British Virgin Islands (2002) | Algeria (2002) | |
Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 48 provinces (wilayas, singular - wilaya); Adrar, Ain Defla, Ain Temouchent, Alger, Annaba, Batna, Bechar, Bejaia, Biskra, Blida, Bordj Bou Arreridj, Bouira, Boumerdes, Chlef, Constantine, Djelfa, El Bayadh, El Oued, El Tarf, Ghardaia, Guelma, Illizi, Jijel, Khenchela, Laghouat, Mascara, Medea, Mila, Mostaganem, M'Sila, Naama, Oran, Ouargla, Oum el Bouaghi, Relizane, Saida, Setif, Sidi Bel Abbes, Skikda, Souk Ahras, Tamanghasset, Tebessa, Tiaret, Tindouf, Tipaza, Tissemsilt, Tizi Ouzou, Tlemcen |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351)
15-64 years: 72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565; female 484) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years: 33.5% (male 5,512,369; female 5,311,914)
15-64 years: 62.4% (male 10,175,135; female 9,950,315) 65 years and over: 4.1% (male 610,643; female 717,566) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | wheat, barley, oats, grapes, olives, citrus, fruits; sheep, cattle |
Airports | 3 (2001) | 136 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 54
over 3,047 m: 9 2,438 to 3,047 m: 27 1,524 to 2,437 m: 12 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 82
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 38 under 914 m: 19 (2002) |
Area | total: 153 sq km
land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the island of Anegada |
total: 2,381,740 sq km
land: 2,381,740 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Texas |
Background | First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency. | After a century of rule by France, Algeria became independent in 1962. The surprising first round success of the fundamentalist FIS (Islamic Salvation Front) party in the December 1991 balloting caused the army to intervene, crack down on the FIS, and postpone the subsequent elections. The FIS response has resulted in a continuous low-grade civil conflict with the secular state apparatus, which nonetheless has allowed elections featuring pro-government and moderate religious-based parties. FIS's armed wing, the Islamic Salvation Army, disbanded itself in January 2000 and many armed militants surrendered under an amnesty program designed to promote national reconciliation. Nevertheless, residual fighting continues. Other concerns include Berber unrest, large-scale unemployment, a shortage of housing, and the need to diversify the petroleum-based economy. |
Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 22.34 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $20.3 billion
expenditures: $18.8 billion, including capital expenditures of $5.8 billion (2001 est.) |
Capital | Road Town | Algiers |
Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer |
Coastline | 80 km | 998 km |
Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 19 November 1976, effective 22 November 1976; revised 3 November 1988, 23 February 1989, and 28 November 1996 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: People's Democratic Republic of Algeria
conventional short form: Algeria local long form: Al Jumhuriyah al Jaza'iriyah ad Dimuqratiyah ash Sha'biyah local short form: Al Jaza'ir |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | Algerian dinar (DZD) |
Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 5.15 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $24.7 billion (2001 est.) |
Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Janet A. SANDERSON
embassy: 4 Chemin Cheikh Bachir El-Ibrahimi, Algiers mailing address: B. P. Box 549, Alger-Gare, 16000 Algiers telephone: [213] (21) 691-425/255/186 FAX: [213] (21) 69-39-79 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Idriss JAZAIRY
chancery: 2118 Kalorama Road NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 265-2800 FAX: [1] (202) 667-2174 |
Disputes - international | none | part of southeastern region claimed by Libya; Algeria supports exiled West Saharan Polisario Front and rejects Moroccan administration of Western Sahara |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $100 million (1999 est.) |
Economy - overview | The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, is expected to make the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the dollar as its currency since 1959. | The hydrocarbons sector is the backbone of the economy, accounting for roughly 60% of budget revenues, 30% of GDP, and over 95% of export earnings. Algeria has the fifth-largest reserves of natural gas in the world and is the second largest gas exporter; it ranks 14th in oil reserves. Algeria's financial and economic indicators improved during the mid-1990s, in part because of policy reforms supported by the IMF and debt rescheduling from the Paris Club. Algeria's finances in 2000 and 2001 benefited from the temporary spike in oil prices and the government's tight fiscal policy, leading to a large increase in the trade surplus, record highs in foreign exchange reserves, and reduction in foreign debt. The government's continued efforts to diversify the economy by attracting foreign and domestic investment outside the energy sector has had little success in reducing high unemployment and improving living standards. In 2001, the government signed an Association Treaty with the European Union that will eventually lower tariffs and increase trade. |
Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 21.847 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 210 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 150 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 23.556 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Chott Melrhir -40 m
highest point: Tahat 3,003 m |
Environment - current issues | limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments) | soil erosion from overgrazing and other poor farming practices; desertification; dumping of raw sewage, petroleum refining wastes, and other industrial effluents is leading to the pollution of rivers and coastal waters; Mediterranean Sea, in particular, becoming polluted from oil wastes, soil erosion, and fertilizer runoff; inadequate supplies of potable water |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Nuclear Test Ban |
Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | Arab-Berber 99%, European less than 1% |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Algerian dinars per US dollar - 77.889 (January 2002), 77.215 (2001), 75.260 (2000), 66.574 (1999), 58.739 (1998), 57.707 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)
head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually appointed chief minister by the governor |
chief of state: President Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA (since 28 April 1999)
head of government: Prime Minister Ali BENFLIS (since 26 August 2000) cabinet: Cabinet of Ministers appointed by the president elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; election last held 15 April 1999 (next to be held NA April 2004); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA elected president; percent of vote - Abdelaziz BOUTEFLIKA over 70%; note - his six opposing candidates withdrew on the eve of the election citing electoral fraud |
Exports | $6.2 million | $19.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97% |
Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Italy 23%, Spain 13%, US 13%, France 11%, Brazil 7%, (2000) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
Flag description | blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful) | two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and white; a red, five-pointed star within a red crescent centered over the two-color boundary; the crescent, star, and color green are traditional symbols of Islam (the state religion) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $177 billion (2001 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 17%
industry: 33% services: 50% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $5,600 (2001 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 3.8% (2001 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 28 00 N, 3 00 E |
Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | second-largest country in Africa (after Sudan) |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 104,000 km
paved: 71,656 km (including 640 km of expressways) unpaved: 32,344 km (1996 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 4%
highest 10%: 25% (1995) (1995) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center | - |
Imports | $230 million (2000 est.) | $10.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | capital goods, food and beverages, consumer goods |
Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | France 29%, US 9%, Italy 8%, Germany 6%, Spain 5% (2000) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 5 July 1962 (from France) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 6% (2001 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | petroleum, natural gas, light industries, mining, electrical, petrochemical, food processing |
Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 39.15 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 3% (2001 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AL, AMF, AMU, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-15, G-19, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MONUC, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OAU, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, OSCE (partner), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMEE, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO (observer) |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 2 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 5,600 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction | Supreme Court or Cour Supreme |
Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 9.4 million (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | government 29%, agriculture 25%, construction and public works 15%, industry 11%, other 20% (1996 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 6,343 km
border countries: Libya 982 km, Mali 1,376 km, Mauritania 463 km, Morocco 1,559 km, Niger 956 km, Tunisia 965 km, Western Sahara 42 km |
Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 3.21%
permanent crops: 0.21% other: 96.58% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official) | Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects |
Legal system | English law | socialist, based on French and Islamic law; judicial review of legislative acts in ad hoc Constitutional Council composed of various public officials, including several Supreme Court justices; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5 |
bicameral Parliament consists of the National People's Assembly or Al-Majlis Ech-Chaabi Al-Watani (389 seats - changed from 380 seats in the 2002 elections; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) and the Council of Nations (144 seats; one-third of the members appointed by the president, two-thirds elected by indirect vote; members serve six-year terms; the constitution requires half the council to be renewed every three years)
elections: National People's Assembly - last held 30 May 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); Council of Nations - last held 30 December 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: National People's Assembly - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - FLN 199, RND 48, MRN 43, MSP 38, PT 21, FNA 8, Nahda 1, PRA 1, MEN 1, independents 29; Council of Nations - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - RND 79, FLN 12, FFS 4, MSP 1 (remaining 48 seats appointed by the president, party breakdown NA) |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 70.24 years
male: 68.87 years female: 71.67 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 61.6% male: 73.9% female: 49% (1995 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
exclusive fishing zone: 32-52 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT
ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.) |
total: 73 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 903,944 GRT/1,051,433 DWT
ships by type: bulk 9, cargo 25, chemical tanker 7, liquefied gas 10, petroleum tanker 5, roll on/roll off 12, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 1, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: United Arab Emirates 2 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Peoples National Army (ANP), Algerian National Navy (ANN), Air Force, Territorial Air Defense, National Gendarmerie |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $1.87 billion (FY99) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 4.1% (FY99) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 9,016,048 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 5,513,317 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 388,939 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Revolution Day, 1 November (1954) |
Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Algerian(s)
adjective: Algerian |
Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | mountainous areas subject to severe earthquakes; mudslides and floods in rainy season |
Natural resources | NEGL | petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, phosphates, uranium, lead, zinc |
Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | -0.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 6,612 km; petroleum products 298 km; natural gas 2,948 km |
Political parties and leaders | Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL] | Algerian National Front or FNA [Moussa TOUATI]; Democratic National Rally or RND [Ahmed OUYAHIA, chairman]; Islamic Salvation Front or FIS (outlawed April 1992) [Ali BELHADJ and Dr. Abassi MADANI (imprisoned), Rabeh KEBIR (self-exile in Germany)]; Movement of a Peaceful Society or MSP [Mahfoud NAHNAH, chairman]; National Entente Movement or MEN [Ali BOUKHAZNA]; National Liberation Front or FLN [Boualem BENHAMOUDA, secretary general]; National Reform Movement or MRN [Abdellah DJABALLAH]; National Renewal Party or PRA [leader NA]; Progressive Republican Party [Khadir DRISS]; Rally for Culture and Democracy or RCD [Said SAADI, secretary general]; Renaissance Movement or EnNahda Movement [Lahbib ADAMI]; Social Liberal Party or PSL [Ahmed KHELIL]; Socialist Forces Front or FFS [Hocine Ait AHMED, secretary general (self-exile in Switzerland)]; Union for Democracy and Liberty [Mouley BOUKHALAFA]; Workers Party or PT [Louisa HANOUN]
note: a law banning political parties based on religion was enacted in March 1997 |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 32,277,942 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 23% (1999 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 1.68% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Road Town | Algiers, Annaba, Arzew, Bejaia, Beni Saf, Dellys, Djendjene, Ghazaouet, Jijel, Mostaganem, Oran, Skikda, Tenes |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 25, FM 1, shortwave 8 (1999) |
Radios | 9,000 (1997) | 7.1 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 4,820 km
standard gauge: 3,664 km 1.435-m gauge (301 km electrified; 215 km double-track) narrow gauge: 1,156 km 1.055-m gauge (1999 est.) |
Religions | Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991) | Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1% |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 1.02 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
general assessment: telephone density in Algeria is very low, not exceeding five telephones per 100 persons; the number of fixed main lines increased in the last few years to a little more than 2,000,000, but only about two-thirds of these have subscribers; much of the infrastructure is outdated and inefficient
domestic: good service in north but sparse in south; domestic satellite system with 12 earth stations (20 additional domestic earth stations are planned) international: 5 submarine cables; microwave radio relay to Italy, France, Spain, Morocco, and Tunisia; coaxial cable to Morocco and Tunisia; participant in Medarabtel; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), 1 Intersputnik, and 1 Arabsat (1998) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 2.3 million (1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 33,500 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 46 (plus 216 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly high plateau and desert; some mountains; narrow, discontinuous coastal plain |
Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 2.63 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 34% (2001 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |