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Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) - Portugal (2007)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) z Portugal (2007)

 British Virgin Islands (2008)Portugal (2007)
 British Virgin IslandsPortugal
Administrative divisions none (overseas territory of the UK) 18 districts (distritos, singular - distrito) and 2 autonomous regions* (regioes autonomas, singular - regiao autonoma); Aveiro, Acores (Azores)*, Beja, Braga, Braganca, Castelo Branco, Coimbra, Evora, Faro, Guarda, Leiria, Lisboa (Lisbon), Madeira*, Portalegre, Porto, Santarem, Setubal, Viana do Castelo, Vila Real, Viseu
Age structure 0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337)


15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534)


65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.)
0-14 years: 16.5% (male 914,480/female 837,525)


15-64 years: 66.3% (male 3,501,206/female 3,551,706)


65 years and over: 17.3% (male 757,220/female 1,080,699) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish grain, potatoes, tomatoes, olives, grapes; sheep, cattle, goats, swine, poultry, dairy products; fish
Airports 3 (2007) 66 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2007)
total: 44


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 9


1,524 to 2,437 m: 5


914 to 1,523 m: 13


under 914 m: 12 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
total: 22


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 21 (2007)
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 islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
total: 92,391 sq km


land: 91,951 sq km


water: 440 sq km


note: includes Azores and Madeira Islands
Area - comparative about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC slightly smaller than Indiana
Background First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. 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 its heyday as a world power during the 15th and 16th centuries, Portugal lost much of its wealth and status with the destruction of Lisbon in a 1755 earthquake, occupation during the Napoleonic Wars, and the independence in 1822 of Brazil as a colony. A 1910 revolution deposed the monarchy; for most of the next six decades, repressive governments ran the country. In 1974, a left-wing military coup installed broad democratic reforms. The following year, Portugal granted independence to all of its African colonies. Portugal is a founding member of NATO and entered the EC (now the EU) in 1986.
Birth rate 14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.59 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
revenues: $81.9 billion


expenditures: $89.49 billion (2006 est.)
Capital name: Road Town


geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
name: Lisbon


geographic coordinates: 38 43 N, 9 08 W


time difference: UTC 0 (5 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 maritime temperate; cool and rainy in north, warmer and drier in south
Coastline 80 km 1,793 km
Constitution 13 June 2007 adopted 2 April 1976; effective 25 April 1976; revised many times
Country name conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
conventional long form: Portuguese Republic


conventional short form: Portugal


local long form: Republica Portuguesa


local short form: Portugal
Death rate 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) 10.56 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external $36.1 million (1997) $368.2 billion (2006 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 Alfred J. HOFFMAN Jr.


embassy: Avenida das Forcas Armadas, 1600-081 Lisbon


mailing address: Apartado 43033, 1601-301 Lisboa; PSC 83, APO AE 09726


telephone: [351] (21) 727-3300


FAX: [351] (21) 726-9109


consulate(s): Ponta Delgada (Azores)
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas territory of the UK) chief of mission: Ambassador Joao DE VALLERA


chancery: 2012 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 350-5400


FAX: [1] (202) 462-3726


consulate(s) general: Boston, New York, Newark (New Jersey), San Francisco


consulate(s): New Bedford (Massachusetts), Providence (Rhode Island)
Disputes - international none Portugal does not recognize Spanish sovereignty over the territory of Olivenza based on a difference of interpretation of the 1815 Congress of Vienna and the 1801 Treaty of Badajoz
Economic aid - donor - ODA, $271 million (1995)
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 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. 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, made 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 US dollar as its currency since 1959. Portugal has become a diversified and increasingly service-based economy since joining the European Community in 1986. Over the past two decades, successive governments have privatized many state-controlled firms and liberalized key areas of the economy, including the financial and telecommunications sectors. The country qualified for the European Monetary Union (EMU) in 1998 and began circulating the euro on 1 January 2002 along with 11 other EU member economies. Economic growth had been above the EU average for much of the 1990s, but fell back in 2001-06. GDP per capita stands at roughly two-thirds of the EU-25 average. A poor educational system, in particular, has been an obstacle to greater productivity and growth. Portugal has been increasingly overshadowed by lower-cost producers in Central Europe and Asia as a target for foreign direct investment. The budget deficit surged to an all-time high of 6% of GDP in 2005 but was reduced to 4.6% in 2006. The government faces tough choices in its attempts to boost Portugal's economic competitiveness while keeping the budget deficit within the eurozone's 3%-of-GDP ceiling.
Electricity - consumption 41.85 million kWh (2005) 46.3 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2005) 2.802 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2005) 9.626 billion kWh (2005)
Electricity - production 45 million kWh (2005) 43.69 billion kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m


highest point: Ponta do Pico (Pico or Pico Alto) on Ilha do Pico in the Azores 2,351 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) soil erosion; air pollution caused by industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution, especially in coastal areas
Environment - international agreements - party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Environmental Modification
Ethnic groups black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed) homogeneous Mediterranean stock; citizens of black African descent who immigrated to mainland during decolonization number less than 100,000; since 1990 East Europeans have entered Portugal
Exchange rates the US dollar is used euros per US dollar - 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002)
Executive branch chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)


head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly


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 premier by the governor
chief of state: President Anibal CAVACO SILVA (since 9 March 2006)


head of government: Prime Minister Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa (since 12 March 2005)


cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president on the recommendation of the prime minister


note: there is also a Council of State that acts as a consultative body to the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held 22 January 2006 (next to be held in January 2011); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president


election results: Anibal CAVACO SILVA elected president; percent of vote - Anibal CAVACO SILVA 50.6%, Manuel ALEGRE 20.7%, Mario Alberto Nobre Lopes SOARES 14.3%, Jeronimo DE SOUSA 8.5%, Franciso LOUCA 5.3%
Exports 0 bbl/day (2004) 43,070 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand clothing and footwear, machinery, chemicals, cork and paper products, hides
Exports - partners Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) Spain 26.5%, Germany 12.9%, France 12%, UK 6.7%, US 6.1% (2006)
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 green (hoist side, two-fifths) and red (three-fifths) with the Portuguese coat of arms centered on the dividing line
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
agriculture: 8%


industry: 25.8%


services: 66.2% (2006 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2002 est.) 1.3% (2006 est.)
Geographic coordinates 18 30 N, 64 30 W 39 30 N, 8 00 W
Geography - note strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico Azores and Madeira Islands occupy strategic locations along western sea approaches to Strait of Gibraltar
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: 3.1%


highest 10%: 28.4% (1995 est.)
Illicit drugs transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering seizing record amounts of Latin American cocaine destined for Europe; a European gateway for Southwest Asian heroin; transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Europe; consumer of Southwest Asian heroin
Imports 604.3 bbl/day (2004) 361,300 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery machinery and transport equipment, chemicals, petroleum, textiles, agricultural products
Imports - partners Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006) Spain 29%, Germany 13.1%, France 8.1%, Italy 5.6%, Netherlands 4.4% (2006)
Independence none (overseas territory of the UK) 1143 (Kingdom of Portugal recognized); 5 October 1910 (republic proclaimed)
Industrial production growth rate NA% 0.9% (2006 est.)
Industries tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center textiles and footwear; wood pulp, paper, and cork; metals and metalworking; oil refining; chemicals; fish canning; rubber and plastic products; ceramics; electronics and communications equipment; rail transportation equipment; aerospace equipment; ship construction and refurbishment; wine; tourism
Infant mortality rate total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
total: 4.92 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 5.38 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 4.42 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 2% (2005) 3.1% (2006 est.)
International organization participation Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU ABEDA, AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CE, CERN, CPLP, EAPC, EBRD, EIB, EMU, ESA, EU, FAO, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, LAIA (observer), MIGA, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, ONUB, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, Union Latina, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC
Irrigated land NA 6,500 sq km (2003)
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 or Supremo Tribunal de Justica (judges appointed for life by the Conselho Superior da Magistratura)
Labor force 12,770 (2004) 5.59 million (2006 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4% (2005)
agriculture: 10%


industry: 30%


services: 60% (2001 est.)
Land boundaries 0 km total: 1,214 km


border countries: Spain 1,214 km
Land use arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
arable land: 17.29%


permanent crops: 7.84%


other: 74.87% (2005)
Languages English (official) Portuguese (official), Mirandese (official - but locally used)
Legal system English law based on civil law system; the Constitutional Tribunal reviews the constitutionality of legislation; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011)


election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1
unicameral Assembly of the Republic or Assembleia da Republica (230 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 20 February 2005 (next to be held in February 2009)


election results: percent of vote by party - PS 45.1%, PSD 28.7%, CDU 7.6%, PP 7.3%, BE 6.4%, other 4.9%; seats by party - PS 121, PSD 75, CDU 14, PP 12, BE 8
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.86 years


male: 75.71 years


female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)
total population: 77.87 years


male: 74.6 years


female: 81.36 years (2007 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: 93.3%


male: 95.5%


female: 91.3% (2003 est.)
Location Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico Southwestern Europe, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, west of Spain
Map references Central America and the Caribbean Europe
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
Merchant marine - total: 117 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,022,783 GRT/1,287,951 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 37, carrier 1, chemical tanker 16, container 6, liquefied gas 9, passenger 10, passenger/cargo 10, petroleum tanker 6, roll on/roll off 1, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 10


foreign-owned: 80 (Belgium 9, Denmark 3, Germany 22, Greece 4, Italy 11, Japan 10, Malta 1, Mexico 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 3, Spain 10, Sweden 2, Switzerland 2, US 1)


registered in other countries: 15 (Cyprus 1, Hong Kong 1, Malta 3, Panama 9, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of the UK -
Military branches - Army, Navy (Marinha Portuguesa; includes Marine Corps), Air Force (Forca Aerea Portuguesa, FAP), National Republican Guard (Guarda Nacional Republicana) (2005)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - 2.3% (2005 est.)
National holiday Territory Day, 1 July (1956) Portugal Day (Day of Portugal), 10 June (1580); note - also called Camoes Day, the day that revered national poet Luis de Camoes (1524-80) died
Nationality noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
noun: Portuguese (singular and plural)


adjective: Portuguese
Natural hazards hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October) Azores subject to severe earthquakes
Natural resources NEGL fish, forests (cork), iron ore, copper, zinc, tin, tungsten, silver, gold, uranium, marble, clay, gypsum, salt, arable land, hydropower
Net migration rate 8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) 3.31 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines - gas 1,099 km; oil 8 km; refined products 174 km (2006)
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] Green Ecologist Party or PEV [Heloisa Augusta Baiao de Brito APOLONIA]; Popular Party or PP [Paulo PORTAS]; Portuguese Communist Party or PCP [Jeronimo DE SOUSA]; Portuguese Socialist Party or PS [Jose SOCRATES Carvalho Pinto de Sousa]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Luis Manuel Goncalves Marques MENDES]; The Left Bloc or BE [Franciso Anacleto LOUCA]; Unitarian Democratic Coalition or CDU [Jeronimo DE SOUSA] (includes PEV and PCP)
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 23,552 (July 2007 est.) 10,642,836 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 1.923% (2007 est.) 0.334% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004) AM 47, FM 172 (many are repeaters), shortwave 2 (1998)
Railways - total: 2,786 km


broad gauge: 2,603 km 1.668-m gauge (1,351 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 183 km 1.000-m gauge (2006)
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%, other 2%, none 2% (1991) Roman Catholic 84.5%, other Christian 2.2%, other 0.3%, unknown 9%, none 3.9% (2001 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female


total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.092 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.986 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.701 male(s)/female


total population: 0.946 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)
general assessment: Portugal's telephone system has achieved a state-of-the-art network with broadband, high-speed capabilities


domestic: integrated network of coaxial cables, open-wire, microwave radio relay, and domestic satellite earth stations


international: country code - 351; 6 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (2 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean), NA Eutelsat; tropospheric scatter to Azores; note - an earth station for Inmarsat (Atlantic Ocean region) is planned (1998)
Telephones - main lines in use 11,700 (2002) 4.231 million (2006)
Telephones - mobile cellular 8,000 (2002) 12.226 million (2006)
Television broadcast stations 1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997) 62 (plus 166 repeaters; includes Azores and Madeira Islands) (1995)
Terrain coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly mountainous north of the Tagus River, rolling plains in south
Total fertility rate 1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.) 1.48 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate 3.6% (1997) 7.6% (2006 est.)
Waterways - 210 km (on Douro River from Porto) (2006)
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