Compare Turks and Caicos Islands (2008) - Afghanistan (2003)

Compare Turks and Caicos Islands (2008) z Afghanistan (2003)

	Turks and Caicos Islands (2008)	Afghanistan (2003)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	32 provinces (velayat, singular - velayat); Badakhshan, Badghis, Baghlan, Balkh, Bamian, Farah, Faryab, Ghazni, Ghowr, Helmand, Herat, Jowzjan, Kabol, Kandahar, Kapisa, Khowst, Konar, Kondoz, Laghman, Lowgar, Nangarhar, Nimruz, Nurestan, Oruzgan, Paktia, Paktika, Parvan, Samangan, Sar-e Pol, Takhar, Vardak, and Zabol
Age structure	0-14 years: 31.3% (male 3,466/female 3,345) 15-64 years: 64.8% (male 7,398/female 6,690) 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 394/female 453) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 41.8% (male 6,123,971; female 5,868,013) 15-64 years: 55.4% (male 8,240,743; female 7,671,242) 65 years and over: 2.8% (male 427,710; female 385,534) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish	opium, wheat, fruits, nuts, wool, mutton, sheepskins, lambskins
Airports	8 (2007)	47 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2007)	total: 10 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2007)	total: 37 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 14 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 11 (2002)
Area	total: 430 sq km land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 647,500 sq km land: 647,500 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	2.5 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Texas
Background	The islands were part of the UK's Jamaican colony until 1962, when they assumed the status of a separate crown colony upon Jamaica's independence. The governor of The Bahamas oversaw affairs from 1965 to 1973. With Bahamian independence, the islands received a separate governor in 1973. Although independence was agreed upon for 1982, the policy was reversed and the islands remain a British overseas territory.	Afghanistan's recent history is characterized by war and civil unrest. The Soviet Union invaded in 1979, but was forced to withdraw 10 years later by anti-Communist mujahidin forces supplied and trained by the US, Saudi Arabia, Pakistan, and others. Fighting subsequently continued among the various mujahidin factions, giving rise to a state of warlordism that eventually spawned the Taliban. Backed by foreign sponsors, the Taliban developed as a political force and eventually seized power. The Taliban were able to capture most of the country, aside from Northern Alliance strongholds primarily in the northeast, until US and allied military action in support of the opposition following the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks forced the group's downfall. In late 2001, major leaders from the Afghan opposition groups and diaspora met in Bonn, Germany, and agreed on a plan for the formulation of a new government structure that resulted in the inauguration of Hamid KARZAI as Chairman of the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) on 22 December 2001. The AIA held a nationwide Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) in June 2002, and KARZAI was elected President by secret ballot of the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA). The Transitional Authority has an 18-month mandate to hold a nationwide Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and a 24-month mandate to hold nationwide elections. In December 2002, the TISA marked the one-year anniversary of the fall of the Taliban. In addition to occasionally violent political jockeying and ongoing military action to root out remaining terrorists and Taliban elements, the country suffers from enormous poverty, a crumbling infrastructure, and widespread land mines.
Birth rate	21.48 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	40.63 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	revenues: $47 million expenditures: $33.6 million (1997-98 est.)	revenues: $200 million expenditures: $550 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2003 plan est.)
Capital	name: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) geographic coordinates: 21 28 N, 71 08 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in April; ends last Sunday in October	Kabul
Climate	tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry	arid to semiarid; cold winters and hot summers
Coastline	389 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	Turks and Caicos Islands Constitution Order 2006 (effective 9 August 2006)	the Bonn Agreement called for a Loya Jirga (Grand Council) to be convened within 18 months of the establishment of the Transitional Authority to draft a new constitution for the country; the basis for the next constitution is the 1964 Constitution, according to the Bonn Agreement
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands abbreviation: TCI	conventional long form: Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan conventional short form: Afghanistan local long form: Dowlat-e Eslami-ye Afghanestan local short form: Afghanestan former: Republic of Afghanistan
Currency	-	afghani (AFA)
Death rate	4.23 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	17.15 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	NA (1996 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Robert Patrick John FINN; note - embassy in Kabul reopened 16 December 2001, following closure in January 1989 embassy: Great Masood Road, Kabul mailing address: 6180 Kabul Place, Dulles, VA 20189-6180 telephone: [93] (2) 290002, 290005, 290154 FAX: 00932290153
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: ambassador Seyyed Tayeb JAWAD chancery: 2341 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: 202-483-6410 FAX: 202-483-6487 consulate(s) general: New York
Disputes - international	have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder	thousands of Afghan refugees still reside in Iran and Pakistan; isolating terrain and close ties among Pashtuns in Pakistan make cross-border activities difficult to control; prolonged regional drought strains water-sharing arrangements for Amu Darya and Helmand River states
Economic aid - recipient	$4.1 million (1997)	international pledges made by more than 60 countries and international financial institutions at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan reconstruction in January 2002 reached $4.5 billion through 2006, with $1.8 billion allocated for 2002; another $1.7 billion was pledged for 2003.
Economy - overview	The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, offshore financial services, and fishing. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than three-quarters of the 175,000 visitors that arrived in 2004. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts.	Afghanistan is an extremely poor, landlocked country, highly dependent on foreign aid, farming and livestock raising (sheep and goats), and trade with neighboring countries. Economic considerations have played second fiddle to political and military upheavals during more than two decades of war, including the nearly 10-year Soviet military occupation (which ended 15 February 1989). During that conflict, one-third of the population fled the country, with Pakistan and Iran sheltering a combined peak of 4 to 6 million refugees. Gross domestic product has fallen substantially over the past 20 years because of the loss of labor and capital and the disruption of trade and transport; severe drought added to the nation's difficulties in 1998-2002. The majority of the population continues to suffer from insufficient food, clothing, housing, and medical care, and a dearth of jobs, problems exacerbated by political uncertainties and the general level of lawlessness. International efforts to rebuild Afghanistan were addressed at the Tokyo Donors Conference for Afghan Reconstruction in January 2002, when $4.5 billion was pledged, $1.7 billion for 2002. Of that approximately $900 million was directed to humanitarian aid - food, clothing, and shelter - and another $90 million for the Afghan Transitional Authority. Further World Bank and other aid came in 2003. Priority areas for reconstruction include upgrading education, health, and sanitation facilities; providing income generating opportunities; enhancing administrative and security arrangements, especially in regional areas; developing the agricultural sector; rebuilding transportation, energy, and telecommunication infrastructure; and reabsorbing 2 million returning refugees. The replacement of the opium trade - which may account for one-third of GDP - and the search for oil and gas resources in the northern region are two major long-term issues.
Electricity - consumption	10.76 million kWh (2005)	511.4 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	200 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	11.57 million kWh (2005)	334.8 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 36.3% hydro: 63.7% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Blue Hills 49 m	lowest point: Amu Darya 258 m highest point: Nowshak 7,485 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater	limited natural fresh water resources; inadequate supplies of potable water; soil degradation; overgrazing; deforestation (much of the remaining forests are being cut down for fuel and building materials); desertification; air and water pollution
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban signed, but not ratified: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups	black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10%	Pashtun 44%, Tajik 25%, Hazara 10%, minor ethnic groups (Aimaks, Turkmen, Baloch, and others) 13%, Uzbek 8%
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	afghanis per US dollar - 3,000 (October-December 2002), 3,000 (2001), 3,000 (2000), 3,000 (1999), 3,000 (1998), note: before 2002 the market rate varied widely from the official rate; in 2002 the afghani was revalued and the currency stabilized
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005) head of government: Premier Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003); note - the office of premier was created in the 2006 constitution cabinet: Cabinet consists of the governor, the premier, six ministers appointed by the governor from among the members of the House of Assembly, and the attorney general elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed premier by the governor	note: following the Taliban's refusal to hand over Usama bin LADIN to the US for his suspected involvement in the 11 September 2001 terrorist attacks in the US, a US-led international coalition was formed; after several weeks of aerial bombardment by coalition forces and military action on the ground, including Afghan opposition forces, the Taliban was ousted from power on 17 November 2001; in December 2001, a number of prominent Afghans met under UN auspices in Bonn, Germany, to decide on a plan for governing the country; as a result, the Afghan Interim Authority (AIA) - made up of 30 members, headed by a chairman - was inaugurated on 22 December 2001 with a six-month mandate to be followed by a two-year Transitional Authority (TA), after which elections are to be held; the structure of the follow-on TA was announced on 10 June 2002, when the Loya Jirga (Grand Assembly) convened establishing the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA), which has 18 months to hold a Loya Jirga to adopt a constitution and 24 months to hold nationwide elections chief of state: President of the TISA, Hamid KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government head of government: President of the TISA, Hamid KARZAI (since 10 June 2002); note - presently the president and head of government cabinet: the 30-member TISA elections: nationwide elections are to be held by June 2004, according to the Bonn Agreement
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells	opium, fruits and nuts, handwoven carpets, wool, cotton, hides and pelts, precious and semi-precious gems
Exports - partners	US, UK (2006)	Pakistan 26.8%, India 26.5%, Finland 5.8%, Germany 5.1%, UAE 4.4%, Belgium 4.3%, Russia 4.2%, US 4.2% (2002)
Fiscal year	calendar year	21 March - 20 March
Flag description	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus	three equal vertical bands of black (hoist), red, and green, with a gold emblem centered on the red band; the emblem features a temple-like structure encircled by a wreath on the left and right and by a bold Islamic inscription above
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $19 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 60% industry: 20% services: 20% (1990 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $700 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4.9% (2000 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	21 45 N, 71 35 W	33 00 N, 65 00 E
Geography - note	about 40 islands (eight inhabited)	landlocked; the Hindu Kush mountains that run northeast to southwest divide the northern provinces from the rest of the country; the highest peaks are in the northern Vakhan (Wakhan Corridor)
Heliports	-	5 (2002)
Highways	-	total: 21,000 km paved: 2,793 km unpaved: 18,207 km (1999 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe	world's largest producer of opium; cultivation of opium poppy - used to make heroin - expanded to 30,750 hectares in 2002, despite eradication; potential opium production of 1,278 metric tons; source of hashish; many narcotics-processing labs throughout the country; drug trade source of instability and some government groups profit from the trade; 80-90% of the heroin consumed in Europe comes from Afghan opium; vulnerable to narcotics money laundering through the hawala system
Imports	83.55 bbl/day (2004)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials	capital goods, food, textiles, petroleum products
Imports - partners	US, UK (2006)	Pakistan 25.1%, South Korea 14.4%, Japan 9.4%, US 9%, Kenya 5.8%, Germany 5.4% (2002)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	19 August 1919 (from UK control over Afghan foreign affairs)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, offshore financial services	small-scale production of textiles, soap, furniture, shoes, fertilizer, cement; handwoven carpets; natural gas, coal, copper
Infant mortality rate	total: 14.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 17 deaths/1,000 live births female: 12.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 142.48 deaths/1,000 live births male: 145.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 138.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	4% (1995)	NA%
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU	AsDB, CP, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GUUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOM (observer), ITU, NAM, OIC, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WMO, WToO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA	23,860 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal	the Bonn Agreement called for the establishment of a Supreme Court; there is also a Minister of Justice
Labor force	4,848 (1990 est.)	10 million (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	note: about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services	agriculture 80%, industry 10%, services 10% (1990 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 5,529 km border countries: China 76 km, Iran 936 km, Pakistan 2,430 km, Tajikistan 1,206 km, Turkmenistan 744 km, Uzbekistan 137 km
Land use	arable land: 2.33% permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2005)	arable land: 12.13% permanent crops: 0.22% other: 87.65% (1998 est.)
Languages	English (official)	Pashtu 35%, Afghan Persian (Dari) 50%, Turkic languages (primarily Uzbek and Turkmen) 11%, 30 minor languages (primarily Balochi and Pashai) 4%, much bilingualism
Legal system	based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas	the Bonn Agreement calls for a judicial commission to rebuild the justice system in accordance with Islamic principles, international standards, the rule of law, and Afghan legal traditions
Legislative branch	unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats of which 15 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 9 February 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - PNP 60%, PDM 40%; seats by party - PNP 13, PDM 2	nonfunctioning as of June 1993
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 74.95 years male: 72.69 years female: 77.32 years (2007 est.)	total population: 46.97 years male: 47.67 years female: 46.23 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 36% male: 51% female: 21% (1999 est.)
Location	Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti	Southern Asia, north and west of Pakistan, east of Iran
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	registered in other countries: 1 (Panama 1) (2007)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	-	NA; note - the December 2001 Bonn Agreement called for all militia forces to come under the authority of the central government, but regional leaders have continued to retain their militias and the formation of a nation army will be a gradual process; Afghanistan's forces continue to be factionalized, largely along ethnic lines
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$525.2 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	7.7% (FY02)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 7,160,603 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 3,837,646 (2003 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	22 years of age (2003 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 275,223 (2003 est.)
National holiday	Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)	Independence Day, 19 August (1919)
Nationality	noun: none adjective: none	noun: Afghan(s) adjective: Afghan
Natural hazards	frequent hurricanes	damaging earthquakes occur in Hindu Kush mountains; flooding; droughts
Natural resources	spiny lobster, conch	natural gas, petroleum, coal, copper, chromite, talc, barites, sulfur, lead, zinc, iron ore, salt, precious and semiprecious stones
Net migration rate	9.98 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	10.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
People - note	destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, The Bahamas, and the US	large numbers of Afghan refugees create burdens on neighboring states
Pipelines	-	gas 651 km (2003)
Political parties and leaders	People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Floyd SEYMOUR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]	NA; note - political parties in Afghanistan are in flux and many prominent players have plans to create new parties; the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) is headed by President Hamid KARZAI; the TISA is a coalition government formed of leaders from across the Afghan political spectrum; there are also several political factions not holding positions in the Transitional government that are forming new groups and parties in the hopes of participating in 2004 elections
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA; note - ministries formed under the Transitional Islamic State of Afghanistan (TISA) include former influential Afghans, diaspora members, and former political leaders
Population	21,746 (July 2007 est.)	28,717,213 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.722% (2007 est.)	3.38% note: this rate does not take into consideration the recent war and its continuing impact (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Kheyrabad, Shir Khan
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2003)	AM 7 (6 are inactive; the active station is in Kabul), FM 1, shortwave 1 (broadcasts in Pashtu, Afghan Persian (Dari), Urdu, and English) (1999)
Railways	-	total: 24.6 km broad gauge: 9.6 km 1.524-m gauge from Gushgy (Turkmenistan) to Towraghondi; 15 km 1.524-m gauge from Termiz (Uzbekistan) to Kheyrabad transshipment point on south bank of Amu Darya (2001)
Religions	Baptist 40%, Anglican 18%, Methodist 16%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990)	Sunni Muslim 84%, Shi'a Muslim 15%, other 1%
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.036 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.106 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.87 male(s)/female total population: 1.073 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.11 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	NA; previously males 15-50 years of age
Telephone system	general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing domestic: full range of services available; GSM wireless service available international: country code - 1-649; the Americas Region Caribbean Ring System (ARCOS-1) fiber optic telecommunications submarine cable provides connectivity to South and Central America, parts of the Caribbean, and US; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: very limited telephone and telegraph service domestic: in 1997, telecommunications links were established between Mazar-e Sharif, Herat, Kandahar, Jalalabad, and Kabul through satellite and microwave systems international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) linked only to Iran and 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region); commercial satellite telephone center in Ghazni
Telephones - main lines in use	5,700 (2002)	29,000 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	1,700 (1999)	NA
Television broadcast stations	0 (broadcasts received from The Bahamas; 2 cable television networks) (2003)	at least 10 (one government-run central television station in Kabul and regional stations in nine of the 32 provinces; the regional stations operate on a reduced schedule; also, in 1997, there was a station in Mazar-e Sharif reaching four northern Afghanistan provinces) (1998)
Terrain	low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps	mostly rugged mountains; plains in north and southwest
Total fertility rate	3.02 children born/woman (2007 est.)	5.64 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	10% (1997 est.)	NA%
Waterways	-	1,200 km note: chiefly Amu Darya, which handles vessels up to 500 DWT (2001)

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