Compare Saudi Arabia (2005) - British Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare Saudi Arabia (2005) z British Virgin Islands (2004)

	Saudi Arabia (2005)	British Virgin Islands (2004)

Administrative divisions	13 provinces (mintaqat, singular - mintaqah); Al Bahah, Al Hudud ash Shamaliyah, Al Jawf, Al Madinah, Al Qasim, Ar Riyad, Ash Sharqiyah (Eastern Province), 'Asir, Ha'il, Jizan, Makkah, Najran, Tabuk	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	0-14 years: 38.2% (male 5,149,960/female 4,952,138) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 8,992,348/female 6,698,633) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 334,694/female 289,826) (2005 est.)	0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361) 15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911) 65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	201 (2004 est.)	3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 72 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 23 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2004 est.)	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 129 over 3047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 72 914 to 1,523 m: 39 under 914 m: 12 (2004 est.)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 1,960,582 sq km land: 1,960,582 sq km water: 0 sq km	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	slightly more than one-fifth the size of the US	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	In 1902, ABD AL-AZIZ bin Abd al-Rahman Al Saud captured Riyadh and set out on a 30-year campaign to unify the Arabian Peninsula. A son of ABD AL-AZIZ rules the country today, and the country's Basic Law stipulates that the throne shall remain in the hands of the aging sons and grandsons of the kingdom's founder. Following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990, Saudi Arabia accepted the Kuwaiti royal family and 400,000 refugees while allowing Western and Arab troops to deploy on its soil for the liberation of Kuwait the following year. The continuing presence of foreign troops on Saudi soil after Operation Desert Storm remained a source of tension between the royal family and the public until the US military's near-complete withdrawal to neighboring Qatar in 2003. The first major terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia in several years, which occurred in May and November 2003, prompted renewed efforts on the part of the Saudi government to counter domestic terrorism and extremism, which also coincided with a slight upsurge in media freedom and announcement of government plans to phase in partial political representation. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.	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	29.56 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)	14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	revenues: $104.8 billion expenditures: $78.66 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital	Riyadh	Road Town
Climate	harsh, dry desert with great temperature extremes	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	2,640 km	80 km
Constitution	governed according to Shari'a (Islamic law); the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993	1 June 1977
Country name	conventional long form: Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conventional short form: Saudi Arabia local long form: Al Mamlakah al Arabiyah as Suudiyah local short form: Al Arabiyah as Suudiyah	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	2.62 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external	$34.35 billion (2004 est.)	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador James Curtis OBERWETTER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy Riyadh, Unit 61307, APO AE 09803-1307; International Mail: P. O. Box 94309, Riyadh 11693 telephone: [966] (1) 488-3800 FAX: [966] (1) 488-3989 consulate(s) general: Dhahran, Jiddah (Jeddah)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Turki al-Faysal bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud chancery: 601 New Hampshire Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20037 telephone: [1] (202) 342-3800 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, and New York	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	despite resistance from nomadic groups, the demarcation of the Saudi Arabia-Yemen boundary established under the 2000 Jeddah Treaty is almost complete; Yemen protests Saudi erection of a concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities in sections of the boundary; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; because the treaties have not been made public, the exact alignment of the boundary with the UAE is still unknown	none
Economic aid - donor	pledged $100 million in 1993 to fund reconstruction of Lebanon; since 2000, Saudi Arabia has committed $307 million for assistance to the Palestinians; pledged $240 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq	-
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
Economy - overview	This is an oil-based economy with strong government controls over major economic activities. Saudi Arabia possesses 25% of the world's proven petroleum reserves, ranks as the largest exporter of petroleum, and plays a leading role in OPEC. The petroleum sector accounts for roughly 75% of budget revenues, 45% of GDP, and 90% of export earnings. About 40% of GDP comes from the private sector. Roughly five and a half million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, for example, in the oil and service sectors. The government in 1999 announced plans to begin privatizing the electricity companies, which follows the ongoing privatization of the telecommunications company. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. Priorities for government spending in the short term include additional funds for education and for the water and sewage systems. Economic reforms proceed cautiously because of deep-rooted political and social conservatism.	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. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. 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	128.5 billion kWh (2002)	35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2002)	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	138.2 billion kWh (2002)	38.1 million kWh (2001)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Persian Gulf 0 m highest point: Jabal Sawda' 3,133 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	desertification; depletion of underground water resources; the lack of perennial rivers or permanent water bodies has prompted the development of extensive seawater desalination facilities; coastal pollution from oil spills	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)
Environment - international agreements	party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	-
Ethnic groups	Arab 90%, Afro-Asian 10%	black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates	Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.745 (2004), 3.745 (2003), 3.745 (2002), 3.745 (2001), 3.745 (2000)	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: King and Prime Minister ABDALLAH bin Abd al-Aziz Al Saud (since 1 August 2005); Heir Apparent Crown Prince SULTAN bin Abd al- Aziz Al Saud (half brother of the monarch, born 5 January 1928) note - the monarch is both the chief of state and head of government cabinet: Council of Ministers is appointed by the monarch and includes many royal family members elections: note - in October 2003, Council of Ministers announced its intent to introduce elections for half of the members of local and provincial assemblies and a third of the members of the national Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura, incrementally over a period of four to five years; in November 2004, the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs initiated voter registration for partial municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April 2005	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002) head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003) 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	7.92 million bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	petroleum and petroleum products 90%	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	US 18.2%, Japan 14.9%, South Korea 9.5%, China 6.1%, Taiwan 4.5%, Singapore 4.1% (2004)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year	1 March - 28 February	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	green, a traditional color in Islamic flags, with the Shahada or Muslim creed in large white Arabic script (translated as "There is no god but God; Muhammad is the Messenger of God") above a white horizontal saber (the tip points to the hoist side); design dates to the early twentieth century and is closely associated with the Al Saud family which established the kingdom in 1932	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 - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 4.2% industry: 67.2% services: 28.6% (2004 est.)	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	purchasing power parity - $12,000 (2004 est.)	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5% (2004 est.)	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	25 00 N, 45 00 E	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	extensive coastlines on Persian Gulf and Red Sea provide great leverage on shipping (especially crude oil) through Persian Gulf and Suez Canal	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports	5 (2004 est.)	-
Highways	total: 152,044 km paved: 45,461 km unpaved: 106,583 km (2000)	total: 177 km paved: 177 km unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Illicit drugs	death penalty for traffickers; increasing consumption of heroin, cocaine, and hashish; not a major money-laundering center, improving anti-money-laundering legislation	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	0 bbl/day (2003)	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	US 15.3%, Japan 9.8%, Germany 8.1%, China 6.6%, UK 5.7% (2004)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence	23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	2.8% (2004 est.)	NA
Industries	crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals, ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, construction, fertilizer, plastics, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	total: 13.24 deaths/1,000 live births male: 15.19 deaths/1,000 live births female: 11.18 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)	total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.8% (2004 est.)	2.5% (2002)
International organization participation	ABEDA, AfDB, AFESD, AMF, BIS, FAO, G-77, GCC, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO (observer)	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	16,200 sq km (1998 est.)	NA sq km
Judicial branch	Supreme Council of Justice	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	6.62 million note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2004 est.)	4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture 12%, industry 25%, services 63% (1999 est.)	agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries	total: 4,431 km border countries: Iraq 814 km, Jordan 744 km, Kuwait 222 km, Oman 676 km, Qatar 60 km, UAE 457 km, Yemen 1,458 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 1.67% permanent crops: 0.09% other: 98.24% (2001)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages	Arabic	English (official)
Legal system	based on Islamic law, several secular codes have been introduced; commercial disputes handled by special committees; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction	English law
Legislative branch	Consultative Council or Majlis al-Shura (120 members and a chairman appointed by the monarch for four-year terms)	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 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.46 years male: 73.46 years female: 77.55 years (2005 est.)	total population: 76.27 years male: 75.24 years female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 78.8% male: 84.7% female: 70.8% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA female: NA
Location	Middle East, bordering the Persian Gulf and the Red Sea, north of Yemen	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Middle East	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 18 nm continental shelf: not specified	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 64 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 1,306,706 GRT/1,963,191 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 12, container 4, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 23, refrigerated cargo 3, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 14 (Egypt 2, Hong Kong 1, Kuwait 5, Singapore 1, Sudan 1, UAE 1, United Kingdom 3) registered in other countries: 54 (2005)	total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: Norway 1 registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Land Force (Army), Navy, Air Force, Air Defense Force, National Guard, Ministry of Interior Forces (paramilitary)	-
Military expenditures - dollar figure	$18 billion (2002)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	10% (2002)	-
National holiday	Unification of the Kingdom, 23 September (1932)	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	noun: Saudi(s) adjective: Saudi or Saudi Arabian	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	frequent sand and dust storms	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, gold, copper	NEGL
Net migration rate	-3.85 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)	10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 212 km; gas 1,780 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,191 km; oil 5,068 km; refined products 1,162 km (2004)	-
Political parties and leaders	none	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	none	NA
Population	26,417,599 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2005 est.)	22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA	NA
Population growth rate	2.31% (2005 est.)	2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	Ad Dammam, Al Jubayl, Jiddah, Yanbu' al Sinaiyah	Road Town
Radio broadcast stations	AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Railways	total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2004)	-
Religions	Muslim 100%	Protestant 86% (Methodist 33%, Anglican 17%, Church of God 9%, Seventh-Day Adventist 6%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 15%), Roman Catholic 10%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.34 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.16 male(s)/female total population: 1.21 male(s)/female (2005 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	adult male citizens age 21 or older note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections scheduled nationwide for February through April 2005	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: modern system domestic: extensive microwave radio relay, coaxial cable, and fiber-optic cable systems international: country code - 966; microwave radio relay to Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Yemen, and Sudan; coaxial cable to Kuwait and Jordan; submarine cable to Djibouti, Egypt and Bahrain; satellite earth stations - 5 Intelsat (3 Atlantic Ocean and 2 Indian Ocean), 1 Arabsat, and 1 Inmarsat (Indian Ocean region)	general assessment: worldwide telephone service domestic: NA international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use	3,502,600 (2003)	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	7,238,200 (2003)	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	117 (1997)	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	mostly uninhabited, sandy desert	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	4.05 children born/woman (2005 est.)	1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	25% (unofficial estimate) (2004 est.)	3% (1995)

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