Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) - British Virgin Islands (2006)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) z British Virgin Islands (2006)

	Pacific Ocean (2008)	British Virgin Islands (2006)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 20.5% (male 2,403/female 2,331) 15-64 years: 74.3% (male 8,811/female 8,340) 65 years and over: 5.3% (male 636/female 577) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	-	3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Area	total: 155.557 million sq km note: includes Bali Sea, Bering Sea, Bering Strait, Coral Sea, East China Sea, Gulf of Alaska, Gulf of Tonkin, Philippine Sea, Sea of Japan, Sea of Okhotsk, South China Sea, Tasman Sea, and other tributary water bodies	total: 153 sq km land: 153 sq km water: 0 sq km note: comprised of 16 inhabited and more than 20 uninhabited islands; includes the islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
Area - comparative	about 15 times the size of the US; covers about 28% of the global surface; larger than the total land area of the world	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the world's five oceans (followed by the Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean). Strategically important access waterways include the La Perouse, Tsugaru, Tsushima, Taiwan, Singapore, and Torres Straits. The decision by the International Hydrographic Organization in the spring of 2000 to delimit a fifth ocean, the Southern Ocean, removed the portion of the Pacific Ocean south of 60 degrees south.	First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. The economy is closely tied to the larger and more populous US Virgin Islands to the west; the US dollar is the legal currency.
Birth rate	-	14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Capital	-	name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	planetary air pressure systems and resultant wind patterns exhibit remarkable uniformity in the south and east; trade winds and westerly winds are well-developed patterns, modified by seasonal fluctuations; tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico from June to October and affect Mexico and Central America; continental influences cause climatic uniformity to be much less pronounced in the eastern and western regions at the same latitude in the North Pacific Ocean; the western Pacific is monsoonal - a rainy season occurs during the summer months, when moisture-laden winds blow from the ocean over the land, and a dry season during the winter months, when dry winds blow from the Asian landmass back to the ocean; tropical cyclones (typhoons) may strike southeast and east Asia from May to December	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	135,663 km	80 km
Constitution	-	1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Country name	-	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Death rate	-	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	-	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	some maritime disputes (see littoral states)	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA
Economy - overview	The Pacific Ocean is a major contributor to the world economy and particularly to those nations its waters directly touch. It provides low-cost sea transportation between East and West, extensive fishing grounds, offshore oil and gas fields, minerals, and sand and gravel for the construction industry. In 1996, over 60% of the world's fish catch came from the Pacific Ocean. Exploitation of offshore oil and gas reserves is playing an ever-increasing role in the energy supplies of the US, Australia, NZ, China, and Peru. The high cost of recovering offshore oil and gas, combined with the wide swings in world prices for oil since 1985, has led to fluctuations in new drillings.	The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, generating an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. In the mid-1980s, the government began offering offshore registration to companies wishing to incorporate in the islands, and incorporation fees now generate substantial revenues. Roughly 400,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 2000. The adoption of a comprehensive insurance law in late 1994, which provides a blanket of confidentiality with regulated statutory gateways for investigation of criminal offenses, made the British Virgin Islands even more attractive to international business. Livestock raising is the most important agricultural activity; poor soils limit the islands' ability to meet domestic food requirements. Because of traditionally close links with the US Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands has used the US dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption	-	32.13 million kWh (2003)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	-	34.55 million kWh (2003)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Challenger Deep in the Mariana Trench -10,924 m highest point: sea level 0 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	endangered marine species include the dugong, sea lion, sea otter, seals, turtles, and whales; oil pollution in Philippine Sea and South China Sea	limited natural fresh water resources (except for a few seasonal streams and springs on Tortola, most of the islands' water supply comes from wells and rainwater catchments)
Ethnic groups	-	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	-	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Chief Minister Dr. Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council 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	-	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	-	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	-	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Virgin Islander coat of arms centered in the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms depicts a woman flanked on either side by a vertical column of six oil lamps above a scroll bearing the Latin word VIGILATE (Be Watchful)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 160 00 W	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	the major chokepoints are the Bering Strait, Panama Canal, Luzon Strait, and the Singapore Strait; the Equator divides the Pacific Ocean into the North Pacific Ocean and the South Pacific Ocean; dotted with low coral islands and rugged volcanic islands in the southwestern Pacific Ocean	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	-	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	-	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 16.72 deaths/1,000 live births male: 19.5 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.79 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2% (2005)
International organization participation	-	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	-	NA
Judicial branch	-	Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court, consisting of the High Court of Justice and the Court of Appeal (one judge of the Supreme Court is a resident of the islands and presides over the High Court); Magistrate's Court; Juvenile Court; Court of Summary Jurisdiction
Labor force	-	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4%
Land boundaries	-	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages	-	English (official)
Legal system	-	English law
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held in 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 76.68 years male: 75.56 years female: 77.84 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Political Map of the World	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	-	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	registered in other countries: 1 (North Korea 1) (2006)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	-	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	-	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	surrounded by a zone of violent volcanic and earthquake activity sometimes referred to as the "Pacific Ring of Fire"; subject to tropical cyclones (typhoons) in southeast and east Asia from May to December (most frequent from July to October); tropical cyclones (hurricanes) may form south of Mexico and strike Central America and Mexico from June to October (most common in August and September); cyclical El Nino/La Nina phenomenon occurs in the equatorial Pacific, influencing weather in the Western Hemisphere and the western Pacific; ships subject to superstructure icing in extreme north from October to May; persistent fog in the northern Pacific can be a maritime hazard from June to December	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Concerned Citizens Movement or CCM [Ethlyn SMITH]; National Democratic Party or NDP [Orlando SMITH]; United Party or UP [Gregory MADURO]; Virgin Islands Party or VIP [Ralph T. O'NEAL]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	1.97% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.1 male(s)/female total population: 1.05 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	-	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	-	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	surface currents in the northern Pacific are dominated by a clockwise, warm-water gyre (broad circular system of currents) and in the southern Pacific by a counterclockwise, cool-water gyre; in the northern Pacific, sea ice forms in the Bering Sea and Sea of Okhotsk in winter; in the southern Pacific, sea ice from Antarctica reaches its northernmost extent in October; the ocean floor in the eastern Pacific is dominated by the East Pacific Rise, while the western Pacific is dissected by deep trenches, including the Mariana Trench, which is the world's deepest	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	-	1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Transportation - note	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)	-
Unemployment rate	-	3.6% (1997)

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