Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) - Saint Martin (2007)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) z Saint Martin (2007)

	British Virgin Islands (2008)	Saint Martin (2007)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	-
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.)	-
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	-
Airports	3 (2007)	1
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (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: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	more than one-third the size of Washington, DC
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.	Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity.
Birth rate	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)	-
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: Marigot geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season
Coastline	80 km	58.9 km (for entire island)
Constitution	13 June 2007	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 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)	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Disputes - international	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 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.	The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean.
Electricity - consumption	41.85 million kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	45 million kWh (2005)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 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)	fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water
Ethnic groups	black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)	creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian
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 Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Louis-Constant FLEMING (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Louis-Constant FLEMING unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	-
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	-
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	-
Fiscal year	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)	the flag of France is used
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	18 05 N, 63 57 W
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten
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	604.3 bbl/day (2004)	-
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	crude petroleum, food, manufactured items
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	US, Mexico (2006)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas collectivity of France)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry
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.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (2005)	-
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU	UPU
Irrigated land	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	-
Labor force	12,770 (2004)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)	85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)	-
Languages	English (official)	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)
Legal system	English law	the laws of France, where applicable, apply
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 Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.86 years male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	-
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of France
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July (1956)	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	-
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	-
Natural resources	NEGL	salt
Net migration rate	8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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]	Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	23,552 (July 2007 est.)	33,102 (October 2004 census)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	1.923% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)	FM 3 (2007)
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, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu
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.)	-
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: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Gudaloupe
Telephones - main lines in use	11,700 (2002)	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,000 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)	-
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	-
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Transportation - note	-	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten
Unemployment rate	3.6% (1997)	-

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