Chapter LVI: Front Matter (56)

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

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: 29.36%
permanent crops: 6.46%
other: 64.18% (2001)

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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes,
Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Tropical Timber
83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea

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

People Thailand

Population:
64,865,523
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
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 24.1% (male 7,985,724; female 7,631,337)
15-64 years: 68.7% (male 21,998,552; female 22,538,765)
65 years and over: 7.3% (male 2,167,421; female 2,543,724) (2004
est.)

Median age:
total: 30.5 years
male: 29.7 years
female: 31.2 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
0.91% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
16.04 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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 (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 21.14 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 19.73 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 22.49 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 71.41 years
male: 69.23 years
female: 73.71 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.89 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
1.5% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
570,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
58,000 (2003 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: 92.6%
male: 94.9%
female: 90.5% (2002)

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 CHATURON Chaisaeng, Gen.
CHAWALIT Yongchaiyut (Ret.), PURACHAI Piamsombun, VISHANU Krua-ngam
(since 8 November 2003); LIPTAPANLOP Suwat (since 1 July 2004);
SOMSAK Thepsuthin, PHINIT Charusombat (since 6 October 2004)
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
six-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 by March 2006); House of
Representatives - last held 6 January 2001 (next to be held 6
February 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:
Democrat Party or DP (Prachathipat Party) [BANYAT Bantadtan];
People's Party or PP (Mahachon Party) [ANEK Laothamatas]; Thai
Nation Party or TNP (Chat Thai Party) [BARNHARN SILPA-ARCHA]; Thai
Rak Thai Party or TRT [THAKSIN Chinnawat]

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

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

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: KASIT Piromya
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
FAX: [1] (202) 944-3611
telephone: [1] (202) 944-3600
chancery: 1024 Wisconsin Avenue NW, Suite 401, Washington, DC
20007-3681

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Ralph L. BOYCE
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 textiles and footwear, fishery products,
rice, rubber, jewelry, automobiles, computers and electrical
appliances. Thailand has recovered from the 1997-98 Asian Financial
Crisis and was one of East Asia's best performers in 2002. Increased
consumption and investment spending and strong export growth pushed
GDP growth up to 6.3% in 2003 despite a sluggish global economy. The
highly popular government has pushed an expansionist policy,
including major support of village economic development.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $477.5 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
6.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $7,400 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 9.8%
industry: 44%
services: 46.3% (2003)

Investment (gross fixed):
25.5% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
10.4% (2002 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):
1.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
34.9 million (2003 est.)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 49%, industry 14%, services 37% (2000 est.)

Unemployment rate:
2.2% (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $24.41 billion
expenditures: $24.01 billion, including capital expenditures of $5
billion (2003 est.)

Public debt:
46.6% of GDP (2003)

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

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:
12.3% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
97.6 billion kWh (2001)

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:
600 million bbl (1 January 2003)

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 (1 January 2003)

Current account balance:
$9.44 billion (2003)

Exports:
$75.99 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
computers, office machine parts, transistors, rubber, vehicles
(cars and trucks), plastic, seafood (2002)

Exports - partners:
US 17%, Japan 14.2%, Singapore 7.3%, China 7.1%, Hong Kong 5.4%,
Malaysia 4.8% (2003)

Imports:
$65.3 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Imports - partners:
Japan 24.1%, US 9.5%, China 8%, Malaysia 6%, Singapore 4.3%, Taiwan
4.2% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$42.15 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$53.75 billion (2003 est.)

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

Currency:
baht (THB)

Currency code:
THB

Exchange rates:
baht per US dollar - 41.4846 (2003), 42.9601 (2002), 44.4319
(2001), 40.1118 (2000), 37.8137 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Thailand

Telephones - main lines in use:
6.6 million (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
16.117 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: country code - 66; 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 hosts:
103,700 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
15 (2000)

Internet users:
6,031,300 (2003)

Transportation Thailand

Railways:
total: 4,071 km
narrow gauge: 4,071 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

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

Waterways:
4,000 km
note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2003)

Pipelines:
gas 3,112 km; refined products 265 km (2004)

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

Merchant marine:
total: 339 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 2,038,597 GRT/3,104,712 DWT
foreign-owned: Egypt 1, Germany 3, Indonesia 1, Japan 4, Norway 38,
Panama 2, Singapore 3
registered in other countries: 43 (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 40, cargo 135, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 2,
combination ore/oil 1, container 19, liquefied gas 22,
multi-functional large load carrier 2, passenger 1, petroleum tanker
79, refrigerated cargo 22, roll on/roll off 2, short-sea/passenger
2, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 1

Airports:
109 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 65
over 3,047 m: 7
2,438 to 3,047 m: 10
914 to 1,523 m: 19
under 914 m: 6 (2004 est.)
1,524 to 2,437 m: 23

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 44
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 28 (2004 est.)

Heliports:
3 (2003 est.)

Military Thailand

Military branches:
Royal Thai Army, Royal Thai Navy (including Royal Thai Marine
Corps), Royal Thai Air Force

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
21 years of age for compulsory military service; males are
registered at 18 years of age; conscript service obligation - 2
years; 18 years of age for voluntary military service (2004)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 17,944,151 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 10,735,354 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - reaching military age annually:
males: 531,511 (2004 est.)

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

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.8% (2003)

Transnational Issues Thailand

Disputes - international:
a 1 kilometer segment at the mouth of the Golok River remains 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; Cambodia
accuses Thailand of moving boundary markers and obstructing access
to Preah Vihear temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in
1962; 2003 anti-Thai riots in Phnom Penh resulted in the destruction
of the Thai Embassy and damage to 17 Thai-owned businesses and
disputes over payments of full compensation persist; groups in Burma
and Thailand express concern over China's construction of 13
hydroelectric dams on the Salween River in Yunnan Province

Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 118,407 (Burma) (2004)

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 10 February, 2005

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

@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. While most
bilateral and multilateral aid to Togo remains frozen, the European
Union initiated a partial resumption of cooperation and development
aid to Togo in late 2004.

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:
territorial sea: 30 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 46.15%
permanent crops: 2.21%
other: 51.64% (2001)

Irrigated land:
70 sq km (1998 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; water pollution presents health hazards and
hinders the fishing industry; air pollution increasing in urban areas

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

Geography - note:
the country's length allows it to stretch through six distinct
geographic regions; climate varies from tropical to savanna

People Togo

Population:
5,556,812
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
2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 43.9% (male 1,222,622; female 1,214,443)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 1,455,373; female 1,522,456)
65 years and over: 2.6% (male 59,165; female 82,753) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 17.6 years
male: 17.2 years
female: 17.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
2.27% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
34.36 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
11.64 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female
total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 67.66 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 59.69 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 75.4 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 53.05 years
male: 51.07 years
female: 55.09 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
4.79 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
4.1% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
110,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
10,000 (2003 est.)

Major infectious diseases:
typhoid fever, malaria, yellow fever, schistosomiasis
overall degree of risk: very high (2004)

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 51%, Christian 29%, Muslim 20%

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: 60.9%
male: 75.4%
female: 46.9% (2003 est.)

Government Togo

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

Government type:
republic under transition to multiparty democratic rule

Capital:
Lome

Administrative divisions:
5 regions (regions, singular - region); Kara, Plateaux, Savanes,
Centrale, 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 Faure GNASSINGBE (since 6 February 2005);
note - Gnassingbe EYADEMA died on 5 February 2005 and was succeeded
by his son, Faure GNASSINGBE, who will be allowed to complete his
father's term
head of government: Prime Minister Koffi SAMA (since 29 June 2002)
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 1 June 2003 (next to be held NA June 2008); prime
minister appointed by the president
election results: Gnassingbe EYADEMA reelected president; percent of
vote - Gnassingbe EYADEMA 57.2%, Emmanuel Akitani BOB 34.1%, Yawovi
AGBOYIBO 5.2%, Maurice Dahuku PERE 2.3%, Edem KODJO 1.0%

Legislative branch:
unicameral National Assembly (81 seats; members are elected by
popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 October 2002 (next NA 2007)
note: two opposition parties boycotted the election, the Union of
the Forces for Change, and the Action Committee for Renewal
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party -
RPT 72, RSDD 3, UDPS 2, Juvento 2, MOCEP 1, independents 1

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

Political parties and leaders:
Juvento [Monsilia DJATO]; Movement of the Believers of Peace and
Equality or MOCEP [leader NA]; Rally for the Support for Development
and Democracy or RSDD [Harryy OLYMPIO]; Rally of the Togolese People
or RPT [President Gnassingbe EYADEMA]; Union for Democracy and
Social Progress or UDPS [Gagou KOKOU]
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

Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA

International organization participation:
ABEDA, ACCT, ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, Entente, FAO, FZ, G-77, IBRD,
ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Interpol, IOC, ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UNMIL, UNOCI, UPU, WADB (regional), WAEMU, WCL, WCO,
WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Akoussoulelou BODJONA
FAX: [1] (202) 232-3190
telephone: [1] (202) 234-4212
chancery: 2208 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Gregory ENGLE
embassy: Angle Rue Kouenou and Rue 15 Beniglato, Lome
mailing address: B. P. 852, Lome
telephone: [228] 221 29 91 through 221 29 94
FAX: [228] 221 79 52

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 Togo

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. Some basic foodstuffs must still be
imported. Cocoa, coffee, and cotton generate about 40% of export
earnings, with cotton being the most important cash crop. Togo is
the world's fourth-largest producer of phosphate, but production
fell an estimated 22% in 2002 due to power shortages and the cost of
developing new deposits. 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 moved slowly. Progress depends on
following through on privatization, increased openness in government
financial operations, progress toward legislative elections, and
continued support from foreign donors.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $8.257 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.3% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $1,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 39.5%
industry: 20.4%
services: 40.1% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
18.4% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
32% (1989 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
-1% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
1.74 million (1996)

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

Unemployment rate:
NA (2003 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $214.5 million
expenditures: $296.4 million, including capital expenditures of NA
(2003 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
101.6 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
614.5 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
520 million kWh; note - electricity supplied by Ghana (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
10,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Current account balance:
$-140 million (2003)

Exports:
$398.1 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

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

Exports - partners:
Burkina Faso 16.6%, Ghana 15.4%, Netherlands 13%, Benin 9.6%, Mali
7.7% (2003)

Imports:
$501.3 million f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products

Imports - partners:
France 21.1%, Netherlands 12.1%, Cote d'Ivoire 5.9%, Germany 4.6%,
Italy 4.4%, South Africa 4.3%, China 4.1% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$257 million (2003)

Debt - external:
$1.4 billion (2000)

Economic aid - recipient:
ODA $80 million (2000 est.)

Currency:
Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (XOF); note - responsible
authority is the Central Bank of the West African States

Currency code:
XOF

Exchange rates:
Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (XOF) per US dollar - 581.2
(2003), 696.988 (2002), 733.039 (2001), 711.976 (2000), 615.699
(1999)

Fiscal year:
calendar year

Communications Togo

Telephones - main lines in use:
60,600 (2003)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
220,000 (2003)

Telephone system:
general assessment: fair system based on a network of microwave
radio relay routes supplemented by open-wire lines and a mobile
cellular system
domestic: microwave radio relay and open-wire lines for conventional
system; cellular system has capacity of 10,000 telephones
international: country code - 228; satellite earth stations - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Symphonie

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 9, shortwave 4 (1998)

Radios:
940,000 (1997)

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

Televisions:
73,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tg

Internet hosts:
82 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
3 (2001)

Internet users:
210,000 (2003)

Transportation Togo

Railways:
total: 568 km
narrow gauge: 568 km 1.000-m gauge (2003)

Highways:
total: 7,520 km
paved: 2,376 km
unpaved: 5,144 km (1999 est.)

Waterways:
50 km (seasonally on Mono River depending on rainfall) (2003)

Ports and harbors:
Kpeme, Lome

Merchant marine:
total: 2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 3,918 GRT/3,852 DWT
by type: cargo 1, specialized tanker 1
registered in other countries: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports:
9 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 7
914 to 1,523 m: 5
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Togo

Military branches:
Army, Navy, Air Force, Gendarmerie

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary and compulsory military service (2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 1,316,455 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 690,331 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$32.6 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
1.9% (2003)

Transnational Issues Togo

Disputes - international:
in 2001 Benin claimed Togo moved boundary monuments - joint
commission continues to resurvey the boundary

Illicit drugs:
transit hub for Nigerian heroin and cocaine traffickers; money
laundering not a significant problem

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Tokelau

Introduction Tokelau

Background:
Originally settled by Polynesian emigrants from surrounding island
groups, the Tokelau Islands were made a British protectorate in
1889. They were transferred to New Zealand administration in 1925.

Geography Tokelau

Location:
Oceania, group of three atolls 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
water: 0 sq km
land: 10 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
101 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 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%
other: 100% (2001)

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

Geography - note:
consists of three atolls, each with a lagoon surrounded by a number
of reef-bound islets of varying length and rising to over three
meters above sea level

People Tokelau

Population:
1,405 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 42%
15-64 years: 53%
65 years and over: 5% (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.01% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
NA births/1,000 population

Death rate:
NA deaths/1,000 population

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

Sex ratio:
NA

Infant mortality rate:
total: NA
male: NA
female: NA

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: NA years
male: 68 years
female: 70 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
NA children born/woman

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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

Literacy:
NA

Government Tokelau

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

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

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 (Treaty of Waitangi established British sovereignty
over New Zealand), 6 February (1840)

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

Legal system:
New Zealand 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 Neil WALTER (since
NA 2002)
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
head of government: Aliki Faipule Kuresa NASAU (since 2004) note -
position rotates annually among members of the cabinet
cabinet: the Council of Faipule, consisting of three elected leaders
- one from each atoll - functions as a cabinet

Legislative branch:
unicameral General Fono (48 seats; 15 members from each of the
three islands elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms and
the 3 island village mayors [pulenuku]); note - the Tokelau
Amendment Act of 1996 confers limited legislative power on the
General Fono

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

Political parties and leaders:
none

Political pressure groups and leaders:
none

International organization participation:
UNESCO (associate), UPU

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 Tokelau

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 rely heavily on aid
from New Zealand - about $4 million annually - to maintain public
services, with 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: $430,800
expenditures: $2.8 million, including capital expenditures of
$37,300 (1987 est.)

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

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

Industrial production growth rate:
NA

Electricity - production:
NA kWh

Electricity - consumption:
NA kWh

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

Exports - commodities:
stamps, copra, handicrafts

Exports - partners:
New Zealand (2000)

Imports:
$323,000 c.i.f. (1983)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, building materials, fuel

Imports - partners:
New Zealand (2000)

Debt - external:
$0

Economic aid - recipient:
from New Zealand about $4 million annually

Currency:
New Zealand dollar (NZD)

Currency code:
NZD

Exchange rates:
New Zealand dollars per US dollar - 1.7229 (2003), 2.154 (2002),
2.3776 (2001), 2.1863 (2000), 1.8886 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 April - 31 March

Communications Tokelau

Telephones - main lines in use:
300 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
0 (2001)

Telephone system:
general assessment: adequate
domestic: radiotelephone service between islands
international: country code - 690; radiotelephone service to Samoa;
government-regulated telephone service (TeleTok), with 3 satellite
earth stations, established in 1997

Radio broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
note: each atoll has a radio broadcast station of unknown type that
broadcasts shipping and weather reports (1998)

Radios:
1,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tk

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
1 (2000)

Internet users:
NA

Transportation Tokelau

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

Ports and harbors:
none; offshore anchorage only

Merchant marine:
none

Airports:
none; lagoon landings are possible by amphibious aircraft (2003
est.)

Military Tokelau

Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of New Zealand

Transnational Issues Tokelau

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Tonga

Introduction Tonga

Background:
The archipelago of "The Friendly Islands" was united into a
Polynesian kingdom in 1845. It became a constitutional monarchy in
1875 and a British protectorate in 1900. Tonga acquired its
independence in 1970 and became a member of the Commonwealth of
Nations. It remains the only monarchy in the Pacific.

Geography Tonga

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
water: 30 sq km
land: 718 sq km

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

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
419 km

Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 23.61%
permanent crops: 43.06%
other: 33.33% (2001)

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 Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
archipelago of 169 islands (36 inhabited)

People Tonga

Population:
110,237 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 37.1% (male 20,873; female 20,050)
15-64 years: 58.7% (male 32,018; female 32,707)
65 years and over: 4.2% (male 2,005; female 2,584) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 20.1 years
male: 19.7 years
female: 20.7 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
1.94% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
24.87 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
5.45 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 11.54 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 14.36 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.2 years
male: 66.74 years
female: 71.79 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
3 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA

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 Tonga

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

Government type:
hereditary constitutional monarchy

Capital:
Nuku'alofa

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

Independence:
4 June 1970 (from UK protectorate)

National holiday:
Independence 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)
note: there is also a Privy Council that consists of the monarch,
the Cabinet, and two governors
elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister and
deputy prime minister appointed for life by the monarch
cabinet: Cabinet, appointed by the monarch, consists of 12 members
head of government: Prime Minister Prince Lavaka ata ULUKALALA
(since NA February 2000) and Deputy Prime Minister James C. COCKER
(since NA January 2001)

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 7 March 2002 (next to be held NA 2005)
election results: percent of vote - HRDMT 70%; seats - HRDMT 7,
traditionalist 2

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the monarch); Court of
Appeal (consists of the Privy Council with the addition of the chief
justice of the Supreme Court)

Political parties and leaders:
there are no political parties

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Human Rights and Democracy Movement Tonga or HRDMT [Rev. Simote
VEA, chair]

International organization participation:
ACP, AsDB, C, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, IHO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN,
UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Sonatane T. T. TUPOU
chancery: 250 East 51st Street, New York, NY 10022
telephone: [1] (917) 369-1025
consulate(s) general: San Francisco
FAX: [1] (917) 369-1024

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 Tonga

Economy - overview:
Tonga, a small, open, South Pacific island economy, has a narrow
export base in agricultural goods. 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. Tourism is the
second-largest source of hard currency earnings following
remittances. The country remains dependent on external aid and
remittances from Tongan communities overseas to offset its trade
deficit. The government is emphasizing the development of the
private sector, especially the encouragement of investment, and is
committing increased funds for health and education. Tonga has a
reasonably sound basic infrastructure and well-developed social
services. High unemployment among the young and the continuing
upturn in inflation are major issues facing the government.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $236 million (2001 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2001 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $2,200 (2001 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 26%
industry: 12%
services: 62% (2002 est.)

Population below poverty line:
NA

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
10.3% (2002 est.)

Labor force:
33,910 (1996)

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

Unemployment rate:
13.3% (1996 est.)

Budget:
revenues: $39.9 million
expenditures: $52.4 million, including capital expenditures of $1.9
million (FY99/00 est.)

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

Industries:
tourism, fishing

Industrial production growth rate:
8.6% (FY98/99)

Electricity - production:
27.27 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
25.36 million kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

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

Oil - consumption:
1,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Exports:
$27 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Exports - commodities:
squash, fish, vanilla beans, root crops

Exports - partners:
US 50%, Japan 35.7%, Italy 3.6% (2003)

Imports:
$86 million f.o.b. (2002 est.)

Imports - commodities:
foodstuffs, machinery and transport equipment, fuels, chemicals

Imports - partners:
New Zealand 43.4%, Fiji 22.2%, Australia 11.1%, US 6.1% (2003)

Debt - external:
$63.4 million (2001)

Economic aid - recipient:
Australia $5.5 million, New Zealand $2.3 million (FY01/02)

Currency:
pa'anga (TOP)

Currency code:
TOP

Exchange rates:
pa'anga per US dollar - NA (2003), 2.1952 (2002), 2.1236 (2001),
1.7585 (2000), 1.5991 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 July - 30 June

Communications Tonga

Telephones - main lines in use:
11,200 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
3,400 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA
international: country code - 676; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) (1996)

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 1 (2001)

Radios:
61,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
2 (2001)

Televisions:
2,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.to

Internet hosts:
18,906 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
2 (2000)

Internet users:
2,900 (2002)

Transportation Tonga

Highways:
total: 680 km
paved: 184 km
unpaved: 496 km (1999 est.)

Ports and harbors:
Neiafu, Nuku'alofa, Pangai

Merchant marine:
total: 40 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 136,977 GRT/200,751 DWT
foreign-owned: Albania 1, Australia 4, Brazil 1, Cyprus 1, Egypt 1,
Greece 1, Lebanon 1, Liberia 1, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 1, Panama
2, Romania 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Switzerland 3, Syria 1,
United (2004 est.)
by type: bulk 3, cargo 21, chemical tanker 2, container 1, liquefied
gas 4, petroleum tanker 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1,
specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 1

Airports:
6 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 5
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Military Tonga

Military branches:
Tonga Defense Services: Ground Forces (Royal Marines, Royal Guard),
Maritime Force (including Air Wing)

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age (est.) (2004)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
NA

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
NA

Transnational Issues Tonga

Disputes - international:
none

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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

@Trinidad and Tobago

Introduction Trinidad and Tobago

Background:
The islands came under British control in the 19th century;
independence was granted in 1962. The country is one of the most
prosperous in the Caribbean thanks largely to petroleum and natural
gas production and processing. Tourism, mostly in Tobago, is
targeted for expansion and is growing.

Geography Trinidad and Tobago

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: 5,128 sq km
land: 5,128 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Delaware

Land boundaries:
0 km

Coastline:
362 km

Maritime claims:
measured from claimed archipelagic baselines
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
continental shelf: 200 nm or to the outer edge of the continental
margin
contiguous zone: 24 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: 14.62%
permanent crops: 9.16%
other: 76.22% (2001)

Irrigated land:
30 sq km (1998 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, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law
of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship
Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography - note:
Pitch Lake, on Trinidad's southwestern coast, is the world's
largest natural reservoir of asphalt

People Trinidad and Tobago

Population:
1,096,585 (July 2004 est.)

Age structure:
0-14 years: 21.4% (male 120,153; female 114,205)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 403,202; female 370,498)
65 years and over: 8.1% (male 39,762; female 48,765) (2004 est.)

Median age:
total: 30.4 years
male: 30 years
female: 30.9 years (2004 est.)

Population growth rate:
-0.71% (2004 est.)

Birth rate:
12.75 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Death rate:
9.02 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Net migration rate:
-10.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)

Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.09 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female
total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)

Infant mortality rate:
total: 24.64 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 22.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 26.58 deaths/1,000 live births

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.28 years
male: 66.86 years
female: 71.82 years (2004 est.)

Total fertility rate:
1.77 children born/woman (2004 est.)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
3.2% (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
29,000 (2003 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths:
1,900 (2003 est.)

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

Ethnic groups:
East Indian (a local term - primarily immigrants from northern
India) 40.3%, black 39.5%, mixed 18.4%, white 0.6%, Chinese and
other 1.2%

Religions:
Roman Catholic 29.4%, Hindu 23.8%, Anglican 10.9%, Muslim 5.8%,
Presbyterian 3.4%, other 26.7%

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

Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 98.6%
male: 99.1%
female: 98% (2003 est.)

Government Trinidad and Tobago

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

Government type:
parliamentary democracy

Capital:
Port-of-Spain

Administrative divisions:
9 regional corporations, 2 city corporations, 3 borough
corporations, and 1 ward
: regional corporations: Couva/Tabaquite/Talparo, Diego Martin,
Mayaro/Rio Claro, Penal/Debe, Princes Town, Sangre Grande, San
Juan/Laventille, Siparia, Tunapuna/Piarco
: city corporations: Port of Spain, San Fernando;
: ward: Tobago
: borough corporations: Arima, Point Fortin, Chaguanas

Independence:
31 August 1962 (from UK)

National holiday:
Independence Day, 31 August (1962)

Constitution:
1 August 1976

Legal system:
based on English common law; judicial review of legislative acts in
the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President George Maxwell RICHARDS (since 17 March
2003)
elections: president elected by an electoral college, which consists
of the members of the Senate and House of Representatives, for a
five-year term; election last held 14 February 2003 (next to be held
in 2008); the president usually appoints as prime minister the
leader of the majority party in the House of Representatives
election results: George Maxwell RICHARDS elected president; percent
of electoral college vote - 43%
cabinet: Cabinet appointed from among the members of Parliament
head of government: Prime Minister Patrick MANNING (since 24
December 2001)

Legislative branch:
bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (31 seats; 16 members
appointed by the ruling party, 9 by the President, 6 by the
opposition party for a maximum term of five years) and the House of
Representatives (36 seats; members are elected by popular vote to
serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 7 October 2002 (next
to be held by October 2007)
note: Tobago has a unicameral House of Assembly with 12 members
serving four-year terms
election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote - PNM
55.5%, UNC 44.5%; seats by party - PNM 20, UNC 16

Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Judicature (comprised of the High Court of Justice
and the Court of Appeals; the chief justice is appointed by the
president after consultation with the prime minister and the leader
of the opposition; other justices are appointed by the president on
the advice of the Judicial and Legal Service Commission); High Court
of Justice; Court of Appeals; the highest court of appeal is the
Privy Council in London

Political parties and leaders:
National Alliance for Reconstruction or NAR [Lennox SANKERSINGH];
People's National Movement or PNM [Patrick MANNING]; Team Unity or
TU [Ramesh MAHARAJ]; United National Congress or UNC [Basdeo
PANDAY]; Democratic Action Committee or DAC [Hochoy CHARLES], note -
only active in Tobago

Political pressure groups and leaders:
Jamaat-al Muslimeen [Yasin BAKR]

International organization participation:
ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-24, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol,
IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marina Annette VALERE
chancery: 1708 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 467-6490
FAX: [1] (202) 785-3130
consulate(s) general: Miami and New York

Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Roy L. AUSTIN
embassy: 15 Queen's Park West, Port-of-Spain
mailing address: P. O. Box 752, Port-of-Spain
telephone: [1] (868) 622-6372 through 6376, 622-6176
FAX: [1] (868) 628-5462

Flag description:
red with a white-edged black diagonal band from the upper hoist
side to the lower fly side

Economy Trinidad and Tobago

Economy - overview:
Trinidad and Tobago, the leading Caribbean producer of oil and gas,
has earned a reputation as an excellent investment site for
international businesses. Tourism is a growing sector, although not
proportionately as important as in many other Caribbean islands. The
economy benefits from low inflation and a growing trade surplus.
Prospects for growth in 2004 are good as prices for oil,
petrochemicals, and liquified natural gas are expected to remain
high, and foreign direct investment continues to grow to support
expanded capacity in the energy sector. The government is coping
with a rise in violent crime.

GDP:
purchasing power parity - $10.52 billion (2003 est.)

GDP - real growth rate:
3.7% (2003 est.)

GDP - per capita:
purchasing power parity - $9,500 (2003 est.)

GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 2.6%
industry: 49%
services: 48.4% (2003 est.)

Investment (gross fixed):
14.8% of GDP (2003)

Population below poverty line:
21% (1992 est.)

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

Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2003 est.)

Labor force:
590,000 (2003)

Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture 9.5%, manufacturing, mining, and quarrying 14%,
construction and utilities 12.4%, services 64.1% (1997 est.)

Unemployment rate:
10.4% (2003)

Budget:
revenues: $2.663 billion
expenditures: $2.51 billion, including capital expenditures of
$117.3 million (2003)

Public debt:
55.9% of GDP (2003)

Agriculture - products:
cocoa, sugarcane, rice, citrus, coffee, vegetables; poultry

Industries:
petroleum, chemicals, tourism, food processing, cement, beverage,
cotton textiles

Industrial production growth rate:
5.7% (2003 est.)

Electricity - production:
5.315 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - consumption:
4.943 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2001)

Oil - production:
136,200 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - consumption:
24,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports:
NA (2001)

Oil - imports:
NA (2001)

Oil - proved reserves:
990 million bbl (1 January 2004)

Natural gas - production:
25 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - consumption:
13.76 billion cu m (2003 est.)

Natural gas - exports:
11.79 billion cu m (2003 est.)

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

Natural gas - proved reserves:
589 billion cu m (1 January 2004)

Current account balance:
$954 million (2003)

Exports:
$4.9 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Exports - commodities:
petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, steel products,
fertilizer, sugar, cocoa, coffee, citrus, flowers

Exports - partners:
US 63.5%, Jamaica 5.6%, France 3.2% (2003)

Imports:
$3.917 billion f.o.b. (2003 est.)

Imports - commodities:
machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods, food, live
animals

Imports - partners:
US 31.7%, Venezuela 13.6%, Brazil 7.3%, Germany 6.6%, UK 5.1%,
Japan 4.3% (2003)

Reserves of foreign exchange & gold:
$2.477 billion (2003)

Debt - external:
$2.608 billion (2003 est.)

Economic aid - recipient:
$24 million (1999 est.)

Currency:
Trinidad and Tobago dollar (TTD)

Currency code:
TTD

Exchange rates:
Trinidad and Tobago dollars per US dollar - 6.2929 (2003), 6.2487
(2002), 6.2332 (2001), 6.2998 (2000), 6.2989 (1999)

Fiscal year:
1 October - 30 September

Communications Trinidad and Tobago

Telephones - main lines in use:
325,100 (2002)

Telephones - mobile cellular:
361,900 (2002)

Telephone system:
general assessment: excellent international service; good local
service
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-868; satellite earth station - 1
Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Barbados and
Guyana

Radio broadcast stations:
AM 4, FM 18, shortwave 0 (2004)

Radios:
680,000 (1997)

Television broadcast stations:
4 (2004)

Televisions:
425,000 (1997)

Internet country code:
.tt

Internet hosts:
8,003 (2003)

Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
17 (2000)

Internet users:
138,000 (2002)

Transportation Trinidad and Tobago

Highways:
total: 8,320 km
paved: 4,252 km
unpaved: 4,068 km (1999 est.)

Pipelines:
condensate 253 km; gas 1,117 km; oil 478 km (2004)

Ports and harbors:
Pointe-a-Pierre, Point Fortin, Point Lisas, Port-of-Spain,
Scarborough, Tembladora

Merchant marine:
total: 5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 7,178 GRT/3,633 DWT
registered in other countries: 4 (2004 est.)
foreign-owned: United States 1
by type: cargo 1, passenger 1, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker
1, short-sea/passenger 1

Airports:
6 (2003 est.)

Airports - with paved runways:
total: 3
over 3,047 m: 1
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)

Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)

Military Trinidad and Tobago

Military branches:
Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force: Ground Force, Coast Guard, and
Air Wing

Military manpower - military age and obligation:
18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001)

Military manpower - availability:
males age 15-49: 326,447 (2004 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service:
males age 15-49: 232,234 (2004 est.)

Military expenditures - dollar figure:
$66.7 million (2003)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
0.6% (2003)

Transnational Issues Trinidad and Tobago

Disputes - international:
Barbados will assert its claim before UNCLOS that the northern
limit of Trinidad and Tobago's maritime boundary with Venezuela
extends into its waters; Guyana has also expressed its intention to
challenge this boundary as it may extend into its waters as well

Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US
and Europe; producer of cannabis

This page was last updated on 10 February, 2005

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