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Compare Sri Lanka (2001) - British Virgin Islands (2004)

Compare Sri Lanka (2001) z British Virgin Islands (2004)

 Sri Lanka (2001)British Virgin Islands (2004)
 Sri LankaBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 8 provinces; Central, North Central, North Eastern, North Western, Sabaragamuwa, Southern, Uva, Western; note - North Eastern province may have been divided in two - Northern and Eastern none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years:
25.99% (male 2,578,618; female 2,464,928)

15-64 years:
67.39% (male 6,369,881; female 6,708,852)

65 years and over:
6.62% (male 615,253; female 671,103) (2001 est.)
0-14 years: 21.5% (male 2,402; female 2,361)


15-64 years: 73.5% (male 8,395; female 7,911)


65 years and over: 5% (male 594; female 524) (2004 est.)
Agriculture - products rice, sugarcane, grains, pulses, oilseed, spices, tea, rubber, coconuts; milk, eggs, hides, beef fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 14 (2000 est.) 3 (2003 est.)
Airports - with paved runways total:
12

over 3,047 m:
1

1,524 to 2,437 m:
5

914 to 1,523 m:
6 (2000 est.)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with unpaved runways total:
2

1,524 to 2,437 m:
1

under 914 m:
1 (2000 est.)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area total:
65,610 sq km

land:
64,740 sq km

water:
870 sq km
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 island of Anegada
Area - comparative slightly larger than West Virginia about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Occupied by the Portuguese in the 16th century and the Dutch in the 17th century, the island was ceded to the British in 1802. As Ceylon it became independent in 1948; its name was changed in 1972. Tensions between the Sinhalese majority and Tamil separatists erupted in violence in the mid-1980s. Tens of thousands have died in an ethnic war that continues to fester. First settled by the Dutch in 1648, the islands were annexed in 1672 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 16.58 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) 14.96 births/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Budget revenues:
$3 billion

expenditures:
$3 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000 est.)
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of NA (1997)
Capital Colombo; note - Sri Jayewardenepura Kotte is the legislative capital Road Town
Climate tropical monsoon; northeast monsoon (December to March); southwest monsoon (June to October) subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 1,340 km 80 km
Constitution adopted 16 August 1978 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form:
Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka

conventional short form:
Sri Lanka

former:
Serendib, Ceylon
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency Sri Lankan rupee (LKR) US dollar (USD)
Death rate 6.43 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) 4.42 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Debt - external $9.9 billion (2000) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission:
Ambassador E. Ashley WILLS

embassy:
210 Galle Road, Colombo 3

mailing address:
P. O. Box 106, Colombo

telephone:
[94] (1) 448007

FAX:
[94] (1) 437345
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission:
Ambassador Warnasena RASAPUTRAM

chancery:
2148 Wyoming Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:
[1] (202) 483-4025 (through 4028)

FAX:
[1] (202) 232-7181

consulate(s) general:
Los Angeles

consulate(s):
New York
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international none none
Economic aid - recipient $577 million (1998) NA
Economy - overview In 1977, Colombo abandoned statist economic policies and its import substitution trade policy for market-oriented policies and export-oriented trade. Sri Lanka's most dynamic sectors now are food processing, textiles and apparel, food and beverages, telecommunications, and insurance and banking. By 1996 plantation crops made up only 20% of exports (compared with 93% in 1970), while textiles and garments accounted for 63%. GDP grew at an annual average rate of 5.5% throughout the 1990s until a drought and a deteriorating security situation lowered growth to 3.8% in 1996. The economy rebounded in 1997-98 with growth of 6.4% and 4.7% - but slowed to 4.3% in 1999. Growth increased to 5.6% in 2000, with growth in tourism and exports leading the way. But a resurgence of civil war between the Sinhalese and the minority Tamils and a possible slowdown in tourism dampen prospects for 2001. For the next round of reforms, the central bank of Sri Lanka recommends that Colombo expand market mechanisms in nonplantation agriculture, dismantle the government's monopoly on wheat imports, and promote more competition in the financial sector. 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 350,000 tourists, mainly from the US, visited the islands in 1998. Tourism suffered in 2002 because of the lackluster US economy. 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, 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 5.604 billion kWh (1999) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 0 kWh (1999) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 6.026 billion kWh (1999) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel:
29.9%

hydro:
70.1%

nuclear:
0%

other:
0% (1999)
-
Elevation extremes lowest point:
Indian Ocean 0 m

highest point:
Pidurutalagala 2,524 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues deforestation; soil erosion; wildlife populations threatened by poaching and urbanization; coastal degradation from mining activities and increased pollution; freshwater resources being polluted by industrial wastes and sewage runoff; waste disposal; air pollution in Colombo 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:
Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Environmental Modification, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:
Marine Life Conservation
-
Ethnic groups Sinhalese 74%, Tamil 18%, Moor 7%, Burgher, Malay, and Vedda 1% black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates Sri Lankan rupees per US dollar - 83.506 (January 2001), 77.005 (2000), 70.635 (1999), 64.450 (1998), 58.995 (1997), 55.271 (1996) the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state:
President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Ratnasiri WICKRAMANAYAKE (since 10 August 2000) is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist

head of government:
President Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (since 12 November 1994); note - Ratnasiri WICKRAMANAYAKE (since 10 August 2000) is the prime minister; in Sri Lanka the president is considered to be both the chief of state and the head of the government, this is in contrast to the more common practice of dividing the roles between the president and the prime minister when both offices exist

cabinet:
Cabinet appointed by the president in consultation with the prime minister

elections:
president elected by popular vote for a six-year term; election last held 21 December 1999 (next to be held NA December 2005)

election results:
Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA reelected president; percent of vote - Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA (PA) 51%, Ranil WICKREMASINGHE (UNP) 42%, other 7%
chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Governor Tom MACAN (since 14 October 2002)


head of government: Chief Minister Orlando D. SMITH (since 17 June 2003)


cabinet: Executive Council appointed by the governor from members of the Legislative Council


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 chief minister by the governor
Exports $5.2 billion (f.o.b., 2000) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities textiles and apparel, tea, diamonds, coconut products, petroleum products rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners US 39%, UK 13%, Middle East 8%, Germany 5%, Japan 4% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year calendar year 1 April - 31 March
Flag description yellow with two panels; the smaller hoist-side panel has two equal vertical bands of green (hoist side) and orange; the other panel is a large dark red rectangle with a yellow lion holding a sword, and there is a yellow bo leaf in each corner; the yellow field appears as a border that goes around the entire flag and extends between the two panels 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 - $62.7 billion (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture:
21%

industry:
19%

services:
60% (1998)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $3,250 (2000 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 5.6% (2000 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 7 00 N, 81 00 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note strategic location near major Indian Ocean sea lanes strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total:
11,285 km

paved:
10,721 km

unpaved:
564 km (1998 est.)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


unpaved: 0 km (2000)
Household income or consumption by percentage share lowest 10%:
1.8%

highest 10%:
39.7% (1995-96 est.)
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 $6.1 billion (f.o.b., 2000) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities machinery and equipment, textiles, petroleum, foodstuffs building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners Japan 10%, India 9%, Hong Kong 8%, Singapore 8%, South Korea 6% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 4 February 1948 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 4% (1999) NA
Industries processing of rubber, tea, coconuts, and other agricultural commodities; clothing, cement, petroleum refining, textiles, tobacco tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate 16.08 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) total: 18.05 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.02 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 14.95 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 8.5% (2000 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation AsDB, C, CCC, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-24, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, IHO, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OAS (observer), OPCW, PCA, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNTAET, UNU, UPU, WCL, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Caricom (associate), CDB, Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate), UPU
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 5 (2000) -
Irrigated land 5,500 sq km (1993 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch Supreme Court; Court of Appeals; judges for both courts are appointed by the president 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 6.6 million (1998) 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation services 45%, agriculture 38%, industry 17% (1998 est.) agriculture NA, industry NA, services NA
Land boundaries 0 km 0 km
Land use arable land:
14%

permanent crops:
15%

permanent pastures:
7%

forests and woodland:
32%

other:
32% (1993 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (2001)
Languages Sinhala (official and national language) 74%, Tamil (national language) 18%, other 8%

note:
English is commonly used in government and is spoken competently by about 10% of the population
English (official)
Legal system a highly complex mixture of English common law, Roman-Dutch, Muslim, Sinhalese, and customary law; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch unicameral Parliament (225 seats; members elected by popular vote on the basis of a modified proportional representation system by district to serve six-year terms)

elections:
last held 10 October 2000 (next to be held NA October 2006)

election results:
percent of vote by party - PA 45.11%, UNP 40.22%, JVP 6%, NUA 2.29%, SU 1.48%, TULF 1.23%, other 3.67%; seats by party - PA 107, UNP 89, JVP 10, TULF 5, EPDP 4, NUA 4, TELO 3, ACTC 1, SU 1, independent 1
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 four-year terms)


elections: last held 16 May 2003 (next to be held NA 2007)


election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NDP 8, VIP 5
Life expectancy at birth total population:
72.09 years

male:
69.58 years

female:
74.73 years (2001 est.)
total population: 76.27 years


male: 75.24 years


female: 77.36 years (2004 est.)
Literacy definition:
age 15 and over can read and write

total population:
90.2%

male:
93.4%

female:
87.2% (1995 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA


female: NA
Location Southern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of India Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Asia Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims contiguous zone:
24 NM

continental shelf:
200 NM or to the edge of the continental margin

exclusive economic zone:
200 NM

territorial sea:
12 NM
territorial sea: 3 nm


exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine total:
20 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 149,902 GRT/247,852 DWT

ships by type:
bulk 1, cargo 16, container 1, petroleum tanker 1, refrigerated cargo 1 (2000 est.)
total: 3 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 83,825 GRT/155,909 DWT


by type: cargo 1, liquefied gas 1, petroleum tanker 1


foreign-owned: Norway 1


registered in other countries: 32 (2004 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Army, Navy, Air Force, Police Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $719 million (FY98) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.2% (FY98) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49:
5,304,323 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49:
4,119,511 (2001 est.)
-
Military manpower - military age 18 years of age -
Military manpower - reaching military age annually males:
193,522 (2001 est.)
-
National holiday Independence Day, 4 February (1948) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun:
Sri Lankan(s)

adjective:
Sri Lankan
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards occasional cyclones and tornadoes hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources limestone, graphite, mineral sands, gems, phosphates, clay, hydropower NEGL
Net migration rate -1.43 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) 10.01 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.)
Pipelines crude oil and petroleum products 62 km (1987) -
Political parties and leaders All Ceylon Tamil Congress or ACTC [Nalliah GURUPAUAN]; Ceylon Workers Congress or CLDC [Arumugam THONDAMAN]; Communist Party [Raja COLLURE]; Democratic United National (Lalith) Front or DUNLF [Srimani ATHULATHMUDALI]; Eelam People's Democratic Party or EPDP [Douglas DEVANANDA]; Eelam People's Revolutionary Liberation Front or EPRLF [Suresh PREMACHANDRA]; Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna or JVP [Tilvan SILVA]; National Unity Alliance or NUA [leader NA]; People's Alliance or PA [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; People's Liberation Organization of Tamil Eelam or PLOTE [D. SIDDATHAN]; Sihala Urumaya or SU [leader NA]; Sri Lanka Freedom Party or SLFP [Chandrika Bandaranaike KUMARATUNGA]; Sri Lanka Muslim Congress or SLMC [Rauff HAKEEM and Ferial ASHRAFF]; Sri Lanka Progressive Front or SLPF [leader NA]; Tamil Eelam Liberation Organization or TELO [SUBRAMANIUM]; Tamil United Liberation Front or TULF [R. SAMPATHAN]; United National Party or UNP [Ranil WICKREMASINGHE]; Upcountry People's Front or UPF [P. CHANDRASEKARAN]; several ethnic Tamil and Muslim parties, represented in either parliament or provincial councils 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 Buddhist clergy; labor unions; Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam or LTTE (insurgent group fighting for a separate state); radical chauvinist Sinhalese groups such as the National Movement Against Terrorism; Sinhalese Buddhist lay groups NA
Population 19,408,635 (July 2001 est.)

note:
since the outbreak of hostilities between the government and armed Tamil separatists in the mid-1980s, several hundred thousand Tamil civilians have fled the island; as of mid-1999, approximately 66,000 were housed in 133 refugee camps in south India, another 40,000 lived outside the Indian camps, and more than 200,000 Tamils have sought refuge in the West
22,187 (July 2004 est.)
Population below poverty line 22% (1997 est.) NA
Population growth rate 0.87% (2001 est.) 2.06% (2004 est.)
Ports and harbors Colombo, Galle, Jaffna, Trincomalee Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 26, FM 45, shortwave 1 (1998) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 3.85 million (1997) -
Railways total:
1,463 km

broad gauge:
1,404 km 1.676-m gauge

narrow gauge:
59 km 0.762-m gauge (1996)
-
Religions Buddhist 70%, Hindu 15%, Christian 8%, Muslim 7% (1999) 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%, none 2%, other 2% (1991)
Sex ratio at birth:
1.05 male(s)/female

under 15 years:
1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:
0.95 male(s)/female

65 years and over:
0.92 male(s)/female

total population:
0.97 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 1.06 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 1.13 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2004 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age; universal 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment:
very inadequate domestic service, particularly in rural areas; some hope for improvement with privatization of national telephone company and encouragement to private investment; good international service (1999)

domestic:
national trunk network consists mostly of digital microwave radio relay; fiber-optic links now in use in Colombo area and two fixed wireless local loops have been installed; competition is strong in mobile cellular systems; telephone density remains low at 2.6 main lines per 100 persons (1999)

international:
submarine cables to Indonesia and Djibouti; satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (Indian Ocean) (1999)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: country code - 1-284; submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 494,509 (1998) 11,700 (2002)
Telephones - mobile cellular 228,604 (1999) 8,000 (2002)
Television broadcast stations 21 (1997) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly low, flat to rolling plain; mountains in south-central interior coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 1.95 children born/woman (2001 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2004 est.)
Unemployment rate 8.8% (1999 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways 430 km (navigable by shallow-draft craft) -
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