Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - Marshall Islands (2003)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z Marshall Islands (2003)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)	Marshall Islands (2003)

Administrative divisions	-	33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 39.1% (male 11,233; female 10,819) 15-64 years: 58.2% (male 16,857; female 16,003) 65 years and over: 2.7% (male 726; female 791) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Airports	1 (2001)	15 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)	total: 4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 11 914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 181.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	about the size of Washington, DC
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.	After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands have been home to the US Army Base Kwajalein (USAKA) since 1964.
Birth rate	-	34.18 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $42 million expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999)
Capital	-	Majuro
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt
Coastline	698 km	370.4 km
Constitution	-	1 May 1979
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	-	5.03 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external	-	$86.5 million (FY 99/00 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 Michael J. SENKO embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu
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	claims US territory of Wake Island
Economic aid - recipient	-	more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002
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.	US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is primarily subsistence and is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US has provided more than $1 billion in aid since 1986. Negotiations have continued for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	-
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	-
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 99% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 1% (solar)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Environment - current issues	NA	inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups	-	Micronesian
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is the legal tender
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 Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%
Exports	-	$9 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities	-	copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish
Exports - partners	-	US, Japan, Australia, China (2000)
Fiscal year	-	1 October - 30 September
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	blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $115 million (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 14% industry: 16% services: 70% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E	9 00 N, 168 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	two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
Highways	total: NA km paved: short stretch of paved road of NA km between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	total: NA km paved: 64.5 km unpaved: NA km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	$54 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities	-	foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners	-	US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000)
Independence	-	21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 31.58 deaths/1,000 live births male: 35.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 27.59 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2% (2001 est.)
International organization participation	-	ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW (signatory), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	1 (2000)	1 (2002)
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	0 sq km
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court; High Court
Labor force	-	28,698
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7%
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)	arable land: 16.67% permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (1998 est.)
Languages	-	English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 69.39 years male: 67.49 years female: 71.4 years (2003 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999)
Location	Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Map references	Political Map of the World	Oceania
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	contiguous zone: 24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 342 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 14,471,690 GRT/23,802,896 DWT ships by type: bulk 86, cargo 18, chemical tanker 31, combination bulk 4, combination ore/oil 7, container 69, liquefied gas 8, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 6, petroleum tanker 106, roll on/roll off 1, short-sea passenger 1, vehicle carrier 4 note: the ship's register of the Marshall Islands is a flag of convenience register since essentially none of the vessels on it is owned domestically; includes the following foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 9, Germany 70, Greece 54, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Monaco 8, Netherlands 8, UK 3, US 87, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches	-	no regular military forces; Police Force
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	NA%
National holiday	-	Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Nationality	-	noun: Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese
Natural hazards	NA	infrequent typhoons
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Net migration rate	-	-6.18 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]
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.)	56,429 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.3% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	Majuro
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0 note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002)
Radios	NA	-
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	-	Christian (mostly Protestant)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.92 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2003 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: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	4,186 (2001)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	489 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	2 (both are US military stations) (2002)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	low coral limestone and sand islands
Total fertility rate	-	4.12 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	30.9% (1999 est.)
Waterways	none	none

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