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Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) - West Bank (2005)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2002) z West Bank (2005)

 British Indian Ocean Territory (2002)West Bank (2005)
 British Indian Ocean TerritoryWest Bank
Age structure - 0-14 years: 43.4% (male 530,197/female 504,794)


15-64 years: 53.2% (male 649,610/female 619,335)


65 years and over: 3.4% (male 34,803/female 46,876) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products - olives, citrus, vegetables; beef, dairy products
Airports 1 (2001) 3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


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


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 60 sq km


land: 60 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
total: 5,860 sq km


land: 5,640 sq km


water: 220 sq km


note: includes West Bank, Latrun Salient, and the northwest quarter of the Dead Sea, but excludes Mt. Scopus; East Jerusalem and Jerusalem No Man's Land are also included only as a means of depicting the entire area occupied by Israel in 1967
Area - comparative about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Delaware
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. The Israel-PLO Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government Arrangements (the DOP), signed in Washington on 13 September 1993, provided for a transitional period not exceeding five years of Palestinian interim self-government in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank. Under the DOP, Israel agreed to transfer certain powers and responsibilities to the Palestinian Authority, which includes the Palestinian Legislative Council elected in January 1996, as part of the interim self-governing arrangements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. A transfer of powers and responsibilities for the Gaza Strip and Jericho took place pursuant to the Israel-PLO 4 May 1994 Cairo Agreement on the Gaza Strip and the Jericho Area and in additional areas of the West Bank pursuant to the Israel-PLO 28 September 1995 Interim Agreement, the Israel-PLO 15 January 1997 Protocol Concerning Redeployment in Hebron, the Israel-PLO 23 October 1998 Wye River Memorandum, and the 4 September 1999 Sharm el-Sheikh Agreement. The DOP provides that Israel will retain responsibility during the transitional period for external and internal security and for public order of settlements and Israeli citizens. Direct negotiations to determine the permanent status of Gaza and West Bank that began in September 1999 after a three-year hiatus, were derailed by a second intifadah that broke out in September 2000. The resulting widespread violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Israel's military response, and instability within the Palestinian Authority continue to undermine progress toward a permanent agreement. Following the death of longtime Palestinian leader Yasir ARAFAT in November 2004, the election of his successor Mahmud ABBAS in January 2005 could bring a turning point in the conflict.
Birth rate - 32.37 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget - revenues: $676.6 million


expenditures: $1.155 billion, including capital expenditures of NA; note - these budget data include Gaza Strip (2003)
Climate tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds temperate; temperature and precipitation vary with altitude, warm to hot summers, cool to mild winters
Coastline 698 km 0 km (landlocked)
Country name conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory


conventional short form: none


abbreviation: BIOT
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: West Bank
Death rate - 3.99 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external - $108 million (includes Gaza Strip) (1997 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) -
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) -
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 West Bank and Gaza Strip are Israeli-occupied with current status subject to the Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement - permanent status to be determined through further negotiation; Israel continues construction of a "seam line" separation barrier along parts of the Green Line and within the West Bank; Israel announced its intention to pull out settlers and withdraw from four settlements in the northern West Bank in 2005; since 1948, about 350 peacekeepers from the UN Truce Supervision Organization (UNTSO), headquartered in Jerusalem, monitor ceasefires, supervise armistice agreements, prevent isolated incidents from escalating, and assist other UN personnel in the region
Economic aid - recipient - $2 billion (includes Gaza Strip) (2004 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. The West Bank - the larger of the two areas under the Palestine Authority - has experienced a general decline in economic growth and a degradation in economic conditions made worse since the second intifadah began in September 2000. The downturn has been largely the result of the Israeli closure policies - the imposition of border closures in response to security incidents in Israel - which disrupted labor and commodity market relationships. In 2001, and even more severely in 2002, Israeli military measures in Palestine Authority areas resulted in the destruction of much capital plant, the disruption of administrative structure, and widespread business closures. Including the Gaza Strip, the UN estimates that more than 100,000 Palestinians out of the 125,000 who used to work in Israeli settlements, or in joint industrial zones, have lost their jobs. International aid of $2 billion to the West Bank and Gaza strip in 2004 prevented the complete collapse of the economy and allowed some reforms in the government's financial operations. Meanwhile, unemployment has continued at more than half the labor force. ARAFAT's death in 2004 leaves open more political options that could affect the economy.
Electricity - consumption NA kWh NA kWh
Electricity - imports - NA kWh
Electricity - production NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military NA kWh; note - most electricity imported from Israel; East Jerusalem Electric Company buys and distributes electricity to Palestinians in East Jerusalem and its concession in the West Bank; the Israel Electric Company directly supplies electricity to most Jewish residents and military facilities; some Palestinian municipalities, such as Nablus and Janin, generate their own electricity from small power plants
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
lowest point: Dead Sea -408 m


highest point: Tall Asur 1,022 m
Environment - current issues NA adequacy of fresh water supply; sewage treatment
Ethnic groups - Palestinian Arab and other 83%, Jewish 17%
Exchange rates - new Israeli shekels per US dollar - 4.482 (2004), 4.5541 (2003), 4.7378 (2002), 4.2057 (2001), 4.0773 (2000)
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
-
Exports - $205 million f.o.b., includes Gaza Strip (2002)
Exports - commodities - olives, fruit, vegetables, limestone
Exports - partners - Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000)
Fiscal year - calendar year (since 1 January 1992)
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 -
GDP - composition by sector - agriculture: 9%


industry: 28%


services: 63%


note: includes Gaza Strip (2002 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $800 (2003 est.)
GDP - real growth rate - 6% (2003 est.)
Geographic coordinates 6 00 S, 71 30 E 32 00 N, 35 15 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 landlocked; highlands are main recharge area for Israel's coastal aquifers; there are 244 West Bank settlements and 29 East Jerusalem settlements in addition to at least 20 occupied outposts (August 2003 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: 4,500 km


paved: 2,700 km


unpaved: 1,800 km


note: Israelis have developed many highways to service Jewish settlements (1997 est.)
Household income or consumption by percentage share - lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Imports - $1.5 billion c.i.f., includes Gaza Strip (2002)
Imports - commodities - food, consumer goods, construction materials
Imports - partners - Israel, Jordan, Gaza Strip (2000)
Industrial production growth rate - NA
Industries - generally small family businesses that produce cement, textiles, soap, olive-wood carvings, and mother-of-pearl souvenirs; the Israelis have established some small-scale, modern industries in the settlements and industrial centers
Infant mortality rate - total: 19.62 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.66 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 17.45 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) - 2.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2001 est.)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 1 (2000) -
Irrigated land 0 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Labor force - 364,000 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation - agriculture 15%, industry 25%, services 60% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 404 km


border countries: Israel 307 km, Jordan 97 km
Land use arable land: NEGL


permanent crops: 0%


other: 100% (1998 est.)
arable land: 16.9%


permanent crops: 18.97%


other: 64.13% (2001)
Languages - Arabic, Hebrew (spoken by Israeli settlers and many Palestinians), English (widely understood)
Legal system the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply -
Life expectancy at birth - total population: 73.08 years


male: 71.33 years


female: 74.95 years (2005 est.)
Literacy - definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 91.9%


male: 96.3%


female: 87.4% (2003 est.)
Location Southern Asia, archipelago in the Indian Ocean, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia Middle East, west of Jordan
Map references Political Map of the World Middle East
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
none (landlocked)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016 -
Military expenditures - dollar figure - NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA
Nationality - noun: NA


adjective: NA
Natural hazards NA droughts
Natural resources coconuts, fish, sugarcane arable land
Net migration rate - 2.88 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
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.)
2,385,615


note: in addition, there are about 187,000 Israeli settlers in the West Bank and fewer than 177,000 in East Jerusalem (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line - 59% (2004 est.)
Population growth rate - 3.13% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Diego Garcia -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0


note: the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation broadcasts from an AM station in Ramallah on 675 kHz; numerous local, private stations are reported to be in operation (2000)
Radios NA -
Religions - Muslim 75% (predominantly Sunni), Jewish 17%, Christian and other 8%
Sex ratio - at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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: NA


domestic: NA


international: NA


note: Israeli company BEZEK and the Palestinian company PALTEL are responsible for communication services in the West Bank
Telephones - main lines in use NA 301,600 (total for West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular - 480,000 (cellular subscribers in both West Bank and Gaza Strip) (2003)
Television broadcast stations 1 (1997) NA
Terrain flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation) mostly rugged dissected upland, some vegetation in west, but barren in east
Total fertility rate - 4.4 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate - 27.2% (includes Gaza Strip) (2004 est.)
Waterways none -
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