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Compare Eritrea (2002) - British Virgin Islands (2006)

Compare Eritrea (2002) z British Virgin Islands (2006)

 Eritrea (2002)British Virgin Islands (2006)
 EritreaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 6 regions (regions, singular - region); Central, Anelba, Southern Red Sea, Northern Red Sea, Southern, Gash-Barka none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 42.9% (male 958,564; female 955,625)


15-64 years: 53.9% (male 1,192,454; female 1,213,313)


65 years and over: 3.2% (male 73,017; female 72,678) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331)


15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340)


65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products sorghum, lentils, vegetables, corn, cotton, tobacco, coffee, sisal; livestock, goats; fish fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 21 (2001) 3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 4


over 3,047 m: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 2 (2002)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 14


over 3,047 m: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 6


914 to 1,523 m: 4


under 914 m: 2 (2002)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 121,320 sq km


land: 121,320 sq km


water: 0 sq km
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
Area - comparative slightly larger than Pennsylvania about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Eritrea was awarded to Ethiopia in 1952 as part of a federation. Ethiopia's annexation of Eritrea as a province 10 years later sparked a 30-year struggle for independence that ended in 1991 with Eritrean rebels defeating governmental forces; independence was overwhelmingly approved in a 1993 referendum. A two and a half year border war with Ethiopia that erupted in 1998 ended under UN auspices on 12 December 2000. Eritrea currently hosts a UN peacekeeping operation that will monitor the border region until an international commission determines and demarcates the boundary between the two countries. 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.
Birth rate 42.25 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $206.4 million


expenditures: $615.7 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Capital Asmara (formerly Asmera) name: Road Town


geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W


time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate hot, dry desert strip along Red Sea coast; cooler and wetter in the central highlands (up to 61 cm of rainfall annually); semiarid in western hills and lowlands; rainfall heaviest during June-September except in coastal desert subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 2,234 km total; mainland on Red Sea 1,151 km, islands in Red Sea 1,083 km 80 km
Constitution the transitional constitution, decreed on 19 May 1993, was replaced by a new constitution adopted on 23 May 1997, but not yet implemented 1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Country name conventional long form: State of Eritrea


conventional short form: Eritrea


local long form: Hagere Ertra


local short form: Ertra


former: Eritrea Autonomous Region in Ethiopia
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency nakfa (ERN) -
Death rate 11.82 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $281 million (2000 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador Donald J. McCONNELL


embassy: Franklin D. Roosevelt Street, Asmara


mailing address: P. O. Box 211, Asmara


telephone: [291] (1) 120004


FAX: [291] (1) 127584
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador GIRMA Asmerom


chancery: 1708 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20009


telephone: [1] (202) 319-1991


FAX: [1] (202) 319-1304


consulate(s) general: Oakland (California)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Eritrea and Ethiopia have expressed general approval of the April 2002 arbitration commission ruling re-delimiting the boundary, the focus of their 1998-2000 war; United Nations Mission in Ethiopia and Eritrea (UNMEE) will monitor activities within the 25-km wide temporary security zone in Eritrea until demarcation and de-mining are complete; Yemen has asserted traditional fishing rights to islands ceded to Eritrea in ICJ ruling none
Economic aid - recipient $77 million (1999) (1999) $NA
Economy - overview Since independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993, Eritrea has faced the economic problems of a small, desperately poor country. Like the economies of many African nations, the economy is largely based on subsistence agriculture, with 80% of the population involved in farming and herding. The Ethiopian-Eritrea war in 1998-2000 severely hurt Eritrea's economy. GDP growth in 1999 fell to less than 1%, and GDP decreased by 8.2% in 2000. The May 2000 Ethiopian offensive into northern Eritrea caused some $600 million in property damage and loss, including losses of $225 million in livestock and 55,000 homes. The attack prevented planting of crops in Eritrea's most productive region, causing food production to drop by 62%. Even during the war, Eritrea developed its transportation infrastructure, asphalting new roads, improving its ports, and repairing war damaged roads and bridges. Eritrea's economic future remains mixed. The cessation of Ethiopian trade, which mainly used Eritrean ports before the war, leaves Eritrea with a large economic hole to fill. Eritrea's economic future depends upon its ability to master fundamental social problems like illiteracy, unemployment, and low skills, and to convert the diaspora's money and expertise into economic growth. 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, 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.
Electricity - consumption 195.3 million kWh (2000) 32.13 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh NA kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh NA kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production 210 million kWh (2000) 34.55 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point: near Kulul within the Denakil depression -75 m


highest point: Soira 3,018 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; desertification; soil erosion; overgrazing; loss of infrastructure from civil warfare 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: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups ethnic Tigrinya 50%, Tigre and Kunama 40%, Afar 4%, Saho (Red Sea coast dwellers) 3%, other 3% black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates nakfa (ERN) per US dollar - 9.5 (January 2000), 7.6 (January 1999), 7.2 (March 1998 est.) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Afworki ISAIAS (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly


head of government: President Afworki ISAIAS (since 8 June 1993); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government and is head of the State Council and National Assembly


cabinet: State Council is the collective executive authority; members appointed by the president


elections: president elected by the National Assembly; election last held 8 June 1993 (next election date uncertain as the National Assembly did not hold a presidential election in December 2001 as anticipated)


election results: ISAIAS Afworki elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - ISAIAS Afworki 95%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006)


head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. 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 $34.8 million f.o.b. (2000) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities livestock, sorghum, textiles, food, small manufactures rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners Sudan 27.2%, Ethiopia 26.5%, Japan 13.2%, UAE 7.3%, Italy 5.3% (1998) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description red isosceles triangle (based on the hoist side) dividing the flag into two right triangles; the upper triangle is green, the lower one is blue; a gold wreath encircling a gold olive branch is centered on the hoist side of the red triangle 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 - $3.2 billion (2001 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 17%


industry: 29%


services: 54% (2001 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $740 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 7% (2001 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 15 00 N, 39 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note strategic geopolitical position along world's busiest shipping lanes; Eritrea retained the entire coastline of Ethiopia along the Red Sea upon de jure independence from Ethiopia on 24 May 1993 strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total: 3,850 km


paved: 810 km


unpaved: 3,040 km (2000)
-
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 $470.5 million c.i.f. (2000) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery, petroleum products, food, manufactured goods building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Italy 17.4%, UAE 16.2%, Germany 5.7%, UK 4.5%, Korea 4.4% (1998) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Independence 24 May 1993 (from Ethiopia) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA% NA%
Industries food processing, beverages, clothing and textiles tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate 73.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 15% (2001 est.) 2% (2005)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, CCC, ECA, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS (associate), IGAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 5 (2001) -
Irrigated land 220 sq km (1998 est.) NA
Judicial branch High court, regional, subregional, and village courts; also have military and special courts 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 NA 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 80%, industry and services 20% agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4%
Land boundaries total: 1,626 km


border countries: Djibouti 109 km, Ethiopia 912 km, Sudan 605 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 3.87%


permanent crops: 0.02%


other: 96.11% (1998 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages Afar, Amharic, Arabic, Tigre and Kunama, Tigrinya, other Cushitic languages English (official)
Legal system primary basis is the Ethiopian legal code of 1957, with revisions; new civil, commercial, and penal codes have not yet been promulgated; also relies on customary and post-independence-enacted laws and, for civil cases involving Muslims, Sharia law English law
Legislative branch unicameral National Assembly (150 seats; term limits not established)


elections: in May 1997, following the adoption of the new constitution, 75 members of the PFDJ Central Committee (the old Central Committee of the EPLF), 60 members of the 527-member Constituent Assembly which had been established in 1997 to discuss and ratify the new constitution, and 15 representatives of Eritreans living abroad were formed into a Transitional National Assembly to serve as the country's legislative body until countrywide elections to a National Assembly were held; although only 75 of 150 members of the Transitional National Assembly were elected, the constitution stipulates that once past the transition stage, all members of the National Assembly will be elected by secret ballot of all eligible voters; National Assembly elections scheduled for December 2001 were postponed indefinately
unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held in 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population: 56.57 years


male: 54.09 years


female: 59.13 years (2002 est.)
total population: 76.68 years


male: 75.56 years


female: 77.84 years (2006 est.)
Literacy definition: NA


total population: 25%


male: NA%


female: NA%
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Eastern Africa, bordering the Red Sea, between Djibouti and Sudan Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 NM territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 6 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,100 GRT/23,399 DWT


ships by type: bulk 1, cargo 2, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1, roll on/roll off 1 (2002 est.)
registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $138.3 million (FY01) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 19.8% (FY01) -
National holiday Independence Day, 24 May (1993) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Eritrean(s)


adjective: Eritrean
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards frequent droughts; locust swarms hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources gold, potash, zinc, copper, salt, possibly oil and natural gas, fish NEGL
Net migration rate 7.61 migrant(s)/1,000 population


note: UNHCR began repatriating about 150,000 Eritrean refugees from Sudan in 2001 following the restoration of diplomatic relations between the two countries in 2000 (2002 est.)
9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders People's Front for Democracy and Justice or PFDJ, the only party recognized by the government [Afworki ISAIAS]; note - a National Assembly committee drafted a law on political parties in January 2001, but the full National Assembly had not yet debated or voted on it as of December 2001 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 Eritrean Islamic Jihad or EIJ; Eritrean Liberation Front or ELF [ABDULLAH Muhammed]; Eritrean Liberation Front-Revolutionary Council or ELF-RC [Ahmed NASSER]; Eritrean Liberation Front-United Organization or ELF-UO [Mohammed Said NAWD]; Eritrean Public Forum or EPF [ARADOM Iyob] NA
Population 4,465,651 (July 2002 est.) 23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 3.8% (2002 est.) 1.97% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Assab (Aseb), Massawa (Mits'iwa) -
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM NA, shortwave 2 (2000) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Radios 345,000 (1997) -
Railways total: 317 km


narrow gauge: 317 km 0.950-m gauge


note: links Ak'ordat and Asmara with the port of Massawa; nonoperational since 1978 except for about a 5 km stretch that was reopened in Massawa in 1994; rehabilitation of the remainder and of the rolling stock is under way (2001 est.)
-
Religions Muslim, Coptic Christian, Roman Catholic, Protestant 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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female


total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female


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


65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female


total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: inadequate


domestic: very inadequate; most telephones are in Asmara; government is seeking international tenders to improve the system (2002)


international: NA; note - international connections exist
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 30,000 (2001) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular NA; note - mobile cellular service was introduced in May 2001 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 1 (2000) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain dominated by extension of Ethiopian north-south trending highlands, descending on the east to a coastal desert plain, on the northwest to hilly terrain and on the southwest to flat-to-rolling plains coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 5.8 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate NA% 3.6% (1997)
Waterways none -
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