Virgin Islands (2001) | Albania (2002) | |
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 | 12 counties (qarqe, singular - qark); Qarku i Beratit, Qarku i Dibres, Qarku i Durresit, Qarku i Elbasanit, Qarku i Fierit, Qarku i Gjirokastres, Qarku i Korces, Qarku i Kukesit, Qarku i Lezhes, Qarku i Shkodres, Qarku i Tiranes, Qarku i Vlores |
Age structure | 0-14 years:
27.27% (male 17,121; female 16,204) 15-64 years: 63.92% (male 35,391; female 42,727) 65 years and over: 8.81% (male 4,638; female 6,130) (2001 est.) |
0-14 years: 28.8% (male 528,678; female 493,531)
15-64 years: 64% (male 1,094,034; female 1,175,024) 65 years and over: 7.2% (male 111,524; female 142,050) (2002 est.) |
Agriculture - products | fruit, vegetables, sorghum; Senepol cattle | wheat, corn, potatoes, vegetables, fruits, sugar beets, grapes; meat, dairy products |
Airports | 2
note: international airports on Saint Thomas and Saint Croix (2000 est.) |
11 (2001) |
Airports - with paved runways | total:
2 1,524 to 2,437 m: 2 (2000 est.) |
total: 3
2,438 to 3,047 m: 3 (2002) |
Airports - with unpaved runways | - | total: 8
over 3,047 m: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 914 to 1,523 m: 2 under 914 m: 4 (2002) |
Area | total:
352 sq km land: 349 sq km water: 3 sq km |
total: 28,748 sq km
land: 27,398 sq km water: 1,350 sq km |
Area - comparative | twice the size of Washington, DC | slightly smaller than Maryland |
Background | 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. | In 1990 Albania ended 44 years of xenophobic communist rule and established a multiparty democracy. The transition has proven difficult as corrupt governments have tried to deal with high unemployment, a dilapidated infrastructure, widespread gangsterism, and disruptive political opponents. International observers judged local elections in 2001 to be acceptable and a step toward democratic development, but identified serious deficiencies which should be addressed through reforms in the Albanian electoral code. |
Birth rate | 15.9 births/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 18.59 births/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Budget | revenues:
$364.4 million expenditures: $364.4 million, including capital expenditures of $NA (1990 est.) |
revenues: $697 million
expenditures: $1.5 billion, including capital expenditures of $368 million (2002 est.) |
Capital | Charlotte Amalie | Tirana |
Climate | subtropical, tempered by easterly trade winds, relatively low humidity, little seasonal temperature variation; rainy season May to November | mild temperate; cool, cloudy, wet winters; hot, clear, dry summers; interior is cooler and wetter |
Coastline | 188 km | 362 km |
Constitution | Revised Organic Act of 22 July 1954 | a constitution was adopted by popular referendum on 28 November 1998; note - the opposition Democratic Party boycotted the vote |
Country name | conventional long form:
United States Virgin Islands conventional short form: Virgin Islands former: Danish West Indies |
conventional long form: Republic of Albania
conventional short form: Albania local long form: Republika e Shqiperise local short form: Shqiperia former: People's Socialist Republic of Albania |
Currency | US dollar (USD) | lek (ALL) |
Death rate | 5.47 deaths/1,000 population (2001 est.) | 6.49 deaths/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Debt - external | $NA | $784 million (2000) |
Dependency status | 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 (territory of the US) | chief of mission: Ambassador James F. JEFFREY
embassy: Rruga Elbasanit, Labinoti #103, Tirana mailing address: U. S. Department of State, 9510 Tirana Place, Washington, DC 20521-9510 telephone: [355] (4) 247285 FAX: [355] (4) 232222 |
Diplomatic representation in the US | none (territory of the US) | chief of mission: Ambassador Dr. Fatos TARIFA
chancery: 2100 S Street NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 223-4942 FAX: [1] (202) 628-7342 |
Disputes - international | none | the Albanian Government supports protection of the rights of ethnic Albanians outside of its borders in the Kosovo region of Serbia and Montenegro and in the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia while continuing to seek regional cooperation; many Albanians illegally transit neighboring states to emigrate to western Europe |
Economic aid - recipient | $NA | ODA: $315 million (top donors were Italy, EU, Germany) (2000 est.) |
Economy - overview | Tourism is the primary economic activity, accounting for more than 70% of GDP and 70% of 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, support construction projects in the private sector, expand tourist facilities, and protect the environment. | Poor and backward by European standards, Albania is making the difficult transition to a more modern open-market economy. The government has taken measures to curb violent crime and to revive economic activity and trade. The economy is bolstered by remittances from abroad of $400-$600 million annually, mostly from Greece and Italy. Agriculture, which accounts for half of GDP, is held back because of frequent drought and the need to modernize equipment and consolidate small plots of land. Severe energy shortages are forcing small firms out of business, increasing unemployment, scaring off foreign investors, and spurring inflation. The government plans to boost energy imports to relieve the shortages. |
Electricity - consumption | 948.6 million kWh (1999) | 5.378 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - exports | 0 kWh (1999) | 100 million kWh (2000) |
Electricity - imports | 0 kWh (1999) | 1.072 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production | 1.02 billion kWh (1999) | 4.738 billion kWh (2000) |
Electricity - production by source | fossil fuel:
100% hydro: 0% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (1999) |
fossil fuel: 3%
hydro: 97% nuclear: 0% other: 0% (2000) |
Elevation extremes | lowest point:
Caribbean Sea 0 m highest point: Crown Mountain 474 m |
lowest point: Adriatic Sea 0 m
highest point: Maja e Korabit (Golem Korab) 2,753 m |
Environment - current issues | lack of natural freshwater resources | deforestation; soil erosion; water pollution from industrial and domestic effluents |
Environment - international agreements | - | party to: Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Hazardous Wastes, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
Ethnic groups | black 80%, white 15%, other 5%
note: West Indian (45% born in the Virgin Islands and 29% born elsewhere in the West Indies) 74%, US mainland 13%, Puerto Rican 5%, other 8% |
Albanian 95%, Greek 3%, other 2% (Vlach, Gypsy, Serb, and Bulgarian) (1989 est.)
note: in 1989, other estimates of the Greek population ranged from 1% (official Albanian statistics) to 12% (from a Greek organization) |
Exchange rates | the US dollar is used | leke per US dollar - 140.16 (November 2001), 143.71 (2000) 137.69 (1999), 150.63 (1998), 148.93 (1997); note - leke is the plural of lek |
Executive branch | chief of state:
President George W. BUSH of the US (since 20 January 2001); Vice President Richard B. CHENEY (Since 20 January 2001) head of government: Governor Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL (since 5 January 1999) and Lieutenant Governor Gererd LUZ James II (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 3 November 1998 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: Dr. Charles Wesley TURNBULL elected governor; percent of vote - Dr. Charles W. TURNBULL (Democrat) 58.9%, former Governor Roy L. SCHNEIDER (ICM) 41.1% |
chief of state: President of the Republic Alfred MOISIU (since 24 July 2002)
head of government: Prime Minister Fatos NANO (since 31 July 2002) cabinet: Council of Ministers nominated by the prime minister and approved by the president elections: president elected by the People's Assembly for a five-year term; election last held 24 June 2002 (next to be held NA June 2007); prime minister appointed by the president election results: Alfred MOISIU elected president; People's Assembly vote by number - total votes 116, for 97, against 19 |
Exports | $NA | $340 million f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Exports - commodities | refined petroleum products | textiles and footwear; asphalt, metals and metallic ores, crude oil; vegetables, fruits, tobacco |
Exports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | Italy 71%, Greece 12%, Germany 7%, Yugoslavia 3% (2001) |
Fiscal year | 1 October - 30 September | calendar year |
Flag description | 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 | red with a black two-headed eagle in the center |
GDP | purchasing power parity - $1.8 billion (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $14 billion (2002 est.) |
GDP - composition by sector | agriculture:
NA% industry: NA% services: NA% |
agriculture: 49%
industry: 27% services: 24% (2002 est.) |
GDP - per capita | purchasing power parity - $15,000 (2000 est.) | purchasing power parity - $4,500 (2002 est.) |
GDP - real growth rate | NA% | 5% (2002 est.) |
Geographic coordinates | 18 20 N, 64 50 W | 41 00 N, 20 00 E |
Geography - note | 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 | strategic location along Strait of Otranto (links Adriatic Sea to Ionian Sea and Mediterranean Sea) |
Heliports | - | 1 (2002) |
Highways | total:
856 km paved: NA km unpaved: NA km (2000) |
total: 18,000 km
paved: 5,400 km unpaved: 12,600 km (1998 est.) |
Household income or consumption by percentage share | lowest 10%:
NA% highest 10%: NA% |
lowest 10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
Illicit drugs | - | increasingly active transshipment point for Southwest Asian opiates, hashish, and cannabis transiting the Balkan route and - to a far lesser extent - cocaine from South America destined for Western Europe; limited opium and growing cannabis production; ethnic Albanian narcotrafficking organizations active and rapidly expanding in Europe; vulnerable to money laundering associated with regional trafficking in narcotics, arms, contraband, and illegal aliens |
Imports | $NA | $1.5 billion f.o.b. (2002 est.) |
Imports - commodities | crude oil, foodstuffs, consumer goods, building materials | machinery and equipment, foodstuffs, textiles, chemicals |
Imports - partners | US, Puerto Rico | Italy 32%, Greece 26%, Turkey 6%, Germany 6%, Bulgaria 2% (2001) |
Independence | - | 28 November 1912 (from Ottoman Empire) |
Industrial production growth rate | NA% | 9% (2000 est.) |
Industries | tourism, petroleum refining, watch assembly, rum distilling, construction, pharmaceuticals, textiles, electronics | food processing, textiles and clothing; lumber, oil, cement, chemicals, mining, basic metals, hydropower |
Infant mortality rate | 9.43 deaths/1,000 live births (2001 est.) | 38.64 deaths/1,000 live births (2002 est.) |
Inflation rate (consumer prices) | NA% | 6% (2002 est.) |
International organization participation | ECLAC (associate), Interpol (subbureau), IOC | ACCT, BSEC, CCC, CE, CEI, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO (correspondent), ITU, OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNOMIG, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
Internet Service Providers (ISPs) | 50 (2000) | 10 (2001) |
Irrigated land | NA sq km | 3,400 sq km (1998 est.) |
Judicial branch | US District Court of the Virgin Islands (under Third Circuit jurisdiction); Territorial Court (judges appointed by the governor for 10-year terms) | Supreme Court (chairman is elected by the People's Assembly for a four-year term) |
Labor force | 47,443 (1990 est.) | 1.283 million (not including 352,000 emigrant workers and 261,000 domestically unemployed) (2000 est.) |
Labor force - by occupation | agriculture 1%, industry 20%, services 79% (1990 est.) | agriculture 50%, industry and services 50% |
Land boundaries | 0 km | total: 720 km
border countries: Greece 282 km, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia 151 km, Serbia and Montenegro 287 km |
Land use | arable land:
15% permanent crops: 6% permanent pastures: 26% forests and woodland: 6% other: 47% (1993 est.) |
arable land: 21.09%
permanent crops: 4.45% other: 74.46% (1998 est.) |
Languages | English (official), Spanish, Creole | Albanian (Tosk is the official dialect), Greek |
Legal system | based on US laws | has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
Legislative branch | unicameral Senate (15 seats; members are elected by popular vote to serve two-year terms)
elections: last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002) election results: percent of vote by party - NA%; seats by party - Democratic Party 6, ICM 2, independents 7 note: the Virgin Islands elects one non-voting representative to the US House of Representatives; election last held 7 November 2000 (next to be held NA November 2002); results - Donna M. CHRISTIAN-CHRISTENSON (Democrat) elected |
unicameral People's Assembly or Kuvendi Popullor (140 seats; 100 are elected by direct popular vote and 40 by proportional vote for four-year terms)
elections: last held 24 June with subsequent rounds on 8 July, 22 July, 29 July, 19 August 2001 (next to be held NA June 2005) election results: percent of vote by party - PS 41.5%, PD and coalition allies 36.8%, NDP 5.2%, PSD 3.6%, PBDNJ 2.6%, PASH 2.6%, PAD 2.5%; seats by party - PS 73, PD and coalition allies 46, NDP 6, PSD 4, PBDNJ 3, PASH 3, PAD 3, independents 2 |
Life expectancy at birth | total population:
78.27 years male: 74.38 years female: 82.39 years (2001 est.) |
total population: 72.1 years
male: 69.27 years female: 75.14 years (2002 est.) |
Literacy | definition:
NA total population: NA% male: NA% female: NA% |
definition: age 9 and over can read and write
total population: 93% (1997 est.) male: NA% female: NA% |
Location | Caribbean, islands between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, east of Puerto Rico | Southeastern Europe, bordering the Adriatic Sea and Ionian Sea, between Greece and Serbia and Montenegro |
Map references | Central America and the Caribbean | Europe |
Maritime claims | exclusive economic zone:
200 NM territorial sea: 12 NM |
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
territorial sea: 12 NM |
Merchant marine | none (2000 est.) | total: 7 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 13,423 GRT/20,837 DWT
ships by type: cargo 7, includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Croatia 1, Honduras 1 (2002 est.) |
Military - note | defense is the responsibility of the US | - |
Military branches | - | Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Interior Ministry Troops, Border Guards |
Military expenditures - dollar figure | - | $56.5 million (FY02) |
Military expenditures - percent of GDP | - | 1.49% (FY02) |
Military manpower - availability | - | males age 15-49: 888,086 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - fit for military service | - | males age 15-49: 727,406 (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - military age | - | 19 years of age (2002 est.) |
Military manpower - reaching military age annually | - | males: 35,792 (2002 est.) |
National holiday | Transfer Day (from Denmark to the US), 27 March (1917) | Independence Day, 28 November (1912) |
Nationality | noun:
Virgin Islander(s) adjective: Virgin Islander |
noun: Albanian(s)
adjective: Albanian |
Natural hazards | several hurricanes in recent years; frequent and severe droughts and floods; occasional earthquakes | destructive earthquakes; tsunamis occur along southwestern coast; floods; drought |
Natural resources | sun, sand, sea, surf | petroleum, natural gas, coal, chromium, copper, timber, nickel, hydropower |
Net migration rate | 0.12 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2001 est.) | -1.46 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2002 est.) |
Pipelines | - | crude oil 196 km; petroleum products 55 km; natural gas 64 km (1996) |
Political parties and leaders | Democratic Party [Arturo WATLINGTON]; Independent Citizens' Movement or ICM [Usie RICHON]; Republican Party [Gary SCROUVE] | Agrarian Party or PASH [Lufter XHUVELI]; Albanian National Front (Balli Kombetar) or PBK [Shptim ROQI]; Albanian Republican Party or PR [Fatmir MEDIU]; Albanian Socialist Party or PS (formerly the Albania Workers Party) [Fatos NANO, chairman]; Christian Democratic Party or PDK [Zef BUSHATI]; Democratic Alliance or PAD [Nerltan CEKA]; Democratic Party or PD [Sali BERISHA]; Group of Reformist Democrats [Leonard NDOKA]; Legality Movement Party or PLL [Ekrem SPAHIA]; Liberal Union Party or PBL [Teodor LACO]; New Democratic Party or NDP [Genc POLLO]; OMONIA [Vagjelis DULES]; Party of National Unity or PUK [Idajet BEQUIRI]; Social Democratic Party or PSD [Skender GJINUSHI]; Unity for Human Rights Party or PBDNJ [Vasil MELO, chairman] |
Political pressure groups and leaders | NA | NA |
Population | 122,211 (July 2001 est.) | 3,544,841 (July 2002 est.) |
Population below poverty line | NA% | 30% (2001 est.) |
Population growth rate | 1.06% (2001 est.) | 1.06% (2002 est.) |
Ports and harbors | Charlotte Amalie, Christiansted, Cruz Bay, Port Alucroix | Durres, Sarande, Shengjin, Vlore |
Radio broadcast stations | AM 5, FM 11, shortwave 0 (1998) | AM 13, FM 4, shortwave 2 (2001) |
Radios | 107,000 (1997) | 1 million (2001) |
Railways | 0 km | total: 447 km
standard gauge: 447 km 1.435-m gauge (2001 est.) |
Religions | Baptist 42%, Roman Catholic 34%, Episcopalian 17%, other 7% | Muslim 70%, Albanian Orthodox 20%, Roman Catholic 10%
note: all mosques and churches were closed in 1967 and religious observances prohibited; in November 1990, Albania began allowing private religious practice |
Sex ratio | at birth:
1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.83 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.76 male(s)/female total population: 0.88 male(s)/female (2001 est.) |
at birth: 1.07 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 0.93 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.96 male(s)/female (2002 est.) |
Suffrage | 18 years of age; universal; note - indigenous inhabitants are US citizens but do not vote in US presidential elections | 18 years of age; universal and compulsory |
Telephone system | general assessment:
NA domestic: modern, uses fiber-optic cable and microwave radio relay international: submarine cable and satellite communications; satellite earth stations - NA |
general assessment: Albania has the poorest telephone service in Europe with fewer than two telephones per 100 inhabitants; it is doubtful that every village has telephone service
domestic: obsolete wire system; no longer provides a telephone for every village; in 1992, following the fall of the Communist government, peasants cut the wire to about 1,000 villages and used it to build fences international: inadequate; international traffic carried by microwave radio relay from the Tirana exchange to Italy and Greece |
Telephones - main lines in use | 62,000 (1997) | 120,000 (2001) |
Telephones - mobile cellular | 2,000 (1992) | 250,000 (2001) |
Television broadcast stations | 2 (1997) | 3 (plus 58 repeaters) (2001) |
Terrain | mostly hilly to rugged and mountainous with little level land | mostly mountains and hills; small plains along coast |
Total fertility rate | 2.25 children born/woman (2001 est.) | 2.27 children born/woman (2002 est.) |
Unemployment rate | 4.9% (March 1999) | 17% officially (2001 est.); may be as high as 30% (2001) |
Waterways | none | 43 km
note: includes Albanian sections of Lake Scutari, Lake Ohrid, and Lake Prespa (1990) |