Jersey (2001) | Marshall Islands (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
17.77% (male 8,214; female 7,667) 15-64 years: 67.59% (male 30,065; female 30,331) 65 years and over: 14.64% (male 5,603; female 7,481) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years:
49.29% (male 17,808; female 17,101) 15-64 years: 48.61% (male 17,573; female 16,853) 65 years and over: 2.1% (male 707; female 780) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | coconuts, tomatoes, melons, cacao, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens |
Airports | 1 (2000 est.) | 16 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total:
4 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total:
12 914 to 1,523 m: 9 under 914 m: 3 (2000 est.) |
Area | total:
116 sq km land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total:
181.3 sq km land: 181.3 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, and Kwajalein |
Area - comparative | about 0.7 times the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Washington, DC |
Background | The island of Jersey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy that held sway in both France and England. These islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. | After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the islands between 1947 and 1962. |
Birth rate | 11.28 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 45.07 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$601 million expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
revenues:
$80.1 million expenditures: $77.4 million, including capital expenditures of $19.5 million (FY95/96 est.) |
Capital | Saint Helier | Majuro |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | wet season from May to November; hot and humid; islands border typhoon belt |
Coastline | 70 km | 370.4 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 1 May 1979 |
Country name | conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Jersey conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form:
Republic of the Marshall Islands conventional short form: Marshall Islands former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands) |
Currency | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Jersey pound | US dollar (USD) |
Death rate | 9.27 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.23 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | none | $125 million (FY96/97 est.) |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Joan M. PLAISTED embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379 telephone: [692] 247-4011 FAX: [692] 247-4012 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | chief of mission:
Ambassador Banny DE BRUM chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414 FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236 consulate(s) general: Honolulu |
Disputes - international | none | claims US territory of Wake Island |
Economic aid - recipient | none | approximately $65 million annually from the US |
Economy - overview | The economy is based largely on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. Potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes, and especially flowers are important export crops, shipped mostly to the UK. The Jersey breed of dairy cattle is known worldwide and represents an important export income earner. Milk products go to the UK and other EU countries. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. Tourism, another mainstay of the economy, accounts for 24% of GDP. In recent years, the government has encouraged light industry to locate in Jersey, with the result that an electronics industry has developed alongside the traditional manufacturing of knitwear. All raw material and energy requirements are imported, as well as a large share of Jersey's food needs. Light taxes and death duties make the island a popular tax haven. | US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production is concentrated on small farms, and the most important commercial crops are coconuts, tomatoes, melons, and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, fish processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Compact of Free Association, the US provides roughly $65 million in annual aid. Negotiations were underway in 1999 for an extended agreement. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, and the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties caused GDP to fall in 1996-98. |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh
note: electricity supplied by France |
- |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point:
Pacific Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | inadequate supplies of potable water |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | UK and Norman-French descent | Micronesian |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 (2000), 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound | the US dollar is used |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander in Chief Air Chief Marshall Sir John CHESHIRE (since 24 January 2001) and Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since NA February 1995) cabinet: committees appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
chief of state:
President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 3 January 2000); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100% |
Exports | $NA | $28 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | fish, coconut oil, trochus shells |
Exports - partners | UK | US, Japan, Australia |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | 1 October - 30 September |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag and in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield holding the three lions of England in yellow | blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $2.2 billion (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $105 million (1998 est.), supplemented by approximately $65 million annual US aid |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
5% industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture:
15% industry: 13% services: 72% (1995) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $24,800 (1999 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1,670 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | -5% (1998 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 9 00 N, 168 00 E |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range |
Highways | total:
577 km (1995) paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
total:
NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | $58 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco |
Imports - partners | UK | US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Guam, Singapore |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | copra, fish, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls, offshore banking (embryonic) |
Infant mortality rate | 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 39.82 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 4.7% (1998) | 5% (1997) |
International organization participation | - | ACP, AsDB, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, ITU, OPCW, Sparteca, SPC, SPF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | NA | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | Supreme Court; High Court |
Labor force | 57,050 (1996) | NA |
Labor force - by occupation | - | agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land:
66% permanent crops: 0% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 34% |
arable land:
0% permanent crops: 60% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 0% other: 40% |
Languages | English (official), French (official), Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts | English (universally spoken and is the official language), two major Marshallese dialects from the Malayo-Polynesian family, Japanese |
Legal system | English law and local statute | based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators, 12 constables or heads of parishes, 29 deputies; all elected for six-year terms, half elected every third year; the bailiff and the deputy bailiff; and 3 non-voting members - the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General and the Solicitor General all appointed by the monarch
elections: last held NA (next to be held NA) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 52 |
unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 15 November 1999 (next to be held NA November 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.63 years male: 76.21 years female: 81.23 years (2001 est.) |
total population:
65.84 years male: 64.04 years female: 67.73 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
definition:
age 15 and over can read and write total population: 93% male: 100% female: 88% (1980 est.) |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Papua New Guinea |
Map references | Europe | Oceania |
Maritime claims | exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
contiguous zone:
24 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total:
212 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,768,406 GRT/16,242,699 DWT ships by type: bulk 63, cargo 9, chemical tanker 10, combination ore/oil 2, container 29, liquefied gas 10, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, petroleum tanker 87, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Cyprus 1, Germany 1, Japan 1, US 6 (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of the US |
Military branches | - | no regular military forces (a coast guard may be established); Police Force |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Constitution Day, 1 May (1979) |
Nationality | noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
noun:
Marshallese (singular and plural) adjective: Marshallese |
Natural hazards | NA | occasional typhoons |
Natural resources | arable land | phosphate deposits, marine products, deep seabed minerals |
Net migration rate | 2.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | NA |
Population | 89,361 (July 2001 est.) | 70,822 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.48% (2001 est.) | 3.88% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | Majuro |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 3, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | NA | NA |
Railways | 0 km | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | Christian (mostly Protestant) |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.08 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.91 male(s)/female total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | NA years of age; universal adult | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 3 submarine cables |
general assessment:
telex services domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes) international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein |
Telephones - main lines in use | 65,500 (1997) | 3,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 4,400 (1997) | 365 (1996) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (1997) | 3 (of which two are US military stations) (1997) |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | low coral limestone and sand islands |
Total fertility rate | 1.56 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 6.55 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0.7% (1998 est.) | 16% (1991 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |