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Compare Palau (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2006)

Compare Palau (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2006)

 Palau (2005)British Virgin Islands (2006)
 PalauBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 16 states; Aimeliik, Airai, Angaur, Hatohobei, Kayangel, Koror, Melekeok, Ngaraard, Ngarchelong, Ngardmau, Ngatpang, Ngchesar, Ngeremlengui, Ngiwal, Peleliu, Sonsorol none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 26.4% (male 2,768/female 2,601)


15-64 years: 69% (male 7,565/female 6,436)


65 years and over: 4.6% (male 443/female 490) (2005 est.)
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 coconuts, copra, cassava (tapioca), sweet potatoes fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 3 (2004 est.) 3 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 2


1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2004 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2006)
Area total: 458 sq km


land: 458 sq km


water: 0 sq km
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 slightly more than 2.5 times the size of Washington, DC about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background After three decades as part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific under US administration, this westernmost cluster of the Caroline Islands opted for independence in 1978 rather than join the Federated States of Micronesia. A Compact of Free Association with the US was approved in 1986, but not ratified until 1993. It entered into force the following year, when the islands gained independence. 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 18.37 births/1,000 population (2005 est.) 14.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget revenues: $57.7 million


expenditures: $80.8 million, including capital expenditures of $17.1 million (FY98/99 est.)
revenues: $204.7 million


expenditures: $180.4 million; including capital expenditures of $33.8 million (1997)
Capital Koror; note - a new capital is being built about 20 km northeast of Koror 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 tropical; hot and humid; wet season May to November subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,519 km 80 km
Constitution 1 January 1981 1 June 1977, amended in 2000
Country name conventional long form: Republic of Palau


conventional short form: Palau


local long form: Beluu er a Belau


local short form: Belau


former: Palau District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Death rate 6.85 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external $0 (FY99/00) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: US ambassador to the Philippines is accredited to Palau


embassy: Koror (no street address)


mailing address: P. O. Box 6028, Republic of Palau 96940


telephone: [680] 488-2920, 2990


FAX: [680] 488-2911
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Hersey KYOTA


chancery: 1800 K Street NW, Suite 714, Washington, DC 20006


telephone: [1] (202) 452-6814


FAX: [1] (202) 452-6281


consulate(s): Tamuning (Guam)
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international border delineation disputes being negotiated with Philippines, Indonesia none
Economic aid - recipient $155.8 million ; note - the Compact of Free Association with the US, entered into after the end of the UN trusteeship on 1 October 1994, provides Palau with up to $700 million in US aid over 15 years in return for furnishing military facilities $NA
Economy - overview The economy consists primarily of tourism, subsistence agriculture, and fishing. The government is the major employer of the work force, relying heavily on financial assistance from the US. Business and tourist arrivals numbered 63,000 in 2003. The population enjoys a per capita income twice that of the Philippines and much of Micronesia. Long-run prospects for the key tourist sector have been greatly bolstered by the expansion of air travel in the Pacific, the rising prosperity of leading East Asian countries, and the willingness of foreigners to finance infrastructure development. 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: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: Mount Ngerchelchuus 242 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues inadequate facilities for disposal of solid waste; threats to the marine ecosystem from sand and coral dredging, illegal fishing practices, and overfishing 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)
Environment - international agreements party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
-
Ethnic groups Palauan (Micronesian with Malayan and Melanesian admixtures) 69.9%, Carolinian 1.4%, other Micronesian 1.1%, Filipino 15.3%, Chinese 4.9%, other Asian 2.4%, white 1.9%, other or unspecified 3.2% (2000 census) black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates the US dollar is used the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. (since 19 January 2001) and Vice President Camsek CHIN (since 1 January 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet


elections: president and vice president elected on separate tickets by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008)


election results: Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. reelected president; percent of vote - Tommy Esang REMENGESAU, Jr. 64%, Polycarp BASILIUS 33%; Elias Camsek CHIN elected vice president; percent of vote - Elias Camsek CHIN 70%, Sandra PIERANTOZZI 29%
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 $18 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities shellfish, tuna, copra, garments rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners US, Japan, Singapore (2000) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Fiscal year 1 October - 30 September 1 April - 31 March
Flag description light blue with a large yellow disk (representing the moon) shifted slightly to the hoist side 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: NA


industry: NA


services: NA
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $9,000 (2001 est.) -
GDP - real growth rate 1% (2001 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 7 30 N, 134 30 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note westernmost archipelago in the Caroline chain, consists of six island groups totaling more than 300 islands; includes World War II battleground of Beliliou (Peleliu) and world-famous rock islands strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total: 61 km


paved: 36 km


unpaved: 25 km
-
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
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 $99 million f.o.b. (2001 est.) NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, fuels, metals; foodstuffs building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners US, Guam, Japan, Singapore, South Korea (2000) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2004)
Independence 1 October 1994 (from the US-administered UN Trusteeship) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA%
Industries tourism, craft items (from shell, wood, pearls), construction, garment making tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate total: 14.84 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 16.6 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 12.99 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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) 3.4% (2000 est.) 2% (2005)
International organization participation ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IFC, IFRCS, IMF, IOC, MIGA, OPCW, PIF, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land NA NA
Judicial branch Supreme Court; National Court; Court of Common Pleas 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 9,845 (2000) 12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 20%, industry NA, services NA (1990) agriculture: 0.6%


industry: 40%


services: 59.4%
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 8.7%


permanent crops: 4.35%


other: 86.95% (2001)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages Palauan 64.7% official in all islands except Sonsoral (Sonsoralese and English are official), Tobi (Tobi and English are official), and Angaur (Angaur, Japanese, and English are official), Filipino 13.5%, English 9.4%, Chinese 5.7%, Carolinian 1.5%, Japanese 1.5%, other Asian 2.3%, other languages 1.5% (2000 census) English (official)
Legal system based on Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws English law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Olbiil Era Kelulau (OEK) consists of the Senate (9 seats; members elected by popular vote on a population basis to serve four-year terms) and the House of Delegates (16 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: Senate - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008); House of Delegates - last held 2 November 2004 (next to be held November 2008)


election results: Senate - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 9 (four new members elected); House of Delegates - percent of vote - NA%; seats - independents 16 (one new member elected)
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: 70.14 years


male: 66.98 years


female: 73.48 years (2005 est.)
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: 92%


male: 93%


female: 90% (1980 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Oceania, group of islands in the North Pacific Ocean, southeast of the Philippines Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Oceania Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
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 US; under a Compact of Free Association between Palau and the US, the US military is granted access to the islands for 50 years defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches no regular military forces; Police Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure NA -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP NA -
National holiday Constitution Day, 9 July (1979) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Palauan(s)


adjective: Palauan
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards typhoons (June to December) hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources forests, minerals (especially gold), marine products, deep-seabed minerals NEGL
Net migration rate 2.36 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) 9.22 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Political parties and leaders none 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 NA
Population 20,303 (July 2005 est.) 23,098 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA%
Population growth rate 1.39% (2005 est.) 1.97% (2006 est.)
Ports and harbors Koror -
Radio broadcast stations AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 1 (2002) AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions Roman Catholic 41.6%, Protestant 23.3%, Modekngei 8.8% (indigenous to Palau), Seventh-Day Adventist 5.3%, Jehovah's Witness 0.9%, Latter-Day Saints 0.6%, other religion 3.1%, unspecified or none 16.4% (2000 census) 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: 1.06 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.18 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.9 male(s)/female


total population: 1.13 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: NA


domestic: NA


international: country code - 680; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 6,700 (2002) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 1,000 (2002) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 1 (cable) (2005) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain varying geologically from the high, mountainous main island of Babelthuap to low, coral islands usually fringed by large barrier reefs coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 2.46 children born/woman (2005 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Unemployment rate 2.3% (2000 est.) 3.6% (1997)
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