Compare Liechtenstein (2005) - British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

Compare Liechtenstein (2005) z British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

	Liechtenstein (2005)	British Indian Ocean Territory (2003)

Administrative divisions	11 communes (Gemeinden, singular - Gemeinde); Balzers, Eschen, Gamprin, Mauren, Planken, Ruggell, Schaan, Schellenberg, Triesen, Triesenberg, Vaduz	-
Age structure	0-14 years: 17.6% (male 2,938/female 3,009) 15-64 years: 70.4% (male 11,795/female 11,927) 65 years and over: 12% (male 1,685/female 2,363) (2005 est.)	-
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, corn, potatoes; livestock, dairy products	-
Airports	none (2004 est.)	1 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 160 sq km land: 160 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 60 sq km land: 60 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the entire Chagos Archipelago
Area - comparative	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC	about 0.3 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Principality of Liechtenstein was established within the Holy Roman Empire in 1719; it became a sovereign state in 1806. Until the end of World War I, it was closely tied to Austria, but the economic devastation caused by that conflict forced Liechtenstein to enter into a customs and monetary union with Switzerland. Since World War II (in which Liechtenstein remained neutral), the country's low taxes have spurred outstanding economic growth. Shortcomings in banking regulatory oversight have resulted in concerns about the use of the financial institutions for money laundering. Liechtenstein has, however, implemented new anti-money-laundering legislation and recently concluded a Mutual Legal Assistance Treaty with the US.	Established as a territory of the UK in 1965, a number of the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT) islands were transferred to the Seychelles when it attained independence in 1976. Subsequently, BIOT has consisted only of the six main island groups comprising the Chagos Archipelago. The largest and most southerly of the islands, Diego Garcia, contains a joint UK-US naval support facility. All of the remaining islands are uninhabited. Former agricultural workers, earlier residents in the islands, were relocated primarily to Mauritius but also to the Seychelles, between 1967 and 1973. In 2000, a British High Court ruling invalidated the local immigration order that had excluded them from the archipelago, but upheld the special military status of Diego Garcia.
Birth rate	10.41 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Budget	revenues: $424.2 million expenditures: $414.1 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1998 est.)	-
Capital	Vaduz	-
Climate	continental; cold, cloudy winters with frequent snow or rain; cool to moderately warm, cloudy, humid summers	tropical marine; hot, humid, moderated by trade winds
Coastline	0 km (doubly landlocked)	698 km
Constitution	5 October 1921	-
Country name	conventional long form: Principality of Liechtenstein conventional short form: Liechtenstein local long form: Fuerstentum Liechtenstein local short form: Liechtenstein	conventional long form: British Indian Ocean Territory conventional short form: none abbreviation: BIOT
Death rate	7.06 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Debt - external	$0 (2001)	-
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; administered by a commissioner, resident in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London
Diplomatic representation from the US	the US does not have an embassy in Liechtenstein, but the US Ambassador to Switzerland is also accredited to Liechtenstein	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Claudia FRITSCHE chancery: 1300 Eye Street NW, Suite 550W, Washington, DC 20005 telephone: [1] (202) 216-0460 FAX: [1] (202) 216-0459	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	in February 2005, the ICJ refused to rule on the restitution of Liechtenstein's land and property assets in the Czech Republic confiscated in 1945 as German property	Mauritius and Seychelles claim the Chagos Archipelago and its former inhabitants, who reside chiefly in Mauritius, but in 2001 were granted UK citizenship and the right to repatriation since eviction in 1965; repatriation is complicated by the US military lease of Diego Garcia, the largest island in the chain
Economic aid - recipient	none	-
Economy - overview	Despite its small size and limited natural resources, Liechtenstein has developed into a prosperous, highly industrialized, free-enterprise economy with a vital financial service sector and living standards on a par with its large European neighbors. The Liechtenstein economy is widely diversified with a large number of small businesses. Low business taxes - the maximum tax rate is 20% - and easy incorporation rules have induced many holding or so-called letter box companies to establish nominal offices in Liechtenstein, providing 30% of state revenues. The country participates in a customs union with Switzerland and uses the Swiss franc as its national currency. It imports more than 90% of its energy requirements. Liechtenstein has been a member of the European Economic Area (an organization serving as a bridge between the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and the EU) since May 1995. The government is working to harmonize its economic policies with those of an integrated Europe.	All economic activity is concentrated on the largest island of Diego Garcia, where joint UK-US defense facilities are located. Construction projects and various services needed to support the military installations are done by military and contract employees from the UK, Mauritius, the Philippines, and the US. There are no industrial or agricultural activities on the islands. When the Ilois return, they plan to reestablish sugarcane production and fishing.
Electricity - consumption	-	NA kWh
Electricity - production	-	NA kWh; note - electricity supplied by the US military
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Ruggeller Riet 430 m highest point: Grauspitz 2,599 m	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Diego Garcia 15 m
Environment - current issues	NA	NA
Environment - international agreements	party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Persistent Organic Pollutants, Air Pollution-Sulfur 85, Air Pollution-Sulfur 94, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Law of the Sea	-
Ethnic groups	Alemannic 86%, Italian, Turkish, and other 14%	-
Exchange rates	Swiss francs per US dollar - 1.2435 (2004), 1.3467 (2003), 1.5586 (2002), 1.6876 (2001), 1.6888 (2000)	-
Executive branch	chief of state: Prince HANS ADAM II (since 13 November 1989, assumed executive powers 26 August 1984); Heir Apparent Prince ALOIS, son of the monarch (born 11 June 1968); note - on 15 August 2004, HANS ADAM transferred the official duties of the ruling prince to ALOIS, but HANS ADAM retains status of chief of state head of government: Head of Government Ottmar HASLER (since 5 April 2001) and Deputy Head of Government Rita KIEBER-BECK (since 5 April 2001) cabinet: Cabinet elected by the parliament, confirmed by the monarch elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the head of government by the monarch and the leader of the largest minority party in the Landtag is usually appointed the deputy head of government by the monarch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Commissioner Alan HUCKLE (since 2001); Administrator Louise SAVILL (since NA); note - both reside in the UK cabinet: NA elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; commissioner and administrator appointed by the monarch
Exports	$2.47 billion (1996)	-
Exports - commodities	small specialty machinery, connectors for audio and video, parts for motor vehicles, dental products, hardware, prepared foodstuffs, electronic equipment, optical products	-
Exports - partners	EU 62.6% (Germany 24.3%, Austria 9.5%, France 8.9%, Italy 6.6%, UK 4.6%), US 18.9%, Switzerland 15.7%	-
Fiscal year	calendar year	-
Flag description	two equal horizontal bands of blue (top) and red with a gold crown on the hoist side of the blue band	white with six blue wavy horizontal stripes; the flag of the UK is in the upper hoist-side quadrant; the striped section bears a palm tree and yellow crown centered on the outer half of the flag
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: 40% services: NA% (1999)	-
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $25,000 (1999 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	11% (1999 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	47 16 N, 9 32 E	6 00 S, 71 30 E
Geography - note	along with Uzbekistan, one of only two doubly landlocked countries in the world; variety of microclimatic variations based on elevation	archipelago of 2,300 islands; Diego Garcia, largest and southernmost island, occupies strategic location in central Indian Ocean; island is site of joint US-UK military facility
Highways	total: 250 km paved: 250 km unpaved: 0 km	total: NA km paved: short section of paved road between port and airfield on Diego Garcia unpaved: NA km
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	-
Illicit drugs	has strengthened money-laundering controls, but money laundering remains a concern due to Liechtenstein sophisticated offshore financial services sector	-
Imports	$917.3 million (1996)	-
Imports - commodities	agricultural products, raw materials, machinery, metal goods, textiles, foodstuffs, motor vehicles	-
Imports - partners	EU, Switzerland	-
Independence	23 January 1719 (Principality of Liechtenstein established); 12 July 1806 (independence from the Holy Roman Empire)	-
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	electronics, metal manufacturing, dental products, ceramics, pharmaceuticals, food products, precision instruments, tourism, optical instruments	-
Infant mortality rate	total: 4.7 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.34 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.05 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	-
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	1% (2001)	-
International organization participation	CE, EBRD, EFTA, IAEA, ICCt, ICRM, IFRCS, Interpol, IOC, ITU, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UPU, WCL, WIPO, WTO	-
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	1 (2000)
Irrigated land	NA sq km	0 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court or Oberster Gerichtshof; Court of Appeal or Obergericht	-
Labor force	29,000 of whom 19,000 are foreigners; 13,000 commute from Austria, Switzerland, and Germany to work each day (31 December 2001)	-
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 1.3%, industry 47.4%, services 51.3% (31 December 2001 est.)	-
Land boundaries	total: 76 km border countries: Austria 34.9 km, Switzerland 41.1 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 25% permanent crops: 0% other: 75% (2001)	arable land: NEGL permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (1998 est.)
Languages	German (official), Alemannic dialect	-
Legal system	local civil and penal codes; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply
Legislative branch	unicameral Parliament or Landtag (25 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote under proportional representation to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 11 and 13 March 2005 (next to be held by NA 2009) election results: percent of vote by party - FBP 48.7%, VU 38.2%, FL 13%; seats by party - FBP 12, VU 10, FL 3	-
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.55 years male: 75.96 years female: 83.16 years (2005 est.)	-
Literacy	definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 100% male: 100% female: 100%	-
Location	Central Europe, between Austria and Switzerland	archipelago in the Indian Ocean, south of India, about one-half the way from Africa to Indonesia
Map references	Europe	Political Map of the World
Maritime claims	none (landlocked)	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Switzerland	defense is the responsibility of the UK; the US lease on Diego Garcia expires in 2016
National holiday	Assumption Day, 15 August	-
Nationality	noun: Liechtensteiner(s) adjective: Liechtenstein	-
Natural hazards	NA	NA
Natural resources	hydroelectric potential, arable land	coconuts, fish, sugarcane
Net migration rate	4.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	-
Pipelines	gas 20 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	Patriotic Union (was Fatherland Union) or VU [Heinz FROMMELT]; Progressive Citizens' Party or FBP [Johannes MATT]; The Free List or FL [Dr. Pepo FRICK, Elisabeth TELLENBACH-FRICK, Adolf RITTER]	-
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	-
Population	33,717 (July 2005 est.)	no indigenous inhabitants note: approximately 1,200 former agricultural workers resident in the Chagos Archipelago, often referred to as Chagossians or Ilois, were relocated to Mauritius and the Seychelles in the 1960's and 1970's, in November 2000 they were granted the right of return by a British High Court ruling, though no timetable has been set; in 2001, there were approximately 1,500 UK and US military personnel and 2,000 civilian contractors living on the island of Diego Garcia (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.82% (2005 est.)	-
Ports and harbors	none	Diego Garcia
Radio broadcast stations	AM 0, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (1998)
Religions	Roman Catholic 76.2%, Protestant 7%, unknown 10.6%, other 6.2% (June 2002)	-
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.01 male(s)/female under 15 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.71 male(s)/female total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	-
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic telephone system domestic: NA international: country code - 423; linked to Swiss networks by cable and microwave radio relay	general assessment: separate facilities for military and public needs are available domestic: all commercial telephone services are available, including connection to the Internet international: international telephone service is carried by satellite (2000)
Telephones - main lines in use	19,900 (2002)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	11,400 (2002)	-
Television broadcast stations	NA (linked to Swiss networks) (1997)	1 (1997)
Terrain	mostly mountainous (Alps) with Rhine Valley in western third	flat and low (most areas do not exceed four meters in elevation)
Total fertility rate	1.51 children born/woman (2005 est.)	-
Unemployment rate	1.3% (September 2002)	-
Waterways	28 km (2004)	none

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