South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2005) | Mayotte (2004) | |
Administrative divisions | - | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Age structure | - | 0-14 years: 46.4% (male 43,301; female 42,934)
15-64 years: 51.9% (male 52,534; female 44,100) 65 years and over: 1.7% (male 1,579; female 1,578) (2004 est.) |
Agriculture - products | - | vanilla, ylang-ylang (perfume essence), coffee, copra |
Airports | none (2004 est.) | 1 (2003 est.) |
Airports - with paved runways | - | total: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2004 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: 374 sq km
land: 374 sq km water: 0 sq km |
Area - comparative | slightly larger than Rhode Island | slightly more than twice 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. | Mayotte was ceded to France along with the other islands of the Comoros group in 1843. It was the only island in the archipelago that voted in 1974 to retain its link with France and forego independence. |
Birth rate | - | 42.19 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Budget | - | revenues: NA
expenditures: $73 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1991 est.) |
Capital | - | Mamoutzou |
Climate | variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow | tropical; marine; hot, humid, rainy season during northeastern monsoon (November to May); dry season is cooler (May to November) |
Coastline | NA km | 185.2 km |
Constitution | - | 28 September 1958 (French Constitution) |
Country name | conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
conventional short form: none |
conventional long form: Territorial Collectivity of Mayotte
conventional short form: Mayotte |
Currency | - | euro (EUR) |
Death rate | - | 8.11 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Debt - external | - | NA |
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 | territorial collectivity of France |
Diplomatic representation from the US | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina) | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Disputes - international | Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied the islands by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force | claimed by Comoros |
Economic aid - recipient | - | $107.7 million; note - extensive French financial assistance (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. | Economic activity is based primarily on the agricultural sector, including fishing and livestock raising. Mayotte is not self-sufficient and must import a large portion of its food requirements, mainly from France. The economy and future development of the island are heavily dependent on French financial assistance, an important supplement to GDP. Mayotte's remote location is an obstacle to the development of tourism. |
Electricity - consumption | - | NA kWh |
Electricity - production | - | NA kWh |
Elevation extremes | lowest point: Atlantic Ocean 0 m
highest point: Mount Paget (South Georgia) 2,934 m |
lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m
highest point: Benara 660 m |
Environment - current issues | NA | NA |
Ethnic groups | - | NA |
Exchange rates | - | euros per US dollar - 0.8860 (2003), 1.0626 (2002), 1.1175 (2001), 1.0854 (2000), 0.9386 (1999) |
Executive branch | - | chief of state: President Jacques CHIRAC of France (since 17 May 1995), represented by Prefect Jean-Paul KIHL (since 17 January 2005)
head of government: President of the General Council Younoussa BAMANA (since NA 1977) cabinet: NA elections: French president elected by popular vote for a five-year term; prefect appointed by the French president on the advice of the French Ministry of the Interior; president of the General Council elected by the members of the General Council for a six-year term |
Exports | - | $3.44 million f.o.b. (1997) |
Exports - commodities | - | ylang-ylang (perfume essence), vanilla, copra, coconuts, coffee, cinnamon |
Exports - partners | - | France 80%, Comoros 15%, Reunion (2000) |
Fiscal year | - | calendar year |
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) | the flag of France is used |
GDP | - | purchasing power parity - $466.8 million (2003 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | - | agriculture: NA
industry: NA services: NA (2001 est.) |
GDP - per capita | - | purchasing power parity - $2,600 (1998 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | - | NA |
Geographic coordinates | 54 30 S, 37 00 W | 12 50 S, 45 10 E |
Geography - note | the north coast of South Georgia has several large bays, which provide good anchorage; reindeer, introduced early in the 20th century, live on South Georgia | part of Comoro Archipelago; 18 islands |
Highways | - | total: 93 km
paved: 72 km unpaved: 21 km |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | - | lowest 10%: NA
highest 10%: NA |
Imports | - | $141.3 million f.o.b. (1997) |
Imports - commodities | - | food, machinery and equipment, transportation equipment, metals, chemicals |
Imports - partners | - | France 66%, Africa 14%, Southeast Asia 11% (2000 est.) |
Independence | - | none (territorial collectivity of France) |
Industrial production growth rate | - | NA |
Industries | - | newly created lobster and shrimp industry, construction |
Infant mortality rate | - | total: 64.19 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 70.42 deaths/1,000 live births female: 57.78 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | - | NA |
International organization participation | - | UPU |
Irrigated land | 0 sq km (1998 est.) | NA sq km |
Judicial branch | - | Supreme Court or Tribunal Superieur d'Appel |
Labor force | - | 48,800 (2000) |
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) (2001) |
arable land: NA
permanent crops: NA other: NA (2001) |
Languages | - | Mahorian (a Swahili dialect), French (official language) spoken by 35% of the population |
Legal system | the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court | French law |
Legislative branch | - | unicameral General Council or Conseil General (19 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve three-year terms)
elections: last held 7 October 2000 (next to be held NA 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA note: Mayotte elects one member of the French Senate; elections last held 24 September 2001 (next to be held NA September 2007); results - percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NA; Mayotte also elects one member to the French National Assembly; elections last held 16 June 2002 (next to be held as a special election on NA June 2005); results - percent of vote by party - UMP-RPR 55.08%, UDF 44.92%; seats by party - UMP-RPR 1 |
Life expectancy at birth | - | total population: 60.99 years
male: 58.85 years female: 63.2 years (2004 est.) |
Literacy | - | definition: NA
total population: NA male: NA female: NA |
Location | Southern South America, islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, east of the tip of South America | Southern Africa, island in the Mozambique Channel, about one-half of the way from northern Madagascar to northern Mozambique |
Map references | Antarctic Region | Africa |
Maritime claims | territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm |
territorial sea: 12 nm
exclusive economic zone: 200 nm |
Merchant marine | - | none |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the UK | defense is the responsibility of France; small contingent of French forces stationed on the island |
National holiday | - | Bastille Day, 14 July (1789) |
Nationality | - | noun: Mahorais (singular and plural)
adjective: Mahoran |
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 | cyclones during rainy season |
Natural resources | fish | NEGL |
Net migration rate | - | 6.78 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
Political parties and leaders | - | Democratic Front or FD [Youssouf MOUSSA]; Mahoran Popular Movement or MPM [Ahmed MADI]; Federation of Mahorans or RPR [Mansour KAMARDINE]; Movement for Department Status Mayotte or MDM [Mouhoutar SALIM]; Socialist Party or PS (local branch of French Parti Socialiste) [Ibrahim ABUBACAR]; Union for French Democracy or UDF [Henri JEAN-BAPTISTE] |
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 2005 est.) |
186,026 (July 2004 est.) |
Population below poverty line | - | NA |
Population growth rate | - | 4.09% (2004 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Grytviken | Dzaoudzi |
Radio broadcast stations | 0 (2003) | AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2001) |
Religions | - | Muslim 97%, Christian (mostly Roman Catholic) |
Sex ratio | - | at birth: 1.03 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.19 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 1 male(s)/female total population: 1.1 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
Suffrage | - | 18 years of age; universal |
Telephone system | general assessment: NA
domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken |
general assessment: small system administered by French Department of Posts and Telecommunications
domestic: NA international: country code - 269; microwave radio relay and HF radiotelephone communications to Comoros (2001) |
Telephones - main lines in use | - | 10,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | - | 21,700 (2002) |
Television broadcast stations | 0 (2003) | 3 (2001) |
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 | generally undulating, with deep ravines and ancient volcanic peaks |
Total fertility rate | - | 5.98 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
Unemployment rate | - | 38% (1999) |