Compare South Africa (2007) - British Virgin Islands (2008)

Compare South Africa (2007) z British Virgin Islands (2008)

	South Africa (2007)	British Virgin Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	9 provinces; Eastern Cape, Free State, Gauteng, KwaZulu-Natal, Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Northern Cape, North-West, Western Cape	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	0-14 years: 29.1% (male 6,447,623/female 6,370,909) 15-64 years: 65.5% (male 14,040,210/female 14,761,179) 65 years and over: 5.4% (male 917,227/female 1,460,680) (2007 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	corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruits, vegetables; beef, poultry, mutton, wool, dairy products	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	728 (2007)	3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 146 over 3,047 m: 10 2,438 to 3,047 m: 5 1,524 to 2,437 m: 51 914 to 1,523 m: 67 under 914 m: 13 (2007)	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 582 1,524 to 2,437 m: 34 914 to 1,523 m: 300 under 914 m: 248 (2007)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 1,219,912 sq km land: 1,219,912 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Prince Edward Islands (Marion Island and Prince Edward Island)	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 less than twice the size of Texas	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	After the British seized the Cape of Good Hope area in 1806, many of the Dutch settlers (the Boers) trekked north to found their own republics. The discovery of diamonds (1867) and gold (1886) spurred wealth and immigration and intensified the subjugation of the native inhabitants. The Boers resisted British encroachments but were defeated in the Boer War (1899-1902). The resulting Union of South Africa operated under a policy of apartheid - the separate development of the races. The 1990s brought an end to apartheid politically and ushered in black majority rule.	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	17.94 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	revenues: $69.22 billion expenditures: $67.78 billion (2006 est.)	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
Capital	name: Pretoria (administrative capital) geographic coordinates: 25 42 S, 28 13 E time difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) note: Cape Town (legislative capital); Bloemfontein (judicial capital)	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	mostly semiarid; subtropical along east coast; sunny days, cool nights	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	2,798 km	80 km
Constitution	10 December 1996; this new constitution was certified by the Constitutional Court on 4 December 1996, was signed by then President MANDELA on 10 December 1996, and entered into effect on 4 February 1997; it is being implemented in phases	13 June 2007
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of South Africa conventional short form: South Africa former: Union of South Africa abbreviation: RSA	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Death rate	22.45 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	$31.84 billion (2006 est.)	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Eric BOST embassy: 877 Pretorius Street, Pretoria mailing address: P. O. Box 9536, Pretoria 0001 telephone: [27] (12) 342-1048 FAX: [27] (12) 342-2244 consulate(s) general: Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Welile Augustine NHLAPO chancery: 3051 Massachusetts Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 232-4400 FAX: [1] (202) 265-1607 consulate(s) general: Chicago, Los Angeles, New York	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	South Africa has placed military along the border to apprehend the thousands of Zimbabweans fleeing economic dysfunction and political persecution; as of January 2007, South Africa also supports large numbers of refugees and asylum seekers from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (33,000), Somalia (20,000), Burundi (6,500), and other states in Africa (26,000); managed dispute with Namibia over the location of the boundary in the Orange River; in 2006, Swazi king advocates resort to ICJ to claim parts of Mpumalanga and KwaZulu-Natal from South Africa	none
Economic aid - recipient	$700 million (2005)	$NA
Economy - overview	South Africa is a middle-income, emerging market with an abundant supply of natural resources; well-developed financial, legal, communications, energy, and transport sectors; a stock exchange that ranks among the 10 largest in the world; and a modern infrastructure supporting an efficient distribution of goods to major urban centers throughout the region. However, growth has not been strong enough to lower South Africa's high unemployment rate, and daunting economic problems remain from the apartheid era - especially poverty and lack of economic empowerment among the disadvantaged groups. South African economic policy is fiscally conservative but pragmatic focusing on targeting inflation and liberalizing trade as means to increase job growth and household income.	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	210.7 billion kWh (2005)	41.85 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	13.42 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	11.08 billion kWh (2005)	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	228.3 billion kWh (2005)	45 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Njesuthi 3,408 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	lack of important arterial rivers or lakes requires extensive water conservation and control measures; growth in water usage outpacing supply; pollution of rivers from agricultural runoff and urban discharge; air pollution resulting in acid rain; soil erosion; desertification	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: Antarctic-Environmental Protocol, Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Antarctic Seals, Antarctic Treaty, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Marine Life Conservation, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements	-
Ethnic groups	black African 79%, white 9.6%, colored 8.9%, Indian/Asian 2.5% (2001 census)	black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
Exchange rates	rand per US dollar - 6.7649 (2006), 6.3593 (2005), 6.4597 (2004), 7.5648 (2003), 10.5407 (2002)	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	chief of state: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005); note - the president is both the chief of state and head of government head of government: President Thabo MBEKI (since 16 June 1999); Executive Deputy President Phumzile MLAMBO-NGCUKA (since 23 June 2005) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president elections: president elected by the National Assembly for a five-year term (eligible for a second term); election last held on 24 April 2004 (next to be held in April 2009) election results: Thabo MBEKI elected president; percent of National Assembly vote - 100% (by acclamation)	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	NA bbl/day	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	gold, diamonds, platinum, other metals and minerals, machinery and equipment	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	Japan 12.1%, US 11.8%, UK 9%, Germany 7.6%, Netherlands 5.3%, China 4% (2006)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Fiscal year	1 April - 31 March	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	two equal width horizontal bands of red (top) and blue separated by a central green band which splits into a horizontal Y, the arms of which end at the corners of the hoist side; the Y embraces a black isosceles triangle from which the arms are separated by narrow yellow bands; the red and blue bands are separated from the green band and its arms by narrow white stripes	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: 2.7% industry: 30.9% services: 66.4% (2006 est.)	agriculture: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	5% (2006 est.)	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	29 00 S, 24 00 E	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	South Africa completely surrounds Lesotho and almost completely surrounds Swaziland	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports	1 (2007)	-
Household income or consumption by percentage share	lowest 10%: 1.4% highest 10%: 44.7% (2000)	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	transshipment center for heroin, hashish, and cocaine, as well as a major cultivator of marijuana in its own right; cocaine and heroin consumption on the rise; world's largest market for illicit methaqualone, usually imported illegally from India through various east African countries, but increasingly producing its own synthetic drugs for domestic consumption; attractive venue for money launderers given the increasing level of organized criminal and narcotics activity in the region and the size of the South African economy	transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	398,000 bbl/day (2006)	604.3 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	machinery and equipment, chemicals, petroleum products, scientific instruments, foodstuffs	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	Germany 12.6%, China 10%, US 7.6%, Japan 6.6%, Saudi Arabia 5.3%, UK 5% (2006)	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Independence	31 May 1910 (Union of South Africa formed from four British colonies: Cape Colony, Natal, Transvaal, and Orange Free State); 31 May 1961 (republic declared)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	7.1% (2006 est.)	NA%
Industries	mining (world's largest producer of platinum, gold, chromium), automobile assembly, metalworking, machinery, textiles, iron and steel, chemicals, fertilizer, foodstuffs, commercial ship repair	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	total: 59.44 deaths/1,000 live births male: 62.95 deaths/1,000 live births female: 55.84 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 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)	4.6% (2006 est.)	2% (2005)
International organization participation	ACP, AfDB, AU, BIS, C, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICCt, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, MONUC, NAM, NSG, ONUB, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNITAR, UNMEE, UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO, ZC	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	14,980 sq km (2003)	NA
Judicial branch	Constitutional Court; Supreme Court of Appeals; High Courts; Magistrate Courts	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	16.96 million economically active (2006 est.)	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 30% industry: 25% services: 45% (1999 est.)	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)
Land boundaries	total: 4,862 km border countries: Botswana 1,840 km, Lesotho 909 km, Mozambique 491 km, Namibia 967 km, Swaziland 430 km, Zimbabwe 225 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 12.1% permanent crops: 0.79% other: 87.11% (2005)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages	IsiZulu 23.8%, IsiXhosa 17.6%, Afrikaans 13.3%, Sepedi 9.4%, English 8.2%, Setswana 8.2%, Sesotho 7.9%, Xitsonga 4.4%, other 7.2% (2001 census)	English (official)
Legal system	based on Roman-Dutch law and English common law	English law
Legislative branch	bicameral Parliament consisting of the National Assembly (400 seats; members are elected by popular vote under a system of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) and the National Council of Provinces (90 seats, 10 members elected by each of the nine provincial legislatures for five-year terms; has special powers to protect regional interests, including the safeguarding of cultural and linguistic traditions among ethnic minorities); note - following the implementation of the new constitution on 4 February 1997, the former Senate was disbanded and replaced by the National Council of Provinces with essentially no change in membership and party affiliations, although the new institution's responsibilities have been changed somewhat by the new constitution elections: National Assembly and National Council of Provinces - last held on 14 April 2004 (next to be held in 2009) election results: National Assembly - percent of vote by party - ANC 69.7%, DA 12.4%, IFP 7%, UDM 2.3%, NNP 1.7%, ACDP 1.6%, other 5.3%; seats by party - ANC 279, DA 50, IFP 28, UDM 9, NNP 7, ACDP 6, other 21; National Council of Provinces - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA	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: 42.45 years male: 43.21 years female: 41.66 years (2007 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: 86.4% male: 87% female: 85.7% (2003 est.)	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southern Africa, at the southern tip of the continent of Africa	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Africa	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm exclusive economic zone: 200 nm continental shelf: 200 nm or to edge of the continental margin	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 2 ships (1000 GRT or over) 28,722 GRT/32,226 DWT by type: container 1, petroleum tanker 1 foreign-owned: 1 (Denmark 1) registered in other countries: 6 (Bahamas 1, Seychelles 1, UK 4, unknown 1) (2007)	-
Military - note	with the end of apartheid and the establishment of majority rule, former military, black homelands forces, and ex-opposition forces were integrated into the South African National Defense Force (SANDF); as of 2003 the integration process was considered complete	defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches	South African National Defense Force (SANDF): South African Army, South African Navy (SAN), South African Air Force (SAAF), Joint Operations Command, Joint Support Command, Military Intelligence, Military Health Service (2007)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	1.7% (2006)	-
National holiday	Freedom Day, 27 April (1994)	Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
Nationality	noun: South African(s) adjective: South African	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	prolonged droughts	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	gold, chromium, antimony, coal, iron ore, manganese, nickel, phosphates, tin, uranium, gem diamonds, platinum, copper, vanadium, salt, natural gas	NEGL
Net migration rate	-0.08 migrant(s)/1,000 population note: there is an increasing flow of Zimbabweans into South Africa and Botswana in search of better economic opportunities (2007 est.)	8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Pipelines	condensate 100 km; gas 1,062 km; oil 966 km; refined products 1,354 km (2006)	-
Political parties and leaders	African Christian Democratic Party or ACDP [Kenneth MESHOE]; African National Congress or ANC [Thabo MBEKI]; Democratic Alliance or DA [Helen ZILLE]; Freedom Front Plus or FF+ [Pieter MULDER]; Inkatha Freedom Party or IFP [Mangosuthu BUTHELEZI]; New National Party or NNP; Pan-Africanist Congress or PAC [Motsoko PHEKO]; United Democratic Movement or UDM [Bantu HOLOMISA]	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	Congress of South African Trade Unions or COSATU [Zwelinzima VAVI, general secretary]; South African Communist Party or SACP [Blade NZIMANDE, general secretary]; South African National Civics Organization or SANCO [Mlungisi HLONGWANE, national president]; note - COSATU and SACP are in a formal alliance with the ANC	NA
Population	43,997,828 note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2007 est.)	23,552 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	50% (2000 est.)	NA%
Population growth rate	-0.46% (2007 est.)	1.923% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 14, FM 347 (plus 243 repeaters), shortwave 1 (1998)	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Railways	total: 20,872 km narrow gauge: 20,436 km 1.065-m gauge (8,931 km electrified); 436 km 0.610-m gauge (2006)	-
Religions	Zion Christian 11.1%, Pentecostal/Charismatic 8.2%, Catholic 7.1%, Methodist 6.8%, Dutch Reformed 6.7%, Anglican 3.8%, Muslim 1.5%, other Christian 36%, other 2.3%, unspecified 1.4%, none 15.1% (2001 census)	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: 1.02 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.012 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.951 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.628 male(s)/female total population: 0.947 male(s)/female (2007 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	18 years of age; universal	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: the system is the best developed and most modern in Africa domestic: consists of carrier-equipped open-wire lines, coaxial cables, microwave radio relay links, fiber-optic cable, radiotelephone communication stations, and wireless local loops; key centers are Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and Pretoria international: country code - 27; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth stations - 3 Intelsat (1 Indian Ocean and 2 Atlantic Ocean)	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	4.729 million (2005)	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	39.66 million (2006)	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	556 (plus 144 network repeaters) (1997)	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Terrain	vast interior plateau rimmed by rugged hills and narrow coastal plain	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	2.16 children born/woman (2007 est.)	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	25.5% (2006 est.)	3.6% (1997)

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