Compare Gibraltar (2008) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)

Compare Gibraltar (2008) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)

	Gibraltar (2008)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2006)

Administrative divisions	none (overseas territory of the UK)	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 17.2% (male 2,460/female 2,343) 15-64 years: 66.3% (male 9,470/female 9,070) 65 years and over: 16.5% (male 2,090/female 2,534) (2007 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	none	-
Airports	1 (2007)	1 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2006)
Area	total: 6.5 sq km land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 54,400 sq km land: 60 sq km; Diego Garcia 44 sq km water: 54,340 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago of 55 islands
Area - comparative	a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island	land area is about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Strategically important, Gibraltar was reluctantly ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In a referendum held in 1967, Gibraltarians voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. The subsequent granting of autonomy in 1969 by the UK led to Spain closing the border and severing all communication links. A series of talks were held by the UK and Spain between 1997 and 2002 on establishing temporary joint sovereignty over Gibraltar. In response to these talks, the Gibraltar Government called a referendum in late 2002 in which the majority of citizens voted overwhelmingly against any sharing of sovereignty with Spain. Since the referendum, tripartite talks on other issues have been held with Spain, the UK, and Gibraltar, and in September 2006 a three-way agreement was signed. Spain agreed to remove restrictions on air movements, to speed up customs procedures, to implement international telephone dialing, and to allow mobile roaming agreements. Britain agreed to pay increased pensions to Spaniards who had been employed in Gibraltar before the border closed. Spain will be allowed to open a cultural institute from which the Spanish flag will fly. A new non-colonial constitution came into effect in 2007, but the UK retains responsibility for defense, foreign relations, internal security, and financial stability.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	10.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $455.1 million expenditures: $423.6 million (2005 est.)	-
Capital	name: Gibraltar geographic coordinates: 36 08 N, 5 21 W time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	-
Climate	Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	12 km	698 km
Constitution	5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007	-
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Gibraltar	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Debt - external	$NA	-
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	in 2002, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to reject any "shared sovereignty" arrangement; the government of Gibraltar insists on equal participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago including Diego Garcia; in 2001 the former inhabitants of the Chagos Archipelago, evicted in 1965 and now residing chiefly in Mauritius, were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation; the UK resists the Chagossians' demand for an immediate return to the islands; repatriation is complicated by the exclusive US military lease of Diego Garcia that restricts access to the largest island in the chain;
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	-
Economy - overview	Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing. The country makes money by selling fishing licenses and postage stamps.
Electricity - consumption	141 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	141 million kWh (2005)	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant	NA
Ethnic groups	Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans	-
Exchange rates	Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5504 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor Sir Robert FULTON (since 27 October 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 17 elected members of the Parliament by the governor in consultation with the chief minister 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	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Tony CROMBIE (since January 2004); Administrator Tony HUMPHRIES (since February 2005); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	-
Exports - commodities	(principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8%	-
Exports - partners	UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006)	-
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	-
Flag description	two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	-
GDP - real growth rate	7% (2005 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	36 08 N, 5 21 W	6 00 S, 71 30 E; note - Diego Garcia 7 20 S, 72 25 E
Geography - note	strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea	archipelago of 55 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Imports	24,350 bbl/day (2004)	-
Imports - commodities	fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs	-
Imports - partners	Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006)	-
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 4.98 deaths/1,000 live births male: 5.54 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.39 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	2.9% (2005)	-
International organization participation	Interpol (subbureau), UPU	-
Irrigated land	NA	0 sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; Court of Appeal	-
Labor force	12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: negligible industry: 40% services: 60% (2001)	-
Land boundaries	total: 1.2 km border countries: Spain 1.2 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)
Languages	English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese	-
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral Parliament (18 seats: 17 members elected by popular vote, 1 for the Speaker appointed by Parliament; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 October 2007 (next to be held not later than October 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 49.3%, GSLP 31.8%, Gibraltar Liberal Party 13.6%; seats by party - GSD 10, GSLP 4, Gibraltar Liberal Party 3	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.93 years male: 77.05 years female: 82.96 years (2007 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: NA total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA	-
Location	Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Europe	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 3 nm	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 216 ships (1000 GRT or over) 1,422,155 GRT/1,866,572 DWT by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 5, cargo 117, chemical tanker 39, container 31, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 13, roll on/roll off 7, specialized tanker 1 foreign-owned: 201 (Belgium 3, Cyprus 5, Denmark 9, Finland 3, France 1, Germany 117, Greece 8, Iceland 1, Italy 1, Netherlands 11, Norway 27, Sweden 10, UAE 2, UK 3) registered in other countries: 7 (Liberia 7) (2007)	-
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
Military branches	Royal Gibraltar Regiment	-
National holiday	National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain	-
Nationality	noun: Gibraltarian(s) adjective: Gibraltar	-
Natural hazards	NA	NA
Natural resources	none	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-
Political parties and leaders	Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association	-
Population	27,967 (July 2007 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960s and 1970s; in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in November 2004, there were approximately 4,000 UK and US military personnel and civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.129% (2007 est.)	-
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census)	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.044 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.825 male(s)/female total population: 1.005 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have been residents six months or more	-
Telephone system	general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	24,512 (2002)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	9,797 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar	flat and low (most areas do not exceed two meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	3% (2005 est.)	-

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