British Virgin Islands (2002) | Hungary (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 19 counties (megyek, singular - megye), 20 urban counties* (singular - megyei varos), and 1 capital city** (fovaros); Bacs-Kiskun, Baranya, Bekes, Bekescsaba*, Borsod-Abauj-Zemplen, Budapest**, Csongrad, Debrecen*, Dunaujvaros*, Eger*, Fejer, Gyor*, Gyor-Moson-Sopron, Hajdu-Bihar, Heves, Hodmezovasarhely*, Jasz-Nagykun-Szolnok, Kaposvar*, Kecskemet*, Komarom-Esztergom, Miskolc*, Nagykanizsa*, Nograd, Nyiregyhaza*, Pecs*, Pest, Somogy, Sopron*, Szabolcs-Szatmar-Bereg, Szeged*, Szekesfehervar*, Szolnok*, Szombathely*, Tatabanya*, Tolna, Vas, Veszprem, Veszprem*, Zala, Zalaegerszeg* |
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: 16.1% (male 832,033; female 787,336)
15-64 years: 69% (male 3,406,046; female 3,523,118) 65 years and over: 14.9% (male 544,099; female 952,775) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | wheat, corn, sunflower seed, potatoes, sugar beets; pigs, cattle, poultry, dairy products |
Airports | 3 (2001) | 49 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 4 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 32
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 16 under 914 m: 8 (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: 93,030 sq km
land: 92,340 sq km water: 690 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Indiana |
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. | Hungary was part of the polyglot Austro-Hungarian Empire, which collapsed during World War I. The country fell under Communist rule following World War II. In 1956, a revolt and announced withdrawal from the Warsaw Pact were met with a massive military intervention by Moscow. Under the leadership of Janos KADAR in 1968, Hungary began liberalizing its economy, introducing so-called "goulash Communism." Hungary held its first multiparty elections in 1990 and initiated a free market economy. It joined NATO in 1999 and is scheduled to accede to the EU along with nine other states on 1 May 2004. In an April 2003 referendum, 84 percent voted in favor of joining the EU. |
Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.32 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $13 billion
expenditures: $14.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Road Town | Budapest |
Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | temperate; cold, cloudy, humid winters; warm summers |
Coastline | 80 km | 0 km (landlocked) |
Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 18 August 1949, effective 20 August 1949, revised 19 April 1972; 18 October 1989 revision ensured legal rights for individuals and constitutional checks on the authority of the prime minister and also established the principle of parliamentary oversight; 1997 amendment streamlined the judicial system |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Republic of Hungary
conventional short form: Hungary local long form: Magyar Koztarsasag local short form: Magyarorszag |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | forint (HUF) |
Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 13 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $31.5 billion (2002 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 Nancy Goodman BRINKER
embassy: 1054 Szabadsag ter 12, Budapest mailing address: pouch: American Embassy Budapest, 5270 Budapest Place, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5270 telephone: [36] (1) 475-4400 FAX: [36] (1) 475-4764 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Andras SIMONYI
chancery: 3910 Shoemaker Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 362-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 966-8135 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
Disputes - international | none | Hungary has yet to amend status law extending special social and cultural benefits to ethnic Hungarians in neighboring states, who protest the law |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | ODA $250 million (2000) |
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. | Hungary has made the transition from a centrally planned to a market economy, with a per capita income one-half that of the Big Four European nations. Hungary continues to demonstrate strong economic growth and to work toward accession to the European Union in May 2004. The private sector accounts for over 80% of GDP. Foreign ownership of and investment in Hungarian firms are widespread, with cumulative foreign direct investment totaling more than $23 billion since 1989. Hungarian sovereign debt was upgraded in 2000 to the second-highest rating among all the Central European transition economies. Inflation has declined substantially, from 14% in 1998 to 4.7% in 2003; unemployment has persisted around the 6% level. Germany is by far Hungary's largest economic partner. Short-term issues include the reduction of the public sector deficit to 3% in 2004 and avoiding unjustified increases in wages. |
Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 35.15 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 7.261 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 10.43 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 34.39 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 60.1%
hydro: 0.5% nuclear: 39% other: 0.3% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Tisza River 78 m
highest point: Kekes 1,014 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) | the approximation of Hungary's standards in waste management, energy efficiency, and air, soil, and water pollution with environmental requirements for EU accession will require large investments |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea |
Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | Hungarian 89.9%, Roma 4%, German 2.6%, Serb 2%, Slovak 0.8%, Romanian 0.7% |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | forints per US dollar - 257.89 (2002), 286.49 (2001), 282.18 (2000), 237.15 (1999), 214.4 (1998) |
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: Ferenc MADL (since 4 August 2000)
head of government: Prime Minister Peter MEDGYESSY (since 27 May 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 6 June 2000 (next to be held by June 2005); prime minister elected by the National Assembly on the recommendation of the president election results: Ferenc MADL elected president; percent of legislative vote - NA% (but by a simple majority in the third round of voting); Peter MEDGYESSY elected prime minister; percent of legislative vote - NA% note: to be elected, the president must win two-thirds of legislative vote in the first two rounds or a simple majority in the third round |
Exports | $6.2 million | 47,180 bbl/day (2001) |
Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | machinery and equipment 57.6%, other manufactures 31.0%, food products 7.5%, raw materials 1.9%, fuels and electricity 1.9% (2001) |
Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Germany 34.3%, Austria 8.5%, Italy 5.5%, France 5.4%, US 4.9%, UK 4.5% (2002) |
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) | three equal horizontal bands of red (top), white, and green |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $134 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 4.1%
industry: 33.8% services: 62.1% (2000 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $13,300 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 3.3% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 47 00 N, 20 00 E |
Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | landlocked; strategic location astride main land routes between Western Europe and Balkan Peninsula as well as between Ukraine and Mediterranean basin; the north-south flowing Duna (Danube) and Tisza Rivers divide the country into three large regions |
Heliports | - | 5 (2002) |
Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 188,203 km
paved: 81,680 km (including 438 km of expressways) unpaved: 106,523 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 4.1%
highest 10%: 20.5% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center | transshipment point for Southwest Asian heroin and cannabis and for South American cocaine destined for Western Europe; limited producer of precursor chemicals, particularly for amphetamine and methamphetamine; improving, but remains vulnerable to money laundering related to organized crime and drug trafficking |
Imports | $230 million (2000 est.) | 136,600 bbl/day (2001) |
Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | machinery and equipment 51.6%, other manufactures 35.3%, fuels and electricity 8.2%, food products 2.9%, raw materials 2.0% (2001) |
Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Germany 25.3%, Austria 7.7%, Italy 7.5%, Russia 6%, China 5%, France 5% (2002) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 1001 (unification by King Stephen I) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 3.1% (2002 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | mining, metallurgy, construction materials, processed foods, textiles, chemicals (especially pharmaceuticals), motor vehicles |
Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 9.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.35 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 5.3% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | ABEDA, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CEI, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G- 9, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNOMIG, UNU, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (associate), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 16 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 2,100 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 | Constitutional Court (judges are elected by the National Assembly for nine-year terms) |
Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 4.2 million (1997) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | services 65%, industry 27%, agriculture 8% (1996) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,171 km
border countries: Austria 366 km, Croatia 329 km, Romania 443 km, Serbia and Montenegro 151 km, Slovakia 677 km, Slovenia 102 km, Ukraine 103 km |
Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 52.2%
permanent crops: 2.46% other: 45.34% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official) | Hungarian 98.2%, other 1.8% |
Legal system | English law | rule of law based on Western model |
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 or Orszaggyules (386 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional and direct representation to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 7 and 21 April 2002 (next to be held NA April 2006) election results: percent of vote by party (5% or more of the vote required for parliamentary representation in the first round) - Fidesz/MDF 48.70%, MSzP 46.11%, SzDSz 4.92%, other 0.27%; seats by party - Fidesz 164, MSzP 178, MDF 24, SzDSz 20 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 72.17 years
male: 67.84 years female: 76.81 years (2003 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: 99.4% male: 99.5% female: 99.3% (2003 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Central Europe, northwest of Romania |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
none (landlocked) |
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: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 3,784 GRT/5,500 DWT
ships by type: cargo 1 |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Ground Forces, Air Forces |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $1.08 billion (2002 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.75% (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 2,541,426 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 2,026,912 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 64,305 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Saint Stephen's Day, 20 August |
Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Hungarian(s)
adjective: Hungarian |
Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | - |
Natural resources | NEGL | bauxite, coal, natural gas, fertile soils, arable land |
Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 4,397 km; oil 990 km; refined products 335 km (2003) |
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] | Alliance of Free Democrats or SzDSz [Gabor KUNCZE]; Christian Democratic People's Party or KDNP [Laszlo VARGA, chairman]; Hungarian Civic Alliance or Fidesz-MPP [Jozsef SZASER, chairman]; Hungarian Democratic Forum or MDF [Ibolya DAVID]; Hungarian Democratic People's Party or MDNP [Erzsebet PUSZTAI, chairman]; Hungarian Justice and Life Party or MIEP [Istvan CSURKA, chairman]; Hungarian Socialist Party or MSzP [Laszlo KOVACS, chairman]; Hungarian Workers' Party or MMP [Gyula THURMER, chairman] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 10,045,407 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 8.6% (1993 est.) |
Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | -0.29% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Road Town | Budapest, Dunaujvaros |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 17, FM 57, shortwave 3 (1998) |
Radios | 9,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 7,875 km
broad gauge: 36 km 1.524-m gauge standard gauge: 7,620 km 1.435-m gauge (2,628 km electrified) narrow gauge: 219 km 0.760-m gauge note: Hungary and Austria jointly manage a cross-border, standard-gauge railway connecting Gyor, Sopron, and Ebenfurt (Gysev railroad) with a route length of 101 km in Hungary and 65 km in Austria; 156 km of this line is electrified (2002) |
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) | Roman Catholic 67.5%, Calvinist 20%, Lutheran 5%, atheist and other 7.5% |
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: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.57 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2003 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: the telephone system has been modernized and is capable of satisfying all requests for telecommunication service
domestic: the system is digitalized and highly automated; trunk services are carried by fiber-optic cable and digital microwave radio relay; a program for fiber-optic subscriber connections was initiated in 1996; heavy use is made of mobile cellular telephones international: Hungary has fiber-optic cable connections with all neighboring countries; the international switch is in Budapest; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean and Indian Ocean regions), 1 Inmarsat, 1 very small aperture terminal (VSAT) system of ground terminals |
Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 3.095 million (1997) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 1.269 million (July 1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 35 (plus 161 low-power repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly flat to rolling plains; hills and low mountains on the Slovakian border |
Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.25 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 5.8% (2002 est.) |
Waterways | none | 1,373 km (permanently navigable) (1997) |