42 (2002)
country comparison to the world: 55
Investment (gross fixed):
27.3% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 35
Budget:
revenues: $48.24 billion
expenditures: $51.33 billion (2008 est.)
Public debt:
37.9% of GDP (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 60
47.6% of GDP (November 2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
5.5% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 94
2.2% (2007 est.)
Central bank discount rate:
3.25% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 127
3.75% (31 December 2007)
Commercial bank prime lending rate:
7.04% (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 117
7.25% (31 December 2007)
Stock of money:
$28.76 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 29
$28.63 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of quasi money:
$237.5 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 13
$224.9 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of domestic credit:
$274.1 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 26
$263.5 billion (31 December 2007)
Market value of publicly traded shares:
$102.6 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 39
$196 billion (31 December 2007)
$141.1 billion (31 December 2006)
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 and electric
appliances, computers and parts, integrated circuits, furniture,
plastics, automobiles and automotive parts; world's second-largest
tungsten producer and third-largest tin producer
Industrial production growth rate:
3.4% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 75
Electricity - production:
135.2 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Electricity - consumption:
129.5 billion kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
Electricity - exports:
773 million kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
2.784 billion kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
361,300 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 34
Oil - consumption:
942,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Oil - exports:
216,400 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 54
Oil - imports:
826,000 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 17
Oil - proved reserves:
441 million bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 48
Natural gas - production:
28.76 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 27
Natural gas - consumption:
37.31 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 22
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 107
Natural gas - imports:
8.55 billion cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 26
Natural gas - proved reserves:
317.1 billion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 39
Current account balance:
-$113 million (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
$15.76 billion (2007 est.)
Exports:
$175.3 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 29
$150 billion (2007 est.)
Exports - commodities:
textiles and footwear, fishery products, rice, rubber, jewelry,
automobiles, computers and electrical appliances
Exports - partners:
US 11.4%, Japan 11.4%, China 9.2%, Singapore 5.7%, Hong Kong 5.6%,
Malaysia 5.6%, Australia 4.3% (2008)
Imports:
$157.3 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 28
$124.5 billion (2007 est.)
Imports - commodities:
capital goods, intermediate goods and raw materials, consumer goods,
fuels
Imports - partners:
Japan 18.8%, China 11.2%, US 6.4%, UAE 6%, Malaysia 5.5%, Saudi
Arabia 4.1%, Singapore 4% (2008)
Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
$111 billion (31 December 2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 12
$87.46 billion (31 December 2007 est.)
Debt - external:
$65.09 billion (31 December 2008)
country comparison to the world: 46
$61.74 billion (31 December 2007)
Stock of direct foreign investment - at home:
$80.83 billion (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 40
Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad:
$7.013 billion (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 51
Exchange rates:
baht per US dollar - 33.37 (2008 est.), 34.52 (2007), 37.882 (2006),
40.22 (2005), 40.222 (2004)
Communications ::Thailand
Telephones - main lines in use:
7.024 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 26
Telephones - mobile cellular:
62 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 17
Telephone system:
general assessment: high quality system, especially in urban areas
like Bangkok
domestic: fixed line system provided by both a government owned and
commercial provider; wireless service expanding rapidly and
outpacing fixed lines
international: country code - 66; connected to major submarine cable
systems providing links throughout Asia, Australia, Middle East,
Europe, and US; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Indian
Ocean, 1 Pacific Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 238, FM 351, shortwave 6 (2007)
Television broadcast stations:
111 (2006)
Internet country code:
.th
Internet hosts:
1.231 million (2009)
country comparison to the world: 37
Internet users:
16.1 million (2008)
country comparison to the world: 23
Transportation ::Thailand
Airports:
105 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 56
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 64
over 3,047 m: 8
2,438 to 3,047 m: 11
1,524 to 2,437 m: 24
914 to 1,523 m: 15
under 914 m: 6 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 41
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 13
under 914 m: 27 (2009)
Heliports:
4 (2009)
Pipelines:
gas 1,348 km; refined products 323 km (2008)
Railways:
total: 4,071 km
country comparison to the world: 41
standard gauge: 29 km 1.435-m gauge
narrow gauge: 4,042 km 1.000-m gauge (2008)
Roadways:
total: 180,053 km (includes 450 km of expressways) (2006)
country comparison to the world: 28
Waterways:
4,000 km
country comparison to the world: 27
note: 3,701 km navigable by boats with drafts up to 0.9 m (2008)
Merchant marine:
total: 398
country comparison to the world: 25
by type: bulk carrier 53, cargo 135, chemical tanker 15, container
22, liquefied gas 28, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 100,
refrigerated cargo 32, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 1
foreign-owned: 16 (China 1, Japan 4, Malaysia 3, Singapore 2, Taiwan
1, UK 5)
registered in other countries: 40 (Bahamas 5, Mongolia 1, Panama 10,
Singapore 23, Tuvalu 1) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Bangkok, Laem Chabang, Prachuap Port, Si Racha
Military ::Thailand
Military branches:
Royal Thai Army (Kongthap Bok Thai, RTA), Royal Thai Navy (Kongthap
Ruea Thai, RTN, includes Royal Thai Marine Corps), Royal Thai Air
Force (Kongtap Agard Thai, RTAF) (2009)
Military service age and obligation:
21 years of age for compulsory military service; 18 years of age for
voluntary military service; males are registered at 18 years of age;
2-year conscript service obligation (2007)
Manpower available for military service:
males age 16-49: 17,553,410
females age 16-49: 17,751,268 (2008 est.)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 13,086,106
females age 16-49: 14,126,398 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 532,977
female: 510,737 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
1.8% of GDP (2005 est.)
country comparison to the world: 91
Transnational Issues ::Thailand
Disputes - international:
separatist violence in Thailand's predominantly Muslim southern
provinces prompt border closures and controls with Malaysia to stem
terrorist activities; Southeast Asian states have enhanced border
surveillance to check the spread of avian flu; talks continue on
completion of demarcation with Laos but disputes remain over several
islands in the Mekong River; despite continuing border committee
talks, Thailand must deal with Karen and other ethnic rebels,
refugees, and illegal cross-border activities, and as of 2006, over
116,000 Karen, Hmong, and other refugees and asylum seekers from
Burma; Cambodia and Thailand dispute sections of historic boundary
with missing boundary markers; Cambodia claims Thai encroachments
into Cambodian territory and obstructing access to Preah Vihear
temple ruins awarded to Cambodia by ICJ decision in 1962; Thailand
is studying the feasibility of jointly constructing the Hatgyi Dam
on the Salween river near the border with Burma; in 2004,
international environmentalist pressure prompted China to halt
construction of 13 dams on the Salween River that flows through
China, Burma, and Thailand
Refugees and internally displaced persons:
refugees (country of origin): 132,241 (Burma) (2007)
Illicit drugs:
a minor producer of opium, heroin, and marijuana; transit point for
illicit 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 methamphetamine
production for regional consumption; major consumer of
methamphetamine since the 1990s despite a series of government
crackdowns
page last updated on November 11, 2009
======================================================================
@Timor-Leste (East & Southeast Asia)
Introduction ::Timor-Leste
Background:
The Portuguese began to trade with the island of Timor in the early
16th century and colonized it in mid-century. Skirmishing with the
Dutch in the region eventually resulted in an 1859 treaty in which
Portugal ceded the western portion of the island. Imperial Japan
occupied Portuguese Timor from 1942 to 1945, but Portugal resumed
colonial authority after the Japanese defeat in World War II. East
Timor declared itself independent from Portugal on 28 November 1975
and was invaded and occupied by Indonesian forces nine days later.
It was incorporated into Indonesia in July 1976 as the province of
Timor Timur (East Timor). An unsuccessful campaign of pacification
followed over the next two decades, during which an estimated
100,000 to 250,000 individuals lost their lives. On 30 August 1999,
in a UN-supervised popular referendum, an overwhelming majority of
the people of Timor-Leste voted for independence from Indonesia.
Between the referendum and the arrival of a multinational
peacekeeping force in late September 1999, anti-independence
Timorese militias - organized and supported by the Indonesian
military - commenced a large-scale, scorched-earth campaign of
retribution. The militias killed approximately 1,400 Timorese and
forcibly pushed 300,000 people into western Timor as refugees. The
majority of the country's infrastructure, including homes,
irrigation systems, water supply systems, and schools, and nearly
100% of the country's electrical grid were destroyed. On 20
September 1999, the Australian-led peacekeeping troops of the
International Force for East Timor (INTERFET) deployed to the
country and brought the violence to an end. On 20 May 2002,
Timor-Leste was internationally recognized as an independent state.
In late April 2006, internal tensions threatened the new nation's
security when a military strike led to violence and a near breakdown
of law and order in Dili. At the request of the Government of
Timor-Leste, an Australian-led International Stabilization Force
(ISF) deployed to Timor-Leste in late May. In August, the UN
Security Council established the UN Integrated Mission in
Timor-Leste (UNMIT), which included an authorized police presence of
over 1,600 personnel. The ISF and UNMIT restored stability, allowing
the Government of Timor-Leste to hold presidential and parliamentary
elections in April and June 2007 in a largely peaceful atmosphere.
In February 2008, a rebel group staged an unsuccessful attack
against the president and prime minister. The ringleader was killed
in the attack and the majority of the rebels surrendered to the
government in April 2008.
Geography ::Timor-Leste
Location:
Southeastern Asia, northwest of Australia in the Lesser Sunda
Islands at the eastern end of the Indonesian archipelago; note -
Timor-Leste includes the eastern half of the island of Timor, the
Oecussi (Ambeno) region on the northwest portion of the island of
Timor, and the islands of Pulau Atauro and Pulau Jaco
Geographic coordinates:
8 50 S, 125 55 E
Map references:
Southeast Asia
Area:
total: 14,874 sq km
country comparison to the world: 159
land: 14,874 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly larger than Connecticut
Land boundaries:
total: 228 km
border countries: Indonesia 228 km
Coastline:
706 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; hot, humid; distinct rainy and dry seasons
Terrain:
mountainous
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Timor Sea, Savu Sea, and Banda Sea 0 m
highest point: Foho Tatamailau 2,963 m
Natural resources:
gold, petroleum, natural gas, manganese, marble
Land use:
arable land: 8.2%
permanent crops: 4.57%
other: 87.23% (2005)
Irrigated land:
1,065 sq km (2003)
Natural hazards:
floods and landslides are common; earthquakes; tsunamis; tropical
cyclones
Environment - current issues:
widespread use of slash and burn agriculture has led to
deforestation and soil erosion
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
Timor comes from the Malay word for "East"; the island of Timor is
part of the Malay Archipelago and is the largest and easternmost of
the Lesser Sunda Islands
People ::Timor-Leste
Population:
1,131,612
country comparison to the world: 155
note: other estimates range as low as 800,000 (July 2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 34.7% (male 199,237/female 192,900)
15-64 years: 61.9% (male 356,772/female 344,103)
65 years and over: 3.4% (male 18,403/female 20,197) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 21.8 years
male: 21.8 years
female: 21.8 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.027% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 57
Birth rate:
26.25 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 62
Death rate:
5.98 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 163
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 27% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 5% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female
total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 40.65 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 66
male: 46.72 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 34.28 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 67.27 years
country comparison to the world: 155
male: 64.92 years
female: 69.75 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
3.28 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 61
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial and protozoal diarrhea,
hepatitis A, and typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: chikungunya, dengue fever and malaria (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Timorese
adjective: Timorese
Ethnic groups:
Austronesian (Malayo-Polynesian), Papuan, small Chinese minority
Religions:
Roman Catholic 98%, Muslim 1%, Protestant 1% (2005)
Languages:
Tetum (official), Portuguese (official), Indonesian, English
note: there are about 16 indigenous languages; Tetum, Galole,
Mambae, and Kemak are spoken by significant numbers of people
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 58.6%
male: NA
female: NA (2002)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Timor-Leste
Country name:
conventional long form: Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste
(pronounced TEE-mor LESS-tay)
conventional short form: Timor-Leste
local long form: Republika Demokratika Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum];
Republica Democratica de Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
local short form: Timor Lorosa'e [Tetum]; Timor-Leste [Portuguese]
former: East Timor, Portuguese Timor
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Dili
geographic coordinates: 8 35 S, 125 36 E
time difference: UTC+9 (14 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions:
13 administrative districts; Aileu, Ainaro, Baucau, Bobonaro
(Maliana), Cova-Lima (Suai), Dili, Ermera (Gleno), Lautem (Los
Palos), Liquica, Manatuto, Manufahi (Same), Oecussi (Ambeno),
Viqueque
note: administrative divisions have the same names as their
administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center
name following in parentheses)
Independence:
28 November 1975 (independence proclaimed from Portugal); note - 20
May 2002 is the official date of international recognition of
Timor-Leste's independence from Indonesia
National holiday:
Independence Day, 28 November (1975)
Constitution:
22 March 2002 (based on the Portuguese model)
Legal system:
UN-drafted legal system based on Indonesian law remains in place but
is to be replaced by civil and penal codes based on Portuguese law;
these have passed but have not been promulgated; has not accepted
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Suffrage:
17 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Jose RAMOS-HORTA (since 20 May 2007); note
- the president plays a largely symbolic role but is able to veto
legislation, dissolve parliament, and call national elections
head of government: Prime Minister Kay Rala Xanana GUSMAO (since 8
August 2007), note - he formerly used the name Jose Alexandre
GUSMAO; Vice Prime Minister Mario Viegas CARRASCALAO (since 5 March
2009); Vice Prime Minister Jose Luis GUTERRES (since 8 August 2007)
cabinet: Council of Ministers
elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term
(eligible for a second term); election last held on 9 April 2007
with run-off on 8 May 2007 (next to be held in May 2012); following
elections, president appoints leader of majority party or majority
coalition as prime minister
election results: Jose RAMOS-HORTA elected president; percent of
vote - Jose RAMOS-HORTA 69.2%, Francisco GUTTERES 30.8%
Legislative branch:
unicameral National Parliament (number of seats can vary from 52 to
65; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held on 30 June 2007 (next elections due by June
2012)
election results: percent of vote by party - FRETILIN 29%, CNRT
24.1%, ASDT-PSD 15.8%, PD 11.3%, PUN 4.5%, KOTA-PPT (Democratic
Alliance) 3.2%, UNDERTIM 3.2%, others 8.9%; seats by party -
FRETILIN 21, CNRT 18, ASDT-PSD 11, PD 8, PUN 3, KOTA-PPT 2, UNDERTIM
2
Judicial branch:
Supreme Court of Justice - constitution calls for one judge to be
appointed by National Parliament and rest appointed by Superior
Council for Judiciary; note - until Supreme Court is established,
Court of Appeals is highest court
Political parties and leaders:
Democratic Party or PD [Fernando de ARAUJO]; National Congress for
Timorese Reconstruction or CNRT [Xanana GUSMAO]; National Democratic
Union of Timorese Resistance or UNDERTIM [Cornelio DA Conceicao
GAMA]; National Unity Party or PUN [Fernanda BORGES]; People's Party
of Timor or PPT [Jacob XAVIER]; Revolutionary Front of Independent
Timor-Leste or FRETILIN [Mari ALKATIRI]; Social Democratic
Association of Timor or ASDT [Francisco Xavier do AMARAL]; Social
Democratic Party or PSD [Zacarias Albano da COSTA]; Sons of the
Mountain Warriors or KOTA [Manuel TILMAN] (also known as Association
of Timorese Heroes)
Political pressure groups and leaders:
NA
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, ARF, CPLP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFAD, IFC,
IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IPU, MIGA, NAM, OPCW, PIF
(observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU,
WCO, WFTU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Jorge
Trindade NEVES de Camoes
chancery: 4201 Connecticut Avenue NW, Suite 504,Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 966-3202
FAX: [1] (202) 966-3205
Diplomatic representation from the US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Hans G. KLEMM
embassy: Avenida de Portugal, Praia dos Conqueiros, Dili
mailing address: US Department of State, 8250 Dili Place,
Washington, DC 20521-8250
telephone: (670) 332-4684
FAX: (670) 331-3206
Flag description:
red, with a black isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side)
superimposed on a slightly longer yellow arrowhead that extends to
the center of the flag; a white star is in the center of the black
triangle
Economy ::Timor-Leste
Economy - overview:
In late 1999, about 70% of the economic infrastructure of
Timor-Leste was laid waste by Indonesian troops and
anti-independence militias. Three hundred thousand people fled
westward. Over the next three years a massive international program,
manned by 5,000 peacekeepers (8,000 at peak) and 1,300 police
officers, led to substantial reconstruction in both urban and rural
areas. By the end of 2005, refugees had returned or had settled in
Indonesia. The country continues to face great challenges in
rebuilding its infrastructure, strengthening the civil
administration, and generating jobs for young people entering the
work force. The development of oil and gas resources in offshore
waters has begun to supplement government revenues ahead of schedule
and above expectations. The technology-intensive industry, however,
has done little to create jobs for the unemployed because there are
no production facilities in Timor. Gas is piped to Australia. In
June 2005, the National Parliament unanimously approved the creation
of a Petroleum Fund to serve as a repository for all petroleum
revenues and preserve the value of Timor-Leste's petroleum wealth
for future generations. The Fund held assets of US$3.9 billion as of
October 2008. The economy is recovering from the mid-2006 outbreak
of violence and civil unrest, which disrupted both private and
public sector economic activity. The government in 2008 resettled
tens of thousands of an estimated 100,000 internally displaced
persons (IDPs) and planned for all IDPs to return home by early
2009. The underlying economic policy challenge the country faces
remains how best to use oil-and-gas wealth to lift the non-oil
economy onto a higher growth path and to reduce poverty.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$2.526 billion (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 179
$2.239 billion (2007 est.)
$2.066 billion (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP (official exchange rate):
$499 million (2008 est.)
GDP - real growth rate:
12.8% (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 4
8.4% (2007 est.)
-5.8% (2006 est.)
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$2,300 (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 180
$2,100 (2007 est.)
$1,900 (2006 est.)
note: data are in 2008 US dollars
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.2%
industry: 12.8%
services: 55% (2005)
Labor force:
NA
Labor force - by occupation:
agriculture: 90%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate:
20% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
note: data are for rural areas, unemployment rises to more than 40%
among urban youth
Population below poverty line:
42% (2003 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%