Turkmenistan (2008) | Isle of Man (2001) | |
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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) |
there are 24 local authorities each with its own elections |
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:
17.51% (male 6,562; female 6,306) 15-64 years: 65.19% (male 24,061; female 23,845) 65 years and over: 17.3% (male 5,076; female 7,639) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | cotton, grain; livestock | cereals, vegetables; cattle, sheep, pigs, poultry |
Airports | 28 (2007) | 1 (2000 est.) |
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:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
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:
572 sq km land: 572 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than California | slightly more than three times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Eastern Turkmenistan for centuries formed part of the Persian province of Khurasan; in medieval times Merv (today known as Mary) was one of the great cities of the Islamic world and an important stop on the Silk Road. 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 NYYAZOW died in December 2006, and Turkmenistan held its first multi-candidate presidential electoral process in February 2007. Gurbanguly BERDIMUHAMEDOW, a former NYYAZOW aide, emerged as the country's new president. | Part of the Norwegian Kingdom of the Hebrides until the 13th century when it was ceded to Scotland, the isle came under the British crown in 1765. Current concerns include reviving the almost extinct Manx Celtic language. |
Birth rate | 25.36 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 11.58 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $1.641 billion
expenditures: $1.6 billion (2007 est.) |
revenues:
$485 million expenditures: $463 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY00/01 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) |
Douglas |
Climate | subtropical desert | cool summers and mild winters; temperate; overcast about one-third of the time |
Coastline | 0 km; note - Turkmenistan borders the Caspian Sea (1,768 km) | 160 km |
Constitution | adopted 18 May 1992 | unwritten; note - The Isle of Man Constitution Act, 1961, does not embody the Manx Constitution |
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:
none conventional short form: Isle of Man |
Currency | - | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Manx pound |
Death rate | 6.17 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 11.84 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $2.4 billion to $5 billion (2001 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | British crown dependency |
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 (British crown dependency) |
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 (British crown dependency) |
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 roughtly 15% per year from 2003-07, largely because of higher international oil and gas prices. 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 Amu Darya railroad bridge in Lebap province, and to create special border trade zones in southern Balkan province - a hint that the new post-NYYAZOW government will work to create a friendlier foreign investment environment. | Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding employment opportunities in high-income industries. As a result, agriculture and fishing, once the mainstays of the economy, have declined in their shares of GDP. Banking and other services now contribute 42% to GDP. Trade is mostly with the UK. The Isle of Man enjoys free access to EU markets. |
Electricity - consumption | 7.602 billion kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - exports | 2.918 billion kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2005) | - |
Electricity - production | 12.05 billion kWh (2005 est.) | - |
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:
Irish Sea 0 m highest point: Snaefell 621 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 | waste disposal (both household and industrial); transboundary air pollution |
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) | Manx (Norse-Celtic descent), Briton |
Exchange rates | Turkmen manat per US$ - 11,250 (2007), 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 |
Manx pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Manx pound is at par with the British pound |
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:
Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor His Excellency Sir Timothy DAUNT (since 27 October 1995) head of government: Chief Minister Donald GELLING (since 3 December 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch for a five-year term; the Chief Minister is elected by the Tynwald; election last held 3 December 1996 (next to be held NA 2001) election results: Donald GELLING elected chief minister by the Tynwald |
Exports | 117,800 bbl/day (2004 est.) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | gas, crude oil, petrochemicals, cotton fiber, textiles | tweeds, herring, processed shellfish, beef, lamb |
Exports - partners | Ukraine 47.7%, Iran 16.4%, Azerbaijan 5.3% (2006) | UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 April - 31 March |
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 | red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $1.4 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 16.7%
industry: 39.2% services: 44.2% (2007 est.) |
agriculture:
1% industry: 9% services: 90% (1999 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $18,800 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | IMF estimate: 7%
note: official government statistics are widely regarded as unreliable (2007 est.) |
13.5% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 40 00 N, 60 00 E | 54 15 N, 4 30 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 | one small islet, the Calf of Man, lies to the southwest, and is a bird sanctuary |
Heliports | 1 (2007) | - |
Highways | - | total:
800 km paved: 800 km unpaved: 0 km (1999) |
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 | 2,536 bbl/day (2004) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, foodstuffs | timber, fertilizers, fish |
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) | UK |
Independence | 27 October 1991 (from the Soviet Union) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | 7% (2007 est.) | 3.2% (FY96/97) |
Industries | natural gas, oil, petroleum products, textiles, food processing | financial services, light manufacturing, tourism |
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.) |
6.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 11.3% (2007 est.) | 2.5% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ADB, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, 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 | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | NA |
Irrigated land | 18,000 sq km (2003) | 0 sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president) | High Court of Justice (justices are appointed by the Lord Chancellor of England on the nomination of the lieutenant governor) |
Labor force | 2.32 million (2003 est.) | 36,610 (1998) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture: 48.2%
industry: 13.8% services: 37% (2003 est.) |
agriculture, forestry and fishing 3%, manufacturing 11%, construction 10%, transport and communication 8%, wholesale and retail distribution 11%, professional and scientific services 18%, public administration 6%, banking and finance 18%, tourism 2%, entertainment and catering 3%, miscellaneous services 10% |
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:
9% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 46% forests and woodland: 6% other: 39% (includes 25% mountain and heathland) |
Languages | Turkmen 72%, Russian 12%, Uzbek 9%, other 7% | English, Manx Gaelic |
Legal system | based on civil law system and Islamic law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction | English common law and Manx statute |
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 |
bicameral Tynwald consists of the Legislative Council (a 11-member body composed of the President of Tynwald, the Lord Bishop of Sodor and Man, a nonvoting attorney general, and 8 others named by the House of Keys) and the House of Keys (24 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Keys - last held 21 November 1996 (next to be held NA November 2001) election results: House of Keys - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 24 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 68.3 years
male: 65.23 years female: 71.54 years (2007 est.) |
total population:
77.64 years male: 74.26 years female: 81.2 years (2001 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 | Western Europe, island in the Irish Sea, between Great Britain and Ireland |
Map references | Asia | Europe |
Maritime claims | none (landlocked) | exclusive fishing zone:
12 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) |
total:
157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 4,917,402 GRT/8,333,858 DWT ships by type: bulk 27, cargo 13, chemical tanker 11, combination bulk 3, container 20, liquefied gas 13, petroleum tanker 43, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 18, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 5 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Belgium 1, Denmark 1, Germany 1, Netherlands 1, Sweden 1, UK 3 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
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) | Tynwald Day, 5 July |
Nationality | noun: Turkmen(s)
adjective: Turkmenistani |
noun:
Manxman (men), Manxwoman (women) adjective: Manx |
Natural hazards | NA | NA |
Natural resources | petroleum, natural gas, sulfur, salt | none |
Net migration rate | -3.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | 5.44 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | gas 6,441 km; oil 1,361 km (2007) | - |
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 NYYAZOW |
there is no party system; members sit as independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 5,097,028 (July 2007 est.) | 73,489 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | 27% (2002) | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.617% (2007 est.) | 0.52% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Castletown, Douglas, Peel, Ramsey |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 16, FM 8, shortwave 2 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | NA |
Railways | total: 2,440 km
broad gauge: 2,440 km 1.520-m gauge (2006) |
total:
68.5 km (43.5 km electrified) |
Religions | Muslim 89%, Eastern Orthodox 9%, unknown 2% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends |
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:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.66 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
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: landline, telefax, mobile cellular telephone system international: fiber-optic cable, microwave radio relay, satellite earth station, submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 495,000 (2006) | 51,000 (1999) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 105,000 (2005) | NA |
Television broadcast stations | 4 (government-owned and programmed) (2004) | 0 (receives broadcasts from the UK and satellite) (1999) |
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 | hills in north and south bisected by central valley |
Total fertility rate | 3.13 children born/woman (2007 est.) | 1.65 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 60% (2004 est.) | 0.6% (August 2000) |
Waterways | 1,300 km (Amu Darya and Kara Kum canal important inland waterways) (2006) | none |