Greenland (2001) | Tajikistan (2003) | |
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Administrative divisions | 3 districts (landsdele); Avannaa (Nordgronland), Tunu (Ostgronland), Kitaa (Vestgronland)
note: there are 18 municipalities in Greenland |
2 provinces (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and 1 autonomous province* (viloyati mukhtor); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa), Viloyati Sughd (Khujand)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
26.69% (male 7,649; female 7,392) 15-64 years: 67.87% (male 20,868; female 17,376) 65 years and over: 5.44% (male 1,385; female 1,682) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 39.8% (male 1,376,244; female 1,353,108)
15-64 years: 55.5% (male 1,896,509; female 1,915,334) 65 years and over: 4.7% (male 140,993; female 181,564) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | forage crops, garden and greenhouse vegetables; sheep, reindeer; fish | cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats |
Airports | 13 (2000 est.) | 66 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2000 est.) |
total: 13
2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 6 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 53
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 14 under 914 m: 36 (2002) |
Area | total:
2,175,600 sq km land: 2,175,600 sq km (341,700 sq km ice-free, 1,833,900 sq km ice-covered) (est.) |
total: 143,100 sq km
land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly more than three times the size of Texas | slightly smaller than Wisconsin |
Background | The world's largest island, about 84% ice-capped, Greenland was granted self-government in 1978 by the Danish parliament. The law went into effect the following year. Denmark continues to exercise control of Greenland's foreign affairs. | Tajikistan has experienced three changes in government and a five-year civil war since it gained independence in 1991 from the USSR. A peace agreement among rival factions was signed in 1997, and implemented in 2000. The central government's less than total control over some areas of the country has forced it to compromise and forge alliances among factions. 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 | 16.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 32.78 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$646 million expenditures: $629 million, including capital expenditures of $85 million (1999) |
revenues: $502 million
expenditures: $520 million, including capital expenditures of $86 million (2002 est.) |
Capital | Nuuk (Godthab) | Dushanbe |
Climate | arctic to subarctic; cool summers, cold winters | midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains |
Coastline | 44,087 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 5 June 1953 (Danish constitution) | 6 November 1994 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Greenland local long form: none local short form: Kalaallit Nunaat |
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 | Danish krone (DKK) | somoni |
Death rate | 7.58 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 8.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $25 million (1999) | $1 billion (2002 est.) |
Dependency status | part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979 | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) | 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 (Dushanbe) FAX: [992] (372) 21-03-62 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark) | chief of mission: Ambassador Khamrokhon ZARIPOV
chancery: 1725 K Sreet NW, Suite 409, Washington, DC 20006 telephone: [1] (202) 223-6090 FAX: [1] (202) 223-6091 |
Disputes - international | none | prolonged regional drought creates 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; negotiations with China resolved the longstanding boundary dispute; talks have begun with Uzbekistan to demine and delimit border; disputes in Isfara Valley delay completion of delimitation with Kyrgyzstan |
Economic aid - recipient | $380 million subsidy from Denmark (1999) | $60.7 million from US (2001) |
Economy - overview | The economy remains critically dependent on exports of fish and substantial support from the Danish Government, which supplies about half of government revenues. The public sector, including publicly owned enterprises and the municipalities, plays the dominant role in the economy. Despite several interesting hydrocarbon and minerals exploration activities, it will take several years before production can materialize. Tourism is the only sector offering any near-term potential, and even this is limited due to a short season and high costs. | Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. Only 8% to 10% 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 | 232.5 million kWh (1999) | 14.52 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 3.909 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 5.242 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 250 million kWh (1999) | 14.18 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
41% hydro: 59% nuclear: 0% other: 0% note: Greenland is shifting its electricity production from fossil fuel to hydroelectric power production (1999) |
fossil fuel: 1.9%
hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Gunnbjorn 3,700 m |
lowest point: Syr Darya (Sirdaryo) 300 m
highest point: Qullai Ismoili Somoni 7,495 m |
Environment - current issues | protection of the arctic environment; preservation of the Inuit traditional way of life, including whaling and seal hunting | inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Greenlander 88% (Inuit and Greenland-born whites), Danish and others 12% (January 2000) | Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6% |
Exchange rates | Danish kroner per US dollar - 7.951 (January 2001), 8.083 (2000), 6.976 (1999), 6.701 (1998), 6.604 (1997), 5.799 (1996) | Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.7 (2002), 2.37 (2001), 2.08 (2000), 1.24 (1999), 0.78 (1998)
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 MARGRETHE II of Denmark (since 14 January 1972), represented by High Commissioner Gunnar MARTENS (since NA 1995) head of government: Prime Minister Jonathan MOTZFELDT (since 19 September 1997) cabinet: Home Rule Government is elected by the Parliament (Landstinget) on the basis of the strength of parties elections: the monarch is hereditary; high commissioner appointed by the monarch; prime minister is elected by Parliament (usually the leader of the majority party); election last held 16 February 1999 (next to be held NA February 2003) election results: Jonathan MOTZFELDT reelected prime minister following the 16 February 1999 elections; percent of parliamentary vote - 57.3% note: government coalition - Siumut and Inuit Ataqatigiit (IA) |
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 | $276 million (f.o.b., 1999) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | fish and fish products 94% | aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles |
Exports - partners | EU (mainly Denmark) 85%, Japan 8%, US 2% (1999) | Netherlands 29.4%, Turkey 16.1%, Russia 11.9%, Uzbekistan 9.9%, Switzerland 9.3%, Hungary 5.4%, Latvia 4.2% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red with a large disk slightly to the hoist side of center - the top half of the disk is red, the bottom half is white | 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 - $1.1 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $8.476 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 19%
industry: 26% services: 55% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,300 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 9.1% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 72 00 N, 40 00 W | 39 00 N, 71 00 E |
Geography - note | dominates North Atlantic Ocean between North America and Europe; sparse population confined to small settlements along coast, but close to one-quarter of the population lives in the capital, Nuuk; world's second largest ice cap | 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:
150 km paved: 60 km unpaved: 90 km |
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 | - | 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 | $400 million (c.i.f., 1999) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, food, petroleum products | electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | EU (mostly Denmark), Norway, US, Canada | Russia 22.7%, Uzbekistan 18.4%, Ukraine 11.2%, Kazakhstan 10%, Turkmenistan 6.5%, Azerbaijan 5.7%, India 4.4% (2002) |
Independence | none (part of the Kingdom of Denmark; self-governing overseas administrative division of Denmark since 1979)
note: foreign affairs is the responsibility of Denmark, but Greenland actively participates in international agreements relating to Greenland |
9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 10.3% (2000 est.) |
Industries | fish processing (mainly shrimp and Greenland halibut), handicrafts, furs, small shipyards | aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers |
Infant mortality rate | 17.77 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 113.43 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 126.58 deaths/1,000 live births female: 99.63 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.6% (1999 est.) | 12% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | ICC, NC, NIB | AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SCO, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 1 (2000) | 4 (2002) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 7,200 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | High Court or Landsret (appeals can be made to the Ostre Landsret or Eastern Division of the High Court or Supreme Court in Copenhagen) | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) |
Labor force | 24,500 (1999 est.) | 3.187 million (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | 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:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 0% other: 99% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 5.41%
permanent crops: 0.92% other: 93.67% (1998 est.) |
Languages | Greenlandic (East Inuit), Danish, English | Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business |
Legal system | Danish | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral Parliament or Landstinget (31 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held on 16 February 1999 (next to be held by NA February 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.2%, Inuit Ataqatigiit 22.1%, Atassut Party 25.2%, Candidate's League 12.3%, independent 5.2%; seats by party - Siumut 11, Atassut 8, Inuit Ataqatigiit 7, Candidate List 4, independent 1 note: two representatives were elected to the Danish Parliament or Folketing on 11 March 1998 (next to be held by not later than March 2002); percent of vote by party - Siumut 35.6%, Atassut 35.2%; seats by party - Siumut 1, Atassut 1; Greenlandic representatives are affiliated with Danish political parties (Siamut with Social Democratic Party and Atassut with Liberal Party) |
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 Rebirth 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:
68.37 years male: 64.82 years female: 72.01 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 64.37 years
male: 61.39 years female: 67.5 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% note: similar to Denmark proper |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.4% male: 99.6% female: 99.1% (2003 est.) |
Location | Northern North America, island between the Arctic Ocean and the North Atlantic Ocean, northeast of Canada | Central Asia, west of China |
Map references | Arctic Region | Asia |
Maritime claims | continental shelf:
200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM or agreed boundaries or median line territorial sea: 3 NM |
none (landlocked) |
Merchant marine | total:
2 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,289 GRT/1,500 DWT ships by type: cargo 1, passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Denmark | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Air Force and Air Defense Force, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops) |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $35.4 million (FY01) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 3.9% (FY01) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 1,704,457 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 1,397,188 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 82,490 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | June 21 (longest day) | Independence Day (or National Day), 9 September (1991) |
Nationality | noun:
Greenlander(s) adjective: Greenlandic |
noun: Tajikistani(s)
adjective: Tajikistani |
Natural hazards | continuous permafrost over northern two-thirds of the island | earthquakes and floods |
Natural resources | zinc, lead, iron ore, coal, molybdenum, gold, platinum, uranium, fish, seals, whales, hydropower, possible oil and gas | hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold |
Net migration rate | -8.38 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -3.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 540 km; oil 38 km (2003) |
Political parties and leaders | Akulliit Party [Bjarne KREUTZMANN]; Atassut Party (Solidarity, a conservative party favoring continuing close relations with Denmark) [Daniel SKIFTE]; Inuit Ataqatigiit or IA (Eskimo Brotherhood, a leftist party favoring complete independence from Denmark rather than home rule) [Josef MOTZFELDT]; Issituup (Polar Party) [Nicolai HEINRICH]; Kattusseqatigiit (Candidate List, an independent right-of-center party with no official platform [leader NA]; Siumut (Forward Party, a social democratic party advocating more distinct Greenlandic identity and greater autonomy from Denmark) [Jonathan MOTZFELDT] | Democratic Party or DPT [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Revival Party [Said Abdullo NURI, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Social Democratic Party or SDPT [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; Socialist Party or SPT [Sherali KENJAYEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | there are two unregistered political parties with 1,000 or more members: Progressive Party [Suton QUVVATOV]; Unity Party [Hikmatuko SAIDOV] |
Population | 56,352 (July 2001 est.) | 6,863,752 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 60% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 0.06% (2001 est.) | 2.13% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Aasiaat (Egedesminde), Ilulissat (Jakobshavn), Kangerlussuaq, Nanortalik, Narsarsuaq, Nuuk (Godthab), Qaqortoq (Julianehab), Sisimiut (Holsteinsborg), Tasiilaq (March 2001) | none |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 12, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 8, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2002) |
Radios | 30,000 (1998 est.) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 482 km
broad gauge: 482 km 1.520-m gauge (2002) |
Religions | Evangelical Lutheran | Sunni Muslim 85%, Shi'a Muslim 5% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.2 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2001 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 (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
adequate domestic and international service provided by satellite, cables and microwave radio relay; totally digitalized in 1995 domestic: microwave radio relay and satellite international: satellite earth stations - 12 Intelsat, 1 Eutelsat, 2 Americom GE-2 (all Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment: poorly developed and not well maintained; many towns are not reached by the national network
domestic: cable and microwave radio relay international: 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 | 25,617 (end 1999) | 363,000 (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 12,676 (end 1999) | 2,500 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 publicly-owned station, some local low-power stations, and three AFRTS (US Air Force) stations (1997) | 13 (2001) |
Terrain | flat to gradually sloping icecap covers all but a narrow, mountainous, barren, rocky coast | Pamir and Alay Mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 2.44 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 4.17 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 7% (1999 est.) | 40% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |