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Compare Aruba (2008) - Turkmenistan (2007)

Compare Aruba (2008) z Turkmenistan (2007)

 Aruba (2008)Turkmenistan (2007)
 ArubaTurkmenistan
Administrative divisions none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city*: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), Ashgabat*, Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dashoguz Welayaty, Lebap Welayaty (Turkmenabat), Mary Welayaty


note: administrative divisions have the same names as their administrative centers (exceptions have the administrative center name following in parentheses)
Age structure 0-14 years: 19.7% (male 9,943/female 9,761)


15-64 years: 70.2% (male 33,553/female 36,661)


65 years and over: 10.1% (male 4,046/female 6,054) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 34.7% (male 900,718/female 866,930)


15-64 years: 60.9% (male 1,537,638/female 1,567,049)


65 years and over: 4.4% (male 97,454/female 127,239) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products aloes; livestock; fish cotton, grain; livestock
Airports 1 (2007) 28 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2007)
total: 22


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 11


1,524 to 2,437 m: 8


914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 6


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Area total: 193 sq km


land: 193 sq km


water: 0 sq km
total: 488,100 sq km


land: 488,100 sq km


water: NEGL
Area - comparative slightly larger than Washington, DC slightly larger than California
Background Discovered and claimed for Spain in 1499, Aruba was acquired by the Dutch in 1636. The island's economy has been dominated by three main industries. A 19th century gold rush was followed by prosperity brought on by the opening in 1924 of an oil refinery. The last decades of the 20th century saw a boom in the tourism industry. Aruba seceded from the Netherlands Antilles in 1986 and became a separate, autonomous member of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Movement toward full independence was halted at Aruba's request in 1990. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a former NIYAZOV aide, emerged as the country's new president.
Birth rate 12.83 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 25.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $507.9 million


expenditures: $577.9 million (2005 est.)
revenues: $1.434 billion


expenditures: $1.386 billion (2006 est.)
Capital name: Oranjestad


geographic coordinates: 12 31 N, 70 02 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad)


geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E


time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate tropical marine; little seasonal temperature variation subtropical desert
Coastline 68.5 km 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Constitution 1 January 1986 adopted 18 May 1992
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Aruba
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Turkmenistan


local long form: none


local short form: Turkmenistan


former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Death rate 7.61 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $478.6 million (2005 est.) $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Dependency status member country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands; full autonomy in internal affairs obtained in 1986 upon separation from the Netherlands Antilles; Dutch Government responsible for defense and foreign affairs -
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Aruba; the Consul General to Netherlands Antilles is accredited to Aruba chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard E. HOAGLAND


embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000


mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070


telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45


FAX: [993] (12) 39-26-14
Diplomatic representation in the US none (represented by the Kingdom of the Netherlands); note - Mr. Henry BAARH, Minister Plenipotentiary for Aruba at the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW


chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
Disputes - international none cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed
Economic aid - recipient $11.3 million (2004) $28.25 million from the US (2005)
Economy - overview Tourism is the mainstay of the small, open Aruban economy, with offshore banking and oil refining and storage also important. The rapid growth of the tourism sector over the last decade has resulted in a substantial expansion of other activities. Over 1.5 million tourists per year visit Aruba, with 75% of those from the US. Construction continues to boom, with hotel capacity five times the 1985 level. In addition, the country's oil refinery reopened in 1993, providing a major source of employment, foreign exchange earnings, and growth. Tourist arrivals have rebounded strongly following a dip after the 11 September 2001 attacks. The island experiences only a brief low season, and hotel occupancy in 2004 averaged 80%, compared to 68% throughout the rest of the Caribbean. The government has made cutting the budget and trade deficits a high priority. Turkmenistan is a largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and large gas and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton; formerly it was the world's 10th-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% decline in cotton exports. 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. Privatization goals remain limited. From 1998-2005, Turkmenistan suffered from the continued lack of adequate export routes for natural gas and from obligations on extensive short-term external debt. At the same time, however, total exports rose by an average of 15% per year from 2003-06, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2006, Ashgabat raised its natural gas export prices to its main customer, Russia, from $66 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's unwillingness to adopt market-oriented reforms. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error. In particular, the rate of GDP growth is uncertain. President BERDIMUHAMEDOW's election platform included plans to build a gas line to China, to complete the AmuDarya railroad bridge in Lebap province, and to create special border trade zones in southern Balkan province - a hint that the new post-NIYAZOV government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.
Electricity - consumption 716.1 million kWh (2005) 7.602 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 2.918 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 770 million kWh (2005) 12.05 billion kWh (2005 est.)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Jamanota 188 m
lowest point: Vpadina Akchanaya -81 m; note - Sarygamysh Koli is a lake in northern Turkmenistan with a water level that fluctuates above and below the elevation of Vpadina Akchanaya (the lake has dropped as low as -110 m)


highest point: Gora Ayribaba 3,139 m
Environment - current issues NA contamination of soil and groundwater with agricultural chemicals, pesticides; salination, 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
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups mixed white/Caribbean Amerindian 80%, other 20% Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Exchange rates Aruban guilders/florins per US dollar - NA (2007), 1.79 (2006), 1.79 (2005), 1.79 (2004), 1.79 (2003) Turkmen manat per US$ - 11,100 (2006) official rate


note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar
Executive branch chief of state: Queen BEATRIX of the Netherlands (since 30 April 1980); represented by Governor General Fredis REFUNJOL (since 11 May 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Nelson O. ODUBER (since 30 October 2001)


cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the Staten


elections: the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed for a six-year term by the monarch; prime minister and deputy prime minister elected by the Staten for four-year terms; election last held in 2005 (next to be held by 2009)


election results: Nelson O. ODUBER elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA
chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007)


cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012)


election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%
Exports 230,600 bbl/day (2004) 117,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities live animals and animal products, art and collectibles, machinery and electrical equipment, transport equipment gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles
Exports - partners Netherlands 27.7%, Panama 25.5%, Colombia 12.8%, Venezuela 11.1%, US 9.4%, Netherlands Antilles 7.1% (2006) Ukraine 47.7%, Iran 16.4%, Azerbaijan 5.3% (2006)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description blue, with two narrow, horizontal, yellow stripes across the lower portion and a red, four-pointed star outlined in white in the upper hoist-side corner green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 0.4%


industry: 33.3%


services: 66.3% (2002 est.)
agriculture: 17.7%


industry: 39.2%


services: 43.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.4% (2005 est.) IMF estimate: 6%


note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 12 30 N, 69 58 W 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Geography - note a flat, riverless island renowned for its white sand beaches; its tropical climate is moderated by constant trade winds from the Atlantic Ocean; the temperature is almost constant at about 27 degrees Celsius (81 degrees Fahrenheit) landlocked; the western and central low-lying desolate portions of the country make up the great Garagum (Kara-Kum) desert, which occupies over 80% of the country; eastern part is plateau
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2.6%


highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)
Illicit drugs transit point for US- and Europe-bound narcotics with some accompanying money-laundering activity; relatively high percentage of population consumes cocaine transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
Imports 235,000 bbl/day (2004) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and electrical equipment, crude oil for refining and reexport, chemicals; foodstuffs machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners US 53.6%, Netherlands 12.9%, UK 3.6% (2006) UAE 15.5%, Turkey 11.1%, Ukraine 9.1%, Russia 9%, Germany 7.8%, Iran 7.6%, China 6.4%, US 4.5% (2006)
Independence none (part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands) 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 22% (2003 est.)
Industries tourism, transshipment facilities, oil refining natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 14.75 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.59 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 9.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 53.49 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 57.84 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 48.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.4% (2005) 11.5% (2006 est.)
International organization participation Caricom (observer), ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ITUC, UNESCO (associate), UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WMO AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Irrigated land 0.01 sq km (1998 est.) 18,000 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch Common Court of Justice of Aruba (judges are appointed by the monarch) Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force 41,500 (2004 est.) 2.32 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%


note: most employment is in wholesale and retail trade and repair, followed by hotels and restaurants; oil refining
agriculture: 48.2%


industry: 13.8%


services: 37% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 3,736 km


border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km
Land use arable land: 10.53%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 89.47% (2005)
arable land: 4.51%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 95.35% (2005)
Languages Papiamento (a Spanish-Portuguese-Dutch-English dialect) 66.3%, Spanish 12.6%, English (widely spoken) 7.7%, Dutch (official) 5.8%, other 2.2%, unspecified or unknown 5.3% (2000 census) Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Legal system based on Dutch civil law system, with some English common law influence based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch unicameral Legislature or Staten (21 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 23 September 2005 (next to be held in 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - MEP 43%, AVP 32%, MPA 7%, RED 7%, PDR 6%, OLA 4%, PPA 2%; seats by party - MEP 11, AVP 8, MPA 1, RED 1
two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly) and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held in December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2008)


election results: Mejlis - DPT 100%; seats by party - DPT 50; note - all 50 elected officials are members of the Democratic Party of Turkmenistan and are preapproved by the president


note: in late 2003, a law was adopted reducing the powers of the Mejlis and making the Halk Maslahaty the supreme legislative organ; the Halk Maslahaty can now legally dissolve the Mejlis, and the president is now able to participate in the Mejlis as its supreme leader; the Mejlis can no longer adopt or amend the constitution or announce referendums or its elections; since the president is both the "Chairman for Life" of the Halk Maslahaty and the supreme leader of the Mejlis, the 2003 law has the effect of making him the sole authority of both the executive and legislative branches of government
Life expectancy at birth total population: 74.83 years


male: 71.8 years


female: 77.91 years (2007 est.)
total population: 68.3 years


male: 65.23 years


female: 71.54 years (2007 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: 97.3%


male: 97.5%


female: 97.1% (2000 census)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.3%


female: 98.3% (1999 est.)
Location Caribbean, island in the Caribbean Sea, north of Venezuela Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Asia
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT


by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2007)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the Kingdom of the Netherlands -
Military branches no regular indigenous military forces; the Netherlands maintains a detachment of marines, a frigate, and an amphibious combat detachment in the neighboring Netherlands Antilles (2005) Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2007)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 3.4% (2005 est.)
National holiday Flag Day, 18 March (1976) Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Nationality noun: Aruban(s)


adjective: Aruban; Dutch
noun: Turkmen(s)


adjective: Turkmenistani
Natural hazards lies outside the Caribbean hurricane belt NA
Natural resources NEGL; white sandy beaches petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Net migration rate 10 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders Aliansa/Aruban Social Movement or MSA [Robert WEVER]; Aruban Liberal Organization or OLA [Glenbert CROES]; Aruban Patriotic Movement or MPA [Monica ARENDS-KOCK]; Aruban Patriotic Party or PPA [Benny NISBET]; Aruban People's Party or AVP [Mike EMAN]; People's Electoral Movement Party or MEP [Nelson O. ODUBER]; Real Democracy or PDR [Andin BIKKER]; RED [Rudy LAMPE]; Workers Political Platform or PTT [Gregorio WOLFF] Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT


note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT was led by former Foreign Minister Boris SHIKHMURADOV until his arrest and imprisonment in the wake of the 25 November 2002 assassination attempt on President NIYAZOV; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based in Moscow
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 100,018


note: estimate based on a revision of the base population, fertility, and mortality numbers, as well as a revision of 1985-1999 migration estimates from outmigration to inmigration, which is assumed to continue into the future; the new results are consistent with the 2000 census (July 2007 est.)
5,097,028 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 27% (2002)
Population growth rate 1.522% (2007 est.) 1.617% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 16, shortwave 0 (2004) AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways - total: 2,440 km


broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)
Religions Roman Catholic 82%, Protestant 8%, other (includes Hindu, Muslim, Confucian, Jewish) 10% Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.019 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.915 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.668 male(s)/female


total population: 0.906 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.981 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.766 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern fully automatic telecommunications system


domestic: increased competition through privatization; 3 wireless service providers are now licensed


international: country code - 297; landing site for the PAN-AM submarine telecommunications cable system that extends from the US Virgin Islands through Aruba to Venezuela, Colombia, Panama, and the west coast of South America; extensive interisland microwave radio relay links (2007)
general assessment: poorly developed


domestic: Turkmenistan's telecommunications network remains woefully underdeveloped; Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a new digital switching system



international: country code - 993; 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 (2006)
Telephones - main lines in use 38,300 (2005) 495,000 (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 108,200 (2005) 105,000 (2005)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)
Terrain flat with a few hills; scant vegetation flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west
Total fertility rate 1.85 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.13 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.9% (2005 est.) 60% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)
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