Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2001) - Albania (2005)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2001) z Albania (2005)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2001)	Albania (2005)

Administrative divisions	-	12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 25.6% (male 476,989/female 434,298) 15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,199,964/female 1,144,886) 65 years and over: 8.6% (male 141,559/female 165,416) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products
Airports	1 (2000 est.)	11 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 8 over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 28,748 sq km land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Maryland
Background	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier resident in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order which had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	Between 1990 and 1992 Albania ended 46 years of xenophobic Communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as successive governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, widespread corruption, a dilapidated infrastructure, powerful organized crime networks with links to government officials, and disruptive political opponents. Albania has made incremental progress in its democratic development since first holding multiiparty elections in 1991, but deficiencies remain - particularly in regard to the rule of law. Despite some lingering problems, international observers have judged elections to be largely free and fair since the restoration of political stability following the collapse of pyramid schemes in 1997. In the 2005 general elections, the Democratic Party and its allies won a decisive victory on pledges of reducing crime and corruption, promoting economic growth, and decreasing the size of government. Although Albania's economy continues to grow, the country is still one of the poorest in Europe, hampered by a large informal economy, large public debt, and an inadequate energy and tranportation infrastructure. Albania has played a largely helpful role in managing inter-ethnic tensions in southeastern Europe, and is continuing to work toward joining NATO and the EU.
Birth rate	-	15.08 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $2.05 billion expenditures: $2.46 billion, including capital expenditures of $500 million (2004 est.)
Capital	-	Tirana
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter
Coastline	698 km	362 km
Constitution	-	adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: Republic of Albania conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania
Death rate	-	5.12 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$1.41 billion (2003)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Marcie B. RIES embassy: Rruga Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: U. S. Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Dulles, VA 20189-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 247285 FAX: [355] (4) 374957 and [355] (4) 232222
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Agim NESHO chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342
Disputes - international	the Chagos Archipelago is claimed by Mauritius and Seychelles	the Albanian Government calls for the protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians in neighboring countries, and the peaceful resolution of interethnic disputes; some ethnic Albanian groups in neighboring countries advocate for a "greater Albania," but the idea has little appeal among Albanian nationals; thousands of unemployed Albanians emigrate annually to nearby Italy and other developed countries
Economic aid - recipient	-	ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.)
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.	Poor and backward by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to spur economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by annual remittances from abroad of $600-$800 million, mostly from Greece and Italy; this helps offset the towering trade deficit. Agriculture, which accounts for about one-half of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment, to clarify property rights, and to consolidate small plots of land. Energy shortages and antiquated and inadequate infrastructure make it difficult to attract and sustain foreign investment. The planned construction of a new thermal power plant near Vlore and improved transmission and distribution facilities will help relieve the energy shortages. Also, the government is moving slowly to improve the poor national road and rail network, a long-standing barrier to sustained economic growth. On the positive side: growth was strong in 2003 and 2004, the nation has important oil and gas reserves, and inflation is not a problem.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	6.76 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports	-	100 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	1.08 billion kWh (2004 est.)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	5.68 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,764 m
Environment - current issues	NA	deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	-	Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Roma (Gypsy), Serb, Macedonian, Bulgarian) (1989 est.) note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization)
Exchange rates	-	leke per US dollar - 102.649 (2004), 121.863 (2003), 140.155 (2002), 143.485 (2001), 143.709 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner John WHITE (since NA); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002) head of government: Prime Minister Sali BERISHA (since 10 September 2005) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the prime minister, nominated by the president, and approved by parliament elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 June 2002 (next to be held June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19
Exports	-	0 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Exports - commodities	-	textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco
Exports - partners	-	Italy 71.7%, Canada 4.3%, Germany 4.3% (2004)
Fiscal year	-	calendar year
Flag description	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag	red with a black two-headed eagle in the center
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 46.2% industry: 25.4% services: 28.4% (2004 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $4,900 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	5.6% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E	41 00 N, 20 00 E
Geography - note	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea)
Heliports	-	1 (2004 est.)
Highways	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	total: 18,000 km paved: 5,400 km unpaved: 12,600 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens
Imports	-	5,500 bbl/day (2004 est.)
Imports - commodities	-	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals
Imports - partners	-	Italy 34.8%, Greece 19.8%, Turkey 7.7%, Germany 5.3% (2004)
Independence	-	28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate	-	3.1% (2004 est.)
Industries	-	food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 21.52 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 21.03 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3.2% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACCT, BSEC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, MIGA, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	-
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1993)	3,400 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	-	Constitutional Court, Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term), and multiple appeals and district courts
Labor force	-	1.09 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers) (2004 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 57%, non-agricultural private sector 20%, public sector 23% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 720 km border countries: Greece 282 km, Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA%	arable land: 21.09% permanent crops: 4.42% other: 74.49% (2001)
Languages	-	Albanian (official - derived from Tosk dialect), Greek, Vlach, Romani, Slavic dialects
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	has a civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; has accepted jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court for its citizens
Legislative branch	-	unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats; 100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms) elections: last held 4 July 2005 (next to be held July 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PD 55, PS 40, PR 11, PSD 7, LSI 5, other 22
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 77.24 years male: 74.6 years female: 80.15 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 9 and over can read and write total population: 86.5% male: 93.3% female: 79.5% (2003 est.)
Location	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro
Map references	World	Europe
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine	-	total: 25 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 40,878 GRT/62,676 DWT by type: cargo 24, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 2 (Denmark 1, Turkey 1) registered in other countries: 1 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	-
Military branches	-	General Staff Headquarters, Land Forces Command (Army), Naval Forces Command, Air Defense Command, Logistics Command, Training and Doctrine Command
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$56.5 million (FY02)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.49% (FY02)
National holiday	-	Independence Day, 28 November (1912)
Nationality	-	noun: Albanian(s) adjective: Albanian
Natural hazards	NA	destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	petroleum, natural gas, coal, bauxite, chromite, copper, iron ore, nickel, salt, timber, hydropower
Net migration rate	-	-4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 339 km; oil 207 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	-	Agrarian Environmentalist Party or PAA [Lufter XHUVELI]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Nikolle LESI]; Communist Party of Albania or PKSH [Hysni MILLOSHI]; Democratic Alliance Party or PAD [Neritan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIU]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Arjan STAROVA]; National Front Party (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Adriatik ALIMADHI]; New Democratic Party or PDR [Genc POLLO]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQIRI]; Renewed Democratic Party or PDR [Dashamir SHEHI]; Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Social Democracy Party or PDS [Paskal MILO]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Socialist Movement for Integration or LSI [Ilir META]; Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albanian Party of Labor) [Fatos NANO]; Union for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vangjel DULE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	Confederation of Trade Unions of Albania or KSSH [Kastriot MUCO]; Front for Albanian National Unification or FBKSH [Gafur ADILI]; Omonia [Jani JANI]; Union of Independent Trade Unions of Albania or BSPSH [Gezim KALAJA]
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles around the time of the construction of UK-US military facilities; in 1995, there were approximately 1,700 UK and US military personnel and 1,500 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia	3,563,112 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	25% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate	-	0.52% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001)
Radios	NA	-
Railways	-	total: 447 km standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2004)
Religions	-	Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10% note: percentages are estimates; there are no available current statistics on religious affiliation; all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.86 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	general assessment: despite new investment in fixed lines, the density of main lines remains the lowest in Europe with roughly 8 lines per 100 people; however, cellular telephone use is widespread and generally effective domestic: offsetting the shortage of fixed line capacity, mobile phone service has been available since 1996; by 2003 two companies were providing mobile services at a greater density than some of Albania's Balkan neighbors international: country code - 355; inadequate fixed main lines; adequate cellular connections; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece (2003)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	255,000 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	1.1 million (2003)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast
Total fertility rate	-	2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	14.8% officially; may be as high as 30% (2001 est.)
Waterways	none	43 km (2004)

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