Barbados (2005) | Tajikistan (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 11 parishes; Christ Church, Saint Andrew, Saint George, Saint James, Saint John, Saint Joseph, Saint Lucy, Saint Michael, Saint Peter, Saint Philip, Saint Thomas; note - the city of Bridgetown may be given parish status | 2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* [Gorno-Badakhshan] (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.6% (male 28,813/female 28,634)
15-64 years: 70.6% (male 96,590/female 100,622) 65 years and over: 8.8% (male 9,432/female 15,163) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.2% (male 1,384,035; female 1,361,137)
15-64 years: 56.1% (male 1,957,712; female 1,976,488) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 145,717; female 186,467) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, vegetables, cotton | cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 66 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 15
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 40 (2003 est.) |
Area | total: 431 sq km
land: 431 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Wisconsin |
Background | The island was uninhabited when first settled by the British in 1627. Slaves worked the sugar plantations established on the island until 1834 when slavery was abolished. The economy remained heavily dependent on sugar, rum, and molasses production through most of the 20th century. The gradual introduction of social and political reforms in the 1940s and 1950s led to complete independence from the UK in 1966. In the 1990s, tourism and manufacturing surpassed the sugar industry in economic importance. | Tajikistan has completed its transition from the civil war that plagued the country from 1992 to 1997. There have been no major security incidents in more than two years, although the country remains the poorest in the region. Attention by the international community in the wake of the war in Afghanistan has brought increased economic development assistance, which could create jobs and increase stability in the long term. Tajikistan is in the early stages of seeking World Trade Organization membership and has joined NATO's Partnership for Peace. |
Birth rate | 12.83 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 32.63 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $847 million (including grants)
expenditures: $886 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $253.5 million
expenditures: $238.5 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2003 est.) |
Capital | Bridgetown | Dushanbe |
Climate | tropical; rainy season (June to October) | midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains |
Coastline | 97 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 30 November 1966 | 6 November 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Barbados |
conventional long form: Republic of Tajikistan
conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: Tojikiston former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | - | somoni |
Death rate | 9.17 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 8.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $668 million (2003) | $1 billion (2002 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Mary E. KRAMER
embassy: Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce Building, Broad Street, Bridgetown; (courier) ALICO Building-Cheapside, Bridgetown mailing address: P. O. Box 302, Bridgetown; CMR 1014, APO AA 34055 telephone: [1] (246) 436-4950 FAX: [1] (246) 429-5246, 429-3379 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Richard E. HOAGLAND
embassy: 10 Pavlova Street, Dushanbe, Tajikistan 734003; note - the embassy in Dushanbe is not yet fully operational; most business is still handled in Almaty at: 531 Sayfullin Street, Almaty, Kazakhstan, telephone 7-3272-58-79-61, FAX 7-3272-58-79-68 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [992] (372) 21-03-48, 21-03-52, 24-15-60 FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62, 51-00-28 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Michael Ian KING
chancery: 2144 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-9200 FAX: [1] (202) 332-7467 consulate(s) general: Miami and New York consulate(s): Los Angeles |
chief of mission: Ambassador Hamrohon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Street NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091 |
Disputes - international | in 2005, Barbados and Trinidad and Tobago agreed to compulsory international arbitration that will result in a binding award challenging whether the northern limit of Trinidad and Tobago's and Venezuela's maritime boundary extends into Barbadian waters and the southern limit of Barbadian traditional fishing; joins other Caribbean states to counter Venezuela's claim that Aves Island sustains human habitation, a criterion under UNCLOS, which permits Venezuela to extend its EEZ/continental shelf over a large portion of the Caribbean Sea | prolonged regional drought created water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; boundary agreements signed in 2002 cede 1,000 sq km of Pamir Mountain range to China in return for China relinquishing claims to 28,000 sq km of Tajikistani lands but demarcation has not yet commenced; talks continue with Uzbekistan to delimit border and remove minefields; disputes in Isfara Valley delay delimitation with Kyrgyzstan |
Economic aid - recipient | $9.1 million (1995) | $60.7 million from US (2001) |
Economy - overview | Historically, the Barbadian economy had been dependent on sugarcane cultivation and related activities, but production in recent years has diversified into light industry and tourism. Offshore finance and information services are important foreign exchange earners. The government continues its efforts to reduce unemployment, to encourage direct foreign investment, and to privatize remaining state-owned enterprises. The economy contracted in 2002-03 mainly due to a decline in tourism. Growth probably was positive in 2004, as economic conditions in the US and Europe moderately improved. | Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 5% to 6% of the land area is arable. Cotton is the most important crop. Mineral resources, varied but limited in amount, include silver, gold, uranium, and tungsten. Industry consists only of a large aluminum plant, hydropower facilities, and small obsolete factories mostly in light industry and food processing. The civil war (1992-97) severely damaged the already weak economic infrastructure and caused a sharp decline in industrial and agricultural production. Even though 60% of its people continue to live in abject poverty, Tajikistan has experienced steady economic growth since 1997. Continued privatization of medium and large state-owned enterprises will further increase productivity. Tajikistan's economic situation, however, remains fragile due to uneven implementation of structural reforms, weak governance, widespread unemployment, and the external debt burden. A debt restructuring agreement was reached with Russia in December 2002, including an interest rate of 4%, a 3-year grace period, and a US $49.8 million credit to the Central Bank of Tajikistan. |
Electricity - consumption | 744 million kWh (2002) | 14.52 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 3.909 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 5.242 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 800 million kWh (2002) | 14.18 billion kWh (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Hillaby 336 m |
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m |
Environment - current issues | pollution of coastal waters from waste disposal by ships; soil erosion; illegal solid waste disposal threatens contamination of aquifers | inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides |
Environment - international agreements | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 90%, white 4%, Asian and mixed 6% | Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6% |
Exchange rates | Barbadian dollars per US dollar - 2 (2004), 2 (2003), 2 (2002), 2 (2001), 2 (2000) | Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 3.0614 (2003), 2.7641 (2002), 2.3722 (2001), 2.0763 (2000), 1.2378 (1999)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Sir Clifford Straughn HUSBANDS (since 1 June 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Owen Seymour ARTHUR (since 7 September 1994); Deputy Prime Minister Mia MOTTLEY (since 26 May 2003) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; the prime minister recommends the deputy prime minister |
chief of state: President Emomali RAHMONOV (since 6 November 1994; head of state and Supreme Assembly chairman since 19 November 1992)
head of government: Prime Minister Oqil OQILOV (since 20 January 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president, approved by the Supreme Assembly elections: president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; election last held 6 November 1999 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister appointed by the president; Tajikistan held a constitutional referendum on 22 June 2003 that, among other things, set a term limit of two seven-year terms for the president election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2% |
Exports | NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | sugar and molasses, rum, other foods and beverages, chemicals, electrical components | aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles |
Exports - partners | US 20.6%, UK 14.5%, Trinidad and Tobago 13.9%, Saint Lucia 6.9%, Jamaica 6.6%, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 5.1% (2004) | Netherlands 25.4%, Turkey 24.4%, Latvia 9.9%, Switzerland 9.7%, Uzbekistan 8.5%, Russia 6.6%, Iran 6.4% (2003) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | three equal vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold, and blue with the head of a black trident centered on the gold band; the trident head represents independence and a break with the past (the colonial coat of arms contained a complete trident) | three horizontal stripes of red (top), a wider stripe of white, and green; a gold crown surmounted by seven gold, five-pointed stars is located in the center of the white stripe |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $6.812 billion (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 6%
industry: 16% services: 78% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 30.8%
industry: 29.1% services: 40.1% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,400 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2003 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.3% (2004 est.) | 7% (2003 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 10 N, 59 32 W | 39 00 N, 71 00 E |
Geography - note | easternmost Caribbean island | landlocked; mountainous region dominated by the Trans-Alay Range in the north and the Pamirs in the southeast; highest point, Qullai Ismoili Somoni (formerly Communism Peak), was the tallest mountain in the former USSR |
Highways | total: 1,600 km
paved: 1,578 km unpaved: 22 km (2002) |
total: 27,767 km
paved: NA unpaved: NA (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 25.2% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | one of many Caribbean transshipment points for narcotics bound for Europe and the US; offshore financial center | major transit country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and, to a lesser extent, Western European markets; limited illicit cultivation of opium poppy for domestic consumption; Tajikistan seizes roughly 80 percent of all drugs captured in Central Asia and stands third world-wide in seizures of opiates (heroin and raw opium) |
Imports | NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | consumer goods, machinery, foodstuffs, construction materials, chemicals, fuel, electrical components | electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | US 35.2%, Trinidad and Tobago 20%, UK 5.6%, Japan 4.3% (2004) | Russia 20.2%, Uzbekistan 15.1%, Kazakhstan 10.9%, Azerbaijan 7%, Ukraine 7%, Romania 4.4% (2003) |
Independence | 30 November 1966 (from UK) | 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | -3.2% (2000 est.) | 10.3% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, sugar, light manufacturing, component assembly for export | aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers |
Infant mortality rate | total: 12.5 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 14.14 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 112.1 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 124.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 99.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | -0.5% (2003 est.) | 16.3% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, FAO, G-77, IADB, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAES, MIGA, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO | AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (subscriber), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1998 est.) | 7,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Judicature (judges are appointed by the Service Commissions for the Judicial and Legal Services) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 128,500 (2001 est.) | 3.187 million (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 10%, industry 15%, services 75% (1996 est.) | agriculture 67.2%, industry 7.5%, services 25.3% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 3,651 km
border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km |
Land use | arable land: 37.21%
permanent crops: 2.33% other: 60.46% (2001) |
arable land: 6.61%
permanent crops: 0.92% other: 92.47% (2001) |
Languages | English | Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business |
Legal system | English common law; no judicial review of legislative acts | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of the Senate (21-member body appointed by the governor general) and the House of Assembly (30 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Assembly - last held 21 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2008) election results: House of Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - BLP 23, DLP 7 |
bicameral Supreme Assembly or Majlisi Oli consists of the Assembly of Representatives (lower chamber) or Majlisi Namoyandagon (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 27 February and 12 March 2000 for the Assembly of Representatives (next to be held NA 2005) and 23 March 2000 for the National Assembly (next to be held NA 2005) election results: Assembly of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PDPT 65%, Communist Party 20%, Islamic Revival Party 7.5%, other 7.5%; seats by party - NA; National Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 72.59 years
male: 70.6 years female: 74.6 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 64.47 years
male: 61.53 years female: 67.55 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 99.7% male: 99.7% female: 99.7% (2002 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% male: 99.6% female: 99.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, island in the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Venezuela | Central Asia, west of China |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Asia |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total: 58 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 427,465 GRT/668,195 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 14, cargo 31, chemical tanker 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 3, roll on/roll off 2, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 53 (Bahamas 1, Bangladesh 1, Canada 12, Greece 11, Lebanon 2, Netherlands 1, Norway 17, UAE 1, United Kingdom 7) registered in other countries: 1 (2005) |
- |
Military - note | the Royal Barbados Defense Force includes a land-based Troop Command and a small Coast Guard; the primary role of the land element is to defend the island against external aggression; the Command consists of a single, part-time battalion with a small regular cadre that is deployed throughout the island; it increasingly supports the police in patrolling the coastline to prevent smuggling and other illicit activities (2005) | - |
Military branches | Royal Barbados Defense Force: Troops Command and Coast Guard (2005) | Army, Air Force, Air Defense Force, Presidential National Guard |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | NA | $35.4 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA | 3.9% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,762,730 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,444,325 (2004 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 86,761 (2004 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 30 November (1966) | Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun: Barbadian(s) or Bajan (colloquial)
adjective: Barbadian or Bajan (colloquial) |
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani |
Natural hazards | infrequent hurricanes; periodic landslides | earthquakes and floods |
Natural resources | petroleum, fish, natural gas | hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold |
Net migration rate | -0.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | -2.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 541 km; oil 38 km (2004) |
Political parties and leaders | Barbados Labor Party or BLP [Owen ARTHUR]; Democratic Labor Party or DLP [Clyde Mascoll] | Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Mirhuseyn NAZRIYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Barbados Workers Union [Leroy TROTMAN]; Clement Payne Labor Union [David COMMISSIONG]; People's Progressive Movement [Eric SEALY]; Worker's Party of Barbados [Dr. George BELLE] | there are three unregistered political parties: Agrarian Party or APT [Hikmatullo Nasriddinov]; Progressive Party [Sulton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatullo SAIDOV] |
Population | 279,254 (July 2005 est.) | 7,011,556 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | 60% (2003 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.33% (2005 est.) | 2.14% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Bridgetown | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 6, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002) |
Railways | - | total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2003) |
Religions | Protestant 67% (Anglican 40%, Pentecostal 8%, Methodist 7%, other 12%), Roman Catholic 4%, none 17%, other 12% | Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5%, other 10% (2003 est.) |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: island-wide automatic telephone system international: country code - 1-246; satellite earth stations - 4 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); tropospheric scatter to Trinidad and Saint Lucia |
general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 992; linked by cable and microwave radio relay to other CIS republics and by leased connections to the Moscow international gateway switch; Dushanbe linked by Intelsat to international gateway switch in Ankara (Turkey); satellite earth stations - 1 Orbita and 2 Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 134,000 (2003) | 242,100 (2003) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 140,000 (2003) | 47,600 (2003) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus two cable channels) (2004) | 13 (2001) |
Terrain | relatively flat; rises gently to central highland region | Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 4.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 10.7% (2003 est.) | 40% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | - | 200 km (along Vakhsh River) (2003) |