Turks and Caicos Islands (2004) | Western Sahara (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 32.5% (male 3,301; female 3,184)
15-64 years: 63.8% (male 6,696; female 6,036) 65 years and over: 3.7% (male 327; female 412) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
NA% 15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% |
Agriculture - products | corn, beans, cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) |
Airports | 8 (2003 est.) | 11 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total:
3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.) |
total:
8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 430 sq km
land: 430 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Colorado |
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. | 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 cease-fire; a referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed and is not expected to occur until at least 2002. |
Birth rate | 22.85 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997-98 est.) |
revenues:
$NA expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | Grand Turk (Cockburn Town) | none |
Climate | tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
Coastline | 389 km | 1,110 km |
Constitution | introduced 30 August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March 1988 | - |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
Death rate | 4.26 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | - |
Debt - external | NA (2002 est.) | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none |
Disputes - international | have received Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest | claimed and administered by Morocco, but sovereignty is unresolved and the UN is attempting to hold a referendum on the issue; the UN-administered cease-fire has been in effect since September 1991 |
Economic aid - recipient | $4.1 million (1997) | $NA |
Economy - overview | 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 93,000 visitors in the late 1990s. Major sources of government revenue include fees from offshore financial activities and customs receipts. Tourism fell by 6% in 2002. | Western Sahara, a territory poor in natural resources and lacking sufficient rainfall, depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. Most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Incomes and standards of living are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
Electricity - consumption | 4.65 million kWh (2001) | 83.7 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2001) | 0 kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 5 million kWh (2001) | 90 million kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
lowest point:
Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater | sparse water and lack of arable land |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% | Arab, Berber |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 10.590 (January 2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997), 8.716 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953), represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
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 |
none |
Exports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells | phosphates 62% |
Exports - partners | US, UK | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
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 | purchasing power parity - $231 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: 40%-45% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,600 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.9% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 21 45 N, 71 35 W | 24 30 N, 13 00 W |
Geography - note | about 40 islands (eight inhabited) | - |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: 121 km
paved: 24 km unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
total:
6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 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 | - |
Imports | NA (2001) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | food and beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction materials | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | US, UK | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Industries | tourism, offshore financial services | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
Infant mortality rate | total: 16.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
- |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (1995) | NA% |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), UPU | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court | - |
Labor force | 4,848 (1990 est.) | 12,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | about 33% in government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant numbers in tourism, financial, and other services | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
Land use | arable land: 2.33%
permanent crops: 0% other: 97.67% (2001) |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 19% forests and woodland: 0% other: 81% |
Languages | English (official) | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
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: 74.25 years
male: 72.05 years female: 76.57 years (2004 est.) |
- |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over has ever attended school
total population: 98% male: 99% female: 98% (1970 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, two island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The Bahamas, north of Haiti | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
Merchant marine | none | - |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | NA |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Constitution Day, 30 August (1976) | - |
Nationality | noun: none
adjective: none |
noun:
Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Natural hazards | frequent hurricanes | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
Natural resources | spiny lobster, conch | phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | 11.68 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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]; United Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] | - |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | none |
Population | 19,956 (July 2004 est.) | 250,559 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 3.03% (2004 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Grand Turk, Providenciales | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 2, FM 7, shortwave 0 (2004) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | - | 56,000 (1997) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Baptist 40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14% (1990) | Muslim |
Sex ratio | 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: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
- |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign has yet to be completed |
Telephone system | general assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
general assessment:
sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Telephones - main lines in use | 5,700 (2002) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,700 (1999) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (broadcasts from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks) (2004) | NA |
Terrain | low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
Total fertility rate | 3.11 children born/woman (2004 est.) | - |
Unemployment rate | 10% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |