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Compare Chile (2006) - British Virgin Islands (2003)

Compare Chile (2006) z British Virgin Islands (2003)

 Chile (2006)British Virgin Islands (2003)
 ChileBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 13 regions (regiones, singular - region); Aisen del General Carlos Ibanez del Campo, Antofagasta, Araucania, Atacama, Bio-Bio, Coquimbo, Libertador General Bernardo O'Higgins, Los Lagos, Magallanes y de la Antartica Chilena, Maule, Region Metropolitana (Santiago), Tarapaca, Valparaiso


note: the US does not recognize claims to Antarctica
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 24.7% (male 2,035,278/female 1,944,754)


15-64 years: 67.1% (male 5,403,525/female 5,420,497)


65 years and over: 8.2% (male 555,075/female 775,090) (2006 est.)
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 2,401; female 2,358)


15-64 years: 73.1% (male 8,181; female 7,709)


65 years and over: 5% (male 578; female 503) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products grapes, apples, pears, onions, wheat, corn, oats, peaches, garlic, asparagus, beans; beef, poultry, wool; fish; timber fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 363 (2006) 3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 73


over 3,047 m: 5


2,438 to 3,047 m: 7


1,524 to 2,437 m: 22


914 to 1,523 m: 22


under 914 m: 17 (2006)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 290


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 58


under 914 m: 216 (2006)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Area total: 756,950 sq km


land: 748,800 sq km


water: 8,150 sq km


note: includes Easter Island (Isla de Pascua) and Isla Sala y Gomez
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
Area - comparative slightly smaller than twice the size of Montana about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Prior to the coming of the Spanish in the 16th century, northern Chile was under Inca rule while Araucanian Indians inhabited central and southern Chile; the latter were not completely subjugated by Spain until the early 1880s. Although Chile declared its independence in 1810, decisive victory over the Spanish was not achieved until 1818. In the War of the Pacific (1879-84), Chile defeated Peru and Bolivia and won its present northern lands. A three-year-old Marxist government of Salvador ALLENDE was overthrown in 1973 by a dictatorial military regime led by Augusto PINOCHET, who ruled until a freely elected president was installed in 1990. Sound economic policies, maintained consistently since the 1980s, have contributed to steady growth and have helped secure the country's commitment to democratic and representative government. Chile has increasingly assumed regional and international leadership roles befitting its status as a stable, democratic nation. 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.
Birth rate 15.23 births/1,000 population (2006 est.) 15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $29.2 billion


expenditures: $24.75 billion; including capital expenditures of $3.33 billion (2005 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital name: Santiago


geographic coordinates: 33 27 S, 70 40 W


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


daylight saving time: +1hr, begins second Sunday in October; ends second Sunday in March
Road Town
Climate temperate; desert in north; Mediterranean in central region; cool and damp in south subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 6,435 km 80 km
Constitution 11 September 1980, effective 11 March 1981; amended 1989, 1991, 1997, 1999, 2000, 2003, and 2005 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Chile


conventional short form: Chile


local long form: Republica de Chile


local short form: Chile
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency - US dollar (USD)
Death rate 5.81 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.) 4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $47.45 billion (2005 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Craig A. KELLY


embassy: Avenida Andres Bello 2800, Las Condes, Santiago


mailing address: APO AA 34033


telephone: [56] (2) 232-2600


FAX: [56] (2) 330-3710
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mariano FERNANDEZ


chancery: 1732 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20036


telephone: [1] (202) 530-4104, 530-4106, 530-4107


FAX: [1] (202) 887-5579


consulate(s) general: Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, San Juan (Puerto Rico)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Chile rebuffs Bolivia's reactivated claim to restore the Atacama corridor, ceded to Chile in 1884, offering instead unrestricted but not sovereign maritime access through Chile to Bolivian gas and other commodities; Peru proposes changing its latitudinal maritime boundary with Chile to an equidistance line with a southwestern axis; territorial claim in Antarctica (Chilean Antarctic Territory) partially overlaps Argentine and British claims; action by the joint boundary commission, established by Chile and Argentina in 2001, for mapping and demarcating the disputed boundary in the Andean Southern Ice Field (Campo de Hielo Sur) remains pending none
Economic aid - recipient $0 (2002) NA%
Economy - overview Chile has a market-oriented economy characterized by a high level of foreign trade. During the early 1990s, Chile's reputation as a role model for economic reform was strengthened when the democratic government of Patricio AYLWIN - which took over from the military in 1990 - deepened the economic reform initiated by the military government. Growth in real GDP averaged 8% during 1991-97, but fell to half that level in 1998 because of tight monetary policies implemented to keep the current account deficit in check and because of lower export earnings - the latter a product of the global financial crisis. A severe drought exacerbated the recession in 1999, reducing crop yields and causing hydroelectric shortfalls and electricity rationing, and Chile experienced negative economic growth for the first time in more than 15 years. Despite the effects of the recession, Chile maintained its reputation for strong financial institutions and sound policy that have given it the strongest sovereign bond rating in South America. By the end of 1999, exports and economic activity had begun to recover, and growth rebounded to 4.2% in 2000. Growth fell back to 3.1% in 2001 and 2.1% in 2002, largely due to lackluster global growth and the devaluation of the Argentine peso. Chile's economy began a slow recovery in 2003, growing 3.2%, and accelerated to 6.1% in 2004-05, while Chile maintained a low rate of inflation. GDP growth benefited from high copper prices, solid export earnings (particularly forestry, fishing, and mining), and stepped-up foreign direct investment. Unemployment, however, remains stubbornly high. Chile deepened its longstanding commitment to trade liberalization with the signing of a free trade agreement with the US, which took effect on 1 January 2004. Chile signed a free trade agreement with China in November 2005, and it already has several trade deals signed with other nations and blocs, including the European Union, Mercosur, South Korea, and Mexico. Record-high copper prices helped to strengthen the peso to a 5½-year high, as of December 2005, and will boost GDP in 2006. 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.
Electricity - consumption 44.13 billion kWh (2003) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 2 billion kWh (2003) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 45.3 billion kWh (2003) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source - fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Nevado Ojos del Salado 6,880 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues widespread deforestation and mining threaten natural resources; air pollution from industrial and vehicle emissions; water pollution from raw sewage 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)
Environment - international agreements party to: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups white and white-Amerindian 95%, Amerindian 3%, other 2% black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates Chilean pesos per US dollar - 560.09 (2005), 609.37 (2004), 691.43 (2003), 688.94 (2002), 634.94 (2001) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Michelle BACHELET Jeria (since 11 March 2006)


cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president


elections: president elected by popular vote for a single four-year term; election last held 11 December 2005, with runoff election held 15 January 2006 (next to be held December 2009)


election results: Michelle BACHELET Jeria elected president; percent of vote - Michelle BACHELET Jeria 53.5%; Sebastian PINERA Echenique 46.5%
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 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
Exports 0 bbl/day NA (2001)
Exports - commodities copper, fruit, fish products, paper and pulp, chemicals, wine rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners US 15.8%, Japan 11.5%, China 11.1%, Netherlands 5.8%, South Korea 5.5%, Brazil 4.4%, Italy 4.2%, Mexico 4% (2005) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description two equal horizontal bands of white (top) and red; there is a blue square the same height as the white band at the hoist-side end of the white band; the square bears a white five-pointed star in the center representing a guide to progress and honor; blue symbolizes the sky, white is for the snow-covered Andes, and red stands for the blood spilled to achieve independence; design was influenced by the US flag 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 - purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 6%


industry: 49.3%


services: 44.7% (2005 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita - purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 6.3% (2005 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 30 00 S, 71 00 W 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note strategic location relative to sea lanes between Atlantic and Pacific Oceans (Strait of Magellan, Beagle Channel, Drake Passage); Atacama Desert is one of world's driest regions strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways - total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: 1.2%


highest 10%: 47% (2000)
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs important transshipment country for cocaine destined for Europe; economic prosperity and increasing trade have made Chile more attractive to traffickers seeking to launder drug profits, especially through the Iquique Free Trade Zone, but a new anti-money-laundering law improves controls; imported precursors passed on to Bolivia; domestic cocaine consumption is rising transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center
Imports 221,500 bbl/day (2003 est.) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, electrical and telecommunications equipment, industrial machinery, vehicles, natural gas building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Argentina 14.8%, US 14.6%, Brazil 11.7%, China 7.8%, South Korea 4.8%, Yemen 4.4% (2005) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 18 September 1810 (from Spain) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 3.4% (2005 est.) NA
Industries copper, other minerals, foodstuffs, fish processing, iron and steel, wood and wood products, transport equipment, cement, textiles tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 8.58 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 9.32 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.8 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
total: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 3.1% (2005 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation APEC, BIS, CAN (associate), CSN, FAO, G-15, G-77, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt (signatory), ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, Mercosur (associate), MIGA, MINUSTAH, NAM, OAS, OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, RG, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNMOGIP, UNTSO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) - 16 (2000)
Irrigated land 19,000 sq km (2003) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court or Corte Suprema (judges are appointed by the president and ratified by the Senate from lists of candidates provided by the court itself; the president of the Supreme Court is elected every three years by the 20-member court); Constitutional Tribunal 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 6.3 million (2005 est.) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture: 13.6%


industry: 23.4%


services: 63% (2003)
agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 6,339 km


border countries: Argentina 5,308 km, Bolivia 860 km, Peru 171 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 2.62%


permanent crops: 0.43%


other: 96.95% (2005)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
Languages Spanish English (official)
Legal system based on Code of 1857 derived from Spanish law and subsequent codes influenced by French and Austrian law; judicial review of legislative acts in the Supreme Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction; note - in June 2005, Chile completed overhaul of its criminal justice system to a new, US-style adversarial system English law
Legislative branch bicameral National Congress or Congreso Nacional consists of the Senate or Senado (38 seats elected by popular vote; members serve eight-year terms - one-half elected every four years) and the Chamber of Deputies or Camara de Diputados (120 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009); Chamber of Deputies - last held 11 December 2005 (next to be held December 2009)


election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 20 (PDC 6, PS 8, PPD 3, PRSD 3), APC 17 (UDI 9, RN 8), independent 1; Chamber of Deputies - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - CPD 65 (PDC 21, PPD 22, PS 15, PRSD 7), APC 54 (UDI 34, RN 20), independent 1
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
Life expectancy at birth total population: 76.77 years


male: 73.49 years


female: 80.21 years (2006 est.)
total population: 76.06 years


male: 75.07 years


female: 77.1 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 96.2%


male: 96.4%


female: 96.1% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southern South America, bordering the South Pacific Ocean, between Argentina and Peru Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references South America Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm


continental shelf: 200/350 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine total: 46 ships (1000 GRT or over) 649,091 GRT/898,110 DWT


by type: bulk carrier 10, cargo 6, chemical tanker 10, container 1, liquefied gas 2, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 2, petroleum tanker 7, roll on/roll off 1, vehicle carrier 3


foreign-owned: 1 (Argentina 1)


registered in other countries: 17 (Argentina 6, Brazil 1, Marshall Islands 1, Panama 9) (2006)
total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 19,203 GRT/28,864 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Army of the Nation, National Navy (Armada de Chile, includes naval air, marine corps, and Maritime Territory and Merchant Marine Directorate (Directemar)), Chilean Air Force (Fuerza Aerea de Chile, FACh), Chilean Carabineros (National Police) (2006) -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $3.91 billion (2005 est.) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 3.5% (2005 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 18 September (1810) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Chilean(s)


adjective: Chilean
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards severe earthquakes; active volcanism; tsunamis hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources copper, timber, iron ore, nitrates, precious metals, molybdenum, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.) 10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Pipelines gas 2,567 km; gas/lpg 42 km; liquid petroleum gas 539 km; oil 1,003 km; refined products 757 km; unknown (oil/water) 97 km (2006) -
Political parties and leaders Alliance for Chile ("Alianza") or APC (including National Renewal or RN [Sergio DIEZ Urzia] and Independent Democratic Union or UDI [Jovino NOVOA Vasquez]); Coalition of Parties for Democracy ("Concertacion") or CPD (including Christian Democratic Party or PDC [Adolfo ZALDIVAR Larrain], Socialist Party or PS [Ricardo NUNEZ], Party for Democracy or PPD [Victor BARRUETO], Radical Social Democratic Party or PRSD [Jose Antonio GOMEZ Urrutia]); Communist Party or PC [Guillermo TEILLIER] 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 revitalized university student federations at all major universities; Roman Catholic Church; United Labor Central or CUT includes trade unionists from the country's five largest labor confederations NA
Population 16,134,219 (July 2006 est.) 21,730 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line 18.2% (2005) NA%
Population growth rate 0.94% (2006 est.) 2.1% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors - Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 180 (eight inactive), FM 64, shortwave 17 (one inactive) (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways total: 6,585 km


broad gauge: 2,831 km 1.676-m gauge (1,317 km electrified)


narrow gauge: 3,754 km 1.000-m gauge (2005)
0 km
Religions Roman Catholic 89%, Protestant 11%, Jewish NEGL% 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)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.15 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal and compulsory 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: modern system based on extensive microwave radio relay facilities


domestic: extensive microwave radio relay links; domestic satellite system with three earth stations


international: country code - 56; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 3,435,900 (2005) 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 10.57 million (2005) NA
Television broadcast stations 63 (plus 121 repeaters) (1997) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain low coastal mountains; fertile central valley; rugged Andes in east coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 2 children born/woman (2006 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 8.1% (2005 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways - none
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