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Compare Antarctica (2003) - Saint Helena (2003)

Compare Antarctica (2003) z Saint Helena (2003)

 Antarctica (2003)Saint Helena (2003)
 AntarcticaSaint Helena
Administrative divisions - 1 administrative area and 2 dependencies*; Ascension*, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Age structure - 0-14 years: 18.9% (male 704; female 685)


15-64 years: 71.6% (male 2,732; female 2,545)


65 years and over: 9.5% (male 309; female 392) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products - corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports 30


note: 30 stations, operated by 16 national governments party to the Antarctic Treaty, have aircraft landing facilities for either helicopters and/or fixed-wing aircraft; commercial enterprises operate two additional aircraft landing facilities; helicopter pads are available at 27 stations; runways at 15 locations are gravel, sea-ice, blue-ice, or compacted snow suitable for landing wheeled, fixed-wing aircraft; of these, 1 is greater than 3 km in length, 6 are between 2 km and 3 km in length, 3 are between 1 km and 2 km in length, 3 are less than 1 km in length, and 2 are of unknown length; snow surface skiways, limited to use by ski-equipped, fixed-wing aircraft, are available at another 15 locations; of these, 4 are greater than 3 km in length, 3 are between 2 km and 3 km in length, 2 are between 1 km and 2 km in length, 2 are less than 1 km in length, and 4 are of unknown length; aircraft landing facilities generally subject to severe restrictions and limitations resulting from extreme seasonal and geographic conditions; aircraft landing facilities do not meet ICAO standards; advance approval from the respective governmental or nongovernmental operating organization required for landing; landed aircraft are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty (2002)
1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways - total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 19


over 3,047 m: 6


2,438 to 3,047 m: 3


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 5 (2002)
-
Area total: 14 million sq km


land: 14 million sq km (280,000 sq km ice-free, 13.72 million sq km ice-covered) (est.)


note: fifth-largest continent, following Asia, Africa, North America, and South America, but larger than Australia and the subcontinent of Europe
total: 410 sq km


land: 410 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
Area - comparative slightly less than 1.5 times the size of the US slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC
Background Speculation over the existence of a "southern land" was not confirmed until the early 1820s when British and American commercial operators and British and Russian national expeditions began exploring the Antarctic Peninsula region and other areas south of the Antarctic Circle. Not until 1840 was it established that Antarctica was indeed a continent and not just a group of islands. Several exploration "firsts" were achieved in the early 20th century. Following World War II, there was an upsurge in scientific research on the continent. A number of countries have set up year-round research stations on Antarctica. Seven have made territorial claims, but no other country recognizes these claims. In order to form a legal framework for the activities of nations on the continent, an Antarctic Treaty was negotiated that neither denies nor gives recognition to existing territorial claims; signed in 1959, it entered into force in 1961. Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Birth rate - 12.9 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget - revenues: $11.2 million


expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY92)
Capital - Jamestown
Climate severe low temperatures vary with latitude, elevation, and distance from the ocean; East Antarctica is colder than West Antarctica because of its higher elevation; Antarctic Peninsula has the most moderate climate; higher temperatures occur in January along the coast and average slightly below freezing Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline 17,968 km 60 km
Constitution - 1 January 1989
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Antarctica
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: Saint Helena
Currency - Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Death rate - 6.24 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external - $NA
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US - none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US - none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Antarctic Treaty freezes claims (see Antarctic Treaty Summary in Government type entry); sections (some overlapping) claimed by Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, NZ, Norway, and UK; the US and most other states do not recognize the territorial claims of other states and have made no claims themselves (the US and Russia reserve the right to do so); no claims have been made in the sector between 90 degrees west and 150 degrees west; several states with land claims in Antarctica have expressed their intention to submit data to the UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf to extend their continental shelf claims to adjoining undersea ridges none
Economic aid - recipient - $12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
Economy - overview Fishing off the coast and tourism, both based abroad, account for the limited economic activity. Antarctic fisheries in 2000-01 (1 July-30 June) reported landing 112,934 metric tons. Unregulated fishing, particularly of tooth fish, is a serious problem. Allegedly illegal fishing in antarctic waters in 1998 resulted in the seizure (by France and Australia) of at least eight fishing ships. The Convention on the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources determines the recommended catch limits for marine species. A total of 12,248 tourists visited in the 2000-01 antarctic summer, down from the 14,762 who visited the previous year. Nearly all of them were passengers on 21 commercial (nongovernmental) ships and several yachts that made trips during the summer. Most tourist trips lasted approximately two weeks. The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
Electricity - consumption - 4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production - 5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Bentley Subglacial Trench -2,555 m


highest point: Vinson Massif 4,897 m


note: the lowest known land point in Antarctica is hidden in the Bentley Subglacial Trench; at its surface is the deepest ice yet discovered and the world's lowest elevation not under seawater
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 m
Environment - current issues in 1998, NASA satellite data showed that the antarctic ozone hole was the largest on record, covering 27 million square kilometers; researchers in 1997 found that increased ultraviolet light coming through the hole damages the DNA of icefish, an antarctic fish lacking hemoglobin; ozone depletion earlier was shown to harm one-celled antarctic marine plants; in 2002, significant areas of ice shelves disintegrated in response to regional warming NA
Ethnic groups - African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Exchange rates - Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998),
Executive branch - chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Michael CLANCY (since NA October 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports - NA (2001)
Exports - commodities - fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners - US 23.7%, Japan 20.5%, Netherlands 16%, Tanzania 15.4%, Spain 6.4%, UK 5.1%, Indonesia 4.5% (2002)
Fiscal year - 1 April - 31 March
Flag description - blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
GDP - purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: NA%


industry: NA%


services: NA%
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - NA%
Geographic coordinates 90 00 S, 0 00 E 15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography - note the coldest, windiest, highest (on average), and driest continent; during summer, more solar radiation reaches the surface at the South Pole than is received at the Equator in an equivalent period; mostly uninhabitable harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Heliports 27 stations have helicopter landing facilities (helipads) (2002) -
Highways - total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km)


paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km)


unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Imports - NA (2001)
Imports - commodities - food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners - UK 47.6%, Tanzania 14.6%, Italy 12.1%, South Africa 10.9%, US 5.3% (2002)
Independence - none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate - NA%
Industries - construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Infant mortality rate - total: 20.7 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 24.66 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 16.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 3.2% (1997 est.)
International organization participation - ICFTU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) NA 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch - Supreme Court; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Labor force - 3,500


note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km


note: see entry on International disputes
0 km
Land use arable land: 0%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (ice 98%, barren rock 2%) (1998 est.)
arable land: 12.9%


permanent crops: 0%


other: 87.1% (1998 est.)
Languages - English
Legal system Antarctica is administered through meetings of the consultative member nations. Decisions from these meetings are carried out by these member nations (within their areas) in accordance with their own national laws. US law, including certain criminal offenses by or against US nationals, such as murder, may apply extra-territorially. Some US laws directly apply to Antarctica. For example, the Antarctic Conservation Act, 16 U.S.C. section 2401 et seq., provides civil and criminal penalties for the following activities, unless authorized by regulation of statute: the taking of native mammals or birds; the introduction of nonindigenous plants and animals; entry into specially protected areas; the discharge or disposal of pollutants; and the importation into the US of certain items from Antarctica. Violation of the Antarctic Conservation Act carries penalties of up to $10,000 in fines and one year in prison. The National Science Foundation and Department of Justice share enforcement responsibilities. Public Law 95-541, the US Antarctic Conservation Act of 1978, as amended in 1996, requires expeditions from the US to Antarctica to notify, in advance, the Office of Oceans, Room 5805, Department of State, Washington, DC 20520, which reports such plans to other nations as required by the Antarctic Treaty. For more information, contact Permit Office, Office of Polar Programs, National Science Foundation, Arlington, Virginia 22230; telephone: (703) 292-8030, or visit their website at www.nsf.gov. NA
Legislative branch - unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005)


election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 15
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 77.38 years


male: 74.49 years


female: 80.42 years (2003 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 20 and over can read and write


total population: 97%


male: 97%


female: 98% (1987 est.)
Location continent mostly south of the Antarctic Circle islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa
Map references Antarctic Region Africa
Maritime claims none; 20 of 27 Antarctic consultative nations have made no claims to Antarctic territory (although Russia and the US have reserved the right to do so) and do not recognize the claims of the other nations; also see the Disputes - international entry exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine - none (2002 est.)
Military - note the Antarctic Treaty prohibits any measures of a military nature, such as the establishment of military bases and fortifications, the carrying out of military maneuvers, or the testing of any type of weapon; it permits the use of military personnel or equipment for scientific research or for any other peaceful purposes defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday - Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality - noun: Saint Helenian(s)


adjective: Saint Helenian
Natural hazards katabatic (gravity-driven) winds blow coastward from the high interior; frequent blizzards form near the foot of the plateau; cyclonic storms form over the ocean and move clockwise along the coast; volcanism on Deception Island and isolated areas of West Antarctica; other seismic activity rare and weak; large icebergs may calve from ice shelf active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources iron ore, chromium, copper, gold, nickel, platinum and other minerals, and coal and hydrocarbons have been found in small uncommercial quantities; none presently exploited; krill, finfish, and crab have been taken by commercial fisheries fish
Net migration rate - 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders - none
Political pressure groups and leaders - none
Population no indigenous inhabitants, but there are seasonally staffed research stations


note: approximately 27 nations, all signatory to the Antarctic Treaty, send personnel to perform seasonal (summer) and year-round research on the continent and in its surrounding oceans; the population of persons doing and supporting science on the continent and its nearby islands south of 60 degrees south latitude (the region covered by the Antarctic Treaty) varies from approximately 4,000 in summer to 1,000 in winter; in addition, approximately 1,000 personnel including ship's crew and scientists doing onboard research are present in the waters of the treaty region; summer (January) population - 3,687 total; Argentina 302, Australia 201, Belgium 13, Brazil 80, Bulgaria 16, Chile 352, China 70, Finland 11, France 100, Germany 51, India 60, Italy 106, Japan 136, South Korea 14, Netherlands 10, NZ 60, Norway 40, Peru 28, Poland 70, Russia 254, South Africa 80, Spain 43, Sweden 20, UK 192, US 1,378 (1998-99); winter (July) population - 964 total; Argentina 165, Australia 75, Brazil 12, Chile 129, China 33, France 33, Germany 9, India 25, Japan 40, South Korea 14, NZ 10, Poland 20, Russia 102, South Africa 10, UK 39, US 248 (1998-99); year-round stations - 42 total; Argentina 6, Australia 4, Brazil 1, Chile 4, China 2, Finland 1, France 1, Germany 1, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 1, South Korea 1, NZ 1, Norway 1, Poland 1, Russia 6, South Africa 1, Spain 1, Ukraine 1, UK 2, US 3, Uruguay 1 (1998-99); summer-only stations - 32 total; Argentina 3, Australia 4, Bulgaria 1, Chile 7, Germany 1, India 1, Japan 3, NZ 1, Peru 1, Russia 3, Sweden 2, UK 5 (1998-99); in addition, during the austral summer some nations have numerous occupied locations such as tent camps, summer-long temporary facilities, and mobile traverses in support of research (July 2003 est.)
7,367 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line - NA%
Population growth rate - 0.67% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors there are no developed ports and harbors in Antarctica; most coastal stations have offshore anchorages, and supplies are transferred from ship to shore by small boats, barges, and helicopters; a few stations have a basic wharf facility; US coastal stations include McMurdo (77 51 S, 166 40 E), Palmer (64 43 S, 64 03 W); government use only except by permit (see Permit Office under "Legal System"); all ships at port are subject to inspection in accordance with Article 7, Antarctic Treaty; offshore anchorage is sparse and intermittent Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Radio broadcast stations AM NA, FM 2, shortwave 1


note: information for US bases only (2002)
AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways - 0 km
Religions - Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female


total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage - NA years of age
Telephone system general assessment: local systems at some research stations


domestic: NA


international: via satellite from some research stations
general assessment: can communicate worldwide


domestic: automatic network


international: HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascensionm, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use 0


note: information for US bases only (2001)
2,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA; Iridium system in use 0 (1997)
Television broadcast stations 1 (cable system with six channels; American Forces Antarctic Network-McMurdo)


note: information for US bases only (2002)
0


note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002)
Terrain about 98% thick continental ice sheet and 2% barren rock, with average elevations between 2,000 and 4,000 meters; mountain ranges up to nearly 5,000 meters; ice-free coastal areas include parts of southern Victoria Land, Wilkes Land, the Antarctic Peninsula area, and parts of Ross Island on McMurdo Sound; glaciers form ice shelves along about half of the coastline, and floating ice shelves constitute 11% of the area of the continent Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains


note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Total fertility rate - 1.54 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate - 14% (1998 est.)
Waterways - none
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