Anguilla (2003) | Liberia (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 15 counties; Bomi, Bong, Gbarpolu, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, River Gee, Sinoe |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 24.3% (male 1,575; female 1,526)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 4,504; female 4,262) 65 years and over: 6.8% (male 387; female 484) (2003 est.) |
0-14 years: 43.6% (male 698,382/female 695,409)
15-64 years: 53.6% (male 848,951/female 865,380) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 42,745/female 45,064) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | small quantities of tobacco, vegetables; cattle raising | rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber |
Airports | 3 (2002) | 53 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 2
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 2
under 914 m: 2 (2002) |
total: 51
1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 38 (2007) |
Area | total: 102 sq km
land: 102 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 111,370 sq km
land: 96,320 sq km water: 15,050 sq km |
Area - comparative | about half the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Tennessee |
Background | Colonized by English settlers from Saint Kitts in 1650, Anguilla was administered by Great Britain until the early 19th century, when the island - against the wishes of the inhabitants - was incorporated into a single British dependency, along with Saint Kitts and Nevis. Several attempts at separation failed. In 1971, two years after a revolt, Anguilla was finally allowed to secede; this arrangement was formally recognized in 1980, with Anguilla becoming a separate British dependency. | Settlement of freed slaves from the US in what is today Liberia began in 1822; by 1847, the Americo-Liberians were able to establish a republic. William TUBMAN, president from 1944-71, did much to promote foreign investment and to bridge the economic, social, and political gaps between the descendents of the original settlers and the inhabitants of the interior. In 1980, a military coup led by Samuel DOE ushered in a decade of authoritarian rule. In December 1989, Charles TAYLOR launched a rebellion against DOE's regime that led to a prolonged civil war in which DOE himself was killed. A period of relative peace in 1997 allowed for elections that brought TAYLOR to power, but major fighting resumed in 2000. An August 2003, peace agreement ended the war and prompted the resignation of former president Charles TAYLOR, who faces war crimes charges in The Hague related to his involvement in Sierra Leone's civil war. After two years of rule by a transitional government, democratic elections in late 2005 brought President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF to power. The UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) maintains a strong presence throughout the country, but the security situation is still fragile and the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country will take many years. |
Birth rate | 14.68 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 43.75 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $22.8 million
expenditures: $22.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
revenues: NA
expenditures: NA |
Capital | The Valley | name: Monrovia
geographic coordinates: 6 18 N, 10 48 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | tropical; moderated by northeast trade winds | tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers |
Coastline | 61 km | 579 km |
Constitution | Anguilla Constitutional Order 1 April 1982; amended 1990 | 6 January 1986 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Anguilla |
conventional long form: Republic of Liberia
conventional short form: Liberia |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | - |
Death rate | 5.42 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 22.24 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $8.8 million (1998) | $3.2 billion (2005 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Donald E. BOOTH
embassy: 111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, 1000 Monrovia, 10 mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [231] 7-705-4825 or 4826 FAX: [231] 7-701-0370 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Charles A. MINOR
chancery: 5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011 telephone: [1] (202) 723-0437 FAX: [1] (202) 723-0436 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | although civil unrest continues to abate with the assistance of 18,000 UN Mission in Liberia (UNMIL) peacekeepers, as of January 2007, Liberian refugees still remain in Guinea, Cote d'Ivoire, Sierra Leone, and Ghana; Liberia, in turn, shelters refugees fleeing turmoil in Cote d'Ivoire; despite the presence of over 9,000 UN forces (UNOCI) in Cote d'Ivoire since 2004, ethnic conflict continues to spread into neighboring states who can no longer send their migrant workers to Ivorian cocoa plantations; UN sanctions ban Liberia from exporting diamonds and timber |
Economic aid - recipient | $3.5 million (1995) | $236.2 million (2005) |
Economy - overview | Anguilla has few natural resources, and the economy depends heavily on luxury tourism, offshore banking, lobster fishing, and remittances from emigrants. Increased activity in the tourism industry, which has spurred the growth of the construction sector, has contributed to economic growth. Anguillan officials have put substantial effort into developing the offshore financial sector, which is small, but growing. In the medium term, prospects for the economy will depend largely on the tourism sector and, therefore, on revived income growth in the industrialized nations as well as on favorable weather conditions. | Civil war and government mismanagement destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around the capital, Monrovia. Many businesses fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them, but with the conclusion of fighting and the installation of a democratically-elected government in 2006, some have returned. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products - primarily raw timber and rubber. Local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. President JOHNSON SIRLEAF, a Harvard-trained banker and administrator, has taken steps to reduce corruption, build support from international donors, and encourage private investment. Embargos on timber and diamond exports have been lifted, opening new sources of revenue for the government. The reconstruction of infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy will largely depend on generous financial and technical assistance from donor countries and foreign investment in key sectors, such as infrastructure and power generation. |
Electricity - consumption | 42.6 million kWh | 296.9 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | NA (2000) | 319.3 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: NA%
hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Crocus Hill 65 m |
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Wuteve 1,380 m |
Environment - current issues | supplies of potable water sometimes cannot meet increasing demand largely because of poor distribution system | tropical rain forest deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
Ethnic groups | black (predominant), mulatto, white | indigenous African 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, Dei, Bella, Mandingo, and Mende), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves) |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) | Liberian dollars per US dollar - NA (2007), 59.43 (2006), 53.098 (2005), 54.906 (2004), 59.379 (2003) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Peter JOHNSTONE (since NA February 2000)
head of government: Chief Minister Osbourne FLEMING (since 3 March 2000) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from among the elected members of the House of Assembly elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
chief of state: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006); note - the President is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF (since 16 January 2006) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate elections: president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 8 November 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF elected president; percent of vote, second round - Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF 59.6%, George WEAH 40.4% |
Exports | $2.6 million (1999) | 23.31 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | lobster, fish, livestock, salt, concrete blocks, rum | rubber, timber, iron, diamonds, cocoa, coffee |
Exports - partners | UK, US, Puerto Rico, Saint-Martin (2000) | Germany 40.1%, South Africa 12%, Poland 11.7%, US 8.5%, Spain 8.2% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Anguillan coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts three orange dolphins in an interlocking circular design on a white background with blue wavy water below | 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $104 million (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 4%
industry: 18% services: 78% (1997 est.) |
agriculture: 76.9%
industry: 5.4% services: 17.7% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $8,600 (2001 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.8% (2001 est.) | 8.5% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 15 N, 63 10 W | 6 30 N, 9 30 W |
Geography - note | the most northerly of the Leeward Islands in the Lesser Antilles | facing the Atlantic Ocean, the coastline is characterized by lagoons, mangrove swamps, and river-deposited sandbars; the inland grassy plateau supports limited agriculture |
Highways | total: 105 km
paved: 65 km unpaved: 40 km (1997) |
- |
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 | transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets; corruption, criminal activity, arms-dealing, and diamond trade provide significant potential for money laundering, but the lack of well-developed financial system limits the country's utility as a major money-laundering center |
Imports | $80.9 million (1999) | 3,532 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | fuels, foodstuffs, manufactures, chemicals, trucks, textiles | fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | US, Puerto Rico, UK (2000) | South Korea 43.2%, Singapore 15%, Japan 12.8%, China 8.2% (2006) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 26 July 1847 |
Industrial production growth rate | 3.1% (1997 est.) | NA% |
Industries | tourism, boat building, offshore financial services | rubber processing, palm oil processing, timber, diamonds |
Infant mortality rate | total: 22.8 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 29.84 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
total: 149.73 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 165.65 deaths/1,000 live births female: 133.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.3% | 15% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), OECS (associate), ECLAC (associate) | ACP, AfDB, AU, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM, OPCW (signatory), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 30 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | High Court (judge provided by Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court) | Supreme Court |
Labor force | 6,049 (2001) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | commerce 36%, services 29%, construction 18%, transportation and utilities 10%, manufacturing 3%, agriculture/fishing/forestry/mining 4% (2000 est,) | agriculture: 70%
industry: 8% services: 22% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1,585 km
border countries: Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mostly rock with sparse scrub oak, few trees, some commercial salt ponds) (1998 est.) |
arable land: 3.43%
permanent crops: 1.98% other: 94.59% (2005) |
Languages | English (official) | English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence |
Legal system | based on English common law | dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (11 seats total, 7 elected by direct popular vote, 2 ex officio members, and 2 appointed; members serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 March 2000 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ANA 3, AUP 2, ADP 1, independent 1 |
bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (30 seats; note - number of seats changed in 11 October 2005 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011); House of Representatives - last held 11 October 2005 (next to be held in 2011) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - COTOL 7, NPP 4, CDC 3, LP 3, UP 3, APD 3, other 7; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CDC 15, LP 9, COTOL 8, UP 8, APD 5, NPP 4, other 15 note: junior senators - those who received the second most votes in each county in the 11 October 2005 election - will only serve a six-year first term because the Liberian constitution mandates staggered Senate elections to ensure continuity of government; all senators will be eligible for nine-year terms thereafter |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.7 years
male: 73.79 years female: 79.7 years (2003 est.) |
total population: 40.39 years
male: 38.93 years female: 41.89 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 12 and over can read and write
total population: 95% male: 95% female: 95% (1984 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 57.5% male: 73.3% female: 41.6% (2003 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | none (2002 est.) | total: 1,948 ships (1000 GRT or over) 71,387,243 GRT/109,450,945 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 338, cargo 91, chemical tanker 211, combination ore/oil 9, container 614, liquefied gas 81, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 455, refrigerated cargo 91, roll on/roll off 6, specialized tanker 11, vehicle carrier 35 foreign-owned: 1,904 (Argentina 3, Australia 2, Belgium 1, Brazil 3, Canada 3, China 32, Croatia 5, Cyprus 5, Denmark 12, Estonia 1, France 5, Germany 728, Gibraltar 7, Greece 311, Hong Kong 21, India 2, Indonesia 1, Israel 9, Italy 31, Japan 111, South Korea 4, Kuwait 1, Latvia 15, Lebanon 2, Mexico 1, Monaco 8, Netherlands 28, Norway 42, Poland 14, Qatar 2, Russia 87, Saudi Arabia 24, Singapore 42, Slovenia 1, Sweden 11, Switzerland 11, Taiwan 82, Turkey 7, Ukraine 24, UAE 22, UK 74, US 103, Uruguay 3, Vietnam 3) (2007) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Armed Forces of Liberia (AFL): Army, Navy, Air Force |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.3% (2006 est.) |
National holiday | Anguilla Day, 30 May | Independence Day, 26 July (1847) |
Nationality | noun: Anguillan(s)
adjective: Anguillan |
noun: Liberian(s)
adjective: Liberian |
Natural hazards | frequent hurricanes and other tropical storms (July to October) | dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March) |
Natural resources | salt, fish, lobster | iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 12.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) | 26.86 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Anguilla United Party or AUP [Hubert HUGHES]; The United Front or UF [Osbourne FLEMING, Victor BANKS], a coalition of the Anguilla Democratic Party or ADP and the Anguilla National Alliance or ANA | Alliance for Peace and Democracy or APD [Togba-na TIPOTEH]; Coalition for the Transformation of Liberia or COTOL [H. Varney SHERMAN]; Congress for Democratic Change or CDC [George WEAH]; Liberty Party or LP [Charles BRUMSKINE]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Roland MASSAQUOI]; Unity Party or UP [Ellen JOHNSON SIRLEAF] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Demobilized former military officers |
Population | 12,738 (July 2003 est.) | 3,195,931 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 80% (2000 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.21% (2003 est.) | 4.836% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Blowing Point, Road Bay | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 6, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 0, FM 10, shortwave 2 (2007) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 490 km
standard gauge: 345 km 1.435-m gauge narrow gauge: 145 km 1.067-m gauge note: sections of railway are inoperable because of damage suffered during the civil war (2008) |
Religions | Anglican 40%, Methodist 33%, Seventh-Day Adventist 7%, Baptist 5%, Roman Catholic 3%, other 12% | Christian 40%, Muslim 20%, indigenous beliefs 40% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.004 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.981 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.949 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: modern internal telephone system international: microwave radio relay to island of Saint Martin (Guadeloupe and Netherlands Antilles) |
general assessment: the limited services available are found almost exclusively in the capital Monrovia; coverage extended to a number of other towns and rural areas by four mobile-cellular network operators
domestic: combined fixed and mobile-cellular teledensity only about 5 per 100 persons international: country code - 231; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 4,974 (2000) | 6,900 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 1,629 (2000) | 160,000 (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 4 (plus 4 repeaters) (2007) |
Terrain | flat and low-lying island of coral and limestone | mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast |
Total fertility rate | 1.76 children born/woman (2003 est.) | 5.94 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.7% (2001) | 85% (2003 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |