accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Suleyman DEMIREL (since 16 May 1993) was
elected for a seven-year term by the National Assembly
head of government: Prime Minister Mesut YILMAZ (since 12 March
1996) and Deputy Prime Minister Nahit MENTESE (since 12 March 1996)
were appointed by the president
National Security Council: advisory body to the president and the
cabinet
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president on
nomination of the prime minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
Grand National Assembly of Turkey: (Turkiye Buyuk Millet Meclisi)
elections last held 24 December 1995 (next to be held by December
2000); results - RP 21.38%, DYP 19.18%, ANAP 19.65%, DSP 14.64%, CHP
10.71%, independent 0.48%; seats - 550 total) RP 158, DYP 135, ANAP
133, DSP 75, CHP 49
note: seats held by various parties are subject to change due to
defections, creation of new parties, and ouster or death of sitting
deputies; current seats by party are as follows: RP 158, DYP 135,
ANAP 126, DSP 75, CHP 49, BBP 7
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges appointed by the
president; Court of Appeals, judges are elected by the Supreme
Council of Judges and Prosecutors
Political parties and leaders: True Path Party (DYP), Tansu
CILLER; Motherland Party (ANAP), Mesut YILMAZ; Welfare Party (RP),
Necmettin ERBAKAN; Democratic Left Party (DSP), Bulent ECEVIT;
Nationalist Action Party (MHP), Alparslan TURKES; New Party (YP),
Yusuf Bozkurt OZAL; Republican People's Party (CHP), Deniz BAYKAL;
Workers' Party (IP), Dogu PERINCEK; Nation Party (MP), Aykut
EDIBALI; Democrat Party (DP), Murat UZMAN; Grand Unity Party (BBP),
Muhsin YAZICIOGLU; Rebirth Party (YDP), Hasan Celal GUZEL; People's
Democracy Party (HADEP), Murat BOZLAK; Main Path Party (ANAYOL),
Gurcan BASER; Democratic Target Party (DHP), Abdulkadir Yasar TURK;
Liberal Party (LP), Besim TIBUK; New Democracy Movement (YDH), Cem
BOYNER; Labor Party (EP), Abdullah Levent TUZER; Democracy and Peace
Party (DBP), Refik KARAKOC; Freedom and Solidarity Praty (ODP), Ufuk
URAS
Other political or pressure groups: Turkish Confederation of Labor
(Turk-Is), Bayram MERAL; Confederation of Revolutionary Workers
Unions (DISK), Ridvan BUDAK; Moral Rights Workers Union (Hak-Is),
Salim USLU; Turkish Industrialists' and Businessmen's Association
(TUSIAD), Halis KOMILI; Turkish Union of Chambers of Commerce and
Commodity Exchanges (TOBB), Ali Osman ULUSOY; Turkish Confederation
of Employers' Unions (TISK), Refik BAYDUR; Independent
Industrialists and Businessmen's Association (MUSIAD), Erol YARAR
International organization participation: AsDB, BIS, BSEC, CCC,
CE, CERN (observer), EBRD, ECE, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC,
ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO,
Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NACC,
NATO, NEA, OECD, OIC, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCRO, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR,
UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNOMIG, UNRWA, UPU, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO,
WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Nuzhet KANDEMIR
chancery: 1714 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone: [1] (202) 659-8200
consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and New York
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Marc GROSSMAN
embassy: 110 Ataturk Boulevard, Ankara
mailing address: PSC 93, Box 5000, APO AE 09823
telephone: [90] (312) 468-6110
FAX: [90] (312) 467-0019
consulate(s) general: Istanbul
consulate(s): Adana
Flag: red with a vertical white crescent (the closed portion is
toward the hoist side) and white five-pointed star centered just
outside the crescent opening
Economy
-------
Economic overview: The Turkish economy consists of a mixture, on
the one hand, of modern industry and commerce, and, on the other
hand, of time-honored village agriculture and crafts. Since World
War II, it has become increasingly integrated into the West European
economic arena, for example, as a member of OECD. The economy has
improved significantly since the 1994 crisis, when the economy
experienced a sharp drop and inflation hit triple digits. The crisis
- sparked by the downgrading in January 1994 of Turkey's
international credit rating by two US rating agencies - stemmed from
years of loose monetary and fiscal policies that had exacerbated
inflation and allowed the public debt, money supply, and current
account deficit to explode. In April 1994, then Prime Minister
CILLER introduced a stabilization package that paved the way for a
$950 million IMF standby loan. However, because the government
missed key macroeconomic targets in 1995 and the December national
election produced months of political wrangling, the IMF put the
agreement - and release of remaining funds - on hold. The new
center-right minority government that finally has emerged will find
it difficult to balance the need for new austerity measures and
tough structural reforms with the pressure for continued buoyant
growth. Ankara is also likely to face internal opposition to
policies it must implement as part of the Turkey-EU customs union
agreement - which came into force on 1 January 1996 - because many
industries are unfit for EU competition and much-needed revenues
will decline with the elimination of import tariffs and surcharges.
Meanwhile, Ankara's heavy debt repayment schedule in 1996 makes it
necessary for Turkish leaders to bolster the confidence of both
domestic and foreign investors.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $345.7 billion (1995 est.)
GDP real growth rate: 6.8% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $5,500 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 15.5%
industry: 33.2%
services: 51.3% (1994)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 94% (1995)
Labor force: 20.9 million
by occupation: agriculture 46%, services 31%, industry 23%
note: about 1.5 million Turks work abroad (1994)
Unemployment rate: 10.2% (1995 est.)
Budget:
revenues: $30.2 billion
expenditures: $35 billion, including capital expenditures of $2.8
billion (1995)
Industries: textiles, food processing, mining (coal, chromite,
copper, boron), steel, petroleum, construction, lumber, paper
Industrial production growth rate: 8.8% (1995)
Electricity:
capacity: 18,710,000 kW
production: 71 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 1,079 kWh (1993)
Agriculture: tobacco, cotton, grain, olives, sugar beets, pulses,
citrus; livestock
Illicit drugs: major transit route for Southwest Asian heroin and
hashish to Western Europe and the US via air, land, and sea routes;
major Turkish, Iranian, and other international trafficking
organizations operate out of Istanbul; laboratories to convert
imported morphine base into heroin are in remote regions of Turkey
as well as near Istanbul; government maintains strict controls over
areas of legal opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw
concentrate
Exports: $20.7 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: textiles and apparel 37%, steel products 12%, fruits
and vegetables 11% (1994)
partners: Germany 22%, Russia 8%, US 8%, Italy 6% (1994)
Imports: $32.6 billion (f.o.b., 1995 est.)
commodities: machinery 25%, fuels 17%, raw materials 11%, foodstuffs
5% (1994)
partners: Germany 16%, US 10%, Italy 9%, Russia 8% (1994)
External debt: $73.8 billion (1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $195 million (1993)
note: aid for Gulf war efforts from coalition allies (1991), $4.1
billion; aid pledged for Turkish Defense Fund, $2.5 billion
Currency: Turkish lira (TL)
Exchange rates: Turkish liras (TL) per US$1 - 60,502.1 (January
1996), 45,845.1 (1995), 29,608.7 (1994), 10,984.6 (1993), 6,872.4
(1992), 4,171.8 (1991)
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 10,386 km
standard gauge: 10,386 km 1.435-m gauge (1,088 km electrified)
Highways:
total: 386,704 km
paved: 45,683 km (including 862 km of expressways)
unpaved: 341,021 km (1992 est.)
Waterways: about 1,200 km
Pipelines: crude oil 1,738 km; petroleum products 2,321 km;
natural gas 708 km
Ports: Gemlik, Hopa, Iskenderun, Istanbul, Izmir, Izmit, Mersin,
Samsun, Trabzon
Merchant marine:
total: 465 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,509,741
GRT/9,494,434 DWT
ships by type: bulk 139, cargo 212, chemical tanker 18, combination
bulk 7, combination ore/oil 12, container 2, liquefied gas tanker 4,
livestock carrier 1, oil tanker 43, passenger-cargo 1, refrigerated
cargo 2, roll-on/roll-off cargo 15, short-sea passenger 7,
specialized tanker 2
note: Turkey owns an additional 18 ships (1,000 GRT or over)
totaling 247,369 DWT operating under the registries of Malta,
Panama, Libya, and Greece (1995 est.)
Airports:
total: 104
with paved runways over 3 047 m: 17
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 19
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 12
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 18
with paved runways under 914 m: 28
with unpaved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 2
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 8 (1995 est.)
Heliports: 2 (1995 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: 6.89 million (1990 est.)
Telephone system: fair domestic and international systems
domestic: trunk microwave radio relay network; limited open-wire
network
international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic
Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Atlantic Ocean
regions); 1 submarine cable
Radio broadcast stations: AM 15, FM 94, shortwave 0
Radios: 9.4 million (1992 est.)
Television broadcast stations: 357
Televisions: 10.53 million (1993 est.)
Defense
-------
Branches: Land Forces, Navy (includes Naval Air and Naval
Infantry), Air Force, Coast Guard, Gendarmerie
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 16,937,828
males fit for military service: 10,312,010
males reach military age (20) annually: 637,456 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $6.0 billion, 4%
of GDP (1995); note - figures do not include about $7 billion for
the government's counterinsurgency effort against the separatist
Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK)
======================================================================
@Turkmenistan
------------
Map
---
Location: 40 00 N, 60 00 E -- Central Asia, bordering the Caspian
Sea, between Iran and Kazakstan
Flag
----
Description: green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist
side, with a claret vertical stripe in between containing five
white, black, and orange carpet guls (an asymmetrical design used in
producing rugs) associated with five different tribes; a white
crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right
of the carpet guls
Geography
---------
Location: Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
and Kazakstan
Geographic coordinates: 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States
Area:
total area: 488,100 sq km
land area: 488,100 sq km
comparative area: slightly larger than California
Land boundaries:
total: 3,736 km
border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakstan 379 km,
Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Coastline: 0 km
note: Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Maritime claims: none (landlocked)
International disputes: Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet
determined
Climate: subtropical desert
Terrain: flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to
mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran;
borders Caspian Sea in west
lowest point: Sarygamysh Koli -110 m
highest point: Ayrybaba 3,139 m
Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt
Land use:
arable land: 2%
permanent crops: 0%
meadows and pastures: 69%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 29%
Irrigated land: 12,450 sq km (1990)
Environment:
current issues: contamination of soil and groundwater with
agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salinization, water-logging of
soil due to poor irrigation methods; Caspian Sea pollution;
diversion of a large share of the flow of the Amu Darya into
irrigation contributes to that river's inability to replenish the
Aral Sea; desertification
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Ozone Layer Protection; signed,
but not ratified - Climate Change, Desertification
Geographic note: landlocked
People
------
Population: 4,149,283 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 39% (male 826,637; female 804,385)
15-64 years: 56% (male 1,154,415; female 1,188,173)
65 years and over: 5% (male 65,447; female 110,226) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.82% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 29.12 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 8.89 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Net migration rate: -2.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Sex ratio:
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.59 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.97 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 81.6 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 61.48 years
male: 56.68 years
female: 66.52 years (1996 est.)
Total fertility rate: 3.62 children born/woman (1996 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmen
Ethnic divisions: Turkmen 73.3%, Russian 9.8%, Uzbek 9%, Kazak 2%,
other 5.9%
Religions: Muslim 87%, Eastern Orthodox 11%, unknown 2%
Languages: Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1989 est.)
total population: 98%
male: 99%
female: 97%
Government
----------
Name of country:
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turkmenistan
local long form: none
local short form: Turkmenistan
former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Data code: TX
Type of government: republic
Capital: Ashgabat
Administrative divisions: 5 welayatlar (singular - welayat): Ahal
Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Nebitdag), Dashhowuz Welayaty
(formerly Tashauz), Lebap Welayaty (Charjew), Mary Welayaty
note: names in parentheses are administrative centers when name
differs from welayat name
Independence: 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
National holiday: Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Constitution: adopted 18 May 1992
Legal system: based on civil law system
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990,
when the first direct presidential election occured) was elected to
a five-year term by universal suffrage; election last held 21 June
1992 (next to be held NA 2002); results - Saparmurad NIYAZOV 99.5%
(ran unopposed); note - a 15 January 1994 referendum extended
NIYAZOV's term an additional five years until 2002 (99.99% approval)
head of government: Prime Minister (vacant); Deputy Prime Ministers
Mukhamed ABALAKOV (since NA), Babamurad BAZAROV (since NA), Hekim
ISHANOV (since NA), Valeriy OTCHERTSOV (since NA), Yagmur OVEZOV
(since NA), Matkarim RAJAPOV (since NA), Pirkuly ODEYEV (since NA),
Rejep SAPAROV (since NA), Boris SHIKHMURADOV (since NA), Batyr
SARJAYEV (since NA), Amannazar ILAMANOV (since NA), Ilaman SHYKHYYEV
(since NA) were appointed by the president
cabinet: Council of Ministers was appointed by the president
note: NIYAZOV has been asked by various local groups, most recently
on 26 October 1995 at the annual elders meeting, to be "president
for life," but that would require an amendment to the constitution
Legislative branch: under the 1992 constitution, there are two
parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council (Halk Maslahaty
- having more than 100 members and meeting infrequently) and a
50-member unicameral Assembly (Majlis)
Assembly (Majlis): elections last held 11 December 1994 (next to be
held NA 1999); results - percent of vote by party NA; seats - (50
total) Democratic Party 45, other 5; note - all 50 preapproved by
President NIYAZOV
Judicial branch: Supreme Court
Political parties and leaders: Democratic Party of Turkmenistan,
Saparmurat NIYAZOV; Party for Democratic Development, Durdymurat
HOJA-MUHAMEDOV, chairman; Agzybirlik, Nurberdy NURMAMEDOV,
cochairman, Hubayberdi HALLIYEV, cochairman
note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small
opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries
International organization participation: CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE,
ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat
(nonsignatory user), IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE,
PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Diplomatic representation in US:
chief of mission: Ambassador Halil UGUR
chancery: 1511 K Street NW, Suite 412, Washington, DC 20005
telephone: [1] (202) 737-4800
FAX: [1] (202) 737-1152
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Michael W. COTTER
embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat
mailing address: use embassy street address
telephone: [7] (3632) 35-00-45, 35-00-46, 35-00-42, Tie Line [8]
962-0000
FAX: [7] (3632) 51-13-05
Flag: green field, including a vertical stripe on the hoist side,
with a claret vertical stripe in between containing five white,
black, and orange carpet guls (an asymmetrical design used in
producing rugs) associated with five different tribes; a white
crescent and five white stars in the upper left corner to the right
of the carpet guls
Economy
-------
Economic overview: Turkmenistan is largely desert country with
nomadic cattle raising, intensive agriculture in irrigated oases,
and huge gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is
planted in cotton making it the world's tenth largest producer. It
also has the world's fifth largest reserves of natural gas and
substantial oil resources. Until the end of 1993, Turkmenistan had
experienced less economic disruption than other former Soviet states
because its economy received a boost from higher prices for oil and
gas and a sharp increase in hard currency earnings. In 1994,
Russia's refusal to export Turkmen gas to hard currency markets and
mounting debts of its major customers in the former USSR for gas
deliveries contributed to a sharp fall in industrial production and
caused the budget to shift from a surplus to a slight deficit. The
economy remained depressed through 1995 while inflation soared.
Furthermore, with an authoritarian ex-communist regime in power and
a tribally based social structure, Turkmenistan has taken a cautious
approach to economic reform, hoping to use gas and cotton sales to
sustain its inefficient economy. For 1996, Turkmenistan will face
continuing constraints on its earnings because of its customers'
inability to pay for their gas and a below average cotton crop in
1995. Turkmenistan is working hard to open new gas export channels
through Iran and Turkey, but these will take many years to realize.
GDP: purchasing power parity - $11.5 billion (1995 estimate as
extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994)
GDP real growth rate: -10% (1995 est.)
GDP per capita: $2,820 (1995 est.)
GDP composition by sector:
agriculture: 32.5%
industry: 33.4%
services: 34.1% (1991 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 25% monthly average (1994 est.)
Labor force: 1.642 million (January 1994)
by occupation: agriculture and forestry 44%, industry and
construction 20%, other 36% (1992)
Unemployment rate: NA%
Budget:
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Industries: natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food
processing
Industrial production growth rate: -7% (1995)
Electricity:
capacity: 2,480,000 kW
production: 9.8 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 2,400 kWh (1995)
Agriculture: cotton, grain; livestock
Illicit drugs: illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy;
mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program;
used as transshipment point for illicit drugs from Southwest Asia to
Western Europe
Exports: $1.9 billion to states outside the FSU (1995)
commodities: natural gas, cotton, petroleum products, electricity,
textiles, carpets
partners: Ukraine, Russia, Kazakstan, Uzbekistan, Georgia,
Azerbaijan, Armenia, Eastern Europe, Turkey, Argentina
Imports: $777 million from states outside the FSU (1995)
commodities: machinery and parts, grain and food, plastics and
rubber, consumer durables, textiles
partners: Russia, Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan, Kazakstan, Turkey
External debt: $400 million (of which $275 million to Russia)
(1995 est.)
Economic aid:
recipient: ODA, $10 million (1993)
note: commitments, $1,830 million ($375 million drawn), 1992-95
Currency: Turkmenistan introduced its national currency, the
manat, on 1 November 1993
Exchange rates: manats per US$1 - 2,400 (January 1996)
note: government established a unified rate in mid-January 1996
Fiscal year: calendar year
Transportation
--------------
Railways:
total: 2,120 km in common carrier service; does not include
industrial lines
broad gauge: 2,120 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)
Highways:
total: 23,000 km
paved: NA km
unpaved: NA km (1990 est.)
Waterways: the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway
Pipelines: crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km
Ports: Turkmenbashi (formerly Krasnowodsk)
Airports:
total: 64
with paved runways 2 438 to 3 047 m: 13
with paved runways 1 524 to 2 437 m: 8
with paved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 1
with unpaved runways 914 to 1 523 m: 7
with unpaved runways under 914 m: 35 (1994 est.)
Communications
--------------
Telephones: NA
Telephone system: poorly developed
domestic: NA
international: linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other
CIS republics and to other countries by leased connections to the
Moscow international gateway switch; a new telephone link from
Ashgabat to Iran has been established; a new exchange in Ashgabat
switches international traffic through Turkey via Intelsat;
satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 1 Intelsat
Radio broadcast stations: AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA; note - there
is at least one state-owned radio broadcast station of NA type
Radios: NA
Television broadcast stations: NA
Televisions: NA
Defense
-------
Branches: Army, Air and Air Defense, Republic Security Forces
(internal and border troops), National Guard
Manpower availability:
males age 15-49: 1,024,398
males fit for military service: 834,803
males reach military age (18) annually: 41,697 (1996 est.)
Defense expenditures: 4.5 billion manats, 3.0% of GDP (1995); note
- conversion of defense expenditures into US dollars using the
current exchange rate could produce misleading results
======================================================================
@Turks and Caicos Islands
------------------------
(dependent territory of the UK)
Map
---
Location: 21 45 N, 71 35 W -- Caribbean, two island groups in the
North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas
Flag
----
Description: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the
flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and
cactus
Geography
---------
Location: Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic
Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas
Geographic coordinates: 21 45 N, 71 35 W
Map references: Central America and the Caribbean
Area:
total area: 430 sq km
land area: 430 sq km
comparative area: 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 389 km
Maritime claims:
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: none
Climate: tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and
relatively dry
Terrain: low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m
Natural resources: spiny lobster, conch