United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates

AREA	77,700 sq km (30,000 sq miles).
POPULATION	2,443,000 (1996).
POPULATION DENSITY	31.4 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Abu Dhabi.
CAPITAL POPULATION	798,000 (1991).
GEOGRAPHY	The Emirates are bordered to the north by the Gulf and the Musandam Peninsula, to the east by Oman, to the south and west by Saudi Arabia and to the northwest by Qatar. They comprise a federation of seven small former sheikhdoms. Abu Dhabi is the largest Emirate, and the remainder (Dubai, Sharjah, Ajman, Fujairah, Umm al Qaiwain and Ras al- Khaimah) are known collectively as the Northern States. The land is mountainous and mostly desert. Abu Dhabi is flat and sandy, and within its boundaries is the Buraimi Oasis. Dubai has a 16km (10-mile) deep-water creek, giving it the popular name of 'Pearl of the Gulf'. Sharjah has a deep-water port on the Batinah coast at Khor Fakkan, facing the Indian Ocean. Ras al-Khaimah is the fourth emirate in size. Fujairah, one of the three smaller sheikhdoms located on the Batinah coast, has agricultural potential, while Ajman and Umm al Qaiwain were once small coastal fishing villages.
GOVERNMENT	Federation of seven autonomous Emirates. Head of State: Sheikh Zâyid Bin Sultân al Nahayân (Emir of Abu Dhabi) since 1971. Head of Government: Vice President Sheikh Maktoum bin Rashid al Maktoum (Emir of Dubai) since 1979.
LANGUAGE	Arabic is the official language. English is widely spoken.
RELIGION	Mostly Muslim, of which 16% are Shiite and the remainder Sunni.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 4.
ELECTRICITY	220/240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square 3-pin plugs are widespread.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: IDD is available both to and from all states. Country code: 971. Outgoing international code (Abu Dhabi): 00. Main area codes: Abu Dhabi 2; Ajman, Sharjah and Umm al Qaiwain 6; Al Ain 3; Dubai 4; Fujairah 9; Jebel Ali 4 and Ras al-Khaimah 7. There is a good local telephone network. Telephone calls within each state are free. Fax: ETISALAT offices at main centres provide a service. All hotels have facilities. Telegram: Services are run by ETISALAT, which has offices throughout the Emirates and are also available through main post offices. Post: Airmail letters and parcels take about five days to reach Europe. Press: English-language daily newspapers include Gulf News, Khaleej Times and Emirates News. Foreign newspapers are available in hotel bookshops and supermarkets.

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Turkey

Turkey

AREA	779,452 sq km (300,948 sq miles).
POPULATION	62,510,000 (official estimate 1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	80.7 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Ankara
CAPITAL POPULATION	2,890,025 (1996).
GEOGRAPHY	Turkey borders the Black Sea and Georgia and Armenia to the northeast, Iran to the east, Iraq to the southeast, Syria and the Mediterranean to the south, the Aegean Sea to the west and Greece and Bulgaria to the northwest. Asia Minor (or Anatolia) accounts for 97% of the country and forms a long, wide peninsula 1650km (1025 miles) from east to west and 650km (400 miles) from north to south. Two east–west mountain ranges, the Black Sea Mountains in the north and the Taurus in the south, enclose the central Anatolian plateau, but converge in a vast mountainous region in the far east of the country. It is here that the ancient Tigris and Euphrates rivers rise.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1923. Head of State: President Süleyman Demirel since 1993. Head of Government: Prime Minister Bülent Ecevit since 1999.
LANGUAGE	Turkish. French, German and English are widely spoken in cities.
RELIGION	Muslim with a small Christian minority. Turkey is a secular state which guarantees complete freedom of worship to non-Muslims.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz.

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Tonga

Tonga

AREA	748 sq km (289 sq miles).
POPULATION	97,446 (1996).
POPULATION DENSITY	130.3 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Nuku'alofa.
CAPITAL POPULATION	34,000 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY	Tonga is an archipelago of 172 islands in the South Pacific, most of which are uninhabited, covering an area of 7700 sq km (3000 sq miles). The major island groups are Tongatapu and 'Eua, Ha'apai and Vava'u. Tonga's high volcanic and low coral forms give the islands a unique character. Some volcanoes are still active and Falcon Island in the Vava'u group is a submerged volcano that erupts periodically, its lava and ash rising above sea level forming a visible island which disappears when the eruption is over. Nuku'alofa, on Tongatapu Island, has a reef-protected harbour lined with palms. The island is flat with a large lagoon, but no running streams, and many surrounding smaller islands. 'Eua Island is hilly and forested with high cliffs and beautiful beaches. The Ha'apai Islands, a curving archipelago 160km (100 miles) north of Tongatapu, have excellent beaches. Tofua, the largest island in the group, is an active volcano with a hot steaming lake in its crater. The Vava'u Islands, 90km (50 miles) north of Ha'apai, are hilly, densely wooded and interspersed with a maze of narrow channels. They are known for their stalagmite-filled caves.
GOVERNMENT	Constitutional monarchy. Gained independence from the UK in 1970. Head of State: King Taufa'ahau Tupou IV since 1965. Head of Government: Prime Minister Baron Vaea since 1991.
LANGUAGE	Tongan and English.
RELIGION	Wesleyan Church, Roman Catholic, Anglican.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 13.
ELECTRICITY	240 volts AC, 50Hz.

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Togo

Togo

AREA	56,785 sq km (21,925 sq miles).
POPULATION	3,928,000 (1994).
POPULATION DENSITY	69.2 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Lomé.
CAPITAL POPULATION	513,000 (1990).
GEOGRAPHY	Togo shares borders with Burkina Faso to the north, Benin to the east and Ghana to the west with a short coast on the Atlantic in the south. The country is a narrow strip, rising behind coastal lagoons and swampy plains to an undulating plateau. Northwards, the plateau descends to a wide plain irrigated by the River Oti. The central area is covered by deciduous forest, while savannah stretches to the north and south. In the east, the River Mono runs to the sea; long sandy beaches shaded by palms characterise the coastline between Lomé and Cotonou in Benin.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1967. Gained independence from France in 1960. Head of State: President Gnassingbé Eyadéma since 1967. Head of Government: Prime Minister Koffi Eugene Adoboli since 1999.
LANGUAGE	French is the official language, while Ewe, Watchi and Kabiyé are the most widely spoken African languages. Very little English is spoken.
RELIGION	50% traditional or animist, 35% Christian and 15% Muslim.
STANDARD TIME	GMT.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz single phase. Plugs are square or round 2-pin

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Thailand

Thailand

AREA	513,115 sq km (198,115 sq miles).
POPULATION	60,816,227 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	118.5 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Bangkok
CAPITAL POPULATION	7,753,000, including Thon Buri (1995).
GEOGRAPHY	Thailand is bounded to the west by Myanmar and the Indian Ocean, to the south and east by Malaysia and the Gulf of Thailand, to the east by Cambodia, and to the north and east by Laos. Central Thailand is dominated by the Chao Phraya River.
GOVERNMENT	Constitutional monarchy since 1973. Head of State: HM King Bumipol Adulyadej (Rama IX) since 1946. Head of Government: Prime Minister Chuan Leekpai since 1997.
LANGUAGE	Thai is the official language. English is widely spoken, especially in establishments catering for tourists.
RELIGION	The vast majority adhere to Buddhism (Theravada), with Muslim and Christian minorities.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 7.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. American- and European-style 2-pin plugs are in use.

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Tanzenia United Republic

Tanzenia United Republic

AREA	945,087 sq km (364,900 sq miles).
POPULATION	28,251,511 (1995).
POPULATION DENSITY	29.9 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Dodoma (administrative capital designate)., ). Dar es Salaam remains the capital for the time being.
CAPITAL POPULATION	203,833 (1988). , 1,651,534 (1995).
GEOGRAPHY	The United Republic of Tanzania lies on the Indian Ocean and is bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, by Burundi, Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo to the west, and by Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique to the south. The Tanzanian mainland is divided into several clearly defined regions: the coastal plains, which vary in width from 16-64km (10-39 miles) and have lush, tropical vegetation; the Masai Steppe in the north, 213-1067m (698-3500ft) above sea level; and a high plateau in the southern area towards Zambia and Lake Nyasa (Lake Malawi). Savannah and bush cover over half the country, and semi-desert accounts for the remaining land area, with the exception of the coastal plains. Over 53,000 sq km (20,463 sq miles) is inland water, mostly lakes formed in the Rift Valley. The United Republic of Tanzania includes the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba, about 45km (28 miles) off the coast to the northeast of the country.
GOVERNMENT	Federal Republic since 1964. Tanganyika gained independence from the UK in 1961. In 1964, Tanganyika joined with Zanzibar, which had been a British protectorate until 1963, and became Tanzania. Head of State: President Benjamin William Mkapa since 1995. Head of Government: Prime Minister Frederick Sumaye since 1995.
LANGUAGE	Kiswahili and English are the official languages. The terms Swahili and Kiswahili are used interchangeably, though the term Swahili normally refers to the people while Kiswahili refers to the language. Originating along the coast, Kiswahili is a Bantu language with many words derived from Arabic. Other African languages such as Bantu and those of Nilo-Hamitic and Khoisan origin are also spoken.
RELIGION	Muslim, Christian, Hindu and traditional beliefs.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 3.
ELECTRICITY	240 volts AC, 50Hz. Plugs may be round or square 3-pin, fused or unfused.

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Tajikistan

Tajikistan

AREA	143,100 sq km (55,251 sq miles).
POPULATION	5,945,903 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	41.6 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Dushanbe.
CAPITAL POPULATION	528,600 (1993).
GEOGRAPHY	Tajikistan is bordered by Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan to the north, Afghanistan to the south and China to the east. 93% of the republic is occupied by mountains, most notably by the sparsely populated Pamir Mountains, which include Ismoili Somoni (formerly Pik Kommunizma; 7495m/24,590ft), the highest point of the former Soviet Union. The mountainous terrain means that in winter it is impossible to reach the east or the north of the country by road without taking a detour through Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan. In the fertile plains of the southwest, cotton dominates the agriculture. In the north, in the Khojand (formerly Leninabad) region, cotton and silk are the main crops.
GOVERNMENT	Republic. Gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. Head of State: President Imomali S Rakhmanov since 1992. Head of Government: Prime Minister Yakhiye Azimov since 1996.
LANGUAGE	Tajik is the official language, an ancient Persian language similar to the languages of Iran and Afghanistan. In the Pamir Mountains, there are at least five different languages, all related to an even more ancient form of Iranian. Russian is widely used (35% of the population speak Russian fluently), and discrimination against Russian speakers is prohibited by law. English is frequently spoken by those involved in tourism.
RELIGION	Predominantly Sunni Muslim (80%) with a small Shi'ite Muslim minority (5%). A large Ishmaeli minority exists in the Pamirs. There is also a smaller and shrinking Russian Orthodox minority and a small Jewish community.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 5.
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. Round, 2-pin continental plugs are standard

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Taiwan (Provience of China)

Taiwan (Provience of China)

AREA	36,000 sq km (13,900 sq miles).
POPULATION	21,615,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	600.4 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Taipei.
CAPITAL POPULATION	2,605,374 (1996).
GEOGRAPHY	Taiwan (China) is the main island of a group of 78 islands. It is dominated by the Central Mountain Range covering 75% of its land area and running its full length north to south on the eastern seaboard. Over 60 peaks exceed 3000m (9850ft), the highest being Yu Shan (Jade Mountain) at 3950m (12,959ft), and most are heavily forested. About 25% of the country is alluvial plain, most of it on the coastal strip. The Pescadores (Fisherman's Isles), which the Chinese call Penghu, comprise 64 islands west of Taiwan (China) with a total area of 127 sq km (49 sq miles). The offshore island fortress of Quemoy (Kinmen) and Matsu, form part of the mainland province of Fukien.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1947. Head of State: President Lee Teng-Hui since 1988. Head of Government: Prime Minister Vincent Siew since 1997.
LANGUAGE	The official language is Northern Chinese (Mandarin). Taiwanese is widely spoken, and English is taught as the first foreign language in schools.
RELIGION	Buddhism; also Taoism, Christianity and Islam
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 8.
ELECTRICITY	110 volts AC, 60Hz

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Syrian Arab Republic

Syrian Arab Republic

AREA	185,180 sq km (71,498 sq miles).
POPULATION	17,459,550 (1998).
POPULATION DENSITY	94.2 per sq km (1998).
CAPITAL	Damascus
CAPITAL POPULATION	1,431,821(1998).
GEOGRAPHY	The country can be divided geographically into four main areas: the fertile plain in the northeast, the plateau, coastal and mountain areas in the west, the central plains, and the desert and steppe region in the central and southeastern areas. The Euphrates flows from Turkey in the north, through Syria, down to Iraq in the southeast. It is the longest river in Syria, the total length being 2330km (1450 miles), of which 600km (370 miles) pass through Syria. The Khabur River supports the al-Khabur Basin in the northeast.
GOVERNMENT	Republic since 1973. Gained independence in 1946. Head of State: President Hafez al-Assad since 1971. Head of Government: Prime Minister Mahmud az-Zu'bi since 1987.
LANGUAGE	Arabic, French and English.
RELIGION	Mainly Muslim and Christian (mostly Orthodox and Catholic) with Jewish minorities.
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 2 (GMT + 3 from March 30 to September 30).
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz. European-style 2-pin plugs

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Switzerland

Switzerland

AREA	41,285 sq km (15,940 sq miles).
POPULATION	7,085,000 (1997).
POPULATION DENSITY	171.6 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Bern.
CAPITAL POPULATION	129,400 (1997).
GEOGRAPHY	Switzerland is bordered by France to the west, Germany to the north, Austria to the east and Italy to the south. It has the highest mountains in Europe, with waterfalls and lakes set amid green pastures. The highest peaks are Dufour Peak, 4634m (15,217ft), on the Italian border; the Dom, 4545m (14,912ft); the Matterhorn, 4478m (14,692ft); and the Jungfrau, 4166m (13,669ft).
GOVERNMENT	Federal Republic since 1848. Head of State and Government: President Adolf Ogi since 2000.
LANGUAGE	65-70% German in central and eastern areas, 19% French in the west and 8% Italian in the south. Raeto-Romansch is spoken in the southeast by 1%. English is spoken by many. Overlapping cultural influences characterise the country.
RELIGION	Roman Catholic (49%) and Protestant (48%).
STANDARD TIME	GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
ELECTRICITY	220 volts AC, 50Hz.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: Full IDD is available. Country code: 41. Outgoing international code: 00. Phonecards are available for use in payphones. Fax: Facilities are available in all telegraph offices, most major hotels and post offices. Telegram: These can be sent from post offices or arranged by dialling 110 on the telephone. Post: Airmail within Europe takes three days. Poste Restante is available at all post offices. Post office hours: 0730-1200 and 1345-1830 Monday to Friday. Saturday closing is at 1100 except in major cities. Press: The high level of interest in local politics throughout Switzerland has led to a large number of regional newspapers. However, the most popular dailies are Neue Zürcher Zeitung, Blick and Tages-Anzeiger Zürich. European and international newspapers in English including The Herald Tribune and USA Today are also widely available.

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