192 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
192 lines
15 KiB
Plaintext
TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS
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(dependent territory of the UK)
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 430 km2; land area: 430 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than 2.5 times the size of
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Washington, DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 389 km
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Maritime claims:
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Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: tropical; marine; moderated by trade winds; sunny and
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relatively dry
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Terrain: low, flat limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps
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Natural resources: spiny lobster, conch
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Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures;
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0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 98%
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Environment: 30 islands (eight inhabited); subject to frequent
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hurricanes
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Note: located 190 km north of the Dominican Republic in the North
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Atlantic Ocean
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PEOPLE
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Population: 9,983 (July 1991), growth rate 2.2% (1991)
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Birth rate: 25 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 5 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 2 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 14 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 3.8 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: no noun or adjectival forms
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Ethnic divisions: majority of African descent
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Religion: Baptist 41.2%, Methodist 18.9%, Anglican 18.3%,
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Seventh-Day Adventist 1.7%, other 19.9% (1980)
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Language: English (official)
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Literacy: 98% (male 99%, female 98%) age 15 and over having ever
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attended school (1970)
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Labor force: NA; majority engaged in fishing and tourist
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industries; some subsistence agriculture
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Organized labor: Saint George's Industrial Trade Union
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: none
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Type: dependent territory of the UK
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Capital: Grand Turk (Cockburn Town)
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Administrative divisions: none (dependent territory of the UK)
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Independence: none (dependent territory of the UK)
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Constitution: introduced 30 August 1976, suspended in 1986, and a
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Constitutional Commission is currently reviewing its contents
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Legal system: based on laws of England and Wales with a small
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number adopted from Jamaica and The Bahamas
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National holiday: Constitution Day, 30 August (1976)
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Executive branch: British monarch, governor, Executive Council
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Legislative branch: unicameral Legislative Council
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Judicial branch: Supreme Court
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953),
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represented by Governor Michael J. BRADLEY (since 1987);
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Head of Government--Chief Minister Oswald O. SKIPPINGS (since
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3 March 1988)
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's Democratic Movement (PDM), Oswald SKIPPINGS;
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Progressive National Party (PNP), Dan MALCOLM and Norman SAUNDERS;
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National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Ariel MISSICK
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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Legislative Council--last held on 3 March 1988
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(next to be held NA);
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results--PDM 60%, PNP 30%, other 10%;
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seats--(20 total, 13 elected) PDM 11, PNP 2
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Communists: none
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Member of: CDB
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Diplomatic representation: as a dependent territory of the UK, the
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interests of the Turks and Caicos Islands are represented in the US by
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the UK;
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US--none
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Flag: blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side
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quadrant and the colonial shield centered on the outer half of the flag;
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the shield is yellow and contains a conch shell, lobster, and cactus
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ECONOMY
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Overview: The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and offshore
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banking. Subsistence farming--corn and beans--exists only on the Caicos
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Islands, so that most foods, as well as nonfood products, must be
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imported.
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GDP: $44.9 million, per capita $5,000; real growth rate NA% (1986)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA%
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Unemployment rate: 12% (1989)
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Budget: revenues $12.4 million; expenditures $15.8 million,
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including capital expenditures of $2.6 million (FY87)
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Exports: $2.9 million (f.o.b., FY84);
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commodities--lobster, dried and fresh conch, conch shells;
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partners--US, UK
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Imports: $26.3 million (c.i.f., FY84);
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commodities--foodstuffs, drink, tobacco, clothing;
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partners--US, UK
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External debt: $NA
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Industrial production: growth rate NA%
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Electricity: 9,050 kW capacity; 11.1 million kWh produced,
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1,140 kWh per capita (1990)
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Industries: fishing, tourism, offshore financial services
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Agriculture: subsistence farming prevails, based on corn and beans;
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fishing more important than farming; not self-sufficient in food
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Economic aid: Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral
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commitments (1970-88), $100 million
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Currency: US currency is used
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Exchange rates: US currency is used
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Fiscal year: calendar year
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 121 km, including 24 km tarmac
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Ports: Grand Turk, Salt Cay, Providenciales, Cockburn Harbour
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Civil air: Air Turks and Caicos (passenger service) and Turks
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Air Ltd. (cargo service)
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Airports: 7 total, 7 usable; 4 with permanent-surface runways;
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none with runways over 2,439 m; 4 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
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Telecommunications: fair cable and radio services; 1,446
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telephones; stations--3 AM, no FM, several TV; 2 submarine cables; 1
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Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Note: defense is the responsibility of the UK
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