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Compare Reunion (2004) - Marshall Islands (2005)

Compare Reunion (2004) z Marshall Islands (2005)

 Reunion (2004)Marshall Islands (2005)
 ReunionMarshall Islands
Administrative divisions none (overseas department of France); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are 4 arrondissements, 24 communes, and 47 cantons 33 municipalities; Ailinginae, Ailinglaplap, Ailuk, Arno, Aur, Bikar, Bikini, Bokak, Ebon, Enewetak, Erikub, Jabat, Jaluit, Jemo, Kili, Kwajalein, Lae, Lib, Likiep, Majuro, Maloelap, Mejit, Mili, Namorik, Namu, Rongelap, Rongrik, Toke, Ujae, Ujelang, Utirik, Wotho, Wotje
Age structure 0-14 years: 30.9% (male 121,050; female 115,440)


15-64 years: 63.1% (male 238,553; female 245,236)


65 years and over: 6% (male 18,626; female 27,248) (2004 est.)
0-14 years: 38.2% (male 11,488/female 11,071)


15-64 years: 59.1% (male 17,887/female 17,023)


65 years and over: 2.7% (male 771/female 831) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, vanilla, tobacco, tropical fruits, vegetables, corn coconuts, tomatoes, melons, taro, breadfruit, fruits; pigs, chickens
Airports 2 (2003 est.) 15 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total: 2


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
total: 4


1,524 to 2,437 m: 3


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways - total: 11


914 to 1,523 m: 10


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total: 2,517 sq km


land: 2,507 sq km


water: 10 sq km
total: 181.3 sq km


land: 181.3 sq km


water: 0 sq km


note: includes the atolls of Bikini, Enewetak, Kwajalein, Majuro, Rongelap, and Utirik
Area - comparative slightly smaller than Rhode Island about the size of Washington, DC
Background The Portuguese discovered the uninhabited island in 1513. From the 17th to the 19th centuries, French immigration, supplemented by influxes of Africans, Chinese, Malays, and Malabar Indians, gave the island its ethnic mix. The opening of the Suez Canal in 1869 cost the island its importance as a stopover on the East Indies trade route. After almost four decades under US administration as the easternmost part of the UN Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands, the Marshall Islands attained independence in 1986 under a Compact of Free Association. Compensation claims continue as a result of US nuclear testing on some of the atolls between 1947 and 1962. The Marshall Islands hosts the US Army Kwajalein Atoll (USAKA) Reagan Missile Test Site, a key installation in the US missile defense network.
Birth rate 19.69 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) 33.52 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget revenues: $1.26 billion


expenditures: $2.62 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (1998)
revenues: $42 million


expenditures: $40 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1999)
Capital Saint-Denis Majuro
Climate tropical, but temperature moderates with elevation; cool and dry from May to November, hot and rainy from November to April tropical; hot and humid; wet season from May to November; islands border typhoon belt
Coastline 207 km 370.4 km
Constitution 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) 1 May 1979
Country name conventional long form: Department of Reunion


conventional short form: Reunion


local long form: none


local short form: Ile de la Reunion


former: Bourbon Island
conventional long form: Republic of the Marshall Islands


conventional short form: Marshall Islands


former: Marshall Islands District (Trust Territory of the Pacific Islands)
Currency euro (EUR) -
Death rate 5.48 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) 4.88 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external NA $86.5 million (FY99/00 est.)
Dependency status overseas department of France -
Diplomatic representation from the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Greta N. MORRIS


embassy: Oceanside, Mejen Weto, Long Island, Majuro


mailing address: P. O. Box 1379, Majuro, Republic of the Marshall Islands 96960-1379


telephone: [692] 247-4011


FAX: [692] 247-4012
Diplomatic representation in the US none (overseas department of France) chief of mission: Ambassador Banny DE BRUM


chancery: 2433 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 234-5414


FAX: [1] (202) 232-3236


consulate(s) general: Honolulu
Disputes - international none claims US territory of Wake Island
Economic aid - recipient $NA; note - substantial annual subsidies from France (2001 est.) more than $1 billion from the US, 1986-2002
Economy - overview The economy has traditionally been based on agriculture, but services now dominate. Sugarcane has been the primary crop for more than a century, and in some years it accounts for 85% of exports. The government has been pushing the development of a tourist industry to relieve high unemployment, which amounts to one-third of the labor force. The gap in Reunion between the well-off and the poor is extraordinary and accounts for the persistent social tensions. The white and Indian communities are substantially better off than other segments of the population, often approaching European standards, whereas minority groups suffer the poverty and unemployment typical of the poorer nations of the African continent. The outbreak of severe rioting in February 1991 illustrates the seriousness of socioeconomic tensions. The economic well-being of Reunion depends heavily on continued financial assistance from France. US Government assistance is the mainstay of this tiny island economy. Agricultural production, primarily subsistence, is concentrated on small farms; the most important commercial crops are coconuts and breadfruit. Small-scale industry is limited to handicrafts, tuna processing, and copra. The tourist industry, now a small source of foreign exchange employing less than 10% of the labor force, remains the best hope for future added income. The islands have few natural resources, and imports far exceed exports. Under the terms of the Amended Compact of Free Association, the US will provide millions of dollars per year to the Marshall Islands (RMI) through 2023, at which time a Trust Fund made up of US and RMI contributions will begin perpetual annual payouts. Government downsizing, drought, a drop in construction, the decline in tourism and foreign investment due to the Asian financial difficulties, and less income from the renewal of fishing vessel licenses have held GDP growth to an average of 1% over the past decade.
Electricity - consumption 1.005 billion kWh (2001) -
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2001) -
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (2001) -
Electricity - production 1.08 billion kWh (2001) -
Elevation extremes lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m


highest point: Piton des Neiges 3,069 m
lowest point: Pacific Ocean 0 m


highest point: unnamed location on Likiep 10 m
Environment - current issues NA inadequate supplies of potable water; pollution of Majuro lagoon from household waste and discharges from fishing vessels
Environment - international agreements - party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution


signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups French, African, Malagasy, Chinese, Pakistani, Indian Micronesian
Exchange rates euros per US dollar - 0.886 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) the US dollar is the legal tender
Executive branch chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Dominique VIAN (since 16 August 2004)


head of government: President of the General Council Jean-Luc POUDROUX (since NA March 1998) and President of the Regional Council Paul VERGES (since NA March 1993)


cabinet: NA


elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; the presidents of the General and Regional Councils are elected by the members of those councils
chief of state: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


head of government: President Kessai Hesa NOTE (since 5 January 2004); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government


cabinet: Cabinet selected by the president from among the members of Parliament


elections: president elected by Parliament from among its own members for a four-year term; election last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held November 2007)


election results: Kessai Hesa NOTE elected president; percent of Parliament vote - 100%
Exports NA (2001) $9 million f.o.b. (2000)
Exports - commodities sugar 63%, rum and molasses 4%, perfume essences 2%, lobster 3%, (1993) copra cake, coconut oil, handicrafts, fish
Exports - partners France 74%, Japan 6%, Comoros 4% (2000) US, Japan, Australia, China (2000)
Fiscal year calendar year 1 October - 30 September
Flag description the flag of France is used blue with two stripes radiating from the lower hoist-side corner - orange (top) and white; there is a white star with four large rays and 20 small rays on the hoist side above the two stripes
GDP purchasing power parity - $4.348 billion (2003 est.) -
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 8%


industry: 19%


services: 73% (2000 est.)
agriculture: 14%


industry: 16%


services: 70% (2000 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $5,800 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $1,600 (2001 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2003 est.) 1% (2001 est.)
Geographic coordinates 21 06 S, 55 36 E 9 00 N, 168 00 E
Geography - note this mountainous, volcanic island has an active volcano, Piton de la Fournaise; there is a tropical cyclone center at Saint-Denis, which is the monitoring station for the whole of the Indian Ocean two archipelagic island chains of 30 atolls and 1,152 islands; Bikini and Enewetak are former US nuclear test sites; Kwajalein, the famous World War II battleground, is now used as a US missile test range
Highways total: 2,724 km


paved: 1,300 km (including 73 km of four-lane road)


unpaved: 1,424 km (1994)
total: 64.5 km


paved: 64.5 km


unpaved: NA km


note: paved roads on major islands (Majuro, Kwajalein), otherwise stone-, coral-, or laterite-surfaced roads and tracks (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
lowest 10%: NA


highest 10%: NA
Imports NA (2001) $54 million f.o.b. (2000)
Imports - commodities manufactured goods, food, beverages, tobacco, machinery and transportation equipment, raw materials, and petroleum products foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, fuels, beverages and tobacco
Imports - partners France 64%, Bahrain 3%, Germany 3%, Italy 3% (2000) US, Japan, Australia, NZ, Singapore, Fiji, China, Philippines (2000)
Independence none (overseas department of France) 21 October 1986 (from the US-administered UN trusteeship)
Industrial production growth rate NA NA
Industries sugar, rum, cigarettes, handicraft items, flower oil extraction copra, tuna processing, tourism, craft items from shell, wood, and pearls
Infant mortality rate total: 7.95 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 8.71 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 7.17 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
total: 29.45 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 33.05 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 25.67 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) NA 2% (2001 est.)
International organization participation InOC, UPU, WFTU ACP, AsDB, FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, IDA, IFC, IMF, IMO, Interpol, ITU, OPCW, PIF, Sparteca, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, WHO
Irrigated land 120 sq km (1998 est.) 0 sq km
Judicial branch Court of Appeals or Cour d'Appel Supreme Court; High Court
Labor force 309,900 (2000) 28,700 (1996 est.)
Labor force - by occupation agriculture 13%, industry 12%, services 75% (2000) agriculture 21.4%, industry 20.9%, services 57.7%
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land: 13.6%


permanent crops: 1.2%


other: 85.2% (2001)
arable land: 16.67%


permanent crops: 38.89%


other: 44.44% (2001)
Languages French (official), Creole widely used Marshallese 98.2%, other languages 1.8% (1999 census)


note: English widely spoken as a second language; both Marshallese and English are official languages
Legal system French law based on adapted Trust Territory laws, acts of the legislature, municipal, common, and customary laws
Legislative branch unicameral General Council (49 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms) and a unicameral Regional Council (45 seats; members are elected by direct, popular vote to serve six-year terms)


elections: General Council - last held 15 and 22 March 1998 (next to be held NA 2004); Regional Council - last held 28 March 2004 (next to be held NA 2010)


election results: General Council - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - various right-wing candidates 13, PCR 10, PS 10, UDF 8, RPR 6, other left-wing candidates 2; Regional Council (second round) - percent of vote by party - PCR 44.9%, UMP 32.8%, PS-Greens 22.3%; seats by party - PCR 27, UMP 11, PS-Greens 7


note: Reunion elects three representatives to the French Senate; elections last held NA 2001 (next to be held NA 2006); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Reunion also elects five deputies to the French National Assembly; elections last held 9 June-16 June 2002 (next to be held NA 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1, UMP 1, PCR 1
unicameral Parliament or Nitijela (33 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)


elections: last held 17 November 2003 (next to be held not later than November 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - NA


note: the Council of Chiefs is a 12-member body that advises on matters affecting customary law and practice
Life expectancy at birth total population: 73.69 years


male: 70.29 years


female: 77.26 years (2004 est.)
total population: 70.01 years


male: 68.05 years


female: 72.06 years (2005 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 88.9%


male: 87%


female: 90.8% (2003 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 93.7%


male: 93.6%


female: 93.7% (1999)
Location Southern Africa, island in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar Oceania, group of atolls and reefs in the North Pacific Ocean, about one-half of the way from Hawaii to Australia
Map references World Oceania
Maritime claims territorial sea: 12 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm


contiguous zone: 24 nm


exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total: 1 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 28,264 GRT/44,885 DWT


by type: chemical tanker 1


foreign-owned: Sweden 1


registered in other countries: 1
total: 540 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 16,954,092 GRT/28,176,762 DWT


by type: barge carrier 2, bulk carrier 83, cargo 47, chemical tanker 77, combination ore/oil 12, container 88, liquefied gas 16, passenger 8, petroleum tanker 192, refrigerated cargo 4, roll on/roll off 6, vehicle carrier 5


foreign-owned: 462 (Australia 1, Bahamas 1, Bermuda 1, Canada 4, Chile 2, Croatia 2, Cyprus 7, Denmark 2, Georgia 1, Germany 124, Greece 106, Hong Kong 7, India 1, Italy 1, Japan 5, Latvia 6, Monaco 9, Netherlands 4, New Zealand 1, Norway 21, Philippines 1, Russia 1, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 2, Spain 1, Switzerland 5, Taiwan 1, Turkey 11, Ukraine 1, UAE 3, United Kingdom 15, United States 112) (2005)
Military - note defense is the responsibility of France defense is the responsibility of the US
Military branches no regular indigenous military forces; French forces (including Army, Navy, Air Force, and Gendarmerie) no regular military forces; Marshall Islands Police
Military expenditures - dollar figure - NA
Military expenditures - percent of GDP - NA
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 202,385 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 103,073 (2004 est.) -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males: 7,070 (2004 est.) -
National holiday Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) Constitution Day, 1 May (1979)
Nationality noun: Reunionese (singular and plural)


adjective: Reunionese
noun: Marshallese (singular and plural)


adjective: Marshallese
Natural hazards periodic, devastating cyclones (December to April); Piton de la Fournaise on the southeastern coast is an active volcano infrequent typhoons
Natural resources fish, arable land, hydropower coconut products, marine products, deep seabed minerals
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) -5.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders Communist Party of Reunion or PCR [Paul VERGES]; Rally for the Republic or RPR [Andre Maurice PIHOUEE]; Socialist Party or PS [Jean-Claude FRUTEAU]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Gilbert GERARD]; Union for a Popular Movement or UMP [leader NA] traditionally there have been no formally organized political parties; what has existed more closely resembles factions or interest groups because they do not have party headquarters, formal platforms, or party structures; the following two "groupings" have competed in legislative balloting in recent years - Kabua Party [Imata KABUA] and United Democratic Party or UDP [Litokwa TOMEING]
Political pressure groups and leaders NA NA
Population 766,153 (July 2004 est.) 59,071 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line NA NA
Population growth rate 1.42% (2004 est.) 2.27% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors Le Port, Pointe des Galets Majuro
Radio broadcast stations AM 2, FM 55, shortwave 0 (2001) AM 2, FM 1, shortwave 0


note: additionally, the US Armed Forces Radio and Television Services (Central Pacific Network) operate one FM and one AM station on Kwajalein (2002)
Religions Roman Catholic 86%, Hindu, Muslim, Buddhist (1995) Protestant 54.8%, Assembly of God 25.8%, Roman Catholic 8.4%, Bukot nan Jesus 2.8%, Mormon 2.1%, other Christian 3.6%, other 1%, none 1.5% (1999 census)
Sex ratio at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.97 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
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: 0.93 male(s)/female


total population: 1.04 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: adequate system; principal center is Saint-Denis


domestic: modern open-wire and microwave radio relay network


international: country code - 262; radiotelephone communication to Comoros, France, Madagascar; new microwave route to Mauritius; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Indian Ocean); fiber optic submarine cable (SAT-3/WASC/SAFE) provides connectivity to Europe and Asia
general assessment: digital switching equipment; modern services include telex, cellular, internet, international calling, caller ID, and leased data circuits


domestic: Majuro Atoll and Ebeye and Kwajalein islands have regular, seven-digit, direct-dial telephones; other islands interconnected by shortwave radiotelephone (used mostly for government purposes)


international: country code - 692; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Pacific Ocean); US Government satellite communications system on Kwajalein (2001)
Telephones - main lines in use 300,000 est (2001) 4,500 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular 489,800 (2002) 600 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 35 (plus 18 low-power repeaters) (2001) 2 (both are US military stations) (2002)
Terrain mostly rugged and mountainous; fertile lowlands along coast low coral limestone and sand islands
Total fertility rate 2.5 children born/woman (2004 est.) 3.93 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate 36% (1999 est.) 30.9% (1999 est.)
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