$NA
Exchange rates:
Uzbekistani soum (UZS) per US dollar - 1,317 (2008 est.), 1,263.8 (2007), 1,219.8 (2006), 1,020 (2005), 971.265 (2004)
Communications ::Uzbekistan
Telephones - main lines in use:
1.85 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 61
Telephones - mobile cellular:
12.734 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 49
Telephone system:
general assessment: antiquated and inadequate; in serious need of modernization
domestic: the main line telecommunications system is dilapidated and telephone density is low; the state-owned telecommunications company, Uzbektelecom, is using loans from the Japanese government and the China Development Bank to improve mainline services; completion of conversion to digital exchanges planned for 2010; mobile services are growing rapidly, with the subscriber base reaching 12.7 million in 2008
international: country code - 998; linked by fiber-optic cable or microwave radio relay with CIS member states and to other countries by leased connection via the Moscow international gateway switch; after the completion of the Uzbek link to the Trans-Asia-Europe (TAE) fiber-optic cable, Uzbekistan plans to establish a fiber-optic connection to Afghanistan (2008)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 12, shortwave 3 (2008)
Television broadcast stations:
28 (includes 1 cable rebroadcaster in Tashkent and approximately 20 stations in regional capitals) (2006)
Internet country code:
.uz
Internet hosts:
50,228 (2009) country comparison to the world: 83
Internet users:
2.469 million (2008) country comparison to the world: 65
Transportation ::Uzbekistan
Airports:
54 (2009) country comparison to the world: 87
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 33
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 13
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 4
under 914 m: 4 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 21
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
under 914 m: 19 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 9,706 km; oil 868 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 3,645 km country comparison to the world: 47 broad gauge: 3,645 km 1.520-m gauge (620 km electrified) (2008)
Roadways:
total: 86,496 km country comparison to the world: 55 paved: 75,511 km
unpaved: 10,985 km (2000)
Waterways:
1,100 km (2008) country comparison to the world: 63
Ports and terminals:
Termiz (Amu Darya)
Military ::Uzbekistan
Military branches:
Army, Air and Air Defense Forces, National Guard
Military service age and obligation:
18 years of age for compulsory military service; 1-year conscript service obligation; moving toward a professional military, but conscription will continue; the military cannot accommodate everyone who wishes to enlist, and competition for entrance into the military is similar to the competition for admission to universities (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 7,480,484
females age 16-49: 7,542,017 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 6,340,446
females age 16-49: 6,559,769 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 313,131
female: 310,442 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
2% of GDP (2005 est.) country comparison to the world: 81
Transnational Issues ::Uzbekistan
Disputes - international:
prolonged drought and cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2004; border delimitation of 130 km of border with Kyrgyzstan is hampered by serious disputes around enclaves and other areas
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 39,202 (Tajikistan); 1,060 (Afghanistan)
IDPs: 3,400 (forced population transfers by government from villages near Tajikistan border) (2007)
Trafficking in persons:
current situation: Uzbekistan is a source country for women and girls trafficked to Kazakhstan, Russia, Middle East, and Asia for the purpose of commercial sexual exploitation; men are trafficked to Kazakhstan and Russia for purposes of forced labor in the construction, cotton, and tobacco industries; men and women are also trafficked internally for the purposes of domestic servitude, forced labor in the agricultural and construction industries, and for commercial sexual exploitation
tier rating: Tier 2 Watch List - Uzbekistan is on the Tier 2 Watch List for its failure to provide evidence of increasing efforts to combat severe forms of trafficking in 2007; the government did not amend its criminal code to increase penalties for convicted traffickers; in March 2008, Uzbekistan adopted ILO Conventions on minimum age of employment and on the elimination of the worst forms of child labor and is working with the ILO on implementation; the government also demonstrated its increasing commitment to combat trafficking in March 2008 by adopting a comprehensive anti-trafficking law; Uzbekistan has not ratified the 2000 UN TIP Protocol (2008)
Illicit drugs:
transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and small amounts of opium poppy for domestic consumption; poppy cultivation almost wiped out by government crop eradication program; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
page last updated on November 11, 2009
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@Vanuatu (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Vanuatu
Background:
Multiple waves of colonizers, each speaking a distinct language, migrated to the New Hebrides in the millennia preceding European exploration in the 18th century. This settlement pattern accounts for the complex linguistic diversity found on the archipelago to this day. The British and French, who settled the New Hebrides in the 19th century, agreed in 1906 to an Anglo-French Condominium, which administered the islands until independence in 1980, when the new name of Vanuatu was adopted.
Geography ::Vanuatu
Location:
Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about three-quarters of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates:
16 00 S, 167 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 12,189 sq km country comparison to the world: 163 land: 12,189 sq km
water: 0 sq km
note: includes more than 80 islands, about 65 of which are inhabited
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
2,528 km
Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
Climate:
tropical; moderated by southeast trade winds from May to October; moderate rainfall from November to April; may be affected by cyclones from December to April
Terrain:
mostly mountainous islands of volcanic origin; narrow coastal plains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Tabwemasana 1,877 m
Natural resources:
manganese, hardwood forests, fish
Land use:
arable land: 1.64%
permanent crops: 6.97%
other: 91.39% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
tropical cyclones or typhoons (January to April); volcanic eruption on Aoba (Ambae) island began 27 November 2005, volcanism also causes minor earthquakes; tsunamis
Environment - current issues:
most of the population does not have access to a reliable supply of potable water; deforestation
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate
Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
a Y-shaped chain of four main islands and 80 smaller islands; several of the islands have active volcanoes
People ::Vanuatu
Population:
218,519 (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 185
Age structure:
0-14 years: 30.7% (male 34,263/female 32,833)
15-64 years: 65.3% (male 72,670/female 69,970)
65 years and over: 4% (male 4,516/female 4,267) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 24.2 years
male: 24.2 years
female: 24.2 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.398% (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 95
Birth rate:
21.53 births/1,000 population (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 89
Death rate:
7.55 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 121
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 25% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.1% 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: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 1.06 male(s)/female
total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 49.45 deaths/1,000 live births country comparison to the world: 51 male: 51.97 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 46.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 63.98 years country comparison to the world: 169 male: 62.37 years
female: 65.66 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.5 children born/woman (2009 est.) country comparison to the world: 96
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Ni-Vanuatu (singular and plural)
adjective: Ni-Vanuatu
Ethnic groups:
Ni-Vanuatu 98.5%, other 1.5% (1999 Census)
Religions:
Presbyterian 31.4%, Anglican 13.4%, Roman Catholic 13.1%, Seventh-Day Adventist 10.8%, other Christian 13.8%, indigenous beliefs 5.6% (including Jon Frum cargo cult), other 9.6%, none 1%, unspecified 1.3% (1999 Census)
Languages:
local languages (more than 100) 72.6%, pidgin (known as Bislama or Bichelama) 23.1%, English 1.9%, French 1.4%, other 0.3%, unspecified 0.7% (1999 Census)
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 74%
male: NA
female: NA (1999 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
9.5% of GDP (2003) country comparison to the world: 6
Government ::Vanuatu
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Vanuatu
conventional short form: Vanuatu
local long form: Ripablik blong Vanuatu
local short form: Vanuatu
former: New Hebrides
Government type:
parliamentary republic
Capital:
name: Port-Vila (on Efate)
geographic coordinates: 17 44 S, 168 19 E
time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
6 provinces; Malampa, Penama, Sanma, Shefa, Tafea, Torba
Independence:
30 July 1980 (from France and the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 30 July (1980)
Constitution:
30 July 1980
Legal system:
unified system being created from former dual French and British systems; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Iolu Johnson ABIL (since 3 September 2009)
head of government: Prime Minister Edward NATAPEI (since 22 September 2008); Deputy Prime Minister Ham LINI (since 22 September 2008)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, responsible to parliament
elections: president elected for a five-year term by an electoral college consisting of parliament and the presidents of the regional councils; election for president last held 2 September 2009 (next to be held in 2014); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by parliament from among its members; election for prime minister last held 22 September 2008 (next to be held following general elections in 2012)
election results: Iolu Johnson ABIL elected president, with 41 votes out of 58, on the third ballot on 2 September 2009
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament (52 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 September 2008 (next to be held in 2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - VP 11, NUP 8, UMP 7, VRP 7, PPP 4, GC 2, MPP 1, NA 1, NAG 1, PAP 1, Shepherds Alliance 1, VFFP 1, VLP 1, VNP 1, VPRFP 1, and independent 4; note - political party associations are fluid
note: the National Council of Chiefs advises on matters of culture and language
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (chief justice is appointed by the president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader of the opposition, three other justices are appointed by the president on the advice of the Judicial Service Commission)
Political parties and leaders:
Greens Confederation or GC [Moana CARCASSES]; Jon Frum Movement or
JF [Song KEASPAI]; Melanesian Progressive Party or MPP [Barak SOPE];
Nagriamel movement or NAG [Havo MOLI]; Namangi Aute or NA [Paul
TELUKLUK]; National United Party or NUP [Ham LINI]; People's Action
Party or PAP [Peter VUTA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Sato
KILMAN]; Shepherds Alliance Party [leader NA]; Union of Moderate
Parties or UMP [Serge VOHOR]; Vanuatu Family First Party or VFFP
[Eta RORI]; Vanuatu Labor Party or VLP [Joshua KALSAKAU]; Vanuatu
National Party or VNP [Issac HAMARILIU]; Vanua'aku Pati (Our Land
Party) or VP [Edward NATAPEI]; Vanuatu Republican Party or VRP
[Maxime Carlot KORMAN]; Vanuatu Republican Farmers Party or VPRFP
[Jean RAVOU]
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACCT, ACP, ADB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS,
ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIF, OPCW,
PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
(observer)
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Vanuatu does not have an embassy in the US; it does, however, have a
Permanent Mission to the UN
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Vanuatu; the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to Vanuatu
Flag description:
two equal horizontal bands of red (top) and green with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) all separated by a black-edged yellow stripe in the shape of a horizontal Y (the two points of the Y face the hoist side and enclose the triangle); centered in the triangle is a boar's tusk encircling two crossed namele leaves, all in yellow
Economy ::Vanuatu
Economy - overview:
This South Pacific island economy is based primarily on small-scale agriculture, which provides a living for over 70% of the population. Fishing, offshore financial services, and tourism, with more than 167,000 visitors in 2007 are other mainstays of the economy. Mineral deposits are negligible; the country has no known petroleum deposits. A small light industry sector caters to the local market. Tax revenues come mainly from import duties. Economic development is hindered by dependence on relatively few commodity exports, vulnerability to natural disasters, and long distances from main markets and between constituent islands. In response to foreign concerns, the government has promised to tighten regulation of its offshore financial center. In mid-2002, the government stepped up efforts to boost tourism through improved air connections, resort development, and cruise ship facilities. Agriculture, especially livestock farming, is a second target for growth. Australia and New Zealand are the main suppliers of tourists and foreign aid.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$990.8 million (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 200 $929.5 million (2007 est.)
$870.3 million (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$573 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
6.6% (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 44 6.8% (2007 est.)
7.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$4,600 (2008 est.) country comparison to the world: 144 $4,400 (2007 est.)
$4,200 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2000 est.)
Labor force:
115,900 (2007) country comparison to the world: 175
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 65%
industry: 5%
services: 30% (2000 est.)
Unemployment rate:
1.7% (1999) country comparison to the world: 15
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $78.7 million
expenditures: $72.23 million (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.9% (2007 est.) country comparison to the world: 62
Central bank discount rate:
6% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 75 6% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
5.29% (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 104 8.16% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$101.6 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 112 $107.1 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$430 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 111 $421.8 million (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$274 million (31 December 2008) country comparison to the world: 120 $229.5 million (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares: