Tajikistan (2001) | Virgin Islands (2004) | |
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Administrative divisions | 2 oblasts (viloyatho, singular - viloyat) and one autonomous oblast* (viloyati mukhtori); Viloyati Mukhtori Kuhistoni Badakhshon* (Khorugh - formerly Khorog), Viloyati Khatlon (Qurghonteppa - formerly Kurgan-Tyube), Viloyati Leninobod (Khujand - formerly Leninabad)
note: the administrative center name follows in parentheses |
none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
41.18% (male 1,367,194; female 1,341,967) 15-64 years: 54.22% (male 1,773,605; female 1,793,345) 65 years and over: 4.6% (male 131,009; female 171,561) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770)
15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, grain, fruits, grapes, vegetables; cattle, sheep, goats | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle |
Airports | 53 (2000 est.) | 2 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 2
1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
51 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 12 under 914 m: 36 (2000 est.) |
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Area | total:
143,100 sq km land: 142,700 sq km water: 400 sq km |
total: 352 sq km
land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly smaller than Wisconsin | twice the size of Washington, DC |
Background | 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 implementation reportedly completed by late 1999. Part of the agreement required the legalization of opposition political parties prior to the 1999 elections, which occurred, but such parties have made little progress in successful participation in government. Random criminal and political violence in the country remains a complication impairing Tajikistan's ability to engage internationally. | During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848. |
Birth rate | 33.23 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$146 million expenditures: $196 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: $560
expenditures: NA (2003) |
Capital | Dushanbe | Charlotte Amalie |
Climate | midlatitude continental, hot summers, mild winters; semiarid to polar in Pamir Mountains | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November |
Coastline | 0 km (landlocked) | 188 km |
Constitution | 6 November 1994 | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Republic of Tajikistan conventional short form: Tajikistan local long form: Jumhurii Tojikiston local short form: none former: Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic |
conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands
conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
Currency | somoni | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 8.57 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.1 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.3 billion (1999 est.) | NA |
Dependency status | - | organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Robert P. J. FINN embassy: temporarily collocated with the US Embassy in Almaty (Kazakhstan) mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: NA FAX: NA |
none (territory of the US) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | Tajikistan does not have an embassy in the US, but does have a permanent mission to the UN: address - 136 East 67th Street, New York, NY 10021, telephone - [1] (212) 472-7645, FAX - [1] (212) 628-0252; permanent representative to the UN is Rashid ALIMOV | none (territory of the US) |
Disputes - international | portions of Tajikistan's northern and western border with Uzbekistan and its eastern border with China have not been officially demarcated; territorial dispute with Kyrgyzstan on northern boundary in Isfara Valley area | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $64.7 million (1995) | NA |
Economy - overview | Tajikistan has the lowest per capita GDP among the 15 former Soviet republics. 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 Tajikistani economy has been gravely weakened by six years of civil conflict and by the loss of subsidies from Moscow and of markets for its products. Most of its people live in abject poverty. Tajikistan depends on aid from Russia and Uzbekistan and on international humanitarian assistance for much of its basic subsistence needs. The future of Tajikistan's economy and the potential for attracting foreign investment depend upon stability and continued progress in the peace process. | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment. |
Electricity - consumption | 14.729 billion kWh (1999) | 957.9 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 3.9 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 4.1 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 15.623 billion kWh (1999) | 1.03 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
1.9% hydro: 98.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Syrdariya 300 m highest point: Pik Imeni Ismail Samani 7,495 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
Environment - current issues | inadequate sanitation facilities; increasing levels of soil salinity; industrial pollution; excessive pesticides; part of the basin of the shrinking Aral Sea suffers from severe overutilization of available water for irrigation and associated pollution | lack of natural freshwater resources |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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Ethnic groups | Tajik 64.9%, Uzbek 25%, Russian 3.5% (declining because of emigration), other 6.6% | black 78%, white 10%, other 12%
note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2% |
Exchange rates | Tajikistani somoni per US dollar - 2.2 (January 2001), 1550 (January 2000), 998 (January 1999), 350 (January 1997), 284 (January 1996)
note: the new unit of exchange was introduced on 30 October 2000, with one somoni equal to 1,000 of the old Tajikistani rubles |
the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | 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 election results: Emomali RAHMONOV elected president; percent of vote - Emomali RAHMONOV 97%, Davlat USMON 2% |
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4% |
Exports | $761 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | aluminum, electricity, cotton, fruits, vegetable oil, textiles | refined petroleum products |
Exports - partners | Liechtenstein 26%, Uzbekistan 20%, Russia 8% (1998) | US, Puerto Rico |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | 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 | white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $7.3 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
19.8% industry: 18.1% services: 62.1% (1998) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $1,140 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.1% (2000 est.) | 2% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 39 00 N, 71 00 E | 18 20 N, 64 50 W |
Geography - note | landlocked | important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean |
Highways | total:
29,900 km paved: 21,400 km (these roads are said to be hard-surfaced, and include, in addition to conventionally paved roads, some that are surfaced with gravel or other coarse aggregate, making them trafficable in all weather) unpaved: 8,500 km (these roads are made of unstabilized earth and are difficult to negotiate in wet weather) (1990) |
total: 856 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Illicit drugs | major transshipment zone for heroin and opiates from Afghanistan going to Russia and Western Europe; limited illicit cultivation of cannabis, mostly for domestic consumption | - |
Imports | $782 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | electricity, petroleum products, aluminum oxide, machinery and equipment, foodstuffs | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials |
Imports - partners | Europe 32.3%, Uzbekistan 29%, Russia 13.6% (1998) | US, Puerto Rico |
Independence | 9 September 1991 (from Soviet Union) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | 10% (2000 est.) | NA |
Industries | aluminum, zinc, lead, chemicals and fertilizers, cement, vegetable oil, metal-cutting machine tools, refrigerators and freezers | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics |
Infant mortality rate | 116.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 33% (2000 est.) | 2.2% (2003) |
International organization participation | AsDB, CCC, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Intelsat, IOC, IOM, ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) | Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | - |
Irrigated land | 6,390 sq km (1993 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) |
Labor force | 1.9 million (1996) | 48,900 (2003 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 50%, industry 20%, services 30% (1997 est.) | agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
3,651 km border countries: Afghanistan 1,206 km, China 414 km, Kyrgyzstan 870 km, Uzbekistan 1,161 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
6% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 25% forests and woodland: 4% other: 65% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 11.76%
permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.29% (2001) |
Languages | Tajik (official), Russian widely used in government and business | English (official), Spanish, Creole |
Legal system | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts | based on US laws |
Legislative branch | 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 National Assembly (upper chamber) or Majlisi Milliy (33 seats; members are indirectly elected, 25 selected by local deputies, 8 appointed by the president; all to 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 |
unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
64.18 years male: 61.09 years female: 67.42 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.75 years
male: 74.91 years female: 82.82 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 99% female: 97% (1989 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Central Asia, west of China | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Commonwealth of Independent States | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | none |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | Army, Air Force, Air Defense Forces, Presidential National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops) | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $17 million (FY97) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.8% (FY97) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
1,586,700 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
1,300,252 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 18 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
72,056 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day, 9 September (1991) | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) |
Nationality | noun:
Tajikistani(s) adjective: Tajikistani |
noun: Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: Virgin Islander |
Natural hazards | NA | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes |
Natural resources | hydropower, some petroleum, uranium, mercury, brown coal, lead, zinc, antimony, tungsten, silver, gold | sun, sand, sea, surf |
Net migration rate | -3.49 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Pipelines | natural gas 400 km (1992) | - |
Political parties and leaders | Congress of People's Unity of Tajikistan [Saiffidin TURAYEV]; Democratic Party or TDP [Mahmadruzi ISKANDAROV, chairman]; Islamic Rebirth Party [Muhammadsharif HIMMAT-ZODA, chairman]; Lali Badakhshan Movement [Atobek AMIRBEKOV]; National Movement Party [Hakim MUHHABATOV]; Party of Justice and Development [Rahmatullo ZOIROV]; People's Democratic Party of Tajikistan or PDPT [Emomali RAHMONOV]; Rastokhez (Rebirth) Movement [Tohiri ABDUJABBOR]; Socialist Party [Sherali KENJAEV]; Tajik Communist Party or CPT [Shodi SHABDOLOV]; Adolatho "Justice" Party [Abdurahmon KARIMOV, chairman] | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 6,578,681 (July 2001 est.) | 108,775 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 80% (2000 est.) | NA |
Population growth rate | 2.12% (2001 est.) | -0.05% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 9, FM 6, shortwave 5 (1998) | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002) |
Radios | 1.291 million (1991) | - |
Railways | total:
480 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines (1990) |
- |
Religions | Sunni Muslim 80%, Shi'a Muslim 5% | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% |
Sex ratio | 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: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
Telephone system | 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 |
general assessment: NA
domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
Telephones - main lines in use | 363,000 (1997) | 69,400 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,500 (1997) | 41,000 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (there are, however, repeaters that relay programs from Russia, Iran, and Turkey) (1997) | 2 (2002) |
Terrain | Pamir and Alay mountains dominate landscape; western Fergana Valley in north, Kofarnihon and Vakhsh Valleys in southwest | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land |
Total fertility rate | 4.29 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 5.7% includes only officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers and unregistered unemployed people (December 1998) | 9.3% (2003 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |