British Virgin Islands (2002) | Sweden (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands |
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:
18.19% (male 828,308; female 786,353) 15-64 years: 64.53% (male 2,911,949; female 2,814,730) 65 years and over: 17.28% (male 649,296; female 884,417) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | grains, sugar beets, potatoes; meat, milk |
Airports | 3 (2001) | 255 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
147 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002) |
total:
108 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 103 (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:
449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than California |
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. | A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements has recently been undermined by high unemployment, rising maintenance costs, and a declining position in world markets. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and to forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999. |
Birth rate | 15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997) |
revenues:
$133 billion expenditures: $125.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Road Town | Stockholm |
Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
Coastline | 80 km | 3,218 km |
Constitution | 1 June 1977 | 1 January 1975 |
Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | Swedish krona (SEK) |
Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $66.5 billion (1994) |
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 Lyndon Lowell OLSON, Jr. embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds VAG 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch) telephone: [46] (8) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (8) 661 19 64 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Jan ELIASSON chancery: 1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1702 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $1.7 billion (1997) |
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. | Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole twentieth century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. In recent years, however, this extraordinarily favorable picture has been somewhat clouded by budgetary difficulties, high unemployment, and a gradual loss of competitiveness in international markets. Sweden has harmonized its economic policies with those of the EU, which it joined at the start of 1995. GDP growth is forecast for 4% in 2001. |
Electricity - consumption | 39.1 million kWh (1999) | 128.819 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 15.9 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 8.35 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | 42 million kWh (1999) | 146.633 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel:
5.53% hydro: 47.24% nuclear: 45.42% other: 1.81% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 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) | acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, 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 | indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Swedish kronor per US dollar - 9.4669 (January 2001), 9.1622 (2000), 8.2624 (1999), 7.9499 (1998), 7.6349 (1997), 6.7060 (1996) |
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:
King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister elected by the Parliament; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of 349 votes |
Exports | $6.2 million | $95.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals |
Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | EU 55% (Germany 11%, UK 10%, Denmark 6%, Finland 5%, France 5%), US 9%, Norway 8% (1999) |
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 yellow cross that extends 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.) | purchasing power parity - $197 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 2%
industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture:
2.2% industry: 27.9% services: 69.9% (1999) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $22,200 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.4% (2000 est.) | 4.3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 62 00 N, 15 00 E |
Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total:
210,760 km paved: 162,707 km (including 1,428 km of expressways) unpaved: 48,053 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
3.7% highest 10%: 20.1% (1992) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center | - |
Imports | $230 million (2000 est.) | $80 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing |
Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | EU 67% (Germany 18%, UK 10%, Denmark 7%, France 6%), Norway 8%, US 6% (1999) |
Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4% (1985) | 7% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles |
Infant mortality rate | 19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 3.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.3% (2000) | 1.2% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate) | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 16 (2000) | 29 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 1,150 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 or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) |
Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 4.4 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% | agriculture 2%, industry 24%, services 74% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
2,205 km border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km |
Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
7% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 68% other: 24% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English (official) | Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities |
Legal system | English law | civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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 Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 36.5%, Moderates 22.7%, Left Party 12%, Christian Democrats 11.8%, Center Party 5.1%, Liberal Party 4.7%, Greens 4.5%; seats by party - Social Democrats 131, Moderates 82, Left Party 43, Christian Democrats 42, Center Party 18, Liberal Party 17, Greens 16 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.85 years
male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
79.71 years male: 77.07 years female: 82.5 years (2001 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% (1979 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 3 NM |
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines territorial sea: 12 NM (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) |
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:
167 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,205,370 GRT/1,663,091 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 31, combination ore/oil 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 29, railcar carrier 1, roll on/roll off 40, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 17 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $5 billion (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.1% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
2,062,566 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
1,803,995 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
51,506 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Flag Day, 6 June |
Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun:
Swede(s) adjective: Swedish |
Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic |
Natural resources | NEGL | zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | natural gas 84 km |
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] | Center Party [Lennart DALEUS]; Christian Democratic Party [Alf SVENSSON]; Communist Workers' Party [Rolf HAGEL]; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokesperson is Briger SCHLAUG]; Left Party or VP (formerly Communist) [Gudrun SCHYMAN]; Liberal People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Bo LUNDGREN]; New Democracy Party [Vivianne FRANZEN]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 21,272 (July 2002 est.) | 8,875,053 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 2.16% (2002 est.) | 0.02% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Road Town | Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | 9,000 (1997) | 8.25 million (1997) |
Railways | 0 km | total:
12,821 km (includes 3,594 km of privately owned railways) standard gauge: 12,821 km 1.435-m gauge (7,918 km electrified and 1,152 km double track) (1998) |
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 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist |
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:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 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:
excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 10,000 (1996) | 6.017 million (December 1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 3.835 million (October 1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west |
Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.53 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | 6% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | none | 2,052 km
note: navigable for small steamers and barges |