Puerto Rico (2002) | Guernsey (2001) | |
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Administrative divisions | none (commonwealth associated with the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 78 municipalities (municipios, singular - municipio) at the second order; Adjuntas, Aguada, Aguadilla, Aguas Buenas, Aibonito, Anasco, Arecibo, Arroyo, Barceloneta, Barranquitas, Bayamon, Cabo Rojo, Caguas, Camuy, Canovanas, Carolina, Catano, Cayey, Ceiba, Ciales, Cidra, Coamo, Comerio, Corozal, Culebra, Dorado, Fajardo, Florida, Guanica, Guayama, Guayanilla, Guaynabo, Gurabo, Hatillo, Hormigueros, Humacao, Isabela, Jayuya, Juana Diaz, Juncos, Lajas, Lares, Las Marias, Las Piedras, Loiza, Luquillo, Manati, Maricao, Maunabo, Mayaguez, Moca, Morovis, Naguabo, Naranjito, Orocovis, Patillas, Penuelas, Ponce, Quebradillas, Rincon, Rio Grande, Sabana Grande, Salinas, San German, San Juan, San Lorenzo, San Sebastian, Santa Isabel, Toa Alta, Toa Baja, Trujillo Alto, Utuado, Vega Alta, Vega Baja, Vieques, Villalba, Yabucoa, Yauco | none (British crown dependency); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 10 parishes including St. Peter Port, St. Sampson, Vale, Castel, St. Saviour, St. Pierre du Bois, Torteval, Forest, St. Martin, St. Andrew |
Age structure | 0-14 years: 23.5% (male 476,726; female 453,782)
15-64 years: 65.8% (male 1,249,850; female 1,353,438) 65 years and over: 10.7% (male 180,053; female 244,139) (2002 est.) |
0-14 years:
16.22% (male 5,285; female 5,151) 15-64 years: 66.67% (male 21,264; female 21,630) 65 years and over: 17.11% (male 4,546; female 6,466) (2001 est.) |
Agriculture - products | sugarcane, coffee, pineapples, plantains, bananas; livestock products, chickens | tomatoes, greenhouse flowers, sweet peppers, eggplant, fruit; Guernsey cattle |
Airports | 30 (2001) | 2 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | total: 19
over 3,047 m: 3 1,524 to 2,437 m: 3 914 to 1,523 m: 8 under 914 m: 5 (2002) |
total:
2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total: 12
914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 10 (2002) |
- |
Area | total: 9,104 sq km
land: 8,959 sq km water: 145 sq km |
total:
194 sq km land: 194 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Alderney, Guernsey, Herm, Sark, and some other smaller islands |
Area - comparative | slightly less than three times the size of Rhode Island | slightly larger than Washington, DC |
Background | Populated for centuries by aboriginal peoples, the island was claimed by the Spanish Crown in 1493 following Columbus' second voyage to the Americas. In 1898, after 400 years of colonial rule that saw the indigenous population nearly exterminated and African slave labor introduced, Puerto Rico was ceded to the US as a result of the Spanish-American War. Puerto Ricans were granted US citizenship in 1917 and popularly elected governors have served since 1948. In 1952, a constitution was enacted providing for internal self-government. In plebiscites held in 1967, 1993, and 1998 voters chose to retain commonwealth status. | The island of Guernsey and the other Channel Islands represent the last remnants of the medieval Dukedom of Normandy, which held sway in both France and England. The islands were the only British soil occupied by German troops in World War II. |
Birth rate | 15.04 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.9 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Budget | revenues: $6.7 billion
expenditures: $9.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (FY99/00) |
revenues:
$381.3 million expenditures: $368.8 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.) |
Capital | San Juan | Saint Peter Port |
Climate | tropical marine, mild; little seasonal temperature variation | temperate with mild winters and cool summers; about 50% of days are overcast |
Coastline | 501 km | 50 km |
Constitution | ratified 3 March 1952; approved by US Congress 3 July 1952; effective 25 July 1952 | unwritten; partly statutes, partly common law and practice |
Country name | conventional long form: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico
conventional short form: Puerto Rico |
conventional long form:
Bailiwick of Guernsey conventional short form: Guernsey |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | British pound (GBP); note - there is also a Guernsey pound |
Death rate | 7.82 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 9.87 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $NA |
Dependency status | commonwealth associated with the US | British crown dependency |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (commonwealth associated with the US) | none (British crown dependency) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (commonwealth associated with the US) | none (British crown dependency) |
Disputes - international | none | none |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | $NA |
Economy - overview | Puerto Rico has one of the most dynamic economies in the Caribbean region. A diverse industrial sector has surpassed agriculture as the primary locus of economic activity and income. Encouraged by duty-free access to the US and by tax incentives, US firms have invested heavily in Puerto Rico since the 1950s. US minimum wage laws apply. Sugar production has lost out to dairy production and other livestock products as the main source of income in the agricultural sector. Tourism has traditionally been an important source of income, with estimated arrivals of nearly 5 million tourists in 1999. Growth fell off in 2001, largely due to the slowdown in the US economy. | Financial services - banking, fund management, insurance, etc. - account for about 55% of total income in this tiny Channel Island economy. Tourism, manufacturing, and horticulture, mainly tomatoes and cut flowers, have been declining. Light tax and death duties make Guernsey a popular tax haven. The evolving economic integration of the EU nations is changing the rules of the game under which Guernsey operates. |
Electricity - consumption | 19.062 billion kWh (2000) | NA kWh |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (2000) | NA kWh |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (2000) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | 20.497 billion kWh (2000) | NA kWh |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel: 99%
hydro: 1% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
fossil fuel:
NA% hydro: NA% nuclear: NA% other: NA% |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m
highest point: Cerro de Punta 1,338 m |
lowest point:
Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Sark 114 m |
Environment - current issues | erosion; occasional drought causing water shortages | NA |
Ethnic groups | white (mostly Spanish origin) 80.5%, black 8%, Amerindian 0.4%, Asian 0.2%, mixed and other 10.9% | UK and Norman-French descent |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | Guernsey pounds per US dollar - 0.6764 (January 2001), 0.6596 0.6180 (1999), 0.6037 (1998), 0.6106 (1997), 0.6403 (1996); note - the Guernsey pound is at par with the British pound |
Executive branch | chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (since 20 January 2001)
head of government: Governor Sila M. CALDERON (since 2 January 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor with the consent of the legislature elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor elected by popular vote for a four-year term; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: Sila M. CALDERON (PPD) elected governor; percent of vote - 48.6% note: residents of Puerto Rico do not vote for US president and vice president |
chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Lieutenant Governor and Commander-in-Chief Lt. Gen. Sir John FOLEY (since NA 2000) and Bailiff De Vic G. CAREY (since NA) cabinet: Advisory and Finance Committee appointed by the Assembly of the States elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; lieutenant governor appointed by the monarch; bailiff appointed by the monarch |
Exports | $38.5 billion f.o.b. (2000) | $NA |
Exports - commodities | pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, canned tuna, rum, beverage concentrates, medical equipment | tomatoes, flowers and ferns, sweet peppers, eggplant, other vegetables |
Exports - partners | US 88% (2000) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Fiscal year | 1 July - 30 June | calendar year |
Flag description | five equal horizontal bands of red (top and bottom) alternating with white; a blue isosceles triangle based on the hoist side bears a large, white, five-pointed star in the center; design initially influenced by the US flag, but similar to the Cuban flag, with the colors of the bands and triangle reversed | white with the red cross of Saint George (patron saint of England) extending to the edges of the flag and a yellow equal-armed cross of William the Conqueror superimposed on the Saint George cross |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $43.9 billion (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $1.3 billion (1999 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture: 1%
industry: 45% services: 54% (1999 est.) |
agriculture:
3% industry: 10% services: 87% (2000) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $11,200 (2001 est.) | purchasing power parity - $20,000 (1999 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2.2% (2001 est.) | 5.7% (1999 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 15 N, 66 30 W | 49 28 N, 2 35 W |
Geography - note | important location along the Mona Passage - a key shipping lane to the Panama Canal; San Juan is one of the biggest and best natural harbors in the Caribbean; many small rivers and high central mountains ensure land is well watered; south coast relatively dry; fertile coastal plain belt in north | large, deepwater harbor at Saint Peter Port |
Highways | total: 14,400 km
paved: 14,400 km unpaved: 0 km (1996) |
total:
NA km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
Imports | $27 billion c.i.f. (2000) | $NA |
Imports - commodities | chemicals, machinery and equipment, clothing, food, fish, petroleum products | coal, gasoline, oil, machinery and equipment |
Imports - partners | US 60% (2000) | UK (regarded as internal trade) |
Independence | none (commonwealth associated with the US) | none (British crown dependency) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | NA% |
Industries | pharmaceuticals, electronics, apparel, food products; tourism | tourism, banking |
Infant mortality rate | 9.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) | 5 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 5.7% (2000 est.) | 3.99% (2000 est.) |
International organization participation | Caricom (observer), ECLAC (associate), FAO (associate), ICFTU, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, WCL, WFTU, WHO (associate) | none |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 76 (2000) | NA |
Irrigated land | 400 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | Supreme Court; Appellate Court; Court of First Instance composed of two sections: a Superior Court and a Municipal Court (justices for all these courts appointed by the governor with the consent of the Senate) | Royal Court |
Labor force | 1.3 million (2000) (2000) | 31,322 (2000) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 3%, industry 20%, services 77% (2000 est.) | - |
Land boundaries | 0 km | 0 km |
Land use | arable land: 3.72%
permanent crops: 5.07% other: 91.21% (1998 est.) |
arable land:
NA% permanent crops: NA% permanent pastures: NA% forests and woodland: NA% other: NA% |
Languages | Spanish, English | English, French, Norman-French dialect spoken in country districts |
Legal system | based on Spanish civil code and adapted US state laws | English law and local statute; justice is administered by the Royal Court |
Legislative branch | bicameral Legislative Assembly consists of the Senate (28 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) and the House of Representatives (51 seats; members are directly elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: Senate - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); House of Representatives - last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: Senate - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 19, PNP 8, PIP 1, other 1; House of Representatives - percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - PPD 30, PNP 20, PIP 1 note: Puerto Rico elects, by popular vote, a resident commissioner to serve a four-year term as a nonvoting representative in the US House of Representatives; aside from not voting on the House floor, he enjoys all the rights of a member of Congress; elections last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - percent of vote by party - PPD 49.3%; seats by party - PPD 1; Anibal ACEVEDO-VILA elected resident commissioner |
unicameral Assembly of the States; consists of the Bailiff, 10 Douzaine (parish council) representatives, 45 People's Deputies elected by popular franchise, 2 Alderney representatives, HM Procureur (Attorney General), HM Comptroller (Solicitor General) and HM Greffier (Court Recorder and Registrar General)
elections: last held 12 April 2000 (next to be held NA 2006) election results: percent of vote - NA%; seats - all independents |
Life expectancy at birth | total population: 75.96 years
male: 71.5 years female: 80.66 years (2002 est.) |
total population:
79.78 years male: 76.78 years female: 82.88 years (2001 est.) |
Literacy | definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 89% male: 90% female: 88% (1980 est.) |
definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of the Dominican Republic | Western Europe, islands in the English Channel, northwest of France |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone: 200 NM
territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive fishing zone:
12 NM territorial sea: 3 NM |
Merchant marine | total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 19,046 GRT/22,582 DWT
ships by type: container 1 (2002 est.) |
none (2000 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | defense is the responsibility of the UK |
Military branches | no regular indigenous military forces; paramilitary National Guard, Police Force | - |
National holiday | US Independence Day, 4 July (1776) | Liberation Day, 9 May (1945) |
Nationality | noun: Puerto Rican(s) (US citizens)
adjective: Puerto Rican |
noun:
Channel Islander(s) adjective: Channel Islander |
Natural hazards | periodic droughts; hurricanes | NA |
Natural resources | some copper and nickel; potential for onshore and offshore oil | cropland |
Net migration rate | -2.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) | 3.89 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | National Democratic Party [Celeste BENITEZ]; National Republican Party of Puerto Rico [Luis FERRE]; New Progressive Party or PNP (pro-US statehood) [Carlos PESQUERA]; Popular Democratic Party or PPD (pro-commonwealth) [Sila M. CALDERON]; Puerto Rican Independence Party or PIP (pro-independence) [Ruben BERRIOS Martinez] | none; all independents |
Political pressure groups and leaders | Armed Forces for National Liberation or FALN; Armed Forces of Popular Resistance; Boricua Popular Army (also known as the Macheteros); Volunteers of the Puerto Rican Revolution | none |
Population | 3,957,988 (July 2002 est.) | 64,342 (July 2001 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% |
Population growth rate | 0.51% (2002 est.) | 0.39% (2001 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Guanica, Guayanilla, Guayama, Playa de Ponce, San Juan | Saint Peter Port, Saint Sampson |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 72, FM 17, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 (1998) |
Radios | 2.7 million (1997) | NA |
Railways | total: 96 km
narrow gauge: 96 km 1.000-m gauge, note: rural, narrow-gauge system for hauling sugarcane; no passenger service (2001) |
0 km |
Religions | Roman Catholic 85%, Protestant and other 15% | Anglican, Roman Catholic, Presbyterian, Baptist, Congregational, Methodist |
Sex ratio | at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.92 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.93 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
at birth:
1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.98 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.7 male(s)/female total population: 0.94 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: modern system, integrated with that of the US by high-capacity submarine cable and Intelsat with high-speed data capability
domestic: digital telephone system; cellular telephone service international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat; submarine cable to US |
general assessment:
NA domestic: NA international: 1 submarine cable |
Telephones - main lines in use | 1.322 million (1997) | 44,000 (1996) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 169,265 (1996) | 12,000 (1997) |
Television broadcast stations | 18 (plus three stations of the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Service) (1997) | 1 (1997) |
Terrain | mostly mountains, with coastal plain belt in north; mountains precipitous to sea on west coast; sandy beaches along most coastal areas | mostly level with low hills in southwest |
Total fertility rate | 1.9 children born/woman (2002 est.) | 1.36 children born/woman (2001 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 9.5% (2000) (2000) | 0.5% (1999 est.) |
Waterways | none | none |