Compare Saudi Arabia (2006) - British Virgin Islands (2007)

Compare Saudi Arabia (2006) z British Virgin Islands (2007)

	Saudi Arabia (2006)	British Virgin Islands (2007)

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 5,261,530/female 5,059,041) 15-64 years: 59.4% (male 9,159,519/female 6,895,616) 65 years and over: 2.4% (male 342,020/female 302,005) (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 20.2% (male 2,410/female 2,337) 15-64 years: 74.5% (male 9,004/female 8,534) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 665/female 602) (2007 est.)
Agriculture - products	wheat, barley, tomatoes, melons, dates, citrus; mutton, chickens, eggs, milk	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	208 (2006)	3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 73 over 3,047 m: 32 2,438 to 3,047 m: 13 1,524 to 2,437 m: 24 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 2 (2006)	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 135 over 3,047 m: 1 2,438 to 3,047 m: 7 1,524 to 2,437 m: 75 914 to 1,523 m: 40 under 914 m: 12 (2006)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
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 islands of Tortola, Anegada, Virgin Gorda, Jost van Dyke
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. As part of this effort, the government permitted elections - held nationwide from February through April 2005 - for half the members of 179 municipal councils. A burgeoning population, aquifer depletion, and an economy largely dependent on petroleum output and prices are all ongoing governmental concerns.	First inhabited by Arawak and later by Carib Indians, the Virgin Islands were settled by the Dutch in 1648 and then annexed by the English in 1672. The islands were part of the British colony of the Leeward Islands from 1872-1960; they were granted autonomy in 1967. 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	29.34 births/1,000 population (2006 est.)	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $143.7 billion expenditures: $89.65 billion; including capital expenditures of $NA (2005 est.)	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
Capital	name: Riyadh geographic coordinates: 24 38 N, 46 43 E time difference: UTC+3 (8 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	name: Road Town geographic coordinates: 18 27 N, 64 37 W time difference: UTC-4 (1 hour ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
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 law; the Basic Law that articulates the government's rights and responsibilities was introduced in 1993	13 June 2007
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
Death rate	2.58 deaths/1,000 population (2006 est.)	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$36.78 billion (2005 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 C. OBERWETTER embassy: Collector Road M, Diplomatic Quarter, Riyadh mailing address: American Embassy, 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 FAX: [1] (202) 944-3113 consulate(s) general: Houston, Los Angeles, 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; Saudi Arabia still maintains the concrete-filled pipe as a security barrier along sections of the border with Yemen in 2004 to stem illegal cross-border activities; Kuwait and Saudi Arabia continue discussions on a maritime boundary with Iran; the United Arab Emirate 2006 Yearbook published a map and text rescinding the 1974 boundary with Saudi Arabia, as stipulated in a treaty filed with the UN in 1993, on the grounds that the agreement was not formally ratified	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 $230 million to development in Afghanistan; pledged $1 billion in export guarantees and soft loans to Iraq; pledged $133 million in direct grant aid, $187 million in concessional loans, and $153 million in export credits for Pakistan earthquake relief	-
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 5.5 million foreign workers play an important role in the Saudi economy, particularly, in the oil and service sectors. The government is encouraging private sector growth to lessen the kingdom's dependence on oil and increase employment opportunities for the swelling Saudi population. The government has begun to permit private sector and foreign investor participation in the power generation and telecom sectors. As part of its effort to attract foreign investment and diversify the economy, Saudi Arabia acceded to the WTO in 2005 after many years of negotiations. With high oil revenues enabling the government to post large budget surpluses, Riyadh has been able to substantially boost spending on job training and education, infrastructure development, and government salaries.	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 820,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 2005. 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, made 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 US dollar as its currency since 1959.
Electricity - consumption	134.9 billion kWh (2003)	41.85 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2003)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	145.1 billion kWh (2003)	45 million kWh (2005)
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%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
Exchange rates	Saudi riyals per US dollar - 3.747 (2005), 3.75 (2004), 3.75 (2003), 3.75 (2002), 3.75 (2001)	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: none; the monarch is hereditary	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952); represented by Governor David PEAREY (since 18 April 2006) head of government: Premier Ralph T. O'NEAL (since 23 August 2007) cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the House of Assembly 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 premier by the governor
Exports	7.92 million bbl/day (2003)	NA bbl/day
Exports - commodities	petroleum and petroleum products 90%	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	US 16.4%, Japan 16.1%, South Korea 9.1%, China 6.9%, Singapore 5.1%, Taiwan 4.2% (2005)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
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 - composition by sector	agriculture: 3.3% industry: 61.3% services: 35.4% (2005 est.)	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	6.5% (2005 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	6 (2006)	-
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; improving anti-money-laundering legislation and enforcement	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 bbl/day
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, chemicals, motor vehicles, textiles	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	US 13%, Germany 9.5%, Japan 7.9%, China 7.3%, France 4.7%, Italy 4.2% (2005)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Independence	23 September 1932 (unification of the kingdom)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	5.3% (2005 est.)	NA%
Industries	crude oil production, petroleum refining, basic petrochemicals; ammonia, industrial gases, sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), cement, fertilizer, plastics; metals, commercial ship repair, commercial aircraft repair, construction	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	total: 12.81 deaths/1,000 live births male: 14.71 deaths/1,000 live births female: 10.83 deaths/1,000 live births (2006 est.)	total: 16.13 deaths/1,000 live births male: 18.82 deaths/1,000 live births female: 13.29 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.4% (2005 est.)	2% (2005)
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, IPU, ISO, ITU, LAS, MIGA, NAM, OAPEC, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OPEC, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNRWA, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, WToO	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	16,200 sq km (2003)	NA
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	6.76 million note: more than 35% of the population in the 15-64 age group is non-national (2005 est.)	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 12% industry: 25% services: 63% (1999 est.)	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)
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% (2005)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages	Arabic	English (official)
Legal system	based on Shari'a 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); 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 held nationwide from February through April 2005	unicameral House of Assembly (13 elected seats and 1 non-voting ex officio member in the attorney general; members are elected by direct popular vote, 1 member from each of nine electoral districts, 4 at-large members; to serve four-year terms) elections: last held 20 August 2007 (next to be held in 2011) election results: percent of vote by party - VIP 45.2%, NDP 39.6%, independent 15.2%; seats by party - VIP 10, NDP 2, independent 1
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 75.67 years male: 73.66 years female: 77.78 years (2006 est.)	total population: 76.86 years male: 75.71 years female: 78.07 years (2007 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: 60 ships (1000 GRT or over) 837,272 GRT/1,064,377 DWT by type: cargo 5, chemical tanker 15, container 4, passenger/cargo 8, petroleum tanker 18, refrigerated cargo 1, roll on/roll off 9 foreign-owned: 9 (Egypt 2, Kuwait 5, Sudan 1, UAE 1) registered in other countries: 55 (Bahamas 12, Comoros 3, Dominica 3, French Southern and Antarctic Lands 1, Liberia 24, Marshall Islands 1, Norway 3, Panama 8) (2006)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	Land Forces (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 (1956)
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	-4.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2006 est.)	8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 212 km; gas 1,880 km; liquid petroleum gas 1,183 km; oil 4,531 km; refined products 1,150 km (2006)	-
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	27,019,731 note: includes 5,576,076 non-nationals (July 2006 est.)	23,552 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	NA%
Population growth rate	2.18% (2006 est.)	1.923% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 43, FM 31, shortwave 2 (1998)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	total: 1,392 km standard gauge: 1,392 km 1.435-m gauge (with branch lines and sidings) (2005)	-
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%, other 2%, none 2% (1991)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.33 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female total population: 1.2 male(s)/female (2006 est.)	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.031 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.055 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.105 male(s)/female total population: 1.053 male(s)/female (2007 est.)
Suffrage	adult male citizens age 21 or older note: voter registration began in November 2004 for partial municipal council elections held nationwide from 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; connected via submarine cable to Bermuda; the East Caribbean Fiber System (ECFS) optic submarine cable provides connectivity to 13 other islands in the eastern Caribbean (2007)
Telephones - main lines in use	3.8 million (2005)	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	13.3 million (2005)	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	117 (1997)	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Terrain	mostly uninhabited, sandy desert	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	4 children born/woman (2006 est.)	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	13% among Saudi males only (local bank estimate; some estimates range as high as 25%) (2004 est.)	3.6% (1997)

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