Chapter LIX: Front Matter (59)

Administrative divisions:
14 provinces (muhafazat, singular - muhafazah); Al Hasakah, Al
Ladhiqiyah, Al Qunaytirah, Ar Raqqah, As Suwayda', Dar'a, Dayr az
Zawr, Dimashq, Halab, Hamah, Hims, Idlib, Rif Dimashq, Tartus

Independence:
17 April 1946 (from League of Nations mandate under French
administration)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 17 April (1946)

Constitution:
13 March 1973

Legal system:
based on a combination of French and Ottoman civil law; religious
law is used in the family court system; has not accepted compulsory
ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Bashar al-ASAD (since 17 July 2000); Vice
President Farouk al-SHARA (since 11 February 2006) oversees foreign
policy; Vice President Najah al-ATTAR (since 23 March 2006) oversees
cultural policy
head of government: Prime Minister Muhammad Naji al-UTRI (since 10
September 2003); Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Abdallah
al-DARDARI (since 14 June 2005)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president approved by popular referendum for a seven-year
term (no term limits); referendum last held 10 July 2000 after the
death of President Hafiz al-ASAD (next to be held July 2007); the
president appoints the vice presidents, prime minister and deputy
prime ministers
election results: Bashar al-ASAD approved as president; percent of
vote - Bashar al-ASAD 97.29%
note: Hafiz al-ASAD died on 10 June 2000; on 20 June, the Ba'th
Party nominated Bashar al-ASAD for president and presented his name
to the People's Council on 25 June; he was approved by a popular
referendum on 10 July

Legislative branch:
unicameral People's Council or Majlis al-Shaab (250 seats; members
elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2-3 March 2003 (next to be held March 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - NPF 67%, independents
33%; seats by party - NPF 167, independents 83; note - the
constitution reserves half the seats for workers and peasants and
declares the Ba'th Party the leading party of the state and it holds
135 seats

Judicial branch:
Supreme Judicial Council (appoints and dismisses judges; headed by
the President); national level - Supreme Constitutional Court
(adjudicates electoral disputes and rules on constitutionality of
laws and decrees; justices appointed for four-year terms by the
President); Court of Cassation; Appeals Courts (Appeals Courts
represent an intermediate level between the Court of Cassation and
local level courts); local level - Magistrate Courts; Courts of
First Instance; Juvenile Courts; Customs Courts; specialized courts
- Economic Security Courts (hear cases related to economic crimes);
Supreme State Security Court (hear cases related to national
security); Personal Status Courts (religious; hear cases related to
marriage and divorce)

Political parties and leaders:
note - legal parties include: National Progressive Front or NPF
[President Bashar al-ASAD, Dr. Suleiman QADDAH, deputy] (includes
Arab Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general]; Arab
Socialist Renaissance (Ba'th) Party [President Bashar al-ASAD,
secretary general; Muhammad BAKHITAN, assistant secretary general];
Socialist Unionist Democratic Party [Fadlallah Nasr Al-DIN]; Syrian
Arab Socialist Union or ASU [Safwan QUDSI]; Syrian Communist Party
(two branches) [Wissal Farha BAKDASH, Yusuf Rashid FAYSAL]; Syrian
Social National Party [Jubran URAYJI]; Unionist Socialist Party
[Fayez ISMAIL]); illegal parties include: Kurdish Azadi Party [Khayr
al-Din MURAD]; Kurdish Democratic Alliance (includes four parties)
[Abd al-Hamid DARWISH, secretary general]; Kurdish Democratic Front
(includes three parties but no designated leader); Kurdish
Democratic Union Party or PYD [Ali MUHAMMAD]; Kurdish Future
Movement; Kurdish Yekiti Party [Hasan SALEH]; National Democratic
Front [Hassan Abd al-AZEM];

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Damascus Declaration [Riyad SEIF, secretary general] (a broad
alliance of opposition groups including: Committee for Revival of
Civil Society [Michel KILO, Riyad SEIF]; Kurdish Democratic
Alliance; Kurdish Democratic Front; National Democratic Front;
Syrian Human Rights Society or HRAS [Fawed FAWUZ]); National
Salvation Front (alliance between former Vice President Abd al-Halim
KHADDAM, the SMB, and other small opposition groups); Syrian Muslim
Brotherhood or SMB [Sadr al-Din al-BAYANUNI]; (operates in exile in
London; endorsed the Damascus Declaration but is not an official
member)

International organization participation:
ABEDA, AFESD, AMF, CAEU, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Imad MUSTAFA
chancery: 2215 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 232-6313
FAX: [1] (202) 234-9548

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Michael
CORBIN
embassy: Abou Roumaneh, Al-Mansour Street, No. 2, Damascus
mailing address: P. O. Box 29, Damascus
telephone: [963] (11) 333-1342
FAX: [963] (11) 224-7938

Flag description:
three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and black, colors
associated with the Arab Liberation flag; two small green
five-pointed stars in a horizontal line centered in the white band;
former flag of the United Arab Republic where the two stars
represented the constituent states of Syria and Egypt; similar to
the flag of Yemen, which has a plain white band, Iraq, which has
three green stars (plus an Arabic inscription) in a horizontal line
centered in the white band, and that of Egypt, which has a gold
Eagle of Saladin centered in the white band; the current design
dates to 1980

Economy Syria

Economy - overview:
The Syrian economy grew by an estimated 2.9% in real terms in 2006,
led by the petroleum and agricultural sectors, which together
account for about one-half of GDP. Higher crude oil prices countered
declining oil production and exports and led to higher budgetary and
export receipts. Total foreign assets of the Central Bank and
domestic banking system rose to about $20 billion in 2006, and the
government strengthened the private sector foreign exchange rate by
about 7 percent from the start of the year. The Government of Syria
has implemented modest economic reforms in the past few years,
including cutting interest rates, opening private banks,
consolidating some of the multiple exchange rates, and raising
prices on some subsidized foodstuffs. Nevertheless, the economy
remains highly controlled by the government. Long-run economic
constraints include declining oil production and exports, weak
investment, and increasing pressure on water supplies caused by
heavy use in agriculture, rapid population growth, industrial
expansion, and water pollution.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$75.1 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$27.23 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
2.9% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 25.5%
industry: 22.1%
services: 52.4% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
5.505 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 14%
services: 60% (2003 est.)

Unemployment rate:
8% (2005 est.)

Population below poverty line:
11% (2004 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
7% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
22.1% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $8.471 billion
expenditures: $9.42 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.82
billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
38% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
wheat, barley, cotton, lentils, chickpeas, olives, sugar beets;
beef, mutton, eggs, poultry, milk

Industries:
petroleum, textiles, food processing, beverages, tobacco, phosphate
rock mining

Industrial production growth rate:
1.5% (2005)

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

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 57.6%
hydro: 42.4%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
27.57 billion kWh (2004 est.)

Electricity - exports:
0.2 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
420,000 bbl/day (2005 est.)

Oil - consumption:
265,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
285,000 bbl/day (2004)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - proved reserves:
2.5 billion bbl (2006 est.)

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
240.7 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$-1.065 billion (2005 est.)

Exports:
$6.923 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
crude oil, petroleum products, fruits and vegetables, cotton fiber,
clothing, meat and live animals, wheat

Exports - partners:
Iraq 26.3%, Italy 9.9%, Germany 9.9%, Lebanon 9.1%, Egypt 5.1%,
France 4.9%, Saudi Arabia 4.6% (2005)

Imports:
$6.634 billion f.o.b. (2006 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 11.6%, China 6.1%, Egypt 5.9%, Italy 5.8%, UAE 5.7%,
Ukraine 4.6%, Germany 4.5%, Iran 4.2% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$5.5 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$8.355 billion; note - excludes military debt and debt to Russia
(2006 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): 50 (2006), 50
(2005), 48.5 (2004), (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 (2004-06)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Syria

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,128,470 (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: 94,890 km
paved: 19,073 km
unpaved: 75,817 km (2004)

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; lacking a treaty or other documentation describing the
boundary, portions of the Lebanon-Syria boundary are unclear with
several sections in dispute; since 2000, Lebanon has claimed Shaba'a
farms in the Golan Heights; 2004 Agreement and pending demarcation
settles border dispute with Jordan; approximately two million Iraqis
have fled the conflict in Iraq, with the majority taking refuge in
Syria and Jordan

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 600,000 (Iraq), 434,896 (Palestinian
Refugees (UNRWA))
IDPs: 305,000 (most displaced from Golan Heights during 1967
Arab-Israeli War) (2006)

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 8 February, 2007

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

@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
local 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 main island of Taiwan plus smaller islands nearby and 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)
note: Taiwan uses a variety of romanization systems; while the
Wade-Giles system still dominates, city of Taipei has adopted
standard Pinyin romanization for street and place names within its
boundaries; other local authorities use different romanization
systems; names for administrative divisions that follow are in
Wade-Giles system with Pinyin equivalents in parentheses
counties: Chang-hua (Changhua), Chia-i (Chiayi) [county], Hsin-chu
(Hsinchu), Hua-lien (Hualien), I-lan (Yilan), Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung)
[county], Kin-men (Kinmen), Lien-chiang (Lienchiang, also Matsu),
Miao-li (Miaoli), Nan-t'ou (Nantou), P'eng-hu (Penghu), P'ing-tung
(Pingtung), T'ai-chung (Taichung), T'ai-nan (Tainan), T'ai-pei
(Taipei) [county], T'ai-tung (Taitung), T'ao-yuan (Taoyuan), and
Yun-lin (Yunlin)
municipalities: Chia-i (Chiayi) [city], Chi-lung (Keelung), Hsin-chu
(Hsinchu), T'ai-chung (Taichung), T'ai-nan (Tainan)
special municipalities: Kao-hsiung (Kaohsiung) [city], T'ai-pei
(Taipei) [city]

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

Constitution:
25 December 1947; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
note: constitution adopted on 25 December 1946; went into effect on
25 December 1947

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 - (ministers appointed by president on
recommendation of premier)
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)
note: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by the now
defunct 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)
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

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
[CHANG Chao-hsiung (acting)]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG
Kun-hui]; 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 the island
currently enjoys sovereign independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; public opinion polls
consistently show a substantial majority of Taiwan people supports
maintaining Taiwan's status quo for the foreseeable future;
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, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, ITUC, WCL, WHO (observer), WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO), which
has its headquarters in Taipei and in the US in Washington, DC;
there are also branch offices called Taipei Economic and Cultural
Office (TECO) in 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, Kaohsiung, 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 island runs a trade
surplus, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest. Despite
restrictions cross-strait links, China has overtaken the US to
become Taiwan's largest export market and, in 2006, its
second-largest source of imports after Japan. China is also the
island's number one destination for foreign direct investment.
Strong trade performance in 2006 pushed Taiwan's GDP growth rate
above 4%, and unemployment is below 4%. Consumer spending recovered
following a slowdown early in 2006, when banks tightened lending to
address a sharp increase in delinquent consumer debt.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$668.3 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$353.9 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
4.4% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$29,000 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 1.5%
industry: 25.2%
services: 73.3% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
10.46 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 5.5%
industry: 36%
services: 58.5% (2005 est.)

Unemployment rate:
3.9% (2006 est.)

Population below poverty line:
0.9% (2006 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
1% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.4% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $67.33 billion
expenditures: $77.93 billion (2006 est.)

Public debt:
34.6% of GDP (2006 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:
6.5% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
189.7 billion kWh (2005)

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

Electricity - consumption:
175.3 billion kWh (2005)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2005)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2005)

Oil - production:
7,755 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
965,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - imports:
0 bbl/day (2005)

Oil - proved reserves:
3 million bbl (2006 est.)

Natural gas - production:
1.1 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
10.7 billion cu m (2005 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2005)

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
76.46 billion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$9.7 billion (2006 est.)

Exports:
$215 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
China 22.5%, Hong Kong 15.7%, US 15%, Japan 7.3% (2006 est.)

Imports:
$205.3 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Japan 23%, China 11.9%, US 10.9%, South Korea 7.2%, Saudi Arabia
4.9% (2006 est.)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$280.6 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$93.06 billion (2006 est.)

Currency (code):
new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code:
TWD

Exchange rates:
new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 32.19 (2006), 31.71 (2005),
34.418 (2004), 34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002)

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 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 8 February, 2007

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

@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 (imprisoned October 2005)];
Islamic Revival Party [Muhiddin KABIRI]; 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, EAEC, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, 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 (vacant)
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. While Tajikistan has
experienced steady economic growth since 1997, nearly two-thirds of
the population continue to live in abject poverty. Economic growth
reached 10.6% in 2004, but dropped to 8% in 2005, and to 7% in 2006.
Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to
uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance,
widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. Continued
privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises could
increase productivity. 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 I and II
would substantially add to electricity production, which could be
exported for profit. If finished, Rogun will be the world's tallest
dam. In 2006, Tajikistan was the recipient of substantial Shanghai
Cooperation Organization infrastructure development credits to
improve its roads and electricity transmission network.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$9.405 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$2.066 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
7% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,300 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 22.7%
industry: 28.5%
services: 48.8% (2006 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):
7.5% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
19.9% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $527.5 million
expenditures: $622 million; including capital expenditures of $86
million (2006 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:
15.7 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
4.459 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
4.81 billion kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
28,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

Current account balance:
$-73.95 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$1.16 billion f.o.b. (2006 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:
$1.513 billion f.o.b. (2006 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:
$209.2 million (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$829 million (2006 est.)

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

Currency (code):
somoni

Currency code:
TJS

Exchange rates:
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.2475 (2006), 3.1166 (2005),
2.9705 (2004), 3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002)

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: the domestic telecommunications network has historically
been under-funded and poorly maintained; main line availability has
not changed significantly since 1998; cellular telephony is rare and
coverage remains limited.
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:
6 (2006)

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:
in 2006, China and Tajikistan pledged to commence demarcation of
the revised boundary agreed to in the delimitation of 2002; 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 8 February, 2007

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

@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 (2007)

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