Chapter LXII: Front Matter (62)

Legislative branch:
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a
unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative
body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular
vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a
unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms); membership is scheduled to
be increased to 65 seats
elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be
held December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be
held December 2008)
election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note -
all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of
Turkmenistan and are preapproved by President NIYAZOV
note: in late 2003, a new law was adopted, reducing the powers of
the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative
organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and
the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its
supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the
constitution, or announce referendums or its elections; since the
president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and
the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of
making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative
branches of government

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

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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Murad Bairamovich ORAZOV
chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500
FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jennifer
L. BRUSH
embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat,
Turkmenistan 774000
mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45
FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14

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

Economy Turkmenistan

Economy - overview:
Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture
in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its
irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's
tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an
almost 50% decline in cotton exports. With an authoritarian
ex-Communist regime in power and a tribally based social structure,
Turkmenistan has taken a cautious approach to economic reform,
hoping to use gas and cotton sales to sustain its inefficient
economy. Privatization goals remain limited. In 1998-2005,
Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export
routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term
external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by an
average of 15% per year in 2003-06, largely because of higher
international oil and gas prices. In 2006, Ashgabat raised its
natural gas export prices to its main customer, Russia, from $66 per
thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm. Overall prospects in
the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal
poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas
revenues, and Ashgabat's unwillingness to adopt market-oriented
reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and
GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In
particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$45.11 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$16.16 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
IMF estimate: 13%
note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these
estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$8,900 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 24.4%
industry: 33.9%
services: 41.7% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
2.32 million (2003 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.)

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

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

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
11% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
28.8% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.803 billion
expenditures: $2.063 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain; livestock

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

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

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

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

Electricity - consumption:
9.03 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
1 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

Oil - production:
213,700 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - consumption:
95,000 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

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

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

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.01 trillion cu m (1 January 2005 est.)

Current account balance:
$321.2 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$5.421 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Ukraine 42.8%, Iran 14.8%, Hungary 5.3% (2005)

Imports:
$3.936 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
UAE 12.7%, Azerbaijan 11.1%, US 9.6%, Russia 9.1%, Ukraine 7.6%,
Turkey 7.3%, Iran 6.2%, Germany 5.4% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$3.518 billion (2006 est.)

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

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

Currency (code):
Turkmen manat (TMM)

Currency code:
TMM

Exchange rates:
11,100 (2006), in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered
around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar; the official
rate has consistently been 5,200 manat to the dollar

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Turkmenistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
495,000 (2006)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
52,000 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: poorly developed
domestic: Turkmenistan's telecommunications network remains woefully
underdeveloped; Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign
investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges
and install a new digital switching system
international: country code - 993; linked by cable and microwave
radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased
connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; a new
telephone link from Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new
exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey
via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat

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

Radios:
1.225 million (1997)

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

Televisions:
820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tm

Internet hosts:
585 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1

Internet users:
36,000 (2005)

Transportation Turkmenistan

Airports:
29 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 4 (2006)

Heliports:
1 (2006)

Pipelines:
gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)

Railways:
total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 24,000 km
paved: 19,488 km
unpaved: 4,512 km (1999)

Waterways:
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways)
(2006)

Merchant marine:
total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT
by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2,
refrigerated cargo 1 (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Turkmenbasy

Military Turkmenistan

Military branches:
Ground Forces, Artillery and Rocket Forces, Navy, Air and Air
Defense Forces (2006)

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: 1,132,833
females age 18-49: 1,162,569 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 759,978
females age 18-49: 940,179 (2005 est.)

Manpower reaching military service age annually:
males age 18-49: 56,532
females age 18-49: 55,413 (2005 est.)

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

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

Transnational Issues Turkmenistan

Disputes - international:
cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates
water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field
demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005 but
Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran
and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate
the sea's waters and seabed

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 11,173 (Tajikistan) (2006)

Illicit drugs:
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western
European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound
for Afghanistan

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Turks and Caicos Islands

Introduction Turks and Caicos Islands

Background:
The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when
they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's
independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965
to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate
governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982,
the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas
territory.

Geography Turks and Caicos Islands

Location:
Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast
of The Bahamas, north of Haiti

Geographic coordinates:
21 45 N, 71 35 W

Map references:
Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km
water: 0 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
389 km

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

Climate:
tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry

Terrain:
low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m

Natural resources:
spiny lobster, conch

Land use:
arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 97.67% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

Natural hazards:
frequent hurricanes

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

Geography - note:
about 40 islands (eight inhabited)

People Turks and Caicos Islands

Population:
21,152 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 31.9% (male 3,432/female 3,312)
15-64 years: 64.4% (male 7,155/female 6,457)
65 years and over: 3.8% (male 362/female 434) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 27.5 years
male: 28.3 years
female: 26.8 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.82% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.83 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 15.18 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 17.55 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 12.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 74.73 years
male: 72.48 years
female: 77.08 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3.05 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: none
adjective: none

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

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

Languages:
English (official)

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

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

Government Turks and Caicos Islands

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

Dependency status:
overseas territory of the UK

Government type:
NA

Capital:
name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W
time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard
Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

Independence:
none (overseas territory of the UK)

National holiday:
Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)

Constitution:
Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9
August 2006)

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

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005)
head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August
2003); note - the office of premier was created in the new
constitution
cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six
ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the
Legislative Council, and the attorney general
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by
the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the
majority party is appointed premier by the governor

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Council (21 seats of which 15 are popularly
elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007)
election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%;
seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August
2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now
has 5

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal

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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

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

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

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

Economy Turks and Caicos Islands

Economy - overview:
The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore
financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for
domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of
tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 175,000
visitors that arrived in 2004. Major sources of government revenue
also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs
receipts.

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

GDP (official exchange rate):
NA

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

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,500 (2002 est.)

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

Labor force:
4,848 (1990 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
10% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

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

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

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

Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production:
7 million kWh (2004)

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

Electricity - consumption:
6.51 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
80 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day (2001)

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

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

Exports:
$169.2 million (2000)

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

Exports - partners:
US, UK (2004)

Imports:
$175.6 million (2000)

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

Imports - partners:
US, UK (2004)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$4.1 million (1997)

Currency (code):
US dollar (USD)

Currency code:
USD

Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Turks and Caicos Islands

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

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1,700 (1999)

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

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

Radios:
8,000 (1997)

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

Televisions:
NA

Internet country code:
.tc

Internet hosts:
2,735 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
14 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Turks and Caicos Islands

Airports:
8 (2006)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2006)

Roadways:
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2003)

Ports and terminals:
Grand Turk, Providenciales

Military Turks and Caicos Islands

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$192.8 million

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK

Transnational Issues Turks and Caicos Islands

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

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

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Tuvalu

Introduction Tuvalu

Background:
In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the
Gilbert and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice
Islands to vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert
Islands. The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate
British colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000,
Tuvalu negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv"
for $50 million in royalties over a 12-year period.

Geography Tuvalu

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

Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 178 00 E

Map references:
Oceania

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

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
24 km

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

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

Terrain:
very low-lying and narrow coral atolls

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

Natural resources:
fish

Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 66.67%
other: 33.33% (2005)

Irrigated land:
NA

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

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

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

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

People Tuvalu

Population:
11,810 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 1,819/female 1,752)
15-64 years: 64.7% (male 3,715/female 3,923)
65 years and over: 5.1% (male 228/female 373) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 24.6 years
male: 23.6 years
female: 26 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.51% (2006 est.)

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

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

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

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 19.47 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 22.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 16.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 68.32 years
male: 66.08 years
female: 70.66 years (2006 est.)

Total fertility rate:
2.98 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: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan

Ethnic groups:
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%

Religions:
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist
1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%

Languages:
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)

Literacy:
NA

Government Tuvalu

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
local long form: none
local short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight," referring to the country's
eight traditionally inhabited islands

Government type:
constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary democracy

Capital:
name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: administrative offices are located in Vaiaku Village on
Fongafale Islet

Administrative divisions:
none

Independence:
1 October 1978 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)

Constitution:
1 October 1978

Legal system:
NA

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952),
represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime
minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members
of Parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held
following parliamentary elections in 2010)
election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected Prime Minister in a
Parliamentary election on 14 August 2006

Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly
(15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15

Judicial branch:
High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its
sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in
Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)

Political parties and leaders:
there are no political parties but members of Parliament usually
align themselves in informal groupings

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca,
SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only
diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office
located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017,
telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534

Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to
Fiji is accredited to Tuvalu

Flag description:
light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant; the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country
with nine yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands

Economy Tuvalu

Economy - overview:
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine
coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral
resources and few exports. Subsistence farming and fishing are the
primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,
visit Tuvalu annually. Government revenues largely come from the
sale of stamps and coins and remittances from seamen on merchant
ships abroad. About 1,000 Tuvaluans are being repatriated from
Nauru, with the decline of phosphate resources there. Substantial
income is received annually from an international trust fund
established in 1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also
by Japan and South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and
conservative withdrawals, this fund has grown from an initial $17
million to over $35 million in 1999. The US Government is also a
major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988
treaty on fisheries. In an effort to reduce its dependence on
foreign aid, the government is pursuing public sector reforms,
including privatization of some government functions and personnel
cuts of up to 7%. Tuvalu derives around $1.5 million per year from
the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name. With merchandise
exports only a fraction of merchandise imports, continued reliance
must be placed on fishing and telecommunications license fees,
remittances from overseas workers, official transfers, and income
from overseas investments.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.94 million (2002 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.94 million (2002)

GDP - real growth rate:
1.2% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 27.2%
services: 56.2%

Labor force:
3,615 (2004 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea,
reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly
workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.9% (2005 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $22.78 million
expenditures: $14.23 million; including capital expenditures of $4.2
million (2002)

Agriculture - products:
coconuts; fish

Industries:
fishing, tourism, copra

Industrial production growth rate:
NA%

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: NA
hydro: NA
nuclear: NA
other: NA

Current account balance:
$2.323 million (1998)

Exports:
$1 million f.o.b. (2004 est.)

Exports - commodities:
copra, fish

Exports - partners:
Germany 60.5%, Italy 20.1%, Fiji 6.9% (2005)

Imports:
$9.186 million c.i.f. (2004 est.)

Imports - commodities:
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods

Imports - partners:
Fiji 46.1%, Japan 18.9%, China 18.2%, Australia 7.7%, NZ 4.1% (2005)

Debt - external:
$NA

Economic aid - recipient:
$13 million; note - major donors are Australia, Japan, and the US
(1999 est.)

Currency (code):
Australian dollar (AUD); note - there is also a Tuvaluan dollar

Currency code:
AUD

Exchange rates:
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095
(2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tuvalu

Telephones - main lines in use:
700 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2004)

Telephone system:
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls can be made
by satellite

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
4,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
0 (2004)

Televisions:
800

Internet country code:
.tv

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
1,300 (2002)

Transportation Tuvalu

Airports:
1 (2006)

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

Roadways:
total: 8 km
paved: 8 km (2002)

Merchant marine:
total: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 196,790 GRT/256,436 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 3, cargo 37, chemical tanker 1, container 2,
passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 4, specialized
tanker 1
foreign-owned: 43 (China 23, Hong Kong 8, Kenya 1, Russia 2,
Singapore 6, Thailand 1, Turkey 2) (2006)

Ports and terminals:
Funafuti

Military Tuvalu

Military branches:
no regular military forces; Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Tuvalu

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Uganda

Introduction Uganda

Background:
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda
grouped together a wide range of ethnic groups with different
political systems and cultures. These differences prevented the
establishment of a working political community after independence
was achieved in 1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79)
was responsible for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla
war and human rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at
least another 100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986
has brought relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During
the 1990s, the government promulgated non-party presidential and
legislative elections.

Geography Uganda

Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya

Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 236,040 sq km
land: 199,710 sq km
water: 36,330 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon

Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933
km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to
February, June to August); semiarid in northeast

Terrain:
mostly plateau with rim of mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m

Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 21.57%
permanent crops: 8.92%
other: 69.51% (2005)

Irrigated land:
90 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; poaching is widespread

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

Geography - note:
landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers

People Uganda

Population:
28,195,754
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: 50% (male 7,091,763/female 6,996,385)
15-64 years: 47.8% (male 6,762,071/female 6,727,230)
65 years and over: 2.2% (male 266,931/female 351,374) (2006 est.)

Median age:
total: 15 years
male: 14.9 years
female: 15.1 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
3.37% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-1.4 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 66.15 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 69.51 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 62.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.67 years
male: 51.68 years
female: 53.69 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
530,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
78,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria and African trypanosomiasis (sleeping
sickness) are high risks in some locations
water contact disease: schistosomiasis (2007)

Nationality:
noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan

Ethnic groups:
Baganda 17%, Ankole 8%, Basoga 8%, Iteso 8%, Bakiga 7%, Langi 6%,
Rwanda 6%, Bagisu 5%, Acholi 4%, Lugbara 4%, Batoro 3%, Bunyoro 3%,
Alur 2%, Bagwere 2%, Bakonjo 2%, Jopodhola 2%, Karamojong 2%, Rundi
2%, non-African (European, Asian, Arab) 1%, other 8%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 33%, Protestant 33%, Muslim 16%, indigenous beliefs
18%

Languages:
English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used
in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts),
Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages,
preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be
taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan
languages, Swahili, Arabic

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 69.9%
male: 79.5%
female: 60.4% (2003 est.)

Government Uganda

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Kampala
geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)

Administrative divisions:
56 districts; Adjumani, Apac, Arua, Bugiri, Bundibugyo, Bushenyi,
Busia, Gulu, Hoima, Iganga, Jinja, Kabale, Kabarole, Kaberamaido,
Kalangala, Kampala, Kamuli, Kamwenge, Kanungu, Kapchorwa, Kasese,
Katakwi, Kayunga, Kibale, Kiboga, Kisoro, Kitgum, Kotido, Kumi,
Kyenjojo, Lira, Luwero, Masaka, Masindi, Mayuge, Mbale, Mbarara,
Moroto, Moyo, Mpigi, Mubende, Mukono, Nakapiripirit, Nakasongola,
Nebbi, Ntungamo, Pader, Pallisa, Rakai, Rukungiri, Sembabule,
Sironko, Soroti, Tororo, Wakiso, Yumbe
note: as of a July 2005, 13 new districts were reportedly added
bringing the total up to 69; the new districts are Amolatar, Amuria,
Budaka, Butaleja, Ibanda, Kaabong, Kabingo, Kaliro, Kiruhura,
Koboko, Manafwa, Mityana, Nakaseke; a total of ten more districts
are in the process of being added

Independence:
9 October 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 9 October (1962)

Constitution:
8 October 1995; in 2005 the constitution was amended removing
presidential term limits and legalizing a multiparty political system

Legal system:
in 1995, the government restored the legal system to one based on
English common law and customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ
jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 26 January 1986); note - the president is both chief
of state and head of government
head of government: President Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI (since
seizing power 29 January 1986); Prime Minister Apollo NSIBAMBI
(since 5 April 1999); note - the president is both chief of state
and head of government; the prime minister assists the president in
the supervision of the cabinet
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among elected
legislators
elections: president reelected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI elected president;
percent of vote - Lt. Gen. Yoweri Kaguta MUSEVENI 59.3%, Kizza
BESIGYE 37.4%, other 3.3%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (332 members - 215 directly elected by
popular vote, 104 nominated by legally established special interest
groups [women 79, army 10, disabled 5, youth 5, labor 5], 13 ex
officio members; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 23 February 2006 (next to be held in 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party -
NRM 191, FDC 37, UPC 9, DP 8, CD 1, JEEMA 1, Independents 36, other
49

Judicial branch:
Court of Appeal (judges are appointed by the president and approved
by the legislature); High Court (judges are appointed by the
president)

Political parties and leaders:
Conservative Party or CP [Ken LUKYAMUZI]; Democratic Party or DP
[Kizito SSEBAANA]; Forum for Democratic Change or FDC [Kizza
BESIGYE]; Justice Forum or JEEMA [Muhammad Kibirige MAYANJA];
National Democrats Forum [Chapaa KARUHANGA]; National Resistance
Movement or NRM [Yoweri MUSEVENI]; Ugandan People's Congress or UPC
[Miria OBOTE]
note: a national referendum in July 2005 opened the way for Uganda's
transition to a multi-party political system

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Popular Resistance Against a Life President or PRALP

International organization participation:
ACP, AfDB, AU, C, COMESA, EADB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IGAD, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC,
IOM, IPU, ISO (correspondent), ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, PCA,
UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIS, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO,
WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Perezi Karukubiro KAMUNANWIRE
chancery: 5911 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011
telephone: [1] (202) 726-7100 through 7102, 0416
FAX: [1] (202) 726-1727

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Steven BROWNING
embassy: 1577 Ggaba Rd., Kampala
mailing address: P. O. Box 7007, Kampala
telephone: [256] (41) 234-142
FAX: [256] (41) 258-451

Flag description:
six equal horizontal bands of black (top), yellow, red, black,
yellow, and red; a white disk is superimposed at the center and
depicts a red-crested crane (the national symbol) facing the hoist
side

Economy Uganda

Economy - overview:
Uganda has substantial natural resources, including fertile soils,
regular rainfall, and sizable mineral deposits of copper and cobalt.
Agriculture is the most important sector of the economy, employing
over 80% of the work force. Coffee accounts for the bulk of export
revenues. Since 1986, the government - with the support of foreign
countries and international agencies - has acted to rehabilitate and
stabilize the economy by undertaking currency reform, raising
producer prices on export crops, increasing prices of petroleum
products, and improving civil service wages. The policy changes are
especially aimed at dampening inflation and boosting production and
export earnings. During 1990-2001, the economy turned in a solid
performance based on continued investment in the rehabilitation of
infrastructure, improved incentives for production and exports,
reduced inflation, gradually improved domestic security, and the
return of exiled Indian-Ugandan entrepreneurs. In 2000, Uganda
qualified for enhanced Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) debt
relief worth $1.3 billion and Paris Club debt relief worth $145
million. These amounts combined with the original HIPC debt relief
added up to about $2 billion. Growth for 2001-02 was solid despite
continued decline in the price of coffee, Uganda's principal export.
Growth in 2003-06 reflected an upturn in Uganda's export markets.

GDP (purchasing power parity):
$51.89 billion (2006 est.)

GDP (official exchange rate):
$8.502 billion (2006 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5% (2006 est.)

GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,800 (2006 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 29.4%
industry: 22.1%
services: 48.5% (2006 est.)

Labor force:
13.76 million (2006 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 82%
industry: 5%
services: 13% (1999 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Population below poverty line:
35% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 21% (2000)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43 (1999)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
6% (2006 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
23.5% of GDP (2006 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $1.943 billion
expenditures: $1.994 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA
(2006 est.)

Public debt:
29.3% of GDP (2006 est.)

Agriculture - products:
coffee, tea, cotton, tobacco, cassava (tapioca), potatoes, corn,
millet, pulses, cut flowers; beef, goat meat, milk, poultry

Industries:
sugar, brewing, tobacco, cotton textiles; cement, steel production

Industrial production growth rate:
5.2% (2006 est.)

Electricity - production:
1.894 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 0.9%
hydro: 99.1%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
1.596 billion kWh (2004)

Electricity - exports:
165 million kWh (2004)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2004)

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

Oil - consumption:
10,890 bbl/day (2004 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA bbl/day

Oil - imports:
NA bbl/day

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

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

Current account balance:
$-423 million (2006 est.)

Exports:
$961.7 million f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Exports - commodities:
coffee, fish and fish products, tea, cotton, flowers, horticultural
products; gold

Exports - partners:
Kenya 15.1%, Belgium 9.9%, Netherlands 9.6%, France 7.1%, Germany
5.1% (2005)

Imports:
$1.945 billion f.o.b. (2006 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital equipment, vehicles, petroleum, medical supplies; cereals

Imports - partners:
Kenya 32.6%, UAE 8.8%, South Africa 5.8%, India 5.8%, China 5.3%,
UK 4.5%, US 4.2%, Japan 4.1% (2005)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$1.4 billion (2006 est.)

Debt - external:
$1.456 billion (2006 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$959 million (2003)

Currency (code):
Ugandan shilling (UGX)

Currency code:
UGX

Exchange rates:
Ugandan shillings per US dollar - 1,855.59 (2006), 1,780.7 (2005),
1,810.3 (2004), 1,963.7 (2003), 1,797.6 (2002)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Uganda

Telephones - main lines in use:
100,800 (2005)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.525 million (2005)

Telephone system:
general assessment: seriously inadequate; two cellular systems have
been introduced, but a sharp increase in the number of main lines is
essential; e-mail and Internet services are available
domestic: intercity traffic by wire, microwave radio relay, and
radiotelephone communication stations, fixed and mobile cellular
systems for short-range traffic
international: country code - 256; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat; analog links to Kenya and
Tanzania

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 33, shortwave 2 (2001)

Radios:
5 million (2001)

Television broadcast stations:
8 (plus one low-power repeater) (2001)

Televisions:
500,000 (2001)

Internet country code:
.ug

Internet hosts:
1,365 (2006)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
500,000 (2005)

Transportation Uganda

Airports:
31 (2006)

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

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 26
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 11
under 914 m: 8 (2006)

Railways:
total: 1,244 km
narrow gauge: 1,244 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)

Roadways:
total: 70,746 km
paved: 16,272 km
unpaved: 54,474 km (2003)

Waterways:
on Lake Victoria, 200 km on Lake Albert, Lake Kyoga, and parts of
Albert Nile (2005)

Ports and terminals:
Entebbe, Jinja, Port Bell

Military Uganda

Military branches:
Ugandan Peoples' Defense Force (UPDF): Army, Marine Unit, Air Wing

Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory and voluntary military duty; the
government has stated that recruitment below that age could occur
with proper consent and that "no person under the apparent age of 13
years shall be enrolled in the armed forces"

Manpower available for military service:
males age 18-49: 5,012,620
females age 18-49: 4,855,858 (2005 est.)

Manpower fit for military service:
males age 18-49: 2,889,808
females age 18-49: 2,780,135 (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$192.8 million (2005 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.2% (2005 est.)

Transnational Issues Uganda

Disputes - international:
Uganda is subject to armed fighting among hostile ethnic groups,
rebels, armed gangs, militias, and various government forces that
extend across its borders; Uganda hosts 209,860 Sudanese, 27,560
Congolese, and 19,710 Rwandan refugees, while Ugandan refugees as
well as members of the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) seek shelter in
southern Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo's Garamba
National Park; LRA forces have also attacked Kenyan villages across
the border

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 212,857 (Sudan), 20,564 (Democratic
Republic of Congo), 20,213 (Rwanda)
IDPs: 1.2-1.7 million (350,000 IDPs returned in 2006 following
ongoing peace talks between the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) and
Government of Uganda) (2006)

This page was last updated on 8 February, 2007

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

@Ukraine

Introduction Ukraine

Background:
Ukraine was the center of the first eastern Slavic state, Kyivan
Rus, which during the 10th and 11th centuries was the largest and
most powerful state in Europe. Weakened by internecine quarrels and
Mongol invasions, Kyivan Rus was incorporated into the Grand Duchy
of Lithuania and eventually into the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth.
The cultural and religious legacy of Kyivan Rus laid the foundation
for Ukrainian nationalism through subsequent centuries. A new
Ukrainian state, the Cossack Hetmanate, was established during the
mid-17th century after an uprising against the Poles. Despite
continuous Muscovite pressure, the Hetmanate managed to remain
autonomous for well over 100 years. During the latter part of the
18th century, most Ukrainian ethnographic territory was absorbed by
the Russian Empire. Following the collapse of czarist Russia in
1917, Ukraine was able to bring about a short-lived period of
independence (1917-20), but was reconquered and forced to endure a
brutal Soviet rule that engineered two artificial famines (1921-22
and 1932-33) in which over 8 million died. In World War II, German
and Soviet armies were responsible for some 7 to 8 million more
deaths. Although final independence for Ukraine was achieved in 1991
with the dissolution of the USSR, democracy remained elusive as the
legacy of state control and endemic corruption stalled efforts at
economic reform, privatization, and civil liberties. A peaceful mass
protest "Orange Revolution" in the closing months of 2004 forced the
authorities to overturn a rigged presidential election and to allow
a new internationally monitored vote that swept into power a
reformist slate under Viktor YUSHCHENKO. Subsequent internal
squabbles in the YUSHCHENKO camp allowed his rival Viktor YANUKOVYCH
to stage a comeback in parliamentary elections and become prime
minister in August of 2006.

Geography Ukraine

Location:
Eastern Europe, bordering the Black Sea, between Poland, Romania,
and Moldova in the west and Russia in the east

Geographic coordinates:
49 00 N, 32 00 E

Map references:
Asia, Europe

Area:
total: 603,700 sq km
land: 603,700 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Texas

Land boundaries:
total: 4,663 km
border countries: Belarus 891 km, Hungary 103 km, Moldova 939 km,
Poland 526 km, Romania (south) 169 km, Romania (west) 362 km, Russia
1,576 km, Slovakia 97 km

Coastline:
2,782 km

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

Climate:
temperate continental; Mediterranean only on the southern Crimean
coast; precipitation disproportionately distributed, highest in west
and north, lesser in east and southeast; winters vary from cool
along the Black Sea to cold farther inland; summers are warm across
the greater part of the country, hot in the south

Terrain:
most of Ukraine consists of fertile plains (steppes) and plateaus,
mountains being found only in the west (the Carpathians), and in the
Crimean Peninsula in the extreme south

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Black Sea 0 m
highest point: Hora Hoverla 2,061 m

Natural resources:
iron ore, coal, manganese, natural gas, oil, salt, sulfur,
graphite, titanium, magnesium, kaolin, nickel, mercury, timber,
arable land

Land use:
arable land: 53.8%
permanent crops: 1.5%
other: 44.7% (2005)

Irrigated land:
22,080 sq km (2003)

Natural hazards:
NA

Environment - current issues:
inadequate supplies of potable water; air and water pollution;
deforestation; radiation contamination in the northeast from 1986
accident at Chornobyl' Nuclear Power Plant

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air
Pollution-Sulfur 85, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol,
Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity,
Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Endangered Species,
Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine
Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic
Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic
Compounds

Geography - note:
strategic position at the crossroads between Europe and Asia;
second-largest country in Europe

People Ukraine

Population:
46,710,816 (July 2006 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 14.1% (male 3,377,868/female 3,203,738)
15-64 years: 69.3% (male 15,559,998/female 16,831,486)
65 years and over: 16.6% (male 2,635,651/female 5,102,075) (2006
est.)

Median age:
total: 39.2 years
male: 35.9 years
female: 42.2 years (2006 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.6% (2006 est.)

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

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

Net migration rate:
-0.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.52 male(s)/female
total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2006 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 9.9 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 11.48 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 8.22 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.98 years
male: 64.71 years
female: 75.59 years (2006 est.)

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

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.4% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
360,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
20,000 (2003 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Ukrainian(s)
adjective: Ukrainian

Ethnic groups:
Ukrainian 77.8%, Russian 17.3%, Belarusian 0.6%, Moldovan 0.5%,
Crimean Tatar 0.5%, Bulgarian 0.4%, Hungarian 0.3%, Romanian 0.3%,
Polish 0.3%, Jewish 0.2%, other 1.8% (2001 census)

Religions:
Ukrainian Orthodox - Kyiv Patriarchate 19%, Orthodox (no particular
jurisdiction) 16%, Ukrainian Orthodox - Moscow Patriarchate 9%,
Ukrainian Greek Catholic 6%, Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox 1.7%,
Protestant, Jewish, none 38% (2004 est.)

Languages:
Ukrainian (official) 67%, Russian 24%, small Romanian-, Polish-,
and Hungarian-speaking minorities

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.7%
male: 99.8%
female: 99.6% (2003 est.)

Government Ukraine

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Ukraine
local long form: none
local short form: Ukrayina
former: Ukrainian National Republic, Ukrainian State, Ukrainian
Soviet Socialist Republic

Government type:
republic

Capital:
name: Kyiv (Kiev)
geographic coordinates: 50 26 N, 30 31 E
time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last
Sunday in October

Administrative divisions:
24 provinces (oblasti, singular - oblast'), 1 autonomous republic*
(avtonomna respublika), and 2 municipalities (mista, singular -
misto) with oblast status**; Cherkasy, Chernihiv, Chernivtsi, Crimea
or Avtonomna Respublika Krym* (Simferopol'), Dnipropetrovs'k,
Donets'k, Ivano-Frankivs'k, Kharkiv, Kherson, Khmel'nyts'kyy,
Kirovohrad, Kyiv**, Kyiv, Luhans'k, L'viv, Mykolayiv, Odesa,
Poltava, Rivne, Sevastopol'**, Sumy, Ternopil', Vinnytsya, Volyn'
(Luts'k), Zakarpattya (Uzhhorod), Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)

Independence:
24 August 1991 (from the Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 24 August (1991); 22 January (1918), the day
Ukraine first declared its independence (from Soviet Russia) and the
day the short-lived Western and Central Ukrainian republics united
(1919), is now celebrated as Unity Day

Constitution:
adopted 28 June 1996

Legal system:
based on civil law system; judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Viktor A. YUSHCHENKO (since 23 January
2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Viktor YANUKOVYCH (since 4 August
2006); First Deputy Prime Minister - Mykola AZAROV (since 5 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers selected by the prime minister; the
only exceptions are the foreign and defense ministers, who are
chosen by the president
note: there is also a National Security and Defense Council or NSDC
originally created in 1992 as the National Security Council; the
NSDC staff is tasked with developing national security policy on
domestic and international matters and advising the president; a
Presidential Secretariat helps draft presidential edicts and
provides policy support to the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); note - a special repeat runoff
presidential election between Viktor YUSHCHENKO and Viktor
YANUKOVYCH took place on 26 December 2004 after the earlier 21
November 2004 contest - won by Mr. YANUKOVYCH - was invalidated by
the Ukrainian Supreme Court because of widespread and significant
violations; under constitutional reforms that went into effect 1
January 2006, the majority in parliament takes the lead in naming
the prime minister
election results: Viktor YUSHCHENKO elected president; percent of
vote - Viktor YUSHCHENKO 51.99%, Viktor YANUKOVYCH 44.2%

Legislative branch:
unicameral Supreme Council or Verkhovna Rada (450 seats; allocated
on a proportional basis to those parties that gain 3% or more of the
national electoral vote; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 26 March 2006 (next to be held March 2011)
election results: percent of vote by party/bloc in 2002 - Party of
Regions 32.1%, Yuliya Tymoshenko Bloc 22.3%, Our Ukraine 13.9%, SPU
5.7%, CPU 3.7%; seats by party/bloc - Party of Regions 186, Yuliya
Tymoshenko Bloc 129, Our Ukraine 81, SPU 33, CPU 21

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Constitutional Court

Political parties and leaders:
Communist Party of Ukraine or CPU [Petro SYMONENKO]; Fatherland
Party (Batkivshchyna) [Yuliya TYMOSHENKO]; People's Party Our
Ukraine [Viktor YUSHCHENKO]; Party of Industrialists and
Entrepreneurs [Anatoliy KINAKH]; People's Movement of Ukraine (Rukh)
[Borys TARASYUK]; People's Party [Volodymyr LYTVYN]; PORA! (It's
Time!) party [Vladyslav KASKIV]; Progressive Socialist Party
[Natalya VITRENKO]; Reforms and Order Party [Viktor PYNZENYK]; Party
of Regions [Viktor YANUKOVYCH]; Republican Party [Yuriy BOYKO];
Social Democratic Party (United) or SDPU(o) [Viktor MEDVEDCHUK];
Socialist Party of Ukraine or SPU [Oleksandr MOROZ, chairman];
Ukrainian People's Party [Yuriy KOSTENKO]; Viche [Inna BOHUSLOVSKA]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Committee of Voters of Ukraine [Ihor POPOV]; Peoples' Self-Defense
[Yuriy LUTSENKO]; Ne Tak [Leonid KRAVCHUK]

International organization participation:
Australia Group, BSEC, CBSS (observer), CE, CEI, CIS, EAEC
(observer), EAPC, EBRD, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt
(signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, MONUC, NAM
(observer), NSG, OAS (observer), OIF (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA,
PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIL,
UNMIS, UNMOVIC, UNOMIG, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO,
WTO (observer), ZC

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Oleh V. SHAMSHUR
chancery: 3350 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20007
telephone: [1] (202) 333-0606
FAX: [1] (202) 333-0817
consulate(s) general: Chicago, New York, San Francisco