significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services
Unemployment rate:
10% (1997 est.)
country comparison to the world: 124
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
4% (1995)
country comparison to the world: 65
Agriculture - products:
corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish
Industries:
tourism, offshore financial services
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Electricity - production:
12 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 209
Electricity - consumption:
11.16 million kWh (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 210
Electricity - exports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Electricity - imports:
0 kWh (2008 est.)
Oil - production:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
Oil - consumption:
0 bbl/day (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - exports:
0 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 165
Oil - imports:
80 bbl/day (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 203
Oil - proved reserves:
0 bbl (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
Natural gas - production:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 125
Natural gas - consumption:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 132
Natural gas - exports:
0 cu m (2008)
country comparison to the world: 105
Natural gas - imports:
0 cu m (2008 est.)
country comparison to the world: 128
Natural gas - proved reserves:
0 cu m (1 January 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 131
Exports:
$169.2 million (2000)
country comparison to the world: 184
Exports - commodities:
lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells
Imports:
$175.6 million
Imports - commodities:
food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction
materials
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
the US dollar is used
Communications ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Telephones - main lines in use:
3,700 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 217
Telephones - mobile cellular:
25,100 (2004)
country comparison to the world: 203
Telephone system:
general assessment: fully digital system with international direct
dialing
domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service
available
international: country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean
Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable
provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the
Caribbean, and the US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat
(Atlantic Ocean)
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television
networks) (2003)
Internet country code:
.tc
Internet hosts:
9,445 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 117
Transportation ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Airports:
8 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 163
Airports - with paved runways:
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2009)
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 121 km
country comparison to the world: 210
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2003)
Merchant marine:
registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2008)
country comparison to the world: 152
Ports and terminals:
Grand Turk, Providenciales
Military ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 4,937
females age 16-49: 4,648 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 226
female: 218 (2009 est.)
Military - note:
defense is the responsibility of the UK
Transnational Issues ::Turks and Caicos Islands
Disputes - international:
have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder
Illicit drugs:
transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US
and Europe
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Tuvalu (Australia-Oceania)
Introduction ::Tuvalu
Background:
In 1974, ethnic differences within the British colony of the Gilbert
and Ellice Islands caused the Polynesians of the Ellice Islands to
vote for separation from the Micronesians of the Gilbert Islands.
The following year, the Ellice Islands became the separate British
colony of Tuvalu. Independence was granted in 1978. In 2000, Tuvalu
negotiated a contract leasing its Internet domain name ".tv" for $50
million in royalties over a 12-year period.
Geography ::Tuvalu
Location:
Oceania, island group consisting of nine coral atolls in the South
Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Geographic coordinates:
8 00 S, 178 00 E
Map references:
Oceania
Area:
total: 26 sq km
country comparison to the world: 236
land: 26 sq km
water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative:
0.1 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
0 km
Coastline:
24 km
Maritime claims:
territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Climate:
tropical; moderated by easterly trade winds (March to November);
westerly gales and heavy rain (November to March)
Terrain:
low-lying and narrow coral atolls
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 5 m
Natural resources:
fish
Land use:
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 66.67%
other: 33.33% (2005)
Irrigated land:
NA
Natural hazards:
severe tropical storms are usually rare, but in 1997 there were
three cyclones; low level of islands make them sensitive to changes
in sea level
Environment - current issues:
since there are no streams or rivers and groundwater is not potable,
most water needs must be met by catchment systems with storage
facilities (the Japanese Government has built one desalination plant
and plans to build one other); beachhead erosion because of the use
of sand for building materials; excessive clearance of forest
undergrowth for use as fuel; damage to coral reefs from the spread
of the Crown of Thorns starfish; Tuvalu is concerned about global
increases in greenhouse gas emissions and their effect on rising sea
levels, which threaten the country's underground water table; in
2000, the government appealed to Australia and New Zealand to take
in Tuvaluans if rising sea levels should make evacuation necessary
Environment - international agreements:
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto
Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection,
Ship Pollution, Whaling
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Geography - note:
one of the smallest and most remote countries on Earth; six of the
nine coral atolls - Nanumea, Nui, Vaitupu, Nukufetau, Funafuti, and
Nukulaelae - have lagoons open to the ocean; Nanumaya and Niutao
have landlocked lagoons; Niulakita does not have a lagoon
People ::Tuvalu
Population:
12,373 (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 223
Age structure:
0-14 years: 29.2% (male 1,841/female 1,770)
15-64 years: 65.6% (male 3,973/female 4,141)
65 years and over: 5.2% (male 240/female 408) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 25.4 years
male: 24.4 years
female: 26.6 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
1.616% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 83
Birth rate:
23.11 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 79
Death rate:
6.95 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 134
Net migration rate:
NA (2009 est.)
Urbanization:
urban population: 49% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 1.3% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 18.43 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 112
male: 20.95 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 15.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 69.29 years
country comparison to the world: 148
male: 66.99 years
female: 71.7 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
2.91 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 76
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
NA
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
NA
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
NA
Nationality:
noun: Tuvaluan(s)
adjective: Tuvaluan
Ethnic groups:
Polynesian 96%, Micronesian 4%
Religions:
Church of Tuvalu (Congregationalist) 97%, Seventh-Day Adventist
1.4%, Baha'i 1%, other 0.6%
Languages:
Tuvaluan, English, Samoan, Kiribati (on the island of Nui)
Literacy:
NA
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 11 years
male: 11 years
female: 11 years (2001)
Education expenditures:
NA
Government ::Tuvalu
Country name:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Tuvalu
local long form: none
local short form: Tuvalu
former: Ellice Islands
note: "Tuvalu" means "group of eight" referring to the country's
eight traditionally inhabited islands
Government type:
a parliamentary democracy and a Commonwealth realm
Capital:
name: Funafuti
geographic coordinates: 8 30 S, 179 12 E
time difference: UTC+12 (17 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
note: administrative offices are in Vaiaku Village on Fongafale Islet
Administrative divisions:
none
Independence:
1 October 1978 (from the UK)
National holiday:
Independence Day, 1 October (1978)
Constitution:
1 October 1978
Legal system:
English common law supplemented by local customary law
Suffrage:
18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952);
represented by Governor General Filoimea TELITO (since 15 April 2005)
head of government: Prime Minister Apisai IELEMIA (since 14 August
2006)
cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the
recommendation of the prime minister
elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by
the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; prime
minister and deputy prime minister elected by and from the members
of parliament; election last held 14 August 2006 (next to be held
following parliamentary elections in 2010)
election results: Apisai IELEMIA elected prime minister in a
parliamentary election on 14 August 2006
Legislative branch:
unicameral Parliament or Fale I Fono, also called House of Assembly
(15 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2006 (next to be held in 2010)
election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15
Judicial branch:
High Court (a chief justice visits twice a year to preside over its
sessions; its rulings can be appealed to the Court of Appeal in
Fiji); eight Island Courts (with limited jurisdiction)
Political parties and leaders:
there are no political parties but members of parliament usually
align themselves in informal groupings
Political pressure groups and leaders:
none
International organization participation:
ACP, ADB, C, FAO, IFRCS (observer), IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF,
Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO
Diplomatic representation in the US:
Tuvalu does not have an embassy in the US - the country's only
diplomatic post is in Fiji - Tuvalu does, however, have a UN office
located at 800 2nd Avenue, Suite 400D, New York, NY 10017,
telephone: [1] (212) 490-0534
Diplomatic representation from the US:
the US does not have an embassy in Tuvalu; the US ambassador to Fiji
is accredited to Tuvalu
Flag description:
light blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant;
the outer half of the flag represents a map of the country with nine
yellow five-pointed stars symbolizing the nine islands
Economy ::Tuvalu
Economy - overview:
Tuvalu consists of a densely populated, scattered group of nine
coral atolls with poor soil. The country has no known mineral
resources and few exports and is almost entirely dependent upon
imported food and fuel. Subsistence farming and fishing are the
primary economic activities. Fewer than 1,000 tourists, on average,
visit Tuvalu annually. Job opportunities are scarce and public
sector workers make up most of those employed. About 15% of the
adult male population work as seamen on merchant ships abroad, and
remittances are a vital source of income contributing around $4
million in 2006. Substantial income is received annually from the
Tuvalu Trust Fund (TTF) an international trust fund established in
1987 by Australia, NZ, and the UK and supported also by Japan and
South Korea. Thanks to wise investments and conservative
withdrawals, this fund grew from an initial $17 million to an
estimated value of $77 million in 2006. The TFF contributed nearly
$9 million towards the government budget in 2006 and is an important
cushion for meeting shortfalls in the government's budget. The US
Government is also a major revenue source for Tuvalu because of
payments from a 1988 treaty on fisheries. In an effort to ensure
financial stability and sustainability, the government is pursuing
public sector reforms, including privatization of some government
functions and personnel cuts. Tuvalu also derives royalties from the
lease of its ".tv" Internet domain name with revenue of more than $2
million in 2006. A minor source of government revenue comes from the
sale of stamps and coins. With merchandise exports only a fraction
of merchandise imports, continued reliance must be placed on fishing
and telecommunications license fees, remittances from overseas
workers, official transfers, and income from overseas investments.
Growing income disparities and the vulnerability of the country to
climatic change are among leading concerns for the nation.
GDP (purchasing power parity):
$14.94 million (2002 est.)
country comparison to the world: 226
GDP (official exchange rate):
$14.94 million (2002)
GDP - real growth rate:
3% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 127
GDP - per capita (PPP):
$1,600 (2002 est.)
country comparison to the world: 195
GDP - composition by sector:
agriculture: 16.6%
industry: 27.2%
services: 56.2% (2002)
Labor force:
3,615 (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 214
Labor force - by occupation:
note: people make a living mainly through exploitation of the sea,
reefs, and atolls and from wages sent home by those abroad (mostly
workers in the phosphate industry and sailors)
Unemployment rate:
NA%
Population below poverty line:
NA%
Household income or consumption by percentage share:
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $21.54 million
expenditures: $23.05 million (2006)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
3.8% (2006 est.)
country comparison to the world: 58
Agriculture - products:
coconuts; fish
Industries:
fishing, tourism, copra
Industrial production growth rate:
NA%
Current account balance:
-$11.68 million (2003)
country comparison to the world: 64
Exports:
$1 million (2004 est.)
country comparison to the world: 218
Exports - commodities:
copra, fish
Imports:
$12.91 million (2005)
country comparison to the world: 216
Imports - commodities:
food, animals, mineral fuels, machinery, manufactured goods
Debt - external:
$NA
Exchange rates:
Tuvaluan dollars or Australian dollars (AUD) per U 1.2059 (2008
est.), 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004)
Communications ::Tuvalu
Telephones - main lines in use:
1,500 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 226
Telephones - mobile cellular:
2,000 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 216
Telephone system:
general assessment: serves particular needs for internal
communications
domestic: radiotelephone communications between islands
international: country code - 688; international calls can be made
by satellite
Radio broadcast stations:
AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (2004)
Television broadcast stations:
0 (2004)
Internet country code:
.tv
Internet hosts:
103,041 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 73
Internet users:
4,200 (2008)
country comparison to the world: 205
Transportation ::Tuvalu
Airports:
1 (2009)
country comparison to the world: 214
Airports - with unpaved runways:
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2009)
Roadways:
total: 8 km
country comparison to the world: 219
paved: 8 km (2002)
Merchant marine:
total: 80
country comparison to the world: 55
by type: bulk carrier 7, cargo 30, chemical tanker 14, container 2,
passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 22, refrigerated
cargo 1, specialized tanker 1
foreign-owned: 63 (China 16, Hong Kong 7, Kenya 1, South Korea 1,
Malaysia 1, Maldives 1, Norway 1, Russia 2, Singapore 23, Thailand
1, Turkey 2, Ukraine 1, US 1, Vietnam 5) (2008)
Ports and terminals:
Funafuti
Military ::Tuvalu
Military branches:
no regular military forces; Tuvalu Police Force (2008)
Manpower fit for military service:
males age 16-49: 2,462
females age 16-49: 2,631 (2009 est.)
Manpower reaching militarily significant age annually:
male: 125
female: 121 (2009 est.)
Military expenditures:
NA
Transnational Issues ::Tuvalu
Disputes - international:
none
page last updated on October 28, 2009
======================================================================
@Uganda (Africa)
Introduction ::Uganda
Background:
The colonial boundaries created by Britain to delimit Uganda grouped
together a wide range of ethnic groups with different political
systems and cultures. These differences prevented the establishment
of a working political community after independence was achieved in
1962. The dictatorial regime of Idi AMIN (1971-79) was responsible
for the deaths of some 300,000 opponents; guerrilla war and human
rights abuses under Milton OBOTE (1980-85) claimed at least another
100,000 lives. The rule of Yoweri MUSEVENI since 1986 has brought
relative stability and economic growth to Uganda. During the 1990s,
the government promulgated non-party presidential and legislative
elections. In January 2009, Uganda assumed a nonpermanent seat on
the UN Security Council for the 2009-10 term.
Geography ::Uganda
Location:
Eastern Africa, west of Kenya
Geographic coordinates:
1 00 N, 32 00 E
Map references:
Africa
Area:
total: 241,038 sq km
country comparison to the world: 80
land: 197,100 sq km
water: 43,938 sq km
Area - comparative:
slightly smaller than Oregon
Land boundaries:
total: 2,698 km
border countries: Democratic Republic of the Congo 765 km, Kenya 933
km, Rwanda 169 km, Sudan 435 km, Tanzania 396 km
Coastline:
0 km (landlocked)
Maritime claims:
none (landlocked)
Climate:
tropical; generally rainy with two dry seasons (December to
February, June to August); semiarid in northeast
Terrain:
mostly plateau with rim of mountains
Elevation extremes:
lowest point: Lake Albert 621 m
highest point: Margherita Peak on Mount Stanley 5,110 m
Natural resources:
copper, cobalt, hydropower, limestone, salt, arable land, gold
Land use:
arable land: 21.57%
permanent crops: 8.92%
other: 69.51% (2005)
Irrigated land:
90 sq km (2003)
Total renewable water resources:
66 cu km (1970)
Freshwater withdrawal (domestic/industrial/agricultural):
total: 0.3 cu km/yr (43%/17%/40%)
per capita: 10 cu m/yr (2002)
Natural hazards:
NA
Environment - current issues:
draining of wetlands for agricultural use; deforestation;
overgrazing; soil erosion; water hyacinth infestation in Lake
Victoria; widespread poaching
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,
Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification
Geography - note:
landlocked; fertile, well-watered country with many lakes and rivers
People ::Uganda
Population:
32,369,558
country comparison to the world: 38
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, higher death rates, lower
population growth rates, and changes in the distribution of
population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July
2009 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 50% (male 8,152,830/female 8,034,366)
15-64 years: 47.9% (male 7,789,209/female 7,703,143)
65 years and over: 2.1% (male 286,693/female 403,317) (2009 est.)
Median age:
total: 15 years
male: 14.9 years
female: 15.1 years (2009 est.)
Population growth rate:
2.692% (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 24
Birth rate:
47.84 births/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
Death rate:
12.09 deaths/1,000 population (July 2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 37
Net migration rate:
-8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 175
Urbanization:
urban population: 13% of total population (2008)
rate of urbanization: 4.4% annual rate of change (2005-10 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female
total population: 1 male(s)/female (2009 est.)
Infant mortality rate:
total: 64.82 deaths/1,000 live births
country comparison to the world: 33
male: 68.46 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 61.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2009 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 52.72 years
country comparison to the world: 200
male: 51.66 years
female: 53.81 years (2009 est.)
Total fertility rate:
6.77 children born/woman (2009 est.)
country comparison to the world: 3
HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
5.4% (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
940,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 14
HIV/AIDS - deaths:
77,000 (2007 est.)
country comparison to the world: 9
Major infectious diseases:
degree of risk: very high
food or waterborne diseases: bacterial diarrhea, hepatitis A, and
typhoid fever
vectorborne diseases: malaria, plague, and African trypanosomiasis
(sleeping sickness)
water contact disease: schistosomiasis
animal contact disease: rabies (2009)
Nationality:
noun: Ugandan(s)
adjective: Ugandan
Ethnic groups:
Baganda 16.9%, Banyakole 9.5%, Basoga 8.4%, Bakiga 6.9%, Iteso 6.4%,
Langi 6.1%, Acholi 4.7%, Bagisu 4.6%, Lugbara 4.2%, Bunyoro 2.7%,
other 29.6% (2002 census)
Religions:
Roman Catholic 41.9%, Protestant 42% (Anglican 35.9%, Pentecostal
4.6%, Seventh Day Adventist 1.5%), Muslim 12.1%, other 3.1%, none
0.9% (2002 census)
Languages:
English (official national language, taught in grade schools, used
in courts of law and by most newspapers and some radio broadcasts),
Ganda or Luganda (most widely used of the Niger-Congo languages,
preferred for native language publications in the capital and may be
taught in school), other Niger-Congo languages, Nilo-Saharan
languages, Swahili, Arabic
Literacy:
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 66.8%
male: 76.8%
female: 57.7% (2002 census)
School life expectancy (primary to tertiary education):
total: 10 years
male: 11 years
female: 10 years (2004)
Education expenditures:
5.2% of GDP (2004)
country comparison to the world: 61
Government ::Uganda
Country name:
conventional long form: Republic of Uganda
conventional short form: Uganda
Government type:
republic
Capital:
name: Kampala
geographic coordinates: 0 19 N, 32 25 E
time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during
Standard Time)
Administrative divisions: