Chapter V (42)

Diplomatic representation in the US: Tajikistan does not have an
embassy in the US, but has a mission at the UN: address--136 East
ALIMOV

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert FINN
embassy: temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in Almaty
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: NA
FAX: NA

Flag description: three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider
stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven
five-pointed gold stars is located in the center of the white stripe

Economy

Economy--overview: Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among
the former Soviet republics. Agriculture dominates the economy, with
cotton the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but
limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten.
Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower
facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry
and food processing. The Tajikistani economy has been gravely
weakened by five years of civil conflict and by the loss of
subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products. Tajikistan
thus depends on aid from Russia and Uzbekistan and on international
humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs.
Even if the peace agreement of June 1997 is honored, the country
faces major problems in integrating refugees and former combatants
into the economy. Moreover, constant political turmoil and the
continued dominance by former communist officials have impeded the
introduction of meaningful economic reforms. Still in a
post-conflict status, the future of Tajikistan's economy and the
potential for attracting foreign investment depend upon stability
and progress in the peace process.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$6 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 5.3% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$990 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 25%
industry: 35%
services: 40% (1997)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 46.3% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 1.9 million (1996)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture and forestry 52%,
manufacturing, mining, and construction 17%, services 31% (1995)

Unemployment rate: 5.7% includes only officially registered
unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers and
unregistered unemployed people (December 1998)

Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA

Industries: aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers,
cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators
and freezers

Industrial production growth rate: 8% (1998 est.)

Electricity--production: 13.555 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 4.09%
hydro: 95.91%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 12.555 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 3.8 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 2.8 billion kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables;
cattle, sheep, goats

Exports: $740 million (1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: cotton, aluminum, fruits, vegetable oil,
textiles

Exports--partners: FSU 78%, Netherlands (1994)

Imports: $810 million (1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: fuel, chemicals, machinery and transport
equipment, textiles, foodstuffs

Imports--partners: FSU 55%, Switzerland, UK (1994)

Debt--external: $1 billion (1997 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $64.7 million (1995)

Currency: the Tajikistani ruble (TJR) = 100 tanga

Exchange rates: Tajikistani rubles (TJR) per US$1--998 (January
1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 303,000 (1991 est.)

Telephone system: poorly developed and not well maintained; many
towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other
CIS republics, and by leased connections to the Moscow international
gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway
switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations--1 Orbita and 2
Intelsat

Radio broadcast stations: 1 state-owned radio broadcast station
of NA type

Radios: NA

Television broadcast stations: 0 (there are, however, repeaters
that relay programs from Russia, Iran, and Turkey) (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways:
total: 480 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial
lines (1990)

Highways:
total: 13,700 km
paved: 11,330 km (note--these roads are said to be hard-surfaced,
meaning that some are paved and some are all-weather gravel surfaced)
unpaved: 2,370 km (1996 est.)

Pipelines: natural gas 400 km (1992)

Ports and harbors: none

Airports: 59 (1994 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 14
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (1994 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 45
914 to 1,523 m: 9
under 914 m: 36 (1994 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces,
Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border
troops)

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,478,551 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,211,514 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 65,001 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $19.3 million (1997)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 1.8% (1997)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: most of the boundary with China in
dispute; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in
Isfara Valley area

Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis, mostly
for domestic consumption; opium poppy cultivation negligible in 1998
because of government eradication program; increasingly used as
transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to Russia
and Western Europe

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

@Tanzania --------

Geography

Location: Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean, between
Kenya and Mozambique

Geographic coordinates: 6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 945,090 sq km
land: 886,040 sq km
water: 59,050 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar

Area--comparative: slightly larger than twice the size of
California

Land boundaries:
total: 3,402 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Kenya 769 km, Malawi 475 km,
Mozambique 756 km, Rwanda 217 km, Uganda 396 km, Zambia 338 km

Coastline: 1,424 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 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 m
highest point: Kilimanjaro 5,895 m

Natural resources: hydropower, tin, phosphates, iron ore, coal,
diamonds, gemstones, gold, natural gas, nickel

Land use:
arable land: 3%
permanent crops: 1%
permanent pastures: 40%
forests and woodland: 38%
other: 18% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 1,500 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: the tsetse fly; flooding on the central plateau
during the rainy season; drought

Environment--current issues: soil degradation; deforestation;
desertification; destruction of coral reefs threatens marine
habitats; recent droughts affected marginal agriculture

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa

People

Population: 31,270,820 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44% (male 6,926,149; female 6,967,416)
15-64 years: 53% (male 8,030,141; female 8,437,978)
65 years and over: 3% (male 415,074; female 494,062) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 2.14% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 40.37 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 16.75 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -2.24 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 95.27 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 46.17 years
male: 43.85 years
female: 48.57 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 5.4 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tanzanian(s)
adjective: Tanzanian

Ethnic groups: mainland--native African 99% (of which 95% are
Bantu consisting of more than 130 tribes), other 1% (consisting of
Asian, European, and Arab); Zanzibar--Arab, native African, mixed
Arab and native African

Religions: mainland--Christian 45%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs
20; Zanzibar--more than 99% Muslim

Languages: Kiswahili or Swahili (official), Kiunguju (name for
Swahili in Zanzibar), English (official, primary language of
commerce, administration, and higher education), Arabic (widely
spoken in Zanzibar), many local languages
note: Kiswahili (Swahili) is the mother tongue of the Bantu people
living in Zanzibar and nearby coastal Tanzania; although Kiswahili
is Bantu in structure and origin, its vocabulary draws on a variety
of sources, including Arabic and English, and it has become the
lingua franca of central and eastern Africa; the first language of
most people is one of the local languages

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write Kiswahili (Swahili),
English, or Arabic
total population: 67.8%
male: 79.4%
female: 56.8% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: United Republic of Tanzania
conventional short form: Tanzania
former: United Republic of Tanganyika and Zanzibar

Data code: TZ

Government type: republic

Capital: Dar es Salaam
note: some government offices have been transferred to Dodoma, which
is planned as the new national capital; the National Assembly now
meets there on regular basis

Administrative divisions: 25 regions; Arusha, Dar es Salaam,
Dodoma, Iringa, Kigoma, Kilimanjaro, Lindi, Mara, Mbeya, Morogoro,
Mtwara, Mwanza, Pemba North, Pemba South, Pwani, Rukwa, Ruvuma,
Shinyanga, Singida, Tabora, Tanga, Zanzibar Central/South, Zanzibar
North, Zanzibar Urban/West, Ziwa Magharibi
note: Ziwa Magharibi may have been renamed Kagera

Independence: 26 April 1964; Tanganyika became independent 9
December 1961 (from UK-administered UN trusteeship); Zanzibar became
independent 19 December 1963 (from UK); Tanganyika united with
Zanzibar 26 April 1964 to form the United Republic of Tanganyika and
Zanzibar; renamed United Republic of Tanzania 29 October 1964

National holiday: Union Day, 26 April (1964)

Constitution: 25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system: based on English common law; judicial review of
legislative acts limited to matters of interpretation; has not
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23 November
1995); Vice President Omar Ali JUMA (since 23 November 1995); note
the president is both chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Benjamin William MKAPA (since 23
November 1995); Vice President Omar Ali JUMA (since 23 November
1995); note--the president is both chief of state and head of
government
note: Zanzibar elects a president who is head of government for
matters internal to Zanzibar; Dr. Salmin AMOUR was elected to that
office on 22 October 1995 in a popular election
cabinet: Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, are
appointed by the president from among the members of the National
Assembly
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 29
October-19 November 1995 (next to be held NA October 2000); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: percent of vote--Benjamin William MKAPA 62%, MREMA
28%, LIPUMBA 6%, CHEYO 4%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Bunge (274
seats--232 elected by popular vote, 37 allocated to women nominated
by the president, five to members of the Zanzibar House of
Representatives; members serve five-year terms); note --in addition
to enacting laws that apply to the entire United Republic of
Tanzania, the Assembly enacts laws that apply only to the mainland;
Zanzibar has its own House of Representatives to make laws
especially for Zanzibar (the Zanzibar House of Representatives has
50 seats, directly elected by universal suffrage to serve five-year
terms)
elections: last held 29 October-19 November 1995 (next to be held NA
October 2000)
election results: National Assembly: percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--CCM 186, CUF 24, NCCR-Mageuzi 16, CHADEMA 3, UDP 3;
Zanzibar House of Representatives: percent of vote by party--NA;
seats by party--CCM 26, CUF 24

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal; High Court, judges appointed by
the president

Political parties and leaders: Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM

International organization participation: ACP, AfDB, C, CCC,
EADB, ECA, FAO, G- 6, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA,
IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM
(observer), ISO, ITU, MONUA, NAM, OAU, OPCW, SADC, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Mustafa Salim NYANG'ANYI
chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Charles R. STITH
embassy: 285 Toure Drive, Dar es Salaam (temporary location)
mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam

Flag description: divided diagonally by a yellow-edged black band
from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is
green and the lower triangle is blue

Economy

Economy--overview: Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the
world. The economy is heavily dependent on agriculture, which
accounts for 56% of GDP, provides 85% of exports, and employs 90% of
the work force. Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit
cultivated crops to only 4% of the land area. Industry accounts for
15% of GDP and is mainly limited to processing agricultural products
and light consumer goods. The economic recovery program announced in
mid-1986 has generated notable increases in agricultural production
and financial support for the program by bilateral donors. The World
Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors have
provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's deteriorated economic
infrastructure. Growth in 1991-98 has featured a pickup in
industrial production and a substantial increase in output of
minerals, led by gold. Natural gas exploration in the Rufiji Delta
looks promising and production could start by 2002. Recent banking
reforms have helped increase private sector growth and investment.
Short-term economic progress also depends on curbing corruption.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$22.1 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 3.8% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$730 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 56%
industry: 15%
services: 29% (1996 est.)

Population below poverty line: 51.1% (1991 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.9%
highest 10%: 30.2% (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 13.5% (1998)

Labor force: 13.495 million

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 90%, industry and commerce
10% (1995 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $700 million
expenditures: $1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY98/99 est.)

Industries: primarily agricultural processing (sugar, beer,
cigarettes, sisal twine), diamond and gold mining, oil refining,
shoes, cement, textiles, wood products, fertilizer, salt

Industrial production growth rate: 0.4% (1995 est.)

Electricity--production: 1.82 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 12.09%
hydro: 87.91%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 1.82 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: coffee, sisal, tea, cotton, pyrethrum
(insecticide made from chrysanthemums), cashew nuts, tobacco, cloves
(Zanzibar), corn, wheat, cassava (tapioca), bananas, fruits,
vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats

Exports: $952 million (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Exports--commodities: coffee, manufactured goods, cotton, cashew
nuts, minerals, tobacco, sisal (1996)

Exports--partners: India 9.8%, Germany 8.9%, Japan 7.8%, Malaysia
6.5%, Rwanda 5.2%, Netherlands 4.7% (1997)

Imports: $1.46 billion (f.o.b., 1998 est.)

Imports--commodities: consumer goods, machinery and transportation
equipment, industrial raw materials, crude oil

Imports--partners: South Africa 12.9%, Kenya 9.6%, UK 8.7%, Saudi
Arabia 6.6%, Japan 4.9%, China 4.6% (1997)

Debt--external: $8.3 billion (1998 est.)

Economic aid--recipient: $860.9 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Tanzanian shilling (TSh) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: Tanzanian shillings (TSh) per US$1--668.3
(February 1999), 664.67 (1998), 612.12 (1997), 579.98 (1996), 574.76
(1995), 509.63 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June

Communications

Telephones: 88,000 (1994)

Telephone system: fair system operating below capacity
domestic: open wire, microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 12, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios: 740,000 (1994 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1998)

Televisions: 60,000 (1994 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 3,569 km (1995)
narrow gauge: 2,600 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge
note: the Tanzania-Zambia Railway Authority (TAZARA), which operates
1,860 km of 1.067-m narrow gauge track between Dar es Salaam and
Kapiri Mposhi in Zambia (of which 969 km are in Tanzania and 891 km
are in Zambia) is not a part of Tanzania Railways Corporation;
because of the difference in gauge, this system does not connect to
Tanzania Railways

Highways:
total: 88,200 km
paved: 3,704 km
unpaved: 84,496 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, Lake Nyasa

Pipelines: crude oil 982 km

Ports and harbors: Bukoba, Dar es Salaam, Kigoma, Kilwa Masoko,
Lindi, Mtwara, Mwanza, Pangani, Tanga, Wete, Zanzibar

Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 20,618 GRT/26,321 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, oil tanker 2, passenger-cargo 2,
roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 129 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 10
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 119
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 65
under 914 m: 35 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Tanzanian People's Defense Force or TPDF
(includes Army, Navy, and Air Force), paramilitary Police Field
Force Unit, Militia

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 7,119,106 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,120,617 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $21 million (FY98/99)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 0.2% (FY98/99)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: dispute with Malawi over the boundary in
Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)

Illicit drugs: growing role in transshipment of Southwest and
Southeast Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for
European and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for
Southern Africa

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

@Thailand --------

Geography

Location: Southeastern Asia, bordering the Andaman Sea and the
Gulf of Thailand, southeast of Burma

Geographic coordinates: 15 00 N, 100 00 E

Map references: Southeast Asia

Area:
total: 514,000 sq km
land: 511,770 sq km
water: 2,230 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly more than twice the size of Wyoming

Land boundaries:
total: 4,863 km
border countries: Burma 1,800 km, Cambodia 803 km, Laos 1,754 km,
Malaysia 506 km

Coastline: 3,219 km

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

Climate: tropical; rainy, warm, cloudy southwest monsoon (mid-May
to September); dry, cool northeast monsoon (November to mid-March);
southern isthmus always hot and humid

Terrain: central plain; Khorat Plateau in the east; mountains
elsewhere

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Gulf of Thailand 0 m
highest point: Doi Inthanon 2,576 m

Natural resources: tin, rubber, natural gas, tungsten, tantalum,
timber, lead, fish, gypsum, lignite, fluorite

Land use:
arable land: 34%
permanent crops: 6%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 26%
other: 32% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 44,000 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: land subsidence in Bangkok area resulting from
the depletion of the water table; droughts

Environment--current issues: air pollution from vehicle emissions;
water pollution from organic and factory wastes; deforestation; soil
erosion; wildlife populations threatened by illegal hunting

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94
signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Law of the Sea

Geography--note: controls only land route from Asia to Malaysia
and Singapore

People

Population: 60,609,046 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24% (male 7,364,411; female 7,095,428)
15-64 years: 70% (male 20,878,602; female 21,493,735)
65 years and over: 6% (male 1,664,113; female 2,112,757) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 0.93% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 16.46 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 7.16 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 29.54 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.21 years
male: 65.58 years
female: 73.01 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.82 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Thai (singular and plural)
adjective: Thai

Ethnic groups: Thai 75%, Chinese 14%, other 11%

Religions: Buddhism 95%, Muslim 3.8%, Christianity 0.5%, Hinduism
0.1%, other 0.6% (1991)

Languages: Thai, English (secondary language of the elite),
ethnic and regional dialects

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 93.8%
male: 96%
female: 91.6% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Thailand
conventional short form: Thailand

Data code: TH

Government type: constitutional monarchy

Capital: Bangkok

Administrative divisions: 76 provinces (changwat, singular and
plural); Amnat Charoen, Ang Thong, Buriram, Chachoengsao, Chai Nat,
Chaiyaphum, Chanthaburi, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai, Chon Buri,
Chumphon, Kalasin, Kamphaeng Phet, Kanchanaburi, Khon Kaen, Krabi,
Krung Thep Mahanakhon (Bangkok), Lampang, Lamphun, Loei, Lop Buri,
Mae Hong Son, Maha Sarakham, Mukdahan, Nakhon Nayok, Nakhon Pathom,
Nakhon Phanom, Nakhon Ratchasima, Nakhon Sawan, Nakhon Si Thammarat,
Nan, Narathiwat, Nong Bua Lamphu, Nong Khai, Nonthaburi, Pathum
Thani, Pattani, Phangnga, Phatthalung, Phayao, Phetchabun,
Phetchaburi, Phichit, Phitsanulok, Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, Phrae,
Phuket, Prachin Buri, Prachuap Khiri Khan, Ranong, Ratchaburi,
Rayong, Roi Et, Sa Kaeo, Sakon Nakhon, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon,
Samut Songkhram, Sara Buri, Satun, Sing Buri, Sisaket, Songkhla,
Sukhothai, Suphan Buri, Surat Thani, Surin, Tak, Trang, Trat, Ubon
Ratchathani, Udon Thani, Uthai Thani, Uttaradit, Yala, Yasothon

Independence: 1238 (traditional founding date; never colonized)

National holiday: Birthday of His Majesty the King, 5 December
(1927)

Constitution: new constitution signed by King PHUMIPHON on 11
October 1997

Legal system: based on civil law system, with influences of
common law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal and compulsory

Executive branch:
chief of state: King PHUMIPHON Adunyadet (since 9 June 1946)
head of government: Prime Minister CHUAN Likphai (since 15 November
1997)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
note: there is also a Privy Council
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister
designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
following a national election for the House of Representatives, the
leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually
becomes prime minister

Legislative branch: bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha
consists of the Senate or Wuthisapha (a 253-member appointed body
which will be phased into a 200-member elected body starting in
March 2000; members serve six-year terms) and the House of
Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen Ratsadon (currently has 391
members, but will become a 500-member body after the next election;
members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives--last held 17 November 1996 (next
scheduled to be held by 17 November 2000, but may be held earlier)
election results: House of Representatives--percent of vote by
party--NA; seats by party--NAP 125, DP 123, NDP 52, TNP 39, SAP 20,
TCP 18, SP 8, LDP 4, MP 2

Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Sandika), judges appointed by the
monarch

Political parties and leaders: Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat
Yoobamrung, SOPHON Petchsavang]

International organization participation: APEC, AsDB, ASEAN, CCC,
CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM,
ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM,
UNMIBH, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador NIT Phibunsongkhram
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard HECKLINGER
embassy: 120 Wireless Road, Bangkok
mailing address: APO AP 96546
consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai

Flag description: five horizontal bands of red (top), white, blue
(double width), white, and red

Economy

Economy--overview: After months of speculative pressure on the
Thai baht, the government decided to float the currency in July
1997, the symbolic beginning of the country's current economic
crisis. The crisis--which began in the country's financial sector--has
spread throughout the economy. After years of rapid economic growth
averaging 9% earlier this decade, the Thai economy contracted 0.4%
in 1997 and shrunk another 8.5% in 1998. In the years before the
crisis, Thailand ran persistent current account deficits. With the
depreciation of the Thai baht and the collapse of domestic demand,
however, imports have fallen off sharply--by more than 33%--and
Thailand posted a trade surplus of approximately $12 billion in
1998. Foreign investment for new projects, the long-time catalyst of
Thailand's economic growth, has also slowed. The CHUAN government
has closely adhered to the economic recovery program prescribed by
the IMF. The cooperation afforded Thailand stability in the value of
its currency in the second half of 1998 and helped replenish foreign
reserves. Tough measures--including passage of adequate bankruptcy
and foreclosure legislation as well as privatization of state-owned
companies and recapitalization of the financial sector--remain
undone. Bangkok is also trying to establish a social safety net for
those displaced by the current economic crisis and is working to
increase the quality of Thailand's labor force.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$369 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -8.5% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$6,100 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 12%
industry: 39%
services: 49% (1997 est.)

Population below poverty line: 13.1% (1992 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.5%
highest 10%: 37.1% (1992)

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 4.3% (1998 est.)

Labor force: 32.6 million (1997 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 54%, industry 15%,
services (including government) 31% (1996 est.)

Unemployment rate: 4.5% (1998 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $24 billion
expenditures: $25 billion, including capital expenditures of $8
billion (FY96/97)

Industries: tourism; textiles and garments, agricultural
processing, beverages, tobacco, cement, light manufacturing, such as
jewelry; electric appliances and components, computers and parts,
integrated circuits, furniture, plastics; world's second-largest
tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer

Industrial production growth rate: -10% (1998)

Electricity--production: 82 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 91.46%
hydro: 8.54%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 82.561 billion kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 79 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 640 million kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: rice, cassava (tapioca), rubber, corn,
sugarcane, coconuts, soybeans

Exports: $51.6 billion (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities: manufactures 82% (computers and parts 16%),
agricultural products and fisheries 14% (1997)

Exports--partners: US 19.6%, Japan 14.9%, Singapore 11%, Hong Kong
5.7%, Malaysia 4.3%, UK 3.7% (1997)

Imports: $73.5 billion (c.i.f., 1996)

Imports--commodities: capital goods 50%, intermediate goods and
raw materials 22%, consumer goods 10.2%, fuels 8.7% (1997)

Imports--partners: Japan 25.6%, US 13.9%, Singapore 5%, Taiwan
4.6%, Germany 4.5%, Malaysia 4.1% (1997)

Debt--external: $90 billion (1997)

Economic aid--recipient: $1.732 billion (1995)

Currency: 1 baht (B) = 100 satang

Exchange rates: baht (B) per US$1--36.624 (January 1999), 41.359
(1998), 31.364 (1997), 25.343 (1996), 24.915 (1995), 25.150 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 October--30 September

Communications

Telephones: 1,553,200 (1994 est.)

Telephone system: service to general public adequate, but
investments in technological upgrades reduced by recession; bulk of
service to government activities provided by multichannel cable and
microwave radio relay network
domestic: microwave radio relay and multichannel cable; domestic
satellite system being developed
international: satellite earth stations--2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 200 (in government-controlled
network), FM 100 (in government-controlled network), shortwave 0

Radios: 10.75 million (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 5 (all in Bangkok; in addition,
there are 131 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 3.3 million (1993 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 4,623 km
narrow gauge: 4,623 km 1.000-m gauge (99 km double track)

Highways:
total: 64,600 km
paved: 62,985 km
unpaved: 1,615 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 3,999 km principal waterways; 3,701 km with navigable
depths of 0.9 m or more throughout the year; numerous minor
waterways navigable by shallow-draft native craft

Pipelines: petroleum products 67 km; natural gas 350 km

Ports and harbors: Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Pattani, Phuket,
Sattahip, Si Racha, Songkhla

Merchant marine:
total: 293 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,848,626
GRT/2,989,382 DWT
ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 135, chemical tanker 5, combination
bulk 1, container 13, liquefied gas tanker 17, multifunction
large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 61, passenger 1, refrigerated cargo
11, roll-on/roll-off cargo 2, short-sea passenger 1, specialized
tanker 2 (1998 est.)

Airports: 107 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 56
over 3,047 m: 6
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9
1,524 to 2,437 m: 17
914 to 1,523 m: 20
under 914 m: 4 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 35 (1998 est.)

Heliports: 3 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes
Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air Force, Paramilitary Forces

Military manpower--military age: 18 years of age

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 17,486,014 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 10,536,417 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--reaching military age annually:
males: 585,562 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $1.95 billion (FY97/98)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2.5% (FY97/98)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: parts of the border with Laos are
indefinite; maritime boundary with Vietnam resolved, August 1997;
parts of border with Cambodia are indefinite; maritime boundary with
Cambodia not clearly defined; sporadic conflict with Burma over
alignment of border

Illicit drugs: a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana;
major illicit transit point for heroin en route to the international
drug market from Burma and Laos; eradication efforts have reduced
the area of cannabis cultivation and shifted some production to
neighboring countries; opium poppy cultivation has been reduced by
eradication efforts; also a drug money-laundering center; minor role
in amphetamine production for regional consumption; increasing
indigenous abuse of methamphetamines and heroin

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

@Togo ----

Geography

Location: Western Africa, bordering the Bight of Benin, between
Benin and Ghana

Geographic coordinates: 8 00 N, 1 10 E

Map references: Africa

Area:
total: 56,790 sq km
land: 54,390 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than West Virginia

Land boundaries:
total: 1,647 km
border countries: Benin 644 km, Burkina Faso 126 km, Ghana 877 km

Coastline: 56 km

Maritime claims:
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 30 nm

Climate: tropical; hot, humid in south; semiarid in north

Terrain: gently rolling savanna in north; central hills; southern
plateau; low coastal plain with extensive lagoons and marshes

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic Agou 986 m

Natural resources: phosphates, limestone, marble

Land use:
arable land: 38%
permanent crops: 7%
permanent pastures: 4%
forests and woodland: 17%
other: 34% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 70 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: hot, dry harmattan wind can reduce visibility in
north during winter; periodic droughts

Environment--current issues: deforestation attributable to
slash-and-burn agriculture and the use of wood for fuel; recent
droughts affecting agriculture

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population: 5,081,413 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 48% (male 1,229,026; female 1,218,956)
15-64 years: 50% (male 1,223,371; female 1,299,519)
65 years and over: 2% (male 49,890; female 60,651) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: 3.51% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 44.78 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 9.69 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 77.55 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 59.25 years
male: 56.93 years
female: 61.64 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 6.53 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Togolese (singular and plural)
adjective: Togolese

Ethnic groups: native African (37 tribes; largest and most
important are Ewe, Mina, and Kabre) 99%, European and
Syrian-Lebanese less than 1%

Religions: indigenous beliefs 70%, Christian 20%, Muslim 10%

Languages: French (official and the language of commerce), Ewe
and Mina (the two major African languages in the south), Kabye
(sometimes spelled Kabiye) and Dagomba (the two major African
languages in the north)

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 51.7%
male: 67%
female: 37% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Togolese Republic
conventional short form: Togo
local long form: Republique Togolaise
local short form: none
former: French Togo

Data code: TO

Government type: republic under transition to multiparty
democratic rule

Capital: Lome

Administrative divisions: 5 regions (regions, singular--region);
De La Kara, Des Plateaux, Des Savanes, Du Centre, Maritime

Independence: 27 April 1960 (from French-administered UN
trusteeship)

National holiday: Independence Day, 27 April (1960)

Constitution: multiparty draft constitution approved by High
Council of the Republic 1 July 1992; adopted by public referendum 27
September 1992

Legal system: French-based court system

Suffrage: NA years of age; universal adult

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA (since 14 April
1967)
head of government: Prime Minister Kwassi KLUTSE (since August 1996)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and the
prime minister
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term;
election last held 21 June 1998 (next to be held NA 2003); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of
vote--Gnassingbe EYADEMA 52.13%

Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (81 seats;
members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 6 and 20 February 1994 (next to be held NA
February 1999)
election results: percent of vote by party--NA; seats by party--CAR
36, RPT 35, UTD 7, UJD 2, CFN 1
note: as a result of defections from the CAR to the RPT and the
merging of the UJD with the RPT, representation in the National
Assembly in August 1997 was RPT 42, CAR 32, UTD 5, CFN 1,
independent 1

Judicial branch: Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Supreme Court
or Cour Supreme

Political parties and leaders: Rally of the Togolese People or
FOLLY]; Pan-African Sociodemocrats Group or GSP, an alliance of
note: Rally of the Togolese People or RPT, led by President EYADEMA,
was the only party until the formation of multiple parties was
legalized 12 April 1991

International organization participation: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC,
ECA, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM,
IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU,
MINURCA, MINURSO, MIPONUH, NAM, OAU, OIC, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WAEMU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Akosita FINEANGANOFO
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Brenda Brown SCHOONOVER
embassy: Rue Pelletier Caventou and Rue Vauban, Lome
mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome

Flag description: five equal horizontal bands of green (top and
bottom) alternating with yellow; there is a white five-pointed star
on a red square in the upper hoist-side corner; uses the popular
pan-African colors of Ethiopia

Economy

Economy--overview: This small sub-Saharan economy is heavily
dependent on both commercial and subsistence agriculture, which
provides employment for 65% of the labor force. Cocoa, coffee, and
cotton together generate about 30% of export earnings. Togo is
self-sufficient in basic foodstuffs when harvests are normal, with
occasional regional supply difficulties. In the industrial sector,
phosphate mining is by far the most important activity, although it
has suffered from the collapse of world phosphate prices and
increased foreign competition. Togo serves as a regional commercial
and trade center. The government's decade-long effort, supported by
the World Bank and the IMF, to implement economic reform measures,
encourage foreign investment, and bring revenues in line with
expenditures has stalled. Political unrest, including private and
public sector strikes throughout 1992 and 1993, jeopardized the
reform program, shrunk the tax base, and disrupted vital economic
activity. The 12 January 1994 devaluation of the currency by 50%
provided an important impetus to renewed structural adjustment;
these efforts were facilitated by the end of strife in 1994 and a
return to overt political calm. Progress depends on following
through on privatization, increased transparency in government
accounting to accommodate increased social service outlays, and
possible downsizing of the military, on which the regime has
depended to stay in place. However, in late 1998 the EU suspended
aid and trade preferences for Togo because of grave doubts over the
conduct of the presidential elections. The World Bank also suspended
its disbursements at yearend 1998 because Togo was unable to pay its
arrears.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$8.2 billion (1998 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: 3.8% (1998 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,670 (1998 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 32%
industry: 23%
services: 45% (1995)

Population below poverty line: 32.3% (1987-89 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 7.2% (1997)

Labor force: 1.538 million (1993 est.)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65%, industry 5%, services
30% (1998 est.)

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $232 million
expenditures: $252 million, including capital expenditures of $NA
(1997 est.)

Industries: phosphate mining, agricultural processing, cement;
handicrafts, textiles, beverages

Industrial production growth rate: 13.6% (1995)

Electricity--production: 88 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 93.18%
hydro: 6.82%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 408 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 320 million kWh (1996)
note: imports electricity from Ghana

Agriculture--products: coffee, cocoa, cotton, yams, cassava
(tapioca), corn, beans, rice, millet, sorghum; livestock; fish

Exports: $345 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Exports--commodities: cotton, phosphates, coffee, cocoa

Exports--partners: Canada 7.6%, Taiwan 7.1%, Nigeria 6.8%, South
Africa 5.2% (1996 est.)

Imports: $400 million (f.o.b., 1997)

Imports--commodities: machinery and equipment, consumer goods,
petroleum products

Imports--partners: Ghana 19.1%, France 10.8%, China 8.2%, Cameroon
6.8% (1996 est.)

Debt--external: $1.5 billion (1996)

Economic aid--recipient: $201.1 million (1995)

Currency: 1 Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (CFAF) = 100
centimes

Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per
US$1--560.01 (December 1998), 589.95 (1998), 583.67 (1997), 511.55
(1996), 499.15 (1995), 555.20 (1994)

Fiscal year: calendar year

Communications

Telephones: 47,000 (10,000 cellular telephone subscribers) (1998
est.)

Telephone system: fair system based on network of microwave radio
relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: satellite earth stations--1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
and 1 Symphonie

Radio broadcast stations: AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 795,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 3 (in addition, there are two
repeaters) (1997)

Televisions: 24,000 (1992 est.)

Transportation

Railways:
total: 525 km (1995)
narrow gauge: 525 km 1.000-m gauge

Highways:
total: 7,520 km
paved: 2,376 km
unpaved: 5,144 km (1996 est.)

Waterways: 50 km Mono river

Ports and harbors: Kpeme, Lome

Merchant marine: none

Airports: 9 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

Military manpower--availability:
males age 15-49: 1,102,453 (1999 est.)

Military manpower--fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 578,109 (1999 est.)

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $27 million (1996)

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: 2% (1996)

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

Illicit drugs: transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine
traffickers

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

@Tokelau -------

Geography

Location: Oceania, group of three islands in the South Pacific
Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 9 00 S, 172 00 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 10 sq km
land: 10 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: about 17 times the size of The Mall in
Washington, DC

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 101 km

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

Climate: tropical; moderated by trade winds (April to November)

Terrain: low-lying coral atolls enclosing large lagoons

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

Natural resources: NEGL

Land use:
arable land: 0% (soil is thin and infertile)
permanent crops: 0%
permanent pastures: 0%
forests and woodland: 0%
other: 100% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: lies in Pacific typhoon belt

Environment--current issues: very limited natural resources and
overcrowding are contributing to emigration to New Zealand

Environment--international agreements:
party to: NA
signed, but not ratified: NA

People

Population: 1,471 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: -0.92% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: NA births/1,000 population

Death rate: NA deaths/1,000 population

Net migration rate: NA migrant(s)/1,000 population

Infant mortality rate: NA deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Total fertility rate: NA children born/woman

Nationality:
noun: Tokelauan(s)
adjective: Tokelauan

Ethnic groups: Polynesian

Religions: Congregational Christian Church 70%, Roman Catholic
28%, other 2%
note: on Atafu, all Congregational Christian Church of Samoa; on
Nukunonu, all Roman Catholic; on Fakaofo, both denominations, with
the Congregational Christian Church predominant

Languages: Tokelauan (a Polynesian language), English

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tokelau

Data code: TL

Dependency status: territory of New Zealand; note--Tokelauans are
drafting a constitution, developing institutions and patterns of
self-government as Tokelau moves toward free association with
Wellington

Government type: NA

Capital: none; each atoll has its own administrative center

Administrative divisions: none (territory of New Zealand)

Independence: none (territory of New Zealand)

National holiday: Waitangi Day, 6 February (1840) (Treaty of
Waitangi established British sovereignty over New Zealand)

Constitution: administered under the Tokelau Islands Act of 1948,
as amended in 1970

Legal system: British and local statutes

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK
and New Zealand are represented by Administrator Lindsay WATT (since
NA March 1993)
head of government: Aliki Faipule FALIMATEAO (since NA 1997)
cabinet: the Council of Faipule, consisting of three elected
leaders, one from each atoll; functions as a cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed
by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade in New Zealand; the
head of government is chosen from the Council of Faipule and serves
a one-year term

Legislative branch: unicameral General Fono (45 seats--15 from
each of the three atolls; members chosen by each atoll's Council of
Elders or Taupulega to serve three-year terms); note--the Tokelau
Amendment Act of 1996 confers legislative power on the General Fono

Judicial branch: Supreme Court in New Zealand exercises civil and
criminal jurisdiction

Political parties and leaders: none

International organization participation: SPC, WHO (associate)

Diplomatic representation in the US: none (territory of New
Zealand)

Diplomatic representation from the US: none (territory of New
Zealand)

Flag description: the flag of New Zealand is used

Economy

Economy--overview: Tokelau's small size (three villages),
isolation, and lack of resources greatly restrain economic
development and confine agriculture to the subsistence level. The
people must rely on aid from New Zealand to maintain public
services, annual aid being substantially greater than GDP. The
principal sources of revenue come from sales of copra, postage
stamps, souvenir coins, and handicrafts. Money is also remitted to
families from relatives in New Zealand.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$1.5 million (1993 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: NA%

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$1,000 (1993 est.)

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

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%

Labor force: NA

Unemployment rate: NA%

Budget:
revenues: $430,830
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of
$37,300 (1987 est.)

Industries: small-scale enterprises for copra production, wood
work, plaited craft goods; stamps, coins; fishing

Industrial production growth rate: NA%

Electricity--production: NA kWh

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

Electricity--consumption: NA kWh

Electricity--exports: NA kWh

Electricity--imports: NA kWh

Agriculture--products: coconuts, copra, breadfruit, papayas,
bananas; pigs, poultry, goats

Exports: $98,000 (f.o.b., 1983)

Exports--commodities: stamps, copra, handicrafts

Exports--partners: NZ

Imports: $323,400 (c.i.f., 1983)

Imports--commodities: foodstuffs, building materials, fuel

Imports--partners: NZ

Debt--external: $0

Economic aid--recipient: $3.8 million (1995)

Currency: 1 New Zealand dollar (NZ$) = 100 cents

Exchange rates: New Zealand dollars (NZ$) per US$1--1.8560
(January 1999), 1.8629 (1998), 1.5083 (1997), 1.4543 (1996), 1.5235
(1995), 1.6844 (1994)

Fiscal year: 1 April--31 March

Communications

Telephones: NA

Telephone system:
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: radiotelephone service to Western Samoa;
government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with three
satellite earth stations, established in 1997

Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: each atoll has a radio broadcast station of NA type that
broadcasts shipping and weather reports

Radios: 1,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: NA (1997)

Televisions: NA

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: NA km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km

Ports and harbors: none; offshore anchorage only

Merchant marine: none

Airports: none; lagoon landings by amphibious aircraft from
Western Samoa

Military

Military--note: defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Tonga -----

Geography

Location: Oceania, archipelago in the South Pacific Ocean, about
two-thirds of the way from Hawaii to New Zealand

Geographic coordinates: 20 00 S, 175 00 W

Map references: Oceania

Area:
total: 748 sq km
land: 718 sq km
water: 30 sq km

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

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 419 km

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

Climate: tropical; modified by trade winds; warm season (December
to May), cool season (May to December)

Terrain: most islands have limestone base formed from uplifted
coral formation; others have limestone overlying volcanic base

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Kao Island 1,033 m

Natural resources: fish, fertile soil

Land use:
arable land: 24%
permanent crops: 43%
permanent pastures: 6%
forests and woodland: 11%
other: 16% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: NA sq km

Natural hazards: cyclones (October to April); earthquakes and
volcanic activity on Fonuafo'ou

Environment--current issues: deforestation results as more and
more land is being cleared for agriculture and settlement; some
damage to coral reefs from starfish and indiscriminate coral and
shell collectors; overhunting threatens native sea turtle populations

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the
Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography--note: archipelago of 170 islands (36 inhabited)

People

Population: 109,082 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA
65 years and over: NA

Population growth rate: 0.8% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 25.92 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 6 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -1.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 37.93 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.78 years
male: 67.73 years
female: 72.22 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 3.56 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tongan(s)
adjective: Tongan

Ethnic groups: Polynesian, Europeans about 300

Religions: Christian (Free Wesleyan Church claims over 30,000
adherents)

Languages: Tongan, English

Literacy:
definition: can read and write Tongan and/or English
total population: 98.5%
male: 98.4%
female: 98.7% (1996 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Kingdom of Tonga
conventional short form: Tonga
former: Friendly Islands

Data code: TN

Government type: hereditary constitutional monarchy

Capital: Nuku'alofa

Administrative divisions: three island groups; Ha'apai,
Tongatapu, Vava'u

Independence: 4 June 1970 (emancipation from UK protectorate)

National holiday: Emancipation Day, 4 June (1970)

Constitution: 4 November 1875, revised 1 January 1967

Legal system: based on English law

Suffrage: 21 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: King Taufa'ahau TUPOU IV (since 16 December 1965)
head of government: Prime Minister Baron VAEA (since 22 August 1991)
and Deputy Prime Minister S. Langi KAVALIKU (since 22 August 1991)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the monarch
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch and
the Cabinet
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch

Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Assembly or Fale Alea
(30 seats--12 reserved for cabinet ministers sitting ex officio, nine
for nobles selected by the country's 33 nobles, and nine elected by
popular vote; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 24-25 January 1996 (next to be held NA March
1999)
election results: percent of vote--NA; seats--7 proreform, 2
traditionalist

Judicial branch: Supreme Court, judges are appointed by the
monarch; Privy Council with the addition of the chief justice of the
Supreme Court sits as the Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: Tonga People's Party [Viliami
FUKOFUKA]

International organization participation: ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP,
FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, IMF,
Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, Sparteca, SPC,
SPF, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTrO (applicant)

Diplomatic representation in the US: Tonga does not have an
embassy in the US; Ambassador Akosita FINEANGANOFO, resides in
London; address: Embassy of the Kingdom of Tonga, c/o Tonga High
consulate(s) general: San Francisco

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

Flag description: red with a bold red cross on a white rectangle
in the upper hoist-side corner

Economy

Economy--overview: The economy's base is agriculture, which
contributes 32% to GDP. Squash, coconuts, bananas, and vanilla beans
are the main crops, and agricultural exports make up two-thirds of
total exports. The country must import a high proportion of its
food, mainly from New Zealand. The industrial sector accounts for
only 10% of GDP. Tourism is the primary source of hard currency
earnings. The country remains dependent on sizable external aid and
remittances to offset its trade deficit. The government is
emphasizing the development of the private sector, especially the
encouragement of investment.

GDP: purchasing power parity--$232 million (FY97/98 est.)

GDP--real growth rate: -1.5% (FY97/98 est.)

GDP--per capita: purchasing power parity?$2,100 (FY97/98 est.)

GDP--composition by sector:
agriculture: 32%
industry: 10%
services: 58% (1996)

Population below poverty line: NA%

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2% (1997 est.)

Labor force: 36,665 (1994)

Labor force--by occupation: agriculture 65% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate: 11.8% (FY93/94)

Budget:
revenues: $49 million
expenditures: $120 million, including capital expenditures of $75
million (FY96/97 est.)

Industries: tourism, fishing

Industrial production growth rate: 1.9% (FY95/96)

Electricity--production: 30 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--production by source:
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (1996)

Electricity--consumption: 30 million kWh (1996)

Electricity--exports: 0 kWh (1996)

Electricity--imports: 0 kWh (1996)

Agriculture--products: squash, coconuts, copra, bananas, vanilla
beans, cocoa, coffee, ginger, black pepper; fish

Exports: $11.9 million (f.o.b., FY97/98)

Exports--commodities: squash, fish, vanilla, root crops, coconut
oil

Exports--partners: Japan 43%, US 19%, Canada 14%, NZ 5%, Australia
5% (1996 est.)

Imports: $78.9 million (f.o.b., FY97/98)

Imports--commodities: food products, live animals, machinery and
transport equipment, manufactures, fuels, chemicals

Imports--partners: NZ 34%, Australia 16%, US 10%, UK 8%, Japan 6%
(1996 est.)

Debt--external: $62 million (1998)

Economic aid--recipient: $38.8 million (1995)

Currency: 1 pa'anga (T$) = 100 seniti

Exchange rates: pa'anga (T$) per US$1--1.6171 (December 1998),
1.4921 (1998), 1.2635 (1997), 1.2323 (1996), 1.2709 (1995), 1.3202
(1994)

Fiscal year: 1 July--30 June

Communications

Telephones: 6,000 (1994 est.)

Telephone system:
domestic: NA
international: satellite earth station--1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations: AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0

Radios: 66,000 (1993 est.)

Television broadcast stations: 1 (1997)

Televisions: 2,000 (1994 est.)

Transportation

Railways: 0 km

Highways:
total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1996 est.)

Ports and harbors: Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai

Merchant marine:
total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,754 GRT/25,969 DWT
ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, liquefied gas
tanker 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 1 (1998 est.)

Airports: 6 (1998 est.)

Airports--with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (1998 est.)

Airports--with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 2
under 914 m: 2 (1998 est.)

Military

Military branches: Tonga Defense Services (includes, Royal Tongan
Marines, Tongan Royal Guards, Maritime Force, Police); note--a new
Air Wing which will be subordinate to the Defense Ministry is being
developed

Military expenditures--dollar figure: $NA

Military expenditures--percent of GDP: NA%

Transnational Issues

Disputes--international: none

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

@Trinidad and Tobago -------------------

Geography

Location: Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the
North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela

Geographic coordinates: 11 00 N, 61 00 W

Map references: Central America and the Caribbean

Area:
total: 5,130 sq km
land: 5,130 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area--comparative: slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries: 0 km

Coastline: 362 km

Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm

Climate: tropical; rainy season (June to December)

Terrain: mostly plains with some hills and low mountains

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: El Cerro del Aripo 940 m

Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, asphalt

Land use:
arable land: 15%
permanent crops: 9%
permanent pastures: 2%
forests and woodland: 46%
other: 28% (1993 est.)

Irrigated land: 220 sq km (1993 est.)

Natural hazards: outside usual path of hurricanes and other
tropical storms

Environment--current issues: water pollution from agricultural
chemicals, industrial wastes, and raw sewage; oil pollution of
beaches; deforestation; soil erosion

Environment--international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea,
Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection,
Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

People

Population: 1,102,096 (July 1999 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 27% (male 150,862; female 144,589)
15-64 years: 66% (male 377,894; female 346,375)
65 years and over: 7% (male 37,001; female 45,375) (1999 est.)

Population growth rate: -1.35% (1999 est.)

Birth rate: 14.46 births/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Death rate: 8.14 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Net migration rate: -19.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (1999 est.)

Infant mortality rate: 18.56 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 70.66 years
male: 68.19 years
female: 73.19 years (1999 est.)

Total fertility rate: 2.06 children born/woman (1999 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Trinidadian(s), Tobagonian(s)
adjective: Trinidadian, Tobagonian

Ethnic groups: black 40%, East Indian (a local term--primarily
immigrants from northern India) 40.3%, mixed 14%, white 1%, Chinese
1%, other 3.7%

Religions: Roman Catholic 32.2%, Hindu 24.3%, Anglican 14.4%,
other Protestant 14%, Muslim 6%, none or unknown 9.1%

Languages: English (official), Hindi, French, Spanish

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.9%
male: 98.8%
female: 97% (1995 est.)

Government

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Trinidad and Tobago
conventional short form: Trinidad and Tobago

Data code: TD

Government type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Port-of-Spain

Administrative divisions: 8 counties, 3 municipalities*, and 1
ward**; Arima*, Caroni, Mayaro, Nariva, Port-of-Spain*, Saint
Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick, San Fernando*,
Tobago**, Victoria

Independence: 31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution: 1 August 1976