Compare Spratly Islands (2008) - British Virgin Islands (2008)

Compare Spratly Islands (2008) z British Virgin Islands (2008)

	Spratly Islands (2008)	British Virgin Islands (2008)

Administrative divisions	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure	-	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	-	fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports	3 (2007)	3 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)	total: 2 914 to 1,523 m: 1 under 914 m: 1 (2007)
Airports - with unpaved runways	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: less than 5 sq km land: less than 5 sq km water: 0 sq km note: includes 100 or so islets, coral reefs, and sea mounts scattered over an area of nearly 410,000 sq km of the central South China Sea	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	NA	about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background	The Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs. They are surrounded by rich fishing grounds and potentially by gas and oil deposits. They are claimed in their entirety by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam, while portions are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines. About 45 islands are occupied by relatively small numbers of military forces from China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam. Brunei has established a fishing zone that overlaps a southern reef but has not made any formal claim.	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	-	14.82 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Budget	-	revenues: $204.7 million expenditures: $180.4 million (2004)
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	tropical	subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline	926 km	80 km
Constitution	-	13 June 2007
Country name	conventional long form: none conventional short form: Spratly Islands	conventional long form: none conventional short form: British Virgin Islands abbreviation: BVI
Death rate	-	4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)
Debt - external	-	$36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status	-	overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international	all of the Spratly Islands are claimed by China, Taiwan, and Vietnam; parts of them are claimed by Malaysia and the Philippines; in 1984, Brunei established an exclusive fishing zone that encompasses Louisa Reef in the southern Spratly Islands but has not publicly claimed the reef; claimants in November 2002 signed the "Declaration on the Conduct of Parties in the South China Sea," which has eased tensions but falls short of a legally binding "code of conduct"; in March 2005, the national oil companies of China, the Philippines, and Vietnam signed a joint accord to conduct marine seismic activities in the Spratly Islands	none
Economic aid - recipient	-	$NA
Economy - overview	Economic activity is limited to commercial fishing. The proximity to nearby oil- and gas-producing sedimentary basins suggests the potential for oil and gas deposits, but the region is largely unexplored. There are no reliable estimates of potential reserves. Commercial exploitation has yet to be developed.	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	-	41.85 million kWh (2005)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2005)
Electricity - production	-	45 million kWh (2005)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: South China Sea 0 m highest point: unnamed location on Southwest Cay 4 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 catchments)
Ethnic groups	-	black 83%, other 17% (includes white, Indian, Asian and mixed)
Exchange rates	-	the US dollar is used
Executive branch	-	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	-	0 bbl/day (2004)
Exports - commodities	-	rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Fiscal year	-	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	-	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: 1.8% industry: 6.2% services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates	8 38 N, 111 55 E	18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note	strategically located near several primary shipping lanes in the central South China Sea; includes numerous small islands, atolls, shoals, and coral reefs	strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Heliports	3 (2007)	-
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; large offshore financial center makes it vulnerable to money laundering
Imports	-	604.3 bbl/day (2004)
Imports - commodities	-	building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners	-	Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US (2006)
Independence	-	none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	-	tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate	-	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)	-	2% (2005)
International organization participation	-	Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS, UNESCO (associate), UPU
Irrigated land	0 sq km	NA
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	-	12,770 (2004)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture: 0.6% industry: 40% services: 59.4% (2005)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (2005)	arable land: 20% permanent crops: 6.67% other: 73.33% (2005)
Languages	-	English (official)
Legal system	-	English law
Legislative branch	-	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: 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: 97.8% (1991 est.) male: NA% female: NA%
Location	Southeastern Asia, group of reefs and islands in the South China Sea, about two-thirds of the way from southern Vietnam to the southern Philippines	Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references	Southeast Asia	Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims	NA	territorial sea: 3 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Military - note	Spratly Islands consist of more than 100 small islands or reefs of which about 45 are claimed and occupied by China, Malaysia, the Philippines, Taiwan, and Vietnam	defense is the responsibility of the UK
National holiday	-	Territory Day, 1 July (1956)
Nationality	-	noun: British Virgin Islander(s) adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards	typhoons; numerous reefs and shoals pose a serious maritime hazard	hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources	fish, guano, undetermined oil and natural gas potential	NEGL
Net migration rate	-	8.83 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 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: there are scattered garrisons occupied by personnel of several claimant states	23,552 (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	-	1.923% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	-	AM 1, FM 5, shortwave 0 (2004)
Religions	-	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: 1.031 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
Telephone system	-	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	-	11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular	-	8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations	-	1 (plus 1 cable company) (1997)
Terrain	flat	coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate	-	1.72 children born/woman (2007 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	3.6% (1997)

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.