Norfolk Island (2005) | Gibraltar (2005) | |
Administrative divisions | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 20.2%
15-64 years: 63.9% 65 years and over: 15.9% (2005 est.) |
0-14 years: 17.8% (male 2,529/female 2,426)
15-64 years: 66% (male 9,442/female 8,970) 65 years and over: 16.2% (male 2,008/female 2,509) (2005 est.) |
Agriculture - products | Norfolk Island pine seed, Kentia palm seed, cereals, vegetables, fruit; cattle, poultry | none |
Airports | 1 (2004 est.) | 1 (2004 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
Area | total: 34.6 sq km
land: 34.6 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 6.5 sq km
land: 6.5 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | about 0.2 times the size of Washington, DC | about 11 times the size of The Mall in Washington, DC |
Background | Two British attempts at establishing the island as a penal colony (1788-1814 and 1825-55) were ultimately abandoned. In 1856, the island was resettled by Pitcairn Islanders, descendants of the Bounty mutineers and their Tahitian companions. | Strategically important, Gibraltar was ceded to Great Britain by Spain in the 1713 Treaty of Utrecht; the British garrison was formally declared a colony in 1830. In referendums held in 1967 and 2002, Gibraltarians ignored Spanish pressure and voted overwhelmingly to remain a British dependency. |
Birth rate | NA | 10.87 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $20 million
expenditures: $20 million, including capital expenditures of $2 million (FY99/00) |
revenues: $307 million
expenditures: $284 million, including capital expenditures of NA (FY00/01 est.) |
Capital | Kingston | Gibraltar |
Climate | subtropical; mild, little seasonal temperature variation | Mediterranean with mild winters and warm summers |
Coastline | 32 km | 12 km |
Constitution | Norfolk Island Act of 1979 | 30 May 1969 |
Country name | conventional long form: Territory of Norfolk Island
conventional short form: Norfolk Island |
conventional long form: none
conventional short form: Gibraltar |
Death rate | NA | 9.18 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Debt - external | NA | $NA (2000 est.) |
Dependency status | territory of Australia; Canberra administers Commonwealth responsibilities on Norfolk Island through the Department of Environment, Sport, and Territories | overseas territory of the UK |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Disputes - international | none | in 2003, Gibraltar residents voted overwhelmingly by referendum to remain a British colony and against a "total shared sovereignty" arrangement while demanding participation in talks between the UK and Spain; Spain disapproves of UK plans to grant Gibraltar even greater autonomy |
Economic aid - recipient | NA | $NA |
Economy - overview | Tourism, the primary economic activity, has steadily increased over the years and has brought a level of prosperity unusual among inhabitants of the Pacific islands. The agricultural sector has become self-sufficient in the production of beef, poultry, and eggs. | Self-sufficient Gibraltar benefits from an extensive shipping trade, offshore banking, and its position as an international conference center. The British military presence has been sharply reduced and now contributes about 7% to the local economy, compared with 60% in 1984. The financial sector, tourism (almost 5 million visitors in 1998), shipping services fees, and duties on consumer goods also generate revenue. The financial sector, the shipping sector, and tourism each contribute 25%-30% of GDP. Telecommunications accounts for another 10%. In recent years, Gibraltar has seen major structural change from a public to a private sector economy, but changes in government spending still have a major impact on the level of employment. |
Electricity - consumption | NA kWh | 96.76 million kWh (2002) |
Electricity - exports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - imports | - | 0 kWh (2002) |
Electricity - production | NA kWh | 104 million kWh (2002) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Bates 319 m |
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Rock of Gibraltar 426 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | limited natural freshwater resources: large concrete or natural rock water catchments collect rainwater (no longer used for drinking water) and adequate desalination plant |
Ethnic groups | descendants of the Bounty mutineers, Australian, New Zealander, Polynesians | Spanish, Italian, English, Maltese, Portuguese, German, North Africans |
Exchange rates | Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001), 1.7248 (2000) | Gibraltar pounds per US dollar - 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003), 0.6672 (2002), 0.6947 (2001), 0.6609 (2000)
note: the Gibraltar pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); the UK and Australia are represented by Administrator Grant TAMBLING (since 1 November 2003)
head of government: Assembly President and Chief Minister Geoffrey Robert GARDNER (since 5 December 2001) cabinet: Executive Council is made up of four of the nine members of the Legislative Assembly; the council devises government policy and acts as an advisor to the administrator elections: the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia; chief minister elected by the Legislative Assembly for a term of not more than three years; election last held 20 Ocotber 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: Geoffrey Robert GARDNER elected chief minister; percent of Legislative Assembly vote - 17.2% |
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor and Commander-in-Chief Sir Francis RICHARDS (since 27 May 2003)
head of government: Chief Minister Peter CARUANA (since 17 May 1996) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed from among the 15 elected members of the House of Assembly by the governor in consultation with the chief minister 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 | $1.5 million f.o.b. (FY99/00) | NA |
Exports - commodities | postage stamps, seeds of the Norfolk Island pine and Kentia palm, small quantities of avocados | (principally reexports) petroleum 51%, manufactured goods 41%, other 8% |
Exports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | France 19.4%, Spain 14.1%, Turkmenistan 12.1%, Switzerland 11.7%, Germany 10.1%, UK 9.1%, Greece 6.8% (2004) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | 1 July - 30 June |
Flag description | three vertical bands of green (hoist side), white, and green with a large green Norfolk Island pine tree centered in the slightly wider white band | two horizontal bands of white (top, double width) and red with a three-towered red castle in the center of the white band; hanging from the castle gate is a gold key centered in the red band |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA |
agriculture: NA%
industry: NA% services: NA% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - NA | purchasing power parity - $27,900 (2000 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA | NA% |
Geographic coordinates | 29 02 S, 167 57 E | 36 8 N, 5 21 W |
Geography - note | most of the 32-km coastline consists of almost inaccessible cliffs, but the land slopes down to the sea in one small southern area on Sydney Bay, where the capital of Kingston is situated | strategic location on Strait of Gibraltar that links the North Atlantic Ocean and Mediterranean Sea |
Highways | total: 80 km
paved: 53 km unpaved: 27 km (2001) |
total: 29 km
paved: 29 km unpaved: 0 km (2002) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $17.9 million c.i.f. (FY91/92) | NA |
Imports - commodities | NA | fuels, manufactured goods, and foodstuffs |
Imports - partners | Australia, other Pacific island countries, NZ, Asia, Europe | Spain 19.9%, Russia 18.4%, UK 10.8%, Italy 8.8%, Germany 7.5%, US 5.1%, Sweden 4.7%, France 4.2% (2004) |
Independence | none (territory of Australia) | none (overseas territory of the UK) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA | NA% |
Industries | tourism, light industry, ready mixed concrete | tourism, banking and finance, ship repairing, tobacco |
Infant mortality rate | total: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total: 5.13 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 5.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 4.52 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA | 1.5% (1998) |
International organization participation | UPU | Interpol (subbureau), UPU |
Irrigated land | NA | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Court of Petty Sessions | Supreme Court; Court of Appeal |
Labor force | 1,345 | 14,800 (including non-Gibraltar laborers) (1999) |
Labor force - by occupation | tourism 90%, subsistence agriculture 10% | agriculture negligible, industry 40%, services 60% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 1.2 km
border countries: Spain 1.2 km |
Land use | arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
arable land: 0%
permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2001) |
Languages | English (official), Norfolk a mixture of 18th century English and ancient Tahitian | English (used in schools and for official purposes), Spanish, Italian, Portuguese |
Legal system | based on the laws of Australia, local ordinances and acts; English common law applies in matters not covered by either Australian or Norfolk Island law | English law |
Legislative branch | unicameral Legislative Assembly (9 seats; members elected by electors who have nine equal votes each but only four votes can be given to any one candidate; members serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 20 October 2004 (next to be held by December 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (note - no political parties) |
unicameral House of Assembly (18 seats - 15 elected by popular vote, one appointed for the Speaker, and two ex officio members; members serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 27 November 2003 (next to be held not later than February 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - GSD 58%, GSLP 41%; seats by party - GSD 8, GSLP 7 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: NA
male: NA female: NA |
total population: 79.67 years
male: 76.8 years female: 82.7 years (2005 est.) |
Literacy | NA | definition: NA
total population: above 80% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Oceania, island in the South Pacific Ocean, east of Australia | Southwestern Europe, bordering the Strait of Gibraltar, which links the Mediterranean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southern coast of Spain |
Map references | Oceania | Europe |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 3 nm |
Merchant marine | - | total: 161 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 980,636 GRT/1,254,661 DWT
by type: barge carrier 3, bulk carrier 2, cargo 96, chemical tanker 21, container 22, passenger 3, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 11, roll on/roll off 2 foreign-owned: 142 (Belgium 1, Cyprus 1, Finland 1, France 1, Germany 105, Greece 12, Iceland 1, Ireland 1, Italy 1, Latvia 1, Norway 8, Sweden 2, Switzerland 1, Taiwan 1, United Kingdom 3, United States 2) (2005) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of Australia | defense is the responsibility of the UK; the last British regular infantry forces left Gibraltar in 1992, replaced by the Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
Military branches | - | Royal Gibraltar Regiment |
National holiday | Bounty Day (commemorates the arrival of Pitcairn Islanders), 8 June (1856) | National Day, 10 September (1967); note - day of the national referendum to decide whether to remain with the UK or go with Spain |
Nationality | noun: Norfolk Islander(s)
adjective: Norfolk Islander(s) |
noun: Gibraltarian(s)
adjective: Gibraltar |
Natural hazards | typhoons (especially May to July) | NA |
Natural resources | fish | none |
Net migration rate | NA | 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | none | Gibraltar Liberal Party [Joseph GARCIA]; Gibraltar Social Democrats or GSD [Peter CARUANA]; Gibraltar Socialist Labor Party or GSLP [Joseph John BOSSANO] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | none | Chamber of Commerce; Gibraltar Representatives Organization; Women's Association |
Population | 1,828 (July 2005 est.) | 27,884 (July 2005 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA | NA% |
Population growth rate | -0.01% (2005 est.) | 0.17% (2005 est.) |
Ports and harbors | none; loading jetties at Kingston and Cascade | Gibraltar |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (2005) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Religions | Anglican 34.9%, Roman Catholic 11.7%, Uniting Church in Australia 11.2%, Seventh-Day Adventist 2.8%, Australian Christian 2.4%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, other 2.7%, unspecified 15.3%, none 18.1% (2001 census) | Roman Catholic 78.1%, Church of England 7%, other Christian 3.2%, Muslim 4%, Jewish 2.1%, Hindu 1.8%, other or unspecified 0.9%, none 2.9% (2001 census) |
Sex ratio | NA | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.8 male(s)/female total population: 1.01 male(s)/female (2005 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal, plus other UK subjects who have been residents six months or more |
Telephone system | general assessment: adequate
domestic: free local calls international: country code - 672; undersea coaxial cable links with Australia, New Zealand, and Canada; satellite earth station |
general assessment: adequate, automatic domestic system and adequate international facilities
domestic: automatic exchange facilities international: country code - 350; radiotelephone; microwave radio relay; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 2,532; note - a mix of analog (2500) and digital (32) circuits (2004) | 24,512 (2002) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 0 (proposed cellular service disallowed in August 2002 island referendum) (2002) | 9,797 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (local programming station plus two repeaters that bring in Australian programs by satellite) (2005) | 1 (plus three low-power repeaters) (1997) |
Terrain | volcanic formation with mostly rolling plains | a narrow coastal lowland borders the Rock of Gibraltar |
Total fertility rate | NA | 1.65 children born/woman (2005 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 0% | 2% (2001 est.) |