United States

United States

AREA	9,809,155 sq km (3,787,319 sq miles).
POPULATION	9,809,155 sq km (3,787,319 sq miles).
POPULATION DENSITY	27.6 per sq km.
CAPITAL	Washington, DC.
CAPITAL POPULATION	543,213 (1996). Nineteen other cities have a population larger than that of Washington, DC. New York is the largest city, with a population of over seven million. Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston, Philadelphia, San Diego, Phoenix and Dallas had estimated populations of over one million in 1994.
GEOGRAPHY	Covering a large part of the North American continent, the United States of America shares borders with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south and has coasts on the Atlantic, Pacific and Arctic oceans, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. The State of Alaska, in the northwest corner of the continent, is separated from the rest of the country by Canada, and Hawaii lies in the central Pacific Ocean. One of the largest countries in the world, the USA has an enormous diversity of geographical features. The climate ranges from subtropical to Arctic, with a corresponding breadth of flora and fauna. For a more detailed description of each region's geographical characteristics, see the individual State sections.
GOVERNMENT	Federal Republic since 1789. Gained independence from the UK in 1776. Head of State and Government: President William Clinton since 1993.
LANGUAGE	English, with significant Spanish-speaking minorities.
RELIGION	Protestant with Roman Catholic, Jewish and many ethnic minorities. In large cities people of the same ethnic background often live within defined communities.
STANDARD TIME	The USA is divided into six time zones: Eastern Standard Time: GMT - 5 (from Apr-Oct: GMT - 4). Central Standard Time: GMT - 6 (from Apr-Oct: GMT - 5). Mountain Standard Time: GMT - 7 (from Apr-Oct: GMT - 6). Pacific Standard Time: GMT - 8 (from Apr-Oct: GMT - 7). Alaska: GMT - 9 (from Apr-Oct: GMT - 8). Hawaii: GMT - 10. Note: When calculating travel times, bear in mind the adoption of Daylight Saving Time (DST) by most States in summer. From the first Sunday in April to the last Sunday in October, clocks are put forward one hour, changing at 0200 hours local time. Regions not observing DST include most of Indiana, all of Arizona and Hawaii.
ELECTRICITY	110/120 volts AC, 60Hz. Plugs are of the flat 2-pin type. European electrical appliances not fitted with dual-voltage capabilities will require a plug adaptor, which is best purchased before arrival in the USA.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: Full IDD is available. Country code: 1. Outgoing international code: 011. For emergency police, fire or medical services in major cities, dial 911. Fax: There are bureaux in all main centres, and major hotels also have facilities. Fax services are very widely available. Telegram: These can be sent through all telegraph and post offices. Post: There are only a limited number of post offices, so it is advisable to buy stamps in bulk. There are, however, stamp machines in hotels and shops, but these have a 25% price mark-up. Airmail to Europe takes up to a week. Post office hours: 0900-1700 (24 hours at main offices in larger cities). If sending gifts valued at less than US$50 to the USA, the recipient will not have to pay tax if the package is marked 'Unsolicited Gift'. Press: The most influential papers are The New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times and the Wall Street Journal. Owing to the high degree of self-government of each State, newspapers tend to be regionalised, although recent economic pressures have resulted in large-scale mergers. Even so, the USA publishes more newspapers than any other country, and has perhaps the bulkiest Sunday newspapers in the world, particularly the Sunday edition of The New York Times.

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United Kingdom

United Kingdom

AREA	241,752 sq km (93,341 sq miles).
POPULATION	58,801,500 (1996).
POPULATION DENSITY	243.2 per sq km.
CAPITAL	London.
CAPITAL POPULATION	7,074,300 (Greater London, 1996).
GEOGRAPHY	The British landscape can be divided roughly into two kinds of terrain – highland and lowland. The highland area comprises the mountainous regions of Scotland, Northern Ireland, northern England and north Wales. The English Lake District in the northwest contains lakes and fells. The lowland area is broken up by sandstone and limestone hills, long valleys and basins such as the Wash on the east coast. In the south east, the North and South Downs culminate in the White Cliffs of Dover. The coastline includes fjord-like inlets in the northwest of Scotland, spectacular cliffs and wild sandy beaches on the east coast and, further south, beaches of rocks, shale and sand sometimes backed by dunes, and large areas of fenland in East Anglia. Note: More detailed geographical descriptions of the various countries may be found under the respective entries.
GOVERNMENT	Republic. Head of State: HM Queen Elizabeth II since 1953. Head of Government: Prime Minister Tony Blair since 1997.
LANGUAGE	English. Some Welsh is spoken in parts of Wales, Gaelic in parts of Scotland and Northern Ireland, and French and Norman French in the Channel Islands. The many ethnic minorities within the UK also speak their own languages (eg Hindi, Urdu, Turkish, Greek, Cantonese, Mandarin, etc).
RELIGION	Predominantly Protestant (Church of England), but many other Christian denominations also: Roman Catholic, Church of Scotland, Baptist, Methodist and other free churches. There are sizeable Jewish, Muslim and Hindu minorities.
STANDARD TIME	GMT (GMT + 1 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October).
ELECTRICITY	240 volts AC, 50Hz. Square 3-pin plugs are standard and the visitor is unlikely to come across the older round 3-pin type.
COMMUNICATIONS	Telephone: IDD is available. Country code: 44. Outgoing international code: 00. There are numerous public call boxes. Some boxes take coins, others phonecards or credit cards. There are a number of suppliers of telecommunication networks, chiefly British Telecom and Cable & Wireless. Fax: There are many high-street bureaux in all cities. Most hotels and offices have facilities. Telemessage: These may be sent from a post office or from a private telephone. Post: Stamps are available from post offices and many shops and stores. There are stamp machines outside some post offices. Post boxes are red. First-class internal mail normally reaches its destination the day after posting (except in remote areas of Scotland), and most second-class mail the day after that. International postal connections are good. Post office opening hours are 0900-1730 Monday to Friday and 0900-1230 Saturday, although some post offices are open much longer hours. Press: Dominated by about ten major newspapers, UK circulation figures are amongst the highest in the world. The most influential newspapers are The Times, The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Financial Times, The Observer and The Independent. The more popular 'tabloid' newspapers are The Sun, The Daily Mirror, The Daily Express and The Daily Mail. Most papers have an associated Sunday newspaper, though there are some independents. There are also daily regional newspapers, particularly in Scotland and the north. The London Evening Standard is produced in several editions daily, the first being at midday.

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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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