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Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Iceland (2005)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Iceland (2005)
| British Virgin Islands (2002) | Iceland (2005) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 8 regions; Austurland, Hofudhborgarsvaedhi, Nordhurland Eystra, Nordhurland Vestra, Sudhurland, Sudhurnes, Vestfirdhir, Vesturland |
| 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: 22.1% (male 33,302/female 32,257)
15-64 years: 66.2% (male 99,513/female 96,886) 65 years and over: 11.7% (male 15,723/female 19,056) (2005 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | potatoes, green vegetables, mutton, dairy products, fish |
| Airports | 3 (2001) | 98 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 5
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 93
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 61 (2004 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: 103,000 sq km
land: 100,250 sq km water: 2,750 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Kentucky |
| 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. | Settled by Norwegian and Celtic (Scottish and Irish) immigrants during the late 9th and 10th centuries A.D., Iceland boasts the world's oldest functioning legislative assembly, the Althing, established in 930. Independent for over 300 years, Iceland was subsequently ruled by Norway and Denmark. Fallout from the Askja volcano of 1875 devastated the Icelandic economy and caused widespread famine. Over the next quarter century, 20% of the island's population emigrated, mostly to Canada and the US. Limited home rule from Denmark was granted in 1874 and complete independence attained in 1944. Literacy, longevity, income, and social cohesion are first-rate by world standards. |
| Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 13.73 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $4.154 billion
expenditures: $4.058 billion, including capital expenditures of $467 million (2004 est.) |
| Capital | Road Town | Reykjavik |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | temperate; moderated by North Atlantic Current; mild, windy winters; damp, cool summers |
| Coastline | 80 km | 4,988 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 16 June 1944, effective 17 June 1944; amended many times |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Republic of Iceland
conventional short form: Iceland local long form: Lydhveldidh Island local short form: Island |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | - |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.68 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $3.073 billion (2002) |
| 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 James I. GADSDEN
embassy: Laufasvegur 21, 101 Reykjavik mailing address: US Embassy, PSC 1003, Box 40, FPO AE 09728-0340 telephone: [354] 562-9100 FAX: [354] 562-9118 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Helgi AGUSTSSON
chancery: Suite 1200, 1156 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1704 telephone: [1] (202) 265-6653 FAX: [1] (202) 265-6656 consulate(s) general: New York |
| Disputes - international | none | Iceland disputes Denmark's alignment of the Faroe Islands' fisheries median line; Iceland, the UK, and Ireland dispute Denmark's claim that the Faroe Islands' continental shelf extends beyond 200 nm |
| Economic aid - donor | - | $NA |
| 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. | Iceland's Scandinavian-type economy is basically capitalistic, yet with an extensive welfare system (including generous housing subsidies), low unemployment, and remarkably even distribution of income. In the absence of other natural resources (except for abundant geothermal power), the economy depends heavily on the fishing industry, which provides 70% of export earnings and employs 8% of the work force. The economy remains sensitive to declining fish stocks as well as to fluctuations in world prices for its main exports: fish and fish products, aluminum, and ferrosilicon. Government policies include reducing the budget and current account deficits, limiting foreign borrowing, containing inflation, revising agricultural and fishing policies, diversifying the economy, and privatizing state-owned industries. The government remains opposed to EU membership, primarily because of Icelanders' concern about losing control over their fishing resources. Iceland's economy has been diversifying into manufacturing and service industries in the last decade, and new developments in software production, biotechnology, and financial services are taking place. The tourism sector is also expanding, with the recent trends in ecotourism and whale watching. Growth had been remarkably steady in 1996-2001 at 3%-5%, but could not be sustained in 2002 in an environment of global recession. Growth resumed in 2003, and estimates call for strong growth until 2007, slowly dropping until the end of the decade. |
| Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 7.692 billion kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2002) |
| Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 8.271 billion kWh (2002) |
| 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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Hvannadalshnukur 2,119 m (at Vatnajokull glacier) |
| 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) | water pollution from fertilizer runoff; inadequate wastewater treatment |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Transboundary Air Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Environmental Modification, Marine Life Conservation |
| Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | homogeneous mixture of descendants of Norse and Celts 94%, population of foreign origin 6% |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Icelandic kronur per US dollar - 70.192 (2004), 76.709 (2003), 91.662 (2002), 97.425 (2001), 78.616 (2000) |
| 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 Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON (since 1 August 1996)
head of government: Prime Minister Halldor ASGRIMSSON (since 15 September 2004); note - Former Prime Minister David ODDSSON switched positions with former Foreign Minister Halldor ASGRIMMSON cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister and approved by parliament elections: president, which is largely a ceremonial post, elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 26 June 2004 (next to be held June 2008); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or the leader of the majority coalition is usually the prime minister election results: Olafur Ragnar GRIMSSON wins with 85.6% of the vote, Baldur AGUSTSSON 12.5%, Astthor MAGNUSSON 1.9% |
| Exports | $6.2 million | 0 bbl/day (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | fish and fish products 70%, aluminum, animal products, ferrosilicon, diatomite |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | UK 19.1%, Germany 17.2%, Netherlands 11.5%, US 9.8%, Spain 6.8%, Denmark 4.6% (2004) |
| 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) | blue with a red cross outlined in white extending to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | - |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 11.2%
industry: 9.6% services: 79.2% (2004 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $31,900 (2004 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 1.8% (2004 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 65 00 N, 18 00 W |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | strategic location between Greenland and Europe; westernmost European country; Reykjavik is the northernmost national capital in the world; more land covered by glaciers than in all of continental Europe |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 13,004 km
paved/oiled gravel: 4,331 km unpaved: 8,673 km (2004) |
| 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.) | 15,470 bbl/day (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | machinery and equipment, petroleum products; foodstuffs, textiles |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Germany 12.3%, US 9.9%, Norway 9.7%, Denmark 7.9%, UK 7.2%, Sweden 6.7%, Netherlands 6% (2004) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 1 December 1918 (became a sovereign state under the Danish Crown); 17 June 1944 (from Denmark) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 8.8% (2004 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | fish processing; aluminum smelting, ferrosilicon production, geothermal power; tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | total: 3.31 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 3.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.16 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 4% (2004 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, EFTA, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NATO, NC, NEA, NIB, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | - |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
| 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 Haestirettur (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice); eight district courts (justices are appointed for life by the Minister of Justice) |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 158,100 (2004 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture, fishing and fish processing 10.3%, industry 18.3%, services 71.4% (2003) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 0.07%
permanent crops: 0% other: 99.93% (2001) |
| Languages | English (official) | Icelandic, English, Nordic languages, German widely spoken |
| Legal system | English law | civil law system based on Danish law; 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 |
unicameral Parliament or Althing (63 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 10 May 2003 (next to be held by May 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Independence Party 33.7%, Social Democratic Alliance 31.0%, Progressive Party 17.7%, Left-Green Alliance 8.8%, Liberal Party 7.4%; seats by party - Independence Party 22, Social Democratic Alliance 20, Progressive Party 12, Left-Green Alliance 5, Liberal Party 4 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 80.19 years
male: 78.13 years female: 82.34 years (2005 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: 99.9% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Northern Europe, island between the Greenland Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, northwest of the UK |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Arctic Region |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
territorial sea: 12 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: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 4,341 GRT/6,019 DWT
by type: cargo 2, passenger/cargo 1 registered in other countries: 30 (2005) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is provided by the US-manned Icelandic Defense Force (IDF) headquartered at Keflavik |
| Military branches | - | no regular armed forces; Icelandic National Police, Icelandic Coast Guard (Islenska Landhelgisgaeslan) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | 0 |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Independence Day, 17 June (1944) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Icelander(s)
adjective: Icelandic |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | earthquakes and volcanic activity |
| Natural resources | NEGL | fish, hydropower, geothermal power, diatomite |
| Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
| 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] | Independence Party or IP [David ODDSSON]; Left-Green Alliance or LGP [Steingrimur SIGFUSSON]; Liberal Party or LP [Gudjon KRISTJANSSON]; Progressive Party or PP [Halldor ASGRIMSSON]; Social Democratic Alliance (includes People's Alliance or PA, Social Democratic Party or SDP, Women's List) or SDA [Ingibjorg Solrun GISLADOTTIR] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 296,737 (July 2005 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 0.91% (2005 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Grundartangi, Hafnarfjordur, Hornafjordhur, Reykjavik, Seydhisfjordhur |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM about 70 (including repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Radios | 9,000 (1997) | - |
| Railways | 0 km | - |
| 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) | Lutheran Church of Iceland 85.5%, Reykjavik Free Church 2.1%, Roman Catholic Church 2%, Hafnarfjorour Free Church 1.5%, other Christian 2.7%, other or unspecified 3.8%, unaffiliated 2.4% (2004) |
| 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: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.82 male(s)/female total population: 1 male(s)/female (2005 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: extensive domestic service
domestic: the trunk network consists of coaxial and fiber-optic cables and microwave radio relay links international: country code - 354; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Iceland shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Norway, and Sweden) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 190,700 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 279,100 (2003) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 14 (plus 156 low-power repeaters) (1997) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly plateau interspersed with mountain peaks, icefields; coast deeply indented by bays and fiords |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.92 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 3.1% (2004 est.) |
| Waterways | none | - |
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