Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005) - Western Sahara (2004)

Compare Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005) z Western Sahara (2004)

	Ashmore and Cartier Islands (2005)	Western Sahara (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	none (under de facto control of Morocco)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	-	fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads)
Airports	-	11 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 5 sq km land: 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Ashmore Reef (West, Middle, and East Islets) and Cartier Island	total: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	about the size of Colorado
Background	These uninhabited islands came under Australian authority in 1931; formal administration began two years later. Ashmore Reef supports a rich and diverse avian and marine habitat; in 1983, it became a National Nature Reserve. Cartier Island, a former bombing range, is now a marine reserve.	Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate	-	NA births/1,000 population
Budget	-	revenues: NA expenditures: NA, including capital expenditures of NA
Capital	-	none
Climate	tropical	hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline	74.1 km	1,110 km
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Ashmore and Cartier Islands conventional short form: Ashmore and Cartier Islands	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara
Currency	-	Moroccan dirham (MAD)
Death rate	-	NA deaths/1,000 population
Debt - external	-	NA
Dependency status	territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	none
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	none
Disputes - international	Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore Reef; Australia closed the surrounding waters to Indonesian traditional fishing and created a national park in the region while continuing to prospect for hydrocarbons in the vicinity	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved - UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991 but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
Economy - overview	no economic activity	Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level.
Electricity - consumption	-	83.7 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	-	90 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 3 m	lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 m
Environment - current issues	NA	sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Arab, Berber
Exchange rates	-	Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 9.574 (2003), 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999)
Executive branch	-	none
Exports	-	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	phosphates 62%
Exports - partners	-	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	the flag of Australia is used	-
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: 40% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - NA
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA
Geographic coordinates	12 14 S, 123 05 E	24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note	Ashmore Reef National Nature Reserve established in August 1983	the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
Highways	-	total: 6,200 km paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	-	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners	-	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA
Industries	-	phosphate mining, handicrafts
Infant mortality rate	-	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	NA
International organization participation	-	none
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Labor force	-	12,000
Labor force - by occupation	-	animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50%
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (all grass and sand) (2001)	arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2001)
Languages	-	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system	the laws of the Commonwealth of Australia and the laws of the Northern Territory of Australia, where applicable, apply	-
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Location	Southeastern Asia, islands in the Indian Ocean, midway between northwestern Australia and Timor island	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references	Southeast Asia	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia; periodic visits by the Royal Australian Navy and Royal Australian Air Force	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	NA
Nationality	-	noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi,Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards	surrounded by shoals and reefs that can pose maritime hazards	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources	fish	phosphates, iron ore
People - note	the landing of illegal immigrants from Indonesia's Rote Island has become an ongoing problem	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	none
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: Indonesian fishermen are allowed access to the lagoon and fresh water at Ashmore Reef's West Island (July 2005 est.)	267,405 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	NA
Ports and harbors	none; offshore anchorage only	Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun)
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	-	Muslim
Sex ratio	-	NA
Suffrage	-	none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
Telephone system	-	general assessment: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use	-	about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	-	NA
Terrain	low with sand and coral	mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate	-	NA children born/woman
Unemployment rate	-	NA

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