Compare Christmas Island (2006) - Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

Compare Christmas Island (2006) z Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

	Christmas Island (2006)	Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas) (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	NA	fodder and vegetable crops; sheep, dairy products
Airports	1 (2006)	5 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	total: 2 2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 3 under 914 m: 3 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 12,173 sq km land: 12,173 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the two main islands of East and West Falkland and about 200 small islands
Area - comparative	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Connecticut
Background	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.	Although first sighted by an English navigator in 1592, the first landing (English) did not occur until almost a century later in 1690, and the first settlement (French) was not established until 1764. The colony was turned over to Spain two years later and the islands have since been the subject of a territorial dispute, first between Britain and Spain, then between Britain and Argentina. The UK asserted its claim to the islands by establishing a naval garrison there in 1833. Argentina invaded the islands on 2 April 1982. The British responded with an expeditionary force that landed seven weeks later and after fierce fighting forced Argentine surrender on 14 June 1982.
Birth rate	NA	NA births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	revenues: $66.2 million expenditures: $67.9 million, including capital expenditures of $23.2 million (FY98/99 est.)
Capital	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Stanley
Climate	tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April)	cold marine; strong westerly winds, cloudy, humid; rain occurs on more than half of days in year; average annual rainfall is 24 inches in Stanley; occasional snow all year, except in January and February, but does not accumulate
Coastline	138.9 km	1,288 km
Constitution	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992	3 October 1985; amended 1997 and 1998
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas)
Death rate	NA	NA deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$NA
Dependency status	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Disputes - international	none	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force; UK continues to reject Argentine requests for sovereignty talks
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	$0 (1997 est.)
Economy - overview	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future.	The economy was formerly based on agriculture, mainly sheep farming, but today fishing contributes the bulk of economic activity. In 1987 the government began selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers operating within the Falklands exclusive fishing zone. These license fees total more than $40 million per year, which goes to support the island's health, education, and welfare system. Squid accounts for 75% of the fish taken. Dairy farming supports domestic consumption; crops furnish winter fodder. Exports feature shipments of high-grade wool to the UK and the sale of postage stamps and coins. The islands are now self-financing except for defense. The British Geological Survey announced a 200-mile oil exploration zone around the islands in 1993, and early seismic surveys suggest substantial reserves capable of producing 500,000 barrels per day; to date no exploitable site has been identified. An agreement between Argentina and the UK in 1995 seeks to defuse licensing and sovereignty conflicts that would dampen foreign interest in exploiting potential oil reserves. Tourism, especially eco-tourism, is increasing rapidly, with about 30,000 visitors in 2001. Another large source of income is interest paid on money the government has in the bank. The British military presence also provides a sizeable economic boost.
Electricity - consumption	-	17.72 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	19.06 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Usborne 705 m
Environment - current issues	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining	overfishing by unlicensed vessels is a problem; reindeer were introduced to the islands in 2001 for commercial reasons; this is the only commercial reindeer herd in the world unaffected by the Chornobyl disaster
Ethnic groups	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)	British
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)	Falkland pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000) note: the Falkland pound is at par with the British pound
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor Howard PEARCE (since 3 December 2002); Chief Executive Chris SIMPKINS (since NA March 2003); Financial Secretary Derek F. HOWATT (since NA) cabinet: Executive Council; three members elected by the Legislative Council, two ex officio members (chief executive and the financial secretary), and the governor elections: none; the monarchy is hereditary; governor appointed by the monarch
Exports	$NA	NA
Exports - commodities	phosphate	wool, hides, meat
Exports - partners	Australia, NZ (2004)	Spain 77.4%, UK 9.4%, US 4.9% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes	blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Falkland Island coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms contains a white ram (sheep raising was once the major economic activity) above the sailing ship Desire (whose crew discovered the islands) with a scroll at the bottom bearing the motto DESIRE THE RIGHT
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $25,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	NA%
Geographic coordinates	10 30 S, 105 40 E	51 45 S, 59 00 W
Geography - note	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean	deeply indented coast provides good natural harbors; short growing season
Highways	-	total: 440 km paved: 50 km unpaved: 390 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Imports	$NA	NA
Imports - commodities	consumer goods	fuel, food and drink, building materials, clothing
Imports - partners	principally Australia (2004)	UK 63.2%, Spain 30.3%, France 3.6% (2004)
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	none (overseas territory of the UK; also claimed by Argentina)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)	fish and wool processing; tourism
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	total: NA male: NA female: NA (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3.6% (1998)
International organization participation	none	ICFTU, UPU
Irrigated land	NA	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court	Supreme Court (chief justice is a nonresident); Magistrates Court (senior magistrate presides over civil and criminal divisions); Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force	NA	1,100 (est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 95% (mostly sheepherding and fishing)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (99% permanent pastures, 1% other) (2001)
Languages	English (official), Chinese, Malay	English
Legal system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law	English common law
Legislative branch	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9	unicameral Legislative Council (10 seats - 2 ex officio, 8 elected by popular vote, members serve four-year terms); presided over by the governor elections: last held 22 November 2001 (next to be held November 2005) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 8; note - 71% voter turnout
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	total population: NA years male: NA years female: NA years (2005 est.)
Literacy	NA	-
Location	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of southern Argentina
Map references	Southeast Asia	South America
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm continental shelf: 200 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	none
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	-	no regular military forces
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	NA
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)
Nationality	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island	noun: Falkland Islander(s) adjective: Falkland Island
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	strong winds persist throughout the year
Natural resources	phosphate, beaches	fish, squid, wildlife, calcified seaweed, sphagnum moss
Net migration rate	NA	NA migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	none	none; all independents
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	none
Population	1,493 (July 2006 est.)	2,967 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	0% (2006 est.)	2.44% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Stanley
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)	AM 1, FM 7, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)	primarily Anglican, Roman Catholic, United Free Church, Evangelist Church, Jehovah's Witnesses, Lutheran, Seventh-Day Adventist
Sex ratio	NA	-
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)	general assessment: NA domestic: government-operated radiotelephone and private VHF/CB radiotelephone networks provide effective service to almost all points on both islands international: country code - 500; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) with links through London to other countries
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	2,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	0 (2001)
Television broadcast stations	0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006)	2 (operated by the British Forces Broadcasting Service) note: cable television is available in Stanley (2002)
Terrain	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau	rocky, hilly, mountainous with some boggy, undulating plains
Total fertility rate	NA	NA children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	full employment; labor shortage (2001)

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