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Compare Swaziland (2002) - British Virgin Islands (2003)

Compare Swaziland (2002) z British Virgin Islands (2003)

 Swaziland (2002)British Virgin Islands (2003)
 SwazilandBritish Virgin Islands
Administrative divisions 4 districts; Hhohho, Lubombo, Manzini, Shiselweni none (overseas territory of the UK)
Age structure 0-14 years: 45.5% (male 254,573; female 256,677)


15-64 years: 51.9% (male 281,645; female 301,071)


65 years and over: 2.6% (male 12,027; female 17,612) (2002 est.)
0-14 years: 21.9% (male 2,401; female 2,358)


15-64 years: 73.1% (male 8,181; female 7,709)


65 years and over: 5% (male 578; female 503) (2003 est.)
Agriculture - products sugarcane, cotton, corn, tobacco, rice, citrus, pineapples, sorghum, peanuts; cattle, goats, sheep fruits, vegetables; livestock, poultry; fish
Airports 18 (2001) 3 (2002)
Airports - with paved runways total: 1


2,438 to 3,047 m: 1 (2002)
total: 2


914 to 1,523 m: 1


under 914 m: 1 (2002)
Airports - with unpaved runways total: 17


914 to 1,523 m: 7


under 914 m: 10 (2002)
total: 1


914 to 1,523 m: 1 (2002)
Area total: 17,363 sq km


land: 17,203 sq km


water: 160 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 smaller than New Jersey about 0.9 times the size of Washington, DC
Background Autonomy for the Swazis of southern Africa was guaranteed by the British in the late 19th century; independence was granted 1968. Student and labor unrest during the 1990s have pressured the monarchy (one of the oldest on the continent) to grudgingly allow political reform and greater democracy. 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 39.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) 15 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Budget revenues: $448 million


expenditures: $506.9 million, including capital expenditures of $147 million (FY01/02 )
revenues: $121.5 million


expenditures: $115.5 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1997)
Capital Mbabane; note - Lobamba is the royal and legislative capital Road Town
Climate varies from tropical to near temperate subtropical; humid; temperatures moderated by trade winds
Coastline 0 km (landlocked) 80 km
Constitution none; constitution of 6 September 1968 was suspended 12 April 1973; a new constitution was promulgated 13 October 1978, but was not formally presented to the people; since then a few more outlines for a constitution have been compiled under the Constitutional Review Commission (CRC), but so far none have been accepted 1 June 1977
Country name conventional long form: Kingdom of Swaziland


conventional short form: Swaziland
conventional long form: none


conventional short form: British Virgin Islands


abbreviation: BVI
Currency lilangeni (SZL) US dollar (USD)
Death rate 23.26 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) 4.46 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Debt - external $336 million (2001 est.) $36.1 million (1997)
Dependency status - overseas territory of the UK; internal self-governing
Diplomatic representation from the US chief of mission: Ambassador James D. McGEE


embassy: Central Bank Building, Warner Street, Mbabane


mailing address: P. O. Box 199, Mbabane


telephone: [268] 404-6441 through 404-6445


FAX: [268] 404-5959
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Diplomatic representation in the US chief of mission: Ambassador Mary Madzandza KANYA


chancery: 3400 International Drive NW, Washington, DC 20008


telephone: [1] (202) 362-6683


FAX: [1] (202) 244-8059
none (overseas territory of the UK)
Disputes - international Swaziland continues to press South Africa into ceding ethnic Swazi lands in Kangwane region of KwaZulu-Natal province that were long ago part of the Swazi Kingdom none
Economic aid - recipient $104 million (2001) NA%
Economy - overview In this small landlocked economy, subsistence agriculture occupies more than 80% of the population. Manufacturing features a number of agroprocessing factories. Mining has declined in importance in recent years: diamond mines have shut down because of the depletion of easily accessible reserves; high-grade iron ore deposits were depleted by 1978; and health concerns have cut world demand for asbestos. Exports of soft drink concentrate, sugar, and wood pulp are the main earners of hard currency. Surrounded by South Africa, except for a short border with Mozambique, Swaziland is heavily dependent on South Africa from which it receives nine-tenths of its imports and to which it sends more than two-thirds of its exports. Remittances from the Southern African Customs Union and Swazi workers in South African mines substantially supplement domestically earned income. The government is trying to improve the atmosphere for foreign investment. Overgrazing, soil depletion, drought, and sometimes floods persist as problems for the future. Prospects for 2002 are strengthened by the country's status as a beneficiary of the US African Growth and Opportunity Act initiative. 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 900.66 million kWh (2000) 35.43 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - exports 0 kWh (2000) 0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - imports 564 million kWh


note: supplied by South Africa (2000)
0 kWh (2001)
Electricity - production 362 million kWh (2000) 38.1 million kWh (2001)
Electricity - production by source fossil fuel: 56%


hydro: 44%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2000)
fossil fuel: 100%


hydro: 0%


nuclear: 0%


other: 0% (2001)
Elevation extremes lowest point: Great Usutu River 21 m


highest point: Emlembe 1,862 m
lowest point: Caribbean Sea 0 m


highest point: Mount Sage 521 m
Environment - current issues limited supplies of potable water; wildlife populations being depleted because of excessive hunting; overgrazing; soil degradation; soil erosion 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, Endangered Species, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection


signed, but not ratified: Desertification, Law of the Sea
-
Ethnic groups African 97%, European 3% black 83%, white, Indian, Asian and mixed
Exchange rates emalangeni per US dollar - 11.5808 (January 2002), 8.4933 (2001), 6.9056 (2000), 6.1087 (1999), 5.4807 (1998), 4.6032 (1997); note - the Swazi lilangeni is at par with the South African rand; emalangeni is the plural form of lilangeni the US dollar is used
Executive branch chief of state: King MSWATI III (since 25 April 1986)


head of government: Prime Minister Sibusiso Barnabas DLAMINI (since 9 August 1996)


cabinet: Cabinet recommended by the prime minister and confirmed by the monarch


elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; prime minister appointed by the monarch
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 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 $702 million f.o.b. (2001) NA (2001)
Exports - commodities soft drink concentrates, sugar, wood pulp, cotton yarn, refrigerators, citrus and canned fruit rum, fresh fish, fruits, animals; gravel, sand
Exports - partners South Africa 72%, EU 12%, UK 6%, Mozambique 4%, US 4% (1999) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Fiscal year 1 April - 31 March 1 April - 31 March
Flag description three horizontal bands of blue (top), red (triple width), and blue; the red band is edged in yellow; centered in the red band is a large black and white shield covering two spears and a staff decorated with feather tassels, all placed horizontally 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 - $4.6 billion (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $320 million (2002 est.)
GDP - composition by sector agriculture: 10%


industry: 43%


services: 47% (1999 est.)
agriculture: 1.8%


industry: 6.2%


services: 92% (1996 est.)
GDP - per capita purchasing power parity - $4,200 (2001 est.) purchasing power parity - $16,000 (2002 est.)
GDP - real growth rate 2.5% (2001 est.) 1% (2002 est.)
Geographic coordinates 26 30 S, 31 30 E 18 30 N, 64 30 W
Geography - note landlocked; almost completely surrounded by South Africa strong ties to nearby US Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico
Highways total: 3,800 km


paved: 1,064 km


unpaved: 2,736 km (2002)
total: 177 km


paved: 177 km


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


highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%


highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs - transshipment point for South American narcotics destined for the US and Europe; large offshore financial center
Imports $850 million f.o.b. (2001) NA (2001)
Imports - commodities motor vehicles, machinery, transport equipment, foodstuffs, petroleum products, chemicals building materials, automobiles, foodstuffs, machinery
Imports - partners South Africa 89%, EU 5%, Japan 2%, Singapore 2% (2000) Virgin Islands (US), Puerto Rico, US
Independence 6 September 1968 (from UK) none (overseas territory of the UK)
Industrial production growth rate 3.7% (FY95/96) NA
Industries mining (coal), wood pulp, sugar, soft drink concentrates, textile and apparel tourism, light industry, construction, rum, concrete block, offshore financial center
Infant mortality rate 109.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) total: 18.8 deaths/1,000 live births


male: 21.86 deaths/1,000 live births


female: 15.6 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices) 7.5% (2001 est.) 2.5% (2002)
International organization participation ACP, AfDB, C, CCC, ECA, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, Interpol, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OAU, OPCW, PCA, SACU, SADC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO Caricom (associate), CDB, ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC, OECS (associate), UNESCO (associate)
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) 6 (2001) 16 (2000)
Irrigated land 690 sq km (1998 est.) NA sq km
Judicial branch High Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the monarch 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 NA 4,911 (1980)
Labor force - by occupation NA agriculture NA%, industry NA%, services NA%
Land boundaries total: 535 km


border countries: Mozambique 105 km, South Africa 430 km
0 km
Land use arable land: 9.77%


permanent crops: 0.7%


other: 89.53% (1998 est.)
arable land: 20%


permanent crops: 6.67%


other: 73.33% (1998 est.)
Languages English (official, government business conducted in English), siSwati (official) English (official)
Legal system based on South African Roman-Dutch law in statutory courts and Swazi traditional law and custom in traditional courts; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction English law
Legislative branch bicameral Parliament or Libandla, an advisory body, consists of the Senate (30 seats - 10 appointed by the House of Assembly and 20 appointed by the monarch; members serve five-year terms) and the House of Assembly (65 seats - 10 appointed by the monarch and 55 elected by popular vote; members serve five-year terms)


elections: House of Assembly - last held 16 and 24 October 1998 (next to be held NA 2003)


election results: House of Assembly - balloting is done on a nonparty basis; candidates for election are nominated by the local council of each constituency and for each constituency the three candidates with the most votes in the first round of voting are narrowed to a single winner by a second round
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: 37 years


male: 36.35 years


female: 37.66 years (2002 est.)
total population: 76.06 years


male: 75.07 years


female: 77.1 years (2003 est.)
Literacy definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 78.3%


male: 78%


female: 78.4% (1999 est.)
definition: age 15 and over can read and write


total population: 97.8% (1991 est.)


male: NA%


female: NA%
Location Southern Africa, between Mozambique and South Africa Caribbean, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico
Map references Africa Central America and the Caribbean
Maritime claims none (landlocked) exclusive fishing zone: 200 NM


territorial sea: 3 NM
Merchant marine - total: 1 ship (1,000 GRT or over) 19,203 GRT/28,864 DWT


ships by type: cargo 1 (2002 est.)
Military - note - defense is the responsibility of the UK
Military branches Umbutfo Swaziland Defense Force (Army), Royal Swaziland Police Force -
Military expenditures - dollar figure $20 million (FY01/02) -
Military expenditures - percent of GDP 4.75% (FY00/01) -
Military manpower - availability males age 15-49: 253,510 (2002 est.) -
Military manpower - fit for military service males age 15-49: 146,805 (2002 est.) -
National holiday Independence Day, 6 September (1968) Territory Day, 1 July
Nationality noun: Swazi(s)


adjective: Swazi
noun: British Virgin Islander(s)


adjective: British Virgin Islander
Natural hazards drought hurricanes and tropical storms (July to October)
Natural resources asbestos, coal, clay, cassiterite, hydropower, forests, small gold and diamond deposits, quarry stone, and talc NEGL
Net migration rate 0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) 10.45 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)
Political parties and leaders political parties are banned by the constitution - the following are considered political associations - Imbokodvo National Movement or INM [leader NA]; Ngwane National Libertatory Congress or NNLC [Obed DLAMINI, president]; People's United Democratic Movement or PUDEMO [Mario MASUKU, president]; Swaziland National Front or SWANAFRO [Elmond SHONGWE, president] 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 NA
Population 1,123,605


note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates, and changes in the distribution of population by age and sex than would otherwise be expected (July 2002 est.)
21,730 (July 2003 est.)
Population below poverty line NA% NA%
Population growth rate 1.63% (2002 est.) 2.1% (2003 est.)
Ports and harbors none Road Town
Radio broadcast stations AM 3, FM 2 plus 4 repeaters, shortwave 3 (2001) AM 1, FM 4, shortwave 0 (1998)
Radios 170,000 (1999) -
Railways total: 297 km


narrow gauge: 297 km 1.067-m gauge


note: includes 71 km which are not in use (2001)
0 km
Religions Zionist (a blend of Christianity and indigenous ancestral worship) 40%, Roman Catholic 20%, Muslim 10%, Anglican, Bahai, Methodist, Mormon, Jewish and other 30% 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: 1.03 male(s)/female


under 15 years: 0.99 male(s)/female


15-64 years: 0.94 male(s)/female


65 years and over: 0.68 male(s)/female


total population: 0.95 male(s)/female (2002 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: 1.15 male(s)/female


total population: 1.06 male(s)/female (2003 est.)
Suffrage 18 years of age 18 years of age; universal
Telephone system general assessment: a somewhat modern but not an advanced system


domestic: system consists of carrier-equipped, open-wire lines and low-capacity, microwave radio relay


international: satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
general assessment: worldwide telephone service


domestic: NA


international: submarine cable to Bermuda
Telephones - main lines in use 38,500 (2001) 10,000 (1996)
Telephones - mobile cellular 45,000 (2001) NA
Television broadcast stations 5 plus 7 relay stations (2001) 1 (plus one cable company) (1997)
Terrain mostly mountains and hills; some moderately sloping plains coral islands relatively flat; volcanic islands steep, hilly
Total fertility rate 5.77 children born/woman (2002 est.) 1.72 children born/woman (2003 est.)
Unemployment rate 34% (2000 est.) 3% (1995)
Waterways none none
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