Chapter LIII: Front Matter (53)

Legislative branch:
unicameral Legislative Yuan (225 seats - 168 elected by popular
vote, 41 elected on the basis of the proportion of islandwide votes
received by participating political parties, eight elected from
overseas Chinese constituencies on the basis of the proportion of
islandwide votes received by participating political parties, eight
elected by popular vote among the aboriginal populations; members
serve three-year terms) and unicameral National Assembly (300 seat
nonstanding body; delegates nominated by parties and elected by
proportional representation within three months of a Legislative
Yuan call to amend the Constitution, impeach the president, or
change national borders)
elections: Legislative Yuan - last held 8 December 2001 (next to be
held NA December 2004); note - the National Assembly is a
nonstanding body and is called into session
election results: Legislative Yuan - percent of vote by party - DPP
39%, KMT 30%, PFP 20%, TSU 6%, independents and other parties 5%;
seats by party - DPP 87, KMT 68, PFP 46, TSU 13, independents and
other parties 11

Judicial branch:
Judicial Yuan (justices appointed by the president with consent of
the National Assembly; note - beginning in 2003, justices will be
appointed by the president with consent of the Legislative Yuan)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Progressive Party or DPP [CHEN Shui-bian, chairman];
Kuomintang or KMT (Nationalist Party) [LIEN Chan, chairman]; People
First Party or PFP [James SOONG (SOONG Chu-yu), chairman]; Taiwan
Solidarity Union or TSU [HUANG Chu-wen, chairman]; other minor
parties including the Chinese New Party or CNP

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Taiwan independence movement, various business and environmental
groups
note: debate on Taiwan independence has become acceptable within the
mainstream of domestic politics on Taiwan; political liberalization
and the increased representation of opposition parties in Taiwan's
legislature have opened public debate on the island's national
identity; a broad popular consensus has developed that Taiwan
currently enjoys de facto independence and - whatever the ultimate
outcome regarding reunification or independence - that Taiwan's
people must have the deciding voice; advocates of Taiwan
independence oppose the stand that the island will eventually unify
with mainland China; goals of the Taiwan independence movement
include establishing a sovereign nation on Taiwan and entering the
UN; other organizations supporting Taiwan independence include the
World United Formosans for Independence and the Organization for
Taiwan Nation Building

International organization participation:
APEC, AsDB, BCIE, ICC, ICFTU, IFRCS, IOC, WCL, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
of the US are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality, the
Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office (TECRO) in the US
with headquarters in Taipei and field offices in Washington and 12
other US cities

Diplomatic representation from the US:
none; unofficial commercial and cultural relations with the people
on Taiwan are maintained through an unofficial instrumentality - the
American Institute in Taiwan (AIT) - which has offices in the US and
Taiwan; US office located at 1700 N. Moore St., Suite 1700,
Arlington, VA 22209-1996, telephone: [1] (703) 525-8474, FAX: [1]
(703) 841-1385); Taiwan offices located at #7 Lane 134, Hsin Yi
Road, Section 3, Taipei, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (2) 2709-2000,
FAX: [886] (2) 2702-7675; #2 Chung Cheng 3rd Road, 5th Floor,
Kao-hsiung, Taiwan, telephone: [886] (7) 224-0154 through 0157, FAX:
[886] (7) 223-8237; and the American Trade Center, Room 3208
International Trade Building, Taipei World Trade Center, 333 Keelung
Road Section 1, Taipei, Taiwan 10548, telephone: [886] (2)
2720-1550, FAX: [886] (2) 2757-7162

Flag description:
red with a dark blue rectangle in the upper hoist-side corner
bearing a white sun with 12 triangular rays

Economy Taiwan

Economy - overview:
Taiwan has a dynamic capitalist economy with gradually decreasing
guidance of investment and foreign trade by government authorities.
In keeping with this trend, some large government-owned banks and
industrial firms are being privatized. Exports have provided the
primary impetus for industrialization. The trade surplus is
substantial, and foreign reserves are the world's third largest.
Agriculture contributes 2% to GDP, down from 32% in 1952. While
Taiwan is a major investor throughout Southeast Asia, China has
become the largest destination for investment and has overtaken the
US to become Taiwan's largest export market. Because of its
conservative financial approach and its entrepreneurial strengths,
Taiwan suffered little compared with many of its neighbors from the
Asian financial crisis in 1998. The global economic downturn,
combined with problems in policy coordination by the administration
and bad debts in the banking system, pushed Taiwan into recession in
2001, the first year of negative growth ever recorded. Unemployment
also reached record levels. Output recovered moderately in 2002 in
the face of continued global slowdown, fragile consumer confidence,
and bad bank loans. Growing economic ties with China are a dominant
long-term factor. Exports to China - mainly parts and equipment for
the assembly of goods for export to developed countries - drove
Taiwan's economic recovery in 2002.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $406 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.5% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $18,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2%
industry: 31%
services: 67% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
1% (2000 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 6.4%
highest 10%: 41.1% (2002 est.)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
32.6 (2000)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-0.2% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
10 million (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
services 58%, industry 35%, agriculture 7% (2001 est.)

Unemployment rate:
5.2% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $36 billion
expenditures: $36.1 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2002 est.)

Industries:
electronics, petroleum refining, chemicals, textiles, iron and
steel, machinery, cement, food processing

Industrial production growth rate:
6% (2002)

Electricity - production:
151.1 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 71.4%
hydro: 6%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 22.6%

Electricity - consumption:
140.5 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
1,100 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
988,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
2 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
750 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
6.64 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
410 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
6.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
38.23 billion cu m (37257)

Agriculture - products:
rice, corn, vegetables, fruit, tea; pigs, poultry, beef, milk; fish

Exports:
$130 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment 54%, metals, textiles, plastics,
chemicals (2002)

Exports - partners:
Hong Kong 23.9%, US 20.8%, Japan 9.3%, China 7.7% (2002)

Imports:
$113 billion f.o.b. (2002)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and electrical equipment 44.5%, minerals, precision
instruments (2002)

Imports - partners:
Japan 24.3%, US 16.1%, China 7.1%, South Korea 6.9% (2002)

Debt - external:
$24.7 billion (2002)

Currency:
new Taiwan dollar (TWD)

Currency code:
TWD

Exchange rates:
34.88 (2002), 34.74 (2001), 33.09 (2000), 31.6 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June (up to FY98/99); 1 July 1999 - 31 December 2000
for FY00; calendar year (after FY00)

Communications Taiwan

Telephones - main lines in use:
12.49 million (September 2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
16 million (September 2000)

Telephone system:
general assessment: provides telecommunications service for every
business and private need
domestic: thoroughly modern; completely digitalized
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Pacific
Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean); submarine cables to Japan (Okinawa),
Philippines, Guam, Singapore, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Australia,
Middle East, and Western Europe (1999)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 218, FM 333, shortwave 50 (1999)

Radios:
16 million (1994)

Television broadcast stations:
29 (plus two repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
8.8 million (1998)

Internet country code:
.tw

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
8 (2000)

Internet users:
11.6 million (2001)

Transportation Taiwan

Railways:
total: 1,108 km
narrow gauge: 1,108 km 1.067-m gauge (519 km electrified)
note: there also are 1,255 km of 1.067-m gauge routes belonging to
the Taiwan Sugar Corporation and to the Taiwan Forestry Bureau used
to haul products and limited numbers of passengers (2002)

Highways:
total: 35,931 km
paved: 31,583 km (including 608 km of expressways)
unpaved: 4,348 km (2000)

Waterways:
NA

Pipelines:
condensate 25 km; gas 435 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Chi-lung (Keelung), Hua-lien, Kao-hsiung, Su-ao, T'ai-chung

Merchant marine:
total: 142 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,973,958 GRT/6,306,361 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Hong Kong 3, Japan 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 41, cargo 22, chemical tanker 2, combination
bulk 3, container 45, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 9,
roll on/roll off 2

Airports:
39 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 37
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 8
914 to 1,523 m: 8
under 914 m: 2 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 11

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Heliports:
3 (2002)

Military Taiwan

Military branches:
Army, Navy (including Marine Corps), Air Force, Coast Guard
Administration, Armed Forces Reserve Command, Combined Service
Forces Command

Military manpower - military age:
19 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 6,583,604 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 5,019,268 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 189,967 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$7.574 billion (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
2.7% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Taiwan

Disputes - international:
involved in complex dispute over the Spratly Islands with China,
Malaysia, Philippines, Vietnam, and possibly Brunei; claimants in
November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in
the South China Sea", a mechanism to ease tension but which fell
short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; Paracel Islands
occupied by China, but claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam; claims
Japanese-administered Senkaku-shoto (Senkaku Islands/Diaoyu Tai), as
does China

Illicit drugs:
regional transit point for heroin and methamphetamine; major
problem with domestic consumption of methamphetamine and heroin

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Tajikistan

Introduction Tajikistan

Background:
Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a
five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the
USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and
implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total
control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise
and forge alliances among factions. Attention by the international
community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought
increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs
and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early
stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined
NATO's Partnership for Peace.

Geography Tajikistan

Location:
Central Asia, west of China

Geographic coordinates:
39 00 N, 71 00 E

Map references:
Asia

Area:
total: 143,100 sq km
water: 400 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Wisconsin

Land boundaries:
total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870
km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km

Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)

Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)

Climate:
midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to
polar in Pamir Mountains

Terrain:
Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley
in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest

Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m

Natural resources:
hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead,
zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold

Land use:
arable land: 5.41%
permanent crops: 0.92%
other: 93.67% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
7,200 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
earthquakes and floods

Environment - current issues:
inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil
salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification,
Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in
the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai
Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain
in the former USSR

People Tajikistan

Population:
6,863,752 (July 2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 39.8% (male 1,376,244; female 1,353,108)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,896,509; female 1,915,334)
65 years and over: 4.7% (male 140,993; female 181,564) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 19.3 years
male: 19 years
female: 19.6 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
2.13% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
32.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
8.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 113.43 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 99.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 126.58 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 64.37 years
male: 61.39 years
female: 67.5 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
less than 0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
less than 200 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
less than 100 (2001 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani

Ethnic groups:
Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of
emigration), other 6.6%

Religions:
Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%

Languages:
Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4%
male: 99.6%
female: 99.1% (2003 est.)

Government Tajikistan

Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan
local short form: Tojikiston
former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic
local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dushanbe

Administrative divisions:
2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous
province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni
Badakhshon* (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati
Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses

Independence:
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National holiday:
Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991)

Constitution:
6 November 1994

Legal system:
based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994;
head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January
1999)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved
by the Supreme Assembly
election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of
vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2%
elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term;
election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime
minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a
constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things,
set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president

Legislative branch:
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly
of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63
seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33
seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local
deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by
party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Rebirth Party 7.5%,
other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote
by party - NA%; seats by party - NA
elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly
of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for
the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005)

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic
Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic
Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic
Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali
KENJAYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more
members: Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko
SAIDOV]

International organization participation:
AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO,
ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU,
OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Sreet NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006
FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091
telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the
embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is
still handled in Almaty at 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan,
telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48 (Dushanbe)
FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62

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

Economy Tajikistan

Economy - overview:
Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet
republics. Only 8% to 10% of the land area is arable. Cotton is 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 civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already
weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in
industrial and agricultural production. Even though 60% of its
people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has
experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued
privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will
further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation,
however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural
reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external
debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia
in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace
period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of
Tajikistan.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $8.476 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
9.1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 19%
industry: 26%
services: 55% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
60% (2001 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
34.7 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
12% (2001 est.)

Labor force:
3.187 million (2000)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
40% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $502 million
expenditures: $520 million, including capital expenditures of $86
million (2002 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
10.3% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
14.18 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
14.52 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
3.909 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
5.242 billion kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
250 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Natural gas - production:
50 million cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
1.3 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
1.25 billion cu m (2001 est.)

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

Exports:
$710 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Netherlands 29.4%, Turkey 16.1%, Russia 11.9%, Uzbekistan 9.9%,
Switzerland 9.3%, Hungary 5.4%, Latvia 4.2% (2002)

Imports:
$830 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and
equipment, foodstuffs

Imports - partners:
Russia 22.7%, Uzbekistan 18.4%, Ukraine 11.2%, Kazakhstan 10%,
Turkmenistan 6.5%, Azerbaijan 5.7%, India 4.4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$1 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$60.7 million from US (2001)

Currency:
somoni

Currency code:
TJS

Exchange rates:
Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.37 (2001), 2.08
(2000), 1.24 (1999), 0.78 (1998)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000,
with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Tajikistan

Telephones - main lines in use:
363,000 (1997)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,500 (1997)

Telephone system:
general assessment: 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:
AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002)

Radios:
1.291 million (1991)

Television broadcast stations:
13 (2001)

Televisions:
820,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tj

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
4 (2002)

Internet users:
5,000 (2002)

Transportation Tajikistan

Railways:
total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 27,767 km
paved: NA
unpaved: NA (2000)

Waterways:
none

Pipelines:
gas 540 km; oil 38 km (2003)

Ports and harbors:
none

Airports:
66 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 6
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 53
over 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 14
under 914 m: 36 (2002)

Military Tajikistan

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

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,704,457 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 1,397,188 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 82,490 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$35.4 million (FY01)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
3.9% (FY01)

Transnational Issues Tajikistan

Disputes - international:
prolonged regional drought creates water-sharing difficulties for
Amu Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede
1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China
relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands;
negotiations with China resolved the longstanding boundary dispute;
talks have begun with Uzbekistan to demine and delimit border;
disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with
Kyrgyzstan

Illicit drugs:
major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and,
to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit
cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan
seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and
stands third world-wide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium)

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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@Tanzania

Introduction Tanzania

Background:
Shortly after independence, Tanganyika and Zanzibar merged to form
the nation of Tanzania in 1964. One-party rule came to an end in
1995 with the first democratic elections held in the country since
the 1970s. Zanzibar's semi-autonomous status and popular opposition
have led to two contentious elections since 1995, which the ruling
party won despite international observers' claims of voting
irregularities.

Geography Tanzania

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

Geographic coordinates:
6 00 S, 35 00 E

Map references:
Africa

Area:
total: 945,087 sq km
note: includes the islands of Mafia, Pemba, and Zanzibar
water: 59,050 sq km
land: 886,037 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
total: 3,861 km
border countries: Burundi 451 km, Democratic Republic of the Congo
459 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: 4.24%
permanent crops: 1.02%
other: 94.74% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
1,550 sq km (1998 est.)

Natural hazards:
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; wildlife threatened by illegal hunting and
trade, especially for ivory

Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered
Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban

Geography - note:
Kilimanjaro is highest point in Africa; bordered by three of the
largest lakes on the continent: Lake Victoria (the world's
second-largest freshwater lake) in the north, Lake Tanganyika (the
world's second deepest) in the west, and Lake Nyasa in the southwest

People Tanzania

Population:
35,922,454
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 44.3% (male 7,988,898; female 7,938,979)
15-64 years: 53.1% (male 9,429,959; female 9,634,102)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 405,803; female 524,713) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.5 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.7 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
1.72% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
39.5 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
17.38 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
-4.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.77 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 103.68 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 93.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 113.29 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 44.56 years
male: 43.33 years
female: 45.83 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
5.24 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
7.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
1.5 million (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
140,000 (2001 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 30%, Muslim 35%, indigenous beliefs 35%;
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: 78.2%
male: 85.9%
female: 70.7% (2003 est.)

Government Tanzania

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

Government type:
republic

Capital:
Dar es Salaam; note - legislative 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, Kagera, 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

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 (Tanganyika and Zanzibar), 26 April (1964)

Constitution:
25 April 1977; major revisions October 1984

Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative 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 Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July 2001);
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 Dr. Ali Mohammed SHEIN (since 5 July
2001); 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; Amani Abeid KARUME was elected to that
office on 29 October 2000
cabinet: Cabinet ministers, including the prime minister, are
appointed by the president from among the members of the National
Assembly
election results: Benjamin William MKAPA reelected president;
percent of vote - Benjamin William MKAPA 71.7%, Ibrahim Haruna
LIPUMBA 16.3%, Augustine Lyatonga MREME 7.8%, John Momose CHEYO 4.2%
elections: president and vice president elected on the same ballot
by popular vote for five-year terms; election last held 29 October
2000 (next to be held NA October 2005); prime minister appointed by
the president

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)
election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - CCM 244, CUF 16, CHADEMA 4, TLP 3, UDP 2,
Zanzibar representatives 5; Zanzibar House of Representatives -
percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - CCM 34, CUF 16
elections: last held 29 October 2000 (next to be held NA October
2005)

Judicial branch:
Permanent Commission of Enquiry (official ombudsman); Court of
Appeal (consists of a chief justice and four judges); High Court
(consists of a Jaji Kiongozi and 29 judges appointed by the
president; holds regular sessions in all regions); District Courts;
Primary Courts (limited jurisdiction and appeals can be made to the
higher courts)

Political parties and leaders:
Chama Cha Demokrasia na Maendeleo (Party of Democracy and
Development) or CHADEMA [Bob MAKANI]; Chama Cha Mapinduzi or CCM
(Revolutionary Party) [Benjamin William MKAPA]; Civic United Front
or CUF [Ibrahim LIPUMBA]; Democratic Party (unregistered)
[Christopher MTIKLA]; Tanzania Labor Party or TLP [Augustine
Lyatonga MREMA]; United Democratic Party or UDP [John CHEYO]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Andrew Mhando DARAJA
chancery: 2139 R Street NW, Washington, DC 20008
FAX: [1] (202) 797-7408
telephone: [1] (202) 939-6125

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Robert V. ROYALL
embassy: 140 Msese Road, Kinondoni District, Dar es Salaam
mailing address: P. O. Box 9123, Dar es Salaam
telephone: [255] (22) 2666-010 through 2666-015
FAX: [255] (22) 2666-701, 2668-501

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

Economy Tanzania

Economy - overview:
Tanzania is one of the poorest countries in the world. The economy
depends heavily on agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP,
provides 85% of exports, and employs 80% of the work force.
Topography and climatic conditions, however, limit cultivated crops
to only 4% of the land area. Industry traditionally featured the
processing of agricultural products and light consumer goods. The
World Bank, the International Monetary Fund, and bilateral donors
have provided funds to rehabilitate Tanzania's out-of-date economic
infrastructure and to alleviate poverty. Growth in 1991-2002
featured a pickup in industrial production and a substantial
increase in output of minerals, led by gold. Oil and gas exploration
and development played an important role in this growth. Recent
banking reforms have helped increase private sector growth and
investment. Continued donor support and solid macroeconomic policies
should support continued real GDP growth of 5% in 2003.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $20.42 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.1% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $600 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 48.1%
industry: 15.4%
services: 36.5% (2001 est.)

Population below poverty line:
36% (2002 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 30.1% (1993)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
38.2 (1993)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4.8% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
13.495 million

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% (2002 est.)

Unemployment rate:
NA%

Budget:
revenues: $1.01 billion
expenditures: $1.38 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(FY 00/01 est.)

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

Industrial production growth rate:
8.4% (1999 est.)

Electricity - production:
2.906 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 18.9%
hydro: 81.1%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
2.752 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
50 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
17,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (37257)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
11.33 billion cu m (37257)

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

Exports:
$863 million f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities:
gold, coffee, cashew nuts, manufactures, cotton

Exports - partners:
India 15.2%, Japan 12.4%, Netherlands 9.2%, UK 6.8%, Belgium 6.5%,
Kenya 5.9%, Germany 4.8% (2002)

Imports:
$1.67 billion f.o.b. (2001)

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

Imports - partners:
South Africa 12.7%, China 7.9%, Kenya 6.6%, India 6.3%, UK 6%,
Japan 4.5%, US 4%, Australia 4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$6.8 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$963 million (1997)

Currency:
Tanzanian shilling (TZS)

Currency code:
TZS

Exchange rates:
Tanzanian shillings per US dollar - NA (2002), 876.41 (2001),
800.41 (2000), 744.76 (1999), 664.67 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Tanzania

Telephones - main lines in use:
127,000 (1998)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
30,000 (1999)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system operating below capacity and being
modernized for better service; VSAT (very small aperture terminal)
system under construction
domestic: trunk service provided by open-wire, microwave radio
relay, tropospheric scatter, and fiber-optic cable; some links being
made digital
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean
and 1 Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 12, FM 11, shortwave 2 (1998)

Radios:
8.8 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
3 (1999)

Televisions:
103,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tz

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
6 (2000)

Internet users:
300,000 (2002)

Transportation Tanzania

Railways:
total: 3,690 km
narrow gauge: 2,721 km 1.000-m gauge; 969 km 1.067-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 88,200 km
paved: 3,704 km
unpaved: 84,496 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
note: Lake Tanganyika, Lake Victoria, and Lake Nyasa are principal
avenues of commerce between Tanzania and its neighbors on those lakes

Pipelines:
gas 5 km; oil 866 km (2003)

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

Merchant marine:
total: 10 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 30,781 GRT/33,805 DWT
ships by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 3, roll
on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 2 (2002 est.)

Airports:
123 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 11
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2002)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 112
1,524 to 2,437 m: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 60
under 914 m: 34 (2002)

Military Tanzania

Military branches:
Tanzanian People's Defense Force (including Army, Navy, and Air
Force), paramilitary Police Field Force Unit (including Police
Marine Unit and Police Air Wing), territorial militia

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 8,477,193 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 4,911,235 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$19.68 million (FY02)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.2% (FY02)

Transnational Issues Tanzania

Disputes - international:
disputes with Malawi over the boundary in Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi)
and the meandering Songwe River remain dormant

Illicit drugs:
growing role in transshipment of Southwest and Southeast Asian
heroin and South American cocaine destined for South African,
European, and US markets and of South Asian methaqualone bound for
Southern Africa; money laundering remains a problem

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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

@Thailand

Introduction Thailand

Background:
A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century.
Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian
country never to have been taken over by a European power. A
bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy. In
alliance with Japan during World War II, Thailand became a US ally
following the conflict.

Geography Thailand

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
water: 2,230 sq km
land: 511,770 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, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 32.88%
permanent crops: 7%
other: 60.12% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
47,490 sq km (1998 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, Desertification, Endangered Species,
Hazardous Wastes, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
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 Thailand

Population:
64,265,276
note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the
effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower
life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower
population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2003 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.2% (male 7,955,597; female 7,604,652)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 21,819,445; female 22,362,085)
65 years and over: 7% (male 2,081,768; female 2,441,729) (2003 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.1 years
male: 29.4 years
female: 30.8 years (2002)

Population growth rate:
0.95% (2003 est.)

Birth rate:
16.37 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Death rate:
6.86 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2003 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.83 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 20.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 23.17 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.24 years
male: 69.07 years
female: 73.53 years (2003 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.91 children born/woman (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.8% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
670,000 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
55,000 (2001 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: 96%
male: 97.5%
female: 94.6% (2003 est.)

Government Thailand

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

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 King PHUMIPHON, 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)
note: there is also a Privy Council
head of government: Prime Minister THAKSIN Chinnawat (since 9
February 2001) and Deputy Prime Ministers Gen. (Ret.) CHAWALIT
Yongchaiyut, KON Thappharansi, SUWIT Khunkitti, CHATURON Chaisaeng,
VISHANU Krua-ngam, and PROMMIN Lertsuridej (since 18 February 2001)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister is
designated from among the members of the House of Representatives;
following national elections for the House of Representatives, the
leader of the party that can organize a majority coalition usually
is appointed prime minister by the king

Legislative branch:
bicameral National Assembly or Rathasapha consists of the Senate or
Wuthisapha (200 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms) and the House of Representatives or Sapha Phuthaen
Ratsadon (500 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve
four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 4 March, 29 April, 4 June, 9 July, and
22 July 2000 (next to be held NA March 2004); House of
Representatives - last held 6 January 2001 (next to be held NA
January 2005)
election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by
party - NA; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party -
NA%; seats by party - TRT 248, DP 128, TNP 41, NDP 29, other 54

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

Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [BANTADTAN Banyat];
National Development Party or NDP (Chat Phattana) [KORN Dabbaransi];
Thai Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BANHAN Sinlapa-acha];
Thai Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
APEC, ARF, AsDB, ASEAN, BIS, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS,
IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS
(observer), OIC (observer), OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNAMSIL,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMISET, UNU, UPU,
WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador SAKTHIP Krairiksh
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611
telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20007

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Darryl N. JOHNSON
embassy: 120/22 Wireless Road, Bangkok
mailing address: APO AP 96546
telephone: [66] (2) 205-4000
FAX: [66] (2) 254-2990, 205-4131
consulate(s) general: Chiang Mai

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

Economy Thailand

Economy - overview:
Thailand has a free enterprise economy and welcomes foreign
investment. Exports feature computers and electrical appliances.
After enjoying the world's highest growth rate from 1985 to 1995 -
averaging almost 9% annually - increased speculative pressure on
Thailand's currency in 1997 led to a crisis that uncovered financial
sector weaknesses and forced the government to float the baht. Long
pegged at 25 to the dollar, the baht reached its lowest point of 56
to the dollar in January 1998, and the economy contracted by 10.2%
that same year. Thailand then entered a recovery stage, expanding by
4.2% in 1999 and 4.4% in 2000, largely due to strong exports. An
ailing financial sector and the slow pace of corporate debt
restructuring, combined with a softening of global demand, slowed
growth to 1.4% in 2001. Increased consumption and investment
spending pushed GDP growth up to 5.2% in 2002 despite a sluggish
global economy.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
5.3% (2002 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,000 (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 11%
industry: 40%
services: 49% (2001)

Population below poverty line:
12.5% (1998 est.)

Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: 2.8%
highest 10%: 32.4% (1998)

Distribution of family income - Gini index:
41.4 (1998)

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
0.6% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
33.4 million (2001 est.)

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

Unemployment rate:
2.9% (2002 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $19 billion
expenditures: $21 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA
(2000 est.)

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:
3% (2000 est.)

Electricity - production:
97.6 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source:
fossil fuel: 91.3%
hydro: 6.4%
other: 2.4% (2001)
nuclear: 0%

Electricity - consumption:
90.91 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
200 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
350 million kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
173,800 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
785,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
551.5 million bbl (37257)

Natural gas - production:
18.73 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
23.93 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - imports:
5.2 billion cu m (2001 est.)

Natural gas - proved reserves:
368.2 billion cu m (37257)

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

Exports:
$67.7 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
computers, transistors, seafood, clothing, rice (2000)

Exports - partners:
US 19.6%, Japan 14.5%, Singapore 8.1%, Hong Kong 5.4%, China 5.2%,
Malaysia 4.1% (2002)

Imports:
$58.1 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer
goods, fuels (2000)

Imports - partners:
Japan 23%, US 9.6%, China 7.6%, Malaysia 5.6%, Singapore 4.5%,
Taiwan 4.4% (2002)

Debt - external:
$62.5 billion (2002 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$131.5 million (1998 est.)

Currency:
baht (THB)

Currency code:
THB

Exchange rates:
baht per US dollar - 42.96 (2002), 44.43 (2001), 40.11 (2000),
37.81 (1999), 41.36 (1998)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Thailand

Telephones - main lines in use:
5.6 million (2000)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3.1 million (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: service to general public adequate, but
investment 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 204, FM 334, shortwave 6 (1999)

Radios:
13.96 million (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
5 (all in Bangkok; plus 131 repeaters) (1997)

Televisions:
15.19 million (1997)

Internet country code:
.th

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
15 (2000)

Internet users:
1.2 million (2001)

Transportation Thailand

Railways:
total: 4,071 km
narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2002)

Highways:
total: 64,600 km
paved: 62,985 km
unpaved: 1,615 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
4,000 km
note: 3,701 km are navigable throughout the year by boats with
drafts up to 0.9 meters; numerous minor waterways serve
shallow-draft native craft

Pipelines:
gas 3,066 km; refined products 265 km (2003)

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

Merchant marine:
total: 317 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,744,103 GRT/2,657,666 DWT
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
convenience: Germany 1, Greece 1, Indonesia 1, Japan 1, Norway 24,
Panama 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.)
ships by type: bulk 33, cargo 136, chemical tanker 5, combination
bulk 1, combination ore/oil 1, container 17, liquefied gas 21,
multi-functional large-load carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker
74, refrigerated cargo 17, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea passenger
2, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 1

Airports:
111 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 62
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 5 (2002)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 49
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 17
under 914 m: 31 (2002)

Heliports:
2 (2002)

Military Thailand

Military branches:
Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (includes Royal Thai Marine
Corps), Royal Thai Air Force, paramilitary forces (includes the
Border Patrol Police [including Police Aerial Reinforcement Unit],
Thahan Phran, Special Action Forces, Police Aviation Division, Thai
Marine Police, and the Volunteer Defense Corps)

Military manpower - military age:
18 years of age (2003 est.)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 17,904,298 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 10,724,565 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 520,472 (2003 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$1.775 billion (FY00)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.4% (FY00)

Transnational Issues Thailand

Disputes - international:
completion of boundary demarcation with Cambodia hampered by
accusations of moving and destroying boundary markers,
encroachments, initiating border incidents, and sealing off Preah
Vihear temple ruins, awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962;
demarcation complete except for a 1 kilometer segment at the mouth
of the Kolok River in dispute with Malaysia; demarcation with Laos
complete except for certain Mekong River islets and complaints of
Thai squatters; despite continuing border committee talks,
significant differences remain with Burma over boundary alignment
and the handling of ethnic rebels, refugees, and illegal
cross-border activities

Illicit drugs:
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; 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 methamphetamine

This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

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@Togo

Introduction Togo

Background:
French Togoland became Togo in 1960. Gen. Gnassingbe EYADEMA,
installed as military ruler in 1967, is Africa's longest-serving
head of state. Despite the facade of multiparty elections instituted
in the early 1990s, the government continues to be dominated by
President EYADEMA, whose Rally of the Togolese People (RPT) party
has maintained power almost continually since 1967. In addition,
Togo has come under fire from international organizations for human
rights abuses and is plagued by political unrest. Most bilateral and
multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen.

Geography Togo

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: 56,785 sq km
water: 2,400 sq km
land: 54,385 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: Mont Agou 986 m

Natural resources:
phosphates, limestone, marble, arable land

Land use:
arable land: 41.37%
permanent crops: 1.84%
other: 56.79% (1998 est.)

Irrigated land:
70 sq km (1998 est.)

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