$NA (continued 4)
Reading edition
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.86 years country comparison to the world: 135 male: 67.98 years
female: 73.82 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.72 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 167
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 44
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
14,000 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2003 est.) country comparison to the world: 61
Nationality:
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian
Ethnic groups:
Indian (South Asian) 40%, African 37.5%, mixed 20.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 0.8% (2000 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 26%, Hindu 22.5%, Anglican 7.8%, Baptist 7.2%, Pentecostal 6.8%, Muslim 5.8%, Seventh Day Adventist 4%, other Christian 5.8%, other 10.8%, unspecified 1.4%, none 1.9% (2000 census)
Languages:
English (official), Caribbean Hindustani (a dialect of Hindi), French, Spanish, Chinese
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
4.2% of GDP (2002) country comparison to the world: 100
People - note:
in 2007, the government of Trinidad and Tobago estimated the population to be 1.3 million
Government ::Trinidad and Tobago
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago
Government type:
parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Port-of-Spain
geographic coordinates: 10 39 N, 61 31 W
time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough corporations, 1 ward
regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin, Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
city corporations: Port-of-Spain, San Fernando
borough corporations: Arima, Chaguanas, Point Fortin
ward: Tobago
Independence:
31 August 1962 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1962)
Constitution:
1 August 1976
Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24 December 2001)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament
elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 11 February 2008 (next to be held by February 2013); the president usually appoints as prime minister the leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives
election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS reelected president; percent of electoral college vote - NA
Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the opposition party to serve a maximum term of five years) and the House of Representatives (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held on 5 November 2007 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM 46%, UNC 29.7%; seats by party - PNM 26, UNC 15
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members serving four-year terms; last election held in January 2005; seats by party - PNM 11, DAC 1
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); the highest court of appeal is the Privy Council in London; member of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ)
Political parties and leaders:
Congress of the People [Winston DOOKERAN]; Democratic Action Congress or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES] (only active in Tobago); Democratic National Alliance or DNA [Gerald YETMING] (coalition of NAR, DDPT, MND); Movement for National Development or MND [Garvin NICHOLAS]; National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Dr. Carson CHARLES]; People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo PANDAY]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]
International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Glenda MOREAN-PHILLIP
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490
FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130
consulate(s) general: Miami, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6371 through 6376
FAX: [1] (868) 822-5905
Flag description:
red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist side to the lower fly side
Economy ::Trinidad and Tobago
Economy - overview:
Trinidad and Tobago has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for international businesses and has one of the highest growth rates and per capita incomes in Latin America. Economic growth for the past seven years has averaged slightly over 8%, significantly above the regional average of about 3.7% for that same period; however, it has slowed down this year to about 5% and is expected to slow further with the global downturn. Growth has been fueled by investments in liquefied natural gas (LNG), petrochemicals, and steel. Additional petrochemical, aluminum, and plastics projects are in various stages of planning. Trinidad and Tobago is the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas, and its economy is heavily dependent upon these resources but it also supplies manufactured goods, notably food and beverages, as well as cement to the Caribbean region. Oil and gas account for about 40% of GDP and 80% of exports, but only 5% of employment. The country is also a regional financial center, and tourism is a growing sector, although it is not proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The economy benefits from a growing trade surplus. The MANNING administration has benefited from fiscal surpluses fueled by the dynamic export sector; however, declines in oil and gas prices have reduced government revenues which will challenge his government's commitment to maintaining high levels of public investment.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$29.09 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 107 $28.11 billion (2007 est.)
$26.65 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$25.93 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 109 5.5% (2007 est.)
12.1% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$23,600 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53 $22,800 (2007 est.)
$21,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 0.5%
industry: 62.3%
services: 37.2% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
620,800 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 3.8%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 12.8%, construction and utilities 20.4%, services 62.9% (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate:
4.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 58 4.5% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
17% (2007 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Investment (gross fixed):
16.7% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 133
Budget:
revenues: $7.421 billion
expenditures: $7.141 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
26.6% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79 54.4% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 169 7.9% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
10.75% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 40 10% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
12.44% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 70 11.75% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$2.39 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 67 $2.646 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$3.506 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 78 $5.707 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$3.423 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 87 $3.73 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$12.16 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 70 $15.61 billion (31 December 2007)
$15.57 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
cocoa, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry
Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage, cotton textiles
Industrial production growth rate:
4.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 65
Electricity - production:
7.202 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Electricity - consumption:
7.034 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
163,300 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Oil - consumption:
41,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 101
Oil - exports:
248,300 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 46
Oil - imports:
92,480 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 67
Oil - proved reserves:
728.3 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Natural gas - production:
39.3 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 22
Natural gas - consumption:
21.94 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 33
Natural gas - exports:
17.36 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 13
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 129
Natural gas - proved reserves:
531.5 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Current account balance:
$5.401 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 34 $5.364 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$15.85 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 76 $13.39 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, liquefied natural gas (LNG), methanol, ammonia, urea, steel products, beverages, cereal and cereal products, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus fruit, vegetables, flowers
Exports - partners:
US 44.5%, Spain 7.8%, Jamaica 6.9%, Netherlands 6.9%, Mexico 4.9% (2008)
Imports:
$9.788 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 94 $7.67 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
mineral fuels, lubricants, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, chemicals, live animals
Imports - partners:
US 26.8%, Brazil 9.8%, Venezuela 7.9%, Colombia 6.2%, China 4.1%, Gabon 4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$9.496 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 67 $6.745 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$3.289 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 117 $2.869 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$102 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $12.44 billion (2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$3.829 billion (2007) country comparison to the world: 60
Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars (TTD) per US dollar - 6.2896 (2008 est.), 6.3275 (2007), 6.3107 (2006), 6.2842 (2005), 6.299 (2004)
Communications ::Trinidad and Tobago
Telephones - main lines in use:
307,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 115
Telephones - mobile cellular:
1.505 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 132
Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent international service; good local service
domestic: mobile-cellular teledensity roughly 175 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 1-868; submarine cable systems provide connectivity to US and parts of the Caribbean and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and Guyana
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
6 (2005)
Internet country code:
.tt
Internet hosts:
162,849 (2009) country comparison to the world: 67
Internet users:
227,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 132
Transportation ::Trinidad and Tobago
Airports:
6 (2009) country comparison to the world: 175
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 659 km; oil 336 km (2008)
Roadways:
total: 8,320 km country comparison to the world: 139 paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (2000)
Merchant marine:
total: 9 country comparison to the world: 118 by type: passenger 2, passenger/cargo 5, petroleum tanker 2
foreign-owned: 1 (US 1)
registered in other countries: 2 (Bahamas 1, unknown 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain
Military ::Trinidad and Tobago
Military branches:
Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force (TTDF): Trinidad and Tobago Army, Coast Guard, Air Guard, Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service (16 years of age with parental consent); no conscription (2008)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 301,561
females age 16-49: 264,225 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 276,224
females age 16-49: 271,677 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 9,183
female: 8,662 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
0.3% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 169
Transnational Issues ::Trinidad and Tobago
Disputes - international:
in April 2006, the Permanent Court of Arbitration issued a decision that delimited a maritime boundary with Trinidad and Tobago and compelled Barbados to enter a fishing agreement that limited Barbadian fishermen's catches of flying fish in Trinidad and Tobago's exclusive economic zone; in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration under UNCLOS challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to include itself in the arbitration as the Trinidad and Tobago-Venezuela maritime boundary may extend into its waters as well
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe; producer of cannabis
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Tunisia (Africa)
Introduction ::Tunisia
Background:
Rivalry between French and Italian interests in Tunisia culminated in a French invasion in 1881 and the creation of a protectorate. Agitation for independence in the decades following World War I was finally successful in getting the French to recognize Tunisia as an independent state in 1956. The country's first president, Habib BOURGUIBA, established a strict one-party state. He dominated the country for 31 years, repressing Islamic fundamentalism and establishing rights for women unmatched by any other Arab nation. In November 1987, BOURGUIBA was removed from office and replaced by Zine el Abidine BEN ALI in a bloodless coup. BEN ALI is currently serving his fourth consecutive five-year term as president; the next elections are scheduled for October 2009. Tunisia has long taken a moderate, non-aligned stance in its foreign relations. Domestically, it has sought to defuse rising pressure for a more open political society.
Geography ::Tunisia
Location:
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Algeria and Libya
Geographic coordinates:
34 00 N, 9 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 163,610 sq km country comparison to the world: 92 land: 155,360 sq km
water: 8,250 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Georgia
Land boundaries:
total: 1,424 km
border countries: Algeria 965 km, Libya 459 km
Coastline:
1,148 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 12 nm
Climate:
temperate in north with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers; desert in south
Terrain:
mountains in north; hot, dry central plain; semiarid south merges into the Sahara
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Shatt al Gharsah -17 m
highest point: Jebel ech Chambi 1,544 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, phosphates, iron ore, lead, zinc, salt
Land use:
arable land: 17.05%
permanent crops: 13.08%
other: 69.87% (2005)
Irrigated land:
3,940 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
4.6 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 2.64 cu km/yr (14%/4%/82%)
per capita: 261 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
toxic and hazardous waste disposal is ineffective and poses health risks; water pollution from raw sewage; limited natural fresh water resources; deforestation; overgrazing; soil erosion; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Geography - note:
strategic location in central Mediterranean; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
People ::Tunisia
Population:
10,486,339 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22.7% (male 1,227,238/female 1,149,796)
15-64 years: 70.1% (male 3,701,661/female 3,652,322)
65 years and over: 7.2% (male 352,003/female 403,319) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 29.2 years
male: 28.7 years
female: 29.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
0.98% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Birth rate:
15.42 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Death rate:
5.2 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 183
Net migration rate:
-0.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 107
Urbanization:
urban population: 67% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.7% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female
total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 22.57 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 98 male: 24.81 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.78 years country comparison to the world: 72 male: 73.98 years
female: 77.7 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
1.72 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 168
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 135
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
3,700 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Nationality:
noun: Tunisian(s)
adjective: Tunisian
Ethnic groups:
Arab 98%, European 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Religions:
Muslim 98%, Christian 1%, Jewish and other 1%
Languages:
Arabic (official and one of the languages of commerce), French (commerce)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74.3%
male: 83.4%
female: 65.3% (2004 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 14 years
male: 13 years
female: 14 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
7.3% of GDP (2005) country comparison to the world: 19
Government ::Tunisia
Country name:
conventional long form: Tunisian Republic
conventional short form: Tunisia
local long form: Al Jumhuriyah at Tunisiyah
local short form: Tunis
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Tunis
geographic coordinates: 36 48 N, 10 11 E
time difference: UTC+1 (6 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 governorates; Ariana (Aryanah), Beja (Bajah), Ben Arous (Bin 'Arus), Bizerte (Banzart), Gabes (Qabis), Gafsa (Qafsah), Jendouba (Jundubah), Kairouan (Al Qayrawan), Kasserine (Al Qasrayn), Kebili (Qibili), Kef (Al Kaf), Mahdia (Al Mahdiyah), Manouba (Manubah), Medenine (Madanin), Monastir (Al Munastir), Nabeul (Nabul), Sfax (Safaqis), Sidi Bou Zid (Sidi Bu Zayd), Siliana (Silyanah), Sousse (Susah), Tataouine (Tatawin), Tozeur (Tawzar), Tunis, Zaghouan (Zaghwan)
Independence:
20 March 1956 (from France)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 20 March (1956); also the anniversary of BEN ALI's assumption of the presidency, 7 November (1987)
Constitution:
1 June 1959; amended 1988, 2002
Legal system:
based on French civil law system and Islamic law; some judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court in joint session; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal except for active government security forces (including the police and the military), people with mental disabilities, people who have served more than three months in prison (criminal cases only), and people given a suspended sentence of more than six months
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Zine el Abidine BEN ALI (since 7 November 1987)
head of government: Prime Minister Mohamed GHANNOUCHI (since 17 November 1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (no term limits); election last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014); prime minister appointed by the president
election results: President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI reelected for a fifth term; percent of vote - Zine El Abidine BEN ALI 89.6%, Mohamed BOUCHIHA 5%, Ahmed INOUBLI 3.8%, Ahmed BRAHIM 1.6%; voter turnout 89.4%
Legislative branch:
bicameral system consists of the Chamber of Advisors (126 seats; 85 members elected by municipal counselors, deputies, mayors, and professional associations and trade unions; 41 members are presidential appointees; members serve six-year terms); and the Chamber of Deputies or Majlis al-Nuwaab (214 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: Chamber of Advisors - last held on 3 July 2005 (next to be held in July 2011); Chamber of Deputies - last held on 25 October 2009 (next to be held in October 2014);
election results: Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RCD 161, MDS 16, PUP 12, UDU 9, PSL 8, PVP 6, Et-Tajdid 2; voter turnout 89.4%
Judicial branch:
Court of Cassation or Cour de Cassation
Political parties and leaders:
Al-Tajdid Movement [Ahmed IBRAHIM]; Constitutional Democratic Rally Party (Rassemblement Constitutionnel Democratique) or RCD (official ruling party) [President Zine El Abidine BEN ALI]; Democratic Forum for Labor and Liberties or FDTL [Mustapha Ben JAFAAR]; Green Party for Progress or PVP [Mongi KHAMASSI]; Liberal Social Party or PSL [Mondher THABET]; Movement of Socialist Democrats or MDS [Ismail BOULAHYA]; Popular Unity Party or PUP [Mohamed BOUCHIHA]; Progressive Democratic Party [Maya JERIBI]; Unionist Democratic Union or UDU [Ahmed INOUBLI]; note - the Islamist party, Al Nahda (Renaissance), is outlawed
Political pressure groups and leaders:
18 October Group [collective leadership]; Tunisian League for Human Rights or LTDH [Mokhtar TRIFI]
International organization participation:
ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, AMU, AU, BSEC (observer), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAS, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC (suspended), OAS (observer), OIC, OIF, OPCW, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNOCI, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Habib MANSOUR
chancery: 1515 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 862-1850
FAX: [1] (202) 862-1858
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert F. GODEC
embassy: Zone Nord-Est des Berges du Lac Nord de Tunis 1053
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [216] 71 107-000
FAX: [216] 71 963-263
Flag description:
red with a white disk in the center bearing a red crescent nearly encircling a red five-pointed star; the crescent and star are traditional symbols of Islam
Economy ::Tunisia
Economy - overview:
Tunisia has a diverse economy, with important agricultural, mining, tourism, and manufacturing sectors. Governmental control of economic affairs while still heavy has gradually lessened over the past decade with increasing privatization, simplification of the tax structure, and a prudent approach to debt. Progressive social policies also have helped raise living conditions in Tunisia relative to the region. Real growth, which averaged almost 5% over the past decade, declined to 4.7% in 2008 and probably will decline further in 2009 because of economic contraction and slowing of import demand in Europe - Tunisia's largest export market. However, development of non-textile manufacturing, a recovery in agricultural production, and strong growth in the services sector somewhat mitigated the economic effect of slowing exports. Tunisia will need to reach even higher growth levels to create sufficient employment opportunities for an already large number of unemployed as well as the growing population of university graduates. The challenges ahead include: privatizing industry, liberalizing the investment code to increase foreign investment, improving government efficiency, reducing the trade deficit, and reducing socioeconomic disparities in the impoverished south and west.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$81.98 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 74 $78.53 billion (2007 est.)
$73.67 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$40.84 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
4.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 99 6.6% (2007 est.)
5.3% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$7,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 122 $7,600 (2007 est.)
$7,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 10.5%
industry: 37%
services: 52.5% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
3.66 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 55%
industry: 23%
services: 22% (1995 est.)
Unemployment rate:
14.1% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 150 14.1% (2007 est.)
Population below poverty line:
7.4% (2005 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.3%
highest 10%: 31.5% (2000)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
40 (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 62 41.7 (1995 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):
21.8% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86
Budget:
revenues: $9.843 billion
expenditures: $11.3 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
48.4% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 59.2% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 86 3.1% (2007 est.)
Stock of money:
$9.892 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 44 $9.491 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$14.72 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 46 $13.56 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$26.5 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 55 $25.23 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$6.374 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 86 $5.355 billion (31 December 2007)
$4.446 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
olives, olive oil, grain, tomatoes, citrus fruit, sugar beets, dates, almonds; beef, dairy products
Industries:
petroleum, mining (particularly phosphate and iron ore), tourism, textiles, footwear, agribusiness, beverages
Industrial production growth rate:
2.7% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
Electricity - production:
13.79 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Electricity - consumption:
11.9 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 77
Electricity - exports:
130 million kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
145 million kWh (2007 est.)
Oil - production:
86,930 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Oil - consumption:
90,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Oil - exports:
77,130 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Oil - imports:
87,300 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 70
Oil - proved reserves:
425 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 49
Natural gas - production:
2.97 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Natural gas - consumption:
4.22 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 101
Natural gas - imports:
1.25 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 53
Natural gas - proved reserves:
65.13 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 59
Current account balance:
-$1.667 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 134 -$904 million (2007 est.)
Exports:
$19.22 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 73 $15.15 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
clothing, semi-finished goods and textiles, agricultural products, mechanical goods, phosphates and chemicals, hydrocarbons, electrical equipment
Exports - partners:
France 28.3%, Italy 17.9%, Germany 9.6%, Libya 5.8%, Spain 5% (2008)
Imports:
$23.23 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 69 $18.02 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
textiles, machinery and equipment, hydrocarbons, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
France 21.5%, Italy 19.3%, Germany 9%, Libya 4.6%, Spain 4.5% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$8.853 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 71 $7.854 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$20.81 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 71 $20.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$28.67 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 59 $26.22 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$162 million (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 77 $118 million (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Tunisian dinars (TND) per US dollar - 1.211 (2008 est.), 1.2776 (2007), 1.331 (2006), 1.2974 (2005), 1.2455 (2004)
Communications ::Tunisia
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.239 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 70
Telephones - mobile cellular:
8.569 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 67
Telephone system:
general assessment: above the African average and continuing to be upgraded; key centers are Sfax, Sousse, Bizerte, and Tunis; Internet access available
domestic: in an effort jumpstart expansion of the fixed-line network, the government has awarded a concession to build and operate a VSAT network with international connectivity; competition between the two mobile-cellular service providers has resulted in lower activation and usage charges and a strong surge in subscribership; expansion of mobile-cellular services to include multimedia messaging and e-mail and Internet to mobile phone services also leading to a surge in subscribership; overall fixed-line and mobile-cellular teledensity is about 95 telephones per 100 persons
international: country code - 216; a landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-4 submarine cable system that provides links to Europe, Middle East, and Asia; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; coaxial cable and microwave radio relay to Algeria and Libya; participant in Medarabtel; 2 international gateway digital switches
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 7, FM 38, shortwave 2 (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
26 (plus 76 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
.tn
Internet hosts:
406 (2009) country comparison to the world: 175
Internet users:
2.8 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 62
Transportation ::Tunisia
Airports:
32 (2009) country comparison to the world: 114
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 16
over 3,047 m: 4
2,438 to 3,047 m: 7
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 3 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 16
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 7 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 2,102 km; oil 1,195 km; refined products 372 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,159 km country comparison to the world: 69 standard gauge: 471 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 1,688 km 1.000-m gauge (65 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 19,232 km country comparison to the world: 112 paved: 12,655 km (includes 262 km of expressways)
unpaved: 6,577 km (2004)
Merchant marine:
total: 7 country comparison to the world: 126 by type: bulk carrier 1, cargo 1, chemical tanker 1, passenger/cargo 4
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bizerte, Gabes, La Goulette, Rades, Sfax, Skhira
Military ::Tunisia
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Republic of Tunisia Air Force (Al-Quwwat al-Jawwiya al-Jamahiriyah At'tunisia) (2008)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age for compulsory military service, 18 years of age for voluntary military service; 1-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,992,249
females age 16-49: 2,912,819 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,569,403
females age 16-49: 2,489,651 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 100,478
female: 94,055 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.4% of GDP (2006) country comparison to the world: 114
Transnational Issues ::Tunisia
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Turkey (Middle East)
Introduction ::Turkey
Background:
Modern Turkey was founded in 1923 from the Anatolian remnants of the defeated Ottoman Empire by national hero Mustafa KEMAL, who was later honored with the title Ataturk or "Father of the Turks." Under his authoritarian leadership, the country adopted wide-ranging social, legal, and political reforms. After a period of one-party rule, an experiment with multi-party politics led to the 1950 election victory of the opposition Democratic Party and the peaceful transfer of power. Since then, Turkish political parties have multiplied, but democracy has been fractured by periods of instability and intermittent military coups (1960, 1971, 1980), which in each case eventually resulted in a return of political power to civilians. In 1997, the military again helped engineer the ouster - popularly dubbed a "post-modern coup" - of the then Islamic-oriented government. Turkey intervened militarily on Cyprus in 1974 to prevent a Greek takeover of the island and has since acted as patron state to the "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus," which only Turkey recognizes. A separatist insurgency begun in 1984 by the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) - now known as the People's Congress of Kurdistan or Kongra-Gel (KGK) - has dominated the Turkish military's attention and claimed more than 30,000 lives. After the capture of the group's leader in 1999, the insurgents largely withdrew from Turkey mainly to northern Iraq. In 2004, KGK announced an end to its ceasefire and attacks attributed to the KGK increased. Turkey joined the UN in 1945 and in 1952 it became a member of NATO; it holds a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council from 2009-10. In 1964, Turkey became an associate member of the European Community. Over the past decade, it has undertaken many reforms to strengthen its democracy and economy; it began accession membership talks with the European Union in 2005.
Geography ::Turkey
Location:
Southeastern Europe and Southwestern Asia (that portion of Turkey west of the Bosporus is geographically part of Europe), bordering the Black Sea, between Bulgaria and Georgia, and bordering the Aegean Sea and the Mediterranean Sea, between Greece and Syria
Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 35 00 E
Map references:
Middle East
Area:
total: 783,562 sq km country comparison to the world: 37 land: 769,632 sq km
water: 13,930 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Texas
Land boundaries:
total: 2,648 km
border countries: Armenia 268 km, Azerbaijan 9 km, Bulgaria 240 km, Georgia 252 km, Greece 206 km, Iran 499 km, Iraq 352 km, Syria 822 km
Coastline:
7,200 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 6 nm in the Aegean Sea; 12 nm in Black Sea and in Mediterranean Sea
exclusive economic zone: in Black Sea only: to the maritime boundary agreed upon with the former USSR
Climate:
temperate; hot, dry summers with mild, wet winters; harsher in interior
Terrain:
high central plateau (Anatolia); narrow coastal plain; several mountain ranges
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Ararat 5,166 m
Natural resources:
coal, iron ore, copper, chromium, antimony, mercury, gold, barite, borate, celestite (strontium), emery, feldspar, limestone, magnesite, marble, perlite, pumice, pyrites (sulfur), clay, arable land, hydropower
Land use:
arable land: 29.81%
permanent crops: 3.39%
other: 66.8% (2005)
Irrigated land:
52,150 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
234 cu km (2003)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 39.78 cu km/yr (15%/11%/74%)
per capita: 544 cu m/yr (2001)
Natural hazards:
severe earthquakes, especially in northern Turkey, along an arc extending from the Sea of Marmara to Lake Van
Environment - current issues:
water pollution from dumping of chemicals and detergents; air pollution, particularly in urban areas; deforestation; concern for oil spills from increasing Bosporus ship traffic
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Air Pollution, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
strategic location controlling the Turkish Straits (Bosporus, Sea of Marmara, Dardanelles) that link Black and Aegean Seas; Mount Ararat, the legendary landing place of Noah's ark, is in the far eastern portion of the country
People ::Turkey
Population:
76,805,524 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 17
Age structure:
0-14 years: 27.2% (male 10,701,631/female 10,223,260)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 25,896,326/female 25,327,403)
65 years and over: 6.1% (male 2,130,360/female 2,526,544) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.7 years
male: 27.4 years
female: 28.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.312% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 102
Birth rate:
18.66 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 110
Death rate:
6.1 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
Net migration rate:
0.56 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Urbanization:
urban population: 69% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.9% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 25.78 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 85 male: 26.84 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 24.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.96 years country comparison to the world: 122 male: 70.12 years
female: 73.89 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.21 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 117
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1%; note - no country specific models provided (2001 est.) country comparison to the world: 159
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA (2007 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Turk(s)
adjective: Turkish
Ethnic groups:
Turkish 70-75%, Kurdish 18%, other minorities 7-12% (2008 est.)
Religions:
Muslim 99.8% (mostly Sunni), other 0.2% (mostly Christians and Jews)
Languages:
Turkish (official), Kurdish, other minority languages
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 87.4%
male: 95.3%
female: 79.6% (2004 est.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 12 years
female: 11 years (2006)
Education expenditures:
4% of GDP (2004) country comparison to the world: 102
Government ::Turkey
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Turkey
conventional short form: Turkey
local long form: Turkiye Cumhuriyeti
local short form: Turkiye
Government type:
republican parliamentary democracy
Capital:
name: Ankara
geographic coordinates: 39 56 N, 32 52 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:
81 provinces (iller, singular - ili); Adana, Adiyaman, Afyonkarahisar, Agri, Aksaray, Amasya, Ankara, Antalya, Ardahan, Artvin, Aydin, Balikesir, Bartin, Batman, Bayburt, Bilecik, Bingol, Bitlis, Bolu, Burdur, Bursa, Canakkale, Cankiri, Corum, Denizli, Diyarbakir, Duzce, Edirne, Elazig, Erzincan, Erzurum, Eskisehir, Gaziantep, Giresun, Gumushane, Hakkari, Hatay, Igdir, Isparta, Istanbul, Izmir (Smyrna), Kahramanmaras, Karabuk, Karaman, Kars, Kastamonu, Kayseri, Kilis, Kirikkale, Kirklareli, Kirsehir, Kocaeli, Konya, Kutahya, Malatya, Manisa, Mardin, Mersin (Icel), Mugla, Mus, Nevsehir, Nigde, Ordu, Osmaniye, Rize, Sakarya, Samsun, Sanliurfa, Siirt, Sinop, Sirnak, Sivas, Tekirdag, Tokat, Trabzon (Trebizond), Tunceli, Usak, Van, Yalova, Yozgat, Zonguldak
Independence:
29 October 1923 (successor state to the Ottoman Empire)
National holiday:
Republic Day, 29 October (1923)
Constitution:
7 November 1982; amended 17 May 1987, 1995, 2001, and 2007; note - amendment passed by referendum concerning presidential elections on 21 October 2007
Legal system:
civil law system derived from various European continental legal systems; note - member of the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), although Turkey claims limited derogations on the ratified European Convention on Human Rights; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Abdullah GUL (since 28 August 2007)
head of government: Prime Minister Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN (since 14 March 2003); Deputy Prime Minister Cemil CICEK (since 29 August 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Ali BABACAN (since 1 May 2009); Deputy Prime Minister Bulent ARINC (since 1 May 2009)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the nomination of the prime minister
elections: president elected directly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); prime minister appointed by the president from among members of parliament
election results: on 28 August 2007 the National Assembly elected Abdullah GUL president on the third ballot; National Assembly vote - 339
note: in October 2007 Turkish voters approved a referendum package of constitutional amendments including a provision for direct presidential elections
Legislative branch:
unicameral Grand National Assembly of Turkey or Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi (550 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 22 July 2007 (next to be held in November 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - AKP 46.7%, CHP 20.8%, MHP 14.3%, independents 5.2%, and other 13.0%; seats by party - AKP 341, CHP 112, MHP 71, independents 26; note - seats by party as of 31 January 2009 - AKP 340, CHP 97, MHP 70, DTP 21, DSP 13, ODP 1, BBP 1, independents 5, vacant 2 (DTP entered parliament as independents; DSP entered parliament on CHP's party list); only parties surpassing the 10% threshold are entitled to parliamentary seats
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; High Court of Appeals (Yargitay); Council of State (Danistay); Court of Accounts (Sayistay); Military High Court of Appeals; Military High Administrative Court
Political parties and leaders:
Anavatan Partisi (Motherland Party) or Anavatan [Erkan MUMCU]; note - True Path Party or DYP has merged with the Motherland Party; Democratic Party or DP [Husamettin CINDORUK]; Democratic Left Party or DSP [Masum TURKER]; Democratic Society Party or DTP [Ahmet TURK]; Felicity Party or SP [Numan KURTULMUS] (sometimes translated as Contentment Party); Freedom and Solidarity Party or ODP [Hayri KOZANOGLU]; Grand Unity Party or BBP; note - Mushin YAZICIOGLU, former leader of the Grand Unity Party was killed in an March 2009 helicopter crash; Justice and Development Party or AKP [Recep Tayyip ERDOGAN]; Nationalist Movement Party or MHP [Devlet BAHCELI] (sometimes translated as Nationalist Action Party); People's Rise Party (Halkin Yukselisi Partisi) or HYP [Yasar Nuri OZTURK]; Republican People's Party or CHP [Deniz BAYKAL]; Social Democratic People's Party or SHP [Ugur CILASUN (acting)]; Young Party or GP [Cem Cengiz UZAN]
note: the parties listed above are some of the more significant of the 49 parties that Turkey had as of 31 January 2009
Political pressure groups and leaders:
Confederation of Public Sector Unions or KESK [Sami EVREN]; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers Unions or DISK [Suleyman CELEBI]; Independent Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or MUSIAD [Omer Cihad VARDAN]; Moral Rights Workers Union or Hak-Is [Salim USLU]; Turkish Confederation of Employers' Unions or TISK [Tugurl KUDATGOBILIK]; Turkish Confederation of Labor or Turk-Is [Mustafa KUMLU]; Turkish Confederation of Tradesmen and Craftsmen or TESK [Dervis GUNDAY]; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association or TUSIAD [Arzuhan Dogan YALCINDAG]; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and Commodity Exchanges or TOBB [M. Rifat HISARCIKLIOGLU]
International organization participation:
ADB (nonregional member), Australia Group, BIS, BSEC, CE, CERN (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EU (applicant), FAO, G-20, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, SECI, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIFIL, UNMIS, UNOCI, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nabi SENSOY
chancery: 2525 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 612-6700
FAX: [1] (202) 612-6744
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, New York
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador James F. JEFFREY
embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Kavaklidere, 06100 Ankara
mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823
telephone: [90] (312) 455-5555
FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019
consulate(s) general: Istanbul
consulate(s): Adana; note - there is a Consular Agent in Izmir
Flag description:
red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just outside the crescent opening
Economy ::Turkey
Economy - overview:
Turkey's dynamic economy is a complex mix of modern industry and commerce along with a traditional agriculture sector that still accounts for about 30% of employment. It has a strong and rapidly growing private sector, yet the state remains a major participant in basic industry, banking, transport, and communication. The largest industrial sector is textiles and clothing, which accounts for one-third of industrial employment; it faces stiff competition in international markets with the end of the global quota system. However, other sectors, notably the automotive and electronics industries, are rising in importance within Turkey's export mix. Real GDP growth has exceeded 6% in many years, but this strong expansion has been interrupted by sharp declines in output in 1994, 1999, and 2001. Due to global contractions, annual growth is estimated to have fallen to 1.1% in 2008. Inflation fell to 7.7% in 2005 - a 30-year low - but climbed to over 10% in 2008. Despite the strong economic gains from 2002-07, which were largely due to renewed investor interest in emerging markets, IMF backing, and tighter fiscal policy, the economy is still burdened by a high current account deficit and high external debt. Further economic and judicial reforms and prospective EU membership are expected to boost foreign direct investment. The stock value of FDI stood at nearly $130 billion at year-end 2008. Privatization sales are currently approaching $21 billion. Oil began to flow through the Baku-Tblisi-Ceyhan pipeline in May 2006, marking a major milestone that will bring up to 1 million barrels per day from the Caspian to market. In 2007 and 2008, Turkish financial markets weathered significant domestic political turmoil, including turbulence sparked by controversy over the selection of former Foreign Minister Abdullah GUL as Turkey's 11th president and the possible closure of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). Economic fundamentals are sound, marked by moderate economic growth and foreign direct investment. Nevertheless, the Turkish economy may be faced with more negative economic indicators in 2009 as a result of the global economic slowdown. In addition, Turkey's high current account deficit leaves the economy vulnerable to destabilizing shifts in investor confidence.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$903.9 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 17 $895.8 billion (2007 est.)
$855.6 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$730 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
0.9% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 178 4.7% (2007 est.)
6.9% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,900 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 92 $12,000 (2007 est.)
$11,600 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 8.8%
industry: 27.5%
services: 63.8% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
24.06 million country comparison to the world: 25 note: about 1.2 million Turks work abroad (2008 est.)
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 29.5%
industry: 24.7%
services: 45.8% (2005)
Unemployment rate:
11% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 130 9.9% (2007 est.)
note: underemployment amounted to 4% in 2008
Population below poverty line:
20% (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 1.9%
highest 10%: 33.2% (2005)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:
43.6 (2003) country comparison to the world: 49
Investment (gross fixed):
20.3% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 104
Budget:
revenues: $160.5 billion
expenditures: $173.6 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
40% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 55 74.3% of GDP (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.4% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 154 8.7% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
25% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 4 25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$53.25 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 20 $63.88 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$248.4 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 12 $252.1 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$326.4 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 24 $355 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$117.9 billion (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 30 $286.6 billion (31 December 2007)
$162.4 billion (31 December 2006)
Agriculture - products:
tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, hazelnuts, pulse, citrus; livestock
Industries:
textiles, food processing, autos, electronics, mining (coal, chromite, copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Industrial production growth rate:
-0.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 138
Electricity - production:
181.9 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - consumption:
153.7 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 21
Electricity - exports:
1.063 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
790 million kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
46,120 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 64
Oil - consumption:
675,500 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 27
Oil - exports:
141,700 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 60
Oil - imports:
783,800 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 18
Oil - proved reserves:
300 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 54
Natural gas - production:
1.013 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 63
Natural gas - consumption:
37.18 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 23
Natural gas - exports:
435 million cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 38
Natural gas - imports:
36.72 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Natural gas - proved reserves:
8.495 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 82
Current account balance:
-$41.69 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 183 -$37.7 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$140.7 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 32 $115.4 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
apparel, foodstuffs, textiles, metal manufactures, transport equipment
Exports - partners:
Germany 9.8%, UK 6.2%, UAE 6%, Italy 5.9%, France 5%, Russia 4.9% (2008)
Imports:
$193.9 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 23 $162 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery, chemicals, semi-finished goods, fuels, transport equipment
Imports - partners:
Russia 15.5%, Germany 9.3%, China 7.8%, US 5.9%, Italy 5.5%, France 4.5%, Iran 4.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$73.66 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 21 $76.51 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$278.1 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 $249.4 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$128.7 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 26 $110.5 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$14.8 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 41 $10.97 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Exchange rates:
Turkish liras (TRY) per US dollar - 1.3179 (2008 est.), 1.319 (2007), 1.4286 (2006), 1.3436 (2005), 1.4255 (2004)
note: on 1 January 2005, the old Turkish lira (TRL) was converted to new Turkish lira (TRY) at a rate of 1,000,000 old to 1 new Turkish lira; on 1 January 2009, the Turkish government dropped the word "new" and the currency is now called simply the Turkish lira
Communications ::Turkey
Telephones - main lines in use:
17.502 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 18
Telephones - mobile cellular:
65.824 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 15
Telephone system:
general assessment: comprehensive telecommunications network undergoing rapid modernization and expansion especially in mobile-cellular services
domestic: additional digital exchanges are permitting a rapid increase in subscribers; the construction of a network of technologically advanced intercity trunk lines, using both fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay, is facilitating communication between urban centers; remote areas are reached by a domestic satellite system; the number of subscribers to mobile-cellular telephone service is growing rapidly
international: country code - 90; international service is provided by the SEA-ME-WE-3 submarine cable and by submarine fiber-optic cables in the Mediterranean and Black Seas that link Turkey with Italy, Greece, Israel, Bulgaria, Romania, and Russia; satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat; mobile satellite terminals - 328 in the Inmarsat and Eutelsat systems (2002)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 107, shortwave 6 (2001)
Television broadcast stations:
635 (plus 2,934 repeaters) (1995)
Internet country code:
.tr
Internet hosts:
2.961 million (2009) country comparison to the world: 27
Internet users:
24.483 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 15
Transportation ::Turkey
Airports:
102 (2009) country comparison to the world: 59
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 90
over 3,047 m: 16
2,438 to 3,047 m: 33
1,524 to 2,437 m: 20
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 7
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Heliports:
21 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 7,555 km; oil 3,636 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 8,697 km country comparison to the world: 23 standard gauge: 8,697 km 1.435-m gauge (1,920 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 426,951 km (includes 1,987 km of expressways) (2006) country comparison to the world: 13
Waterways:
1,200 km (2008) country comparison to the world: 60
Merchant marine:
total: 612 country comparison to the world: 19 by type: bulk carrier 101, cargo 281, chemical tanker 70, combination ore/oil 1, container 35, liquefied gas 7, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 51, petroleum tanker 31, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 28, specialized tanker 2
foreign-owned: 8 (Cyprus 2, Germany 1, Greece 1, Italy 3, UAE 1)
registered in other countries: 595 (Albania 1, Antigua and Barbuda 6, Bahamas 8, Belize 15, Cambodia 26, Comoros 8, Dominica 5, Georgia 14, Greece 1, Isle of Man 2, Italy 1, Kiribati 1, Liberia 7, Malta 176, Marshall Islands 50, Moldova 3, Netherlands 1, Netherlands Antilles 10, Panama 94, Russia 80, Saint Kitts and Nevis 35, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 20, Sierra Leone 15, Slovakia 10, Tuvalu 2, UK 2, unknown 2) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Aliaga, Diliskelesi, Izmir, Kocaeli (Izmit), Mercin Limani, Nemrut Limani
Military ::Turkey
Military branches:
Turkish Armed Forces (TSK): Turkish Land Forces (Turk Kara Kuvvetleri), Turkish Naval Forces (Turk Deniz Kuvvetleri; includes naval air and naval infantry), Turkish Air Force (Turk Hava Kuvvetleri) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
20 years of age (2004)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 20,213,205
females age 16-49: 19,432,688 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,223,506
females age 16-49: 16,995,299 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 692,592
female: 663,689 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
5.3% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 17
Military - note:
a "National Security Policy Document" adopted in October 2005 increases the Turkish Armed Forces (TSK) role in internal security, augmenting the General Directorate of Security and Gendarmerie General Command (Jandarma); the TSK leadership continues to play a key role in politics and considers itself guardian of Turkey's secular state; in April 2007, it warned the ruling party about any pro-Islamic appointments; despite on-going negotiations on EU accession since October 2005, progress has been limited in establishing required civilian supremacy over the military; primary domestic threats are listed as fundamentalism (with the definition in some dispute with the civilian government), separatism (the Kurdish problem), and the extreme left wing; Ankara strongly opposed establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region; an overhaul of the Turkish Land Forces Command (TLFC) taking place under the "Force 2014" program is to produce 20-30% smaller, more highly trained forces characterized by greater mobility and firepower and capable of joint and combined operations; the TLFC has taken on increasing international peacekeeping responsibilities, and took charge of a NATO International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) command in Afghanistan in April 2007; the Turkish Navy is a regional naval power that wants to develop the capability to project power beyond Turkey's coastal waters; the Navy is heavily involved in NATO, multinational, and UN operations; its roles include control of territorial waters and security for sea lines of communications; the Turkish Air Force adopted an "Aerospace and Missile Defense Concept" in 2002 and has initiated project work on an integrated missile defense system; Air Force priorities include attaining a modern deployable, survivable, and sustainable force structure, and establishing a sustainable command and control system (2008)
Transnational Issues ::Turkey
Disputes - international:
complex maritime, air, and territorial disputes with Greece in the Aegean Sea; status of north Cyprus question remains; Syria and Iraq protest Turkish hydrological projects to control upper Euphrates waters; Turkey has expressed concern over the status of Kurds in Iraq; border with Armenia remains closed over Nagorno-Karabakh
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
IDPs: 1-1.2 million (fighting 1984-99 between Kurdish PKK and Turkish military; most IDPs in southeastern provinces) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
key transit route for Southwest Asian heroin to Western Europe and, to a lesser extent, the US - via air, land, and sea routes; major Turkish and other international trafficking organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert imported morphine base into heroin exist in remote regions of Turkey and near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and over output of poppy straw concentrate; lax enforcement of money-laundering controls
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Turkmenistan (Central Asia)
Introduction ::Turkmenistan
Background:
Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a vice premier under NYYAZOW, emerged as the country's new president.
Geography ::Turkmenistan
Location:
Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Geographic coordinates:
40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references:
Asia
Area:
total: 488,100 sq km country comparison to the world: 52 land: 469,930 sq km
water: 18,170 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Coastline:
0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
subtropical desert
Terrain:
flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)
highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Natural resources:
petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Land use:
arable land: 4.51%
permanent crops: 0.14%
other: 95.35% (2005)
Irrigated land:
18,000 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
60.9 cu km (1997)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 24.65 cu km/yr (2%/1%/98%)
per capita: 5,104 cu m/yr (2000)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, water logging of soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution; diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the Aral Sea; desertification
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
landlocked; the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau
People ::Turkmenistan
Population:
4,884,887 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 114
Age structure:
0-14 years: 28.9% (male 713,698/female 697,222)
15-64 years: 66.9% (male 1,618,678/female 1,646,992)
65 years and over: 4.3% (male 90,352/female 117,945) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.4 years
male: 24.1 years
female: 24.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.141% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 116
Birth rate:
19.69 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 103
Death rate:
6.31 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 152
Net migration rate:
-1.97 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 137
Urbanization:
urban population: 49% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 45.36 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 56 male: 53.85 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 36.46 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.87 years country comparison to the world: 153 male: 64.94 years
female: 70.95 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.22 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 115
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 158
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
fewer than 200 (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 160
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
fewer than 100 (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic groups:
Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Religions:
Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Languages:
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.8%
male: 99.3%
female: 98.3% (1999 est.)
Education expenditures:
3.9% of GDP (1991) country comparison to the world: 108
Government ::Turkmenistan
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan
local long form: none
local short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:
republic; authoritarian presidential rule, with little power outside the executive branch
Capital:
name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)
geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E
time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), Ashgabat*, Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Independence:
27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Constitution:
adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system:
based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007)
cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in February 2012)
election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%, Amanyaz ATAJYKOW 3.2%, other candidates 7.6%
Legislative branch:
unicameral parliament known as the National Assembly (Mejlis) (125 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 14 December 2008 (next to be held December 2013)
election results: 100% of elected officials are members of either the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or its pseudo-civil society parent organization, the Revival Movement, and are preapproved by the president
note: in autumn 2008, the constitution of Turkmenistan was revised to abolish the 2,507-member legislative body known as the People's Council and to expand the number of deputies in the National Assembly from 65 to 125; the powers formerly held by the People's Council were divided up between the president and the National Assembly
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW]
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist abroad; the three most prominent opposition groups-in-exile are the National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT), the Republican Party of Turkmenistan, and the Watan (Fatherland) Party; the NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 attack on President NYYAZOW's motorcade
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO (guest), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW
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 Richard M. MILES
embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000
mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070
telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45
FAX: [993] (12) 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; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or welayats 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 largely a desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and sizeable gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's 10th-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. From 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 roughly 15% per year from 2003-08, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. A new pipeline to China, set to come online in late 2009 or early 2010, will give Turkmenistan an additional export route for its gas. 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 reluctance to adopt market-oriented reforms. In the past, Turkmenistan's economic statistics were state secrets. The new government has established a State Agency for Statistics, but GDP numbers and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. Since his election, President BERDIMUHAMEDOW has sought to improve the health and education systems, unified the country's dual currency exchange rate, ordered the redenomination of the manat, reduced state subsidies for gasoline, increased Internet access both in schools and Internet cafes, ordered an independent audit of Turkmenistan's gas resources, and created a special tourism zone on the Caspian Sea. Although foreign investment is encouraged, numerous bureaucratic obstacles from the NYYZOW-era remain.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$31.28 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 105 $28.49 billion (2007 est.)
$25.53 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$29.16 billion (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
9.8% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 13 11.6% (2007 est.)
11.4% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$6,500 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 128 $6,000 (2007 est.)
$5,400 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.1%
industry: 39%
services: 51.9% (2008 est.)
Labor force:
13.51 million (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 41
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 48.2%
industry: 14%
services: 37.8% (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate:
60% (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 196
Population below poverty line:
30% (2004 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) country comparison to the world: 59
Investment (gross fixed):
1.2% of GDP (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 150
Budget:
revenues: $1.667 billion
expenditures: $1.407 billion (2008 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
13% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 181 11.3% (2007 est.)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$NA
Agriculture - products:
cotton, grain; livestock
Industries:
natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Industrial production growth rate:
-1.5% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 148
Electricity - production:
13.99 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Electricity - consumption:
10.45 billion kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Electricity - exports:
1.46 billion kWh (2007 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
189,400 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 42
Oil - consumption:
112,000 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 73
Oil - exports:
84,770 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 69
Oil - imports:
2,542 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 173
Oil - proved reserves:
600 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 43
Natural gas - production:
70.5 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Natural gas - consumption:
21 billion cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35
Natural gas - exports:
48.5 billion cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 7
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 123
Natural gas - proved reserves:
2.662 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 12
Current account balance:
$4.669 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 35 $3.285 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$11.92 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 82 $7.919 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, textiles, cotton fiber
Exports - partners:
Ukraine 51.7%, Poland 10%, Hungary 8.1% (2008)
Imports:
$5.654 billion (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 111 $3.615 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:
China 16.9%, Russia 15.9%, Turkey 14%, UAE 10.3%, Ukraine 7.9%, Germany 5.6%, Iran 5.1% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$13.88 billion (31 December 2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 60 $13.19 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$1.4 billion (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 147 note: some estimates put this figure as high as $5 billion
Exchange rates:
Turkmen manat (TMM) per US dollar - 14,250 (as of 1 May 2008 est.)
Communications ::Turkmenistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
495,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 98
Telephones - mobile cellular:
810,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 146
Telephone system:
general assessment: telecommunications network remains underdeveloped and progress toward improvement is slow; strict government control and censorship inhibits liberalization and modernization
domestic: Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign partners, has installed high speed fiber-optic lines and has upgraded most of the country's telephone exchanges and switching centers with new digital technology; mobile telephone usage is expanding with Russia's Mobile Telesystems (MTS) the primary service provider
international: country code - 993; linked by fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; an exchange in Ashgabat switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat; satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Television broadcast stations:
4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)
Internet country code:
.tm
Internet hosts:
755 (2009) country comparison to the world: 164
Internet users:
75,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 161
Transportation ::Turkmenistan
Airports:
28 (2009) country comparison to the world: 120
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 22
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
1,524 to 2,437 m: 9
914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Heliports:
1 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 6,417 km; oil 1,457 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 2,980 km country comparison to the world: 56 broad gauge: 2,980 km 1.520-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 58,592 km country comparison to the world: 75 paved: 47,577 km
unpaved: 11,015 km (2002)
Waterways:
1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal are important inland waterways) (2008) country comparison to the world: 56
Merchant marine:
total: 7 country comparison to the world: 127 by type: cargo 4, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Turkmenbasy
Military ::Turkmenistan
Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
18-30 years of age for compulsory military service; 2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,316,698
females age 16-49: 1,331,005 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 1,024,884
females age 16-49: 1,147,714 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 57,021
female: 56,064 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
3.4% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 40
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); less than 1,000 (Afghanistan) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Turks and Caicos Islands (Central America and Caribbean)
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: 948 sq km country comparison to the world: 185 land: 948 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:
22,942 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 216
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.2% (male 3,528/female 3,401)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 7,875/female 7,164)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 475/female 499) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 27.9 years
male: 28.7 years
female: 27.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.563% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 31
Birth rate:
20.79 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 93
Death rate:
4.18 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 207
Net migration rate:
9.02 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 9
Urbanization:
urban population: 92% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 2.2% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.1 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.95 male(s)/female
total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 13.89 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 131 male: 16.02 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 75.42 years country comparison to the world: 77 male: 73.12 years
female: 77.83 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.95 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 75
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.)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 12 years (2005)
Education expenditures:
NA
People - note:
destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the 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 (Interim Amendment) Order 2009, S.I. 2009/701 - effective 14 August 2009 - suspended Ministerial government, the House of Assembly, and the constitutional right to trial by jury, and imposed direct British rule
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 Gordon WETHERELL (since 5 August 2008)
head of government: Governor Gordon WETHERELL (since 14 August 2009); note - the office of premier is suspended by the Order in Council, effective 14 August 2009
cabinet: under provisions of the Order in Council, the cabinet is suspended effective 14 August 2009 and replaced by an Advisory Council appointed by the governor
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
note: following an investigation into allegations of widespread corruption and misconduct within the Turks and Caicos Government, the UK foreign minister directed the governor to bring into effect on 14 August 2009 an Order in Council suspending Ministerial government and the House of Assembly, and imposing direct rule for a period of up to two years
Legislative branch:
under provisions of the Order in Council, the unicameral House of Assembly is dissolved and all seats vacated for a period of up to two years; in the interim, a Consultative Forum, appointed by the governor, will be established
elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held by July 2011)
election results: under provisions of the Order in Council, all seats in the House of Assembly are vacated
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders:
People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; 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.) country comparison to the world: 215
GDP (official exchange rate):
$NA
GDP - real growth rate:
4.9% (2000 est.) country comparison to the world: 91
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$11,500 (2002 est.) country comparison to the world: 97
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA%
Labor force:
4,848 (1990 est.) country comparison to the world: 213
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.) country comparison to the world: 124
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1995) country comparison to the world: 65
Agriculture - products:
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
12 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - consumption:
11.16 million kWh (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 210
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 165
Oil - imports:
80 bbl/day (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 125
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 132
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008) country comparison to the world: 105
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 128
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 131
Exports:
$169.2 million (2000) country comparison to the world: 184
Exports - commodities:
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Imports:
$175.6 million
Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
3,700 (2008) country comparison to the world: 217
Telephones - mobile cellular:
25,100 (2004) country comparison to the world: 203
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; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003)
Internet country code:
.tc
Internet hosts:
9,445 (2009) country comparison to the world: 117
Transportation ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Airports:
8 (2009) country comparison to the world: 163
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 121 km country comparison to the world: 210 paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008) country comparison to the world: 152
Ports and terminals:
Grand Turk, Providenciales
Military ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,937
females age 16-49: 4,648 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 226
female: 218 (2009 est.)
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
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Tuvalu (Australia-Oceania)
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 country comparison to the world: 236 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:
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 nine 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:
12,373 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 223
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.2% (male 1,841/female 1,770)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,973/female 4,141)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 240/female 408) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 25.4 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 26.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.616% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 83
Birth rate:
23.11 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 79
Death rate:
6.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 134
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 49% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.43 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 112 male: 20.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.29 years country comparison to the world: 148 male: 66.99 years
female: 71.7 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.91 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 76
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
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
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:
a parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
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 in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
1 October 1978 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution:
1 October 1978
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local customary law
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, ADB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, IOC, 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 and is almost entirely dependent upon imported food and fuel. Subsistence farming and fishing are the primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average, visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public sector workers make up most of those employed. About 15% of the adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad, and remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $4 million in 2006. Substantial income is received annually from the Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF) 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 grew from an initial $17 million to an estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TFF contributed nearly $9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing public sector reforms, including privatization of some government functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name with revenue of more than $2 million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the sale of stamps and coins. 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. Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.94 million (2002 est.) country comparison to the world: 226
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.94 million (2002)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 127
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2002 est.) country comparison to the world: 195
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 27.2%
services: 56.2% (2002)
Labor force:
3,615 (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 214
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%
Budget:
revenues: $21.54 million
expenditures: $23.05 million (2006)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2006 est.) country comparison to the world: 58
Agriculture - products:
coconuts; fish
Industries:
fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Current account balance:
-$11.68 million (2003) country comparison to the world: 64
Exports:
$1 million (2004 est.) country comparison to the world: 218
Exports - commodities:
copra, fish
Imports:
$12.91 million (2005) country comparison to the world: 216
Imports - commodities:
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per U 1.2059 (2008 est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Tuvalu
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,500 (2008) country comparison to the world: 226
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,000 (2008) country comparison to the world: 216
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)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (2004)
Internet country code:
.tv
Internet hosts:
103,041 (2009) country comparison to the world: 73
Internet users:
4,200 (2008) country comparison to the world: 205
Transportation ::Tuvalu
Airports:
1 (2009) country comparison to the world: 214
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 8 km country comparison to the world: 219 paved: 8 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 80 country comparison to the world: 55 by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, chemical tanker 14, container 2, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated cargo 1, specialized tanker 1