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Compare Solomon Islands (2005) - Turkmenistan (2002)

Compare Solomon Islands (2005) z Turkmenistan (2002)

 Solomon Islands (2005)Turkmenistan (2002)
 Solomon IslandsTurkmenistan
Administrative divisions 9 provinces and 1 capital territory*; Central, Choiseul, Guadalcanal, Honiara*, Isabel, Makira, Malaita, Rennell and Bellona, Temotu, Western 5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat): Ahal Welayaty (Ashgabat), Balkan Welayaty (Balkanabat), Dasoguz Welayaty, Labap 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: 41.9% (male 114,860/female 110,404)


15-64 years: 54.9% (male 149,400/female 145,970)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 8,371/female 9,027) (2005 est.)
0-14 years: 37.3% (male 895,536; female 853,301)


15-64 years: 58.6% (male 1,350,142; female 1,399,879)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 72,784; female 117,321) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs; timber; fish cotton, grain; livestock
Airports 33 (2004 est.) 76 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 13


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 31


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 21 (2004 est.)
total: 63


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 41 (2002)
Area total: 28,450 sq km


land: 27,540 sq km


water: 910 sq km
total: 488,100 sq km


land: 488,100 sq km


water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Maryland slightly larger than California
Background The UK established a protectorate over the Solomon Islands in the 1890s. Some of the bitterest fighting of World War II occurred on these islands. Self-government was achieved in 1976 and independence two years later. Ethnic violence, government malfeasance, and endemic crime have undermined stability and civil society. In June 2003, Prime Minister Sir Allen KEMAKEZA sought the assistance of Australia in reestablishing law and order; the following month, an Australian-led multinational force arrived to restore peace and disarm ethnic militias. The Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) has been very effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1925. It achieved its independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. President NIYAZOV retains absolute control over the country and opposition is not tolerated. Extensive hydrocarbon/natural gas reserves could prove a boon to this underdeveloped country if extraction and delivery projects can be worked out.
Birth rate 30.74 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 28.27 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget revenues: $49.7 million


expenditures: $75.1 million, including capital expenditures of $0 (2003)
revenues: $588.6 million


expenditures: $658.2 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.) (1999 est.)
Capital Honiara Ashgabat
Climate tropical monsoon; few extremes of temperature and weather subtropical desert
Coastline 5,313 km 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)
Constitution 7 July 1978 adopted 18 May 1992
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Solomon Islands


former: British Solomon Islands
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Turkmenistan


local long form: none


local short form: Turkmenistan


former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic
Currency - Turkmen manat (TMM)
Death rate 3.98 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 8.92 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external $180.4 million (2002) $2.3 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.)
Diplomatic representation from the US the US does not have an embassy in Solomon Islands (embassy closed July 1993); the ambassador to Papua New Guinea is accredited to the Solomon Islands chief of mission: Ambassador Laura E. KENNEDY


embassy: 9 Pushkin Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [9] (9312) 35-00-45


FAX: [9] (9312) 39-26-14
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Collin David BECK


chancery: 800 Second Avenue, Suite 400L, New York, NY 10017


telephone: [1] (212) 599-6192, 6193


FAX: [1] (212) 661-8925
chief of mission: Ambassador Mered Bairamovich ORAZOV


chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500


FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697
Disputes - international Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) at the invitation of the Solomon Islands' Government to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security Turkmenistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan wrestle with sharing limited water resources and regional environmental degradation caused by the shrinking of the Aral Sea; multilaterally-accepted Caspian Sea seabed and maritime boundaries have not yet been established in the Caspian - Iran insists on division of Caspian Sea into five equal sectors while Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan have generally agreed upon equidistant seabed boundaries; Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan await ICJ decision to resolve sovereignty dispute over oil fields in the Caspian Sea
Economic aid - recipient $28 million annually, mainly from Australia (2003 est.) $16 million from the US (2001)
Economy - overview The bulk of the population depends on agriculture, fishing, and forestry for at least part of their livelihood. Most manufactured goods and petroleum products must be imported. The islands are rich in undeveloped mineral resources such as lead, zinc, nickel, and gold. Prior to the arrival of the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI), severe ethnic violence, the closing of key businesses, and an empty government treasury culminated in economic collapse. RAMSI has enabled a return to law and order, a new period of economic stability, and modest growth as the economy rebuilds. Turkmenistan is largely desert country with intensive agriculture in irrigated oases and huge gas (fifth largest reserves in the world) and oil resources. One-half of its irrigated land is planted in cotton, making it the world's tenth largest producer. 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. 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. In 1998-2001, Turkmenistan has 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 have risen sharply because of higher international oil and gas prices. Prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, and the unwillingness of the government to adopt market-oriented reforms. However, Turkmenistan's cooperation with the international community in transporting humanitarian aid to Afghanistan may foreshadow a change in the atmosphere for foreign investment, aid, and technological support. Turkmenistan's economic statistics are state secrets, and GDP and other figures are subject to wide margins of error.
Electricity - consumption 29.76 million kWh (2002) 7.708 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2002) 900 million kWh (2000)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2002) 0 kWh (2000)
Electricity - production 32 million kWh (2002) 9.256 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Makarakomburu 2,447 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 deforestation; soil erosion; many of the surrounding coral reefs are dead or dying 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, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected 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 Melanesian 94.5%, Polynesian 3%, Micronesian 1.2%, other 1.1%, unspecified 0.2% (1999 census) Turkmen 77%, Uzbek 9.2%, Russian 6.7%, Kazakh 2%, other 5.1% (1995)
Exchange rates Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002), 5.278 (2001), 5.0889 (2000) Turkmen manats per US dollar - 5,200 (January 2002-January 2000), 5,350 (January 1999), 4,070 (January 1997)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Nathaniel WAENA (since 7 July 2004)


head of government: Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA (since 17 December 2001); Deputy Prime Minister Snyder RINI (since 17 December 2001)


cabinet: Cabinet consists of 20 members appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of Parliament for up to five years; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of a majority coalition is usually elected prime minister by Parliament; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister from among the members of Parliament
chief of state: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President and Chairman of the Cabinet of Ministers Saparmurat NIYAZOV (since 27 October 1990, when the first direct presidential election occurred); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president


note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 by the Assembly (Majlis) during a session of the People's Council (Halk Maslahaty)


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 21 June 1992 (next to be held NA); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the Assembly on 28 December 1999); deputy chairmen of the cabinet of ministers are appointed by the president


election results: Saparmurat NIYAZOV elected president without opposition; percent of vote - Saparmurat NIYAZOV 99.5%
Exports NA $2.7 billion f.o.b. (2001 est.)
Exports - commodities timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa gas 33%, oil 30%, cotton fiber 18%, textiles 8% (1999)
Exports - partners China 27.8%, South Korea 17.1%, Thailand 15.7%, Japan 9.7%, Philippines 4.8% (2004) Ukraine 27%, Iran 14%, Turkey 11%, Italy 9%, Switzerland 5% (1999)
Fiscal year calendar year calendar year
Flag description divided diagonally by a thin yellow stripe from the lower hoist-side corner; the upper triangle (hoist side) is blue with five white five-pointed stars arranged in an X pattern; the lower triangle is green green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five carpet guls (designs used in producing rugs) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon and five white stars appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red stripe
GDP - purchasing power parity - $21.5 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 27%


industry: 45%


services: 28% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $1,700 (2002 est.) purchasing power parity - $4,700 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.8% (2003 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 8 00 S, 159 00 E 40 00 N, 60 00 E
Geography - note strategic location on sea routes between the South Pacific Ocean, the Solomon Sea, and the Coral Sea 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
Government - note June 2003 Prime Minister Sir Allan KEMAKEZA sought the intervention of Australia to aid in restoring order; parliament approved the request for intervention in July 2003; troops from Australia, New Zealand, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga arrived 24 July 2003. By the end of 2004 the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) had been scaled back to 302 police officers and 120 military in addition to civilian technical advisors. -
Highways total: 1,360 km


paved: 34 km


unpaved: 1,326 km (1999 est.)
total: 22,000 km


paved: 18,000 km (includes some all-weather gravel-surfaced roads)


unpaved: 4,000 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1996)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: 3%


highest 10%: 32% (1998) (1998)
Illicit drugs - 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; small-scale government-run eradication of illicit crops; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
Imports NA $2.3 billion c.i.f. (2001 est.)
Imports - commodities food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals machinery and equipment 60%, foodstuffs 15% (1999)
Imports - partners Australia 24.6%, Singapore 23.1%, New Zealand 7.7%, Fiji 4.8%, Papua New Guinea 4.7% (2004) Turkey 17%, Ukraine 12%, Russia 11%, UAE 8%, France 6% (1999)
Independence 7 July 1978 (from UK) 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA%
Industries fish (tuna), mining, timber natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 21.29 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.27 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 18.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
73.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 10% (2003 est.) 10% (2001 est.)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, C, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt (signatory), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - NA
Irrigated land NA 18,000 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeal Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force 26,840 (1999) 2.34 million (1996) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 75%, industry 5%, services 20% (2000 est.) agriculture 48%, industry 15%, services 37% (1998 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: 0.64%


permanent crops: 2%


other: 97.36% (2001)
arable land: 3.47%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 96.39% (1998 est.)
Languages Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English is official but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population


note: 120 indigenous languages
Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%
Legal system English common law, which is widely disregarded based on civil law system
Legislative branch unicameral National Parliament (50 seats; members elected from single-member constituencies by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 5 December 2001 (next to be held not later than December 2005)


election results: percent of vote by party - PAP 40%, SIACC 40%, PPP 20%; seats by party - PAP 16, SIACC 13, PPP 2, SILP 1, independents 18
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (more than 100 seats, some of which are elected by popular vote and some of which are appointed; meets infrequently) and a unicameral Assembly or Majlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: People's Council - NA; Assembly - last held 12 December 1999 (next to be held NA 2004)


election results: Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; note - all 50 elected officials preapproved by President NIYAZOV; most are from the DPT
Life expectancy at birth total population: 72.66 years


male: 70.16 years


female: 75.28 years (2005 est.)
total population: 61.1 years


male: 57.57 years


female: 64.8 years (2002 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: 99%


female: 97% (1989 est.)
Location Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Papua New Guinea Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan
Map references Oceania Asia
Maritime claims measured from claimed archipelagic baselines


territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm
none (landlocked)
Merchant marine - total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,600 GRT/5,000 DWT


ships by type: petroleum tanker 1 (2002 est.)
Military branches no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) Ministry of Defense (Army, Air and Air Defense, Navy, Border Troops, and Internal Troops), National Guard
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA $90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA 3.4% (FY99)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49: 1,206,920 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49: 979,282 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age - 18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually - males: 48,292 (2002 est.)
National holiday Independence Day, 7 July (1978) Independence Day, 27 October (1991)
Nationality noun: Solomon Islander(s)


adjective: Solomon Islander
noun: Turkmen(s)


adjective: Turkmen
Natural hazards typhoons, but rarely destructive; geologically active region with frequent earth tremors; volcanic activity NA
Natural resources fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel petroleum, natural gas, coal, sulfur, salt
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) -0.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines - crude oil 250 km; natural gas 4,400 km
Political parties and leaders Association of Independents [Snyder RINI]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Allan KEMAKEZA]; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Mannaseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon Islands Alliance for Change Coalition or SIACC [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]


note: in general, Solomon Islands politics is characterized by fluid coalitions
Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT [Saparmurat NIYAZOV]


note: formal opposition parties are outlawed; unofficial, small opposition movements exist underground or in foreign countries
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 538,032 (July 2005 est.) 4,688,963 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line NA 34% (2001 est.)
Population growth rate 2.68% (2005 est.) 1.84% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors Honiara, Malloco Bay, Shortland Harbor, Viru Harbor, Yandina Turkmenbasy
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios - 1.225 million (1997)
Railways - total: 2,440 km


broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2001)
Religions Church of Melanesia 32.8%, Roman Catholic 19%, South Seas Evangelical 17%, Seventh-Day Adventist 11.2%, United Church 10.3%, Christian Fellowship Church 2.4%, other Christian 4.4%, other 2.4%, unspecified 0.3%, none 0.2% (1999 census) Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.96 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage 21 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 677; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: 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
Telephones - main lines in use 6,600 (2002) 363,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,000 (2002) 4,300 (1998)
Television broadcast stations - 3 (much programming relayed from Russia and Turkey) (1997)
Terrain mostly rugged mountains with some low coral atolls 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 4.04 children born/woman (2005 est.) 3.54 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% NA%
Waterways - the Amu Darya is an important inland waterway for Turkmenistan
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