Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003) - British Virgin Islands (2001)

Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003) z British Virgin Islands (2001)

	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2003)	British Virgin Islands (2001)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 22.77% (male 2,399; female 2,339) 15-64 years: 72.31% (male 7,741; female 7,309) 65 years and over: 4.92% (male 555; female 469) (2001 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	none (2002)	3 (2000 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways	-	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2000 est.)
Area	total: 3,903 sq km land: 3,903 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes Shag Rocks, Black Rock, Clerke Rocks, South Georgia Island, Bird Island, and the South Sandwich Islands, which consist of some nine islands	total: 150 sq km land: 150 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes the island of Anegada
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Rhode Island	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The islands lie approximately 1,000 km east of the Falkland Islands and have been under British administration since 1908, except for a brief period in 1982 when Argentina occupied them. Grytviken, on South Georgia, was a 19th and early 20th century whaling station. Famed explorer Ernest SHACKLETON stopped there in 1914 en route to his ill-fated attempt to cross Antarctica on foot. He returned some 20 months later with a few companions in a small boat and arranged a successful rescue for the rest of his crew, stranded off the Antarctic Peninsula. He died in 1922 on a subsequent expedition and is buried in Grytviken. Today, the station houses scientists from the British Antarctic Survey. The islands have large bird and seal populations, and, recognizing the importance of preserving the marine stocks in adjacent waters, the UK, in 1993, extended the exclusive fishing zone from 12 NM to 200 NM around each island.	First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were soon after (1672) annexed 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	-	15.18 births/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $121.5 million expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital	-	Road Town
Climate	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	NA km	80 km
Constitution	adopted 3 October 1985	1 June 1977
Country name	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	-	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Debt - external	-	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina; administered from the Falkland Islands by a commissioner, who is concurrently governor of the Falkland Islands, representing Queen ELIZABETH II; Grytviken, formerly a whaling station on South Georgia, is a scientific base	overseas territory of the UK
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	briefly occupied by military force in 1982 - claimed by Argentina in constitution but declares it will no longer seek settlement by force	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$2.6 million (1995)
Economy - overview	Some fishing takes place in adjacent waters. There is a potential source of income from harvesting finfish and krill. The islands receive income from postage stamps produced in the UK, sale of fishing licenses, and harbor and landing fees from tourist vessels. Tourism from specialized cruise ships is increasing rapidly.	The economy, one of the most stable and prosperous in the Caribbean, is highly dependent on tourism, which generates an estimated 45% of the national income. An estimated 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1997. 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. An estimated 250,000 companies were on the offshore registry by yearend 1997. 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: Atlantic Ocean 0 m highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m	lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues	NA	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 catchment)
Ethnic groups	-	black 90%, white, Asian
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	-	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Francis J. SAVAGE (since NA) 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; chief minister appointed by the governor from among the members of the Legislative Council
Exports	-	$6.2 million (2000 est.)
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	blue, with the flag of the UK in the upper hoist-side quadrant and the South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands coat of arms centered on the outer half of the flag; the coat of arms features a shield with a golden lion centered; the shield is supported by a fur seal on the left and a penguin on the right; a reindeer appears above the shield, and below it on a scroll is the motto LEO TERRAM PROPRIAM PROTEGAT (Let the Lion Protect its Own Land)	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: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2000 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	6% (2000 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 30 S, 37 00 W	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 21st century, live on South Georgia	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways	-	total: 132 km paved: 132 km unpaved: 0 km (1997)
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
Imports	-	$220 million (2000 est.)
Imports - commodities	-	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	4% (1985)
Industries	-	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	-	20.3 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2% (2000)
International organization participation	-	Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs)	-	16 (2000)
Irrigated land	0 sq km (1998 est.)	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	-	agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (largely covered by permanent ice and snow with some sparse vegetation consisting of grass, moss, and lichen) (1998 est.)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 7% permanent pastures: 33% forests and woodland: 7% other: 33% (1993 est.)
Languages	-	English (official)
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court	English law
Legislative branch	-	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 five-year terms) elections: last held 17 May 1999 (next to be held NA 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - VIP 7, CCM 1, NDP 5
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 75.64 years male: 74.74 years female: 76.59 years (2001 est.)
Literacy	-	definition: age 15 and over can read and write total population: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Antarctic Region	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM	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 (2000 est.)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of the UK	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	Liberation Day, 14 June (1982)	Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality	-	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	the South Sandwich Islands have prevailing weather conditions that generally make them difficult to approach by ship; they are also subject to active volcanism	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	fish	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	11.39 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	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	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001, to be replaced by a permanent group of scientists of the British Antarctic Survey, which also has a biological station on Bird Island; the South Sandwich Islands are uninhabited (July 2003 est.)	20,812 (July 2001 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	2.22% (2001 est.)
Ports and harbors	Grytviken	Road Town
Radio broadcast stations	0 (2003)	AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios	-	9,000 (1997)
Railways	-	0 km
Religions	-	Protestant 86% (Methodist 45%, Anglican 21%, Church of God 7%, Seventh-Day Adventist 5%, Baptist 4%, Jehovah's Witnesses 2%, other 2%), Roman Catholic 6%, none 2%, other 6% (1981)
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1.18 male(s)/female total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken	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	0 (2003)	1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain	most of the islands, rising steeply from the sea, are rugged and mountainous; South Georgia is largely barren and has steep, glacier-covered mountains; the South Sandwich Islands are of volcanic origin with some active volcanoes	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	-	1.72 children born/woman (2001 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	3% (1995)
Waterways	none	none

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