Compare British Virgin Islands (2003) - Saint Helena (2004)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2003) z Saint Helena (2004)

	British Virgin Islands (2003)	Saint Helena (2004)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	1 administrative area and 2 dependencies; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*
Age structure	0-14 years: 21.9% (male 2,401; female 2,358) 15-64 years: 73.1% (male 8,181; female 7,709) 65 years and over: 5% (male 578; female 503) (2003 est.)	0-14 years: 18.9% (male 710; female 689) 15-64 years: 71.4% (male 2,739; female 2,559) 65 years and over: 9.7% (male 319; female 399) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, crawfish (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports	3 (2002)	1 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 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: 410 sq km land: 410 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Saint Helena Island, Ascension, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha, which consists of Tristan da Cunha Island, Gough Island, Inaccessible Island, and the three Nightingale Islands
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	slightly more than twice 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.	Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. Ascension Island is the site of a US Air Force auxiliary airfield; Gough Island has a meteorological station.
Birth rate	15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	12.68 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)	revenues: $11.2 million expenditures: $11 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY92/93)
Capital	Road Town	Jamestown
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	Saint Helena - tropical; marine; mild, tempered by trade winds; Tristan da Cunha - temperate; marine, mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline	80 km	60 km
Constitution	1 June 1977	1 January 1989
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena
Currency	US dollar (USD)	Saint Helenian pound (SHP)
Death rate	4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	6.47 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	NA (1996)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing	overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	NA%	$12.6 million (1995); note - $5.3 million from UK (1997)
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. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. 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 economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which amounted to about $5 million in 1997 or almost one-half of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, the raising of livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.
Electricity - consumption	35.43 million kWh (2001)	4.65 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	38.1 million kWh (2001)	5 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,060 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)	NA
Ethnic groups	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed	African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998),
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 Orlando SMITH (since 17 June 2003) 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: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief David HOLLAMBY (since 1999); Michael CLANCY (taking office in October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, two ex officio officers, and six elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	US 26.7%, Tanzania 21.9%, Indonesia 9.4%, UK 8.7%, Japan 7.4%, Netherlands 7.2%, Nigeria 6.8%, Poland 5%, Spain 4.9% (2003)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	1 April - 31 March
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 the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship
GDP	purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $18 million (1998 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: NA industry: NA services: NA
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)	purchasing power parity - $2,500 (1998 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	NA
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	15 56 S, 5 42 W
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)	total: 198 km (Saint Helena 138 km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 20 km) paved: 168 km (Saint Helena 118km, Ascension 40 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) unpaved: 30 km (Saint Helena 20 km, Ascension 0 km, Tristan da Cunha 10 km) (2000)
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	NA (2001)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	UK 29.1%, South Africa 24.7%, Spain 16.4%, Italy 8.8%, Tanzania 8.2%, US 5.8% (2003)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA	NA
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing
Infant mortality rate	total: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)	total: 19.85 deaths/1,000 live births male: 23.7 deaths/1,000 live births female: 15.81 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.5% (2002)	3.2% (1997 est.)
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)	ICFTU, UPU
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; Magistrate's Court; Small Debts Court; Juvenile Court
Labor force	4,911 (1980)	3,500 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	agriculture and fishing 6%, industry (mainly construction) 48%, services 46% (1987 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.)	arable land: 12.9% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2001)
Languages	English (official)	English
Legal system	English law	NA
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 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5	unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, 3 ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 27 June 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 15
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.06 years male: 75.07 years female: 77.1 years (2003 est.)	total population: 77.57 years male: 74.67 years female: 80.61 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Africa
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 19,203 GRT/28,864 DWT ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)	none
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha
Natural resources	NEGL	fish
Net migration rate	10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 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]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	21,730 (July 2003 est.)	7,415 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA
Population growth rate	2.1% (2003 est.)	0.62% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town	Georgetown (on Ascension), Jamestown
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
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 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)	Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	NA years of age
Telephone system	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda	general assessment: can communicate worldwide domestic: automatic network international: country code - 290; HF radiotelephone from Saint Helena to Ascension Island, which is a major coaxial submarine cable relay point between South Africa, Portugal, and UK; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (1996)	2,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	0 (1997)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)	0 note: television programs are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by cable (2002)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	Saint Helena - rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains note: the other islands of the group have a volcanic origin
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.54 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)	14% (1998 est.)
Waterways	none	-

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