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Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Eritrea (2001)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Eritrea (2001)
| British Virgin Islands (2002) | Eritrea (2001) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 8 provinces (singular - awraja); Akale Guzay, Barka, Denkel, Hamasen, Sahil, Semhar, Senhit, Seraye
note: in May 1995 the National Assembly adopted a resolution stating that the administrative structure of Eritrea, which had been established by former colonial powers, would consist of only six provinces when the new constitution, then being drafted, became effective in 1997; the new provinces, the names of which had not been recommended by the US Board on Geographic Names for recognition by the US Government, pending acceptable definition of the boundaries, were: Anseba, Debub, Debubawi Keyih Bahri, Gash-Barka, Maakel, and Semanawi Keyih Bahri; more recently, it has been reported that these provinces have been redesignated regions and renamed Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Anseba, Gash-Barka, Southern, and Central |
| 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:
42.85% (male 922,691; female 918,916) 15-64 years: 53.87% (male 1,147,927; female 1,167,705) 65 years and over: 3.28% (male 71,232; female 69,798) (2001 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish |
| Airports | 3 (2001) | 20 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
2 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
18 over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
| 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:
121,320 sq km land: 121,320 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than Pennsylvania |
| 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. | Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. |
| Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 42.52 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues:
$283.9 million expenditures: $351.6 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997 est.) |
| Capital | Road Town | Asmara (formerly Asmera) |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert |
| Coastline | 80 km | 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form:
State of Eritrea conventional short form: Eritrea local long form: Hagere Ertra local short form: Ertra former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | nakfa (ERN) |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 12.07 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $281 million (2000 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 William D. CLARKE embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara telephone: [291] (1) 120004 FAX: [291] (1) 127584 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009 telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991 FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304 |
| Disputes - international | none | as a result of the 12 December 2000 peace agreement ending a two-year war with Ethiopia, the UN will administer a 25-km wide temporary security zone within Eritrea until a joint boundary commission delimits and demarcates a final boundary |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA | $77 million (1999) |
| 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. | With independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. The economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The small industrial sector consists mainly of light industries with outmoded technologies. Domestic output (GDP) is substantially augmented by worker remittances from abroad. Government revenues come from custom duties and taxes on income and sales. Road construction is a top domestic priority. In the long term, Eritrea may benefit from the development of offshore oil, offshore fishing, and tourism. Eritrea's economic future depends on its ability to master fundamental social and economic problems, e.g., by reducing illiteracy, promoting job creation, expanding technical training, attracting foreign investment, and streamlining the bureaucracy. Eritrea's agriculture over the last two years was severely weakened by war and drought, and many farmlands must wait to be demined. Another major difficulty is the ports, which prior to the war were Ethiopia's preferred outlets but since have seen trade dry up. |
| Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 153.5 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh NA kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh NA kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 165 million kWh (1999) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
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:
near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m highest point: Soira 3,018 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) | deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
| Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3% |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | nakfa per US dollar = 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.) |
| 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 ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly head of government: President ISAIAS Afworki (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next tentatively scheduled for December 2001) election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95% |
| Exports | $6.2 million | $26 million (f.o.b., 1999) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998) |
| 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) | red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $2.9 billion (2000 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture:
16% industry: 27% services: 57% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $710 (2000 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | -1% (2000 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 15 00 N, 39 00 E |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total:
3,850 km paved: 810 km unpaved: 3,040 km (2000) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center | - |
| Imports | $230 million (2000 est.) | $560 million (c.i.f., 1999) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4% (1998) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 75.14 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 14% (2000 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 4 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 280 sq km (1993 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; 10 provincial courts; 29 district courts |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | NA |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
1,630 km border countries: Djibouti 113 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
12% permanent crops: 1% permanent pastures: 49% forests and woodland: 6% other: 32% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | English (official) | Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages |
| Legal system | English law | operates on the basis of transitional laws that incorporate pre-independence statutes of the Eritrean People's Liberation Front, revised Ethiopian laws, customary laws, and post independence enacted laws |
| 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 |
unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established)
elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until country-wide elections to a National Assembly are held; only 75 members will be elected to the National Assembly - the other 75 will be members of the Central Committee of the PFDJ; parliamentary elections are now scheduled for NA December 2001 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
56.18 years male: 53.73 years female: 58.71 years (2001 est.) |
| Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition:
NA total population: 25% male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Africa |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 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:
5 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 16,069 GRT/19,549 DWT ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2000 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
| Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $160 million (2000 est.) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 29.4% (2000 est.) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Independence Day, 24 May (1993) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun:
Eritrean(s) adjective: Eritrean |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | frequent droughts; locust swarms |
| Natural resources | NEGL | gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish |
| Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 7.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
note: according to the UNHCR, about 150,000 Eritrean refugees in Sudan have registered for voluntary repatriation, following the restoration of diplomatic relations between Eritrea and Sudan in January 2000 |
| 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] | People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [ISAIAS Afworki, PETROS Solomon]; note - the National Assembly has appointed a committee to draft a law on political parties |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]; Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD] |
| Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 4,298,269 (July 2001 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 3.84% (2001 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 2 (2000) |
| Radios | 9,000 (1997) | 345,000 (1997) |
| Railways | 0 km | total:
317 km narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m gauge (1999) note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way |
| 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) | Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant |
| 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:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2001 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:
NA domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system international: NA |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 23,578 (2000) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 1 (2000) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 5.87 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | NA% |
| Waterways | none | none |
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