Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) - Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008) z Virgin Islands (2004)

	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands (2008)	Virgin Islands (2004)

Administrative divisions	-	none (territory of the US); there are no first-order administrative divisions as defined by the US Government, but there are three islands at the second order; Saint Croix, Saint John, Saint Thomas
Age structure	-	0-14 years: 23.8% (male 13,116; female 12,770) 15-64 years: 66% (male 33,944; female 37,870) 65 years and over: 10.2% (male 4,855; female 6,220) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products	-	fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle
Airports	-	2 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	-	total: 2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (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 11 islands	total: 352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly larger than Rhode Island	twice the size of Washington, DC
Background	The islands, which have large bird and seal populations, 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. 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.	During the 17th century, the archipelago was divided into two territorial units, one English and the other Danish. Sugarcane, produced by slave labor, drove the islands' economy during the 18th and early 19th centuries. In 1917, the US purchased the Danish portion, which had been in economic decline since the abolition of slavery in 1848.
Birth rate	-	14.49 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $560 expenditures: NA (2003)
Capital	-	Charlotte Amalie
Climate	variable, with mostly westerly winds throughout the year interspersed with periods of calm; nearly all precipitation falls as snow	subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November
Coastline	NA km	188 km
Constitution	-	Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954
Country name	conventional long form: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands conventional short form: none abbreviation: SGSSI	conventional long form: United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies
Currency	-	US dollar (USD)
Death rate	-	6.1 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	organized, unincorporated territory of the US with policy relations between the Virgin Islands and the US under the jurisdiction of the Office of Insular Affairs, US Department of the Interior
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (territory of the US)
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (overseas territory of the UK, also claimed by Argentina)	none (territory of the US)
Disputes - international	Argentina, which claims the islands in its constitution and briefly occupied them by force in 1982, agreed in 1995 to no longer seek settlement by force	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	NA
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.	Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for 80% of GDP and employment. The islands normally host 2 million visitors a year. The manufacturing sector consists of petroleum refining, textiles, electronics, pharmaceuticals, and watch assembly. The agricultural sector is small, with most food being imported. International business and financial services are a small but growing component of the economy. One of the world's largest petroleum refineries is at Saint Croix. The islands are subject to substantial damage from storms. The government is working to improve fiscal discipline, to support construction projects in the private sector, to expand tourist facilities, to reduce crime, and to protect the environment.
Electricity - consumption	-	957.9 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production	-	1.03 billion kWh (2001)
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: Crown Mountain 474 m
Environment - current issues	NA	lack of natural freshwater resources
Ethnic groups	-	black 78%, white 10%, other 12% note: West Indian 81% (49% born in the Virgin Islands and 32% born elsewhere in the West Indies), US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 4%, other 2%
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	-	chief of state: President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) cabinet: NA elections: US president and vice president elected on the same ticket for four-year terms; governor and lieutenant governor elected on the same ticket by popular vote for four-year terms; election last held 5 November 2002 (next to be held NA November 2006) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL reelected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (Democrat) 50.5%, John de JONGH 24.4%
Exports	-	NA (2001)
Exports - commodities	-	refined petroleum products
Exports - partners	-	US, Puerto Rico
Fiscal year	-	1 October - 30 September
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)	white, with a modified US coat of arms in the center between the large blue initials V and I; the coat of arms shows a yellow eagle holding an olive branch in one talon and three arrows in the other with a superimposed shield of vertical red and white stripes below a blue panel
GDP	-	purchasing power parity - $2.5 billion (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 1% industry: 19% services: 80% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	2% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	54 30 S, 37 00 W	18 20 N, 64 50 W
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	important location along the Anegada Passage - a key shipping lane for the Panama Canal; Saint Thomas has one of the best natural deepwater harbors in the Caribbean
Highways	-	total: 856 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km note: the only US possession where driving on the left side of the road is practiced (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA highest 10%: NA
Imports	-	NA (2001)
Imports - commodities	-	crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials
Imports - partners	-	US, Puerto Rico
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA
Industries	-	tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics
Infant mortality rate	-	total: 8.21 deaths/1,000 live births male: 9.31 deaths/1,000 live births female: 7.04 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.2% (2003)
International organization participation	-	Interpol (subbureau), IOC, UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA sq km
Judicial branch	-	US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms)
Labor force	-	48,900 (2003 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 1%, industry 19%, services 80% (2003 est.)
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) (2005)	arable land: 11.76% permanent crops: 2.94% other: 85.29% (2001)
Languages	-	English (official), Spanish, Creole
Legal system	the laws of the UK, where applicable, apply; the senior magistrate from the Falkland Islands presides over the Magistrates Court	based on US laws
Legislative branch	-	unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms) elections: last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004) election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - Democratic Party 10, ICM 2, independent 3 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 6 November 2002 (next to be held 2 November 2004); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) reelected
Life expectancy at birth	-	total population: 78.75 years male: 74.91 years female: 82.82 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	Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Antarctic Region	Central America and the Caribbean
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 the US
National holiday	-	Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917)
Nationality	-	noun: Virgin Islander(s) adjective: 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	several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes
Natural resources	fish	sun, sand, sea, surf
Net migration rate	-	-8.94 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Political parties and leaders	-	Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHARDS]; Republican Party [Gary SPRAUVE]
Political pressure groups and leaders	-	NA
Population	no indigenous inhabitants note: the small military garrison on South Georgia withdrew in March 2001 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	108,775 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA
Population growth rate	-	-0.05% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix
Radio broadcast stations	0 (2003)	AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (2002)
Religions	-	Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7%
Sex ratio	-	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.9 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.78 male(s)/female total population: 0.91 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal; note - island residents are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections
Telephone system	general assessment: NA domestic: NA international: coastal radiotelephone station at Grytviken	general assessment: NA domestic: modern system with total digital switching, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: country code - 1-340; submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA
Telephones - main lines in use	-	69,400 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	41,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	0 (2003)	2 (2002)
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	mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land
Total fertility rate	-	2.21 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	9.3% (2003 est.)

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