Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) - Western Sahara (2007)

Compare British Virgin Islands (2008) z Western Sahara (2007)

	British Virgin Islands (2008)	Western Sahara (2007)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (under de facto control of Morocco)
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: 45.4% (male 88,176/female 85,421) 15-64 years: 52.3% (male 98,345/female 101,895) 65 years and over: 2.3% (male 3,705/female 5,075) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish	fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads); fish
Airports	3 (2007)	9 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 6 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (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: 266,000 sq km land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	about the size of Colorado
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.	Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed.
Birth rate	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Budget	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
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)	none time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds	hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew
Coastline	80 km	1,110 km
Constitution	13 June 2007	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara
Death rate	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Debt - external	$36.1 million (1997)	$NA
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none
Disputes - international	none	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, whose sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, administered by the UN Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO), but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties thus far have rejected all brokered proposals; several states have extended diplomatic relations to the "Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic" represented by the Polisario Front in exile in Algeria, while others recognize Moroccan sovereignty over Western Sahara; most of the approximately 102,000 Sahrawi refugees are sheltered in camps in Tindouf, Algeria
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$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.	Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. Incomes in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. The Moroccan Government controls all trade and other economic activities in Western Sahara. Morocco and the EU signed a four-year agreement in July 2006 allowing European vessels to fish off the coast of Morocco, including the disputed waters off the coast of Western Sahara. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. However, in 2006, the Polisario awarded similar exploration licenses in the disputed territory, which would come into force if Morocco and the Polisario resolve their dispute over Western Sahara.
Electricity - consumption	41.85 million kWh (2005)	79.05 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	45 million kWh (2005)	85 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m	lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m highest point: unnamed location 463 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)	sparse water and lack of arable land
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: none of the selected agreements signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)	Arab, Berber
Exchange rates	the US dollar is used	Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 8.7722 (2006), 8.865 (2005), 8.868 (2004), 9.5744 (2003), 11.0206 (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	none
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand	phosphates 62%
Exports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (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)	-
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: 40%
GDP - real growth rate	1% (2002 est.)	NA%
Geographic coordinates	18 30 N, 64 30 W	24 30 N, 13 00 W
Geography - note	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico	the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas
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	604.3 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery	fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs
Imports - partners	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)	Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2006)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center	phosphate mining, handicrafts
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: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2% (2005)	NA%
International organization participation	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU	none
Irrigated land	NA	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)	12,000
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)	agriculture: 50% industry and services: 50%
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 2,046 km border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km
Land use	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)	arable land: 0.02% permanent crops: 0% other: 99.98% (2005)
Languages	English (official)	Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic
Legal system	English law	-
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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 76.86 years male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%	NA
Location	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico	Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Africa
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	-
National holiday	Territory Day, 1 July (1956)	-
Nationality	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander	noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s) adjective: Sahrawi, Sahrawian, Sahraouian
Natural hazards	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)	hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility
Natural resources	NEGL	phosphates, iron ore
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]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	23,552 (July 2007 est.)	382,617 note: estimate is based on projections by age, sex, fertility, mortality, and migration; fertility and mortality are based on data from neighboring countries (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.923% (2007 est.)	NA
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)	AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998)
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)	Muslim
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.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed
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: sparse and limited system domestic: NA international: country code - 212; tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco
Telephones - main lines in use	11,700 (2002)	about 2,000 (1999 est.)
Telephones - mobile cellular	8,000 (2002)	0 (1999)
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)	NA
Terrain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly	mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast
Total fertility rate	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	3.6% (1997)	NA%

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