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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Liberia (2001)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Liberia (2001)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)Liberia (2001)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryLiberia
Administrative divisions - 13 counties; Bomi, Bong, Grand Bassa, Grand Cape Mount, Grand Gedeh, Grand Kru, Lofa, Margibi, Maryland, Montserrado, Nimba, River Cess, Sinoe
Age structure - 0-14 years:
43.21% (male 698,178; female 695,599)

15-64 years:
53.34% (male 840,103; female 880,403)

65 years and over:
3.45% (male 56,073; female 55,481) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products - rubber, coffee, cocoa, rice, cassava (tapioca), palm oil, sugarcane, bananas; sheep, goats; timber
Airports 1 (2001) 46 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total:
2

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total:
44

1,524 to 2,437 m:
3

914 to 1,523 m:
5

under 914 m:
36 (2000 est.)
Area total: 60 sq km


land: 60 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
total:
111,370 sq km

land:
96,320 sq km

water:
15,050 sq km
Area - comparative about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly larger than Tennessee
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 residents 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. Seven years of civil strife were brought to a close in 1996 when free and open presidential and legislative elections were held. President TAYLOR now holds strong executive power with no real political opposition. The years of fighting coupled with the flight of most businesses have disrupted formal economic activity. A still unsettled domestic security situation has slowed the process of rebuilding the social and economic structure of this war-torn country.
Birth rate - 46.55 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget - revenues:
$NA

expenditures:
$NA, including capital expenditures of $NA
Capital - Monrovia
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds tropical; hot, humid; dry winters with hot days and cool to cold nights; wet, cloudy summers with frequent heavy showers
Coastline 698 km 579 km
Constitution - 6 January 1986
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form:
Republic of Liberia

conventional short form:
Liberia
Currency - Liberian dollar (LRD)
Death rate - 16.36 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external - $3 billion (1999 est.)
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 Bismarck MYRICK

embassy:
111 United Nations Drive, P. O. Box 10-0098, Mamba Point, Monrovia

mailing address:
use embassy street address

telephone:
[231] 226-370 through 226-380

FAX:
[231] 226-148
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission:
Ambassador William BULL

chancery:
5201 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20011

telephone:
[1] (202) 723-0437

FAX:
[1] (202) 723-0436

consulate(s) general:
New York
Disputes - international Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain large refugee population from civil war in Sierra Leone
Economic aid - recipient - $200 million pledged (1998)
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. A civil war in 1989-96 destroyed much of Liberia's economy, especially the infrastructure in and around Monrovia. Many businessmen fled the country, taking capital and expertise with them. Some returned during 1997. Many will not return. Richly endowed with water, mineral resources, forests, and a climate favorable to agriculture, Liberia had been a producer and exporter of basic products, while local manufacturing, mainly foreign owned, had been small in scope. The democratically elected government, installed in August 1997, inherited massive international debts and currently relies on revenues from its maritime registry to provide the bulk of its foreign exchange earnings. The restoration of the infrastructure and the raising of incomes in this ravaged economy depend on the implementation of sound macro- and micro-economic policies of the new government, including the encouragement of foreign investment. Recent growth has been from a low base, and continued growth will require major policy successes.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh 401.8 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports - 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports - 0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military 432 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel:
100%

hydro:
0%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Mount Wuteve 1,380 m
Environment - current issues NA tropical rain forest subject to deforestation; soil erosion; loss of biodiversity; pollution of coastal waters from oil residue and raw sewage
Environment - international agreements - party to:
Biodiversity, Desertification, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94

signed, but not ratified:
Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups - indigenous African tribes 95% (including Kpelle, Bassa, Gio, Kru, Grebo, Mano, Krahn, Gola, Gbandi, Loma, Kissi, Vai, and Bella), Americo-Liberians 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the US who had been slaves), Congo People 2.5% (descendants of immigrants from the Caribbean who had been slaves)
Exchange rates - Liberian dollars per US dollar - 39.8100 (December 2000), 41.0483 (2000), 41.9025 (1999), 41.5075 (1998), 1.0000 (officially fixed rate 1940-97); market exchange rate: Liberian dollars per US dollar - 40 (December 1998), 50 (October 1995)

note:
until December 1997, rates were based on a fixed relationship with the US dollar; beginning in January 1998, rates are market determined
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952)


head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); 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 Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

head of government:
President Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (since 2 August 1997); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a six-year term (renewable); election last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held NA July 2003)

election results:
Charles Ghankay TAYLOR elected president; percent of vote - Charles Ghankay TAYLOR (NPP) 75.3%, Ellen Johnson SIRLEAF (UP) 9.6%, Alhaji KROMAH (ALCOP) 4%, other 11.1%
Exports - $55 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Exports - commodities - diamonds, iron ore, rubber, timber, coffee, cocoa
Exports - partners - Belgium 53%, Switzerland 9%, US 6%, France 4% (1999)
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 11 equal horizontal stripes of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; there is a white five-pointed star on a blue square in the upper hoist-side corner; the design was based on the US flag
GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.35 billion (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture:
60%

industry:
10%

services:
30% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $1,100 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 15% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E 6 30 N, 9 30 W
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 -
Highways total: NA km


paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia


unpaved: NA km
total:
10,600 km

paved:
657 km

unpaved:
9,943 km

note:
(there is major deterioration on all highways due to heavy rains and lack of maintenance) (1996 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%:
NA%

highest 10%:
NA%
Illicit drugs - increasingly a transshipment point for Southeast and Southwest Asian heroin and South American cocaine for the European and US markets
Imports - $170 million (f.o.b., 2000 est.)
Imports - commodities - fuels, chemicals, machinery, transportation equipment, manufactured goods; rice and other foodstuffs
Imports - partners - South Korea 30%, Italy 24%, Japan 15%, Germany 9% (1999)
Independence - 26 July 1847
Industrial production growth rate - NA
Industries - rubber processing, palm oil processing, diamonds
Infant mortality rate - 132.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation - ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, IOM, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) 1 (2000)
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) 20 sq km (1993 est.)
Judicial branch - Supreme Court
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 70%, industry 8%, services 22% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total:
1,585 km

border countries:
Guinea 563 km, Cote d'Ivoire 716 km, Sierra Leone 306 km
Land use arable land: NEGL


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land:
1%

permanent crops:
3%

permanent pastures:
59%

forests and woodland:
18%

other:
19% (1993 est.)
Languages - English 20% (official), some 20 ethnic group languages, of which a few can be written and are used in correspondence
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply dual system of statutory law based on Anglo-American common law for the modern sector and customary law based on unwritten tribal practices for indigenous sector
Legislative branch - bicameral National Assembly consists of the Senate (26 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve nine-year terms) and the House of Representatives (64 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)

elections:
Senate - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2006); House of Representatives - last held 19 July 1997 (next to be held in NA 2003)

election results:
Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 21, UP 3, ALCOP 2; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NPP 49, UP 7, ALCOP 3, Alliance of Political Parties 2, UPP 2, LPP 1; note - the Alliance of Political Parties was a coalition of the LAP and the Liberia Unification Party or LUP
Life expectancy at birth - total population:
51.41 years

male:
49.96 years

female:
52.91 years (2001 est.)
Literacy - definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
38.3%

male:
53.9%

female:
22.4% (1995 est.)

note:
these figures are increasing because of the improving school system
Location Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Cote d'Ivoire and Sierra Leone
Map references Political Map of the World Africa
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
territorial sea:
200 NM
Merchant marine - total:
1,478 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 49,456,361 GRT/76,620,648 DWT

ships by type:
barge carrier 3, bulk 324, cargo 97, chemical tanker 163, combination bulk 20, combination ore/oil 38, container 245, liquefied gas 97, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 24, petroleum tanker 310, refrigerated cargo 74, roll on/roll off 19, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 12, vehicle carrier 45

note:
includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 8, Australia 1, Ashmore and Cartier Islands 1, Austria 5, Bermuda 5, Belgium 5, Burma 1, Brazil 8, Canada 1, China 28, Chile 7, Costa Rica 8, Cyprus 27, Denmark 4, Ecuador 1, Germany 117, Greece 83, Hong Kong 54, Croatia 9, Indonesia 2, India 8, Israel 1, Italy 8, Japan 85, South Korea 8, Latvia 15, Monaco 28, Mexico 6, Malaysia 1, Nigeria 1, Netherlands 7, Norway 86, Netherlands Antilles 1, NZ 1, Poland 2, Portugal 2, Philippines 1, Russia 22, Saudi Arabia 20, South Africa 1, Slovenia 1, Singapore 30, Spain 1, Sweden 8, Switzerland 23, UAE 5, Taiwan 10, UK 15, US 85, Uruguay 1, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military branches - Army, Air Force, Navy
Military expenditures - dollar figure - $1 million (FY98)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2% (FY98)
Military manpower - availability - males age 15-49:
715,753 (2001 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service - males age 15-49:
385,460 (2001 est.)
National holiday - Independence Day, 26 July (1847)
Nationality - noun:
Liberian(s)

adjective:
Liberian
Natural hazards NA dust-laden harmattan winds blow from the Sahara (December to March)
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane iron ore, timber, diamonds, gold, hydropower
Net migration rate - -11 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)

note:
by the end of 1999, all Liberian refugees, who had fled the domestic strife, were assumed to have returned
Political parties and leaders - All Liberia Coalition Party or ALCOP [Lusinee KAMARA]; Liberian Action Party or LAP [Cletus WOTORSON]; Liberian National Union or LINU [Henry MONIBA, chairman]; Liberian People's Party or LPP [Togba-Nah TIPOTEH, chairman]; National Democratic Party of Liberia or NDPL [Isaac DAKINAH]; National Patriotic Party or NPP [Charles Ghankay TAYLOR] - governing party; People's Progressive Party or PPP [Chea CHEAPOO, chairman]; Reformation Alliance Party or RAP [Henry Boimah FAHNBULLEH, chairman]; True Whig Party or TWP [Rudolph SHERMAN, chairman]; United People's Party or UPP [Gabriel Baccus MATTHEWS, chairman]; Unity Party or UP [Charles Clarke]
Political pressure groups and leaders - NA
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 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2002 est.)
3,225,837 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line - 80%
Population growth rate - 1.92% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors Diego Garcia Buchanan, Greenville, Harper, Monrovia
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 0, FM 6, shortwave 4 (1999)
Radios NA 790,000 (1997)
Railways - total:
490 km (328 km single track); note - three rail systems owned and operated by foreign steel and financial interests in conjunction with the Liberian Government; one of these, the Lamco Railroad, closed in 1989 after iron ore production ceased; the other two were shut down by the civil war; large sections of the rail lines have been dismantled; approximately 60 km of railroad track was exported for scrap

standard gauge:
345 km 1.435-m gauge

narrow gauge:
145 km 1.067-m gauge
Religions - indigenous beliefs 40%, Christian 40%, Muslim 20%
Sex ratio - at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1 male(s)/female

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

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

total population:
0.98 male(s)/female (2001 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:
telephone and telegraph service via microwave radio relay network; main center is Monrovia

domestic:
NA

international:
satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use NA 6,000 (1997)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 0 (1995)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) 2 (plus four low-power repeaters) (2000)
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) mostly flat to rolling coastal plains rising to rolling plateau and low mountains in northeast
Total fertility rate - 6.36 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate - 70%
Waterways none none
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