Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2008) - Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2008)

Compare British Indian Ocean Territory (2008) z Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2008)

	British Indian Ocean Territory (2008)	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2008)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	-	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products; fish, squid
Airports	1 (2007)	6 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 4 under 914 m: 4 (2007)
Area	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
Area - comparative	land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Connecticut
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.	Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced an Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.
Birth rate	-	NA
Budget	-	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million (FY98/99 est.)
Capital	-	name: Stanley geographic coordinates: 51 42 S, 57 51 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Sunday in September; ends third Sunday in April
Climate	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds	cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Coastline	698 km	1,288 km
Constitution	-	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Country name	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Death rate	-	NA
Debt - external	-	$NA
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001, the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1967 and 1973 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; in May 2006, the High Court of London reversed U.K. Government's 2004 orders of council that banned habitation on the islands; a small group of Chagossians visited Diego Garcia in April 2006; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest viable island in the chain	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks
Economic aid - recipient	-	$0 (1997 est.)
Economy - overview	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where a joint UK-US military facility is located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installation are performed 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 native Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The territory makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falkland Islands' exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which help support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date, no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.
Electricity - consumption	NA kWh	14.88 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military	16 million kWh (2005)
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 Usborne 705 m
Environment - current issues	NA	overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the 1986 Chornobyl disaster
Ethnic groups	-	British
Exchange rates	-	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Leigh TURNER (since July 2006); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK and are represented by the officer commanding British Forces on Diego Garcia cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Alan HUCKLE (since 25 August 2006); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since March 2003); note - Dr. Tim THOROGOOD will assume the position of Chief Executive in January 2008 cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
Exports	-	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	-	wool, hides, meat, fish, squid
Exports - partners	-	Spain 81.9%, US 6%, UK 4.5% (2006)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
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 the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 95% industry: NA% services: NA% (1996)
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA%
Geographic coordinates	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E	51 45 S, 59 00 W
Geography - note	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	-	227.9 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	-	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners	-	UK 72.5%, US 15.1%, Netherlands 8.5% (2006)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	fish and wool processing; tourism
Infant mortality rate	-	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3.6% (1998)
International organization participation	-	ICFTU, UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA
Judicial branch	-	Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force	-	1,724 (est.) (1996)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing) industry and services: 5% (1996)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2005)
Languages	-	English
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	English common law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats; 2 members are ex officio and 8 are elected by popular vote; to serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 17 November 2005 (next to be held in November 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 8
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	-	NA
Location	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina
Map references	Political Map of the World	South America
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	-	no regular military forces
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	NA
National holiday	-	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Nationality	-	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island
Natural hazards	NA	strong winds persist throughout the year
Natural resources	coconuts, fish, sugarcane	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Net migration rate	-	NA
Political parties and leaders	-	none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	none
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 November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia	3,105 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.44% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides Radio 1 and Radio 2 service) (2006)
Religions	-	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
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: country code (Diego Garcia) - 246; international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	1 (1997)	2 (British Forces Broadcasting Service (BFBS) provides multi-channel satellite service to members of UK Forces as well as islanders); cable television is available in Stanley (2006)
Terrain	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Total fertility rate	-	NA
Unemployment rate	-	full employment; labor shortage (2001)

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