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Compare Solomon Islands (2007) - Turkmenistan (2005)

Compare Solomon Islands (2007) z Turkmenistan (2005)

 Solomon Islands (2007)Turkmenistan (2005)
 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), 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: 40.7% (male 117,739/female 113,125)


15-64 years: 55.9% (male 160,310/female 156,773)


65 years and over: 3.3% (male 9,036/female 9,859) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 35.7% (male 909,113/female 860,128)


15-64 years: 60.2% (male 1,462,198/female 1,516,836)


65 years and over: 4.1% (male 78,119/female 125,687) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products cocoa beans, coconuts, palm kernels, rice, potatoes, vegetables, fruit; timber; cattle, pigs; fish cotton, grain; livestock
Airports 35 (2007) 53 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 23


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 10


1,524 to 2,437 m: 9


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 33


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 9


under 914 m: 23 (2007)
total: 30


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 2


under 914 m: 26 (2004 est.)
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: negl.
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 this archipelago. 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, then 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 generally been effective in restoring law and order and rebuilding government institutions. Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. 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 were to be expanded. The Turkmenistan Government is actively seeking to develop alternative petroleum transportation routes in order to break Russia's pipeline monopoly.
Birth rate 29.27 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 27.68 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $49.7 million


expenditures: $75.1 million (2003)
revenues: $3.05 billion


expenditures: $3.05 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital name: Honiara


geographic coordinates: 9 26 S, 159 57 E


time difference: UTC+11 (16 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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


local long form: none


local 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
Death rate 3.87 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 8.78 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external $166 million (2004) $2.4 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 Tracey A. JACOBSON


embassy: 9 Pushkin (1984) Street, Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 774000


mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, D.C. 20521-7070


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 since 2003, Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; bilateral talks continue with Azerbaijan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; demarcation of land boundary with Kazakhstan has started but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled
Economic aid - recipient $198.2 million annually, mainly from Australia (2005 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 its 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's efforts to restore law and order and economic stability have led to modest growth as the economy rebuilds. Turkmenistan is 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 tenth-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to a nearly 46% 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. In 1998-2004, 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 perhaps 30% in 2003 and 19% in 2004, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, the burden of foreign debt, the government's irrational use of oil and gas revenues, and its 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.
Electricity - consumption 55.8 million kWh (2005) 8.908 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 1.136 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production 60 million kWh (2005) 11.41 billion kWh (2004 est.)
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 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)
Exchange rates Solomon Islands dollars per US dollar - 7.3447 (2006), 7.5299 (2005), 7.4847 (2004), 7.5059 (2003), 6.7488 (2002) Turkmen manats per US dollar - 10,100 (2004), 10,034 (2003), 10,098 (2002), 5,200 (2001)


note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 21,000 manats to the dollar
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 Manasseh SOGAVARE (since 4 May 2006); note - Prime Minister Snyder RINI, elected on 18 April 2006 and sworn in on 20 April 2006, resigned on 26 April prior to no confidence vote in parliament; SOGAVARE elected on 4 May 2006


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 (eligible for a second term); 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: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president


note: NIYAZOV's term in office was extended indefinitely on 28 December 1999 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 in 2008 when NIYAZOV turns 70 and is constitutionally ineligible to run); note - President NIYAZOV was unanimously approved as president for life by the People's Council 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 bbl/day NA
Exports - commodities timber, fish, copra, palm oil, cocoa gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles
Exports - partners China 48%, South Korea 9.5%, Japan 8.9%, Thailand 4.7%, Italy 4.4%, Philippines 4.2% (2006) Ukraine 46.6%, Iran 17.3%, Turkey 4.2%, Italy 4.1% (2004)
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 - composition by sector agriculture: 42%


industry: 11%


services: 47% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 28.5%


industry: 42.7%


services: 28.8% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $5,700 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.4% (2005 est.) IMF estimate: 7.5%


note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are notoriously unreliable (2004 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; on 2 April 2007 an undersea earthquake measuring 8.1 on the Richter scale occurred 345 km WNW of the capital Honiara, the resulting tsunami devastated coastal areas of Western and Choiseul provinces with dozens of deaths and thousands dislocated; the provincial capital of Gizo was especially hard hit 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 by 2006, the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) - originally made up of troops from Australia, NZ, Fiji, Papua New Guinea, and Tonga - had been scaled back to 259 police officers and 20 military, in addition to civilian technical advisers; in response to rioting that broke out in mid-April 2006, Australia dispatched an additional 220 troops and 70 police officers to help restore order -
Heliports 3 (2007) 1 (2004 est.)
Highways - total: 24,000 km


paved: 19,488 km


unpaved: 4,512 km (1999 est.)
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 country for Afghan narcotics bound for Russian and Western European markets; transit point for heroin precursor chemicals bound for Afghanistan
Imports NA bbl/day NA
Imports - commodities food, plant and equipment, manufactured goods, fuels, chemicals machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs
Imports - partners Australia 25.5%, Singapore 23.5%, Japan 7.8%, NZ 5.1%, Fiji 4.2%, Papua New Guinea 4.1% (2006) US 11.8%, Russia 9.7%, UAE 9.2%, Ukraine 9%, Turkey 8.6%, Germany 8%, France 5%, Georgia 4.6%, Iran 4.5% (2004)
Independence 7 July 1978 (from UK) 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)
Industrial production growth rate NA% official government estimate: 22% (2003 est.)
Industries fish (tuna), mining, timber natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing
Infant mortality rate total: 19.97 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 22.8 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.01 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 73.08 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 76.9 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 69.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 6.6% (2005 est.) 9% (2004 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, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WTO AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO
Irrigated land NA 17,500 sq km (2003 est.)
Judicial branch Court of Appeal Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force 249,200 (1999) 2.32 million (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 75%


industry: 5%


services: 20% (2000 est.)
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: 0.62%


permanent crops: 2.04%


other: 97.34% (2005)
arable land: 3.72%


permanent crops: 0.14%


other: 96.14% (2001)
Languages Melanesian pidgin in much of the country is lingua franca; English (official; but spoken by only 1%-2% of the population); 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 on 5 April 2006 (next to be held in 2010)


election results: percent of vote by party - National Party 6.9%, PAP 6.3%, SIPRA 6.3%, Liberal 5%, Democratic 4.9%, SOCRED 4.3%, LAFARI 2.8%, independents 60.3%; seats by party - National Party 4, SIPRA 4, Democratic 3, PAP 3, LAFARI 2, Liberal 2, SOCRED 2, independents 30
under the 1992 constitution, there are two parliamentary bodies, a unicameral People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some of whom are elected by popular vote and some of whom are appointed; meets at least yearly) and a unicameral Parliament or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)


elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003; Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held December 2009)


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 President NIYAZOV


note: in late 2003, a new 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: 73.16 years


male: 70.64 years


female: 75.81 years (2007 est.)
total population: 61.39 years


male: 58.02 years


female: 64.93 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: NA


male: NA


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


total population: 98.8%


male: 99.3%


female: 98.3% (1995 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: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 6,873 GRT/8,345 DWT


by type: cargo 3, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2005)
Military branches no regular military forces; Royal Solomon Islands Police (RSIP) Ground Forces, Air and Air Defense Forces (2004)
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $90 million (FY99)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3% (2006) 3.4% (FY99)
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 earthquakes, tremors, and volcanic activity; tsunamis NA
Natural resources fish, forests, gold, bauxite, phosphates, lead, zinc, nickel petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) -0.81 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines - gas 6,549 km; oil 1,395 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders Association of Independent Members or AIM [Thomas CHAN]; Christian Alliance Solomon Islands or CASI [Edward RONIA]; LAFARI Party [John GARO]; National Party [Francis HILLY]; People's Alliance Party or PAP [Sir Allan KEMAKEZA]; Social Credit Party or SOCRED [Manasseh Damukana SOGAVARE]; Solomon First Party [David QUAN]; Solomon Islands Democratic Party [Gabriel SURI]; Solomon Islands Labor Party or SILP [Joses TUHANUKU]; Solomon Islands Liberal Party [Bartholomew ULUFA'ALU]; Solomon Islands Party for Rural Advancement or SIPRA [Job D. TAUSINGA]; United Party [Sir Peter KENILOREA]


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; the two most prominent opposition groups-in-exile have been Gundogar and Erkin; Gundogar 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; Erkin is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based out of Moscow; the Union of Democratic Forces, a coalition of opposition-in-exile groups, is based in Europe
Political pressure groups and leaders Isatabu Freedom Movement (IFM); Malaita Eagle Force (MEF); note - these rival armed ethnic factions crippled the Solomon Islands in a wave of violence from 1999 to 2003 NA
Population 566,842 (July 2007 est.) 4,952,081 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% 58% (2003 est.)
Population growth rate 2.54% (2007 est.) 1.81% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors - Turkmenbasy
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2004) AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways - total: 2,440 km


broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2004)
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: 1.041 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.023 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.917 male(s)/female


total population: 1.026 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 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 (2005 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: 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
Telephones - main lines in use 7,400 (2005) 374,000 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6,000 (2005) 52,000 (2004)
Television broadcast stations - 4 (government owned and programmed) (2004)
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 3.78 children born/woman (2007 est.) 3.41 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 60% (2004 est.)
Waterways - 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2003)
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