Compare French Polynesia (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2006)

Compare French Polynesia (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2006)

	French Polynesia (2005)	British Virgin Islands (2006)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas lands of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 5 archipelagic divisions named Archipel des Marquises, Archipel des Tuamotu, Archipel des Tubuai, Iles du Vent, and Iles Sous-le-Vent note: Clipperton Island is administered by France from French Polynesia	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	0-14 years: 26.7% (male 36,947/female 35,403) 15-64 years: 67.4% (male 94,710/female 87,546) 65 years and over: 5.9% (male 8,018/female 7,861) (2005 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	coconuts, vanilla, vegetables, fruits; poultry, beef, dairy products, coffee	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	50 (2004 est.)	3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 37 over 3,047 m: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 5 914 to 1,523 m: 23 under 914 m: 7 (2004 est.)	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 13 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 8 (2004 est.)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Area	total: 4,167 sq km (118 islands and atolls) land: 3,660 sq km water: 507 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 less than one-third the size of Connecticut	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The French annexed various Polynesian island groups during the 19th century. In September 1995, France stirred up widespread protests by resuming nuclear testing on the Mururoa atoll after a three-year moratorium. The tests were suspended in January 1996.	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	16.93 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $1 billion expenditures: $900 million, including capital expenditures of $185 million (1996)	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Capital	Papeete	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	tropical, but moderate	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	2,525 km	80 km
Constitution	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)	1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Country name	conventional long form: Overseas Lands of French Polynesia conventional short form: French Polynesia local long form: Pays d'outre-mer de la Polynesie Francaise local short form: Polynesie Francaise former: French Colony of Oceania	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Death rate	4.63 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	NA	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	overseas lands of France; overseas territory of France from 1946-2004	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas lands of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas lands of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$367 million (1997)	$NA
Economy - overview	Since 1962, when France stationed military personnel in the region, French Polynesia has changed from a subsistence agricultural economy to one in which a high proportion of the work force is either employed by the military or supports the tourist industry. With the halt of French nuclear testing in 1996, the military contribution to the economy fell sharply. Tourism accounts for about one-fourth of GDP and is a primary source of hard currency earnings. Other sources of income are pearl farming and deep-sea commercial fishing. The small manufacturing sector primarily processes agricultural products. The territory benefits substantially from development agreements with France aimed principally at creating new businesses and strengthening social services.	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	353.4 million kWh (2002)	32.13 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	380 million kWh (2002)	34.55 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: Mont Orohena 2,241 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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)
Ethnic groups	Polynesian 78%, Chinese 12%, local French 6%, metropolitan French 4%	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	Comptoirs Francais du Pacifique francs (XPF) per US dollar - 96.04 (2004), 105.66 (2003), 126.71 (2002), 133.26 (2001), 129.43 (2000) note: pegged at the rate of 119.25 XPF to the euro	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by High Commissioner of the Republic Michel MATHIEU (since 24 October 2001); note - Michel MATHIER leaves 30 July 2005, replaced by Jacques MICHAUT (acting high commissioner), until the arrival of Anne BOQUET in early September 2005 head of government: President of the Territorial Government of French Polynesia Oscar TEMARU (since 3 March 2005); President of the Territorial Assembly Antony GEROS (since 9 May 2004) cabinet: Council of Ministers; president submits a list of members of the Territorial Assembly for approval by them to serve as ministers elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; high commissioner appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Government and the president of the Territorial Assembly are elected by the members of the assembly	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	NA	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	cultured pearls, coconut products, mother-of-pearl, vanilla, shark meat	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	France 36.6%, Japan 22.7%, US 16.1%, Niger 13%, Thailand 4.1% (2004)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	two narrow red horizontal bands encase a wide white band; centered on the white band is a disk with blue and white wave pattern on the lower half and gold and white ray pattern on the upper half; a stylized red, blue and white ship rides on the wave pattern; the French flag is used for official occasions	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 - composition by sector	agriculture: 4% industry: 18% services: 78% (2002)	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $17,500 (2003 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	NA% (2001 est.)	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	15 00 S, 140 00 W	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	includes five archipelagoes (4 volcanic, 1 coral); Makatea in French Polynesia is one of the three great phosphate rock islands in the Pacific Ocean - the others are Banaba (Ocean Island) in Kiribati and Nauru	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports	1 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 2,590 km paved: 1,735 km unpaved: 855 km (1999)	-
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	NA	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	fuels, foodstuffs, machinery and equipment	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	France 47.6%, New Zealand 8.8%, Singapore 8.4%, Australia 8.3%, US 7.1% (2004)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Independence	none (overseas lands of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	NA%
Industries	tourism, pearls, agricultural processing, handicrafts, phosphates	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	total: 8.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.73 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.09 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 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)	1.5% (2002 est.)	2% (2005)
International organization participation	FZ, ICFTU, PIF (observer), UPU, WMO	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	NA sq km	NA
Judicial branch	Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel; Court of the First Instance or Tribunal de Premiere Instance; Court of Administrative Law or Tribunal Administratif	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	70,000 (1996)	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 13%, industry 19%, services 68% (2002)	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4%
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0.82% permanent crops: 5.46% other: 93.72% (2001)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages	French 61.1% (official), Polynesian 31.4% (official), Asian languages 1.2%, other 0.3%, unspecified 6% (2002 census)	English (official)
Legal system	based on French system	English law
Legislative branch	unicameral Territorial Assembly or Assemblee Territoriale (57 seats - changed from 49 seats for May 2004 election; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 23 May 2004 (next to be held May 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - People's Rally for the Republic (Gaullist) 28, Union for Democracy 27, New Star 1, This Country is Yours 1; after by-elections of 13 February 2005 seating was as follows: People's Rally for the Republic 27, Union for Democracy 27, and Alliance for a New Democracy 3 note: one seat was elected to the French Senate on 27 September 1998 (next to be held September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA; two seats were elected to the French National Assembly on 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - UMP/RPR 1, UMP 1	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: 75.9 years male: 73.5 years female: 78.42 years (2005 est.)	total population: 76.68 years male: 75.56 years female: 77.84 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 14 and over can read and write total population: 98% male: 98% female: 98% (1977 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Oceania, archipelagoes in the South Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from South America to Australia	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Oceania	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 15 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 17,537 GRT/15,150 DWT by type: cargo 4, passenger 4, passenger/cargo 5, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 1 foreign-owned: 1 (France 1) (2005)	registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	no regular military forces; Gendarmerie and National Police Force	-
National holiday	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789)	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	noun: French Polynesian(s) adjective: French Polynesian	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	occasional cyclonic storms in January	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	timber, fish, cobalt, hydropower	NEGL
Net migration rate	2.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Independent Front for the Liberation of Polynesia (Tavini Huiraatira) [Oscar TEMARU]; New Fatherland Party (Ai'a Api) [Emile VERNAUDON]; People's Rally for the Republic of Polynesia or RPR (Tahoeraa Huiraatira) [Gaston FLOSSE]; The New Star (Te Fetia Api) [Philippe SHYLE]; This Country is Yours (No Oe E Te Nunaa) [Nicle BOUTEAU]; Union for Democracy or UPD [Oscar TEMARU]	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	NA	NA
Population	270,485 (July 2005 est.)	23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	1.52% (2005 est.)	1.97% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors	Papeete	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 2, FM 14, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	Protestant 54%, Roman Catholic 30%, other 10%, no religion 6%	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: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.08 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.02 male(s)/female total population: 1.07 male(s)/female (2005 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: NA domestic: NA international: country code - 689; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	52,500 (2002)	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	90,000 (2002)	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	7 (plus 17 low-power repeaters) (1997)	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	mixture of rugged high islands and low islands with reefs	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	2.04 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate	11.8% (1994)	3.6% (1997)

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