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Compare Australia (2001) - British Virgin Islands (2003)

Compare Australia (2001) z British Virgin Islands (2003)

 Australia (2001)British Virgin Islands (2003)
 AustraliaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years:
20.64% (male 2,045,892; female 1,948,949)

15-64 years:
66.86% (male 6,538,096; female 6,405,014)

65 years and over:
12.5% (male 1,059,107; female 1,360,536) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 2,401; female 2,358)


15-64 years: 73.1% (male 8,181; female 7,709)


65 years and over: 5% (male 578; female 503) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits; cattle, sheep, poultry fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 411 (2000 est.) 3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total:
271

over 3,047 m:
10

2,438 to 3,047 m:
12

1,524 to 2,437 m:
118

914 to 1,523 m:
122

under 914 m:
9 (2000 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
140

1,524 to 2,437 m:
17

914 to 1,523 m:
112

under 914 m:
11 (2000 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Area total:
7,686,850 sq km

land:
7,617,930 sq km

water:
68,920 sq km

note:
includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
total: 153 sq km


land: 153 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative slightly smaller than the contiguous 48 states of the US about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Australia became a commonwealth of the British Empire in 1901. It was able to take advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop its agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. Long-term concerns include pollution, particularly depletion of the ozone layer, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef. A referendum to change Australia's status, from a commonwealth headed by the British monarch to an independent republic, was defeated in 1999. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate 12.86 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues:
$94 billion

expenditures:
$103 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital Canberra Road Town
Climate generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 25,760 km 80 km
Constitution 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form:
Commonwealth of Australia

conventional short form:
Australia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency Australian dollar (AUD) US dollar (USD)
Death rate 7.18 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $220.6 billion (2000) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Edward W. GNEHM, Jr.

embassy:
Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600

mailing address:
APO AP 96549

telephone:
[61] (02) 6214-5600

FAX:
[61] (02) 6214-5970

consulate(s) general:
Sydney

consulate(s):
Melbourne and Perth
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael THAWLEY

chancery:
1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036

telephone:
[1] (202) 797-3000

FAX:
[1] (202) 797-3168

consulate(s) general:
Atlanta, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, and San Francisco
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international territorial claim in Antarctica (Australian Antarctic Territory) none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $1.43 billion (FY97/98) -
Economic aid - recipient - NA%
Economy - overview Australia has a prosperous Western-style capitalist economy, with a per capita GDP at the level of the four dominant West European economies. Rich in natural resources, Australia is a major exporter of agricultural products, minerals, metals, and fossil fuels. Commodities account for 57% of the value of total exports, so that a downturn in world commodity prices can have a big impact on the economy. The government is pushing for increased exports of manufactured goods, but competition in international markets continues to be severe. While Australia has suffered from the low growth and high unemployment characterizing the OECD countries in the early 1990s and during the recent financial problems in East Asia, the economy has expanded at a solid 4% annual growth pace in the last five years. Canberra's emphasis on reforms is a key factor behind the economy's resilience to the regional crisis and its stronger than expected growth rate. Growth in 2001 will depend on key international commodity prices, the extent of recovery in nearby Asian economies, and the strength of US and European markets. The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption 178.306 billion kWh (1999) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 191.727 billion kWh (1999) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
89.93%

hydro:
8.36%

nuclear:
0%

other:
1.71% (1999)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Lake Eyre -15 m

highest point:
Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues soil erosion from overgrazing, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
Environment - international agreements party to:
Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
-
Ethnic groups Caucasian 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1% black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.7995 (January 2001), 1.7173 (2000), 1.5497 (1999), 1.5888 (1998), 1.3439 (1997), 1.2773 (1996) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Rev. Peter HOLLINGSWORTH (since 29 June 2001)

head of government:
Prime Minister John Winston HOWARD (since 11 March 1996); Deputy Prime Minister John ANDERSON (since NA)

cabinet:
Cabinet selected from among the members of Federal Parliament by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister

elections:
none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general for a three-year term

note:
government coalition - Liberal Party and National Party
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)


head of government: Chief Minister Orlando SMITH (since 17 June 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


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
Exports $69 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities coal, gold, meat, wool, alumina, iron ore, wheat, machinery and transport equipment rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Japan 19%, EU 14%, ASEAN 12%, US 9%, South Korea, NZ, Taiwan, Hong Kong, China (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year 1 July - 30 June 1 April - 31 March
Flag description blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant; the remaining half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four, larger, seven-pointed stars blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP purchasing power parity - $445.8 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
3%

industry:
26%

services:
71% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $23,200 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 4.7% (2000 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 27 00 S, 133 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; regular, tropical, invigorating, sea breeze known as "the Doctor" occurs along the west coast in the summer strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total:
913,000 km

paved:
353,331 km (including 1,363 km of expressways)

unpaved:
559,669 km (1996)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
2%

highest 10%:
25.4% (1994)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center
Imports $77 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners EU 24%, US 22%, Japan 14%, ASEAN 13% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 1.5% (1999 est.) NA
Industries mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate 4.97 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2000 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation ANZUS, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, PCA, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNMEE, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 264 (2000) 16 (2000)
Irrigated land 21,070 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general) Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force 9.5 million (December 1999) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation services 73%, industry 22%, agriculture 5% (1997 est.) agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land:
6%

permanent crops:
0%

permanent pastures:
54%

forests and woodland:
19%

other:
21% (1993 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
Languages English, native languages English (official)
Legal system based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations English law
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats - 12 from each of the six states and two from each of the two territories; one-half of the members elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the House of Representatives (148 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve three-year terms; no state can have fewer than five representatives)

elections:
Senate - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001); House of Representatives - last held 3 October 1998 (next to be held by October 2001)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 35, Australian Labor Party 29, Australian Democratic Party 9, Green Party 1, One Nation Party 1, independent 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 80, Australian Labor Party 67, independent 1
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population:
79.87 years

male:
77.02 years

female:
82.87 years (2001 est.)
total population: 76.06 years


male: 75.07 years


female: 77.1 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
100%

male:
100%

female:
100% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Oceania Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine total:
54 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,558,371 GRT/2,038,776 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 26, cargo 3, chemical tanker 5, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 6 (2000 est.)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 19,203 GRT/28,864 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $6.9 billion (FY98/99) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 1.9% (FY98/99) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
4,990,107 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
4,303,966 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 17 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
138,971 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Australia Day, 26 January (1788) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun:
Australian(s)

adjective:
Australian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards cyclones along the coast; severe droughts hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum NEGL
Net migration rate 4.19 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines crude oil 2,500 km; petroleum products 500 km; natural gas 5,600 km -
Political parties and leaders Australian Democratic Party [Meg LEES]; Australian Labor Party [Kim BEAZLEY]; Green Party [Bob BROWN]; Liberal Party [John Winston HOWARD]; National Party [John ANDERSON]; One Nation Party [Pauline HANSON] Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders Australian Democratic Labor Party (anti-Communist Labor Party splinter group); Peace and Nuclear Disarmament Action (Nuclear Disarmament Party splinter group) NA
Population 19,357,594 (July 2001 est.) 21,730 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 0.99% (2001 est.) 2.1% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors Adelaide, Brisbane, Cairns, Darwin, Devonport (Tasmania), Fremantle, Geelong, Hobart (Tasmania), Launceston (Tasmania), Mackay, Melbourne, Sydney, Townsville Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 25.5 million (1997) -
Railways total:
33,819 km (2,540 km electrified)

broad gauge:
3,719 km 1.600-m gauge

standard gauge:
15,422 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
14,506 km 1.067-m gauge

dual gauge:
172 km NA gauges (1999)
0 km
Religions Anglican 26.1%, Roman Catholic 26%, other Christian 24.3%, non-Christian 11% Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.99 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
excellent domestic and international service

domestic:
domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones

international:
submarine cables to New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Indonesia; satellite earth stations - 10 Intelsat (4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean), 2 Inmarsat (Indian and Pacific Ocean regions) (1998)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 9.58 million (1998) 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 6.4 million (1998) NA
Television broadcast stations 104 (1997) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 1.77 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 6.4% (2000) 3% (1995)
Waterways 8,368 km (mainly used by small, shallow-draft craft) none
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