Compare Christmas Island (2006) - South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2006)

Compare Christmas Island (2006) z South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2006)

	Christmas Island (2006)	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2006)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	NA	-
Airports	1 (2006)	-
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	-
Area	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of eleven islands
Area - comparative	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC	slightly larger than Rhode Island
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.	The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908 - except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. Recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 nm to 200 nm around each island.
Birth rate	NA	-
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	-
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)	-
Climate	tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April)	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow
Coastline	138.9 km	NA km
Constitution	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992	-
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI
Death rate	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; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken - formerly a whaling station on South Georgia - is a scientific base
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
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	-
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.	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m
Environment - current issues	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining	NA
Ethnic groups	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)	-
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)	-
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	-
Exports	$NA	-
Exports - commodities	phosphate	-
Exports - partners	Australia, NZ (2004)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	-
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 South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)
Geographic coordinates	10 30 S, 105 40 E	54 30 S, 37 00 W
Geography - note	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia
Imports	$NA	-
Imports - commodities	consumer goods	-
Imports - partners	principally Australia (2004)	-
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	-
Industries	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)	-
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	-
International organization participation	none	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court	-
Labor force	NA	-
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% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (2005)
Languages	English (official), Chinese, Malay	-
Legal system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court
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	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	-
Literacy	NA	-
Location	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America
Map references	Southeast Asia	Antarctic Region
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	-
Nationality	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island	-
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism
Natural resources	phosphate, beaches	fish
Net migration rate	NA	-
Political parties and leaders	none	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	-
Population	1,493 (July 2006 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2006 est.)
Population growth rate	0% (2006 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)	0 (2003)
Religions	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)	-
Sex ratio	NA	-
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: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	-
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	-
Television broadcast stations	0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006)	0 (2003)
Terrain	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes
Total fertility rate	NA	-

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