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Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Korea, South (2002)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Korea, South (2002)
| British Virgin Islands (2002) | Korea, South (2002) | |
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| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 7 metropolitan cities* (gwangyoksi, singular and plural); Cheju-do, Cholla-bukto, Cholla-namdo, Ch'ungch'ong-bukto, Ch'ungch'ong-namdo, Inch'on-gwangyoksi*, Kangwon-do, Kwangju-gwangyoksi*, Kyonggi-do, Kyongsang-bukto, Kyongsang-namdo, Pusan-gwangyoksi*, Soul-t'ukpyolsi*, Taegu-gwangyoksi*, Taejon-gwangyoksi*, Ulsan-gwangyoksi* |
| 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: 21.4% (male 5,488,808; female 4,875,379)
15-64 years: 71% (male 17,404,645; female 16,894,361) 65 years and over: 7.6% (male 1,434,873; female 2,225,934) (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | rice, root crops, barley, vegetables, fruit; cattle, pigs, chickens, milk, eggs; fish |
| Airports | 3 (2001) | 102 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 69
over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 16 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 21 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 33
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 31 (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: 98,480 sq km
land: 98,190 sq km water: 290 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger 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. | After World War II, a republic was set up in the southern half of the Korean Peninsula while a Communist-style government was installed in the north. The Korean War (1950-53) had US and other UN forces intervene to defend South Korea from North Korean attacks supported by the Chinese. An armistice was signed in 1953 splitting the peninsula along a demilitarized zone at about the 38th parallel. Thereafter, South Korea achieved rapid economic growth, with per capita income rising to roughly 20 times the level of North Korea. South Korea has maintained its commitment to democratize its political processes. In June 2000, a historic first north-south summit took place between the south's President KIM Dae-jung and the north's leader KIM Chong-il. |
| Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 14.55 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $118.1 billion
expenditures: $95.7 billion, including capital expenditures of $22.6 billion (2000) |
| Capital | Road Town | Seoul |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | temperate, with rainfall heavier in summer than winter |
| Coastline | 80 km | 2,413 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 25 February 1948 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Republic of Korea
conventional short form: South Korea local long form: Taehan-min'guk local short form: none note: the South Koreans generally use the term "Han'guk" to refer to their country abbreviation: ROK |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | South Korean won (KRW) |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $128.2 billion (2001) |
| 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 Thomas C. HUBBARD
embassy: 82 Sejong-ro, Chongro-ku, Seoul 110-710 mailing address: American Embassy, Unit 15550, APO AP 96205-0001 telephone: [82] (2) 397-4114 FAX: [82] (2) 738-8845 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador YANG Song-chol
chancery: 2450 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 939-5600 FAX: [1] (202) 387-0205 consulate(s) general: Anchorage, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Honolulu, Houston, Los Angeles, New York, San Francisco, and Seattle consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam) |
| Disputes - international | none | Demarcation Line with North Korea; Liancourt Rocks/Take-shima/Tok-do disputed with Japan |
| Economic aid - donor | - | ODA $200 million (2000) |
| 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. | As one of the Four Tigers of East Asia, South Korea has achieved an incredible record of growth and integration into the high-tech modern world economy. Three decades ago GDP per capita was comparable with levels in the poorer countries of Africa and Asia. Today its GDP per capita is roughly 20 times North Korea's and equal to the lesser economies of the European Union. This success through the late 1980s was achieved by a system of close government/business ties, including directed credit, import restrictions, sponsorship of specific industries, and a strong labor effort. The government promoted the import of raw materials and technology at the expense of consumer goods and encouraged savings and investment over consumption. The Asian financial crisis of 1997-99 exposed longstanding weaknesses in South Korea's development model, including high debt/equity ratios, massive foreign borrowing, and an undisciplined financial sector. Growth plunged by 6.6% in 1998, then strongly recovered to 10.8% in 1999 and 9.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.3% in 2001 because of the slowing global economy, falling exports, and the perception that much-needed corporate and financial reforms have stalled. Led by industry and construction, growth in 2002 was an impressive 5.8%, despited anemic global growth. |
| Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 254.08 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 273.2 billion kWh (2000) |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 61%
hydro: 1% nuclear: 38% other: 0% (2000) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Halla-san 1,950 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) | air pollution in large cities; acid rain; water pollution from the discharge of sewage and industrial effluents; drift net fishing |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, 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 | homogeneous (except for about 20,000 Chinese) |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | South Korean won per US dollar - 1,317.01 (January 2002), 1,290.99 (2001), 1,130.96 (2000), 1,188.82 (1999), 1,401.44 (1998), 951.29 (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 ROH Muh-hyun (since 25 February 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister KO Kun (since 27 February 2003); Deputy Prime Minister KIM Chin-p'yo (since 27 February 2003) cabinet: State Council appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation elections: president elected by popular vote for a single five-year term; election last held 19 December 2002 (next to be held NA December 2007); prime minister appointed by the president; deputy prime ministers appointed by the president on the prime minister's recommendation election results: results of the 19 December 2002 election - ROH Muh-hyun elected president, took office 25 February 2003; percent of vote - ROH Muh-hyun (MDP) 48.9%; YI Hoe-chang (GNP) 46.6%; other 4.5% |
| Exports | $6.2 million | $159.2 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | electronic products, machinery and equipment, motor vehicles, steel, ships; textiles, clothing, footwear; fish |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US 20.7%, China 12.1%, Japan 11.0%, Hong Kong 6.3%, Taiwan 3.9% (2001) |
| 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) | white with a red (top) and blue yin-yang symbol in the center; there is a different black trigram from the ancient I Ching (Book of Changes) in each corner of the white field |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $931 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 4%
industry: 42% services: 54% (2002 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $19,400 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 5.8% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 37 00 N, 127 30 E |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | strategic location on Korea Strait |
| Heliports | - | 204 (2002) |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 87,534 km
paved: 65,388 km (including 1,996 km of expressways) unpaved: 22,146 km (1999) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 25% (1998 est.) |
| Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center | - |
| Imports | $230 million (2000 est.) | $146.6 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | machinery, electronics and electronic equipment, oil, steel, transport equipment, textiles, organic chemicals, grains |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | Japan 18.9%, US 15.9%, China 9.4%, Saudi Arabia 5.7%, Australia 3.9% (2001) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 6.5% (2002 est.) |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | electronics, automobile production, chemicals, shipbuilding, steel, textiles, clothing, footwear, food processing |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 7.58 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 2.8% (2002 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, CCC, CP, EBRD, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IEA (observer), IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE (partner), PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 11 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 11,590 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 (justices are appointed by the president with the consent of the National Assembly) |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 22 million (2001) |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | services 69%, industry 22%, agriculture 10% (2001) |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 238 km
border countries: North Korea 238 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 17.44%
permanent crops: 2.05% other: 80.51% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | English (official) | Korean, English widely taught in junior high and high school |
| Legal system | English law | combines elements of continental European civil law systems, Anglo-American law, and Chinese classical thought |
| 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 Kukhoe (273 seats total - 227 elected by direct, popular vote; members serve four-year terms); note - beginning in 2004, all members will be directly elected; possible redistricting before 2004 may affect the number of seats in the National Assembly
elections: last held 13 April 2000 (next to be held NA April 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - GNP 133, MDP 115, ULD 17, other 8; note - the distribution of seats as of January 2002 is: GNP 136, MDP 118, ULD 15, DPP 2, independents 2 |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 74.88 years
male: 71.2 years female: 78.95 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: 98% male: 99.3% female: 96.7% (1995 est.) |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Eastern Asia, southern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Sea of Japan and the Yellow Sea |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Asia |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
continental shelf: not specified exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM; between 3 NM and 12 NM in the Korea Strait |
| 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: 501 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,679,171 GRT/9,172,403 DWT
ships by type: bulk 104, cargo 160, chemical tanker 47, combination bulk 6, container 52, liquefied gas 16, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 3, petroleum tanker 73, refrigerated cargo 25, roll on/roll off 5, short-sea passenger 1, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 5, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Australia 1, Bulgaria 1, China 1, Greece 1, Japan 1, Malaysia 1, Norway 1, Panama 1, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines 1, United Kingdom 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
| Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, National Maritime Police (Coast Guard) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $12.8 billion (FY00) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.8% (FY00) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 14,194,960 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 8,990,488 (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2002 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 394,397 (2002 est.) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Liberation Day, 15 August (1945) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | occasional typhoons bring high winds and floods; low-level seismic activity common in southwest |
| Natural resources | NEGL | coal, tungsten, graphite, molybdenum, lead, hydropower potential |
| Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | petroleum products 455 km; note - additionally, there is a parallel petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) pipeline being completed |
| 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] | Democratic People's Party or DPP [CHO Sun, chairman]; Grand National Party or GNP [YI Hoe-chang, president]; Millennium Democratic Party or MDP [leader NA]; United Liberal Democrats or ULD [KIM Chong-p'il, honorary chairman, KIM Chong-ho, acting president]
note: on 20 January 2000, the National Congress for New Politics or NCNP was renamed the Millennium Democratic Party or MDP |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Federation of Korean Industries; Federation of Korean Trade Unions; Korean Confederation of Trade Unions; Korean National Council of Churches; Korean Traders Association; Korean Veterans' Association; National Council of Labor Unions; National Democratic Alliance of Korea; National Federation of Farmers' Associations; National Federation of Student Associations |
| Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 48.324 million (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | 4% (2001 est.) |
| Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 0.85% (2002 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Chinhae, Inch'on, Kunsan, Masan, Mokp'o, P'ohang, Pusan, Tonghae-hang, Ulsan, Yosu |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 104, FM 136, shortwave 5 (2001) |
| Radios | 9,000 (1997) | 47.5 million (2000) |
| Railways | 0 km | total: 3,124 km
standard gauge: 3,124 km 1.435-m gauge (661 km electrified) (2000) |
| 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) | Christian 49%, Buddhist 47%, Confucianist 3%, Shamanist, Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way), and other 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: 1.11 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.13 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.65 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 20 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda |
general assessment: excellent domestic and international services
domestic: NA international: fiber-optic submarine cable to China; the Russia-Korea-Japan submarine cable; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Pacific Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean) and 1 Inmarsat (Pacific Ocean region) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 24 million (2000) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 28 million (September 2000) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 121 (plus 850 repeater stations and the eight-channel American Forces Korea Network) (1999) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly hills and mountains; wide coastal plains in west and south |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 3.1% (2002 est.) |
| Waterways | none | 1,609 km
note: restricted to small native craft |
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