Jersey (2005) | Saint Martin (2008) | |
![]() | ![]() | |
Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency) | - |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 17.5% (male 8,222/female 7,658)
15-64 years: 67% (male 30,296/female 30,561) 65 years and over: 15.5% (male 6,176/female 7,899) (2005 est.) |
- |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | - |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 1 |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 1 |
Area | total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 54.4 sq km
land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL |
Area - comparative | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC | more than one-third 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. | Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity. |
Birth rate | 9.66 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Budget | revenues: $601 million
expenditures: $588 million, including capital expenditures of $98 million (2000 est.) |
- |
Capital | Saint Helier | name: Marigot
geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season |
Coastline | 70 km | 58.9 km (for entire island) |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | 4 October 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin
conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin |
Death rate | 9.19 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Debt - external | none | - |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | overseas collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | none | - |
Economic aid - recipient | none | - |
Economy - overview | The Channel Island economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 1996 the finance sector accounted for about 60% of the island's output. 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. Tourism 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. Living standards come close to those of the UK. | The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean. |
Electricity - consumption | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) | - |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | - |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m
highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water |
Ethnic groups | Jersey 51.1%, British 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) | creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003) |
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 Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007)
head of government: President of the Territorial Council Louis-Constant FLEMING (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Louis-Constant FLEMING unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007 |
Exports | $NA | - |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | - |
Exports - partners | UK | - |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | - |
Flag description | white with a diagonal red cross extending to the corners of the flag; in the upper quadrant, surmounted by a yellow crown, a red shield with the three lions of England in yellow | the flag of France is used |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 5%
industry: 2% services: 93% (1996) |
agriculture: 1%
industry: 15% services: 84% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $40,000 (2003 est.) | - |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | - |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 18 05 N, 63 57 W |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten |
Highways | total: 577 km
paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
- |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
- |
Imports | $NA | - |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | crude petroleum, food, manufactured items |
Imports - partners | UK | US, Mexico (2006) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | none (overseas collectivity of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | - |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy | tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.24 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.6 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.85 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
- |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.3% (2004) | - |
International organization participation | - | UPU |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | - |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | - |
Labor force | 52,790 (2004) | - |
Labor force - by occupation | - | 85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 15 km
border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
- |
Languages | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) | French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles) |
Legal system | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court | the laws of France, where applicable, apply |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States (55 voting members - 12 senators (elected for 6-year terms), 12 constables or heads of parishes (elected for 3-year terms), 29 deputies (elected for 3-year terms); 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 53 |
unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.24 years
male: 76.77 years female: 81.91 years (2005 est.) |
- |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
- |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico |
Map references | Europe | Central America and the Caribbean |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
- |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of France |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848) |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
- |
Natural hazards | NA | - |
Natural resources | arable land | salt |
Net migration rate | 2.75 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | none; all independents | Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | - |
Population | 90,812 (July 2005 est.) | 33,102 (October 2004 census) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | - |
Population growth rate | 0.32% (2005 est.) | - |
Ports and harbors | Gorey, Saint Aubin, Saint Helier | - |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | FM 3 (2007) |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu |
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: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.97 male(s)/female (2005 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: fully integrated access
domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Gudaloupe |
Telephones - main lines in use | 73,900 (2001) | - |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 61,400 (2001) | - |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | - |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | - |
Total fertility rate | 1.57 children born/woman (2005 est.) | - |
Transportation - note | - | nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten |
Unemployment rate | 0.9% (2004 est.) | - |