Compare British Virgin Islands (2005) - Holy See (Vatican City) (2008)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2005) z Holy See (Vatican City) (2008)

	British Virgin Islands (2005)	Holy See (Vatican City) (2008)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none
Age structure	0-14 years: 21% (male 2,400/female 2,358) 15-64 years: 73.9% (male 8,607/female 8,115) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 614/female 549) (2005 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	-
Airports	3 (2004 est.)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)	-
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 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: 0.44 sq km land: 0.44 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.7 times the size of The Mall in 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.	Popes in their secular role ruled portions of the Italian peninsula for more than a thousand years until the mid 19th century, when many of the Papal States were seized by the newly united Kingdom of Italy. In 1870, the pope's holdings were further circumscribed when Rome itself was annexed. Disputes between a series of "prisoner" popes and Italy were resolved in 1929 by three Lateran Treaties, which established the independent state of Vatican City and granted Roman Catholicism special status in Italy. In 1984, a concordat between the Holy See and Italy modified certain of the earlier treaty provisions, including the primacy of Roman Catholicism as the Italian state religion. Present concerns of the Holy See include religious freedom, international development, the environment, the Middle East, China, the decline of religion in Europe, terrorism, interreligious dialogue and reconciliation, and the application of church doctrine in an era of rapid change and globalization. About 1 billion people worldwide profess the Catholic faith.
Birth rate	14.96 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)	revenues: $310 million expenditures: $307 million (2006)
Capital	Road Town	name: Vatican City geographic coordinates: 41 54 N, 12 27 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	temperate; mild, rainy winters (September to May) with hot, dry summers (May to September)
Coastline	80 km	0 km (landlocked)
Constitution	1 June 1977	new Fundamental Law promulgated by Pope JOHN PAUL II on 26 November 2000, effective 22 February 2001 (replaces the first Fundamental Law of 1929)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: The Holy See (State of the Vatican City) conventional short form: Holy See (Vatican City) local long form: Santa Sede (Stato della Citta del Vaticano) local short form: Santa Sede (Citta del Vaticano)
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	-
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 Mary Ann GLENDON embassy: Villa Domiziana, Via delle Terme Deciane 26, 00153 Rome mailing address: PSC 59, Box 66, APO AE 09624 telephone: [39] (06) 4674-3428 FAX: [39] (06) 575-8346
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	chief of mission: Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Pietro SAMBI chancery: 3339 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 333-7121 FAX: [1] (202) 337-4036
Disputes - international	none	none
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. 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.	This unique, noncommercial economy is supported financially by an annual contribution (known as Peter's Pence) from Roman Catholic dioceses throughout the world; by the sale of postage stamps, coins, medals, and tourist mementos; by fees for admission to museums; and by the sale of publications. Investments and real estate income also account for a sizable portion of revenue. The incomes and living standards of lay workers are comparable to those of counterparts who work in the city of Rome.
Electricity - consumption	33.74 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Electricity - production	36.28 million kWh (2002)	NA kWh
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: unnamed location 19 m highest point: unnamed location 75 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
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Climate Change signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution, Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed	Italians, Swiss, other
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)
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: Pope BENEDICT XVI (since 19 April 2005) head of government: Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio BERTONE (since 15 September 2006) cabinet: Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City appointed by the pope elections: pope elected for life by the College of Cardinals; election last held 19 April 2005 (next to be held after the death of the current pope); secretary of state appointed by the pope election results: Joseph RATZINGER elected Pope BENEDICT XVI
Exports	NA	-
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	-
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	-
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)	two vertical bands of yellow (hoist side) and white with the arms of the Holy See, consisting of the crossed keys of Saint Peter surmounted by the three-tiered papal tiara, centered in the white band
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $38,500 (2004 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	41 54 N, 12 27 E
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	landlocked; enclave in Rome, Italy; world's smallest state; beyond the territorial boundary of Vatican City, the Lateran Treaty of 1929 grants the Holy See extraterritorial authority over 23 sites in Rome and five outside of Rome, including the Pontifical Palace at Castel Gandolfo (the Pope's summer residence)
Highways	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	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	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by Italy
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	-
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US	-
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	11 February 1929 (from Italy); note - the three treaties signed with Italy on 11 February 1929 acknowledged, among other things, the full sovereignty of the Vatican and established its territorial extent; however, the origin of the Papal States, which over the years have varied considerably in extent, may be traced back to the 8th century
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	printing; production of coins, medals, postage stamps; a small amount of mosaics and staff uniforms; worldwide banking and financial activities
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 (2005 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.5% (2003)	-
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU	CE (observer), CPLP (associate), IAEA, IOM (observer), ITSO, ITU, ITUC, NAM (guest), OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, UN (observer), UNCTAD, UNHCR, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO (observer), UPU, WIPO, WTO (observer)
Irrigated land	NA	0 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	there are three tribunals responsible for civil and criminal matters within Vatican City; three other tribunals rule on issues pertaining to the Holy See note: judicial duties were established by the Motu Proprio of Pope PIUS XII on 1 May 1946
Labor force	12,770 (2004)	NA
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%	note: essentially services with a small amount of industry; nearly all dignitaries, priests, nuns, guards, and the approximately 3,000 lay workers live outside the Vatican
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 3.2 km border countries: Italy 3.2 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (urban area) (2005)
Languages	English (official)	Italian, Latin, French, various other languages
Legal system	English law	based on Code of Canon Law and revisions to it
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 Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.49 years male: 75.41 years female: 77.62 years (2005 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	definition: NA total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Southern Europe, an enclave of Rome (Italy)
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	none (landlocked)
Merchant marine	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 7 (2005)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of Italy; ceremonial and limited security duties performed by Pontifical Swiss Guard
Military branches	-	Pontifical Swiss Guard (Corpo della Guardia Svizzera Pontificia)
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July	Coronation Day of Pope BENEDICT XVI, 24 April (2005)
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: none adjective: none
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	NA
Natural resources	NEGL	none
Net migration rate	10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 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 (exclusive of influence exercised by church officers)
Population	22,643 (July 2005 est.)	821 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA%
Population growth rate	2.06% (2005 est.)	0% (2007 est.)
Ports and harbors	Road Town	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 4, FM 3, shortwave 2 (2004)
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)	Roman Catholic
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	limited to cardinals less than 80 years old
Telephone system	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda	general assessment: automatic digital exchange domestic: connected via fiber optic cable to Telecom Italia network international: country code - 39; uses Italian system
Telephones - main lines in use	11,700 (2002)	5,120 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,000 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)	1 (2005)
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	urban; low hill
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	3% (1995)	-

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