Guernsey (2004) | Sweden (2001) | |
Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson, Vale, Castel, Saint Saviour, Saint Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, Saint Martin, Saint Andrew | 21 counties (lan, singular and plural); Blekinge, Dalarnas, Gavleborgs, Gotlands, Hallands, Jamtlands, Jonkopings, Kalmar, Kronobergs, Norrbottens, Orebro, Ostergotlands, Skane, Sodermanlands, Stockholms, Uppsala, Varmlands, Vasterbottens, Vasternorrlands, Vastmanlands, Vastra Gotalands |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 15.6% (male 5,161; female 5,013)
15-64 years: 66.7% (male 21,497; female 21,897) 65 years and over: 17.6% (male 4,812; female 6,651) (2004 est.) |
0-14 years:
18.19% (male 828,308; female 786,353) 15-64 years: 64.53% (male 2,911,949; female 2,814,730) 65 years and over: 17.28% (male 649,296; female 884,417) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle | grains, sugar beets, potatoes; meat, milk |
Airports | 2 (2003 est.) | 255 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 2
914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total:
147 over 3,047 m: 3 2,438 to 3,047 m: 11 1,524 to 2,437 m: 80 914 to 1,523 m: 28 under 914 m: 25 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
108 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 103 (2000 est.) |
Area | total: 78 sq km
land: 78 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
total:
449,964 sq km land: 410,934 sq km water: 39,030 sq km |
Area - comparative | about one-half the size of Washington, DC | slightly larger than California |
Background | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | A military power during the 17th century, Sweden has not participated in any war in almost two centuries. An armed neutrality was preserved in both World Wars. Sweden's long-successful economic formula of a capitalist system interlarded with substantial welfare elements has recently been undermined by high unemployment, rising maintenance costs, and a declining position in world markets. Indecision over the country's role in the political and economic integration of Europe caused Sweden not to join the EU until 1995, and to forgo the introduction of the euro in 1999. |
Birth rate | 9.16 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 9.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $381.3 million
expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of NA (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$133 billion expenditures: $125.2 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | Saint Peter Port | Stockholm |
Climate | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast | temperate in south with cold, cloudy winters and cool, partly cloudy summers; subarctic in north |
Coastline | 50 km | 3,218 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 1 January 1975 |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Guernsey
conventional short form: Guernsey |
conventional long form:
Kingdom of Sweden conventional short form: Sweden local long form: Konungariket Sverige local short form: Sverige |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound | Swedish krona (SEK) |
Death rate | 9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 10.61 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $66.5 billion (1994) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Lyndon Lowell OLSON, Jr. embassy: Dag Hammarskjolds VAG 31, SE-11589 Stockholm mailing address: American Embassy Stockholm, Department of State, Washington, DC 20521-5750 (pouch) telephone: [46] (8) 783 53 00 FAX: [46] (8) 661 19 64 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Jan ELIASSON chancery: 1501 M Street NW, Washington, DC 20005-1702 telephone: [1] (202) 467-2600 FAX: [1] (202) 467-2699 consulate(s) general: Los Angeles and New York |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - donor | - | ODA, $1.7 billion (1997) |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | - |
Economy - overview | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the environment under which Guernsey operates. | Aided by peace and neutrality for the whole twentieth century, Sweden has achieved an enviable standard of living under a mixed system of high-tech capitalism and extensive welfare benefits. It has a modern distribution system, excellent internal and external communications, and a skilled labor force. Timber, hydropower, and iron ore constitute the resource base of an economy heavily oriented toward foreign trade. Privately owned firms account for about 90% of industrial output, of which the engineering sector accounts for 50% of output and exports. Agriculture accounts for only 2% of GDP and 2% of the jobs. In recent years, however, this extraordinarily favorable picture has been somewhat clouded by budgetary difficulties, high unemployment, and a gradual loss of competitiveness in international markets. Sweden has harmonized its economic policies with those of the EU, which it joined at the start of 1995. GDP growth is forecast for 4% in 2001. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 128.819 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2002) | 15.9 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2002) | 8.35 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 146.633 billion kWh (1999) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
5.53% hydro: 47.24% nuclear: 45.42% other: 1.81% (1999) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
lowest point:
Baltic Sea 0 m highest point: Kebnekaise 2,111 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | acid rain damaging soils and lakes; pollution of the North Sea and the Baltic Sea |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Sulphur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Tropical Timber 83, Tropical Timber 94, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | UK and Norman-French descent with small percentages from other European countries | indigenous population: Swedes and Finnish and Sami minorities; foreign-born or first-generation immigrants: Finns, Yugoslavs, Danes, Norwegians, Greeks, Turks |
Exchange rates | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6661 (2002), 0.6944 (2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound | Swedish kronor per US dollar - 9.4669 (January 2001), 9.1622 (2000), 8.2624 (1999), 7.9499 (1998), 7.6349 (1997), 6.7060 (1996) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000)
head of government: Chief Minister Laurie MORGAN (since 1 May 2004) cabinet: Policy Council elected by the States of Deliberation elections: the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; chief minister is elected by States of Delibertion election results: Laurie MORGAN elected chief minister, percent of vote of the States of Deliberation NA |
chief of state:
King CARL XVI GUSTAF (since 19 September 1973); Heir Apparent Princess VICTORIA Ingrid Alice Desiree, daughter of the monarch (born 14 July 1977) head of government: Prime Minister Goran PERSSON (since 21 March 1996) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the prime minister elections: the monarch is hereditary; prime minister elected by the Parliament; election last held NA September 1998 (next to be held NA 2002) election results: Goran PERSSON reelected prime minister with 131 out of 349 votes |
Exports | NA | $95.5 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Exports - commodities | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables | machinery 35%, motor vehicles, paper products, pulp and wood, iron and steel products, chemicals |
Exports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | EU 55% (Germany 11%, UK 10%, Denmark 6%, Finland 5%, France 5%), US 9%, Norway 8% (1999) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross | blue with a yellow cross that extends to the edges of the flag; the vertical part of the cross is shifted to the hoist side in the style of the Dannebrog (Danish flag) |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $197 billion (2000 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 3%
industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
agriculture:
2.2% industry: 27.9% services: 69.9% (1999) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $22,200 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 5.7% (1999 est.) | 4.3% (2000 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 28 N, 2 35 W | 62 00 N, 15 00 E |
Geography - note | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port | strategic location along Danish Straits linking Baltic and North Seas |
Heliports | - | 1 (2000 est.) |
Highways | total: NA km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total:
210,760 km paved: 162,707 km (including 1,428 km of expressways) unpaved: 48,053 km (1999) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%:
3.7% highest 10%: 20.1% (1992) |
Imports | NA | $80 billion (f.o.b., 2000) |
Imports - commodities | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment | machinery, petroleum and petroleum products, chemicals, motor vehicles, iron and steel; foodstuffs, clothing |
Imports - partners | UK (regarded as internal trade) | EU 67% (Germany 18%, UK 10%, Denmark 7%, France 6%), Norway 8%, US 6% (1999) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 6 June 1523 (Gustav VASA elected king) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | 7% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, banking | iron and steel, precision equipment (bearings, radio and telephone parts, armaments), wood pulp and paper products, processed foods, motor vehicles |
Infant mortality rate | total: 4.78 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.35 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.19 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
3.47 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4% (2000 est.) | 1.2% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | UPU | AfDB, AsDB, Australia Group, BIS, CBSS, CCC, CE, CERN, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EIB, ESA, EU, FAO, G- 6, G- 9, G-10, IADB, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IEA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MINURSO, NAM (guest), NC, NEA, NIB, NSG, OAS (observer), OECD, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNIKOM, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNMIBH, UNMIK, UNMOGIP, UNMOP, UNOMIG, UNTAET, UNTSO, UPU, WEU (observer), WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO, ZC |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 29 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 1,150 sq km (1993 est.) |
Judicial branch | Royal Court | Supreme Court or Hogsta Domstolen (judges are appointed by the prime minister and the cabinet) |
Labor force | 31,320 (2000) | 4.4 million (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture 2%, industry 24%, services 74% (2000 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total:
2,205 km border countries: Finland 586 km, Norway 1,619 km |
Land use | arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA other: NA (2001) |
arable land:
7% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 1% forests and woodland: 68% other: 24% (1993 est.) |
Languages | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | Swedish
note: small Lapp- and Finnish-speaking minorities |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | civil law system influenced by customary law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
Legislative branch | unicameral States of Deliberation (45 seats; members are elected by popular vote for 4 years); note - Alderney and Sark have their own parliaments
elections: last held 21 April 2004 (next to be held NA 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - all independents |
unicameral Parliament or Riksdag (349 seats; members are elected by popular vote on a proportional representation basis to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 20 September 1998 (next to be held NA September 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - Social Democrats 36.5%, Moderates 22.7%, Left Party 12%, Christian Democrats 11.8%, Center Party 5.1%, Liberal Party 4.7%, Greens 4.5%; seats by party - Social Democrats 131, Moderates 82, Left Party 43, Christian Democrats 42, Center Party 18, Liberal Party 17, Greens 16 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 80.17 years
male: 77.17 years female: 83.27 years (2004 est.) |
total population:
79.71 years male: 77.07 years female: 82.5 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 99% (1979 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France | Northern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea, Gulf of Bothnia, Kattegat, and Skagerrak, between Finland and Norway |
Map references | Europe | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
continental shelf:
200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive economic zone: agreed boundaries or midlines territorial sea: 12 NM (adjustments made to return a portion of straits to high seas) |
Merchant marine | none | total:
167 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 2,205,370 GRT/1,663,091 DWT ships by type: bulk 5, cargo 28, chemical tanker 31, combination ore/oil 4, liquefied gas 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 29, railcar carrier 1, roll on/roll off 40, short-sea passenger 4, specialized tanker 6, vehicle carrier 17 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military branches | - | Swedish Army, Royal Swedish Navy, Swedish Air Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $5 billion (FY98) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 2.1% (FY98) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49:
2,062,566 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49:
1,803,995 (2001 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males:
51,506 (2001 est.) |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Flag Day, 6 June |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun:
Swede(s) adjective: Swedish |
Natural hazards | NA | ice floes in the surrounding waters, especially in the Gulf of Bothnia, can interfere with maritime traffic |
Natural resources | cropland | zinc, iron ore, lead, copper, silver, timber, uranium, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 3.84 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) | 0.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Pipelines | - | natural gas 84 km |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Center Party [Lennart DALEUS]; Christian Democratic Party [Alf SVENSSON]; Communist Workers' Party [Rolf HAGEL]; Green Party [no formal leader but party spokesperson is Briger SCHLAUG]; Left Party or VP (formerly Communist) [Gudrun SCHYMAN]; Liberal People's Party [Lars LEIJONBORG]; Moderate Party (conservative) [Bo LUNDGREN]; New Democracy Party [Vivianne FRANZEN]; Social Democratic Party [Goran PERSSON] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 65,031 (July 2004 est.) | 8,875,053 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.31% (2004 est.) | 0.02% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson | Gavle, Goteborg, Halmstad, Helsingborg, Hudiksvall, Kalmar, Karlshamn, Malmo, Solvesborg, Stockholm, Sundsvall |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 265, shortwave 1 (1998) |
Radios | - | 8.25 million (1997) |
Railways | - | total:
12,821 km (includes 3,594 km of privately owned railways) standard gauge: 12,821 km 1.435-m gauge (7,918 km electrified and 1,152 km double track) (1998) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist | Lutheran 87%, Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
general assessment:
excellent domestic and international facilities; automatic system domestic: coaxial and multiconductor cables carry most of the voice traffic; parallel microwave radio relay systems carry some additional telephone channels international: 5 submarine coaxial cables; satellite earth stations - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean), 1 Eutelsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Atlantic and Indian Ocean regions); note - Sweden shares the Inmarsat earth station with the other Nordic countries (Denmark, Finland, Iceland, and Norway) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 55,000 (2001) | 6.017 million (December 1998) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 31,500 (2001) | 3.835 million (October 1998) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 169 (plus 1,299 repeaters) (1995) |
Terrain | mostly level with low hills in southwest | mostly flat or gently rolling lowlands; mountains in west |
Total fertility rate | 1.38 children born/woman (2004 est.) | 1.53 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.5% (1999 est.) | 6% (2000 est.) |
Waterways | - | 2,052 km
note: navigable for small steamers and barges |