Jersey (2007) | Western Sahara (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 12 parishes including Grouville, Saint Brelade, Saint Clement, Saint Helier, Saint John, Saint Lawrence, Saint Martin, Saint Mary, Saint Quen, Saint Peter, Saint Saviour, and Trinity | none (under de facto control of Morocco) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 16.9% (male 8,003/female 7,428)
15-64 years: 67.3% (male 30,586/female 30,853) 65 years and over: 15.8% (male 6,388/female 8,063) (2007 est.) |
0-14 years: NA%
15-64 years: NA% 65 years and over: NA% (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | potatoes, cauliflower, tomatoes; beef, dairy products | fruits and vegetables (grown in the few oases); camels, sheep, goats (kept by nomads) |
Airports | 1 (2007) | 11 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 8
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 4 under 914 m: 3 (2002) |
Area | total: 116 sq km
land: 116 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 266,000 sq km
land: 266,000 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about two-thirds the size of Washington, DC | about the size of Colorado |
Background | 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. Jersey is a British crown dependency, but is not part of the UK. However, the UK Government is constitutionally responsible for its defense and international representation. | Morocco virtually annexed the northern two-thirds of Western Sahara (formerly Spanish Sahara) in 1976, and the rest of the territory in 1979, following Mauritania's withdrawal. A guerrilla war with the Polisario Front contesting Rabat's sovereignty ended in a 1991 UN-brokered cease-fire; a UN-organized referendum on final status has been repeatedly postponed. |
Birth rate | 9.02 births/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $829 million
expenditures: $851 million (2005) |
revenues: $NA
expenditures: $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA |
Capital | name: Saint Helier
geographic coordinates: 49 11 N, 2 06 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
none |
Climate | temperate; mild winters and cool summers | hot, dry desert; rain is rare; cold offshore air currents produce fog and heavy dew |
Coastline | 70 km | 1,110 km |
Constitution | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice | - |
Country name | conventional long form: Bailiwick of Jersey
conventional short form: Jersey |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Western Sahara former: Spanish Sahara |
Currency | - | Moroccan dirham (MAD) |
Death rate | 9.32 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.) | NA deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | British crown dependency | - |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (British crown dependency) | none |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (British crown dependency) | none |
Disputes - international | none | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, but sovereignty remains unresolved; UN-administered cease-fire has remained in effect since September 1991, but attempts to hold a referendum have failed and parties have rejected other proposals; Mauritanian claims to Western Sahara have been dormant in recent years; Morocco allowed Spanish fishermen to fish temporarily off the coast of Western Sahara after an oil spill soiled Spanish fishing grounds |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $NA |
Economy - overview | Jersey's economy is based on international financial services, agriculture, and tourism. In 2005 the finance sector accounted for about 50% 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 one-quarter 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. | Western Sahara depends on pastoral nomadism, fishing, and phosphate mining as the principal sources of income for the population. The territory lacks sufficient rainfall for sustainable agricultural production, and most of the food for the urban population must be imported. All trade and other economic activities are controlled by the Moroccan Government. Moroccan energy interests in 2001 signed contracts to explore for oil off the coast of Western Sahara, which has angered the Polisario. Incomes and standards of living in Western Sahara are substantially below the Moroccan level. |
Electricity - consumption | 630.1 million kWh (2004 est.) | 83.7 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by France | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | - | 90 million kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | - | fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: unnamed location 143 m |
lowest point: Sebjet Tah -55 m
highest point: unnamed location 463 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | sparse water and lack of arable land |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: none of the selected agreements
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | Jersey 51.1%, Britons 34.8%, Irish, French, and other white 6.6%, Portuguese/Madeiran 6.4%, other 1.1% (2001 census) | Arab, Berber |
Exchange rates | Jersey pounds per US dollar - 0.5418 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002)
note: the Jersey pound is at par with the British pound |
Moroccan dirhams per US dollar - 11.584 (2002), 11.303 (2001), 10.626 (2000), 9.804 (1999), 9.604 (1998), 9.527 (1997) |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Lieutenant Governor Andrew RIDGEWAY (since 14 June 2006)
head of government: Chief Minister Frank WALKER (since December 2005); Bailiff Philip Martin BAILHACHE (since February 1995) cabinet: Cabinet (since December 2005) elections: ministers of the Cabinet including the chief minister are elected by the Assembly of States; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor and bailiff appointed by the monarch |
none |
Exports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | light industrial and electrical goods, foodstuffs, textiles | phosphates 62% |
Exports - partners | UK (2006) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts |
Fiscal year | 1 April - 31 March | calendar year |
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 | - |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 2% services: 97% (2005) |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: 40% (1996 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $NA |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 49 15 N, 2 10 W | 24 30 N, 13 00 W |
Geography - note | largest and southernmost of Channel Islands; about 30% of population concentrated in Saint Helier | the waters off the coast are particularly rich fishing areas |
Highways | - | total: 6,200 km
paved: 1,350 km unpaved: 4,850 km (1991 est) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $NA | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | machinery and transport equipment, manufactured goods, foodstuffs, mineral fuels, chemicals | fuel for fishing fleet, foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | UK (2006) | Morocco claims and administers Western Sahara, so trade partners are included in overall Moroccan accounts (2000) |
Independence | none (British crown dependency) | - |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | tourism, banking and finance, dairy, electronics | phosphate mining, handicrafts |
Infant mortality rate | total: 5.08 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.44 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.) |
total: NA%
male: NA% female: NA% |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 3.7% (December 2006) | NA% |
International organization participation | - | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | - | 1 (2000) |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Royal Court (judges elected by an electoral college and the bailiff) | - |
Labor force | 53,560 (June 2006) | 12,000 |
Labor force - by occupation | - | animal husbandry and subsistence farming 50% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 2,046 km
border countries: Algeria 42 km, Mauritania 1,561 km, Morocco 443 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English 94.5% (official), Portuguese 4.6%, other 0.9% (2001 census) | Hassaniya Arabic, Moroccan Arabic |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply and local statutes; justice is administered by the Royal Court | - |
Legislative branch | unicameral Assembly of the States of Jersey (58 seats; 55 are voting members, of which 12 are senators elected for six-year terms, 12 are constables or heads of parishes elected for three-year terms, 29 are deputies elected for three-year terms, the bailiff and the deputy bailiff, and 3 non-voting members includes the Dean of Jersey, the Attorney General, and the Solicitor General appointed by the monarch)
elections: last held 19 October 2005 for senators and 23 November 2005 for deputies (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 55 |
- |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.51 years
male: 77.02 years female: 82.2 years (2007 est.) |
total population: NA years
male: NA years female: NA years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: NA
total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Western Europe, island in the English Channel, northwest of France | Northern Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Mauritania and Morocco |
Map references | Europe | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 3 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 12 nm |
contingent upon resolution of sovereignty issue |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | - |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $NA |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | NA% |
National holiday | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) | - |
Nationality | noun: Channel Islander(s)
adjective: Channel Islander |
noun: Sahrawi(s), Sahraoui(s)
adjective: Sahrawian, Sahraouian |
Natural hazards | NA | hot, dry, dust/sand-laden sirocco wind can occur during winter and spring; widespread harmattan haze exists 60% of time, often severely restricting visibility |
Natural resources | arable land | phosphates, iron ore |
Net migration rate | 2.74 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.) | - |
Political parties and leaders | two declared parties: Centre Party; Jersey Democratic Alliance
note: all senators and deputies elected in 2005 were independents |
- |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | none |
Population | 91,321 (July 2007 est.) | 261,794 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.244% (2007 est.) | NA% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | - | Ad Dakhla, Cabo Bojador, Laayoune (El Aaiun) |
Radio broadcast stations | AM NA, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 2, FM 0, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Railways | - | 0 km |
Religions | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Baptist, Congregational New Church, Methodist, Presbyterian | Muslim |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.08 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.077 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.991 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.792 male(s)/female total population: 0.971 male(s)/female (2007 est.) |
NA (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | none; a UN-sponsored voter identification campaign not yet completed |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: submarine cable connectivity to Guernsey and UK |
general assessment: sparse and limited system
domestic: NA international: tied into Morocco's system by microwave radio relay, tropospheric scatter, and satellite; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) linked to Rabat, Morocco |
Telephones - main lines in use | 73,900 (2001) | about 2,000 (1999 est.) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 83,900 (2004) | 0 (1999) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | NA |
Terrain | gently rolling plain with low, rugged hills along north coast | mostly low, flat desert with large areas of rocky or sandy surfaces rising to small mountains in south and northeast |
Total fertility rate | 1.58 children born/woman (2007 est.) | NA children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 2.2% (2006 est.) | NA% |
Waterways | - | none |