Compare Saint Martin (2008) - British Virgin Islands (2002)

Compare Saint Martin (2008) z British Virgin Islands (2002)

	Saint Martin (2008)	British Virgin Islands (2002)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 22.4% (male 2,401; female 2,351) 15-64 years: 72.7% (male 7,962; female 7,509) 65 years and over: 4.9% (male 565; female 484) (2002 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	1	3 (2001)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Area	total: 54.4 sq km land: 54.4 sq km water: NEGL	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 island of Anegada
Area - comparative	more than one-third the size of Washington, DC	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	Although sighted by Christopher COLUMBUS in 1493 and claimed for Spain, it was the Dutch who occupied the island in 1631 and set about exploiting its salt deposits. The Spanish retook the island in 1633, but continued to be harassed by the Dutch. The Spanish finally relinquished St. Martin to the French and Dutch, who divided it amongst themselves in 1648. The cultivation of sugar cane introduced slavery to the island in the late 18th century; the practice was not abolished until 1848. The island became a free port in 1939; the tourism industry was dramatically expanded during the 1970s and 1980s. In 2003, the populace of St. Martin voted to secede from Guadeloupe and in 2007, the northern portion of the island became a French overseas collectivity.	First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 by the English. 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	-	15.09 births/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital	name: Marigot geographical coordinates: 18 04 N, 63 05 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour behind Washington, DC, during Standard Time) daylight savings: +1 hour	Road Town
Climate	temperature averages 80-85 degrees all year long; low humidity, gentle trade winds, brief, intense rain showers; July-Novemeber is the hurricane season	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	58.9 km (for entire island)	80 km
Constitution	4 October 1958 (French Constitution)	1 June 1977
Country name	conventional long form: Overseas Collectivity of Saint Martin conventional short form: Saint Martin local long form: Collectivity d'outre mer de Saint-Martin local short form: Saint-Martin	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	-	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Debt - external	-	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	overseas collectivity of France	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas collectivity of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas collectivity of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	-	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
Economy - overview	The economy of Saint Martin centers around tourism with 85% of the labor force engaged in this sector. Over one million visitors come to the island each year with most arriving through the Princess Juliana International Airport in Sint Maarten. No significant agriculture and limited local fishing means that almost all food must be imported. Energy resources and manufactured goods are also imported, primarily from Mexico and the United States. Saint Martin is reported to have the highest per capita income in the Caribbean.	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. 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, is expected to make 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 dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption	-	39.1 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (1999)
Electricity - production	-	42 million kWh (1999)
Electricity - production by source	-	fossil fuel: 100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Caribbean Ocean 0 m highest point: Pic du Paradis 424 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	fresh water supply is dependent on desalinization of sea water	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)
Ethnic groups	creole (mulatto), black, Guadeloupe Mestizo (French-East Asia), white, East Indian	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	euros per US dollar - 0.7345 (2007), 0.7964 (2006), 0.8041 (2005), 0.8054 (2004), 0.886 (2003)	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: President Nicolas SARKOZY (since 16 May 2007), represented by Prefect Dominique LACROIX (since 21 March 2007) head of government: President of the Territorial Council Louis-Constant FLEMING (since 16 July 2007) cabinet: Executive Council; note - there is also an advisory economic, social, and cultural council election: French president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of Interior; president of the Territorial Council is elected by the members of the Council for a five-year term election results: Louis-Constant FLEMING unanimously elected president by the Territorial Council on 16 July 2007	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 15 May 1995) 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	-	$6.2 million
Exports - commodities	-	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	the flag of France is used	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	-	purchasing power parity - $311 million (2000 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 1% industry: 15% services: 84% (2000)	agriculture: 2% industry: 6% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	4.4% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	18 05 N, 63 57 W	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	the island of Saint Martin is the smallest landmass in the World shared by two independent states, the French territory of Saint Martin and the Dutch territory of Sint Maarten	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways	-	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center
Imports	-	$230 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	crude petroleum, food, manufactured items	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	US, Mexico (2006)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence	none (overseas collectivity of France)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	4% (1985)
Industries	tourism, light industry and manufacturing, heavy industry	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	-	19.55 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	3.3% (2000)
International organization participation	UPU	Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	16 (2000)
Irrigated land	-	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	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	-	4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation	85% directly or indirectly employed in tourist industry	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries	total: 15 km border countries: Netherlands Antilles (Sint Maarten) 15 km	0 km
Land use	-	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
Languages	French (official language), English, Dutch, French Patois, Spanish, Papiamento (dialect of Netherlands Antilles)	English (official)
Legal system	the laws of France, where applicable, apply	English law
Legislative branch	unicameral Territorial Council (23 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 1 and 8 July 2007 (next to be held July 2012) election results: percent of seats by party - UPP 49%, RRR 42.2%, Reussir Saint-Martin 8.9%; seats by party - UPP 16, RRR 6, Reussir Saint-Martin 1	unicameral Legislative Council (13 seats; members are elected by direct popular vote, one member from each of 9 electoral districts, four at-large members; members serve four-year terms) elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 75.85 years male: 74.9 years female: 76.84 years (2002 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	island 300 km southeast of Puerto Rico	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Central America and the Caribbean	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	-	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine	-	total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 70,285 GRT/6,946 DWT ships by type: passenger 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of France	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	Bastille Day, 14 July (1789); note - local holiday is Schoalcher Day (Slavery Abolition Day) 12 July (1848)	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	-	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	-	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	salt	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	10.91 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.)
Political parties and leaders	Union Pour le Progres or UPP [Louis Constant FLEMING]; Rassemblement Responsabilite Reussite or RRR [Alain RICHARDSON]; Reussir Saint-Martin [Jean-Luc HAMLET]	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
Population	33,102 (October 2004 census)	21,272 (July 2002 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.16% (2002 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Road Town
Radio broadcast stations	FM 3 (2007)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	9,000 (1997)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	Roman Catholic, Jehovah's Witness, Protestant, Hindu	Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.04 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.17 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2002 est.)
Suffrage	18 years of age, universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: fully integrated access domestic: direct dial capability with both fixed and wireless systems international: country code - 590; undersea fiber-optic cable provides voice and data connectivity to Puerto Rico and Gudaloupe	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	-	10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	NA
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	-	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	-	1.72 children born/woman (2002 est.)
Transportation - note	nearest airport for international flights is Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) located in Sint Maarten	-
Unemployment rate	-	3% (1995)
Waterways	-	none

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