Compare Saint Helena (2008) - Cuba (2006)

Compare Saint Helena (2008) z Cuba (2006)

	Saint Helena (2008)	Cuba (2006)

Administrative divisions	1 administrative area and 2 dependencies; Ascension, Saint Helena, Tristan da Cunha*	14 provinces (provincias, singular - provincia) and 1 special municipality* (municipio especial); Camaguey, Ciego de Avila, Cienfuegos, Ciudad de La Habana, Granma, Guantanamo, Holguin, Isla de la Juventud*, La Habana, Las Tunas, Matanzas, Pinar del Rio, Sancti Spiritus, Santiago de Cuba, Villa Clara
Age structure	0-14 years: 18.7% (male 716/female 691) 15-64 years: 71.1% (male 2,755/female 2,608) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 358/female 415) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: 19.1% (male 1,117,677/female 1,058,512) 15-64 years: 70.3% (male 4,001,161/female 3,999,303) 65 years and over: 10.6% (male 554,148/female 652,019) (2006 est.)
Agriculture - products	coffee, corn, potatoes, vegetables; timber; fish, lobster (on Tristan da Cunha); livestock	sugar, tobacco, citrus, coffee, rice, potatoes, beans; livestock
Airports	1 (2007)	170 (2006)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)	total: 78 over 3,047 m: 7 2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 18 914 to 1,523 m: 7 under 914 m: 37 (2006)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 92 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 29 under 914 m: 62 (2006)
Area	total: 413 sq km land: Saint Helena Island 122 sq km; Ascension Island 90 sq km; Tristan da Cunha island group 201 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 110,860 sq km land: 110,860 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly more than twice the size of Washington, DC	slightly smaller than Pennsylvania
Background	Saint Helena is a British Overseas Territory consisting of Saint Helena and Ascension Islands, and the island group of Tristan da Cunha. Saint Helena: Uninhabited when first discovered by the Portuguese in 1502, Saint Helena was garrisoned by the British during the 17th century. It acquired fame as the place of Napoleon BONAPARTE's exile, from 1815 until his death in 1821, but its importance as a port of call declined after the opening of the Suez Canal in 1869. During the Anglo-Boer War in South Africa, several thousand Boer prisoners were confined on the island between 1900 and 1903. Ascension Island: This barren and uninhabited island was discovered and named by the Portuguese in 1503. The British garrisoned the island in 1815 to prevent a rescue of Napoleon from Saint Helena and it served as a provisioning station for the Royal Navy's West Africa Squadron on anti-slavery patrol. The island remained under Admiralty control until 1922, when it became a dependency of Saint Helena. During World War II, the UK permitted the US to construct an airfield on Ascension in support of trans-Atlantic flights to Africa and anti-submarine operations in the South Atlantic. In the 1960s the island became an important space tracking station for the US. In 1982, Ascension was an essential staging area for British forces during the Falklands War, and it remains a critical refueling point in the air-bridge from the UK to the South Atlantic. Tristan da Cunha: The island group consists of the islands of Tristan da Cunha, Nightingale, Inaccessible, and Gough. Tristan da Cunha is named after its Portuguese discoverer (1506); it was garrisoned by the British in 1816 to prevent any attempt to rescue Napoleon from Saint Helena. Gough and Inaccessible Islands have been designated World Heritage Sites. South Africa leases a site for a meteorological station on Gough Island.	The native Amerindian population of Cuba began to decline after the European discovery of the island by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1492 and following its development as a Spanish colony during the next several centuries. Large numbers of African slaves were imported to work the coffee and sugar plantations, and Havana became the launching point for the annual treasure fleets bound for Spain from Mexico and Peru. Spanish rule, marked initially by neglect, became increasingly repressive, provoking an independence movement and occasional rebellions that were harshly suppressed. It was US intervention during the Spanish-American War in 1898 that finally overthrew Spanish rule. The subsequent Treaty of Paris established Cuban independence, which was granted in 1902 after a three-year transition period. Fidel CASTRO led a rebel army to victory in 1959; his iron rule has held the regime together since then. Cuba's Communist revolution, with Soviet support, was exported throughout Latin America and Africa during the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. The country is now slowly recovering from a severe economic recession in 1990, following the withdrawal of former Soviet subsidies, worth $4 billion to $6 billion annually. Cuba portrays its difficulties as the result of the US embargo in place since 1961. Illicit migration to the US - using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, air flights, or via the southwest border - is a continuing problem. The US Coast Guard intercepted 2,712 individuals attempting to cross the Straits of Florida in fiscal year 2005.
Birth rate	11.93 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	11.89 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Budget	revenues: $13.09 million expenditures: $32.16 million note: revenue data reflect locally raised revenues only; the budget deficit is resolved by grant aid from the United Kingdom (FY06/07 est.)	revenues: $22.11 billion expenditures: $23.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)
Capital	name: Jamestown geographic coordinates: 15 56 S, 5 44 W time difference: UTC 0 (5 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Havana geographic coordinates: 23 08 N, 82 22 W time difference: UTC-5 (same time as Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October
Climate	Saint Helena: tropical marine; mild, tempered by trade winds Ascension Island: tropical marine; mild, semi-arid Tristan da Cunha: temperate marine; mild, tempered by trade winds (tends to be cooler than Saint Helena)	tropical; moderated by trade winds; dry season (November to April); rainy season (May to October)
Coastline	Saint Helena: 60 km Ascension Island: NA Tristan da Cunha: 40 km	3,735 km
Constitution	1 January 1989	24 February 1976; amended July 1992 and June 2002
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Saint Helena	conventional long form: Republic of Cuba conventional short form: Cuba local long form: Republica de Cuba local short form: Cuba
Death rate	6.63 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	7.22 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)
Debt - external	$NA	$12.56 billion (convertible currency); another $15-20 billion owed to Russia (2005 est.)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none; note - the US has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Michael E. PARMLY; address: USINT, Swiss Embassy, Calzada between L and M Streets, Vedado, Havana; telephone: [53] (7) 833-3551 through 3559 (operator assistance required); FAX: [53] (7) 833-3700; protecting power in Cuba is Switzerland
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK)	none; note - Cuba has an Interests Section in the Swiss Embassy, headed by Principal Officer Bernardo GUANCHE Hernandez; address: Cuban Interests Section, Swiss Embassy, 2630 16th Street NW, Washington, DC 20009; telephone: [1] (202) 797-8518; FAX: [1] (202) 797-8521
Disputes - international	none	US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay is leased to US and only mutual agreement or US abandonment of the area can terminate the lease
Economic aid - recipient	$29.56 million obtained in a grant from the United Kingdom (FY06/07)	$68.2 million (1997 est.)
Economy - overview	The economy depends largely on financial assistance from the UK, which will amount to about $27 million in FY06/07 or almost 70% of annual budgetary revenues. The local population earns income from fishing, raising livestock, and sales of handicrafts. Because there are few jobs, 25% of the work force has left to seek employment on Ascension Island, on the Falklands, and in the UK.	The government continues to balance the need for economic loosening against a desire for firm political control. It has rolled back limited reforms undertaken in the 1990s to increase enterprise efficiency and alleviate serious shortages of food, consumer goods, and services. The average Cuban's standard of living remains at a lower level than before the downturn of the 1990s, which was caused by the loss of Soviet aid and domestic inefficiencies. The government in 2005 strengthened its controls over dollars coming into the economy from tourism, remittances, and trade. External financing has helped growth in the mining, oil, construction, and tourism sectors.
Electricity - consumption	7.44 million kWh (2005)	13.27 billion kWh (2004)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2003)
Electricity - production	8 million kWh (2005)	15.65 billion kWh (2004)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha 2,062 m; Green Mountain on Ascension Island 859 m; Mount Actaeon on Saint Helena Island 818 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Pico Turquino 2,005 m
Environment - current issues	NA	air and water pollution; biodiversity loss; deforestation
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Marine Life Conservation
Ethnic groups	African descent 50%, white 25%, Chinese 25%	mulatto 51%, white 37%, black 11%, Chinese 1%
Exchange rates	Saint Helenian pounds per US dollar - 0.4993 (2007), 0.5434 (2006), 0.5493 (2005), 0.5462 (2004), 0.6125 (2003) note: the Saint Helenian pound is on par with the British pound	Convertible pesos per US dollar - 0.93 note: Cuba has three currencies in circulation: the Cuban peso (CUP), the convertible peso (CUC), and the US dollar (USD), although the dollar is being withdrawn from circulation; in April 2005 the official exchange rate changed from $1 per CUC to $1.08 per CUC (0.93 CUC per $1), both for individuals and enterprises; individuals can buy 24 Cuban pesos (CUP) for each CUC sold, or sell 25 Cuban pesos for each CUC bought; enterprises, however, must exchange CUP and CUC at a 1:1 ratio.
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952) head of government: Governor and Commander in Chief Andrew GURR (since 11 November 2007) cabinet: Executive Council consists of the governor, three ex-officio officers, and five elected members of the Legislative Council elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; governor is appointed by the monarch	chief of state: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers Fidel CASTRO Ruz (prime minister from February 1959 until 24 February 1976 when office was abolished; president since 2 December 1976); First Vice President of the Council of State and First Vice President of the Council of Ministers Gen. Raul CASTRO Ruz (since 2 December 1976) cabinet: Council of Ministers proposed by the president of the Council of State and appointed by the National Assembly or the 31-member Council of State, elected by the Assembly to act on its behalf when it is not in session elections: president and vice presidents elected by the National Assembly for a term of five years; election last held 6 March 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: Fidel CASTRO Ruz reelected president; percent of legislative vote - 100%; Raul CASTRO Ruz elected vice president; percent of legislative vote - 100%
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	fish (frozen, canned, and salt-dried skipjack, tuna), coffee, handicrafts	sugar, nickel, tobacco, fish, medical products, citrus, coffee
Exports - partners	Tanzania 37.7%, US 17.4%, Japan 15.2%, UK 8.4%, Nigeria 4.8%, Spain 4.5% (2006)	Netherlands 25.4%, Canada 20.7%, China 9.8%, Spain 6.8% (2005)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	calendar year
Flag description	blue with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the Saint Helenian shield centered on the outer half of the flag; the shield features a rocky coastline and three-masted sailing ship	five equal horizontal bands of blue (top, center, and bottom) alternating with white; a red equilateral triangle based on the hoist side bears a white, five-pointed star in the center
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: NA% industry: NA% services: NA%	agriculture: 5.5% industry: 26.1% services: 68.4% (2005 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	NA%	8% (2005 est.)
Geographic coordinates	Saint Helena: 15 57 S, 5 42 W Ascension Island: 7 57 S, 14 22 W Tristan da Cunha island group: 37 15 S, 12 30 W	21 30 N, 80 00 W
Geography - note	Saint Helena harbors at least 40 species of plants unknown anywhere else in the world; Ascension is a breeding ground for sea turtles and sooty terns; Queen Mary's Peak on Tristan da Cunha is the highest island mountain in the South Atlantic and a prominent landmark on the sea lanes around southern Africa	largest country in Caribbean and westernmost island of the Greater Antilles
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	territorial waters and air space serve as transshipment zone for US and European-bound drugs; established the death penalty for certain drug-related crimes in 1999
Imports	64.07 bbl/day (2004)	NA bbl/day
Imports - commodities	food, beverages, tobacco, fuel oils, animal feed, building materials, motor vehicles and parts, machinery and parts	petroleum, food, machinery and equipment, chemicals
Imports - partners	UK 53.5%, South Africa 14.3%, Spain 10.3%, Tanzania 8.5%, US 4.6% (2006)	China 14.9%, Spain 13.9%, Canada 8.6%, US 8.5%, Germany 7.4%, Italy 5.7%, Mexico 5.2%, Japan 4.1% (2005)
Independence	none (overseas territory of the UK)	20 May 1902 (from Spain 10 December 1898; administered by the US from 1898 to 1902)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	5.1% (2005 est.)
Industries	construction, crafts (furniture, lacework, fancy woodwork), fishing, philatelic sales	sugar, petroleum, tobacco, construction, nickel, steel, cement, agricultural machinery, pharmaceuticals
Infant mortality rate	total: 17.67 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.98 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: 6.22 deaths/1,000 live births male: 6.99 deaths/1,000 live births female: 5.41 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	3.2% (1997 est.)	7% (2005 est.)
International organization participation	UPU	ACP, FAO, G-77, IAEA, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), IPU, ISO, ITU, LAES, LAIA, NAM, OAS (excluded from formal participation since 1962), OPANAL, OPCW, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	8,700 sq km (2003)
Judicial branch	Magistrate's Court; Supreme Court; Court of Appeal	People's Supreme Court or Tribunal Supremo Popular (president, vice president, and other judges are elected by the National Assembly)
Labor force	2,486 note: 1,200 work offshore (1998 est.)	4.6 million note: state sector 78%, non-state sector 22% (2005 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 6% industry: 48% services: 46% (1987 est.)	agriculture: 21.2% industry: 14.4% services: 64.4% (2004)
Land boundaries	0 km	total: 29 km border countries: US Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay 29 km note: Guantanamo Naval Base is leased by the US and remains part of Cuba
Land use	arable land: 12.9% permanent crops: 0% other: 87.1% (2005)	arable land: 27.63% permanent crops: 6.54% other: 65.83% (2005)
Languages	English	Spanish
Legal system	English common law and statutes, supplemented by local statutes	based on Spanish and American law, with large elements of Communist legal theory; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
Legislative branch	unicameral Legislative Council (16 seats, including the speaker, three ex officio and 12 elected members; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 31 August 2005 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 12	unicameral National Assembly of People's Power or Asemblea Nacional del Poder Popular (609 seats, elected directly from slates approved by special candidacy commissions; members serve five-year terms) elections: last held 19 January 2003 (next to be held in 2008) election results: percent of vote - PCC 97.6%; seats - PCC 609
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 78.09 years male: 75.19 years female: 81.15 years (2007 est.)	total population: 77.41 years male: 75.11 years female: 79.85 years (2006 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 20 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97% female: 98% (1987 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97% male: 97.2% female: 96.9% (2003 est.)
Location	islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, about midway between South America and Africa; Ascension Island lies 700 nm northwest of Saint Helena; Tristan da Cunha lies 2300 nm southwest of Saint Helena	Caribbean, island between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, 150 km south of Key West, Florida
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 11 ships (1000 GRT or over) 33,932 GRT/48,791 DWT by type: bulk carrier 2, cargo 2, chemical tanker 1, passenger 1, petroleum tanker 3, refrigerated cargo 2 foreign-owned: 1 (Spain 1) registered in other countries: 17 (Bahamas 1, Cyprus 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Panama 11, Spain 1, unknown 1) (2006)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	Moscow, for decades the key military supporter and supplier of Cuba, cut off almost all military aid by 1993
Military branches	-	Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR): Revolutionary Army (ER), Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR), Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR), Youth Labor Army (EJT) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$694 million (2005 est.)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	1.8% (2005 est.)
National holiday	Birthday of Queen ELIZABETH II, second Saturday in June (1926)	Independence Day, 10 December (1898); note - 10 December 1898 is the date of independence from Spain, 20 May 1902 is the date of independence from US administration; Rebellion Day, 26 July (1953)
Nationality	noun: Saint Helenian(s) adjective: Saint Helenian note: referred to locally as "Saints"	noun: Cuban(s) adjective: Cuban
Natural hazards	active volcanism on Tristan da Cunha, last eruption in 1961	the east coast is subject to hurricanes from August to November (in general, the country averages about one hurricane every other year); droughts are common
Natural resources	fish, lobster	cobalt, nickel, iron ore, chromium, copper, salt, timber, silica, petroleum, arable land
Net migration rate	0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	-1.57 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)
People - note	-	illicit migration is a continuing problem; Cubans attempt to depart the island and enter the US using homemade rafts, alien smugglers, direct flights, or falsified visas; Cubans also use non-maritime routes to enter the US including direct flights to Miami and over-land via the southwest border
Pipelines	-	gas 49 km; oil 230 km (2006)
Political parties and leaders	none	only party - Cuban Communist Party or PCC [Fidel CASTRO Ruz, first secretary]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	7,543 note: only Saint Helena, Ascension, and Tristan da Cunha islands are inhabited (July 2007 est.)	11,382,820 (July 2006 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	0.53% (2007 est.)	0.31% (2006 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	Saint Helena: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 0 Ascension: AM 1, FM 1, shortwave 1 (2005)	AM 169, FM 55, shortwave 1 (1998)
Railways	-	total: 4,226 km standard gauge: 4,226 km 1.435-m gauge (140 km electrified) note: an additional 7,742 km of track is used by sugar plantations; about 65% of this track is standard gauge; the rest is narrow gauge (2005)
Religions	Anglican (majority), Baptist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic	nominally 85% Roman Catholic prior to CASTRO assuming power; Protestants, Jehovah's Witnesses, Jews, and Santeria are also represented
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.036 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.056 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.863 male(s)/female total population: 1.031 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.85 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2006 est.)
Suffrage	NA years of age	16 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: can communicate worldwide domestic: automatic digital network international: country code (Saint Helena) - 290, (Ascension Island) - 247; international direct dialing; satellite voice and data communications; satellite earth stations - 5 (Ascension Island - 4, Saint Helena - 1)	general assessment: greater investment beginning in 1994 and the establishment of a new Ministry of Information Technology and Communications in 2000 has resulted in improvements in the system; wireless service is expensive and remains restricted to foreigners and regime elites, many Cubans procure wireless service illegally with the help of foreigners domestic: national fiber-optic system under development; 85% of switches digitized by end of 2004; telephone line density remains low, at less than 10 per 100 inhabitants; domestic cellular service expanding international: country code - 53; fiber-optic cable laid to but not linked to US network; satellite earth station - 1 Intersputnik (Atlantic Ocean region)
Telephones - main lines in use	2,200 (2002)	849,900 (2005)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	134,500 (2005)
Television broadcast stations	0 (3 television channels are received via satellite and distributed by UHF) (2005)	58 (1997)
Terrain	the islands of this group result from volcanic activity associated with the Atlantic Mid-Ocean Ridge Saint Helena: rugged, volcanic; small scattered plateaus and plains Ascension: surface covered by lava flows and cinder cones of 44 dormant volcanoes; ground rises to the east Tristan da Cunha: sheer cliffs line the coastline of the nearly circular island; the flanks of the central volcanic peak are deeply dissected; narrow coastal plain lies between The Peak and the coastal cliffs	mostly flat to rolling plains, with rugged hills and mountains in the southeast
Total fertility rate	1.55 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.66 children born/woman (2006 est.)
Transportation - note	there is no air connection to Saint Helena or Tristan da Cunha; an international airport for Saint Helena is in development for 2010	-
Unemployment rate	14% (1998 est.)	1.9% (2005 est.)
Waterways	-	240 km (2005)

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