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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. |
|
Location:
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Caribbean, two
island groups in the North Atlantic Ocean, southeast of The
Bahamas, north of Haiti |
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Geographic coordinates:
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21 45 N, 71 35 W |
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Map references:
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Central
America and the Caribbean |
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Area:
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total: 430
sq km
water: 0 sq km
land: 430 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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2.5 times the
size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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389 km |
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Climate:
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tropical; marine;
moderated by trade winds; sunny and relatively dry |
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Terrain:
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low, flat
limestone; extensive marshes and mangrove swamps |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Blue Hills 49 m |
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Natural resources:
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spiny lobster,
conch |
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Land use:
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arable land:
2.3%
permanent crops: 0%
other: 97.7% (1998 est.) |
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Irrigated land:
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NA sq km |
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Natural hazards:
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frequent
hurricanes |
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Environment - current issues:
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limited natural
fresh water resources, private cisterns collect rainwater |
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Geography - note:
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about 40 islands
(eight inhabited) |
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Population:
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19,956
(July 2004 est.) |
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Age structure:
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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.) |
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Median age:
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total:
27.2 years
male: 27.9 years
female: 26.5 years (2004 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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3.03%
(2004 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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22.85
births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Death rate:
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4.26
deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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11.68
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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.) |
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
16.27 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 13.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
male: 18.79 deaths/1,000 live births |
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 74.25 years
male: 72.05 years
female: 76.57 years (2004 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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NA% |
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Nationality:
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noun:
none
adjective: none |
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Ethnic groups:
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black
90%, mixed, European, or North American 10% |
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Religions:
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Baptist
40%, Methodist 16%, Anglican 18%, Church of God 12%, other 14%
(1990) |
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Languages:
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English
(official) |
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Literacy:
|
definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school
female: 98% (1970 est.)
male: 99%
total population: 98% |
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People - note:
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destination
and transit point for illegal Haitian immigrants bound for the
Turks and Caicos Islands, Bahamas, and US |
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Country name:
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conventional
long form: none
conventional short form: Turks and Caicos Islands |
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Dependency status:
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overseas
territory of the UK |
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Government type:
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NA |
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Capital:
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Grand Turk (Cockburn
Town) |
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Administrative divisions:
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none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
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Independence:
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none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
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National holiday:
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Constitution Day,
30 August (1976) |
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Constitution:
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introduced 30
August 1976; suspended in 1986; restored and revised 5 March
1988 |
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Legal system:
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based on laws of
England and Wales, with a few adopted from Jamaica and The
Bahamas |
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Executive branch:
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chief of
state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1953),
represented by Governor Jim POSTON (since 16 December 2002)
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
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Supreme Court |
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Political parties and leaders:
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People's
Democratic Movement or PDM [Derek H. TAYLOR]; Progressive
National Party or PNP [Michael Eugene MISICK]; United
Democratic Party or UDP [Wendal SWANN] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
|
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
|
none (overseas
territory of the UK) |
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Economy - overview:
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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. |
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GDP:
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purchasing power
parity - $231 million (2000 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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4.9% (2000 est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power
parity - $9,600 (2000 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture:
NA%
industry: NA%
services: NA% (2001 est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
|
NA% (2001 est.) |
|
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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4% (1995) |
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Labor force:
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4,848 (1990 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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about 33% in
government and 20% in agriculture and fishing; significant
numbers in tourism, financial, and other services |
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Unemployment rate:
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10% (1997 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues:
$47 million
expenditures: $33.6 million, including capital
expenditures of $NA (1997-98 est.) |
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Industries:
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tourism, offshore
financial services |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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5 million kWh
(2001) |
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Electricity - production by source:
|
fossil fuel:
100%
hydro: 0%
other: 0% (2001)
nuclear: 0% |
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Electricity - consumption:
|
4.65 million kWh
(2001) |
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Oil - production:
|
0 bbl/day NA
(2001 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
|
0 bbl/day NA
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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corn, beans,
cassava (tapioca), citrus fruits; fish |
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Exports:
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$169.2 million
(2000) |
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Exports - commodities:
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lobster, dried
and fresh conch, conch shells |
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Exports - partners:
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US, UK |
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Imports:
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$175.6 million
(2000) |
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Imports - commodities:
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food and
beverages, tobacco, clothing, manufactures, construction
materials |
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Imports - partners:
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US, UK |
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Debt - external:
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$NA (2002 est.) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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$4.1 million
(1997) |
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Currency:
|
US dollar (USD) |
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Currency code:
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USD |
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Exchange rates:
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the US dollar is
used |
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Fiscal year:
|
calendar year |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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5,700 (2002) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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0 (1994) |
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Telephone system:
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general
assessment: fair cable and radiotelephone services
domestic: NA
international: country code - 1-649; 2 submarine
cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 2, FM 7,
shortwave 0 (2004) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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0 (broadcasts
from The Bahamas are received; 2 cable television networks)
(2004) |
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Internet country code:
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.tc |
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Internet users:
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NA |
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Railways:
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0 km |
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Highways:
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total: 121
km
paved: 24 km
unpaved: 97 km (2000) |
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Waterways:
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none |
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Ports and harbors:
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Grand Turk,
Providenciales |
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Merchant marine:
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none |
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Airports:
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8 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3
914 to 1,523 m: 1
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Airports - with unpaved runways:
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total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2003 est.) |
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Military - note:
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defense is the
responsibility of the UK |
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Disputes - international:
|
have received
Haitians fleeing economic collapse and civil unrest |
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Illicit drugs:
|
transshipment
point for South American narcotics destined for the US and
Europe |
This page was last updated on 11 May, 2004
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