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Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - Marshall Islands (2002)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z Marshall Islands (2002)
| British Virgin Islands (2002) | Marshall Islands (2002) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje |
| 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: 49.1% (male 18,443; female 17,704)
15-64 years: 48.9% (male 18,347; female 17,628) 65 years and over: 2% (male 720; female 788) (2002 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens |
| Airports | 3 (2001) | 17 (2001) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 4
1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total: 11
914 to 1,523 m: 10 under 914 m: 1 (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: 181.3 sq km
land: 181.3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Washington, DC |
| 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 almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands have been home to the US Army Base Kwajalein (USAKA) since 1964. |
| Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 44.98 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues: $42 million
expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1999) |
| Capital | Road Town | Majuro |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt |
| Coastline | 80 km | 370.4 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 1 May 1979 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands
conventional short form: Marshall Islands former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | US dollar (USD) |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 6.07 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $86.5 million |
| 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 Michael J. SENKO
embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM
chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu |
| Disputes - international | none | claims US territory of Wake Island |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA | approximately $39 million annually from the US |
| 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. | US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is primarily subsistence and is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provides roughly $39 million in annual aid. Negotiations have continued for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade. |
| Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | - |
| Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 1% (solar) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 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) | inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
| Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | Micronesian |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | the US dollar is used |
| 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 Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government
head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% |
| Exports | $6.2 million | $9 million f.o.b. (2000) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US, Japan, Australia |
| Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 October - 30 September |
| 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 two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $115 million (2001 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 14%
industry: 16% services: 70% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 1% (2001 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: NA km
paved: 64.5 km unpaved: NA km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002) |
| 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.) | $54 million f.o.b. (2000) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
| Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls |
| Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 38.68 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 1.9% (1999 est.) |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW (signatory), Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 1 (2002) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 0 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; High Court |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 28,698 |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 21%, industry 21%, services 58% |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land: 16.67%
permanent crops: 0% other: 83.33% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | English (official) | English (widely spoken as a second language, both English and Marshallese are official languages), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese |
| Legal system | English law | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary 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 Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population: 66.18 years
male: 64.35 years female: 68.09 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: 93.7% male: 93.6% female: 93.7% (1999) |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Oceania |
| Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
contiguous zone: 24 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 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: 270 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 11,807,839 GRT/19,332,014 DWT
ships by type: bulk 82, cargo 14, chemical tanker 24, combination ore/oil 4, container 46, liquefied gas 8, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 88, vehicle carrier 3 note: the ship's register of the Marshall Islands is a flag of convenience register since essentially none of the vessels on it is owned domestically, includes the following foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 1, Cyprus 1, Denmark 9, Germany 70, Greece 54, Hong Kong 2, Japan 4, Monaco 8, Netherlands 8, Norway 10, Poland 16, Singapore 1, Turkey 6, United Kingdom 3, United States 87, Uruguay 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of the US |
| Military branches | - | no regular military forces; Police Force |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)
adjective: Marshallese |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | infrequent typhoons |
| Natural resources | NEGL | coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
| Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 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] | traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 73,630 (July 2002 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 3.89% (2002 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Majuro |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0
note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002) |
| Radios | 9,000 (1997) | NA |
| Railways | 0 km | 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) | Christian (mostly 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: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2002 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: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits
domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001) |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 4,186 (2001) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 489 (2001) |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 2 (both are US military stations) (2002) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | low coral limestone and sand islands |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 6.49 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 30.9% (1999 est.) |
| Waterways | none | none |
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