Compare British Virgin Islands (2003) - Saint Helena (2006)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2003) z Saint Helena (2006)

	British Virgin Islands (2003)	Saint Helena (2006)

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: 18.8% (male 717/female 692) 15-64 years: 71.2% (male 2,751/female 2,593) 65 years and over: 10% (male 342/female 407) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha)
Airports	3 (2002)	1 note: Wideawake Field on Ascension Island (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
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: 413 sq km land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km
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.	Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: 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. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases the site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.
Birth rate	15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)	12.13 births/1,000 population (2006 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	name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)
Coastline	80 km	Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha: 40 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)	-
Death rate	4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)	6.53 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	$NA
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, raising 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 (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2001)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	38.1 million kWh (2001)	5 million kWh (2003)
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 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 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 - 0.55 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound
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 Michael CLANCY (since 15 October 2004) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch
Exports	NA (2001)	NA bbl/day
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	Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2005)
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.)	-
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.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	Saint Helena: 15 57 S 5 42 W Ascension Island: 7 57 S 14 22 W Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S 12 30 W
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 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 bbl/day
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 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2005)
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, philatelic sales
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: 18.34 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.96 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 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
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	Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal
Labor force	4,911 (1980)	2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	agriculture: 6% industry: 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% (2005)
Languages	English (official)	English
Legal system	English law	British common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes
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 31 August 2005 (next to be held NA 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 12
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.06 years male: 75.07 years female: 77.1 years (2003 est.)	total population: 77.93 years male: 75.02 years female: 80.98 years (2006 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; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena
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.)	-
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 note: referred to locally as "Saints"
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961
Natural resources	NEGL	fish, lobster
Net migration rate	10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 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.)	7,502 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.1% (2003 est.)	0.56% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)
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: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.84 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2006 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 digital network international: country code - 290; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)
Telephones - main lines in use	10,000 (1996)	2,200 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	NA
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)	0 note: three television channels are received in Saint Helena via satellite and distributed by UHF (2005)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)	1.55 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Transportation - note	-	there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)	14% (1998 est.)
Waterways	none	-

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