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Compare British Virgin Islands (2004) - Korea, North (2003)
Compare British Virgin Islands (2004) z Korea, North (2003)
| British Virgin Islands (2004) | Korea, North (2003) | |
 |  | |
| Administrative divisions | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 9 provinces (do, singular and plural) and 4 special cities* (si, singular and plural); Chagang-do (Chagang Province), Hamgyong-bukto (North Hamgyong Province), Hamgyong-namdo (South Hamgyong Province), Hwanghae-bukto (North Hwanghae Province), Hwanghae-namdo (South Hwanghae Province), Kaesong-si* (Kaesong City), Kangwon-do (Kangwon Province), Najin Sonbong-si*, Namp'o-si* (Namp'o City), P'yongan-bukto (North P'yongan Province), P'yongan-namdo (South P'yongan Province), P'yongyang-si* (Pyongyang City), Yanggang-do (Yanggang Province) |
| Age structure | 0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)
15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911) 65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years: 25% (male 2,845,727; female 2,763,800)
15-64 years: 67.8% (male 7,485,310; female 7,746,603) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 541,155; female 1,083,886) (2003 est.) |
| Agriculture - products | fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish | rice, corn, potatoes, soybeans, pulses; cattle, pigs, pork, eggs |
| Airports | 3 (2003 est.) | 72 (2002) |
| Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 34
over 3,047 m: 5 2,438 to 3,047 m: 18 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2002) |
| Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 38
2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 11 under 914 m: 7 (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: 120,540 sq km
land: 120,410 sq km water: 130 sq km |
| Area - comparative | about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Mississippi |
| 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. | Following World War II, Korea was split, with the northern half coming under Communist domination and the southern portion becoming Western-oriented. KIM Chong-il has ruled North Korea since his father and the country's founder, president KIM Il-song, died in 1994. After decades of mismanagement, the North relies heavily on international food aid to feed its population while continuing to expend resources to maintain an army of about 1 million. North Korea's long-range missile development and research into nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons and massive conventional armed forces are of major concern to the international community. In December 2002, North Korea repudiated a 1994 agreement that shut down its nuclear reactors and expelled UN monitors, further raising fears it would produce nuclear weapons. |
| Birth rate | 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 17.61 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Budget | revenues: $121.5 million
expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
| Capital | Road Town | Pyongyang |
| Climate | subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds | temperate with rainfall concentrated in summer |
| Coastline | 80 km | 2,495 km |
| Constitution | 1 June 1977 | adopted 1948, completely revised 27 December 1972, revised again in April 1992 and September 1998 |
| Country name | conventional long form: none
conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI |
conventional long form: Democratic People's Republic of Korea
conventional short form: North Korea local long form: Choson-minjujuui-inmin-konghwaguk local short form: none note: the North Koreans generally use the term "Choson" to refer to their country abbreviation: DPRK |
| Currency | US dollar (USD) | North Korean won (KPW) |
| Death rate | 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 6.93 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Debt - external | $36.1 million (1997) | $12 billion (1996 est.) |
| Dependency status | overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing | - |
| Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none (Swedish Embassy in P'yongyang represents the US as consular protecting power) |
| Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK) | none; note - North Korea has a Permanent Mission to the UN in New York |
| Disputes - international | none | with China, certain islands in Yalu and Tumen rivers are in uncontested dispute; a section of boundary around Paektu-san (mountain) is indefinite; China objects to illegal migration of North Koreans into northern China; Military Demarcation Line within the 4-km wide Demilitarized Zone has separated North from South Korea since 1953 |
| Economic aid - recipient | NA | $NA; note - nearly $300 million in food aid alone from US, South Korea, Japan, and EU in 2001 plus much additional aid from the UN and non-governmental organizations |
| 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. | North Korea, one of the world's most centrally planned and isolated economies, faces desperate economic conditions. Industrial capital stock is nearly beyond repair as a result of years of underinvestment and spare parts shortages. Industrial and power output have declined in parallel. The nation has suffered its tenth year of food shortages because of a lack of arable land; collective farming; weather-related problems, including major drought in 2000; and chronic shortages of fertilizer and fuel. Massive international food aid deliveries have allowed the regime to escape mass starvation since 1995-96, but the population remains the victim of prolonged malnutrition and deteriorating living conditions. Large-scale military spending eats up resources needed for investment and civilian consumption. Recently, the regime has placed emphasis on earning hard currency, developing information technology, addressing power shortages, and attracting foreign aid, but in no way at the expense of relinquishing central control over key national assets or undergoing widespread market-oriented reforms. In 2003, heightened political tensions with key donor countries and general donor fatigue have held down the flow of desperately needed food aid and have threatened fuel aid as well. |
| Electricity - consumption | 35.43 million kWh (2001) | 27.91 billion 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) | 30.01 billion kWh (2001) |
| Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 29%
hydro: 71% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
| Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Mount Sage 521 m |
lowest point: Sea of Japan 0 m
highest point: Paektu-san 2,744 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) | water pollution; inadequate supplies of potable water; water-borne disease; deforestation; soil erosion and degradation |
| Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Environmental Modification, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution
signed, but not ratified: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Law of the Sea |
| Ethnic groups | black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed | racially homogeneous; there is a small Chinese community and a few ethnic Japanese |
| Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | official: North Korean won per US dollar - 150 (December 2002), 2.15 (December 2001), 2.15 (May 1994), 2.13 (May 1992), 2.14 (September 1991), 2.1 (January 1990); market: North Korean won per US dollar - 300-600 (December 2002), 200 (December 2001) |
| 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 D. 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: KIM Chong-il (since NA July 1994); note - on 3 September 2003, KIM Chong-il was reelected Chairman of the National Defense Commission, a position accorded the nation's "highest administrative authority"; KIM Yong-nam was reelected President of the Supreme People's Assembly Presidium and given the responsibility of representing the state and receiving diplomatic credentials
head of government: Premier PAK Pong-chu (since 3 September 2003); Vice Premiers KWAK Pom-ki (since 5 September 1998), CHON Sung-hun (since 3 September 2003), NO Tu-chol (since 3 September 2003) cabinet: Cabinet (Naegak), members, except for the Minister of People's Armed Forces, are appointed by the Supreme People's Assembly elections: premier elected by the Supreme People's Assembly; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA) election results: HONG Song-nam elected premier; percent of Supreme People's Assembly vote - NA% |
| Exports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Exports - commodities | rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand | minerals, metallurgical products, manufactures (including armaments); textiles and fishery products |
| Exports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | China 23.5%, Japan 19.9%, Costa Rica 12.4%, Brazil 6.5% (2002) |
| 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 horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in white; on the hoist side of the red band is a white disk with a red five-pointed star |
| GDP | purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $22.26 billion (2002 est.) |
| GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1.8%
industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 30.4%
industry: 32.3% services: 37.3% (2000 est.) |
| GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,000 (2002 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate | 1% (2002 est.) | 1% (2002 est.) |
| Geographic coordinates | 18 30 N, 64 30 W | 40 00 N, 127 00 E |
| Geography - note | strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico | strategic location bordering China, South Korea, and Russia; mountainous interior is isolated and sparsely populated |
| Highways | total: 177 km
paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000) |
total: 31,200 km
paved: 1,997 km unpaved: 29,203 km (1999 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 makes it vulnerable to money laundering | - |
| Imports | NA (2001) | NA (2001) |
| Imports - commodities | building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery | petroleum, coking coal, machinery and equipment; textiles, grain |
| Imports - partners | Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US | China 24.9%, Brazil 12.1%, India 9.2%, Thailand 9.2%, Germany 7.8%, Japan 7.1%, Singapore 4.5%, Qatar 4% (2002) |
| Independence | none (overseas territory of the UK) | 15 August 1945 (from Japan) |
| Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
| Industries | tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center | military products; machine building, electric power, chemicals; mining (coal, iron ore, magnesite, graphite, copper, zinc, lead, and precious metals), metallurgy; textiles, food processing; tourism |
| Infant mortality rate | total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
total: 25.66 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 27.45 deaths/1,000 live births female: 23.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.5% (2002) | NA% |
| International organization participation | Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU | ARF (dialogue partner), ESCAP, FAO, G-77, ICAO, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, IMO, IOC, ISO, ITU, NAM, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
| Irrigated land | NA sq km | 14,600 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 | Central Court (judges are elected by the Supreme People's Assembly) |
| Labor force | 4,911 (1980) | 9.6 million |
| Labor force - by occupation | agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA | agricultural 36%, nonagricultural 64% |
| Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1,673 km
border countries: China 1,416 km, South Korea 238 km, Russia 19 km |
| Land use | arable land: 20%
permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001) |
arable land: 14.12%
permanent crops: 2.49% other: 83.39% (1998 est.) |
| Languages | English (official) | Korean |
| Legal system | English law | based on German civil law system with Japanese influences and Communist legal theory; no judicial review of legislative acts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| 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 Supreme People's Assembly or Ch'oego Inmin Hoeui (687 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 3 August 2003 (next to be held in August 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; the KWP approves a list of candidates who are elected without opposition; some seats are held by minor parties |
| Life expectancy at birth | total population: 76.27 years
male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.) |
total population: 70.79 years
male: 68.1 years female: 73.61 years (2003 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 Korean
total population: 99% male: 99% female: 99% |
| Location | Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Eastern Asia, northern half of the Korean Peninsula bordering the Korea Bay and the Sea of Japan, between China and South Korea |
| Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Asia |
| Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 NM
exclusive economic zone: 200 NM note: military boundary line 50 NM in the Sea of Japan and the exclusive economic zone limit in the Yellow Sea where all foreign vessels and aircraft without permission are banned |
| Merchant marine | total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT
by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 1 registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.) |
total: 149 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 881,276 GRT/1,309,547 DWT
ships by type: bulk 8, cargo 120, combination bulk 2, container 1, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 2, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 8, refrigerated cargo 4, short-sea passenger 2 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Denmark 1, Greece 2, Pakistan 1, Singapore 1 (2002 est.) |
| Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
| Military branches | - | Korean People's Army (includes Army, Navy, Air Force), Civil Security Forces |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $5,217.4 million (FY02) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 33.9% (FY02) |
| Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 6,103,615 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 3,654,223 (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
| Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 180,875 (2003 est.) |
| National holiday | Territory Day, 1 July | Founding of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), 9 September (1948) |
| Nationality | noun: British Virgin Islander(s)
adjective: British Virgin Islander |
noun: Korean(s)
adjective: Korean |
| Natural hazards | hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) | late spring droughts often followed by severe flooding; occasional typhoons during the early fall |
| Natural resources | NEGL | coal, lead, tungsten, zinc, graphite, magnesite, iron ore, copper, gold, pyrites, salt, fluorspar, hydropower |
| Net migration rate | 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
| Pipelines | - | oil 136 km (2003) |
| 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] | Chondoist Chongu Party [YU Mi-yong, chairwoman]; Social Democratic Party [KIM Yong-tae, chairman]; major party - Korean Workers' Party or KWP [KIM Chong-il, general secretary] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
| Population | 22,187 (July 2004 est.) | 22,466,481 (July 2003 est.) |
| Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
| Population growth rate | 2.06% (2004 est.) | 1.07% (2003 est.) |
| Ports and harbors | Road Town | Ch'ongjin, Haeju, Hungnam (Hamhung), Kimch'aek, Kosong, Najin, Namp'o, Sinuiju, Songnim, Sonbong (formerly Unggi), Ungsang, Wonsan |
| Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 16, FM 14, shortwave 12 (1999) |
| Railways | - | total: 5,214 km
standard gauge: 4,549 km 1.435-m gauge (3,500 km electrified) narrow gauge: 665 km 0.762-m gauge (2002) |
| 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) | traditionally Buddhist and Confucianist, some Christian and syncretic Chondogyo (Religion of the Heavenly Way)
note: autonomous religious activities now almost nonexistent; government-sponsored religious groups exist to provide illusion of religious freedom |
| 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: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.5 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
| Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 17 years of age; universal |
| Telephone system | general assessment: worldwide telephone service
domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda |
general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) and 1 Russian (Indian Ocean region); other international connections through Moscow and Beijing |
| Telephones - main lines in use | 11,700 (2002) | 1.1 million (1997) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 8,000 (2002) | NA |
| Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus one cable company) (1997) | 38 (1999) |
| Terrain | coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly | mostly hills and mountains separated by deep, narrow valleys; coastal plains wide in west, discontinuous in east |
| Total fertility rate | 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 2.25 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
| Unemployment rate | 3% (1995) | NA% |
| Waterways | - | 2,253 km
note: mostly navigable by small craft only |
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