Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2004) - Liechtenstein (2004)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2004) z Liechtenstein (2004)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2004)	Liechtenstein (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,950; female 3,014) 15-64 years: 70.5% (male 11,745; female 11,837) 65 years and over: 11.6% (male 1,598; female 2,292) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products
Airports	1 (2003 est.)	none (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Area	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago	total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.9 times 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 that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.	The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering. Liechtenstein has, however, implemented new anti-money-laundering legislation and recently concluded a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US.
Birth rate	-	10.65 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1998 est.)
Capital	-	Vaduz
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers
Coastline	698 km	0 km (doubly landlocked)
Constitution	-	5 October 1921
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein
Currency	-	Swiss franc (CHF)
Death rate	-	6.94 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	-	$0 (2001)
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)	the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 550W, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 216-0460 FAX: [1] (202) 216-0459
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; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricted access to the largest island in the chain	Liechtenstein's royal family claims restitution for 1,600 sq km of land in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1918
Economic aid - recipient	-	none
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.	Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	-
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m	lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	-	Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14%
Exchange rates	-	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000), 1.5022 (1999)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Charles A. HAMILTON (since 2002); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968) note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government Otmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the Parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Diet is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Diet is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch
Exports	-	$2.47 billion (1996)
Exports - commodities	-	small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products
Exports - partners	-	EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7%
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	two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $825 million (1999 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA industry: 40% services: NA (1999)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $25,000 (1999 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	11% (1999 est.)
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E	47 16 N, 9 32 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	along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation
Highways	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km	total: 250 km paved: 250 km unpaved: 0 km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	-	has strengthened money-laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein sophisticated offshore financial services sector
Imports	-	$917.3 million (1996)
Imports - commodities	-	agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles
Imports - partners	-	EU, Switzerland
Independence	-	23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA
Industries	-	electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 4.77 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.47 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.07 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	1% (2001)
International organization participation	-	CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht
Labor force	-	29,000 of whom 19,000 are foreigners; 13,000 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 1.3%, industry 47.4%, services 51.3% (31 December 2001 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001)	arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2001)
Languages	-	German (official), Alemannic dialect
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 February 2001 (next to be held by NA 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 49.90%, VU 41.35%, FL 8.71%; seats by party - FBP 13, VU 11, FL 1
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 79.4 years male: 75.8 years female: 83.02 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland
Map references	Political Map of the World	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of Switzerland
National holiday	-	Assumption Day, 15 August
Nationality	-	noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein
Natural hazards	NA	NA
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	hydroelectric potential, arable land
Net migration rate	-	4.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	-	gas 20 km (2004)
Political parties and leaders	-	Patriotic Union (was Fatherland Union) or VU [Heinz FROMMELT]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Johannes MATT]; The Free List or FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Elisabeth TELLENBACH-FRICK, Adolf RITTER]
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 in the 1960s and 1970s, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; 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 2004 est.)	33,436 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	0.86% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Diego Garcia	none
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	-	Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2004 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: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	19,900 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	11,400 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)	mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third
Total fertility rate	-	1.51 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	1.3% (September 2002)
Waterways	-	28 km (2004)

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