Guadeloupe (2001) | Gibraltar (2008) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (overseas department of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
24.99% (male 55,030; female 52,722) 15-64 years: 66.22% (male 141,294; female 144,232) 65 years and over: 8.79% (male 15,901; female 21,991) (2001 est.) |
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 | bananas, sugarcane, tropical fruits and vegetables; cattle, pigs, goats | none |
Airports | 9 (2000 est.) | 1 (2007) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
8 over 3,047 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 5 (2000 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
- |
Area | total:
1,780 sq km land: 1,706 sq km water: 74 sq km note: Guadeloupe is an archipelago of nine inhabited islands, including Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galante, La Desirade, Iles des Saintes (2), Saint-Barthelemy, Iles de la Petite Terre, and Saint-Martin (French part of the island of Saint Martin |
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | 10 times the size of Washington, DC | a little less than one half the size of Rhode Island |
Background | Guadeloupe has been a French possession since 1635. The island of Saint-Martin is divided with the Netherlands (whose southern portion is named Sint Maarten and is part of the Netherlands Antilles). | 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. |
Birth rate | 16.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 10.69 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$225 million expenditures: $390 million, including capital expenditures of $105 million (1996) |
revenues: $455.1 million
expenditures: $423.6 million (2005 est.) |
Capital | Basse-Terre | 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 | subtropical tempered by trade winds; moderately high humidity | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Coastline | 306 km | 12 km |
Constitution | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) | 5 June 2006; came into force 2 January 2007 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Department of Guadeloupe conventional short form: Guadeloupe local long form: Departement de la Guadeloupe local short form: Guadeloupe |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar |
Currency | French franc (FRF); euro (EUR) | - |
Death rate | 6.02 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.4 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | overseas department of France | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas department of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | 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 |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA; note - substantial annual French subsidies | $NA |
Economy - overview | The economy depends on agriculture, tourism, light industry, and services. It also depends on France for large subsidies and imports. Tourism is a key industry, with most tourists from the US; an increasingly large number of cruise ships visit the islands. The traditional sugarcane crop is slowly being replaced by other crops, such as bananas (which now supply about 50% of export earnings), eggplant, and flowers. Other vegetables and root crops are cultivated for local consumption, although Guadeloupe is still dependent on imported food, mainly from France. Light industry features sugar and rum production. Most manufactured goods and fuel are imported. Unemployment is especially high among the young. Hurricanes periodically devastate the economy. | 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. |
Electricity - consumption | 1.209 billion kWh (1999) | 141 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production | 1.3 billion kWh (1999) | 141 million kWh (2005) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
- |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Soufriere 1,467 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant |
Ethnic groups | black or mulatto 90%, white 5%, East Indian, Lebanese, Chinese less than 5% | Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans |
Exchange rates | Euros per US dollar - 1.0659 (January 2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999); French francs per US dollar - 5.8995 (1998), 5.8367 (1997), 5.1155 (1996) | 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:
President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean FEDINI (since NA 1996) head of government: President of the General Council Marcellin LUBETH (since NA March 1998); President of the Regional Council Lucette MICHAUX-CHEVRY (since 22 March 1992) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a seven-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils election results: NA |
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 |
Exports | $140 million (f.o.b., 1997) | 0 bbl/day (2004) |
Exports - commodities | bananas, sugar, rum | (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | France 60%, Martinique 18%, US 4% (1997) | UK 30.8%, Spain 22.7%, Germany 13.7%, Turkmenistan 10.4%, Switzerland 8.3%, Italy 6.7% (2006) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | three horizontal bands, a narrow green band (top), a wide red band, and a narrow green band; the green bands are separated from the red band by two narrow white stripes; a gold five-pointed star is centered in the red band toward the hoist side; the flag of France is used for official occasions | 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 |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $3.7 billion (1997 est.) | - |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
15% industry: 17% services: 68% (1997 est.) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $9,000 (1997 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 7% (2005 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 16 15 N, 61 35 W | 36 08 N, 5 21 W |
Geography - note | - | strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
Highways | total:
2,560 km paved: 965 km unpaved: 1,595 km (1996) |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $1.7 billion (c.i.f., 1997) | 24,350 bbl/day (2004) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, fuels, vehicles, clothing and other consumer goods, construction materials | fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | France 63%, Germany 4%, US 3%, Japan 2%, Netherlands Antilles 2% (1997) | Spain 23.4%, Russia 12.3%, Italy 12%, UK 9%, France 8.9%, Netherlands 6.8%, US 4.7% (2006) |
Independence | none (overseas department of France) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | construction, cement, rum, sugar, tourism | tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco |
Infant mortality rate | 9.53 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 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) | NA | 2.9% (2005) |
International organization participation | FZ, WCL, WFTU | Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 3 (2000) | - |
Irrigated land | 30 sq km (1993 est.) | NA |
Judicial branch | Court of Appeal or Cour d'Appel with jurisdiction over Guadeloupe, French Guiana, and Martinique | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 125,900 (1997) | 12,690 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (2001) |
Labor force - by occupation | NA | agriculture: negligible
industry: 40% services: 60% (2001) |
Land boundaries | total:
10.2 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 10.2 km |
total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
Land use | arable land:
14% permanent crops: 4% permanent pastures: 14% forests and woodland: 39% other: 29% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
Languages | French (official) 99%, Creole patois | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
Legal system | French legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (42 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms) and the unicameral Regional Council or Conseil Regional (41 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve six-year terms)
elections: General Council - last held 22 March 1998 (next to be held by NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 15 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - diverse left parties 11, PS 8, RPR 8, PPDG 6, diverse right parties 5, PCG 3, UDF 1; Regional Council - percent of vote by party - RPR 48.03%, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 24.49%, PCG 5.29%, diverse right parties 5.73%; seats by party - RPR 25, PS/PPDG/diverse left parties 12, PCG 2, diverse right parties 2 note: Guadeloupe elects two representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA September 1995 (next to be held NA September 2004); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - RPR 1, FGPS 1; Guadeloupe elects four representatives to the French National Assembly; elections last held 25 May - 1 June 1997 (next to be held NA 2002); percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - FGPS 2, RPR 1, PPDG 1 |
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:
77.16 years male: 74.01 years female: 80.48 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 79.93 years
male: 77.05 years female: 82.96 years (2007 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 90% male: 90% female: 90% (1982 est.) |
definition: NA
total population: above 80% male: NA female: NA |
Location | Caribbean, islands in the eastern Caribbean Sea, southeast of Puerto Rico | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
Merchant marine | total:
1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,240 GRT/109 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2000 est.) |
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 France | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the Royal Gibraltar Regiment replaced the last British regular infantry forces in 1992 |
Military branches | French Forces, Gendarmerie | Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
National holiday | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) | 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:
Guadeloupian(s) adjective: Guadeloupe |
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar |
Natural hazards | hurricanes (June to October); Soufriere is an active volcano | NA |
Natural resources | cultivable land, beaches and climate that foster tourism | none |
Net migration rate | -0.15 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | Communist Party of Guadeloupe or PCG [Christian CELESTE]; Progressive Democratic Party or PPDG [Henri BANGOU]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Aldo BLAISE]; Socialist Party or PS [Georges LOUISOR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Marcel ESDRAS] | 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 | Christian Movement for the Liberation of Guadeloupe or KLPG; General Federation of Guadeloupe Workers or CGT-G; General Union of Guadeloupe Workers or UGTG; Movement for Independent Guadeloupe or MPGI | Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association |
Population | 431,170 (July 2001 est.) | 27,967 (July 2007 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 1.07% (2001 est.) | 0.129% (2007 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Basse-Terre, Gustavia (on Saint Barthelemy), Marigot, Pointe-a-Pitre | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 113,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | total:
NA km; privately owned, narrow-gauge plantation lines |
- |
Religions | Roman Catholic 95%, Hindu and pagan African 4%, Protestant 1% | 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:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
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 | 18 years of age; universal; and British citizens who have been residents six months or more |
Telephone system | general assessment:
domestic facilities inadequate domestic: NA international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean); microwave radio relay to Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Martinique |
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) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 171,000 (1996) | 24,512 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 9,797 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 5 (plus several low-power repeaters) (1997) | 1 (plus 3 repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | Basse-Terre is volcanic in origin with interior mountains; Grande-Terre is low limestone formation; most of the seven other islands are volcanic in origin | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
Total fertility rate | 1.93 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.65 children born/woman (2007 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 27.8% (1998) | 3% (2005 est.) |
Waterways | none | - |