Compare Turkmenistan (2007) - Virgin Islands (2002)

Compare Turkmenistan (2007) z Virgin Islands (2002)

	Turkmenistan (2007)	Virgin Islands (2002)

Administrative divisions	5 provinces (welayatlar, singular - welayat) and 1 independent city: Ahal Welayaty (Anew), 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)	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: 34.7% (male 900,718/female 866,930) 15-64 years: 60.9% (male 1,537,638/female 1,567,049) 65 years and over: 4.4% (male 97,454/female 127,239) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 26.7% (male 16,926; female 16,012) 15-64 years: 64.2% (male 35,801; female 43,443) 65 years and over: 9.1% (male 4,851; female 6,465) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	cotton, grain; livestock	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle
Airports	28 (2007)	2 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 22 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 8 914 to 1,523 m: 2 (2007)	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2007)	-
Area	total: 488,100 sq km land: 488,100 sq km water: NEGL	total: 352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than California	twice the size of Washington, DC
Background	Annexed by Russia between 1865 and 1885, Turkmenistan became a Soviet republic in 1924. It achieved independence upon the dissolution of the USSR in 1991. 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 to break Russia's pipeline monopoly. President for Life Saparmurat NIYAZOV died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a former NIYAZOV aide, emerged as the country's new president.	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	25.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	15.85 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1.434 billion expenditures: $1.386 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.)
Capital	name: Ashgabat (Ashkhabad) geographic coordinates: 37 57 N, 58 23 E time difference: UTC+5 (10 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Charlotte Amalie
Climate	subtropical desert	subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
Coastline	0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km)	188 km
Constitution	adopted 18 May 1992	Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turkmenistan local long form: none local short form: Turkmenistan former: Turkmen Soviet Socialist Republic	conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	5.58 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 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 (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Richard E. HOAGLAND embassy: No. 9 1984 Street (formerly Pushkin Street), Ashgabat, Turkmenistan 744000 mailing address: 7070 Ashgabat Place, Washington, DC 20521-7070 telephone: [993] (12) 35-00-45 FAX: [993] (12) 39-26-14	none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Meret Bairamovich ORAZOW chancery: 2207 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 588-1500 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0697	none (territory of the US)
Disputes - international	cotton monoculture in Uzbekistan and Turkmenistan creates water-sharing difficulties for Amu Darya river states; field demarcation of the boundaries with Kazakhstan commenced in 2005, but Caspian seabed delimitation remains stalled with Azerbaijan, Iran, and Kazakhstan due to Turkmenistan's indecision over how to allocate the sea's waters and seabed	none
Economic aid - recipient	$28.25 million from the US (2005)	$NA
Economy - overview	Turkmenistan is a 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 10th-largest producer. Poor harvests in recent years have led to an almost 50% 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. From 1998-2005, 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 an average of 15% per year from 2003-06, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. In 2006, Ashgabat raised its natural gas export prices to its main customer, Russia, from $66 per thousand cubic meters (tcm) to $100 per tcm. Overall prospects in the near future are discouraging because of widespread internal poverty, a poor educational system, government misuse of oil and gas revenues, and Ashgabat's 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. President BERDIMUHAMEDOW's election platform included plans to build a gas line to China, to complete the AmuDarya railroad bridge in Lebap province, and to create special border trade zones in southern Balkan province - a hint that the new post-NIYAZOV government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment.	Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of 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, support construction projects in the private sector, expand tourist facilities, reduce crime, and protect the environment.
Electricity - consumption	7.602 billion kWh (2005)	948.6 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports	2.918 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production	12.05 billion kWh (2005 est.)	1.02 billion kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes	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	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m
Environment - current issues	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	lack of natural freshwater resources
Environment - international 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	Turkmen 85%, Uzbek 5%, Russian 4%, other 6% (2003)	black 80%, white 15%, other 5% note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8%
Exchange rates	Turkmen manat per US$ - 11,100 (2006) official rate note: in recent years the unofficial rate has hovered around 24,000 to 25,000 Turkmen manats to the dollar	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW (since 14 February 2007) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held on 11 February 2007 (next to be held in 2012) election results: Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW elected president; percent of vote - Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW 89.2%	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (Since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor Gererd LUZ James II (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	117,800 bbl/day (2004 est.)	$NA
Exports - commodities	gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles	refined petroleum products
Exports - partners	Ukraine 47.7%, Iran 16.4%, Azerbaijan 5.3% (2006)	US, Puerto Rico
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 October - 30 September
Flag description	green field with a vertical red stripe near the hoist side, containing five tribal guls (designs used in producing carpets) stacked above two crossed olive branches similar to the olive branches on the UN flag; a white crescent moon representing Islam with five white stars representing the regions or velayats of Turkmenistan appear in the upper corner of the field just to the fly side of the red 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 - $1.8 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 17.7% industry: 39.2% services: 43.2% (2006 est.)	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	IMF estimate: 6% note: official government statistics show 21.4% growth, but these estimates are widely regarded as unreliable (2006 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	40 00 N, 60 00 E	18 20 N, 64 50 W
Geography - note	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	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
Heliports	1 (2007)	-
Highways	-	total: 856 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US posession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 2.6% highest 10%: 31.7% (1998)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
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	machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs	crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
Imports - partners	UAE 15.5%, Turkey 11.1%, Ukraine 9.1%, Russia 9%, Germany 7.8%, Iran 7.6%, China 6.4%, US 4.5% (2006)	US, Puerto Rico
Independence	27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union)	-
Industrial production growth rate	22% (2003 est.)	NA%
Industries	natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing	tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
Infant mortality rate	total: 53.49 deaths/1,000 live births male: 57.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 48.91 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	9.21 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	11.5% (2006 est.)	NA%
International organization participation	AsDB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDB, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, NAM, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO	ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	50 (2000)
Irrigated land	18,000 sq km (2003)	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	2.32 million (2003 est.)	48,356
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 48.2% industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.)	agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.)
Land boundaries	total: 3,736 km border countries: Afghanistan 744 km, Iran 992 km, Kazakhstan 379 km, Uzbekistan 1,621 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 4.51% permanent crops: 0.14% other: 95.35% (2005)	arable land: 15% permanent crops: 6% other: 79% (1998 est.)
Languages	Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7%	English (official), Spanish, Creole
Legal system	based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	based on US laws
Legislative branch	two parliamentary bodies, a People's Council or Halk Maslahaty (supreme legislative body of up to 2,500 delegates, some elected by popular vote and some appointed; meets at least yearly) and a National Assembly or Mejlis (50 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: People's Council - last held in April 2003 (next to be held in December 2008); Mejlis - last held 19 December 2004 (next to be held in December 2008) 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 the president note: in late 2003, a 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	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 NA November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 8, ICM NA, no party affiliation NA 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 NA November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 68.3 years male: 65.23 years female: 71.54 years (2007 est.)	total population: 78.43 years male: 74.55 years female: 82.53 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 98.8% male: 99.3% female: 98.3% (1999 est.)	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Central Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Kazakhstan	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	total: 8 ships (1000 GRT or over) 22,870 GRT/25,801 DWT by type: cargo 4, combination ore/oil 1, petroleum tanker 2, refrigerated cargo 1 (2007)	none (2002 est.)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches	Ground Forces, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2007)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	3.4% (2005 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 27 October (1991)	Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)
Nationality	noun: Turkmen(s) adjective: Turkmenistani	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	petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt	sun, sand, sea, surf
Net migration rate	-3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT 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 National Democratic Movement of Turkmenistan (NDMT) and the United Democratic Party of Turkmenistan (UDPT); NDMT 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; UDPT is led by former Foreign Minister Abdy KULIEV and is based in Moscow	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	5,097,028 (July 2007 est.)	123,498 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	27% (2002)	NA%
Population growth rate	1.617% (2007 est.)	1.04% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix
Radio broadcast stations	AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002)
Radios	-	107,000 (1997)
Railways	total: 2,440 km broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006)	0 km
Religions	Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2%	Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.039 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.981 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.766 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.82 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.87 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Telephone system	general assessment: poorly developed domestic: Turkmenistan's telecommunications network remains woefully underdeveloped; Turkmentelekom, in cooperation with foreign investors, is planning to upgrade the country's telephone exchanges and install a new digital switching system 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 (2006)	general assessment: NA domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA
Telephones - main lines in use	495,000 (2006)	62,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular	105,000 (2005)	2,000 (1992)
Television broadcast stations	4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004)	2 (2002)
Terrain	flat-to-rolling sandy desert with dunes rising to mountains in the south; low mountains along border with Iran; borders Caspian Sea in west	mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Total fertility rate	3.13 children born/woman (2007 est.)	2.24 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	60% (2004 est.)	4.9% (March 1999)
Waterways	1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006)	none

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.