Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) - Virgin Islands (2005)

Compare Pacific Ocean (2008) z Virgin Islands (2005)

	Pacific Ocean (2008)	Virgin Islands (2005)

Administrative divisions	-	none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 23.1% (male 12,676/female 12,421) 15-64 years: 66.2% (male 34,069/female 37,918) 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 5,125/female 6,499) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle
Airports	-	2 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
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: 352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km
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	twice 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.	During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
Birth rate	-	14.2 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $560 expenditures: NA (2003)
Capital	-	Charlotte Amalie
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, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season September to November
Coastline	135,663 km	188 km
Constitution	-	Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Country name	-	conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies
Death rate	-	6.26 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	NA
Dependency status	-	organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (territory of the US)
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.	Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment.
Electricity - consumption	-	962.6 million kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	1.035 billion kWh (2002)
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: Crown Mountain 474 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	lack of natural freshwater resources
Ethnic groups	-	black 76.2%, white 13.1%, Asian 1.1%, other 6.1%, mixed 3.5% (2000 census)
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4%
Exports	-	NA
Exports - commodities	-	refined petroleum products
Exports - partners	-	US, Puerto Rico
Fiscal year	-	1 October - 30 September
Flag description	-	white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	0 00 N, 160 00 W	18 20 N, 64 50 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	important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
Highways	-	total: 1,257 km paved: 1,192 km unpaved: 65 km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2003)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	-	NA
Imports - commodities	-	crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
Imports - partners	-	US, Puerto Rico
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 8.03 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.11 deaths/1,000 live births female: 6.88 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.2% (2003)
International organization participation	-	Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU
Irrigated land	-	NA
Judicial branch	-	US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)
Labor force	-	48,900 (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.)
Land boundaries	-	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 11.76% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.3% (2001)
Languages	-	English 74.7%, Spanish or Spanish Creole 16.8%, French or French Creole 6.6%, other 1.9% (2000 census)
Legal system	-	based on US laws
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 78.91 years male: 75.08 years female: 82.96 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA%
Location	body of water between the Southern Ocean, Asia, Australia, and the Western Hemisphere	Caribbean, islands 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: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the US
National holiday	-	Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)
Nationality	-	noun: Virgin Islander(s) adjective: 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	several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
Natural resources	oil and gas fields, polymetallic nodules, sand and gravel aggregates, placer deposits, fish	sun, sand, sea, surf
Net migration rate	-	-8.64 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	-	108,708 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	-0.07% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Charlotte Amalie, Limetree Bay
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 6, FM 17, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Telephone system	-	general assessment: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay domestic: full range of services available international: country code - 1-340; 2 submarine cable connections (Taino Carib, Americas-1); satellite earth stations - NA
Telephones - main lines in use	-	69,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	41,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	-	16 (2004)
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	mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Total fertility rate	-	2.19 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Transportation - note	Inside Passage offers protected waters from southeast Alaska to Puget Sound (Washington state)	-
Unemployment rate	-	9.3% (2003 est.)

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