Canada (2001) | Puerto Rico (2008) | |
Administrative divisions | 10 provinces and 3 territories*; Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba, New Brunswick, Newfoundland, Northwest Territories*, Nova Scotia, Nunavut*, Ontario, Prince Edward Island, Quebec, Saskatchewan, Yukon Territory* | none (territory of the US with commonwealth status); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
18.95% (male 3,067,102; female 2,918,839) 15-64 years: 68.28% (male 10,846,151; female 10,725,800) 65 years and over: 12.77% (male 1,715,071; female 2,319,842) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 21% (male 422,635/female 403,887)
15-64 years: 65.9% (male 1,247,314/female 1,352,139) 65 years and over: 13.1% (male 223,508/female 294,776) (2007 est.) |
Agriculture - products | wheat, barley, oilseed, tobacco, fruits, vegetables; dairy products; forest products; fish | sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens |
Airports | 1,417 (2000 est.) | 29 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
517 over 3,047 m: 18 2,438 to 3,047 m: 15 1,524 to 2,437 m: 151 914 to 1,523 m: 244 under 914 m: 89 (2000 est.) |
total: 17
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 5 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
900 1,524 to 2,437 m: 74 914 to 1,523 m: 362 under 914 m: 464 (2000 est.) |
total: 12
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 10 (2007) |
Area | total:
9,976,140 sq km land: 9,220,970 sq km water: 755,170 sq km |
total: 13,790 sq km
land: 8,870 sq km water: 4,921 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than the US | slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island |
Background | A land of vast distances and rich natural resources, Canada became a self-governing dominion in 1867 while retaining ties to the British crown. Economically and technologically the nation has developed in parallel with the US, its neighbor to the south across an unfortified border. Its paramount political problem continues to be the relationship of the province of Quebec, with its French-speaking residents and unique culture, to the remainder of the country. | Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following COLUMBUS' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917. Popularly-elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998, voters chose not to alter the existing political status. |
Birth rate | 11.21 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 12.79 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$126.1 billion expenditures: $125.3 billion, including capital expenditures of $14.8 billion (2000) |
revenues: $6.7 billion
expenditures: $9.6 billion (FY99/00) |
Capital | Ottawa | name: San Juan
geographic coordinates: 18 28 N, 66 07 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) |
Climate | varies from temperate in south to subarctic and arctic in north | tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation |
Coastline | 243,791 km | 501 km |
Constitution | 17 April 1982 (Constitution Act); originally, the machinery of the government was set up in the British North America Act of 1867; charter of rights and unwritten customs | ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Canada |
conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico |
Currency | Canadian dollar (CAD) | - |
Death rate | 7.47 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 7.78 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $1.9 billion (2000) | $NA |
Dependency status | - | unincorporated, organized territory of the US with commonwealth status; policy relations between Puerto Rico and the US conducted under the jurisdiction of the Office of the President |
Diplomatic representation from the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Gordon D. GIFFIN embassy: 490 Sussex Drive, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 1G8 mailing address: P. O. Box 5000, Ogdensburg, NY 13669-0430 telephone: [1] (613) 238-5335, 4470 FAX: [1] (613) 238-5720 consulate(s) general: Calgary, Halifax, Montreal, Quebec, Toronto, and Vancouver |
none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Michael KERGIN chancery: 501 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20001 telephone: [1] (202) 682-1740 FAX: [1] (202) 682-7726 consulate(s) general: Atlanta, Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Los Angeles, Minneapolis, New York, and Seattle consulate(s): Miami, Princeton, San Francisco, and San Jose |
none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
Disputes - international | maritime boundary disputes with the US (Dixon Entrance, Beaufort Sea, Strait of Juan de Fuca, Machias Seal Island) | increasing numbers of illegal migrants from the Dominican Republic cross the Mona Passage to Puerto Rico each year looking for work |
Economic aid - donor | ODA, $1.3 billion (1999) | - |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | As an affluent, high-tech industrial society, Canada today closely resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and high living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. Real rates of growth have averaged nearly 3.0% since 1993. Unemployment is falling and government budget surpluses are being partially devoted to reducing the large public sector debt. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which included Mexico) have touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. With its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Two shadows loom, the first being the continuing constitutional impasse between English- and French-speaking areas, which has been raising the possibility of a split in the federation. Another long-term concern is the flow south to the US of professional persons lured by higher pay, lower taxes, and the immense high-tech infrastructure. | Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has far surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 2004. Growth fell off in 2001-03, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy, recovered in 2004-05, but declined again in 2006-07. |
Electricity - consumption | 497.532 billion kWh (1999) | 23.21 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 42.911 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 12.953 billion kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 567.193 billion kWh (1999) | 24.96 billion kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
26.38% hydro: 60% nuclear: 12.31% other: 1.31% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Logan 5,959 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,339 m |
Environment - current issues | air pollution and resulting acid rain severely affecting lakes and damaging forests; metal smelting, coal-burning utilities, and vehicle emissions impacting on agricultural and forest productivity; ocean waters becoming contaminated due to agricultural, industrial, mining, and forestry activities | erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Law of the Sea, Marine Life Conservation |
- |
Ethnic groups | British Isles origin 28%, French origin 23%, other European 15%, Amerindian 2%, other, mostly Asian, African, Arab 6%, mixed background 26% | white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% |
Exchange rates | Canadian dollars per US dollar - 1.5032 (January 2001), 1.4851 (2000), 1.4857 (1999), 1.4835 (1998), 1.3846 (1997), 1.3635 (1996) | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General Adrienne CLARKSON (since 7 October 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Jean CHRETIEN (since 4 November 1993) cabinet: Federal Ministry chosen by the prime minister from among the members of his own party sitting in Parliament elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor general appointed by the monarch on the advice of the prime minister for a five-year term; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the House of Commons is automatically designated by the governor general to become prime minister |
chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA (since 2 January 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: under the US Constitution, residents of unincorporated territories, such as Puerto Rico, do not vote in elections for US president and vice president; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term (no term limits); election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected governor; percent of vote - 48.4% |
Exports | $272.3 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | 10,580 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | motor vehicles and parts, newsprint, wood pulp, timber, crude petroleum, machinery, natural gas, aluminum, telecommunications equipment, electricity | chemicals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment |
Exports - partners | US 86%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, South Korea, Netherlands, China (1999) | US 90.3%, UK 1.6%, Netherlands 1.4%, Dominican Republic 1.4% (2006) |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | three vertical bands of red (hoist side), white (double width, square), and red with a red maple leaf centered in the white band | five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $774.7 billion (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
3% industry: 31% services: 66% (2000 est.) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 45% services: 54% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (2000 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | 4.3% (2000 est.) | -1.2% (2007 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 60 00 N, 95 00 W | 18 15 N, 66 30 W |
Geography - note | second-largest country in world (after Russia); strategic location between Russia and US via north polar route; approximately 85% of the population is concentrated within 300 km of the US/Canada border | important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north |
Heliports | 18 (2000 est.) | - |
Highways | total:
901,902 km paved: 318,371 km (including 16,571 km of expressways) unpaved: 583,531 km (1999) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
2.8% highest 10%: 23.8% (1994) |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | illicit producer of cannabis for the domestic drug market; use of hydroponics technology permits growers to plant large quantities of high-quality marijuana indoors; transit point for heroin and cocaine entering the US market | - |
Imports | $238.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000 est.) | 230,100 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and equipment, crude oil, chemicals, motor vehicles and parts, durable consumer goods, electricity | chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products |
Imports - partners | US 76%, Japan 3%, UK, Germany, France, Mexico, Taiwan, South Korea (1999) | US 55.0%, Ireland 23.7%, Japan 5.4% (2006) |
Independence | 1 July 1867 (from UK) | none (territory of the US with commonwealth status) |
Industrial production growth rate | 4.5% (2000 est.) | NA% |
Industries | processed and unprocessed minerals, food products, wood and paper products, transportation equipment, chemicals, fish products, petroleum and natural gas | pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products, tourism |
Infant mortality rate | 5.02 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 7.81 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.86 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2.6% (2000) | 6.5% (2003 est.) |
International organization participation | ABEDA, ACCT, AfDB, APEC, ARF (dialogue partner), AsDB, ASEAN (dialogue partner), Australia Group, BIS, C, CCC, CDB (non-regional), CE (observer), EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECLAC, ESA (cooperating state), FAO, G- 7, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURCA, MIPONUH, MONUC, NAM (guest), NATO, NEA, NSG, OAS, OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNDOF, UNESCO, UNFICYP, UNHCR, UNIKOM, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOP, UNTAET, UNTSO, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO, ZC | Caricom (observer), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, ITUC, UNWTO (associate), UPU, WCL, WFTU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 760 (2000 est.) | - |
Irrigated land | 7,100 sq km (1993 est.) | 400 sq km (2003) |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court of Canada (judges are appointed by the prime minister through the governor general); Federal Court of Canada; Federal Court of Appeal; Provincial Courts (these are named variously Court of Appeal, Court of Queens Bench, Superior Court, Supreme Court, and Court of Justice) | Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate) |
Labor force | 16.1 million (2000) | 1.3 million (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | services 74%, manufacturing 15%, construction 5%, agriculture 3%, other 3% (2000) | agriculture: 3%
industry: 20% services: 77% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | total:
8,893 km border countries: US 8,893 km (includes 2,477 km with Alaska) |
0 km |
Land use | arable land:
5% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 3% forests and woodland: 54% other: 38% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 3.69%
permanent crops: 5.59% other: 90.72% (2005) |
Languages | English 59.3% (official), French 23.2% (official), other 17.5% | Spanish, English |
Legal system | based on English common law, except in Quebec, where civil law system based on French law prevails; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations | based on Spanish civil code and within the US Federal system of justice |
Legislative branch | bicameral Parliament or Parlement consists of the Senate or Senat (a body whose members are appointed to serve until reaching 75 years of age by the governor general and selected on the advice of the prime minister; its normal limit is 104 senators) and the House of Commons or Chambre des Communes (301 seats; members elected by direct popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: House of Commons - last held 27 November 2000 (next to be held 2005) election results: percent of vote by party as of January 2001 - Liberal Party 42%, Canadian Alliance 22%, Bloc Quebecois 13%, New Democratic Party 4%, Progressive Conservative Party 4%; seats by party as of January 2001 - Liberal Party 172, Canadian Alliance 66, Bloc Quebecois 38, New Democratic Party 13, Progressive Conservative Party 12 |
bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (at least 27 seats - currently 29; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Representatives - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - PNP 43.4%, PPD 40.3%, PIP 9.4%; seats by party - PNP 17, PPD 9, PIP 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - PNP 46.3%, PPD 43.1%, PIP 9.7%; seats by party - PNP 32, PPD 18, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held in November 2008); results - percent of vote by party - PNP 48.6%, other 51.4%; seats by party - PNP 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
79.56 years male: 76.16 years female: 83.13 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 78.54 years
male: 74.6 years female: 82.67 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% (1986 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 94.1% male: 93.9% female: 94.4% (2002 est.) |
Location | Northern North America, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean and North Pacific Ocean, north of the conterminous US | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic |
Map references | North America | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
121 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,767,259 GRT/2,633,290 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 67, cargo 13, chemical tanker 5, combination bulk 1, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 17, railcar carrier 2, roll on/roll off 7, short-sea passenger 3, specialized tanker 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 3 ships (1000 GRT or over) 77,177 GRT/50,138 DWT
by type: roll on/roll off 3 foreign-owned: 3 (US 3) registered in other countries: 1 (St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007) |
Military - note | - | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | Canadian Forces (includes Land Forces Command or LC, Maritime Command or MC, Air Command or AC, Communications Command or CC, Training Command or TC), Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) | no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $7.5 billion (FY00/01) | - |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | 1.3% (FY00/01) | - |
Military manpower - availability | males age 15-49:
8,325,084 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - fit for military service | males age 15-49:
7,114,851 (2001 est.) |
- |
Military manpower - military age | 17 years of age | - |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | males:
215,627 (2001 est.) |
- |
National holiday | Independence Day/Canada Day, 1 July (1867) | US Independence Day, 4 July (1776); Puerto Rico Constitution Day, 25 July (1952) |
Nationality | noun:
Canadian(s) adjective: Canadian |
noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican |
Natural hazards | continuous permafrost in north is a serious obstacle to development; cyclonic storms form east of the Rocky Mountains, a result of the mixing of air masses from the Arctic, Pacific, and North American interior, and produce most of the country's rain and snow | periodic droughts; hurricanes |
Natural resources | iron ore, nickel, zinc, copper, gold, lead, molybdenum, potash, silver, fish, timber, wildlife, coal, petroleum, natural gas, hydropower | some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil |
Net migration rate | 6.13 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -1.09 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Pipelines | crude and refined oil 23,564 km; natural gas 74,980 km | - |
Political parties and leaders | Bloc Quebecois [Gilles DUCEPPE]; Canadian Alliance [Stockwell DAY]; Liberal Party [Jean CHRETIEN]; New Democratic Party [Alexa MCDONOUGH]; Progressive Conservative Party [Joe CLARK] | National Democratic Party [Roberto PRATS]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Dr. Tiody FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP [Pedro ROSSELLO] (pro-US statehood); Popular Democratic Party or PPD [Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA] (pro-commonwealth); Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] (pro-independence) |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | Boricua Popular Army or EPB (a revolutionary group also known as Los Macheteros); note - the following radical groups are considered dormant by Federal law enforcement: Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN, Armed Forces of Popular Resistance, Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution |
Population | 31,592,805 (July 2001 est.) | 3,944,259 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.99% (2001 est.) | 0.393% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Becancour (Quebec), Churchill, Halifax, Hamilton, Montreal, New Westminster, Prince Rupert, Quebec, Saint John (New Brunswick), St. John's (Newfoundland), Sept Isles, Sydney, Trois-Rivieres, Thunder Bay, Toronto, Vancouver, Windsor | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 535, FM 53, shortwave 6 (1998) | AM 74, FM 53, shortwave 0 (2005) |
Radios | 32.3 million (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
36,114 km; note - there are two major transcontinental freight railway systems: Canadian National (privatized November 1995) and Canadian Pacific Railway; passenger service provided by government-operated firm VIA, which has no trackage of its own standard gauge: 36,114 km 1.435-m gauge (156 km electrified) (1998) |
total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge (2006) |
Religions | Roman Catholic 42%, Protestant 40%, other 18% | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.046 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.922 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.758 male(s)/female total population: 0.923 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal; island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections |
Telephone system | general assessment:
excellent service provided by modern technology domestic: domestic satellite system with about 300 earth stations international: 5 coaxial submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (4 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Pacific Ocean) and 2 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region) |
general assessment: modern system integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: country code - 1-787, 939; submarine cables provide connectivity to the US, Caribbean, Central and South America; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat |
Telephones - main lines in use | 18.5 million (1999) | 1.038 million (2005) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4.207 million (1997) | 3.354 million (2005) |
Television broadcast stations | 80 (plus many repeaters) (1997) | 32 (2006) |
Terrain | mostly plains with mountains in west and lowlands in southeast | mostly mountains with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas |
Total fertility rate | 1.6 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.77 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 6.8% (2000 est.) | 12% (2002) |
Waterways | 3,000 km (including Saint Lawrence Seaway) | - |