rate in 'Amman and Beirut): NA (2005), NA (2004),
52.8 (2003), 52.4 (2002), 50.4 (2001), (official rate for repaying
loans): 11.25 (2004)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Syria

Telephones - main lines in use:
2.903 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2.95 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system currently undergoing significant
improvement and digital upgrades, including fiber-optic technology
domestic: coaxial cable and microwave radio relay network
international: country code - 963; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region);
1 submarine cable; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Iraq,
Jordan, Lebanon, and Turkey; participant in Medarabtel

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 14, FM 2, shortwave 1 (1998)

Radios:
4.15 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
44 (plus 17 repeaters) (1995)

Televisions:
1.05 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.sy

Internet hosts:
66 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
1.1 million (2005)

Transportation Syria

Airports:
92 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 26
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 66
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 54 (2006)

Heliports:
7 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 2,764 km; oil 2,000 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,711 km
standard gauge: 2,460 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 251 km 1.050-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 91,795 km
paved: 18,451 km
unpaved: 73,344 km (2003)

Waterways:
900 km (not economically significant) (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 108 ships (1000 GRT or over) 386,603 GRT/563,506 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 8, cargo 93, container 1, livestock carrier 4,
petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1
foreign-owned: 11 (Lebanon 7, Romania 3, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 130 (Cambodia 20, Comoros 4, Cyprus
3, Dominica 1, Georgia 43, Hong Kong 1, North Korea 14, Lebanon 1,
Malta 7, Mongolia 1, Panama 18, Saint Kitts and Nevis 3, Saint
Vincent and the Grenadines 6, Sierra Leone 1, Slovakia 2, unknown 5)
(2006)

Ports and terminals:
Baniyas, Latakia

Military Syria

Military branches:
Syrian Armed Forces: Syrian Arab Army (includes Syrian Arab Navy),
Syrian Arab Air and Air Defense Force (includes Air Defense Command)
(2005)

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript service
obligation - 30 months (18 months in the Syrian Arab Navy); women
are not conscripted but may volunteer to serve (2004)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 4,356,413
females age 18-49: 4,123,339 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 3,453,888
females age 18-49: 3,421,558 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 225,113
females age 18-49: 211,829 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$858 million (FY00 est.); note - based on official budget data that
may understate actual spending

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
5.9% (FY00)

Transnational Issues Syria

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 432,048 (Palestinian Refugees
(UNRWA)) 14,391 (Iraq)
IDPs: 170,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967
Arab-Israeli War) (2005)

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Syria is a destination country for women from
South and Southeast Asia and Africa for domestic servitude and from
Eastern Europe and Iraq for sexual exploitation; women are recruited
for work in Syria as domestic servants, but some face conditions of
exploitation and involuntary servitude including long hours,
non-payment of wages, withholding of passports and other
restrictions on movement, and physical and sexual abuse; Eastern
European women recruited for work in Syria as cabaret dancers are
not permitted to leave their work premises without permission and
have their passports withheld; some displaced Iraqi women and
children are reportedly forced into sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 3 - Syria does not fully comply with the minimum
standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making
significant efforts to do so

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

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Taiwan

Introduction Taiwan

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

Geography Taiwan

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

Geographic coordinates:
23 30 N, 121 00 E

Map references:
Southeast Asia

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

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Maryland and Delaware combined

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
1,566.3 km

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

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

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

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

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

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

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and typhoons

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

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

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

People Taiwan

Population:
23,036,087 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965)
15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169)
65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 34.6 years
male: 34.1 years
female: 35 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.61% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.43 years
male: 74.67 years
female: 80.47 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

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

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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

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

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

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

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

Government Taiwan

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

Government type:
multiparty democracy

Capital:
name: Taipei
geographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 E
time difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

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

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

Constitution:
25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005

Legal system:
based on civil law system

Suffrage:
20 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) and
Vice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)
head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SU
Tseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice President
of the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006)
cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the president
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ticket
by popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008);
premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by the
president on the recommendation of the premier
election results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent of
vote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%

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

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

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

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

International organization participation:
APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTO
note: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competition
committee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of the
OECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US in
WHO

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and
Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA
22209-1996, telephone: [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 and, in
2005, Taiwan's third-largest source of imports after Japan and the
US. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration and
a sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth in
its export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in
2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices,
and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets,
and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, which
accounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, while
unemployment and inflation rates have declined.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$630 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$323.4 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$27,500 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 25.9%
services: 72.3% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
10.6 million (2005 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 6%
industry: 35.8%
services: 58.2% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
0.9% (2005)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
2.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
20.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $41.67 billion
expenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of
$14.4 billion (2005 est.)

Public debt:
33.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (2005 est.)

Electricity - production:
218.3 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
206.1 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)

Natural gas - production:
970 million cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
76.46 billion cu m (2005)

Current account balance:
$16.22 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7% (2005)

Imports:
$181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%, Saudi Arabia
4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$258 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$87.5 billion (2005 est.)

Currency (code):
new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code:
TWD

Exchange rates:
new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004),
34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)

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

Communications Taiwan

Telephones - main lines in use:
13.615 million (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
22.17 million (2005)

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

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

Radios:
16 million (1994)

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

Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)

Internet country code:
.tw

Internet hosts:
4,320,310 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)

Internet users:
13.21 million (2005)

Transportation Taiwan

Airports:
42 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 38
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Heliports:
3 (2006)

Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,497 km
narrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)
note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan Sugar
Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carry
products and limited numbers of passengers (2005)

Roadways:
total: 37,299 km
paved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways)
unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25,
passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, roll
on/roll off 2
foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)
registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras
2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore
59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006)

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

Military Taiwan

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

Military service age and obligation:
19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16
months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Force
service are restricted to noncombat roles (2005)

Manpower available for military service:
males age 19-49: 5,883,828
females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 19-49: 4,749,537
females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 174,173
females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$7.93 billion (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.4% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Taiwan

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

Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination for men,
women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexual
exploitation; women from China and Southeast Asian countries are
trafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor; women and
children, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use of
fraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegal
smuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; a
significant share of foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam,
Thailand, and the Philippines - are recruited legally for
low-skilled jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntary
servitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival in Taiwan; to
a much lesser extent, there is internal trafficking of children for
sexual exploitation and trafficking of a small and declining number
of Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on the Tier 2
Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing efforts
over the past year to address trafficking, despite ample resources
to do so, particularly the serious level of forced labor and sexual
servitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workers
and brides

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

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Tajikistan

Introduction Tajikistan

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

Geography Tajikistan

Location:
Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references:
Asia

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

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Wisconsin

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

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

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

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

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

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

Land use:
arable land: 6.52%
permanent crops: 0.89%
other: 92.59% (2005)

Irrigated land:
7,220 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and floods

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

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

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

People Tajikistan

Population:
7,320,815 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168)
15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889)
65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 20 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20.4 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.19% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
32.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 106.49 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 117.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 94.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.94 years
male: 62.03 years
female: 68 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani

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

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

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

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

Government Tajikistan

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

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Dushanbe
geographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

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

Independence:
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

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

Constitution:
6 November 1994

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;
head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the Supreme Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006
(next to be held November 2013); prime minister appointed by the
president
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent of
vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4%

Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly
of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34
seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for the
former president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assembly
of Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005
for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other
2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2,
independents 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;
seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3

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

Political parties and leaders:
Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; Democratic
Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said
Abdullo NURI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV];
People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV];
Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; Socialist
Party or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT
[Shodi SHABDOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [Hikmatullo
NASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's Unity
Party [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV];
Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is the SPT that
was disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above under
political parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON
embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003
mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189
telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00
FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50

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

Economy Tajikistan

Economy - overview:
Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15
former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; cotton
is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in
amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry
consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and
small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food
processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already
weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in
industrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of its
people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has
experienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced a
slight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004.
Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises
would further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic
situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of
structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and
the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached
with Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off of
Tajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third in
the world in terms of water resources per head. A proposed
investment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda would
substantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun will
be the world's tallest dam.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$8.617 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$1.887 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.7% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,200 (2005 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 23.4%
industry: 28.6%
services: 48% (2005 est.)

Labor force:
3.7 million (2003)

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

Unemployment rate:
12% (2004 est.)

Population below poverty line:
64% (2004 est.)

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

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7.1% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.4% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $442.3 million
expenditures: $542.6 million; including capital expenditures of $86
million (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Electricity - production:
16.5 billion kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
15.05 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
3.874 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
4.81 billion kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
354.8 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Natural gas - production:
30 million cu m (2004 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)

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

Natural gas - imports:
1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)

Current account balance:
$-44 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Netherlands 46.6%, Turkey 15.8%, Russia 9.1%, Uzbekistan 7.3%,
Latvia 4.9%, Iran 4% (2005)

Imports:
$1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Russia 19.3%, Kazakhstan 12.7%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Azerbaijan 8.6%,
China 7%, Ukraine 6.2%, Romania 4.6%, Turkmenistan 4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$186.8 million (2005 est.)

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

Economic aid - recipient:
$67 million from US (2005)

Currency (code):
somoni

Currency code:
TJS

Exchange rates:
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004),
3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tajikistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
245,200 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
265,000 (2005)

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

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

Radios:
1.291 million (1991)

Television broadcast stations:
13 (2001)

Televisions:
820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tj

Internet hosts:
98 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)

Internet users:
5,000 (2005)

Transportation Tajikistan

Airports:
40 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 3 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 23
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 22 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 27,767 km (2000)

Waterways:
200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)

Military Tajikistan

Military branches:
Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005)

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

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,556,415
females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 1,244,941
females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 87,846
females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.)

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

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

Transnational Issues Tajikistan

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

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

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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

@Tanzania

Introduction Tanzania

Background:
Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early
1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzania
in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the first
democratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar's
semi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to two
contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despite
international observers' claims of voting irregularities.

Geography Tanzania

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

Geographic coordinates:
6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references:
Africa

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

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

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

Coastline:
1,424 km

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

Climate:
varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands

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

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

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

Land use:
arable land: 4.23%
permanent crops: 1.16%
other: 94.61% (2005)

Irrigated land:
1,840 sq km (2003)

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

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

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

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

People Tanzania

Population:
37,445,392
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.7 years
male: 17.5 years
female: 18 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.83% (2006 est.)

Birth rate:
37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Death rate:
16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 96.48 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 105.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 45.64 years
male: 44.93 years
female: 46.37 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are high
risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)

Nationality:
noun: Tanzanian(s)
adjective: Tanzanian

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

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

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

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

Government Tanzania

Country name:
conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
local long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzania
local short form: Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Dar es Salaam
geographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which is
planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meets
there on a regular basis

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

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

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

Constitution:
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005);
Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note -
the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December
2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);
note - the president is both chief of state and head of government
note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for
matters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected to
that office on 30 October 2005
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the members
of the National Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot
by popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term);
election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December
2010); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote
- Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected by
popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 to
members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members serve
five-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply to
the entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws
that apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House of
Representatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar
House of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universal
suffrage to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December
2010)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, women
appointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar
House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to take
place soon

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

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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

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

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael L. RETZER
embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam
mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
telephone: [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. Long-term growth through
2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial
increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reforms
have helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continued
donor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDP
growth of more than 6% in 2005.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$27.11 billion (2005 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$12.12 billion (2005 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.8% (2005 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$700 (2005 est.)

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

Labor force:
19.22 million (2005 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
NA%

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

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

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.3% (2005 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $2.235 billion
expenditures: $2.669 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2005 est.)

Public debt:
65.8% of GDP (2005 est.)

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

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

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

Electricity - production:
3.152 billion kWh (2003)

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

Electricity - consumption:
2.959 billion kWh (2003)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2003)

Electricity - imports:
28 million kWh (2003)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption:
22,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2003 est.)

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

Current account balance:
$-558 million (2005 est.)

Exports:
$1.581 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
China 10.2%, Canada 8.6%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%,
Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005)

Imports:
$2.391 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
South Africa 12.2%, China 9.6%, India 7%, UAE 6.1%, Kenya 5.2%, UK
4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$2.074 billion (2005 est.)

Debt - external:
$8.178 billion (2005 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$1.2 billion (2001)

Currency (code):
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code:
TZS

Exchange rates:
Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - 1,128.93 (2005), 1,089.33
(2004), 1,038.42 (2003), 966.58 (2002), 876.41 (2001)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use:
148,400 (2004)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.942 million (2005)

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

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

Radios:
8.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (1999)

Televisions:
103,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tz

Internet hosts:
8,609 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
333,000 (2005)

Transportation Tanzania

Airports:
124 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 113
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 62
under 914 m: 33 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 254 km; oil 872 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 969 km 1.067-m gauge; 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 78,891 km
paved: 6,808 km
unpaved: 72,083 km (2003)

Waterways:
Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa principal avenues of
commerce with neighboring countries; rivers not navigable (2005)

Merchant marine:
total: 9 ships (1000 GRT or over) 24,801 GRT/31,507 DWT
by type: cargo 1, passenger/cargo 4, petroleum tanker 4
registered in other countries: 2 (Honduras 1, Saint Kitts and Nevis
1) (2006)

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

Military Tanzania

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

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

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

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

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$21.2 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Tanzania

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

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 443,706 (Burundi) 153,474 (Democratic
Republic of the Congo) 3,036 (Somalia) (2005)

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

This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006

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@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