$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):