Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (2001) | Estonia (2003) | |
Administrative divisions | 6 parishes; Charlotte, Grenadines, Saint Andrew, Saint David, Saint George, Saint Patrick | 15 counties (maakonnad, singular - maakond): Harjumaa (Tallinn), Hiiumaa (Kardla), Ida-Virumaa (Johvi), Jarvamaa (Paide), Jogevamaa (Jogeva), Laanemaa (Haapsalu), Laane-Virumaa (Rakvere), Parnumaa (Parnu), Polvamaa (Polva), Raplamaa (Rapla), Saaremaa (Kuressaare), Tartumaa (Tartu), Valgamaa (Valga), Viljandimaa (Viljandi), Vorumaa (Voru)
note: counties have the administrative center name following in parentheses |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
29.61% (male 17,466; female 16,865) 15-64 years: 64.04% (male 38,074; female 36,179) 65 years and over: 6.35% (male 3,162; female 4,196) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 15.8% (male 113,239; female 108,876)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 467,041; female 501,805) 65 years and over: 15.4% (male 71,512; female 146,083) (2003 est.) |
Agriculture - products | bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, spices; small numbers of cattle, sheep, pigs, goats; fish | potatoes, vegetables; livestock and dairy products; fish |
Airports | 6 (2000 est.) | 38 (2002) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
5 914 to 1,523 m: 3 under 914 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 14
2,438 to 3,047 m: 9 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 under 914 m: 4 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | total:
1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 24
over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 7 914 to 1,523 m: 5 under 914 m: 6 (2002) |
Area | total:
389 sq km (Saint Vincent 344 sq km) land: 389 sq km water: 0 sq km |
total: 45,226 sq km
land: 43,211 sq km water: 2,015 sq km note: includes 1,520 islands in the Baltic Sea |
Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than New Hampshire and Vermont combined |
Background | Disputed between France and Great Britain in the 18th century, Saint Vincent was ceded to the latter in 1783. Autonomy was granted in 1969, and independence in 1979. | After centuries of Danish, Swedish, German, and Russian rule, Estonia attained independence in 1918. Forcibly incorporated into the USSR in 1940, it regained its freedom in 1991, with the collapse of the Soviet Union. Since the last Russian troops left in 1994, Estonia has been free to promote economic and political ties with Western Europe. Estonia received invitations to join NATO and the EU in 2002. |
Birth rate | 17.91 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 9.24 births/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$85.7 million expenditures: $98.6 million, including capital expenditures of $25.7 million (1997 est.) |
revenues: $1.89 billion
expenditures: $1.89 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2002 est.) |
Capital | Kingstown | Tallinn |
Climate | tropical; little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season (May to November) | maritime, wet, moderate winters, cool summers |
Coastline | 84 km | 3,794 km |
Constitution | 27 October 1979 | adopted 28 June 1992 |
Country name | conventional long form:
none conventional short form: Saint Vincent and the Grenadines |
conventional long form: Republic of Estonia
conventional short form: Estonia local long form: Eesti Vabariik local short form: Eesti former: Estonian Soviet Socialist Republic |
Currency | East Caribbean dollar (XCD) | Estonian kroon (EEK) |
Death rate | 6.16 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 13.42 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Debt - external | $99.3 million (1998) | $3.3 billion (2001 est.) |
Diplomatic representation from the US | the US does not have an embassy in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; the US Ambassador in Barbados is accredited to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph M. DeTHOMAS
embassy: Kentmanni 20, 15099 Tallinn mailing address: use embassy street address telephone: [372] 668-8100 FAX: [372] 668-8134 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | chief of mission:
Ambassador Ellsworth JOHN chancery: 3216 New Mexico Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20016 telephone: [1] (202) 364-6730 FAX: [1] (202) 364-6736 |
chief of mission: Ambassador Juri LUIK
chancery: 1730 M Street NW, Suite 503, Washington, DC 20036 telephone: [1] (202) 588-0101 FAX: [1] (202) 588-0108 consulate(s) general: New York |
Disputes - international | none | Russia continues to reject signing and ratifying the joint December 1996 technical border agreement with Estonia |
Economic aid - recipient | $47.5 million (1995); note - EU $34.5 million (1998) | $108 million (2000) |
Economy - overview | Agriculture, dominated by banana production, is the most important sector of this lower-middle-income economy. The services sector, based mostly on a growing tourist industry, is also important. The government has been relatively unsuccessful at introducing new industries, and a high unemployment rate persists. The continuing dependence on a single crop represents the biggest obstacle to the islands' development; tropical storms wiped out substantial portions of crops in both 1994 and 1995. The tourism sector has considerable potential for development over the next decade. Recent growth has been stimulated by strong activity in the construction sector and an improvement in tourism. There is a small manufacturing sector and a small offshore financial sector whose particularly restrictive secrecy laws have caused some international concern. | Estonia, as a new member of the World Trade Organization, is steadily moving toward a modern market economy with increasing ties to the West, including the pegging of its currency to the euro. The economy benefits from strong electronics and telecoms sectors. A major goal is accession to the EU, possibly by 2004. The economy is greatly influenced by developments in Finland, Sweden, and Germany, three major trading partners. The high current account deficit remains a concern. |
Electricity - consumption | 76.3 million kWh (1999) | 6.192 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 1.19 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 0 kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production | 82 million kWh (1999) | 7.937 billion kWh (2001) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
73.17% hydro: 26.83% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 99.8%
hydro: 0.1% nuclear: 0% other: 0.2% (2001) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Soufriere 1,234 m |
lowest point: Baltic Sea 0 m
highest point: Suur Munamagi 318 m |
Environment - current issues | pollution of coastal waters and shorelines from discharges by pleasure yachts and other effluents; in some areas, pollution is severe enough to make swimming prohibitive | air polluted with sulfur dioxide from oil-shale burning power plants in northeast; however, the amount of pollutants emitted to the air have fallen steadily, the emissions of 2000 were 80% less than in 1980; the amount of unpurified wastewater discharged to water bodies in 2000 was one twentieth the level of 1980; in connection with the start-up of new water purification plants, the pollution load of wastewater decreased; Estonia has more than 1,400 natural and manmade lakes, the smaller of which in agricultural areas need to be monitored; coastal seawater is polluted in certain locations |
Environment - international agreements | party to:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Whaling signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
party to: Air Pollution, Air Pollution-Nitrogen Oxides, Air Pollution-Sulphur 85, Air Pollution-Volatile Organic Compounds, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Ship Pollution, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol |
Ethnic groups | black 66%, mixed 19%, East Indian 6%, Carib Amerindian 2% | Estonian 65.3%, Russian 28.1%, Ukrainian 2.5%, Belarusian 1.5%, Finn 1%, other 1.6% (1998) |
Exchange rates | East Caribbean dollars per US dollar - 2.7000 (fixed rate since 1976) | krooni per US dollar - 16.61 (2002), 17.56 (2001), 16.97 (2000), 14.68 (1999), 14.07 (1998) |
Executive branch | chief of state:
Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor General David JACK (since 29 September 1989) head of government: Prime Minister Ralph GONSALVES (since 29 March 2001) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; the governor general is appointed by the monarch; following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party is usually appointed prime minister by the governor general; deputy prime minister appointed by the governor general on the advice of the prime minister |
chief of state: President Arnold RUUTEL (since 8 October 2001)
head of government: Prime Minister Juhan PARTS (since 10 April 2003) cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the prime minister, approved by Parliament elections: president elected by Parliament for a five-year term; if he or she does not secure two-thirds of the votes after three rounds of balloting in the Parliament, then an electoral assembly (made up of Parliament plus members of local governments) elects the president, choosing between the two candidates with the largest percentage of votes; election last held 21 September 2001 (next to be held in the fall of 2006); prime minister nominated by the president and approved by Parliament election results: Arnold RUUTEL elected president on 21 September 2001 by a 367-member electoral assembly that convened following Parliament's failure in August to elect then-President MERI's successor; on the second ballot of voting, RUUTEL received 188 votes to Parliament Speaker Toomas SAVI's 155; the remaining 24 ballots were either left blank or invalid |
Exports | $53.7 million (2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Exports - commodities | bananas 39%, eddoes and dasheen (taro), arrowroot starch, tennis racquets | machinery and equipment 33%, wood and paper 15%, textiles 14%, food products 8%, furniture 7%, metals, chemical products (2001) |
Exports - partners | Caricom countries 49%, UK 16%, US 10% (1995) | Finland 19.2%, Sweden 13.2%, UK 10.6%, Latvia 7.4%, Germany 7.2% (2002) |
Fiscal year | calendar year | calendar year |
Flag description | three vertical bands of blue (hoist side), gold (double width), and green; the gold band bears three green diamonds arranged in a V pattern | pre-1940 flag restored by Supreme Soviet in May 1990 - three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), black, and white |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $322 million (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $15.52 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
10.6% industry: 17.5% services: 71.9% (1996 est.) |
agriculture: 5.8%
industry: 28.6% services: 65.6% (2001) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $2,800 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $11,000 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | 2% (2000 est.) | 6% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 13 15 N, 61 12 W | 59 00 N, 26 00 E |
Geography - note | the administration of the islands of the Grenadines group is divided between Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada | the mainland terrain is flat, boggy, and partly wooded; offshore lie more than 1,500 islands |
Highways | total:
1,040 km paved: 320 km unpaved: 720 km (1996) |
total: 51,411 km
paved: 10,334 km (including 94 km of expressways) unpaved: 41,077 km (2000) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: 3%
highest 10%: 29.8% (1998) |
Illicit drugs | transshipment point for South American drugs destined for the US and Europe | transshipment point for opiates and cannabis from Southwest Asia and the Caucasus via Russia, cocaine from Latin America to Western Europe and Scandinavia, and synthetic drugs from Western Europe to Scandinavia; increasing domestic drug abuse problem; possible precursor manufacturing and/or trafficking |
Imports | $185.6 million (2000 est.) | NA (2001) |
Imports - commodities | foodstuffs, machinery and equipment, chemicals and fertilizers, minerals and fuels | machinery and equipment 33.5%, chemical products 11.6%, textiles 10.3%, foodstuffs 9.4%, transportation equipment 8.9% (2001) |
Imports - partners | US 36%, Caricom countries 28%, UK 13% (1995) | Russia 26.6%, Finland 18.9%, Germany 9.2%, Sweden 8.2% (2002) |
Independence | 27 October 1979 (from UK) | regained on 20 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) |
Industrial production growth rate | -0.9% (1997 est.) | 5% (2000 est.) |
Industries | food processing, cement, furniture, clothing, starch | engineering, electronics, wood and wood products, textile; information technology, telecommunications |
Infant mortality rate | 16.61 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | total: 12.03 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 13.88 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 2% (1999 est.) | 3.7% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | ACP, C, Caricom, CDB, ECLAC, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat (nonsignatory user), Interpol, IOC, ITU, OAS, OECS, OPANAL, OPCW, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WTrO | BIS, CBSS, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNMIBH, UNTSO, UPU, WCO, WEU (associate partner), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 15 (2000) | 38 (2001) |
Irrigated land | 10 sq km (1993 est.) | 40 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court (based on Saint Lucia; one judge of the Supreme Court resides in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) | National Court (chairman appointed by Parliament for life) |
Labor force | 67,000 (1984 est.) | 608,600 (2001 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 26%, industry 17%, services 57% (1980 est.) | industry 20%, agriculture 11%, services 69% (1999 est.) |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 633 km
border countries: Latvia 339 km, Russia 294 km |
Land use | arable land:
10% permanent crops: 18% permanent pastures: 5% forests and woodland: 36% other: 31% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 26.5%
permanent crops: 0.35% other: 73.15% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English, French patois | Estonian (official), Russian, Ukrainian, Finnish, other |
Legal system | based on English common law | based on civil law system; no judicial review of legislative acts |
Legislative branch | unicameral House of Assembly (21 seats, 15 elected representatives and 6 appointed senators; representatives are elected by popular vote from single-member constituencies to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 28 March 2001 (next to be held by NA March 2006) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - ULP 12, NDP 3 |
unicameral Parliament or Riigikogu (101 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms)
elections: last held 2 March 2003 (next to be held NA March 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - Center Party 25.4%, Res Publica 24.6%, Reform Party 17.7%, Estonian People's Union 13%, Pro Patria Union (Fatherland League) 7.3% People's Party Moodukad 7%; seats by party - Center Party 28, Res Publica 28, Reform Party 19, Estonian People's Union 13, Pro Patria Union 7, People's Party Moodukad 6 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
72.56 years male: 70.83 years female: 74.34 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 70.31 years
male: 64.36 years female: 76.57 years (2003 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
age 15 and over has ever attended school total population: 96% male: 96% female: 96% (1970 est.) |
definition: age 15 and over can read and write
total population: 99.8% male: 99.8% female: 99.8% (2003 est.) |
Location | Caribbean, islands in the Caribbean Sea, north of Trinidad and Tobago | Eastern Europe, bordering the Baltic Sea and Gulf of Finland, between Latvia and Russia |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | contiguous zone:
24 NM continental shelf: 200 NM exclusive economic zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
exclusive economic zone: limits fixed in coordination with neighboring states
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | total:
800 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 6,705,336 GRT/10,134,002 DWT ships by type: barge carrier 1, bulk 131, cargo 395, chemical tanker 29, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 1, container 46, liquefied gas 7, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 4, passenger 2, petroleum tanker 56, refrigerated cargo 42, roll on/roll off 49, short-sea passenger 11, specialized tanker 10, vehicle carrier 1 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: China 4, Ireland 1, France 1, Greece 3, Hong Kong 1, Croatia 10, India 1, Japan 2, Monaco 1, Netherlands 1, Norway 2, Netherlands Antilles 1, Pakistan 1, Russia 1, Slovenia 5, UAE 1 (2000 est.) |
total: 33 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 200,807 GRT/169,899 DWT
ships by type: bulk 2, cargo 13, container 5, petroleum tanker 2, roll on/roll off 6, short-sea passenger 5 note: includes a foreign-owned ship registered here as a flag of convenience: Liberia 1 (2002 est.) |
Military branches | Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force (includes Special Service Unit), Coast Guard | Estonia Defense Forces (including Ground Forces, Navy, Air Force), Republic Security Forces (internal and border troops), Volunteer Defense League (Kaitseliit), Maritime Border Guard, Coast Guard
note: Border Guards and Ministry of Internal Affairs become part of the Estonian Defense Forces in wartime; the Coast Guard is subordinate to the Ministry of Defense in peacetime and the Estonian Navy in wartime |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | $NA | $155 million (2002 est.) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | NA% | 2% (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 360,440 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 283,278 (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 18 years of age (2003 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 11,123 (2003 est.) |
National holiday | Independence Day, 27 October (1979) | Independence Day, 24 February (1918); note - 24 February 1918 was the date of independence from Soviet Russia, 20 August 1991 was the date of reindependence from the Soviet Union |
Nationality | noun:
Saint Vincentian(s) or Vincentian(s) adjective: Saint Vincentian or Vincentian |
noun: Estonian(s)
adjective: Estonian |
Natural hazards | hurricanes; Soufriere volcano on the island of Saint Vincent is a constant threat | sometimes flooding occurs in the spring |
Natural resources | hydropower, cropland | oil shale, peat, phosphorite, clay, limestone, sand, dolomite, arable land, sea mud |
Net migration rate | -7.72 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -0.71 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.) |
Pipelines | - | gas 859 km (2003) |
Political parties and leaders | National Reform Party or NRP [Joel MIGUEL]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Arnhim EUSTACE]; People's Progressive Movement or PPM [Ken BOYEA]; Progressive Labor Party or PLP [leader NA]; United People's Movement or UPM [Adrian SAUNDERS]; Unity Labor Party or ULP [Ralph GONSALVES] (formed by the coalition of Saint Vincent Labor Party or SVLP and the Movement for National Unity or MNU) | Center Party of Estonia (Keskerakond) [Edgar SAVISAAR, chairman]; Estonian People's Union (Rahvaliit) [Villu REILJAN]; Estonian Reform Party (Reformierakond) [Siim KALLAS]; Estonian United Russian People's Party or EUVRP [leader NA]; Moderates (Moodukad) [Ivari PADAR]; Pro Patria Union (Isamaaliit) [Tunne KELAM, chairman]; Res Publica [Juhan PARTS]; Russian Baltic Party [Sergei IVANOV] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 115,942 (July 2001 est.) | 1,408,556 (July 2003 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | NA% (2000) |
Population growth rate | 0.4% (2001 est.) | -0.49% (2003 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Kingstown | Haapsalu, Kunda, Muuga, Paldiski, Parnu, Tallinn |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 1, FM 3, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 0, FM 98, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Radios | 77,000 (1997) | - |
Railways | 0 km | total: 968 km
broad gauge: 968 km 1.520-m/1.524-m gauge (132 km electrified) note:: gauge being increased from 1.520-m to 1.524-m to reduce wear on wheels and rail as lines are modernized (2002) |
Religions | Anglican 47%, Methodist 28%, Roman Catholic 13%, Seventh-Day Adventist, Hindu, other Protestant | Evangelical Lutheran, Russian Orthodox, Estonian Orthodox, Baptist, Methodist, Seventh-Day Adventist, Roman Catholic, Pentecostal, Word of Life, Jewish |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.03 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 1.03 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.49 male(s)/female total population: 0.86 male(s)/female (2003 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal | 18 years of age; universal for all Estonian citizens |
Telephone system | general assessment:
adequate system domestic: islandwide, fully automatic telephone system; VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to the other islands of the Grenadines international: VHF/UHF radiotelephone from Saint Vincent to Barbados; new SHF radiotelephone to Grenada and to Saint Lucia; access to Intelsat earth station in Martinique through Saint Lucia |
general assessment: foreign investment in the form of joint business ventures greatly improved telephone service; substantial fiber-optic cable systems carry telephone, TV, and radio traffic in the digital mode; internet services are available throughout most of the country - only about 11,000 subscriber requests were unfilled by September 2000
domestic: a wide range of high quality voice, data, and internet services is available throughout the country international: fiber-optic cables to Finland, Sweden, Latvia, and Russia provide worldwide packet-switched service; two international switches are located in Tallinn (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | 20,500 (1998) | 501,691 (2000) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | NA | 711,000 (yearend 2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 1 (plus three repeaters) (1997) | 3 (2001) |
Terrain | volcanic, mountainous | marshy, lowlands; flat in the north, hilly in the south |
Total fertility rate | 2.06 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 1.27 children born/woman (2003 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 22% (1997 est.) | 12.4% (2001) |
Waterways | none | 320 km (perennially navigable) (2002) |