Compare Iles Eparses (2006) - British Virgin Islands (2005)

Compare Iles Eparses (2006) z British Virgin Islands (2005)

	Iles Eparses (2006)	British Virgin Islands (2005)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 21% (male 2,400/female 2,358) 15-64 years: 73.9% (male 8,607/female 8,115) 65 years and over: 5.1% (male 614/female 549) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	4 (2006)	3 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	Bassas da India: total - 80 sq km; land - 0.2 sq km; water - 79.8 sq km (lagoon) Europa Island: total - 28 sq km; land - 28 sq km; water - 0 sq km Glorioso Islands: total - 5 sq km; land - 5 sq km; water - 0 sq km Juan de Nova Island: total - 4.4 sq km; land - 4.4 sq km; water - 0 sq km Tromelin Island: total - 1 sq km; land - 1 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 island of Anegada
Area - comparative	Bassas da India: land area about one-third the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Europa Island: about one-sixth the size of Washington, DC Glorioso Islands: about eight times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Juan de Nova Island: about seven times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC Tromelin Island: about 1.7 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Iles Eparses, or scattered islands, are a group of five French entities - Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, and Tromelin Island - which on 1 April 1960 came under the authority of the Minister in charge of overseas possessions. On 19 September 1960 by decree, the islands were transferred to the charge of the Prefet of Reunion where they remained until 3 January 2005 when they were transferred by another decree to the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF). Bassas da India: A French possession since 1897, this atoll is a volcanic seamount surrounded by reefs and awash at high tide. Europa Island: A French possession since 1897, the island is heavily wooded; it is the site of a small military garrison that staffs a weather station. Glorioso Islands: A French possession since 1892, the Glorioso Islands are composed of two lushly vegetated coral islands (Ile Glorieuse and Ile du Lys) and three rock islets. A military garrison operates a weather and radio station on Ile Glorieuse. Juan de Nova Island: Named after a famous 15th century Spanish navigator and explorer, the island has been a French possession since 1897. It has been exploited for its guano and phosphate. Presently a small military garrison oversees a meteorological station. Tromelin Island: First explored by the French in 1776, the island came under the jurisdiction of Reunion in 1814. At present, it serves as a sea turtle sanctuary and is the site of an important meteorological station.	First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. 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	-	14.96 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital	-	Road Town
Climate	tropical	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	Bassas da India: 35.2 km Europa Island: 22.2 km Glorioso Islands: 35.2 km Juan de Nova Island: 24.1 km Tromelin Island: 3.7 km	80 km
Constitution	-	1 June 1977
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island, Tromelin Island local long form: none local short form: Bassas da India, Ile Europa, Iles Glorieuses, Ile Juan de Nova, Ile Tromelin	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Death rate	-	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	possessions of France; administered by the Senior Administrator of the Territory of the French Southern and Antarctic Lands (TAAF), resident in Reunion	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	Bassas da India, Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: claimed by Madagascar Tromelin Island: claimed by Mauritius	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
Economy - overview	no economic activity	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, is expected to make 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 dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption	-	33.74 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	36.28 million kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Bassas da India 2.4 m; Europa Island 24 m; Glorioso Islands 12 m; Juan de Nova Island 10 m; Tromelin Island 7 m (all unnamed locations)	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	-	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	-	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Senior Administrator Michel CHAMPON	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister 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
Exports - commodities	-	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	the flag of France is used	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: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $38,500 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	Bassas da India: 21 30 S, 39 50 E Europa Island: 22 20 S, 40 22 E Glorioso Islands: 11 30 S, 47 20 E Juan de Nova Island: 17 03 S, 42 45 E Tromelin Island: 15 52 S, 54 25 E	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	Bassas da India: the atoll is a circular reef that sits atop a long-extinct, submerged volcano Europa Island and Juan de Nova Island: wildlife sanctuary for seabirds and sea turtles Glorioso Islands: the islands and rocks are surrounded by an extensive reef system Tromelin Island: climatologically important location for forecasting cyclones in the western Indian Ocean; wildlife sanctuary (seabirds, tortoises)	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways	-	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	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
Imports - commodities	-	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.5% (2003)
International organization participation	-	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	-	NA
Judicial branch	-	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	-	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries	none	0 km
Land use	Bassas da India - 100% rock, coral reef, and sand; Europa Island - 100% mangrove swamp and dry woodlands; Glorioso Islands - 100% lush vegetation and coconut palms; Juan de Nova Island - 90% forest, 10% other; Tromelin Island - 100% grasses and scattered brush	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages	-	English (official)
Legal system	the laws of France, where applicable, apply	English law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 76.49 years male: 75.41 years female: 77.62 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southern Africa, in the Indian Ocean Bassas da India: atoll in the southern Mozambique Channel, about half way from Madagascar to Mozambique Europa Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about half way between southern Madagascar and southern Mozambique Glorioso Islands: group of islands in the Indian Ocean, northwest of Madagascar Juan de Nova Island: island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-third of the way between Madagascar and Mozambique Tromelin Island: island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar	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 exclusive economic zone: 200 nm; note - Juan de Nova Island and Tromelin Island claim a continental shelf of 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT by type: cargo 1 registered in other countries: 7 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	-	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	-	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	all islands subject to periodic cyclones Bassas da India: maritime hazard since it is under water for a period of three hours prior to and following the high tide and surrounded by reefs	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	Bassas da India and Europa Island: none Glorioso Islands and Juan de Nova Island: guano, phosphates; coconuts Tromelin Island: fish	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	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
Population	Bassas da India: uninhabitable Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: a small French military garrison and a few meteorologists on each possession; visited by scientists Tromelin Island: uninhabited, except for visits by scientists	22,643 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	2.06% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Road Town
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	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: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.12 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	-	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	Bassas da India: atoll, awash at high tide; shallow (15 m) lagoon Europa Island, Glorioso Islands, Juan de Nova Island: low, flat, and sandy Tromelin Island: low, flat, sandy; likely volcanic seamount	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	-	1.72 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Transportation - note	aids to navigation - lighthouses: Europa Island 18m; Juan de Nova Island (W side) 37m; Tromelin Island (NW point) 11m	-
Unemployment rate	-	3% (1995)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.