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Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Australia (2008)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Australia (2008)

 British Virgin Islands (2002)Australia (2008)
 British Virgin IslandsAustralia
Administrative divisions none (overseas territory of the UK) 6 states and 2 territories*; Australian Capital Territory*, New South Wales, Northern Territory*, Queensland, South Australia, Tasmania, Victoria, Western Australia
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: 19.3% (male 2,023,375/female 1,929,229)


15-64 years: 67.4% (male 6,945,068/female 6,831,653)


65 years and over: 13.2% (male 1,197,494/female 1,507,357) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish wheat, barley, sugarcane, fruits, cattle, sheep, poultry
Airports 3 (2001) 461 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
total: 317


over 3,047 m: 11


2,438 to 3,047 m: 12


1,524 to 2,437 m: 138


914 to 1,523 m: 143


under 914 m: 13 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
total: 144


1,524 to 2,437 m: 19


914 to 1,523 m: 109


under 914 m: 16 (2007)
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: 7,686,850 sq km


land: 7,617,930 sq km


water: 68,920 sq km


note: includes Lord Howe Island and Macquarie Island
Area - comparative about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than the US contiguous 48 states
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. Aboriginal settlers arrived on the continent from Southeast Asia about 40,000 years before the first Europeans began exploration in the 17th century. No formal territorial claims were made until 1770, when Capt. James COOK took possession in the name of Great Britain. Six colonies were created in the late 18th and 19th centuries; they federated and became the Commonwealth of Australia in 1901. The new country took advantage of its natural resources to rapidly develop agricultural and manufacturing industries and to make a major contribution to the British effort in World Wars I and II. In recent decades, Australia has transformed itself into an internationally competitive, advanced market economy. It boasted one of the OECD's fastest growing economies during the 1990s, a performance due in large part to economic reforms adopted in the 1980s. Long-term concerns include climate-change issues such as the depletion of the ozone layer and more frequest droughts, and management and conservation of coastal areas, especially the Great Barrier Reef.
Birth rate 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 12.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
revenues: $312 billion


expenditures: $299.6 billion (2007 est.)
Capital Road Town name: Canberra


geographic coordinates: 35 17 S, 149 13 E


time difference: UTC+10 (15 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in October; ends last Sunday in March


note: Australia is divided into three time zones
Climate subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds generally arid to semiarid; temperate in south and east; tropical in north
Coastline 80 km 25,760 km
Constitution 1 June 1977 9 July 1900, effective 1 January 1901
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Australia


conventional short form: Australia
Currency US dollar (USD) -
Death rate 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 7.56 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $36.1 million (1997) $757.9 billion (30 June 2007)
Dependency status overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing -
Dependent areas - Ashmore and Cartier Islands, Christmas Island, Cocos (Keeling) Islands, Coral Sea Islands, Heard Island and McDonald Islands, Norfolk Island, Macquarie Island
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Robert D. McCALLUM, Jr.


embassy: Moonah Place, Yarralumla, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2600


mailing address: APO AP 96549


telephone: [61] (02) 6214-5600


FAX: [61] (02) 6214-5970


consulate(s) general: Melbourne, Perth, Sydney
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Dennis J. RICHARDSON


chancery: 1601 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 797-3000


FAX: [1] (202) 797-3168


consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Chicago, Honolulu, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco
Disputes - international none Timor-Leste and Australia agreed in 2005 to defer the disputed portion of the boundary for fifty years and to split hydrocarbon revenues evenly outside the Joint Petroleum Development Area covered by the 2002 Timor Sea Treaty; East Timor dispute hampers creation of a revised maritime boundary with Indonesia in the Timor Sea; Indonesian groups challenge Australia's claim to Ashmore and Cartier Islands; Australia closed parts of the Ashmore and Cartier Reserve to Indonesian traditional fishing and placed restrictions on certain catch; regional states continue to express concern over Australia's 2004 declaration of a 1,000-nautical mile-wide maritime identification zone; Australia asserts land and maritime claims to Antarctica (see Antarctica); in 2004 Australia submitted its claims to UN Commission on the Limits of the Continental Shelf (CLCS) to extend its continental margins covering over 3.37 million square kilometers or roughly thirty percent of its claimed exclusive economic zone; since 2003, Australian Defense Force leads the Regional Assistance Mission to the Solomon Islands (RAMSI) to maintain civil and political order and reinforce regional security
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $894 million (FY99/00)
Economic aid - recipient NA -
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. Australia has an enviable, strong economy with a per capita GDP on par with the four dominant West European economies. Robust business and consumer confidence and high export prices for raw materials and agricultural products are fueling the economy, particularly in mining states. Australia's emphasis on reforms, low inflation, a housing market boom, and growing ties with China have been key factors behind the economy's 16 solid years of expansion. Drought, robust import demand, and a strong currency have pushed the trade deficit up in recent years, while infrastructure bottlenecks and a tight labor market are constraining growth in export volumes and stoking inflation. Australia's budget has been in surplus since 2002 due to strong revenue growth.
Electricity - consumption 39.1 million kWh (1999) 219.8 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 42 million kWh (1999) 236.7 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
lowest point: Lake Eyre -15 m


highest point: Mount Kosciuszko 2,229 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, industrial development, urbanization, and poor farming practices; soil salinity rising due to the use of poor quality water; desertification; clearing for agricultural purposes threatens the natural habitat of many unique animal and plant species; the Great Barrier Reef off the northeast coast, the largest coral reef in the world, is threatened by increased shipping and its popularity as a tourist site; limited natural fresh water resources
Environment - international agreements - party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Ethnic groups black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed white 92%, Asian 7%, aboriginal and other 1%
Exchange rates the US dollar is used Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.2137 (2007), 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003)
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: Queen of Australia ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor General Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Michael JEFFERY (since 11 August 2003)


head of government: Prime Minister Kevin RUDD (since 3 December 2007); Deputy Prime Minister Julia GILLARD (since 3 December 2007)


cabinet: prime minister nominates, from among members of Parliament, candidates who are subsequently sworn in by the governor general to serve as government ministers


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the recommendation of the prime minister; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is sworn in as prime minister by the governor general
Exports $6.2 million 333,200 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand coal, iron ore, gold, meat, wool, alumina, wheat, machinery and transport equipment
Exports - partners Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US Japan 19.6%, China 12.3%, South Korea 7.5%, US 6.2%, India 5.5%, NZ 5.5%, UK 5% (2006)
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 July - 30 June
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) blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and a large seven-pointed star in the lower hoist-side quadrant known as the Commonwealth or Federation Star, representing the federation of the colonies of Australia in 1901; the star depicts one point for each of the six original states and one representing all of Australia's internal and external territories; on the fly half is a representation of the Southern Cross constellation in white with one small five-pointed star and four larger, seven-pointed stars
GDP purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 2%


industry: 6%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 3.7%


industry: 25.6%


services: 70.7% (2007 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 4.4% (2000 est.) 4% (2007 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 30 N, 64 30 W 27 00 S, 133 00 E
Geography - note strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico world's smallest continent but sixth-largest country; population concentrated along the eastern and southeastern coasts; the invigorating sea breeze known as the "Fremantle Doctor" affects the city of Perth on the west coast, and is one of the most consistent winds in the world
Heliports - 1 (2007)
Highways total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 2%


highest 10%: 25.4% (1994)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center Tasmania is one of the world's major suppliers of licit opiate products; government maintains strict controls over areas of opium poppy cultivation and output of poppy straw concentrate; major consumer of cocaine and amphetamines
Imports $230 million (2000 est.) 611,400 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery machinery and transport equipment, computers and office machines, telecommunication equipment and parts; crude oil and petroleum products
Imports - partners Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US China 14.4%, US 14.1%, Japan 9.6%, Singapore 6%, Germany 5.1% (2006)
Independence none (overseas territory of the UK) 1 January 1901 (federation of UK colonies)
Industrial production growth rate 4% (1985) 3.5% (2007 est.)
Industries tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center mining, industrial and transportation equipment, food processing, chemicals, steel
Infant mortality rate 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 4.57 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 4.95 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.3% (2000) 3% (2007 est.)
International organization participation Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) ADB, ANZUS, APEC, ARF, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CP, EAS, EBRD, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OECD, OPCW, Paris Club, PCA, PIF, Sparteca, SPC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNMIS, UNMIT, UNRWA, UNTSO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 16 (2000) -
Irrigated land NA sq km 25,450 sq km (2003)
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 High Court (the chief justice and six other justices are appointed by the governor general)
Labor force 4,911 (1980) 10.9 million (2007 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% agriculture: 3.6%


industry: 21.2%


services: 75.2% (2004 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
arable land: 6.15% (includes about 27 million hectares of cultivated grassland)


permanent crops: 0.04%


other: 93.81% (2005)
Languages English (official) English 79.1%, Chinese 2.1%, Italian 1.9%, other 11.1%, unspecified 5.8% (2001 Census)
Legal system English law based on English common law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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 Federal Parliament consists of the Senate (76 seats; 12 members from each of the six states and 2 from each of the two mainland territories; one-half of state members are elected every three years by popular vote to serve six-year terms while all territory members are elected every three years) and the House of Representatives (150 seats; members elected by popular preferential vote to serve terms of up to three-years; no state can have fewer than 5 representatives)


elections: Senate - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be held no later than 2010); House of Representatives - last held 24 November 2007 (next to be called no later than 2010)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Liberal Party-National Party coalition 37, Australian Labor Party 32, Australian Greens 5, Family First Party 1, other 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Australian Labor Party 83, Liberal Party 55, National Party 10, independents 2
Life expectancy at birth total population: 75.85 years


male: 74.9 years


female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)
total population: 80.62 years


male: 77.75 years


female: 83.63 years (2007 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: 99%


male: 99%


female: 99% (2003 est.)
Location Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Oceania, continent between the Indian Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Oceania
Maritime claims exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200 nm or to the edge of the continental margin
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: 52 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,322,527 GRT/1,501,865 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 16, cargo 5, chemical tanker 1, container 1, liquefied gas 4, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 6, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 5


foreign-owned: 16 (Canada 2, France 1, Germany 2, Netherlands 2, Norway 1, Philippines 1, UK 2, US 5)


registered in other countries: 29 (Antigua and Barbuda 1, Bahamas 3, Bermuda 4, Fiji 1, The Gambia 1, Liberia 2, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 4, Singapore 6, Tonga 1, UK 1, US 2, Vanuatu 2, unknown 1) (2007)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK -
Military branches - Australian Defense Force (ADF): Australian Army, Royal Australian Navy, Royal Australian Air Force, Special Operations Command (2006)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.4% (2006)
National holiday Territory Day, 1 July Australia Day, 26 January (1788); ANZAC Day (commemorated as the anniversary of the landing of troops of the Australian and New Zealand Army Corps during World War I at Gallipoli, Turkey), 25 April (1915)
Nationality noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
noun: Australian(s)


adjective: Australian
Natural hazards hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) cyclones along the coast; severe droughts; forest fires
Natural resources NEGL bauxite, coal, iron ore, copper, tin, gold, silver, uranium, nickel, tungsten, mineral sands, lead, zinc, diamonds, natural gas, petroleum
Net migration rate 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 3.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - condensate/gas 469 km; gas 26,719 km; liquid petroleum gas 240 km; oil 3,720 km; oil/gas/water 110 km (2007)
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] Australian Democrats [Lyn ALLISON]; Australian Greens [Bob BROWN]; Australian Labor Party [Kevin RUDD]; Country Liberal Party [Jodeen CARNEY]; Family First Party [Steve FIELDING]; Liberal Party [Brendan NELSON]; The Nationals [Warren TRUSS]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA -
Population 21,272 (July 2002 est.) 20,434,176 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 2.16% (2002 est.) 0.824% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors Road Town -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) AM 262, FM 345, shortwave 1 (1998)
Radios 9,000 (1997) -
Railways 0 km total: 38,550 km


broad gauge: 3,727 km 1.600-m gauge


standard gauge: 20,519 km 1.435-m gauge (1,877 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 14,074 km 1.067-m gauge (2,453 km electrified)


dual gauge: 230 km dual gauge (2006)
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) Catholic 26.4%, Anglican 20.5%, other Christian 20.5%, Buddhist 1.9%, Muslim 1.5%, other 1.2%, unspecified 12.7%, none 15.3% (2001 Census)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.049 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.017 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.794 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal and compulsory
Telephone system general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: submarine cable to Bermuda
general assessment: excellent domestic and international service


domestic: domestic satellite system; much use of radiotelephone in areas of low population density; rapid growth of mobile cellular telephones


international: country code - 61; landing point for the SEA-ME-WE-3 optical telecommunications submarine cable with links to Asia, the Middle East, and Europe; the Southern Cross fiber optic submarine cable provides links to New Zealand and the United States; satellite earth stations - 19 (10 Intelsat - 4 Indian Ocean and 6 Pacific Ocean, 2 Inmarsat - Indian and Pacific Ocean regions, 2 Globalstar, 5 other) (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use 10,000 (1996) 9.94 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA 19.76 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) 104 (1997)
Terrain coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly mostly low plateau with deserts; fertile plain in southeast
Total fertility rate 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.76 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 3% (1995) 4.4% (November 2007 est.)
Waterways none 2,000 km (mainly used for recreation on Murray and Murray-Darling river systems) (2006)
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