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Compare Austria (2004) - British Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare Austria (2004) z British Virgin Islands (2004)

 Austria (2004)British Virgin Islands (2004)
 AustriaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 9 states (Bundeslaender, singular - Bundesland); Burgenland, Kaernten, Niederoesterreich, Oberoesterreich, Salzburg, Steiermark, Tirol, Vorarlberg, Wien none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 15.9% (male 665,680; female 633,560)


15-64 years: 68.1% (male 2,799,411; female 2,764,426)


65 years and over: 16% (male 518,748; female 792,937) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)


15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911)


65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products grains, potatoes, sugar beets, wine, fruit; dairy products, cattle, pigs, poultry; lumber fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 55 (2003 est.) 3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 24


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 5


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 14 (2004 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 31


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 3


under 914 m: 27 (2004 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 83,870 sq km


land: 82,444 sq km


water: 1,426 sq km
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 Maine about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Once the center of power for the large Austro-Hungarian Empire, Austria was reduced to a small republic after its defeat in World War I. Following annexation by Nazi Germany in 1938 and subsequent occupation by the victorious Allies in 1945, Austria's status remained unclear for a decade. A State Treaty signed in 1955 ended the occupation, recognized Austria's independence, and forbade unification with Germany. A constitutional law that same year declared the country's "perpetual neutrality" as a condition for Soviet military withdrawal. Following the Soviet Union's collapse in 1991 and Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995, some Austrian's have called into question this neutrality. A prosperous, democratic country, Austria entered the European Monetary Union 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 8.9 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues: $67 billion


expenditures: $70 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital Vienna Road Town
Climate temperate; continental, cloudy; cold winters with frequent rain and some snow in lowlands and snow in mountains; moderate summers with occasional showers subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 80 km
Constitution 1920; revised 1929 (reinstated 1 May 1945) 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Austria


conventional short form: Austria


local long form: Republik Oesterreich


local short form: Oesterreich
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency euro (EUR)


note: on 1 January 1999, the European Monetary Union introduced the euro as a common currency to be used by the financial institutions of member countries; as of 1 January 2002, the euro became the only legal tender in EMU member countries, including Austria
US dollar (USD)
Death rate 9.56 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $15.5 billion (2003 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador William Lee LYONS BROWN, Jr.


embassy: Boltzmanngasse 16, A-1090, Vienna


mailing address: use embassy street address


telephone: [43] (1) 31339-0, 31375, 31335


FAX: [43] (1) 3100682
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Eva NOWOTNY


chancery: 3524 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20008-3035


telephone: [1] (202) 895-6700


FAX: [1] (202) 895-6750


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, and New York
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international minor disputes with the Czech Republic over the Temelin Nuclear Power Plant none
Economic aid - donor ODA, $520 million (2002) -
Economic aid - recipient - NA
Economy - overview Austria, with its well-developed market economy and high standard of living, is closely tied to other EU economies, especially Germany's. Membership in the EU has drawn an influx of foreign investors attracted by Austria's access to the single European market and proximity to EU aspirant economies. Slow growth in Germany and elsewhere in the world held the economy to 0.7% growth in 2001, 1.4% in 2002, and again less than 1% in 2003. However, recent data signal that the recovery has started. The government estimates economic growth in 2004 of 1.7-2.1% and of 2.5% in 2005. The government is planning a EURO 500 billion income tax cut in 2004, though some economists doubt it will have stimulative effects in 2004, because it will be offset by higher health insurance contributions and higher taxes on energy. For 2005, Austria plans a tax cut of EURO 2.5 billion and harmonization of the various pension schemes. To meet increased competition from both EU and Central European countries, particularly the new EU members, Austria will need to emphasize knowledge-based sectors of the economy, continue to deregulate the service sector, and lower its tax burden. A key issue is the encouragement of much greater participation in the labor market by its aging population. 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 54.85 billion kWh (2001) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 14.25 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 14.47 billion kWh (2001) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 58.75 billion kWh (2001) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Neusiedler See 115 m


highest point: Grossglockner 3,798 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues some forest degradation caused by air and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of agricultural chemicals; air pollution results from emissions by coal- and oil-fired power stations and industrial plants and from trucks transiting Austria between northern and southern Europe 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: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants
-
Ethnic groups German 88.5%, indigenous minorities 1.5% (includes Croatians, Slovenes, Hungarians, Czechs, Slovaks, Roma), recent immigrant groups 10% (includes Turks, Bosnians, Serbians, Croatians) (2001) black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Heinz FISCHER (since 8 July 2004)


head of government: Chancellor Wolfgang SCHUESSEL (OeVP)(since 4 February 2000); Vice Chancellor Hubert GORBACH (since 21 October 2003)


cabinet: Council of Ministers chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


elections: president elected by direct popular vote for a six-year term; presidential election last held 25 April 2004 (next to be held NA April 2010); chancellor traditionally chosen by the president from the plurality party in the National Council; vice chancellor chosen by the president on the advice of the chancellor


election results: Heinz FISCHER elected president; percent of vote - Heinz FISCHER (SPOe) 52.4%, Benita FERRERO-WALDNER (OeVP) 47.6%


note: government coalition - OeVP and FPOe
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 D. 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 35,470 bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles and parts, paper and paperboard, metal goods, chemicals, iron and steel; textiles, foodstuffs rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Germany 31.9%, Italy 9.6%, Switzerland 5.2%, US 4.9%, France 4.8%, UK 4.7% (2003) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and red 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 - $245.3 billion (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 3.5%


industry: 25.7%


services: 70.9% (2003 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $30,000 (2003 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 0.7% (2003 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 47 20 N, 13 20 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note landlocked; strategic location at the crossroads of central Europe with many easily traversable Alpine passes and valleys; major river is the Danube; population is concentrated on eastern lowlands because of steep slopes, poor soils, and low temperatures elsewhere strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports 1 (2003 est.) -
Highways total: 200,000 km


paved: 200,000 km (including 1,633 km of expressways)


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 2.5%


highest 10%: 22.5% (1995)
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine destined for Western Europe transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports 262,000 bbl/day (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, chemicals, metal goods, oil and oil products; foodstuffs building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Germany 43.2%, Italy 6.7%, Hungary 5.4%, Switzerland 5%, Netherlands 4.2% (2003) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 1156 (Duchy of Austria founded); 12 November 1918 (republic proclaimed) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 1.9% (2003 est.) NA
Industries construction, machinery, vehicles and parts, food, chemicals, lumber and wood processing, paper and paperboard, communications equipment, tourism tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.76 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 3.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 1.4% (2003 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, BSEC (observer), CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO, ZC Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land 457 sq km (2000 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Judicial Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Administrative Court or Verwaltungsgerichtshof; Constitutional Court or Verfassungsgerichtshof 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 3.425 million (2003) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture and forestry 4%, industry and crafts 29%, services 67% (2001 est.) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries total: 2,562 km


border countries: Czech Republic 362 km, Germany 784 km, Hungary 366 km, Italy 430 km, Liechtenstein 35 km, Slovakia 91 km, Slovenia 330 km, Switzerland 164 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 16.91%


permanent crops: 0.86%


other: 82.23% (2001)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages German (official nationwide), Slovene (official in Carinthia), Croatian (official in Burgenland), Hungarian (official in Burgenland) English (official)
Legal system civil law system with Roman law origin; judicial review of legislative acts by the Constitutional Court; separate administrative and civil/penal supreme courts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch bicameral Federal Assembly or Bundesversammlung consists of Federal Council or Bundesrat (62 members; members represent each of the states on the basis of population, but with each state having at least three representatives; members serve a five- or six-year term) and the National Council or Nationalrat (183 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: National Council - last held 24 November 2002 (next to be held in the fall of 2006)


election results: National Council - percent of vote by party - OeVP 42.3%, SPOe 36.5%, FPOe 10.0%, Greens 9.5%; seats by party - OeVP 79, SPOe 69, FPOe 18, Greens 17
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: 78.87 years


male: 76 years


female: 81.89 years (2004 est.)
total population: 76.27 years


male: 75.24 years


female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 98%


male: NA


female: NA
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
Location Central Europe, north of Italy and Slovenia Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Europe Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 29,624 GRT/37,425 DWT


by type: cargo 4, container 2


foreign-owned: Netherlands 1


registered in other countries: 34 (2004 est.)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT


by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: Norway 1


registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Land Forces (KdoLdSK), Air Forces (KdoLuSK) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $1.497 billion (FY01/02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 0.85% (June 2004) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 2,066,467 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 1,699,384 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 48,981 (2004 est.) -
National holiday National Day, 26 October (1955); note - commemorates the State Treaty restoring national sovereignty and the end of occupation and the passage of the law on permanent neutrality Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Austrian(s)


adjective: Austrian
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards landslides; avalanches; earthquakes hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources oil, coal, lignite, timber, iron ore, copper, zinc, antimony, magnesite, tungsten, graphite, salt, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate 2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,722 km; oil 663 km; refined products 149 km (2004) -
Political parties and leaders Austrian People's Party or OeVP [Wolfgang SCHUESSEL]; Freedom Party of Austria or FPOe [Ursula HAUBNER]; Social Democratic Party of Austria or SPOe [Alfred GUSENBAUER]; The Greens [Alexander VAN DER BELLEN] 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 Austrian Trade Union Federation (nominally independent but primarily Socialist) or OeGB; Federal Economic Chamber; OeVP-oriented League of Austrian Industrialists or VOeI; Roman Catholic Church, including its chief lay organization, Catholic Action; three composite leagues of the Austrian People's Party or OeVP representing business, labor, and farmers and other non-government organizations in the areas of environment and human rights NA
Population 8,174,762 (July 2004 est.) 22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 3.9% (1999) NA
Population growth rate 0.14% (2004 est.) 2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Enns, Krems, Linz, Vienna Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 65 (plus several hundred repeaters), shortwave 1 (2001) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 6,021 km (3,552 km electrified)


standard gauge: 5,565 km 1.435-m gauge (3,430 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 34 km 1.000-m gauge (28 km electrified); 422 km 0.760-m gauge (94 km electrified) (2003)
-
Religions Roman Catholic 73.6%, Protestant 4.7%, Muslim 4.2%, other 0.1%, none 17.4% 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: 1.01 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 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: 1.13 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal; compulsory for presidential elections 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: highly developed and efficient


domestic: there are 48 main lines for every 100 persons; the fiber optic net is very extensive; all telephone applications and Internet services are available


international: country code - 43; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat; in addition, there are about 600 VSAT (very small aperture terminals) (2002)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 3.881 million (2003) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 7,094,500 (2003) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 10 (plus more than 1,000 repeaters) (2001) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain in the west and south mostly mountains (Alps); along the eastern and northern margins mostly flat or gently sloping coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 1.35 children born/woman (2004 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 4.4% (2003 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways 358 km (2003) -
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