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Compare Belgium (2005) - American Samoa (2005)
Compare Belgium (2005) z American Samoa (2005)
| Belgium (2005) | American Samoa (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | 10 provinces (French: provinces, singular - province; Dutch: provincies, singular - provincie) and 3 regions* (French: regions; Dutch: gewesten); Antwerpen, Brabant Wallon, Brussels* (Bruxelles), Flanders*, Hainaut, Liege, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, Oost-Vlaanderen, Vlaams-Brabant, Wallonia*, West-Vlaanderen
note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities |
none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three districts and two islands* at the second order; Eastern, Manu'a, Rose Island*, Swains Island*, Western |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 16.9% (male 892,995/female 855,177)
15-64 years: 65.7% (male 3,435,282/female 3,373,917) 65 years and over: 17.4% (male 745,178/female 1,061,839) (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 35.7% (male 10,705/female 9,956)
15-64 years: 61.3% (male 18,351/female 17,125) 65 years and over: 3% (male 664/female 1,080) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | sugar beets, fresh vegetables, fruits, grain, tobacco; beef, veal, pork, milk | bananas, coconuts, vegetables, taro, breadfruit, yams, copra, pineapples, papayas; dairy products, livestock |
| Airports | 43 (2004 est.) | 3 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 25
over 3,047 m: 6 2,438 to 3,047 m: 8 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.) |
total: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 18
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 16 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Area | total: 30,528 sq km
land: 30,278 sq km water: 250 sq km |
total: 199 sq km
land: 199 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Rose Island and Swains Island |
| Area - comparative | about the size of Maryland | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
| Background | Belgium became independent from the Netherlands in 1830 and was occupied by Germany during World Wars I and II. It has prospered in the past half century as a modern, technologically advanced European state and member of NATO and the EU. Tensions between the Dutch-speaking Flemings of the north and the French-speaking Walloons of the south have led in recent years to constitutional amendments granting these regions formal recognition and autonomy. | Settled as early as 1000 B.C., Samoa was "discovered" by European explorers in the 18th century. International rivalries in the latter half of the 19th century were settled by an 1899 treaty in which Germany and the US divided the Samoan archipelago. The US formally occupied its portion - a smaller group of eastern islands with the excellent harbor of Pago Pago - the following year. |
| Birth rate | 10.48 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 23.13 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $173.7 billion
expenditures: $174.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $1.56 billion (2004 est.) |
revenues: $121 million (37% in local revenue and 63% in US grants)
expenditures: $127 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY96/97) |
| Capital | Brussels | Pago Pago |
| Climate | temperate; mild winters, cool summers; rainy, humid, cloudy | tropical marine, moderated by southeast trade winds; annual rainfall averages about 3 m; rainy season from November to April, dry season from May to October; little seasonal temperature variation |
| Coastline | 66.5 km | 116 km |
| Constitution | 7 February 1831; amended many times; revised 14 July 1993 to create a federal state | ratified 2 June 1966, effective 1 July 1967 |
| Country name | conventional long form: Kingdom of Belgium
conventional short form: Belgium local long form: Royaume de Belgique/Koninkrijk Belgie local short form: Belgique/Belgie |
conventional long form: Territory of American Samoa
conventional short form: American Samoa abbreviation: AS |
| Death rate | 10.22 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | 3.33 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $28.3 billion (1999 est.) | $NA |
| Dependency status | - | unincorporated and unorganized territory of the US; administered by the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Tom C. KOROLOGOS
embassy: Regentlaan 27 Boulevard du Regent, B-1000 Brussels mailing address: PSC 82, Box 002, APO AE 09710 telephone: [32] (2) 508-2111 FAX: [32] (2) 511-2725 |
none (territory of the US) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission: Ambassador Franciskus VAN DAELE
chancery: 3330 Garfield Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-6900 FAX: [1] (202) 333-3079 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Los Angeles, and New York |
none (territory of the US) |
| Disputes - international | none | none |
| Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.072 billion (2002) | - |
| Economic aid - recipient | - | important financial support from the US, more than $40 million in 1994 |
| Economy - overview | This modern private enterprise economy has capitalized on its central geographic location, highly developed transport network, and diversified industrial and commercial base. Industry is concentrated mainly in the populous Flemish area in the north. With few natural resources, Belgium must import substantial quantities of raw materials and export a large volume of manufactures, making its economy unusually dependent on the state of world markets. Roughly three-quarters of its trade is with other EU countries. Public debt is nearly 100% of GDP. On the positive side, the government has succeeded in balancing its budget, and income distribution is relatively equal. Belgium began circulating the euro currency in January 2002. Economic growth in 2001-03 dropped sharply because of the global economic slowdown, with moderate recovery in 2004. | This is a traditional Polynesian economy in which more than 90% of the land is communally owned. Economic activity is strongly linked to the US, with which American Samoa conducts most of its foreign trade. Tuna fishing and tuna processing plants are the backbone of the private sector, with canned tuna the primary export. Transfers from the US Government add substantially to American Samoa's economic well-being. Attempts by the government to develop a larger and broader economy are restrained by Samoa's remote location, its limited transportation, and its devastating hurricanes. Tourism is a promising developing sector. |
| Electricity - consumption | 78.82 billion kWh (2002) | 120.9 million kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | 9.1 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 16.7 billion kWh (2002) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | 76.58 billion kWh (2002) | 130 million kWh (2002) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: North Sea 0 m
highest point: Signal de Botrange 694 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Lata 966 m |
| Environment - current issues | the environment is exposed to intense pressures from human activities: urbanization, dense transportation network, industry, extensive animal breeding and crop cultivation; air and water pollution also have repercussions for neighboring countries; uncertainties regarding federal and regional responsibilities (now resolved) have slowed progress in tackling environmental challenges | limited natural fresh water resources; the water division of the government has spent substantial funds in the past few years to improve water catchments and pipelines |
| Environment - international agreements | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants |
- |
| Ethnic groups | Fleming 58%, Walloon 31%, mixed or other 11% | native Pacific islander 92.9%, Asian 2.9%, white 1.2%, mixed 2.8%, other 0.2% (2000 census) |
| Exchange rates | euros per US dollar - 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000) | the US dollar is used |
| Executive branch | chief of state: King ALBERT II (since 9 August 1993); Heir Apparent Prince PHILIPPE, son of the monarch
head of government: Prime Minister Guy VERHOFSTADT (since 13 July 1999) cabinet: Council of Ministers formally appointed by the monarch elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the monarch and then approved by parliament note: government coalition - VLD, MR, PS, SP.A-Spirit |
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001) and Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Togiola TULAFONO (since 7 April 2003) cabinet: cabinet made up of 12 department directors elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 and 16 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: Togiola TULAFONO elected governor; percent of vote - Togiola TULAFONO 55.7%, Afoa Moega LUTU 44.3% |
| Exports | 450,000 bbl/day (2001) | NA |
| Exports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, metals and metal products, foodstuffs | canned tuna 93% |
| Exports - partners | Germany 19.9%, France 17.2%, Netherlands 11.8%, UK 8.6%, US 6.5%, Italy 5.2% (2004) | Samoa 39.8%, Australia 19.9%, Japan 15.1%, New Zealand 10.5% (2004) |
| Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 October - 30 September |
| Flag description | three equal vertical bands of black (hoist side), yellow, and red; the design was based on the flag of France | blue, with a white triangle edged in red that is based on the outer side and extends to the hoist side; a brown and white American bald eagle flying toward the hoist side is carrying two traditional Samoan symbols of authority, a staff and a war club |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1.3%
industry: 25.7% services: 73% (2004 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $30,600 (2004 est.) | purchasing power parity - $8,000 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.6% (2004 est.) | NA |
| Geographic coordinates | 50 50 N, 4 00 E | 14 20 S, 170 00 W |
| Geography - note | crossroads of Western Europe; majority of West European capitals within 1,000 km of Brussels, the seat of both the European Union and NATO | Pago Pago has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the South Pacific Ocean, sheltered by shape from rough seas and protected by peripheral mountains from high winds; strategic location in the South Pacific Ocean |
| Heliports | 1 (2004 est.) | - |
| Highways | total: 149,028 km
paved: 116,540 km (including 1,729 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,488 km (2002) |
total: 185 km
paved: 185 km unpaved: 0 km (2004) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: 3.2%
highest 10%: 23% (1996) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | growing producer of synthetic drugs; transit point for US-bound ecstasy; source of precursor chemicals for South American cocaine processors; transshipment point for cocaine, heroin, hashish, and marijuana entering Western Europe; despite a strengthening of legislation, the country remains vulnerable to money laundering related to narcotics, automobiles, alcohol, and tobacco | - |
| Imports | 1.042 million bbl/day (2001) | NA |
| Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, chemicals, diamonds, pharmaceuticals, foodstuffs, transportation equipment, oil products | materials for canneries 56%, food 8%, petroleum products 7%, machinery and parts 6% |
| Imports - partners | Germany 18.4%, Netherlands 17%, France 12.5%, UK 6.8%, Ireland 6.3%, US 5.5% (2004) | Japan 31.4%, New Zealand 27.9%, Germany 17.1%, Australia 8.9% (2004) |
| Independence | 4 October 1830 (a provisional government declares independence from the Netherlands); 21 July 1831 (King Leopold I ascends to the throne) | none (territory of the US) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 3.5% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| Industries | engineering and metal products, motor vehicle assembly, transportation equipment, scientific instruments, processed food and beverages, chemicals, basic metals, textiles, glass, petroleum | tuna canneries (largely supplied by foreign fishing vessels), handicrafts |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 4.68 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.27 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.06 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
total: 9.27 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.85 deaths/1,000 live births female: 8.65 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 1.9% (2004 est.) | NA% |
| International organization participation | ACCT, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, Benelux, BIS, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, MONUC, NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, Paris Club, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNRWA, UNTSO, UPU, WADB (nonregional), WCL, WCO, WEU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC | Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU |
| Irrigated land | 40 sq km (includes Luxembourg) (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
| Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Justice or Hof van Cassatie (in Dutch) or Cour de Cassation (in French) (judges are appointed for life by the Government; candidacies have to be submitted by the High Justice Council) | High Court (chief justice and associate justices are appointed by the US Secretary of the Interior) |
| Labor force | 4.75 million (2004 est.) | 14,000 (1996) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1.3%, industry 24.5%, services 74.2% (2003 est.) | tuna canneries 34%, government 33%, other 33% (1990) |
| Land boundaries | total: 1,385 km
border countries: France 620 km, Germany 167 km, Luxembourg 148 km, Netherlands 450 km |
0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 23.28%
permanent crops: 0.4% other: 76.32% note: includes Luxembourg (2001) |
arable land: 10%
permanent crops: 15% other: 75% (2001) |
| Languages | Dutch (official) 60%, French (official) 40%, German (official) less than 1%, legally bilingual (Dutch and French) | Samoan 90.6% (closely related to Hawaiian and other Polynesian languages), English 2.9%, Tongan 2.4%, other Pacific islander 2.1%, other 2%
note: most people are bilingual (2000 census) |
| Legal system | civil law system influenced by English constitutional theory; judicial review of legislative acts; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | NA |
| Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament consists of a Senate or Senaat in Dutch, Senat in French (71 seats; 40 members are directly elected by popular vote, 31 are indirectly elected; members serve four-year terms) and a Chamber of Deputies or Kamer van Volksvertegenwoordigers in Dutch, Chambre des Representants in French (150 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate and Chamber of Deputies - last held 18 May 2003 (next to be held no later than May 2007) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - SP.A-Spirit 15.5%, VLD 15.4%, CD & V 12.7%, PS 12.8%, MR 12.1%, VB 9.4%, CDH 5.6%; seats by party - SP.A-Spirit 7, VLD 7, CD & V 6, PS 6, MR 5, VB 5, CDH 2, other 2 (note - there are also 31 indirectly elected senators); Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - VLD 15.4%, SP.A-Spirit 14.9%, CD & V 13.3%, PS 13.0%, VB 11.6%, MR 11.4%, CDH 5.5%, Ecolo 3.1%; seats by party - VLD 25, SP.A-Spirit 23, CD & V 21, PS 25, VB 18, MR 24, CDH 8 Ecolo 4, other 2 note: as a result of the 1993 constitutional revision that furthered devolution into a federal state, there are now three levels of government (federal, regional, and linguistic community) with a complex division of responsibilities; this reality leaves six governments each with its own legislative assembly |
bicameral Fono or Legislative Assembly consists of the House of Representatives (21 seats - 20 of which are elected by popular vote and 1 is an appointed, nonvoting delegate from Swains Island; members serve two-year terms) and the Senate (18 seats; members are elected from local chiefs and serve four-year terms)
elections: House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008) election results: House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - independents 18 note: American Samoa elects one nonvoting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2006); results - Eni F. H. FALEOMAVAEGA (Democrat) reelected as delegate |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 78.62 years
male: 75.44 years female: 81.94 years (2005 est.) |
total population: 75.84 years
male: 72.27 years female: 79.62 years (2005 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% male: 98% female: 97% (1980 est.) |
| Location | Western Europe, bordering the North Sea, between France and the Netherlands | Oceania, group of islands in the South Pacific Ocean, about half way between Hawaii and New Zealand |
| Map references | Europe | Oceania |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: geographic coordinates define outer limit continental shelf: median line with neighbors |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
| Merchant marine | total: 53 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,146,301 GRT/1,588,184 DWT
by type: bulk carrier 15, cargo 2, chemical tanker 2, container 8, liquefied gas 17, petroleum tanker 9 foreign-owned: 12 (Denmark 4, France 4, Greece 4) registered in other countries: 101 (2005) |
- |
| Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
| Military branches | Land, Naval, and Air Components (2005) | - |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | $3.999 billion (2003) | - |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.3% (2003) | - |
| National holiday | 21 July (1831) ascension to the Throne of King Leopold I | Flag Day, 17 April (1900) |
| Nationality | noun: Belgian(s)
adjective: Belgian |
noun: American Samoan(s)
adjective: American Samoan |
| Natural hazards | flooding is a threat along rivers and in areas of reclaimed coastal land, protected from the sea by concrete dikes | typhoons common from December to March |
| Natural resources | construction materials, silica sand, carbonates | pumice, pumicite |
| Net migration rate | 1.23 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | -20.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Pipelines | gas 1,485 km; oil 158 km; refined products 535 km (2004) | - |
| Political parties and leaders | Flemish parties: Christian Democrats and Flemish or CD & V [Jo VANDEURZEN]; Flemish Liberal Democrats or VLD [Bart SOMERS]; GROEN! (formerly AGALEV, Flemish Greens) [Vera DUA]; New Flemish Alliance or NVA [Bart DE WEVER]; Socialist Party.Alternative or SP.A [Caroline GENNEZ]; Spirit [Geert LAMBERT] (new party now associated with SP.A); Vlaams Belang (Flemish Interest) or VB [Frank VANHECKE]
Francophone parties: Ecolo (Francophone Greens) [Jean-Michel JAVAUX, Evelyne HUYTEBROECK, Claude BROUIR]; Humanist and Democratic Center of CDH [Joelle MILQUET]; National Front or FN [Daniel FERET]; Reformist Movement or MR [Didier REYNDERS]; Socialist Party or PS [Elio DI RUPO]; other minor parties |
Democratic Party [Oreta M. TOGAFAU]; Republican Party [Tautai A. F. FAALEVAO] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | Christian, Socialist, and Liberal Trade Unions; Federation of Belgian Industries; numerous other associations representing bankers, manufacturers, middle-class artisans, and the legal and medical professions; various organizations represent the cultural interests of Flanders and Wallonia; various peace groups such as Pax Christi and groups representing immigrants | NA |
| Population | 10,364,388 (July 2005 est.) | 57,881 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | 4% (1989 est.) | NA |
| Population growth rate | 0.15% (2005 est.) | -0.11% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Antwerp, Brussels, Gent, Liege, Oostende, Zeebrugge | Pago Pago |
| Radio broadcast stations | FM 79, AM 7, shortwave 1 (1998) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2004) |
| Railways | total: 3,521 km
standard gauge: 3,521 km 1.435-m gauge (2,927 km electrified) (2004) |
- |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 75%, Protestant or other 25% | Christian Congregationalist 50%, Roman Catholic 20%, Protestant and other 30% |
| Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory | 18 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: highly developed, technologically advanced, and completely automated domestic and international telephone and telegraph facilities
domestic: nationwide cellular telephone system; extensive cable network; limited microwave radio relay network international: country code - 32; 5 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) and 1 Eutelsat |
general assessment: NA
domestic: good telex, telegraph, facsimile and cellular telephone services; domestic satellite system with 1 Comsat earth station international: country code - 1-684; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 5,120,400 (2002) | 15,000 (2001) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,135,500 (2002) | 2,377 (1999) |
| Television broadcast stations | 25 (plus 10 repeaters) (1997) | 1; note - one cable TV station (2004) |
| Terrain | flat coastal plains in northwest, central rolling hills, rugged mountains of Ardennes Forest in southeast | five volcanic islands with rugged peaks and limited coastal plains, two coral atolls (Rose Island, Swains Island) |
| Total fertility rate | 1.64 children born/woman (2005 est.) | 3.25 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 12% (first half, 2004) | 6% (2000) |
| Waterways | 2,043 km (1,528 km in regular commercial use) (2003) | - |
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