Irrigated land:NA
Natural hazards:earthquakes and typhoons
Environment - current issues:air pollution; water pollution from industrial emissions, rawsewage; contamination of drinking water supplies; trade inendangered species; low-level radioactive waste disposal
Environment - international agreements:party to: none of the selected agreements because of Taiwan'sinternational statussigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements because ofTaiwan's international status
Geography - note:strategic location adjacent to both the Taiwan Strait and the LuzonStrait
People Taiwan
Population:23,036,087 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 19.4% (male 2,330,951/female 2,140,965)15-64 years: 70.8% (male 8,269,421/female 8,040,169)65 years and over: 9.8% (male 1,123,429/female 1,131,152) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 34.6 yearsmale: 34.1 yearsfemale: 35 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:0.61% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:12.56 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:6.48 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.1 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.09 male(s)/female15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.99 male(s)/femaletotal population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 6.29 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 6.97 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 5.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 77.43 yearsmale: 74.67 yearsfemale: 80.47 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:1.57 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:NA
Nationality:noun: Taiwan (singular and plural)note: example - he or she is from Taiwan; they are from Taiwanadjective: Taiwan
Ethnic groups:Taiwanese (including Hakka) 84%, mainland Chinese 14%, aborigine 2%
Religions:mixture of Buddhist, Confucian, and Taoist 93%, Christian 4.5%,other 2.5%
Languages:Mandarin Chinese (official), Taiwanese (Min), Hakka dialects
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 96.1%male: NA%female: NA% (2003)
Government Taiwan
Country name: conventional long form: none conventional short form: Taiwan local long form: none local short form: T'ai-wan former: Formosa
Government type:multiparty democracy
Capital:name: Taipeigeographic coordinates: 25 03 N, 121 30 Etime difference: UTC+8 (13 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions:includes central island of Taiwan plus numerous smaller islandsnear central island and off coast of China's Fujian Province; Taiwanis divided into 18 counties (hsien, singular and plural), 5municipalities (shih, singular and plural), and 2 specialmunicipalities (chuan-shih, singular and plural)counties: Chang-hua, Chia-i, Hsin-chu, Hua-lien, I-lan, Kao-hsiung(county), Kin-men, Lien-chiang, Miao-li, Nan-t'ou, P'eng-hu,P'ing-tung, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nan, T'ai-pei (county), T'ai-tung,T'ao-yuan, and Yun-linmunicipalities: Chia-i, Chi-lung, Hsin-chu, T'ai-chung, T'ai-nanspecial municipalities: Kao-hsiung city, T'ai-pei citynote: Taiwan generally uses Wade-Giles system for romanization;special municipality of Taipei adopted standard pinyin romanizationfor street and place names within city boundaries, other localauthorities have selected a variety of romanization systems
National holiday:Republic Day (Anniversary of the Chinese Revolution), 10 October(1911)
Constitution:25 December 1946; amended in 1992, 1994, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2005
Legal system:based on civil law system
Suffrage:20 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President CHEN Shui-bian (since 20 May 2000) andVice President Annette LU (LU Hsiu-lien) (since 20 May 2000)head of government: Premier (President of the Executive Yuan) SUTseng-chang (since 25 January 2006) and Vice Premier (Vice Presidentof the Executive Yuan) TSAI Ing-wen (since 25 January 2006)cabinet: Executive Yuan appointed by the presidentelections: president and vice president elected on the same ticketby popular vote for four-year terms (eligible for a second term);election last held 20 March 2004 (next to be held in March 2008);premier appointed by the president; vice premiers appointed by thepresident on the recommendation of the premierelection results: CHEN Shui-bian re-elected president; percent ofvote - CHEN Shui-bian (DPP) 50.1%, LIEN Chan (KMT) 49.9%
Legislative branch:Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular vote, 41elected on basis of proportion of islandwide votes received byparticipating political parties, eight elected from overseas Chineseconstituencies on basis of proportion of island-wide votes receivedby participating political parties, eight elected by popular voteamong aboriginal populations; members serve three-year terms);National Assembly (300 seat nonstanding body; delegates nominated byparties and elected by proportional representation six to ninemonths after Legislative Yuan calls to amend Constitution, impeachpresident, or change national borders) - see notenote: as a result of constitutional amendments approved by NationalAssembly in June 2005, number of seats in legislature will bereduced from 225 to 113 beginning with election in 2007; amendmentsalso eliminated National Assembly thus giving Taiwan a unicamerallegislatureelections: Legislative Yuan - last held 11 December 2004 (next to beheld in December 2007); National Assembly - last held 14 May 2005;dissolved in June 2005election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP38%, KMT 35%, PFP 15%, TSU 8%, other parties and independents 4%;seats by party - DPP 89, KMT 79, PFP 34, TSU 12, other parties 7,independents 4; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - DPP42.5%, KMT 38.9%, TSU 7%, PFP 6%, others 6.6%; seats by party - DPP127, KMT 117, TSU 21, PFP 18, others 17 (2005)
Judicial branch:Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent ofthe Legislative Yuan)
Political parties and leaders:Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [YU Shyi-kun]; Kuomintang orKMT (Nationalist Party) [MA Ying-jeou]; People First Party or PFP[James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu)]; Taiwan Solidarity Union or TSU [SUChin-chiang]; other minor parties including the Chinese New Party orNP
Political pressure groups and leaders:Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmentalgroupsnote: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within themainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalizationand the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan'slegislature have opened public debate on the island's nationalidentity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwancurrently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimateoutcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan'speople must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwanindependence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unifywith mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movementinclude establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering theUN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include theWorld United Formosans for Independence and the Organization forTaiwan Nation Building
International organization participation:APEC, AsDB, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTOnote: Taiwan has acquired observer status on the competitioncommittee and special observer status on the Trade Committee of theOECD, and is seeking observer status with the backing of the US inWHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the peopleof the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, theTaipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the USwith headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12other US cities
Diplomatic representation from the US: none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and Taiwan; US office at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700, Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1] (703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2162-2000, FAX: [886] (2) 2162-2251; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor, Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 238-7744, FAX: [886] (7) 238-5237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208 International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2) 2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162
Flag description:red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side cornerbearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays
Economy Taiwan
Economy - overview:Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasingguidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities.In keeping with this trend, some large, government-owned banks andindustrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided theprimary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus issubstantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest.Agriculture contributes less than 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952.Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia. China hasovertaken the US to become Taiwan's largest export market and, in2005, Taiwan's third-largest source of imports after Japan and theUS. Taiwan has benefited from cross-Strait economic integration anda sharp increase in world demand to achieve substantial growth inits export sector and a seven-year-high real GDP growth of 6.1% in2004. However, excess inventory, higher international oil prices,and rising interest rates dampened consumption in developed markets,and GDP growth dropped to 3.8% in 2005. The service sector, whichaccounts for 69% of Taiwan's GDP, has continued to expand, whileunemployment and inflation rates have declined.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$630 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$323.4 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:4% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$27,500 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 1.8% industry: 25.9% services: 72.3% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 10.6 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 6% industry: 35.8% services: 58.2% (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate:4.1% (2005 est.)
Population below poverty line:0.9% (2005)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 6.7% highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):2.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):20.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $41.67 billionexpenditures: $50.26 billion; including capital expenditures of$14.4 billion (2005 est.)
Public debt:33.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish
Industries:electronics, petroleum refining, armaments, chemicals, textiles,iron and steel, machinery, cement, food processing, vehicles,consumer products, pharmaceuticals
Industrial production growth rate:4.1% (2005 est.)
Electricity - production:218.3 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 71.4% hydro: 6% nuclear: 22.6% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:206.1 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports:0 kWh (2004)
Oil - production:8,354 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:915,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:2.9 million bbl (2005 est.)
Natural gas - production:970 million cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:8.45 billion cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - imports:7.48 billion cu m (2005 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:76.46 billion cu m (2005)
Current account balance:$16.22 billion (2005 est.)
Exports:$189.4 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:computer products and electrical equipment, metals, textiles,plastics and rubber products, chemicals (2002)
Exports - partners:China 21.6%, US 16.22%, Hong Kong 15.1%, Japan 7.7% (2005)
Imports:$181.6 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precisioninstruments (2002)
Imports - partners:Japan 25.3%, US 11.6%, China 11%, South Korea 7.3%, Saudi Arabia4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$258 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:$87.5 billion (2005 est.)
Currency (code):new Taiwan dollar (TWD)
Currency code:TWD
Exchange rates:new Taiwan dollars per US dollar - 31.71 (2005), 34.418 (2004),34.575 (2003), 33.8 (2002), 33.09 (2001)
Fiscal year:1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)
Communications Taiwan
Telephones - main lines in use:13.615 million (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular:22.17 million (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: provides telecommunications service for everybusiness and private needdomestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalizedinternational: country code - 886; satellite earth stations - 2Intelsat (1 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables toJapan (Okinawa), Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia,Australia, Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)
Radio broadcast stations:AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)
Radios:16 million (1994)
Television broadcast stations:29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)
Televisions:8.8 million (1998)
Internet country code:.tw
Internet hosts:4,320,310 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):8 (2000)
Internet users:13.21 million (2005)
Transportation Taiwan
Airports: 42 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 38 over 3,047 m: 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 2 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways:total: 41,524 to 2,437 m: 1under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Heliports:3 (2006)
Pipelines:condensate 25 km; gas 661 km (2006)
Railways:total: 2,497 kmnarrow gauge: 1,097 km 1.067-m gauge (685 km electrified)note: 1,400 km .762-m gauge (belonging to the Taiwan SugarCorporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau) used to carryproducts and limited numbers of passengers (2005)
Roadways:total: 37,299 kmpaved: 35,621 km (including 1,789 km of expressways)unpaved: 1,678 km (2002)
Merchant marine:total: 112 ships (1000 GRT or over) 2,798,992 GRT/4,652,921 DWTby type: bulk carrier 35, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, container 25,passenger/cargo 3, petroleum tanker 16, refrigerated cargo 7, rollon/roll off 2foreign-owned: 3 (Hong Kong 3)registered in other countries: 463 (Bolivia 1, Cambodia 2, Honduras2, Hong Kong 6, Italy 10, Liberia 69, Malta 2, Panama 308, Singapore59, UK 1, US 1, unknown 2) (2006)
Ports and terminals:Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung
Military Taiwan
Military branches:Army, Navy (includes Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast GuardAdministration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined ServiceForces Command, Armed Forces Police Command
Military service age and obligation:19-35 years of age for military service; service obligation 16months (to be shortened to 12 months in 2008); women in Air Forceservice are restricted to noncombat roles (2005)
Manpower available for military service:males age 19-49: 5,883,828females age 19-49: 5,680,773 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 19-49: 4,749,537females age 19-49: 4,644,607 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 174,173females age 19-49: 163,683 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$7.93 billion (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:2.4% (2005 est.)
Transnational Issues Taiwan
Disputes - international:involved in complex dispute with China, Malaysia, Philippines,Vietnam, and possibly Brunei over the Spratly Islands; the 2002"Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea" haseased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code ofconduct" desired by several of the disputants; Paracel Islands areoccupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; in 2003, Chinaand Taiwan became more vocal in rejecting both Japan's claims to theuninhabited islands of the Senkaku-shoto (Diaoyu Tai) and Japan'sunilaterally declared exclusive economic zone in the East China Seawhere all parties engage in hydrocarbon prospecting
Trafficking in persons:current situation: Taiwan is primarily a destination for men,women, and children trafficked for forced labor and sexualexploitation; women from China and Southeast Asian countries aretrafficked for sexual exploitation and forced labor; women andchildren, primarily from Vietnam, are trafficked through the use offraudulent marriages, deceptive employment offers, and illegalsmuggling for commercial sexual exploitation and forced labor; asignificant share of foreign workers - primarily from Vietnam,Thailand, and the Philippines - are recruited legally forlow-skilled jobs, and are subjected to forced labor or involuntaryservitude by labor agencies or employers upon arrival in Taiwan; toa much lesser extent, there is internal trafficking of children forsexual exploitation and trafficking of a small and declining numberof Taiwanese women to Japan for commercial sexual exploitationtier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Taiwan is placed on the Tier 2Watch List for its failure to show evidence of increasing effortsover the past year to address trafficking, despite ample resourcesto do so, particularly the serious level of forced labor and sexualservitude among legally migrating Southeast Asian contract workersand brides
Illicit drugs:regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; majorproblem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin;renewal of domestic methamphetamine production is a problem
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
======================================================================
@Tajikistan
Introduction Tajikistan
Background:The Tajik people came under Russian rule in the 1860s and 1870s,but Russia's hold on Central Asia weakened following the Revolutionof 1917. Bolshevik control of the area was fiercely contested andnot fully reestablished until 1925. Tajikistan became independent in1991 following the breakup of the Soviet Union, and it is now in theprocess of strengthening its democracy and transitioning to a freemarket economy after its 1992-1997 civil war. There have been nomajor security incidents in recent years, although the countryremains the poorest in the former Soviet sphere. Attention by theinternational community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan hasbrought increased economic development assistance, which couldcreate jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan isin the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membershipand has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace.
Geography Tajikistan
Location:Central Asia, west of China
Geographic coordinates:39 00 N, 71 00 E
Map references:Asia
Area:total: 143,100 sq kmland: 142,700 sq kmwater: 400 sq km
Area - comparative:slightly smaller than Wisconsin
Land boundaries:total: 3,651 kmborder countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km
Coastline:0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:none (landlocked)
Climate:midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid topolar in Pamir Mountains
Terrain:Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valleyin north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 mhighest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m
Natural resources:hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead,zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold
Land use: arable land: 6.52% permanent crops: 0.89% other: 92.59% (2005)
Irrigated land:7,220 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:earthquakes and floods
Environment - current issues: inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides
Environment - international agreements: party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range inthe north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, QullaiIsmoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountainin the former USSR
People Tajikistan
Population:7,320,815 (July 2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 37.9% (male 1,396,349/female 1,375,168)15-64 years: 57.4% (male 2,091,476/female 2,108,889)65 years and over: 4.8% (male 154,162/female 194,771) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 20 yearsmale: 19.7 yearsfemale: 20.4 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:2.19% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:32.65 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:8.25 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-2.48 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.05 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 106.49 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 117.83 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 94.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 64.94 yearsmale: 62.03 yearsfemale: 68 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:4 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:less than 0.1% (2001 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:less than 200 (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:less than 100 (2001 est.)
Nationality:noun: Tajikistani(s)adjective: Tajikistani
Ethnic groups:Tajik 79.9%, Uzbek 15.3%, Russian 1.1%, Kyrgyz 1.1%, other 2.6%(2000 census)
Religions:Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.)
Languages:Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and writetotal population: 99.4%male: 99.6%female: 99.1% (2003 est.)
Government Tajikistan
Country name:conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistanconventional short form: Tajikistanlocal long form: Jumhurii Tojikistonlocal short form: Tojikistonformer: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Dushanbegeographic coordinates: 38 35 N, 68 48 Etime difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)
Administrative divisions: 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand) note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses
Independence:9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)
National holiday:Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)
Constitution:6 November 1994
Legal system:based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January1999)cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approvedby the Supreme Assemblyelections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term(eligible for a second term); election last held 6 November 2006(next to be held November 2013); prime minister appointed by thepresidentelection results: Emomali RAHMONOV reelected president; percent ofvote - Emomali RAHMONOV 76.4%, Olimzon BOBOYEV 7.2%, other 16.4%
Legislative branch:bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assemblyof Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (34seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by localdeputies, 8 appointed by the president; 1 seat reserved for theformer president; all serve five-year terms)elections: last held 27 February and 13 March 2005 for the Assemblyof Representatives (next to be held February 2010) and 25 March 2005for the National Assembly (next to be held February 2010)election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote byparty - PDPT 74.9%, CPT 13.6%, Islamic Revival Party 8.9%, other2.5%; seats by party - PDPT 51, CPT 5, Islamic Revival Party 2,independents 5; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%;seats by party - PDPT 29, CPT 2, independents 3
Judicial branch:Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Political parties and leaders:Agrarian Party of Tajikistan or APT [Amir KARAKULOV]; DemocraticParty or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [SaidAbdullo NURI]; Party of Economic Reform or PER [Olimjon BOBOYEV];People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV];Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOYIROV]; SocialistParty or SPT [Abdualim GHAFFOROV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT[Shodi SHABDOLOV]
Political pressure groups and leaders:unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party [HikmatulloNASREDDINOV]; Party of Justice [Abdurahim KARIMOV]; People's UnityParty [Abdumalik ABDULLOJONOV]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV];Socialist Party [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; note - this is the SPT thatwas disbanded, another pro-government SPT (listed above underpolitical parties) replaced it; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV]
International organization participation:AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA,IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, MIGA,OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOVchancery: 1005 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Tracey Ann JACOBSON embassy: 109-A Ismoili Somoni Ave., Dushanbe 734003 mailing address: 7090 Dushanbe Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: [992] (37) 229-20-00 FAX: [992] (37) 229-20-50
Flag description:three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, andgreen; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars islocated in the center of the white stripe
Economy Tajikistan
Economy - overview:Tajikistan has one of the lowest per capita GDPs among the 15former Soviet republics. Only 6% of the land area is arable; cottonis the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited inamount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industryconsists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, andsmall obsolete factories mostly in light industry and foodprocessing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the alreadyweak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline inindustrial and agricultural production. Even though 64% of itspeople continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan hasexperienced steady economic growth since 1997, but experienced aslight drop in its growth rate to 8% in 2005 from 10.6% in 2004.Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterpriseswould further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economicsituation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation ofstructural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, andthe external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reachedwith Russia in December 2002, including a $250 million write-off ofTajikistan's $300 million debt to Russia. Tajikistan ranks third inthe world in terms of water resources per head. A proposedinvestment to finish the hydropower dams Rogun and Sangtuda wouldsubstantially add to electricity production. If finished, Rogun willbe the world's tallest dam.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$8.617 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$1.887 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:6.7% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$1,200 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 23.4% industry: 28.6% services: 48% (2005 est.)
Labor force: 3.7 million (2003)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 67.2% industry: 7.5% services: 25.3% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:12% (2004 est.)
Population below poverty line:64% (2004 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 3.2% highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:34.7 (1998)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):7.1% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):19.4% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $442.3 millionexpenditures: $542.6 million; including capital expenditures of $86million (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:aluminum, zinc, lead; chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetableoil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers
Industrial production growth rate:8.2% (2002 est.)
Electricity - production:16.5 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 1.9% hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:15.05 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:3.874 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:4.81 billion kWh (2004)
Oil - production:354.8 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:25,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Natural gas - production:30 million cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - exports:0 cu m (2004 est.)
Natural gas - imports:1.4 billion cu m (2004 est.)
Current account balance:$-44 million (2005 est.)
Exports:$950 million f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles
Exports - partners:Netherlands 46.6%, Turkey 15.8%, Russia 9.1%, Uzbekistan 7.3%,Latvia 4.9%, Iran 4% (2005)
Imports:$1.25 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery andequipment, foodstuffs
Imports - partners:Russia 19.3%, Kazakhstan 12.7%, Uzbekistan 11.5%, Azerbaijan 8.6%,China 7%, Ukraine 6.2%, Romania 4.6%, Turkmenistan 4% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$186.8 million (2005 est.)
Debt - external:$888 million (2004 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$67 million from US (2005)
Currency (code):somoni
Currency code:TJS
Exchange rates:Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.1166 (2005), 2.9705 (2004),3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001)
Fiscal year:calendar year
Communications Tajikistan
Telephones - main lines in use:245,200 (2004)
Telephones - mobile cellular:265,000 (2005)
Telephone system:general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; manytowns are not linked to the national networkdomestic: cable and microwave radio relayinternational: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwaveradio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to theMoscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat tointernational gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earthstations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations:AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)
Radios:1.291 million (1991)
Television broadcast stations:13 (2001)
Televisions:820,000 (1997)
Internet country code:.tj
Internet hosts:98 (2006)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs):4 (2002)
Internet users:5,000 (2005)
Transportation Tajikistan
Airports: 40 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways: total: 17 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways: total: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 22 (2006)
Pipelines: gas 549 km; oil 38 km (2006)
Railways: total: 482 km broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2005)
Roadways:total: 27,767 km (2000)
Waterways:200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2006)
Military Tajikistan
Military branches:Ground Troops, Air and Air Defense Troops, Mobile Troops (2005)
Military service age and obligation:18 years of age for compulsory military service; conscript serviceobligation - two years (2004)
Manpower available for military service:males age 18-49: 1,556,415females age 18-49: 1,568,780 (2005 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:males age 18-49: 1,244,941females age 18-49: 1,297,891 (2005 est.)
Manpower reaching military service age annually:males age 18-49: 87,846females age 18-49: 85,869 (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - dollar figure:$35.4 million (FY01)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP:3.9% (FY01)
Transnational Issues Tajikistan
Disputes - international:boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of PamirMountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands, but neither state has publishedmaps of ceded areas and demarcation has not yet commenced; talkscontinue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields;disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan
Illicit drugs:major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and,to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicitcultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistanseizes roughly 80% of all drugs captured in Central Asia and standsthird worldwide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)
This page was last updated on 19 December, 2006
======================================================================
@Tanzania
Introduction Tanzania
Background:Shortly after achieving independence from Britain in the early1960s, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form the nation of Tanzaniain 1964. One-party rule came to an end in 1995 with the firstdemocratic elections held in the country since the 1970s. Zanzibar'ssemi-autonomous status and popular opposition have led to twocontentious elections since 1995, which the ruling party won despiteinternational observers' claims of voting irregularities.
Geography Tanzania
Location:Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between Kenya andMozambique
Geographic coordinates:6 00 S, 35 00 E
Map references:Africa
Area:total: 945,087 sq kmland: 886,037 sq kmwater: 59,050 sq kmnote: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
Area - comparative:slightly larger than twice the size of California
Land boundaries:total: 3,861 kmborder countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo459 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km, Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km
Coastline:1,424 km
Maritime claims: territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:varies from tropical along coast to temperate in highlands
Terrain:plains along coast; central plateau; highlands in north, south
Elevation extremes:lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 mhighest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m
Natural resources:hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal, diamonds, gemstones,gold, natural gas, nickel
Land use: arable land: 4.23% permanent crops: 1.16% other: 94.61% (2005)
Irrigated land:1,840 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:flooding on the central plateau during the rainy season; drought
Environment - current issues:soil degradation; deforestation; desertification; destruction ofcoral reefs threatens marine habitats; recent droughts affectedmarginal agriculture; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting andtrade, especially for ivory
Environment - international agreements:party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-KyotoProtocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Lawof the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlandssigned, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of thelargest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world'ssecond-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (theworld's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest
People Tanzania
Population:37,445,392note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account theeffects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lowerlife expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lowerpopulation and growth rates, and changes in the distribution ofpopulation by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July2006 est.)
Age structure:0-14 years: 43.7% (male 8,204,593/female 8,176,489)15-64 years: 53.6% (male 9,906,446/female 10,178,066)65 years and over: 2.6% (male 422,674/female 557,124) (2006 est.)
Median age:total: 17.7 yearsmale: 17.5 yearsfemale: 18 years (2006 est.)
Population growth rate:1.83% (2006 est.)
Birth rate:37.71 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Death rate:16.39 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Net migration rate:-3.05 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Sex ratio:at birth: 1.03 male(s)/femaleunder 15 years: 1 male(s)/female15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/femaletotal population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Infant mortality rate:total: 96.48 deaths/1,000 live birthsmale: 105.64 deaths/1,000 live birthsfemale: 87.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:total population: 45.64 yearsmale: 44.93 yearsfemale: 46.37 years (2006 est.)
Total fertility rate:4.97 children born/woman (2006 est.)
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:8.8% (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:1.6 million (2003 est.)
HIV/AIDS - deaths:160,000 (2003 est.)
Major infectious diseases:degree of risk: very highfood or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, andtyphoid fevervectorborne diseases: malaria, Rift Valley fever and plague are highrisks in some locationswater contact disease: schistosomiasis (2005)
Nationality:noun: Tanzanian(s)adjective: Tanzanian
Ethnic groups:mainland - African 99% (of which 95% are Bantu consisting of morethan 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of Asian, European, andArab); Zanzibar - Arab, African, mixed Arab and African
Religions:mainland - Christian 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%;Zanzibar - more than 99% Muslim
Languages:Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguja (name for Swahili inZanzibar), English (official, primary language of commerce,administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely spoken inZanzibar), many local languagesnote: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu peopleliving in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahiliis Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a varietyof sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become thelingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language ofmost people is one of the local languages
Literacy:definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili),English, or Arabictotal population: 78.2%male: 85.9%female: 70.7% (2003 est.)
Government Tanzania
Country name:conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzaniaconventional short form: Tanzanialocal long form: Jamhuri ya Muungano wa Tanzanialocal short form: Tanzaniaformer: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar
Government type:republic
Capital:name: Dar es Salaamgeographic coordinates: 6 48 S, 39 17 Etime difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC duringStandard Time)note: legislative offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which isplanned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now meetsthere on a regular basis
Administrative divisions:26 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam, Dodoma, Iringa, Kagera, Kigoma,Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Manyara, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro, Mtwara, Mwanza,Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma, Shinyanga, Singida,Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar North, ZanzibarUrban/West
Independence:26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9 December 1961 (fromUK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became independent 19December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with Zanzibar 26 April1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar; renamedUnited Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964
National holiday:Union Day (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)
Constitution:25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984
Legal system:based on English common law; judicial review of legislative actslimited to matters of interpretation; has not accepted compulsoryICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:chief of state: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December 2005);Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001); note -the president is both chief of state and head of governmenthead of government: President Jakaya KIKWETE (since 21 December2005); Vice President Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);note - the president is both chief of state and head of governmentnote: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government formatters internal to Zanzibar; Amani Abeid KARUME was reelected tothat office on 30 October 2005cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president from among the membersof the National Assemblyelections: president and vice president elected on the same ballotby popular vote for five-year terms (eligible for a second term);election last held 14 December 2005(next to be held in December2010); prime minister appointed by the presidentelection results: Jakaya KIKWETE elected president; percent of vote- Jakaya KIKWETE 80.3%, Ibrahim LIPUMBA 11.7%, Freeman MBOWE 5.9%
Legislative branch:unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274 seats - 232 elected bypopular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated by the president, 5 tomembers of the Zanzibar House of Representatives; members servefive-year terms); note - in addition to enacting laws that apply tothe entire United Republic of Tanzania, the Assembly enacts lawsthat apply only to the mainland; Zanzibar has its own House ofRepresentatives to make laws especially for Zanzibar (the ZanzibarHouse of Representatives has 50 seats, directly elected by universalsuffrage to serve five-year terms)elections: last held 14 December 2005 (next to be held in December2010)election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -NA%; seats by party - CCM 206, CUF 19, CHADEMA 5, other 2, womenappointed by the president 37, Zanzibar representatives 5; ZanzibarHouse of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats byparty - CCM 30, CUF 19; 1 seat was nullified with a rerun to takeplace soon
Judicial branch:Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court ofAppeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by thepresident; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to thehigher courts)
Political parties and leaders:Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy andDevelopment) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM(Revolutionary Party) [Jakaya Mrisho KIKWETE]; Civic United Front orCUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party [Christopher MTIKLA](unregistered); Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine LyatongaMREME]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]
Political pressure groups and leaders:NA
International organization participation:ACP, AfDB, AU, C, EADB, FAO, G-6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, SADC, UN, UN SecurityCouncil (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UNMIS,UNOCI, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125 FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408
Diplomatic representation from the US: chief of mission: Ambassador Michael L. RETZER embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam telephone: [255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015 FAX: [255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501
Flag description:divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band from the lowerhoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is green and thelower triangle is blue
Economy Tanzania
Economy - overview:Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economydepends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for almost half ofGDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force.Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated cropsto only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured theprocessing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. TheWorld Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donorshave provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economicinfrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Long-term growth through2005 featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantialincrease in output of minerals, led by gold. Recent banking reformshave helped increase private-sector growth and investment. Continueddonor assistance and solid macroeconomic policies supported real GDPgrowth of more than 6% in 2005.
GDP (purchasing power parity):$27.11 billion (2005 est.)
GDP (official exchange rate):$12.12 billion (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:6.8% (2005 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):$700 (2005 est.)
GDP - composition by sector: agriculture: 43.2% industry: 17.2% services: 39.6% (2004 est.)
Labor force: 19.22 million (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation: agriculture: 80% industry and services: 20% (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate:NA%
Population below poverty line:36% (2002 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share: lowest 10%: 2.8% highest 10%: 30.1% (1993)
Distribution of family income - Gini index:38.2 (1993)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):4.3% (2005 est.)
Investment (gross fixed):18.6% of GDP (2005 est.)
Budget:revenues: $2.235 billionexpenditures: $2.669 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA(2005 est.)
Public debt:65.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products:coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum (insecticide made fromchrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves, corn, wheat, cassava(tapioca), bananas, fruits, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats
Industries:agricultural processing (sugar, beer, cigarettes, sisal twine);diamond, gold, and iron mining, salt, soda ash; cement, oilrefining, shoes, apparel, wood products, fertilizer
Industrial production growth rate:8.4% (1999 est.)
Electricity - production:3.152 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source: fossil fuel: 18.9% hydro: 81.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Electricity - consumption:2.959 billion kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports:0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports:28 million kWh (2003)
Oil - production:0 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - consumption:22,000 bbl/day (2003 est.)
Oil - exports:NA bbl/day
Oil - imports:NA bbl/day
Oil - proved reserves:0 bbl (1 January 2002)
Natural gas - production:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - consumption:0 cu m (2003 est.)
Natural gas - proved reserves:22.65 billion cu m (1 January 2002)
Current account balance:$-558 million (2005 est.)
Exports:$1.581 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Exports - commodities:gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton
Exports - partners:China 10.2%, Canada 8.6%, India 7.3%, Netherlands 5.2%, Japan 4.5%,Kenya 4.4%, Germany 4.3% (2005)
Imports:$2.391 billion f.o.b. (2005 est.)
Imports - commodities:consumer goods, machinery and transportation equipment, industrialraw materials, crude oil
Imports - partners:South Africa 12.2%, China 9.6%, India 7%, UAE 6.1%, Kenya 5.2%, UK4.1% (2005)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:$2.074 billion (2005 est.)
Debt - external:$8.178 billion (2005 est.)
Economic aid - recipient:$1.2 billion (2001)