Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) - United Arab Emirates (2002)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2002) z United Arab Emirates (2002)

	British Virgin Islands (2002)	United Arab Emirates (2002)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	7 emirates (imarat, singular - imarah); Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi), 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah (Sharjah), Dubayy (Dubai), Ra's al Khaymah, Umm al Qaywayn
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: 27.7% (male 345,077; female 331,545) 15-64 years: 69.7% (male 1,069,443; female 635,275) 65 years and over: 2.6% (male 45,989; female 18,660) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	dates, vegetables, watermelons; poultry, eggs, dairy products; fish
Airports	3 (2001)	38 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	total: 19 22 over 3,047 m: 8 8 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 4 914 to 1,523 m: 2 3 under 914 m: 4 4 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)	total: 19 19 over 3,047 m: 1 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 3 914 to 1,523 m: 9 9 under 914 m: 5 5 (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: 82,880 sq km land: 82,880 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Maine
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.	The Trucial States of the Persian Gulf coast granted the UK control of their defense and foreign affairs in 19th century treaties. In 1971, six of these states - Abu Zaby, 'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Ash Shariqah, Dubayy, and Umm al Qaywayn - merged to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE). They were joined in 1972 by Ra's al Khaymah. The UAE's per capita GDP is not far below those of leading West European nations. Its generosity with oil revenues and its moderate foreign policy stance have allowed the UAE to play a vital role in the affairs of the region.
Birth rate	15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)	18.3 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)	revenues: $20 billion expenditures: $22 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
Capital	Road Town	Abu Dhabi
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	desert; cooler in eastern mountains
Coastline	80 km	1,318 km
Constitution	1 June 1977	2 December 1971 (made permanent in 1996)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: United Arab Emirates conventional short form: none local long form: Al Imarat al Arabiyah al Muttahidah local short form: none former: Trucial Oman, Trucial States abbreviation: UAE
Currency	US dollar (USD)	Emirati dirham (AED)
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)	3.9 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	$12.6 billion (2001 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 Marcelle M. WAHBA embassy: Al-Sudan Street, Abu Dhabi mailing address: P. O. Box 4009, Abu Dhabi telephone: [971] (2) 4436691 FAX: [971] (2) 4435441 consulate(s) general: Dubai
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Ambassador Asri Said Ahmad al-DHAHIRI chancery: 3522 International Court NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 243-2400 FAX: [1] (202) 243-2432
Disputes - international	none	Oman signed boundary treaty with the UAE in 1999, and the UAE-Oman boundary line was formally recognized in June 2000;; because details of 1974 and 1977 treaties have not been made public, the exact location of the Saudi Arabia-UAE boundary is unknown and status is considered de facto; UAE seeks United Arab League and other international support against Iran's occupation of Greater Tunb Island (called Tunb al Kubra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Bozorg in Persian by Iran) and Lesser Tunb Island (called Tunb as Sughra in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Tonb-e Kuchek in Persian by Iran) and attempts to occupy completely a jointly administered island in the Persian Gulf (called Abu Musa in Arabic by UAE and Jazireh-ye Abu Musa in Persian by Iran)
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.	The UAE has an open economy with a high per capita income and a sizable annual trade surplus. Its wealth is based on oil and gas output (about 33% of GDP), and the fortunes of the economy fluctuate with the prices of those commodities. Since 1973, the UAE has undergone a profound transformation from an impoverished region of small desert principalities to a modern state with a high standard of living. At present levels of production, oil and gas reserves should last for more than 100 years. The government has increased spending on job creation and infrastructure expansion and is opening up its utilities to greater private sector involvement.
Electricity - consumption	39.1 million kWh (1999)	35.991 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)	38.7 billion kWh (2000)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Yibir 1,527 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)	lack of natural freshwater resources compensated by desalination plants; desertification; beach pollution from oil spills
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea
Ethnic groups	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed	Emirati 19%, other Arab and Iranian 23%, South Asian 50%, other expatriates (includes Westerners and East Asians) 8% (1982) note: less than 20% are UAE citizens (1982)
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Emirati dirhams per US dollar - central bank mid-point rate: 3.6725 (since 1997), 3.6710 (1995-96)
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 ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan (since 2 December 1971), ruler of Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) (since 6 August 1966) and Vice President MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai) head of government: Prime Minister MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum (since 8 October 1990), ruler of Dubayy (Dubai); Deputy Prime Minister SULTAN bin Zayid Al Nuhayyan (since 20 November 1990) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president note: there is also a Federal Supreme Council (FSC) composed of the seven emirate rulers; the FSC is the highest constitutional authority in the UAE; establishes general policies and sanctions federal legislation; meets four times a year; Abu Zaby (Abu Dhabi) and Dubayy (Dubai) rulers have effective veto power elections: president and vice president elected by the FSC (a group of seven electors) for five-year terms; election last held 2 December 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); prime minister and deputy prime minister appointed by the president election results: ZAYID bin Sultan Al Nuhayyan reelected president; percent of FSC vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous; MAKTUM bin Rashid al-Maktum elected vice president; percent of FSC vote - NA%, but believed to be unanimous
Exports	$6.2 million	$47.6 billion f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	crude oil 45%, natural gas, reexports, dried fish, dates
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	Japan 30%, India 7%, Singapore 6%, South Korea 4%, Oman, Iran (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)	three equal horizontal bands of green (top), white, and black with a wider vertical red band on the hoist side
GDP	purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $51 billion (2001 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2% industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 3% industry: 46% services: 51% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)	purchasing power parity - $21,100 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	4.4% (2000 est.)	5.6% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	24 00 N, 54 00 E
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	strategic location along southern approaches to Strait of Hormuz, a vital transit point for world crude oil
Heliports	-	2 (2002)
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)	total: 4,835 km paved: 4,835 km unpaved: 0 km (1998 est.)
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	The UAE is a drug transshipment point for traffickers given its proximity to southwest Asian drug producing countries; the UAE's position as a major financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering; anti-money-laundering legislation was signed into law by the president on 25 January 2002
Imports	$230 million (2000 est.)	$28.6 billion f.o.b. (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, food
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	Japan 9%, UK 8%, US 8%, Italy 6%, Germany, South Korea (1999)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	2 December 1971 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	4% (1985)	4% (2000)
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	petroleum, fishing, petrochemicals, construction materials, some boat building, handicrafts, pearling
Infant mortality rate	19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)	16.12 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.3% (2000)	4.5% (2000 est.)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)	ABEDA, AFESD, AL, AMF, CAEU, CCC, ESCWA, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAPEC, OIC, OPCW, OPEC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	16 (2000)	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	720 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	Union Supreme Court (judges are appointed by the president)
Labor force	4,911 (1980)	1.6 million note: 73.9% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (July 2002 est.) (2000 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	services 78%, industry 15%, agriculture 7% (2000 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 867 km border countries: Oman 410 km, Saudi Arabia 457 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.)	arable land: 0.48% permanent crops: 0.49% other: 99.03% (1998 est.)
Languages	English (official)	Arabic (official), Persian, English, Hindi, Urdu
Legal system	English law	federal court system introduced in 1971; all emirates except Dubayy (Dubai) and Ra's al Khaymah are not fully integrated into the federal system; all emirates have secular and Islamic law for civil, criminal, and high courts
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 Federal National Council or Majlis al-Ittihad al-Watani (40 seats; members appointed by the rulers of the constituent states to serve two-year terms) elections: none note: reviews legislation, but cannot change or veto
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.85 years male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)	total population: 74.52 years male: 72.06 years female: 77.1 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: 79.2% male: 78.9% female: 79.8% (1995 est.)
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Middle East, bordering the Gulf of Oman and the Persian Gulf, between Oman and Saudi Arabia
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Middle East
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	contiguous zone: 24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin 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: 56 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 833,401 GRT/1,251,015 DWT ships by type: cargo 13, chemical tanker 3, container 7, liquefied gas 1, livestock carrier 1, petroleum tanker 25, roll on/roll off 6 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Greece 2, Italy 1, Kuwait 2 (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
Military branches	-	Army, Navy (including Marines and Coast Guard), Air Force, Air Defense, paramilitary forces (includes Federal Police Force)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$1.6 billion (FY00)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	3.1% (FY00)
Military manpower - availability	-	males age 15-49: 773,938 note: includes non-nationals (2002 est.)
Military manpower - fit for military service	-	males age 15-49: 419,851 (2002 est.)
Military manpower - military age	-	18 years of age (2002 est.)
Military manpower - reaching military age annually	-	males: 25,482 (2002 est.)
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July	Independence Day, 2 December (1971)
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: Emirati(s) adjective: Emirati
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	frequent sand and dust storms
Natural resources	NEGL	petroleum, natural gas
Net migration rate	10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)	1.41 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Pipelines	-	crude oil 830 km; natural gas, including natural gas liquids, 870 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]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	NA
Population	21,272 (July 2002 est.)	2,445,989 note: includes 1,576,472 non-nationals (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.16% (2002 est.)	1.58% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town	'Ajman, Al Fujayrah, Das Island, Khawr Fakkan, Mina' Jabal 'Ali, Mina' Khalid, Mina' Rashid, Mina' Saqr, Mina' Zayid, Umm al Qaywayn
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 13, FM 7, shortwave 2 (1998)
Radios	9,000 (1997)	820,000 (1997)
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)	Muslim 96% (Shi'a 16%), Christian, Hindu, and other 4%
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: 1.68 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 2.46 male(s)/female total population: 1.48 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	none
Telephone system	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda	general assessment: modern system of microwave radio relay and coaxial cable; key centers are Abu Dhabi and Dubai domestic: microwave radio relay and coaxial cable international: satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean) and 1 Arabsat; submarine cables to Qatar, Bahrain, India, and Pakistan; tropospheric scatter to Bahrain; microwave radio relay to Saudi Arabia
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (1996)	915,223 (1998)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	1 million (1999)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)	15 (1997)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	flat, barren coastal plain merging into rolling sand dunes of vast desert wasteland; mountains in east
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)	3.16 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)	NA%
Waterways	none	none

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