Western Sahara (2005) | Turks and Caicos Islands (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | none (under de facto control of Morocco) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: NA
15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA |
0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,396/female 3,277)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,900/female 6,220) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 342/female 421) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
Airports | 11 (2004 est.) | 8 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about the size of Colorado | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC |
Background | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. | 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. |
Birth rate | NA births/1,000 population | 22.23 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: NA
expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA |
revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.) |
Capital | none | Grand Turk |
Climate | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
Coastline | 1,110 km | 389 km |
Constitution | - | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
Death rate | NA deaths/1,000 population | 4.28 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | NA |
Dependency status | - | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals | have received Haitians fleeing economic and civil disorder |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $4.1 million (1997) |
Economy - overview | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. | The Turks and Caicos economy is based on tourism, fishing, and offshore financial services. Most capital goods and food for domestic consumption are imported. The US is the leading source of tourists, accounting for more than half of the annual 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue also include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. |
Electricity - consumption | 83.7 million kWh (2002) | 4.65 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | 90 million kWh (2002) | 5 million kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
Environment - current issues | sparse water and lack of arable land | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
Environment - international agreements | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
- |
Ethnic groups | Arab, Berber | black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% |
Exchange rates | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.6256 (2000) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | none | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Richard TAUWHARE (since 11 July 2005)
head of government: Chief Minister Michael Eugene MISICK (since 15 August 2003) cabinet: Executive Council consists of three ex officio members and five appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is appointed chief minister by the governor |
Exports | NA | NA |
Exports - commodities | phosphates 62% | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells |
Exports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | US, UK |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
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 |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: 40% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | purchasing power parity - $11,500 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | 4.9% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 24 30 N, 13 00 W | 21 45 N, 71 35 W |
Geography - note | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) |
Highways | total: 6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est) |
total: 121 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
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 |
Imports | NA | NA |
Imports - commodities | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials |
Imports - partners | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts | US, UK |
Independence | - | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Industries | phosphate mining, handicrafts | tourism, offshore financial services |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 15.67 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.11 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | 4% (1995) |
International organization participation | none | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 12,000 | 4,848 (1990 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services |
Land boundaries | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
0 km |
Land use | arable land: 0.02%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2001) |
arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001) |
Languages | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic | English (official) |
Legal system | - | based on laws of England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral Legislative Council (19 seats of which 13 are popularly elected; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 April 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - PDM 53.8%, PNP 46.2%; seats by party - PDM 7, PNP 6; note - in by-elections held 7 August 2003, the PNP gained two seats for a majority of 8 seats; PDM now has 5 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years |
total population: 74.51 years
male: 72.28 years female: 76.84 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
Location | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti |
Map references | Africa | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
National holiday | - | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) |
Nationality | noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
noun: none
adjective: none |
Natural hazards | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility | frequent hurricanes |
Natural resources | phosphates, iron ore | spiny lobster, conch |
Net migration rate | - | 11.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
People - note | - | destination and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US |
Political parties and leaders | - | People's Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 273,008 (July 2005 est.) | 20,556 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | NA | 2.9% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) | Grand Turk, Providenciales |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) |
Religions | Muslim | Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.11 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.81 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
general assessment: fully digital system with international direct dialing
domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | about 2,000 (1999 est.) | 5,700 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (1999) | 1,700 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | NA | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004) |
Terrain | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
Total fertility rate | NA children born/woman | 3.08 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | NA | 10% (1997 est.) |